#he mistreats this gun so much

[cestacruz]

i have many thoughts about the TFP/RiD15 (aligned?) continuity actually... too many... hear me out hear me out... we can ruin starscream's life even more..! my thoughts in my tags... if you would...

[limethefirst]

hwellooooo i love your movie shadow fics!! Would it be alright if i made a request i finally got to see sonic movie three today as my christmas present and im brain rotted from it. Could we have a movie shadow x a reader who maybe prehaps shadow meet when he woke up at gun? Maybe prehaps he sees that the reader is being mistreated and hiut by gun after they have been looking after shadow in statis for awhile because they do see the good in him and tried to defend gim before he woke up to let him be left alone. Then when shadow sees it something snaps in him and he saves them. Bringing them with him to get revenge on gun, wanting for protect them for her act of kindness towards him seeing a glipse of maria in her.

Protector

pairings: Shadow the Hedgehog x reader (platonic)

warnings: mentions of being hurt/kinda bullied by everyone at work

summary: after waking up from statis Shadow asks you to come with him, wanting to protect you after you protected him

a/n: thank you for the love! This request kinda stumped me so sorry for taking a bit and if it isn’t the best, I was thinking of ways to incorporate the reader into the story but for it to also make sense

You were a worker at GUN, a lower level worker, at least that’s what your co-workers liked to joke about. A laughing stock, the work punchline. Basically deemed as unimportant and unnecessary but the reason for this wasn’t because you sucked at your job or you were a loser, no, it’s because your task was looked down upon.

When you were hired, the one thing you were told to do was watch over and take care of Project Shadow; you would clean the room he was stored in, kept the glass from getting cloudy and would just watch over him. A little protector, the others called you.

Today was no different from the day before, or the day before that or even the month before. It was routine. You quietly made your way to Shadows containment unit. The guards watched you enter, only sparing you a quick glance before going back to whatever they were talking about.

A small sigh escaped your lips as you made your way to the glass, checking for any cracks or signs for deterioration, “This sucks,” you quietly exclaimed.

Not because you hated looking after Shadow, no that was something you actually enjoyed, you’d some blabber about your day, finding comfort in the fact he couldn’t actually hear you; though sometimes you wish he could.

No, what sucked was the fact everyday at work was another day of being belittled and looked down upon. If it weren’t for the fact you’d grown somewhat attached to the little hedgehog, as well as a really good pay, you probably would’ve left this job by now. 

Slowly you continued to check the glass, making sure it was in perfect condition. As you did a sudden movement had caught your eye, it was fast and quick; like a flicker of light.

You weren’t able to quite catch what is was though because it was gone almost as fast as it was there, so you tried to leave it alone, going back to cleaning and checking the containment unit.

Suddenly the guards shouted your name, which was strange as they didn’t really talk to you much, thinking you were weird for protecting a hedgehog in Statis. You turned over for them and saw you motioning to move away from Shadow.

You only made a few advances towards them before a bunch of soldiers stormed the room, “What are you guys doing?!” You angrily questioned the masked men.

None of them responded, their gazes fixed on the hedgehog in front of you. The room became eerily still, the only thing you could hear was the faint beep of the machine wired to enhance and check Shadows heart beat.

It was a fast paced beep, it was getting worse and worse, you started to grow worried, trying to make your way to the machine so you could check it but one of the soldiers held you back. Not gently, quite forcefully, sparing no expense when it came to Project Shadow.

Then it stilled. The long beep indicating it was over, your eyes widened, a mix of shock and confusion over coming you. The soldier that was holding you back let you go, a sigh of relief escaped his lips.

Crack.

The glass was shattered. Shadow had finally woken up, and his demeanor only showed one thing. That he wanted revenge.

You were quickly pushed onto the cold floor, hitting your arm harshly, a small cut formed as blood was seeping from the wound. You let out a hiss of pain that didn’t seem to go unnoticed by the hedgehog.

He didn’t have a chance to react though as the men started to shoot at him, not caring that you were in the room. You tried to duck and ran into the corner hoping that no stray bullets, rubber or not, wouldn’t come your way.

Shadow made quick work of the soldiers, effortlessly taking them down without breaking a sweat. Then he made it to you, his gaze was sharp, but he didn’t attack you. He just watched you, his eyes looking at the cut you had on your arm, the blood dripping onto the floor. He looked back at the man who pushed you down.

His expression was unreadable. You both looked at each other, for some reason you weren’t scared, you should’ve been considering you just saw him take down over 8 armed men but if Shadow was going to hurt you he definitely would’ve already.

“Come.” He told you, turning his back to you as he punched the wall in front of him down and looked back at you before he continued to walk to the edge of the cliff.

Shadow wasn’t entirely sure why he told you to come with him. There wasn’t a set moment he knew you would accompany him, all he knew was that you weren’t like the other workers, who saw him as a threat and tried to take him down. You defended him, and for this kindness he would repay you. By becoming your protector, like you had been protecting him before.

[byunpum]

Back to you | Part 3(final)

Pair: Jake(human and avatar) x Neytiri x Human reader (trio couple)

Warning: i think kinda sad. soft moments, mmm more neytiri and reader, mention of death, mates.

Note: It's been almost a month now, I'm so sorry. I still have no excuse. I tried to write the story, but I feel that in the end… I didn't like it. I think it could have another ending. But still…I'm going to leave it like this. I hope you like it very much! And thanks for your patience! I hope you enjoy this part a lot. Love ya <3

+Read 'Mama's boy' HERE+

AVATAR MASTERLIST | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3(final)

Everything was supposed to be fine, the meetings Grace had had with the RDA investigation team were supposed to have understood her claims. It was assumed that they would not continue with the massacre they were committing in other clans, it was assumed that no one would have been harmed… it was assumed. That day promised to be a quiet one, neytiri and you were sitting on the stairs of the school, which grace had built. In order to have a better contact with the Omaticaya clan. Although the atmosphere felt a little heavy, the last few weeks you had learned that the clan was planning something against the humans. The mistreatment had led them to make the worst decisions, that's why you had stayed away from the clan. It was not for your liking, you loved being in the clan. But Mo'at insisted that you stay with your people. So you could only see neytiri when they were at school.

They were playing with their hands, and telling whatever gossip you had missed in the last 2 weeks. Until you hear some noises coming from the jungle, you can see how a group of RDA men arrive, some in their robotic suits and others normal. But with weapons in their hands, Neytiri quickly rises up, taking your arm to drag you towards her. Walking away closer to the jungle behind you. Not five minutes had passed since his appearance, which is when the chaos began. The screams of desperation, the sounds of gunshots and grace's voice trying to explain, was the only thing you could hear. Neytiri and you had hidden under the stairs. You were both scared, and were waiting for help. But everything gets worse, when you feel someone grabbing you by your hair.

Lifting you off the ground with force, you scream in pain and twist in the air. You can feel Neytiri trying to hold you up, but it was useless. You see that it was some RDA soldier, indicating to take you with them. "This girl should not be here…. take her to the base" says the man. "Leave her please!!!" shouts grace, the woman was gagging on the ground. Her only hope was that you would escape with the clan, there you would be safe. You hear a scream from far away, and see how sylwanin jumps to a great height, attacking the man. "Let go of my sister!!!" shouts the girl, knocking the man down, leaving you free for her to help you. She held your hand tightly, both of you running into the jungle. When the sound of a gun is heard and everything goes silent.

Sylwanin stayed still in her place, her eyes wide open. While your gaze looked at his chest. Shot straight through the heart, your eyes met hers. Feeling her swoon over you, you try to handle her weights. "Sylwanin no…please don't. Let's go home" you cry, hugging her tightly. But you watch as that same man reaches over and grabs you by the arm again. Now with more strength, pulling you away from Sylwanin. Pulling you away from what you considered your family. You try to scream, but it was impossible to get out of his grip. You watch as neytiri tries to keep up with the group, shouting your name. "Y/N!!! NOOOO, COME BACK!!!" shouts neytiri, while you can only watch as she gets smaller the farther away you get.

present time*

Jake didn't know how to act, and what to do. He felt like he was in trouble, but at the same time he was not. You two were there just looking at each other, the looks on your faces were calm and nostalgic. There was no hate or anger…it was as if you had been waiting for this moment for years. You dared to take the first step, approaching quickly, hugging neytiri tightly. Your head resting on her lower belly. As tears began to flow from your eyes. You were afraid she would pull away and reject you. But your heart calmed down when you felt hands on your back, and felt someone slide off. Neytiri had lowered herself to your level, so she could hug you better. Wrapping her long arms around your body. "I've missed you…Y/N" neytiri says, pulling away a little. You can see how she has tears in her eyes. You wipe some of them away. "Me too" you speak, neytiri takes your hands.

Both smiling softly, while just letting time pass. Until jake makes a noise with his throat. both of you look at him and laugh. "I think I have a lot to ask," says Jake. And yes, he had a lot of questions, but you guys weren't going to let him worry. Just at that moment it had started to rain, there was a beautiful sun and a soft, cool rain. Everything looked like new changes… The three of you decided to be in a more comfortable area. Up a tree, not far from the laboratory. The three of you had sat down, while neytiri and you explained everything to jake. Even you were able to talk about the terrifying things he had experienced in the RDA all those years ago.

Time had passed, and the evening was showing. Jake can see you take a few glances at the view of the sunset. "Too bad…it's dark already," you complain, the night idicating that you had to go back to the lab. "We can meet again tomorrow, right?" asks Jake, looking at Neytiri. With very big eyes, you look at her too. This made neytiri a little nervous, having two people she cared about looking at her straight on. And waiting for her response, as if it was a law. "Well…I don't see why, besides…" neytiri pauses, moving closer to your side. "Y/N and I have a lot to talk about, how about tomorrow you go to the clan" neytiri says. You are a little surprised, but lower your face in embarrassment.

After all that had happened, they might hate you. They would still accept you?, you were afraid. "I'm not sure…I" you are interrupted, by neytiri. "I'm sure our parents would be happy to see you," says Neytiri. You swear you almost cry, hearing that they still considered you as a daughter. You agree. After a couple of minutes, Jake leaves you at the entrance of the lab. And neytiri says goodbye to you, anxious that it's already the next day. "See you later…ok" says jake, giving you a quick kiss on the crown of your head. Running back to his ikran, jake needed to drop his avatar off somewhere safe.

You watch as they walk away, if you hear a celebratory shout from neytiri. You enter the lab, with a big smile on your face. This was like a dream… you couldn't believe it.

On the other hand, Neytiri and Jake arrived at the big tree. Jake was getting down from his ikran, when he felt how neytiri hugged him, and then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek of his face. "Thank you…" says the woman, jake shakes his head to the side. Laughing a little. "Why?" asks jake. Neytiri pulls away, and nudges him a little playfully. "For helping me find her," she says. Walking away from jake, to go rest. She was looking forward to the other day. She wanted to spend the whole day with you, to go back to the way she was before. And you were the same, but even more anxious, you hadn't left the connection machine, waiting for Jake to open the lid. The strange noise of the machine alarmed you, and you see how a hand lifts the machine. "H-hello" jake was just sitting up, when he feels you hug him. "Thank you!!!" you say almost shouting. " I know…she's just as excited too" jake says.

"Jake…you don't understand, this is so important to me, I'm looking forward to seeing my family" you are on the point of crying. Jake tries to calm you down. You had to, because Grace was already noticing, if not already did. She had stayed close and could hear everything. Something in her chest tightened. She felt happy but afraid at the same time, this could be dangerous for both of them. But she couldn't deny that seeing you this happy was what she wanted. Grace was like a mother to you, your happiness was also hers. She comes out from the other room, watching as you turn and get up from your chair and run to her. Jumping up and down and telling her everything that had happened. That same night, grace approached jake, still very tired jake. Touching his shoulder. "Please don't do anything stupid with those two girls…just, take care of them" says grace, pulling away from jake. She had to rest, she sensed something big was going to happen. "Don't worry, I'll take care of them," says Jake. Hearing a small laugh from grace, "Thank you" says grace, leaving jake alone in the room.

The morning came quickly, and you hadn't slept at all. Only about 2 hours, you were so anxious. You had already picked up jake, telling him to join his avatar as quickly as possible. The plan was for Jake to come get you in his ikran, and that you were all going to meet near the big tree. Jake still had a slice of bread in his mouth, when you help him into the machine. "Wait!!!" jake complains, but laughing at the same time. "Come on!!! You're taking too long!!!" you hit the buttons as fast as you can. "I'll be here in about 30 minutes, wait for me outside" jake speaks, as the door to the machine closes. You quickly, go get your oxygen mask, and a small bag you put on your hip. Grace just looked at you with a warm smile, while Norm was complaining. Saying how bad this could be. And he was partially right, this reunion could go wrong.

You come out of the lab, sitting on the same rock as the day before, waiting for Jake. You were getting anxious, because the minutes were passing and nothing. But you calm down when you hear the ikran's scream, and see him approaching. Landing nearby, only for you to approach carefully. "Come… hurry up, neytiri is super anxious" says jake, offering his hand, for you to come up with him. You get a little scared, because of the ikran. But you climb in front of him and jake wraps one of his hands around your waist. "Ready?" jake asks, noticing the big smile on your face.

The ride was scary and yet so slow at the same time. You wanted to get there already, you wanted to know how everyone was doing. What things had changed? Everything was still the same. You had so many questions. But you were interrupted by the sudden change of light when Jake started to descend, seeing a Neytiri in the distance. Greeting you and giving some jumping up and down in joy. "Y/N!!!" says neytiri, running towards the ikran, helping you down from it. " I'm glad you're home, ma y/n. Come!!!" neytiri is so excited that she almost forgets that you that you were not her own size. You stumble into a large branch, feeling jake hold you by the forearm. "Hey…watch out," says jake, watching as neytiri turns and apologizes to you, giggling. They both had big smiles on their faces, it was beautiful. They seemed genuinely happy, and something in him felt satisfied. That he had managed to get the two of them together.

The closer they got to the big tree, the more nervous you got. You could see some na'vi watching you with fear and curiosity. Some of them did not even remember your presence, you were strange to them. But they could not say anything, since neytiri had you close to her. "Are you sure they will accept me?" you ask, waiting for an answer from neytiri. "Sure…I know they will" says neytiri, she kept walking. Leading you to where her parents were. Neytiri had informed them that she had found you. Her parents' reaction was one of happiness but also concern, what if you came with bad intentions. Mo'at had to make sure that you were still… you.

You can see Mo'at and Neytiri's father. You were getting even more nervous, looking back to see jake. Making sure he was still there, if anything happened you knew Jake would protect you. The three of you arrive in front of the leaders, and you can already feel their eyes on you.

"Mother… here is Y/N" neytiri pushes you forward a little. The whole clan is around you, making you more nervous. Mo'at approaches you carefully, keeping eye contact with you. Lowering herself to your level, to be very close to you. She observes how you have changed, you are big and your appearance is not the same. Moving her hand to your chest, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. She breathed a few words, which you understood very well. It was a prayer to eywa, asking for wisdom and understanding of the unknown. Meanwhile neytiri was next to jake, waiting for her mother's approval, for her it was important for her mother to accept you back into the clan.

Mo'at opens her eyes, and can see that you are still looking at her with great concern. She moves her hand from your chest to the side of your skull. As a smile spreads across her face. "Oh my child…how we have missed you" says mo'at, as she wraps you in a big hug. "One of our own has returned home" shouts neytiri's father. Also happy for your return. Mo'at pulls away, leaving neytiri now to be the one to hug. "Eywa has answered me…our sister is pure of heart, as she has always been" shouts mo'at, as shouts of celebration are heard high up in the great tree. The clan was filled with joy and celebration. Jake still couldn't understand how you were part of the clan, you were supposed to go through a whole process to be part of it. But he could see how some na'vi came to greet you and welcome you. As if your presence was something normal for them.

It was decided that your arrival would be celebrated that night, after all this was a cause for celebration for the whole clan. Of course, some were still suspicious of your presence as tsu'tey, but that did not matter to you. You were so happy, you had to catch up with neytiri. And so you did, you spent the whole day together.

Neytiri forced you to change your clothes, and adjust one of hers, just for you. "Ney I think this…" you laugh, while the top didn't want to adjust. "Let me help you" neytiri laughs. Coming closer to you, and helping you. Admiring you for a moment, this seemed so unreal. Neytiri could hate all humans, but you. You and she had a different connection. She loved you and she felt you loved her back. "That's it!!! Now you do look beautiful" says neytiri, watching you try to cover yourself up. "Jake look!!!" shouts neytiri, inviting jake to join you. The poor man had stayed behind you, it seemed like he didn't exist between the two of you. "Doesn't she look beautiful?" asks neytiri. Watching as jake's ears perk up as well as his tail, from excitement. "Y-yes…pretty" says jake trying not to look at you too much. "Don't look at me!!!" you moan, it was the first time jake had seen you naked like that. Of course, neytiri didn't understand what was going on between you and just laughed.

The day went on as normal, neytiri and you continued to do your thing, while jake followed and tried to join in. You included him, but sometimes forgot about him. The night came quickly, and the celebration began. Everyone was dancing, singing, eating. And they were eating a very special game, neytiri's father himself had hunted for you. Everyone was happy, even grace and norm had joined in. Already consumed by alcohol, saying stupid things. While you were sitting on a log watching how cozy everything felt, like it used to. It finally felt like home. You watch as neytiri is dancing with jake, flirting and having a good time. You had a soft smile on your face, until neytiri makes eye contact with you. Causing you to blush a little, changing your gaze.

You hear her approach, and she plops down next to you. You knew she'd had a bit to drink, so it was all laughs for her. "Do you want to dance, with me?" neytiri speaks, silly in her movements. "I don't think so…I'm fine here" you speak, still a little shy. "If you want you can dance with jake, he would like that" neytiri says as she laughs. You look at her for a moment, you knew the tone she was talking in. "If you want we can both dance with him…share him" says neytiri, saying the last word more slowly. Waiting for a response from you, you stare at her for a moment. Bursting out laughing with her. "Well… if you insist, but first I want to dance with you" you get up from the floor and take her hand to take neytiri with you. After dancing with her, after a while Jake joined you.

After the party, Neytiri insisted that you sleep over with her. No one could stop them, they both wanted to be together all the time. And no one refused the request. So now you were both lying in neytiri's hammock, laughing and talking about anything. "Excuse me ladies…" speaks Jake, from his hammock. You both look at him at the same time. "Hope you get some rest" jake says, listening as you two also wish him goodnight, but quickly ignore him to keep talking. Jake chuckles to himself, and settles down to sleep. After all he needed to rest, soon it would be his initiation ceremony into the clan, so he had to be in perfect condition.

"When will be jake's ceremony?" you ask neytiri, she was next to you. "In the next few days, you will be there, right?" asks neytiri. You settle more on top of her, looking warmer. The nights could be cold in Pandora, colder than usual. "I'll try to be there…but I don't know" you say, shifting your gaze a little. There is a silence between the two of you, until Neytiri laughs to herself. "What do you think?" you speak. "After the ceremony…Jake will be able to choose a partner, a partner who is from the clan," says Neytiri. "Are you thinking of proposing?" you joke a little, but you see that neytiri falls down. "I thought about proposing but for both of us…" says neytiri, looking down to see you. "Both of us, us sharing Jake?" you think for a moment. You had so many doubts.

"I think we have to ask jake first" you speak, hearing neytiri laugh. " Don't worry, I'm going to make him" neytiri says joking with you. "You know… I'm glad we're back together" you hug neytiri. "Yes, I hope we will never be separated again, never again" neytiri hugs you tighter. And the idea of you and her and Jake being a couple, she was excited. She was already planning everything, she already had more or less an idea.

(I'm going to try to summarize the battle part as much as I can, because it doesn't go very much with the plot of the story)

But neytiri wished these moments had lasted longer. After jake's initiation ceremony. She kept her word, neytiri took jake to the spirit tree, declaring herself and also declaring your feelings for him. Telling him the plan that you and she had, trios were a normal thing between them. Jake didn't hesitate to accept, it was a shame that you weren't there with them to join them in eywa's eyes. Neytiri wished you would stay, but the chaos that was going on in the lab was different. The RDA had already sent their warnings, and grace was trying to calm the waters, but all to no avail. The next morning the chaos broke out, and harmony was exhausted.

After jake told the truth, and everything that was going on. There was a moment of doubt towards you, on neytiri's part. You hadn't had a chance to talk to her. To tell her that you didn't know anything about it. Jake and the team, including you, were able to escape from the RDA and do something for the Omaticaya clan. It was not after jake became toruk makto, that you were able to see neytiri.

The humans who were in favor of the na'vi, and the omaticaya had to unite to save pandora. So you were finally able to meet with her. Jake explained to Neytiri that you had nothing to do with this…you were so innocent about it. Neytiri knew that you were not capable of betraying her like that, neither her nor the clan. The fight was tough, and left many fallen in battle. But it was worth it… now they were free. At least for a while, everyone knew it wasn't over.

(end of summary <3)

After the first battle, and the humans went back to earth. That was when neytiri felt some stability again. Things were slowly calming down. She just needed something… and it was you. She needed you to accept to be in her family…she needed you to be her partner. Both hers and Jake's. But she didn't know how to do it, she was already by jake's side. But she was noticing since the humans left, you were distancing yourself from her. Keeping your distance and this did not please her. She could understand that you were analyzing everything that had happened, you had lost grace, all the chaos of the RDA. But now…now she could be a little happy.

"Today is your transfer ceremony…I will ask Y/N, do you think she will accept?" neytiri asks jake. "Didn't she already accept?" jake laughs a little. consoling neytiri. "Yes…but now it would be formal. You and I are already bonded…it would be our turn to bond with her. That makes me nervous" neytiri brings her hand to her chest, and tries to reassure herself. "Everything will be fine." jake also has his doubts. A human being paired with two na'vi, that's strange. Even for him. Sure, he wants you to accept his proposal, both he and neytiri want the same. But what will it be like, what will the others think. How this was going to work.

Jake's ceremony went perfectly. Jake left his human body, to now be a permanent part of his na'vi body. And of course, everyone was there to see this happen. You were right next to Jake's human body and Neytiri next to his avatar. "See you later" you say to Jake, watching as he smiles at you and closes his eyes. You couldn't help but feel a little sad, you had gotten used to seeing this jake, human jake. But you also knew it was the best thing for him…now he would be better off. He would have a better life. You could see jake's last sigh leave his body, and watch as all the attention turned to his avatar. Picking yourself up off the ground, and walking away a bit. You settle into a corner of the group that was helping Jake welcome his new body. You felt like you didn't belong there… you were no longer important. Or so you thought…

After a while, the ceremony was winding down, and everything began to get quieter. Less people, more privacy. Jake still felt a little strange, but it was great. Neytiri was by his side, happy but with her head busy. She was looking for you, but couldn't find you. You were supposed to be by her side, but out of nowhere you disappeared. "I don't see her…where is she?" says jake, looking around. "Y/N? I saw her walking towards the jungle, I guess she's heading to the lab" says norm and max. Jake and neytiri give each other a look, before getting up from the ground and going to look for you.

On the other hand, you were steps away from the lab. Thinking to yourself, well this was the end of it. After all, it's all calmed down. It didn't happen what you expected, but at least they are… a noise interrupts you. You hear voices calling your name. You turn to see two large silhouettes approaching. "Y/N wait!!!" says neytiri. Approaching you, you smile a little. "Why are you gone?" asks jake approaching you. Both na'vi kneel down to your level, so they can talk to you better. "Well…just, I thought it would be better if I walked away." You speak, watching as neytiri's gaze falls. "Why would you think that…we don't want you to walk away" the woman says somewhat agitated. "I…I don't want to" you start to speak, but neytiri interrupts.

"We had already talked about this…and maybe you thought it was a joke. But, what about us. I thought we were going to be a couple…the two of us, jake and…" neytiri pauses for a moment. "Were you really talking?" you ask, as your eyes widen. Jake laughs, and moves closer to you. Taking your hands, he also takes neytiri's hands. Just for the three of you to be together. "Since you are part of the clan…and I am aware that there are other couples that would be better than us, but…would you like to be our mate?" asks jake, neytiri looks at him for a moment, only to stare at you.

You didn't know what to answer. Never in a million years, you thought you would be in this position, you were well aware that you were a human, and no na'vi could find you attractive. Even when you began to have feelings for Jake, you found it hard to think that his na'vi side would find you attractive. But neytiri…like her who hated humans so much. "You don't want to be with us?" neytiri breaks the silence, you had been silent in thought for a few minutes. "It's not that…but it scares me a little" you speak. Watching as neytiri moves closer to you. "Afraid…you shouldn't be afraid of us" says neytiri. "We will never hurt you," says Jake. Joining neytiri.

"And if you start to hate me…and get tired of me" you begin to stutter a little. "Y/N…we want you to be our mate, and it's because we both love you. We want to have a family with you, please" jake speaks, now he was holding your hands tighter. You look at both of them for a moment, smiling at them and shaking your head. "Yes…I accept" you speak, neytiri comes over to hug you and pull you to her. She was so excited. She tries to find some space so she can give you a kiss, but she stopped for a moment. "How? Ahhh?" she sounded a little confused. That damn glass you had on your face, it had never bothered her as much as it did now. Jake reaches over and gives you a kiss on the hundred. "I think if you hold your breath…" jake looks at you shaking his head to the side along with his little ears.

The three of you hadn't noticed, but you're so close together, so tight. You could barely see. Norm just happened to be arriving at the lab, coming upon the scene. He sensed something was up but decided to ask. "Is something going on or what's happening?" speaks Norm, from the distance. You both look at him at the same time, separating. Neytiri and Jake get up from the ground. "It's nothing…we were just looking for Y/N, we were just leaving right?" says jake, taking neytiri's hand. "Yes, we were just leaving" neytiri speaks. You feel jake tap you on your shoulder, offering you his hand. You make eye contact for a moment with neytiri and then with jake. You were aware that as soon as you took jake's hand. Your life as a regular human was going to end.

It wasn't like living in pandora was normal, but you knew you had to leave everything you knew so far. Accepting to be neytiri and jake's mate, implied living like them, living like na'vi. And you were willing to do it, holding tightly Jake's hand. "Norm… later I'm going to get more oxygen supply" you speak, leaving a confused norm. But he was going to be okay, eventually he was going to know what was going on. Neytiri approached the other side of Jake, taking his other free hand. This was going to be a great adventure for the three of them. And she couldn't wait for it to begin.

And it didn't take long, weeks after the three of them settled into their new home. A nice hut up in the trees, perfect for a big family. Neytiri became pregnant with neteyam, this was just the beginning of your family's expansion. Soon after neteyam was born, grace's avatar body showed signs of pregnancy. And so kiri came into your family. Neteyam was a year old, and kiri was a couple of months old when your pregnancy came as a surprise to the entire clan. You were the only human who was able to become pregnant by a na'vi. Norm and Max came to the conclusion that as Jake's avatar, he had DNA in his system. There might have been a possibility. And that's how lo'ak came into your life. Your handsome prince, your precious angel. Even though all the children in the family were equal siblings and you were his parents regardless of who his mother was, you had a special attachment to lo'ak. You never thought you could get pregnant, so you cared for him a lot.

Present, location: Metcayina clan (read mama boy's "here")

You had been in the clan for a long time already, and after all the problems that had happened. Between being accepted into the clan, the problems between your children and their father and not to mention how insecure you had felt. The same doubts were beginning to consume you. The little akira was already quite big, so watching her run around the marui was your new activity. It had been 14 years since you had your last baby, so you felt like a first time mom.

"Tuk keeps insisting that she wants to make a new outfit for akira" says neytiri. She was sitting next to you, preparing the food. Her voice brought you back to reality. "Ah?" you speak, looking at neytiri, with a blank stare. "Ma y/n, is something wrong with you?" neytiri pauses, putting the knife aside. She had already spent so much with you, she could read you with her eyes closed. "No…I'm just a little tired. akira didn't sleep very well" you speak, Neytiri arranges your hair a little, she knew you weren't feeling well. "This fish is gigantic!!!" jake speaks as he enters the marui. "akira look who's here!!!" you speak, catching the little girl's attention. Who saw her father enter, and ran as fast as she could to greet him. Jake grabbed her with one hand and held her in his arms. Giving her many kisses on her cheeks. Neytiri laughs a little, and looks back at you.

After preparing the food, you had gone for a walk with tuk and the baby of the family. Leaving Neytiri and Jake alone. Neytiri thought this was the perfect time to talk to one of her partners. She was worried about you. "Do you think something is wrong with Y/N?" asks neytiri. "Well…I've seen her a little distant from us" said jake. Neytiri thinks a little, she wanted to do something to cheer you up. "How about we take a walk along the coast, she likes to do that since she came here and since akira was born, we haven't had a date" says jake. Watching neytiri get excited, she thought jake's idea was great. "Perfect, I'll tell neteyam and kiri to take care of the kids and we'll take a night for ourselves" speaks neytiri, excited.

That same night, Neteyam was left in charge of his younger siblings. Something that you doubt a little, because akira was still very small, but Neytiri manages to calm you down. She knows that you need your space and to clear your mind. The three of you leave the marui, taking the ilus to one of the nearest islands. Luckily for you, the island was lonely, and the marine life was so active.

Everything was so peaceful and calm. just what you needed, neytiri was in the water swimming while you and jake were on the sand watching her. "Hey!!! Come here" neytiri shouts, watching as you quickly get up and join her. Laughing as you feel the temperature difference in the water. Neytiri catches up to you, you quickly wrap your arms around her neck. You were both laughing, and swimming together. "Hey?" you speak, looking at neytiri. They were so close, one to the other. "I'm afraid we'll get separated…like we did before. That's why I'm like this," you speak. Neytiri just keeps silent, and comes closer to kiss you on the lips. ( Y/N is wearing "THIS" oxygen mask) "I think that after everything we have been through…nothing will separate us again" says neytiri.

"Hey…would you guys like me to join you?" jokes jake from the edge. He had already started to enter the water. Reaching out, he reached out for your hand so he could take it. Jake was big enough to be able to hold you both in the same embrace. Pulling them to his chest, he stretched up so he could kiss them both. "It's been a long time since we were like this…" jake speaks softly. Close to your ear, you were in between the two of them, both cuddling in the embrace. "Yeah…so that's how I got pregnant for the second time" you joke, hearing neytiri laugh. "well…I guess we could try again…don't you think" you feel jake's hand run up your thigh under the water, giving it a little squeeze.

"Hey…that's my thigh!!!" says neytiri, giggling. You had your legs around her waist, and were quite high up on the surface. "Here…here" you take jake's hand and guide it, feeling neytiri take your face in her hands and give you another kiss. As you feel jake's lips on your shoulder, closing your eyes.

What a fool you were, it had been so long, they had been through so much…and yet they had found each other.

Tag List <3

@mimisweetz @crazytacokoala @waywardobjectfun @baybaybear1 @papichulo120627 @katch2020 @anxious-fern @carip-09 @nonamevenus @linaaa15 @screechingenemy18 @crazytacokoala @kiaralee25 @ikeyniofthetayrangi

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

I love Fiona the Hippo, so I really liked your post highlighting her, but now I'm sad that Moo Deng is having a bad time. I did think it was funny she tried to bite that one handler's crotch, and I was worried that she's going to grow up to be an aggressive hippo that might hurt someone because they're just kinda . . . letting her bite people and how that'll end very badly for her, but it hadn't occurred to me that she was being mistreated. :(

It’s hard to say whether she’s being “mistreated” necessarily. I don’t like to throw around words like abuse when it comes to animal welfare because people use it way too lightly.

But there’s definitely a degree of stress she’s experiencing due to that handling. It’s so easy to find cute animal videos endearing and amusing when we don’t know what to look for.

I tend to try to assess things over multiple contexts and videos and form an opinion from there. The blatant smacking, grabbing, picking up and chasing were probably the best examples- but I only found most of those because TikTok kept shoving guest videos from the zoo onto my fyp.

The biting was another flag. Yes, hippos use their mouths to interact with their world but regardless of context it’s just a huge no no when it comes to handling any animal - especially a large herbivore that grows up with a bite force of approx 1800lbs!

Also I was looking for more videos of their adult Pygmy hippos and came across a video of one of the keepers using a water gun on one of them

Dude really? You’re going to post that on your official zoo TikTok and not have a think about the optics for your conservation message?

Yikes.

Also the adult Pygmy hippo very much avoids the keeper and either tolerates it or runs away from the water.

Interesting to see the open mouth while being followed/chased with the water gun while he tries to avoid it. A redirected threat display? A stress yawn? He just looks very much like he’s tolerating it.

It does make me wonder if this is another hippo raised with the same rough handling as Moo Deng and they’ve just learned nothing they do matters and to tolerate whatever comes their way. It’s pretty much learned helplessness and I don’t like that at all.

Compare this with Fritz the common hippo (Fiona’s brother) interacting with the hose - it stays in one place for him to interact with, is offered and then moved away so he can continue to seek it out if he wants more. He actively seeks the hose and can move himself around to where it feels best.

This is how you offer consent and autonomy to your zoo animals. Not chase them around their enclosure with a water gun jfc

[skay-ali]

Tears of an angel

The idea of ​​a Wayne reader, who was well received from the beginning at the mansion and by its members, has constantly crossed my mind. A good family relationship that took an obsessive turn, not only with his family but also with other people.

A weapon, your head felt pressed with great force, so much so that, if you didn't make an effort to keep your head up, the force would surely send you to the floor.

There were many people, an endless number of blurry faces that surrounded you, they were horrible, it made you nauseous to see them, although some were also reindeers, it was difficult for you to recognize them, not only the criminals were vile, sometimes even people who seemed normal hid big things, you learned throughout your life.

Of all the possible hostages, you were the first to be threatened, you regretted leaving your home, you should have stayed locked in the safest place you created.

Yes... you should never have gone out, all your thoughts repeated it to you, you were wrong to leave your safe space, now you were surrounded by people and criminals, when it was over the cameras and the reporters' unconscious questions would come, thousands of news stories about you, the majority that would leave you feeling bad, and the feelings of guilt that would torment you for a long time.

You inhaled air, it became difficult to breathe, if you didn't control yourself you would panic, you would create a big scene, you couldn't do that, it would ruin your image more, you were already doing it while crying silently, your appearance was horrible, your hair disheveled, makeup ruined , a red nose dripping with snot.

You were a Wayne by blood, that was proven by your DNA, along with the similar characteristics that you inherited from your paternal grandmother.

You remember having been in this house all your life, the memories related to your mother were few, mostly blurry, difficult to distinguish from your short childhood and adolescence in the care of your father, as if your mother had never existed.

Your life was almost good, although there was a gap between you and your family, you did not receive excessive neglect, hatred or jealousy from each member of your family.

You were like a rarely recurring character in everyone's life.

The bad things in your life were not reflected in your relationship with your family, that was the least of your problems, something insignificant in your opinion, with what was happening outside.

It's funny to think about it, your father, you knew very well that he thought, that you lived one of the best lives, you really did, you had a family that never mistreated you, a good home and money, many privileges hand in hand with the latest , but that great privilege brought you something bad and terrifying, something that began to rule your life.

Being part of a large family made you a target, first of criminals, who took full advantage of using you as a means to achieve their ends, from criminal minds who kidnapped you as a hostage for their evil plans, as criminals who only wanted a great reward on your head, although in the end you were saved by the city's great vigilantes or the police, nothing took away the long moments of anguish, in which you were trapped in a dirty place, full of unknown people with bad intentions, vulnerable , having a gun pointed at some part of your body.

They were very difficult moments, fear ruled you along with paranoia, you did not normalize it as part of your life even if they were constant episodes in your life, you developed a trauma, one of your defense mechanisms was to disconnect from your surroundings, letting your body lived everything and your mind turned off, everything was black or white, a great void, until they saved you.

As a helpless person, who was in constant danger and only waiting to be saved by his brave knight, even though he wasn't that bad, you felt completely useless.

Things became worse, when you started to be afraid to leave your home, you became a complete renegade, in your big stone tower, a burrowing mouse or was it a rabbit... an asocial being...

How would you not be if your second problem was that, the social ones, people who, since school, persecuted you, wanted to be your friends or so they said, like a stupid and naive girl you believed them the first time, until you saw how they abandoned you When they already got what they really wanted from your father, suddenly their friendship no longer worked and they left you, often disowning you, as if you were a bad person because of your status and money, you were not seen as a girl who hardly understood their around and that he feared society itself, each person.

You couldn't even trust kids your age anymore, they all wanted to destroy you, finish you off.

The third problem in your life, the reporters and paparazzi, who harassed you every time they could, it didn't matter that you were just a minor, they found a way to get what they wanted and make you look bad, take advantage of every part of you. , without caring about the consequences of their actions, the repercussions that occurred in your life due to their news.

The horrible photos, where you hated seeing yourself, just an imperfect and horrible being, that was you... Your last problem, you... you hated yourself, maybe you were a bad girl, someone selfish and super annoying along with all the other insults professed by people who already got something from you or never did and were no longer chasing you, useless... very useless, that you were not able to protect yourself and avoid getting into trouble, you bothered everyone, the police, the heroes, your family... all for not taking care of yourself for wanting to live a little, for being too selfish.

Not even pretty, those words loaded with a very strong poison, that many girls said to you or whispered to each other in their groups of friends, or the boys who blatantly mentioned it after you rejected them, or all the people who looked at your images in the gossip programs or magazines, when the worst photos they took of you were uploaded to gain more audience, because it turned out that you were their great gem, it was a great gossip, you became out of nowhere, the public's favorite, to get the best gossip.

That was your life, although you couldn't change it... there was a small opportunity to improve it a little. Cross saving yourself off your list, give yourself something better.

First, giving all your supposed fans a good image, being perfect in their eyes, someone with great beauty and without imperfection, a star, someone to adore.

Something that at first was only to avoid more bad photos of you and news, became an addiction, how could it not be, if when you were careless for a moment they took the opportunity to humiliate you and make you look like a horrible being again, you didn't want to be that horrible being. , not again, so beauty treatments, excessive care of your body, clothes that highlighted you better, a great activity with your followers, if they wanted that from you you would give it to them, that was the easiest.

That didn't stop you from feeling bad on the days when you were with your great confidant, Alfred.

When you saw yourself in some reflection, at times you didn't recognize yourself, who were you? What did you become? Maybe the man who always had time for you got disappointed.

But seeing your reflection, that arrogant smile, the other person who was reflected told you that it was the right thing to do, they could no longer destroy you if they thought they had everything of you, without them realizing it you would end up on a great altar, you would be far superior to everyone, Maybe then they would never kidnap you with many followers who would give their lives for you, would they defend you because you didn't want that? When your other self shook her head to the side and feigned empathy for you, her words that you should stop worrying about people who would never do the same for you.

“After all, maybe that man you appreciated a lot did something for you every time they buried your name in the mud... nope, he never did, maybe he was just pretending that he cared about you, he loved your father and your father much more your half-brothers, you were the last task on their list, you just don't want to accept it, like the stupid girl you were."

Her big arrogant smile was the last thing you saw of her.

You should never have gone out, a big party with a lot of people, the idea of ​​showing off with all of them, showing a little superiority, having the media pleased and therefore the people, making her, your reflection, pleased, that she was happy and will no longer torment you.

Speaking of her, she was watching you, you saw her in a glass, her icy gaze, oh... she's so disappointed, you heard her words clearly.

“Oh, what a coward you are, you're seriously crying, what a crybaby baby you are, making yourself look ridiculous in front of all these self-centered people, a couple of photos like that and you'll please all the people who want to see you in a bad way.”

“pathetic, very pathetic, maybe that's why you are never someone your family appreciates, remember their faces the few times you spend with your family, they pretend to be fine, but in reality they only put up with you... just because they can't get rid of you”

His cruel taunts were very painful, like thorns, he knew very well how to attack you.

You closed your eyes, squeezing them as tight as you could and covered your ears, you didn't want to hear her anymore. In a few minutes you were white, far from everything. Batman and Superman along with their companions appeared to control such a commotion, although it would be easy to control the criminals there were many hostages in danger.

An extremely complex job, it was even more so when Bruce and his children saw who one of the hostages was, you.

Determined to save you, they entered one of the last rooms, only to find everyone alarmed, some alarmed and others watching somewhat shocked.

A large pool of blood and a man on the floor, one of the participants in the crime, and near the man, a woman, difficult to recognize due to the blood on her face, who brutally attacked the dead man on the floor. Her thin heels crushing the man's skin, again and again.

I wish, Bruce, I had never been able to recognize that person, that deranged young woman, who madly attacked a person with a smile. Where his little smiling daughter had gone, who always visited him or tried to spend more time with him or her brothers.

Normally I like to make a prologue and depending on the reactions continue the story. In addition to developing the yandere little by little, I simply felt that this story needs a little more things before starting with the yandere

[sitepathos]

Imagine the angst if Bruce does end up finding a cure for the Megamycete, but when he injects reader, he starts to calcify immediately bc the megamycete replaced most of his cells already. Reader laughing maniacally as he crumbles bc he won

First of all, I hope everyone had a great holiday season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc. Also, Happy New Year to those already in 2025 and to the rest of us still in 2024, hope you’ve found a fun way to ring in the upcoming year!

Second, I’ve had A LOT of people asking me this question (for real, most of my asks are about the Reader dying after the Megamycete is removed) and I just want to say… sips sweet tea.

Sorry, everyone, that is MAJOR spoiler territory and I’m not ready to reveal that information. You’ll just have to wait until climax of the series to find out whether you lose the Megamycete and what happens if you do, or if you prevail over the Bats.

But, for this individual’s ask, let’s just say the Bats do manage to kill the Megamycete, resulting in your death due to it making up much of your body at this point. You slowly but surely turn an alarming shade of white before crumbing into dust, choosing to spend your last few moments of life to mock them, laugh at them, and that “you’ll see them in hell.”

Bruce would be totally destroyed that he’s the reason for his son’s death. Once again, a member of his family is dead, but unlike Joe Chill and Joker, he was the killer, the smoking gun/detonator in his hand. He completely withdraws into his work, both as Bruce Wayne and Batman; doing anything he can think of to keep from being reminded that the last words his son said to him was that he’d see him in hell (he’ll gladly spend the rest of eternity being tortured if it means being near you). He had your calcified remains gathered into a capsule and buried in the Wayne Family Cemetery (despite Alfred’s best efforts to convince him to bury you next to your mother).

Dick is heartbroken, both at his baby brother being dead and that death was preferable over you being with them, your family. While Bruce withdraws, Dick becomes more present, dropping in on his siblings practically every day, asking how their day was, what they’re currently doing, do they want to hang out, etc. He also visits your grave everyday, telling you about his day, what’s going on with the family, and how he regrets not being a better big brother to you and he wishes he could change the past.

Jason separates himself from the family (except Alfred, of course), pissed at them for mistreating you for years, but mostly pissed at himself for doing the same thing. Looking back, he can see that he was so engulfed in his anger, pain, hatred, and sadness and so convinced that he’s the only one in the family that’s suffering that he couldn’t see that you were just like him; if he had gotten his shit together, he would’ve seen that you clearly didn’t belong in this family of batshit crazy vigilantes and you weren’t getting the proper support you needed. If he had, he would’ve snatched you and raised you himself. But he didn’t do that, and he’ll never get the chance to spend anytime with you.

Tim does the same thing as Bruce, drowning himself in his work, both as Tim Drake and Red Robin, but he goes a step further in his spiral into madness that even Bruce couldn’t bring himself to do: obsess over your remains. After your funeral, he dug up the capsule containing the calcified dust that was once you (he has a very concerning obsession with your remains) and brought it to a safe house he had prepared just for this purpose, using all the scientific equipment within it to analyze your remains down to the atomic level, confident that even in this form, you’re still alive (after all, this is a sentient pile of mold we’re taking about, so logic and reason have long since been thrown out the window). When he’s not obsessing over your remains, he’s obsessing over your game studio, having used Drake Industries to acquire it and personally oversees everything it does, telling everyone that he’s doing it to honor you.

Stephanie tries to cheer everyone up, but if even Dick is depressed, there’s nothing she can do. She feels extremely guilty about how she basically threw you away like a child does an old toy after her first week in Wayne Manor. Since Bruce has basically taken over your old room, like he’ll find you there if he goes there enough times, she takes up the burden of taking care of your house (a task she was able to take right from under the noses of Bruce, Tim, and Damian), going through all your possessions every time she’s over there, reading your books, playing the games on your computer, and even sitting in your bed. As she does, she learns a little more about you, making her grief for you even stronger and wishes she could’ve hung out with you.

Cassandra has only known true regret and grief a few times in her life, but her treatment of you and your death are definitely the worse instances of regret and grief she’s ever experience (and probably ever will experience). She accompanies Steph every time she goes to your house, helping clean it, keep your knick-knacks organized, and pointing out anything you may have hidden. As she gazes upon your various collectibles and posters in your game room, she wishes she could’ve gotten to know you more; when she first met you, she deemed you insignificant due to your lack of combat training and low threat level, but she now knows that you were not only a person, but her brother. She only wishes she would’ve learned that lesson before you were taken from them.

Damian is like his father, withdrawing into himself, but he also comes out every now and then to lash out at anyone unfortunate enough to be near him when his anger reaches its boiling point (Jason gives as good as he gets while Dick takes it all in stride). You were his brother and you were suppose to be by his side! When he realized his error, he had made plans for you to be by his side for all the important moments of his life, like when he inevitably inherited the Cowl of Batman, or when he took over Wayne Enterprises, or when he finally triumphed over Drake! But, not only are you dead, but you used your last few moments of death to curse and taunt him. He becomes a time bomb that goes off unexpectedly on a nearly daily basis.

Alfred is absolutely heartbroken over the end of your feud with the family. He knew that you wouldn’t go back willingly after helping the others relate the error of their ways, and when he learned of you being the host of the Megamycete, he already foresaw the fight you’d put up (so much like your father, he thought), but he never thought that you’d take it so far as to result in your death; had he known that you’d die he would’ve found another way of making you return to the manor. But now, you’re gone reduced to a pile of dust. He tried to convince Bruce that you should be buried in your hometown next to your mother (he’d want that more than anything, Master Bruce, he pleaded), but you ended up being buried in the place you hated more than anywhere else close to the people you hated more than anyone else; as much as he hated to admit it, he liked that you were buried in the Wayne Family Cemetery since he can visit your grave everyday, keep it clean from leaves, dirt, and dust and beg for your forgiveness for not doing more while you were alive.

[momentomori24]

[This has been sitting in my draft for a while lol]

When it comes to Curly's failings, I always see people bring up his obvious failure to protect Anya and him prioritising Jimmy, who was the rapist in that situation. Which is completely valid btw and we should rake him through the coals for that alone even more. But I also see too many people saying that Curly "didn't enable Jimmy" or playing softball for his actions. And I could maybe see where that comes from if that incident was the only thing we had to point to-- but that wasn't all he did, is it? Curly being indifferent or not taking Jimmy's mistreatment and belittlement of Anya seriously was hinted at so much earlier than that.

Namely, the very first time we play from Curly's point of view. Let's just skip the fact that Curly was putting everyone in danger by not taking his psych evals seriously and simply giving the same answers to pass them even tho he was shown literal minutes after this scene being clearly not-sane, and go straight to the point I actually wanna get into. Which is this:

These scenes in isolation wouldn't be that bad. From his pov, it's played off as comical and it is. Jimmy being a brony (not really lmao) and getting playfully dragged over it is funny. But unfortunately this is the first example out of many for Curly's complacency. Anya is complaining about Jimmy not taking his psych evals or her seriously, which is easy to believe considering how much he rags on her for "not being a good nurse" (she kept Curly alive on hopes and dreams how dare you). So he keeps making her do silly and inappropriate reports she clearly doesn't wanna do, which is kinda shitty (also borders on harassment). But rather than actually saying something about Jimmy's behaviour or even acknowledging how it sucks he says this:

Mate, that's not a good thing 💀 He's clearly aware that the problem is Jimmy's lack of respect for Anya specifically. He knows that if he, his friend and a man in power, were the one doing the evals Jimmy wouldn't try that disrespect. But it's Anya, a meek woman who ranks lower than him so he thinks he can get away with it (which he DOES), and Curly's shown as comfortable in knowing that. He doesn't chew Jimmy out for making Anya uncomfortable nor does he reassure her that he will do something about it. All he does is take it off her hands this once and helps Jimmy power through it to get a good diagnosis (even tho we know he's DEFINITELY not sane either). He doesn't even mention Anya's discomfort or confront him on his inappropriate behaviour, just teases Jimmy in good fun instead because he doesn't think of it as anything serious. It's subtle and pretty minor in comparison to everything else, but I think it's worth pointing out. Especially because this convo takes place after Jimmy had assaulted her, which makes this so much worse.

If you need any more evidence of Curly being an enabler you need not look further than Anya herself. And I'm not just talking about the way he failed her here-- I'm talking about Anya's own view of Curly and the way said view influences her actions.

Just look at her choice of wording. "What would you have done". This is in response to him saying that she could've come to him if she were feeling stressed, which she-- in his eyes-- didn't. The question itself implies that she had no faith in Curly to actually help despite his insistence that he would've, which I think is significant because it shows that she's very much aware of Curly's shortcomings when it comes to her situation AND it's one of the first (or the first time) she actually verbalised her lack of trust towards him or anyone directly. Prior to this scene she had told him about her rape and the rapist, presumably because she trusted him to handle it. And he dismissed her because the rapist was his best friend, and that evidently deeply scarred her. Enough so that she secretly took the gun and hid it someplace else and didn't even tell Curly were that was, because she knows that if Curly has access to it there's a so much greater chance Jimmy will have too, insinuated by the line "the least I can do is make sure he never gets it either". Speaking about the gun:

It sucks so bad that this perception of him isn't even inaccurate nor unjustified. That despite everything Jimmy had done to her and everything he could still do to her, he'd very likely still not allow her access to the gun for protection. Because that's exactly what he didn't do anyway. He didn't attempt to keep her safe from Jimmy, instead he just pretended that nothing was wrong and still let Jimmy's belittlement of her pass. He didn't give her the gun after the incident, because she wouldn't have hid the case if he had. Despite his desperate reassurance that he'd do anything, he did nothing but make it worse for her and she KNOWS that. It's so frustrating knowing he entrusted the axe to Swansea when he needed it but not the gun to Anya when she needed it too. Also this:

The fact that his knee-jerk reaction to her admitting that she's pregnant was "Who would you--" is so fucked, especially considering she's already told him what happened. "Who would you" what? Who would you fuck? Who would you have sex with? That choice of wording drives me up a wall-- SHE wouldn't and didn't do anything or anyone. That was JIMMY. The potential sentence implies that she had any choice or agency in her pregnancy. She didn't. And the fact that Curly had to ask "who" insinuates that he's been putting Jimmy's action out of sight and out of mind the whole time, choosing to not think about them or what happened to Anya at all. And considering he still made her do Jimmy's evaluations despite being able to do them himself and literally didn't even think of making sure she gets psych evals done too--especially AFTER getting sexually assaulted--that might actually be the case (I haven't seen anyone make a stink about that piece of info so I'm going to because what kinda colossal fuck up IS that??).

I vaguely had a post like this in mind but seeing so many people be like "well Anya did some wrong stuff too like leaving Curly alone with Jimmy but you don't get mad at HER for that so why is Curly not doing anything about Jimmy being alone with Anya so different??" actually makes me want to blow some people up. Jimmy's an abuser, sure, but Anya has no real reason to believe that he'd actually harm Curly. From her perspective, they were close, close enough that Curly would not only let Jimmy continuously disrespect her but also get away with assaulting her too. That, and she knows that Jimmy was closer to Curly than anyone and more likely to be civil around him than he ever was to her. She has barely any reasons to suspect Jimmy would harm Curly when they're alone. Curly, on the other hand, has every fucking reason on the planet to think Jimmy would harm her when they're alone. He knows he raped her (likely in her room at night too). He knows that he sexually harasses her. He knows that he doesn't respect her at all. And that was BEFORE the crash. Anya tried insisting on giving Curly his medicine, only for Jimmy to keep aggressively insisting that he'll take care of it despite her protests. Curly didn't try to keep them separate at all even though he was the Captain and had the power to do so. And this should go without saying, but leaving your rapist alone with his best friend that he was close to and enabled/protected him and leaving your friend alone with the woman he raped (and might have repeatedly assaulted given his free access to her) is NOT THE SAME and I'm going to start chucking some people down a waterfall because what the fuck is that argument 💀 Actually leave it to the fandom of the game where the rape of a woman is the catalyst for the events that unfold to use her trauma to defend the guy that enabled it in the first place. Bloody hell.

The reason why this whole Curly discourse pisses me off is because it-- from what I can see-- ONLY brings up his failures 1-0 days before the crash and the Dead Pixel scene (or all the discussion around other points are drowned out by those two). Those scenes, while important to talk about, are not the only things he's done, and focussing on those as the only things is a mistake that comes short of understanding the issue. When it comes to Curly the main defences I see for him are "he was trying not to escalate the situation" and "he was trying to keep things under control the best he can" and "he was waiting for the right time to help Anya", but those don't work when you look at the bigger picture of everything he's done.

He half-assed through his psych eval despite clearly not being sane (and KNOWING he's barely sane, he literally admits it to Jimmy's face). He still continued to task her with Jimmy's psych evals. He brushed over Jimmy's sexual harassment of her as a joke. He didn't think about making sure she got psych evals done herself after being raped. He gave Swansea the axe but didn't give Anya the gun despite it being for "unrest amongst the crew" (whatever the hell THAT means). He let her assault slip his mind that she had to remind him. He's literally a blond man. He took no action to hold Jimmy responsible for anything, and prioritised how his violation of Anya would affect him rather than her. He ignored her demands for him to get rid of Jimmy. He still allowed Jimmy free reign of the ship as co-pilot even after he was openly fantasising about killing everyone and had a major motive and the means to do just that. He was potentially thinking of making her miscarry to cover up what happened. He was so accustomed to her sucking up being disrespected and disturbed that he didn't even notice a difference in her behaviour until she hid the fucking gun. There's so much other shit he's done and hasn't done, and not talking about them or glossing over them makes it so easy for people to argue that he isn't actually an enabler or just minimise the severity of his neglect.

And while I'm already dragging Curly through the mud, I might as well just drag Swansea too. I've seen too many people being like "Anya should've told Swansea instead" and "Swansea was the one that actually took responsibility". Like, y'all realise he's not that much better than Curly, right? He already knew about what happened to Anya-- he admits it to Jimmy's face-- but he didn't do shit. He knew, but he still got completely shitfaced for months despite her earlier protestation to that (for very understandable reasons). He knew, but he still let Jimmy have the axe AND be alone with Anya while having it. He knew, but when Anya locked herself in the Medical and Daisuke and Jimmy asked for his help he didn't budge nor really showed any care. He knew, but the reason he finally decided to do something about Jimmy wasn't Anya, it was Daisuke. Her suffering and her eventual death weren't enough for him to take action either.

This game, on top of everything else, is a great depiction of rape culture. It doesn't just include the rapists, but the people (mostly men) that stay silent, do nothing, make excuses for and protect the perpetrator for whatever reason, and Swansea and Curly (Curly way more so than Swansea) are both active contributors to the environment that allowed for evil to flourish and continue unhindered until it destroyed them all. And while that arguably doesn't make them evil themselves or as bad as Jimmy, they are so much more a part of the bigger problem than the fandom likes to admit.

[Ok since this is kinda gaining a bit of traction please consider helping these guys out here, here and here. Thanks!]

[manchasama]

Thinking Danny Phantom thoughts again. We love to see Bad!Parents Jack and Maddie, because it's a dark twist and opens up new opportunities to give Danny a different support group, and because quite frankly some of what they say in canon IS disturbing.

We also love to see Good!Parents Jack and Maddie, because it was also shown over and over in canon that they do love their kids, and will accept Danny despite the ghostiness. Now admittedly it was always done in a very shallow way, so I can see why it doesn't jive with some people, but the foundation is there to dig into!

Personally I do love me the bad parents, but I have been getting a little tired of how samey they act in fic. I'm normally not reading it for them anyway, but it's an idle "huh maybe I'm in the mood for good parent fic". The only issue is that with good parent fic, it's much harder to strip Danny of his support and toss him into another place (yes I am still reading the many DPxDC batman xover fusions. They still delight me).

So I pondered away in my little head what might one do for both? And I'm honestly surprised I haven't seen this before. So let's say that Jack and Maddie, upon discovering their son is half ghost, are as supportive and loving as he could have wished.

But let's also suppose that the GIW are becoming more dangerous and competent. What would good parents do when they know their kid is in danger? Why, loudly protest the mistreatment and misdirection the government is doing. And what does an American government do when faced with protestors?

Arrest them.

What if the reason Danny is forced to flee with no support is because his parents are now being held by the government, with no REAL hope of a fair trial since the GIW are flaunting every rule they can. If Danny stays, he will be forced into some government approved care, or worse just be disappeared himself because who is going to fight against the GIW (especially if we are going the Amity Blackout route)?

IDK, not wording it as well as I could, but I find the idea interesting. Some scenarios too could be done in the heat of the moment. I remember there was one fic where Jack and Maddie find out about Danny as he is escaping a GIW facility. Initially they were there to recapture/support the GIW, but upon their realization, without time to come to terms with it, they still go all in and fight against the GIW. But to my memory there were no repercussions for that.

The key thing I think is that for as nasty as the GIW are, they won't hurt humans like they would ghosts. If Danny knew his parents were being experimented on, he would stop at nothing to save them. But if they are just being held, it's less immediate danger, and he wouldn't necessarily go in all guns blazing when he might be captured himself.

[yanderes-galore]

(Despair girls) Nagito concept where he keeps getting threatened by reader? - Dredge anon

Been YEARS since I played Despair Girls so I had to do my research here. Might not be that long, but here's masochistic man.

Yandere! Servant! Nagito with Darling threatening him

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Masochistic, Self-deprecating tendencies, Clingy behavior, Manipulation, Stalking, Nagito is down HORRENDOUS, Dark themes, Forced relationship.

I mean, I think normal Nagito is pretty bad... but Servant?

He's still delusional and deranged, but oddly more controlled.

Probably due to his brainwashing.

He's manipulative force throughout the game, pretending to play slave as he works his own plans.

He's not entirely dangerous, seeming non-violent whenever he appears.

He's unusually calm, polite, and apathetic to the disturbing things he witnesses.

He sees everything as a game and tends to be... Insensitive towards others in this state.

Nagito is implied to be masochistic, casually accepting any sort of mistreatment that may happen to him.

No sense of self-worth in the slightest.

Nagito sees his obsession as a seed of hope.

You mean a lot to him, especially if you only seem to thrive during this game he put together.

He finds it lovely that you're surviving well!

You could hate Nagito and he'd still be obsessive.

You could tell him you want him dead, all while he silently nods and agrees with a lovesick gaze.

He admires you, you're so resilient, so strong...

He bets you have so much hope as his little darling.

He's so delusional about you that, yes, you could threaten him and he'd just... go with it.

After all, as a servant he's meant to be mistreated, yes?

Sure, you should blame him for dragging you into this mess... he deserves it....

You insulting him, threatening him, let's be honest...

He's just oddly into it when it comes to you?

You make him feel despair... which is merely a womb for hope...!

If he lets you take out your anger on him... then you need him, right?

You need him as your stress ball... one to degrade and threaten to your heart's content....

Nagito accepts it when you blame him, yelling you'll kill him when you get the chance.

He can't help but smile, asking if that will make you happy?

Will that give you hope for escape?

If he lets you hurt him, kick him, make him bleed...

Will you be happy, relieved, pleased?

Fine, then... if it gives you hope, cover yourself in his blood if you wish.

It's an honor to be the cause of your despair, just to see you get hopeful at the idea of hurting him.

It's euphoric, actually.

Safe to say, your attempts at threatening him are just met with him encouraging you.

He'll help you with your threats if you wish...!

Your hate for him falters for a moment when he makes you put a hand around his neck after you threaten to strangle him.

You could threaten him with a knife and he'd guide your hand to an area, nudging you to apply pressure.

You could pull a gun on him and he'd help you aim.

He grins, saying he'll comply as you're quickly filled with... disgust.

Your hate for him just makes him fall deeper into obsession.

His obsession is so strong that he'd allow you to destroy him if it meant you'd be hopeful.

Nagito would do anything for hope.

Threatening him doesn't deter him.

It encourages him.

Degrade him, hurt him, kill him...

He'll take it eagerly if it pleases you, if it makes your eyes sparkle with hope for even a second.

[sheigarche]

hi! I saw ur Jossam hcs and holy shit they were amazing, so, could u do any other until dawn hcs? It can be abt any character/ship that u want. Tysm and I hope u r doing okay!

Hi, thanks for the ask and sorry if this is a bit too long, but I wanted to give a little something for each character 😅

My random Until Dawn headcanons:

Sam's coping mechanism is to study everything she can about the myths and legends that she now knows are real. It's become a bit of an obsession, and she even chose history as her major so she could learn more about the native peoples and their culture. Understanding things helps her cope, but her behavior also makes her loved ones worry. It's a tough balance.

Josh has psychosis caused by depression that worsened after being neglected and mistreated for years. I know the fandom often headcanons Josh with schizophrenia, but in-game we don't see any negative symptoms for that disorder. And we do know that he's been diagnosed with depression, and psychosis checks all the boxes for what we see him experience in-game.

After what happened on the mountain, the survivors didn't stay together as a group of friends. They split up to deal with their own traumas. Of course, some are still close to each other or keep in touch, but as a whole they are not one big found family.

Sam tries not to push anyone away. If they want to talk, call her, or meet up, she'll do it for them. But she never opens up about herself. What's in her head, stays in her head. And that's it. The only exception is Josh, who with light conversations manages to put her at ease and get her to share a little, but only when she's sure she won't overwhelm him.

Josh has not faced any legal charges. His father covered it all up. But he got the treatment he needed and got better after a while. It's a slow process taken one day at a time and the guilt still haunts him, but he has his life back and doesn't want to waste it.

Josh tried to reach out to his friends to try to make up for everything that happened, but most of them gave him the middle finger and moved on, except for Sam and Chris. Mike tried, but in the end they didn't get anything close to a friendship.

Matt and Emily broke up. Not much to say, the night made them realize that they are not compatible, even if they care about each other and have chemistry, it just isn't enough. A friendship didn't work either.

Emily doesn't want contact with any of those people anymore. Except maybe Sam, and only because she sided with her in the gun situation in the basement. So she'll call Sam and check in every now and then.

Mike and Jessica have had their ups and downs together as they deal with trauma. Breakups and reunions are common as they try to learn to be normal again after what happened. That night made all the difference in their relationship and they realized how much they care for each other and just don't want to give up on those feelings easily. They managed to be happy together despite everything.

Matt visits Jessica, not very often, but enough to be considered friends. They bond over the survival situation they endured and it's good to see each other once in a while.

Chris and Ashley started dating and got married not long after. They overcame the trauma together and still have contact with everyone in the group, but nothing too close. But Ashley can't bring herself to be around Josh anymore. So Chris just slowly ended up drifted away from him as well, becoming a friend that he might go out for a drink once every couple of months but nothing more.

Mike and Sam went out for drinks one night, but they couldn't bring themselves to talk about what happened on the mountain and they had nothing else in common to talk. So they ended up talking to the bartender about whatever sport was on TV, passionately rooting for two teams they didn't even know. It was fun, but it was one of those things that happens once and never again.

Sam and Josh's relationship is a real slowburn. Even though they have feelings for each other, there's just too much trauma involved. And they're afraid of hurting each other with their coping mechanism. It took a while to just be friends again and the next step is always complicated for them. But they are both willing to make it work. Because they are in love and are patient enough to wait for the right moment.

[youngyoo-apologist]

I will never forget how like most of the TCF cast never got to have proper childhoods, OG!Cale, Kim Roksoo, Choi Han, Choi Jung-gun, Alberu, Ohn, Hong, Beacrox, etc

Like most of these guys were either

A. Fighting for their lives(Choi Han, CJG, Alberu, Ohn, Hong)

B. Actively on the path to self destruction(OG!Cale)

Or just like having an awful time in general. Like it’s really sad how for a long time, none of them could actually act or be like kids due to the environment they were in.

Alberu being royalty and having to hide things about himself, and probably avoid assassination and kidnapping attempts since he was young.

Kim Roksoo and how he lost his parents at a young age and was abused by his uncle.

Ohn and Hong having to run away because the Cat tribe mistreated them, and they had to survive on their own.

Choi Han being taken away from his family and fighting alone for over a century in the dark forest where he had no one but himself and the monsters that wanted him dead to keep him company.

Choi Jung-gun also being taken away from his family, and losing people who took care of him again, along with like living a thousand years going through who knows what + whatever the hell the god of death made him do.

Beacrox losing his entire family except his father when he was no older than fifteen, and immediately having to live on the run right after.

OG!Cale taking it upon himself to protect his family, and essentially destroying himself because he didn’t know what else to do.

I think about Ohn a lot, like the fact that she was what, nine, maybe ten years old when she had to run away with Hong and make sure they were both okay. The fact that she was protecting him and herself at the same time, the way that she couldn’t ever play around or have fun when she was growing up because she had to make sure they were both okay. She took on as much as she could for Hong because that’s her baby brother and she loves him more than anything.

OG!Cale and Ohn and like, how they both did everything they could for their younger siblings, ohhhhhhh I’m crying I’m crying I’m crying donnttt even look at me rn

Also Hong and Basen, like being the little brother who watches your older sibling take on burdens alone and you want to help but at the same time your your sibling tells you it’s okay and that you should just focus on yourself… When the trope is older sibling(or family figure in general) taking care of younger siblings and they make sacrifices for them, I’m not crying, what do u mean? I actually do not care. At all. Not . One. Bit.

ALSO LOCKKK , TBoaH Lock they could never make me hate you I don’t care if you were annoying, whiney and a coward, if I was you I would be annoying, whiney and a coward too… he’s just thirteen and he lost all his family, obviously he was too scared to go out of hiding, ANYONE would be scared, he was just a young boy and he lost everything. He found people who cared for him, but he lost the person who resembled his uncle and that’s really when his world fell apart. It must have felt like the whole world was against him, that Lock could never have any family ever again.

Like I can imagine he’d probably have this underlaying fear when it came to Choi Han and Rosalyn,

“what if I lose them too?”

Maybe he hated himself for being a coward, for hiding, for not doing anything… maybe he hated himself even more because when he lost Pendrick, he wasn’t even sure if he’d be able to stop cowering and hide when there’s danger. The battle between wanting to be cared for and protected because the world is just too much and wanting to fight back and help because he doesn’t want to lose anyone else

This just makes me think about TBoaH timeline more oh it’s so tragic and sickening I cried

[blackenedsnow]

Heya! Same person who requested the Ace!Reader x Arthur Morgan thing! Thank you so so much! Made me super super happy and I may or may not have cried a little bit lmao

Feel free to ignore this other bit of the ask. I don’t know if one can send a request more than once, but obviously I’m not expecting this to be written with all the other people sending in asks. They take priority. I was just wondering if you could write something about the same kind of reader, but with Kieran? Where she’s always defended and protected him, fed him well when he was tied to the tree, got him a tent and a cot and everything, and fussed over him in general, at first just because she’s not okay with that sort of treatment but develops actual feelings for him, and she rescues him from the O’Driscoll boys when he disappeared?

Again, feel free to ignore this. The important bit is that I felt more reassurance than I have in a while with the Arthur request. Thank you again! Have a lovely day/night!

soft hands

WARNING: Kidnapping, mentions of mistreatment

PAIRING: Kieran Duffy x Reader

NOTE: I’m so happy the Arthur fic meant so much to you! Seriously, feel free to send in as many requests as you want. (As long as you don't spam my inbox all at once lol) It’s never a problem, and I love creating these for you! You’re always welcome here.💙

SUMMARY: After weeks of caring for Kieran, you realize your feelings for him go deeper than simple kindness. When he goes missing, you risk everything to bring him back.

Kieran whimpered as the ropes bit into his wrists. The thick cord twisted around the bark of the tree where Dutch had ordered him tied up like some animal. He’d been with the gang for what felt like a while now, but they still looked at him like he was some kind of vermin. Except you. You always did what you could to help him, offering him scraps of food when no one was looking, defending him when Bill or Micah got too rough.

You couldn’t stand the way they treated him.

It wasn’t as though Kieran had exactly "chosen" to be with the O’Driscolls. It was a "ride with us" or die situation, and you believed him with all your heart. You didn’t believe in this kind of cruelty, and seeing him tied to that tree, looking half-starved and terrified, set your teeth on edge. So, from the moment he’d been captured, you had taken it upon yourself to keep an eye on him.

It started small—handing him extra food when you were sure no one would notice. Then, you’d convinced Dutch and Hosea to get him a tent and a cot so he wasn’t left exposed to the elements like some animal. When you finally got them to untie him, you’d gone out of your way to make sure he wasn’t harassed by the others. You didn’t know why it bothered you so much at first. Maybe it was just your natural instinct to look after people, to keep them safe.

But over time, something changed.

You started to notice the way Kieran would blush when you brought him food, or the way he’d glance up at you with those soft, grateful eyes. And it wasn’t long before you realized that your need to protect him went beyond just being kind-hearted. You had feelings for him, feelings that snuck up on you when you weren’t looking.

It was a cold morning when you realized something was wrong. Kieran hadn’t been seen since the night before, and no one seemed to care.

“Have you seen Kieran?” you asked Arthur, who was busy cleaning his rifle. He barely spared you a glance.

“Haven’t seen him since yesterday,” he said. “Why? You worried about him?”

You frowned, a knot of anxiety twisting in your chest. “You sure he’s alright?”

Arthur sighed, wiping down the barrel of his gun. “I don’t know. If he’s smart, he ain’t runnin’.”

You didn’t like that answer. Something in your gut told you that Kieran hadn’t run off. He wasn’t the type to just leave—especially not after everything. You trusted him more than anyone in the gang did, and the idea of him disappearing without a word didn’t sit right with you.

“I’m going to go look for him,” you said, already heading for your horse. Arthur called after you, but you didn’t stop.

The ride was long and cold, your mind racing with worst-case scenarios. You knew that if Kieran had been taken by the O’Driscolls, it wouldn’t be good. They had no love for traitors. Every second that passed without finding him made your heart pound harder. You pushed your horse faster, determined to bring him back safely.

After hours of searching, you finally stumbled upon an old O’Driscoll camp hidden deep in the woods. You dismounted, creeping quietly through the trees. There were three men sitting around a fire, and off to the side, tied to a post, was Kieran.

Your heart dropped at the sight of him. He was slumped over, his face bloodied, his wrists bound tight behind his back. They’d beaten him.

You had to get him out of there.

Drawing your gun, you crept closer, your boots making barely a sound on the damp earth. You watched the O’Driscolls carefully, waiting for the right moment to strike. When one of them stood and moved away from the fire, you seized the opportunity. Taking out the closest man with a quick knife to the neck, you rushed forward, catching the other off-guard before he could react.

The third man tried to pull his gun, but you were faster, a clean shot to his chest sending him crumpling to the ground.

With the camp quiet, you hurried over to Kieran, dropping to your knees beside him. “Kieran? It’s me. You’re safe now.”

He flinched at your touch, still out of it from the beating. When he finally recognized you, a sob caught in his throat. “Y-You came for me…”

“Of course I did,” you whispered, cutting through the ropes binding his wrists. “I’m not leaving you here.”

Once free, Kieran slumped against you, too weak to stand. His body trembled, and you couldn’t tell if it was from fear or exhaustion. Probably both. You wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close as you helped him to his feet. He leaned heavily on you as you led him to your horse.

“Come on, let’s get you back to the camp,” you said softly, hoisting him onto the saddle before climbing up behind him.

The ride back to camp was slow and quiet, with Kieran resting against you, his head lolling against your shoulder.

Back at camp, you made sure Kieran was properly cared for. You fussed over him like you always did, making sure he had a warm meal and all that stuff.

“I don’t deserve this,” Kieran mumbled one night as you were tending to the bruises on his face. “I don’t deserve you.”

You stopped, looking at him with soft eyes. “That’s not true, Kieran. You deserve someone who cares about you.”

He blinked up at you, his expression raw and vulnerable. “But why? After everything… why do you care so much?”

You hesitated, your heart thudding in your chest. You’d been wrestling with your feelings for weeks now, and hearing him ask that question made it all come crashing down.

“Because…” You set the cloth aside, your hand resting gently on his cheek. “Because.. I don't know. I just care about you. More than I probably should.”

His eyes widened, a faint blush creeping up his neck. “Y-You mean that?”

You nodded, your heart pounding in your ears. “I do.”

For a long moment, neither of you spoke. Then, slowly, Kieran’s hand reached up to cover yours, his fingers trembling slightly.

“Thank you, I… I care about you too.” he replied.

It wasn’t a grand confession, but it didn’t need to be. You already knew. You’d known for a while now.

[princeyralsei]

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR SONIC 3

I'm not gonna lie, as much as I loved this movie, Shadow's characterization, and his relationship with Maria, I have my gripes with it.

Shadow's alien asteroid origins definitely create an opportunity for him to find out where he came from in a spin-off, but the fact that he wasn't created by Gerald (with Black Doom) to find a cure for Maria and was instead found and tested on really erases his character's main purpose (and how he lost it) and the fact that he wasn't mistreated, but instead relied on for a better future. In particular, not mentioning Maria's illness erases her disability representation. It is an incredibly impactful plot point and aspect of their relationship.

Additionally, while I understand why they couldn't really have her being shot since it's a family movie, the whole point was that she sacrificed herself so he could escape and live his life, and to depict that GUN wasn't above shooting a child. They use laser guns in the movie anyway, not bullets!

Furthermore, neglecting Maria's love for Earth and humanity also erases this inspiration for Shadow. I think they still could have had room to include her mentioning this or explain how she had to be confined inside the base due to her illness, even if the base isn't the ark in space. It would further drive Shadow's conflict as he works with Gerald to destroy said planet, and Gerald manipulating his memories would impact him much more in this sense.

I don't know. As happy as I am, I'm also quite disappointed and I'm really sad about it lol. These changes really ruined the gravity of emotion in this story, even though it still made me emotional regardless. Maybe they can recontextualize Shadow's backstory in his possible spin-off, where Gerald discovered/communicated with Black Doom and arranged for him to send Shadow to Earth so he can use him to find a cure for Maria. Also, since he mentions game Maria's condition in the movie (not her explicitly having it, though), maybe he hid this from Shadow and he could learn about it in the future. I really hope they do something like that.

EDIT: ty to ppl for reminding me that yes they were intending on shooting her if Walters didn't interfere, but I think he was aiming for shadow mainly, and it still would have been more impactful if the shot intentionally hit her yk

[imthepunchlord]

Beach

Read more here.

.

“BEACH!” Momo cheered immediately, practically leaping out of the train, deaf to Okarun’s startled “Miss Ayase!” behind her. All she could focus on and see were the bright blue waves ahead. 

“BEACH!” Jiji echoed her, leaping out as well and starting to book it to the ocean, only to get tripped as Aira’s hair grabbed his leg, sending him down into the soft sand. 

“No!” Aira snapped, coming up behind him, her mask’s teeth clacking angrily. “I am here to enjoy the beach, not babysit Evil Eye ! No water for you!” 

“Maaaaaaw,” Jiji groaned into the sand. 

Okarun shuffled after them, a little off balanced between carrying some of their luggage and Turbo Granny on his head, pulling at his hair as she tried to direct him to the water, scolding him for taking too long. Next to him, Vamola hummed happily, carrying the other half of the luggage. 

She did stop in awe. “Ooooooooh,” she uttered, looking at the vast waters of earth. 

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Okarun managed to ask her, wincing as Turbo Granny bopped his face. 

“Keep going! That skank is beating me to the water!” 

“It’d be quicker if you went yourself!” Okarun grouched out. In a rare rush of rebellion, he shook off Turbo Granny, sending the doll to the ground, sighing in relief while she yowled and grouched in her mistreatment. Okarun though never heard her words, looking up just in time to see Momo tugging her shift over head, showing off the teal and pink swimsuit underneath. Something of a strangled squeal bubbled out of him and he turned away as she stripped. His eyes quickly locked onto various guys that were turning to eye her. 

A deep, rumbling growl festered out of Okarun as he glared at them, his yokai presence spreading out, pressing down on those who arrogantly thought they could ogle at her. 

All the guys stiffened at the tense feeling they felt, and with no clear answer for the sense of danger they were picking up, they quickly dispersed, a little unnerved. 

Okarun relaxed at their departure, the brown in his eyes returning. He continued forth, finding Vamola had chosen a spot for their things and set them down beside her. He looked up as Momo charged into the sea, the waves rushing forward to meet her. 

“COOOOLD!” she squealed and laughed, then just dropped into the depths. 

Okarun had a few seconds of tension before Momo popped up, chortling in glee as she splashed around for the sheer joy of it. 

“Momo, stop teasing meeee,” Jiji bemoaned from the beach. 

Aira eased herself into the water with as much grace as she could muster as the cold waves wrapped around her. “Heee, haa,” she breathed out, willing her body to not surge and jerk in response to the cold water. 

“You just gotta dive in,” Momo told her. 

“And look like a hooligan?! No thanks.” 

Aira though didn’t have much choice when one strong wave knocked her down. 

“Haaah!” Momo laughed as Aira popped up with a gasp. 

“Skank!” Aira snapped, splashing at Momo. 

Momo just snickered, then saw the buoy a good distance away. Feeling a playful, competitive spark, Momo challenged, “Race you to the buoy?” 

Aira narrowed her eyes. “You’re on.” 

The two tore off through the water, driven by the need to win and beat the other. In their wake was Okarun and Jiji watching them go, while Vamola and Turbo Granny had more fun in the shallows, Vamola especially taking her time to enjoy the water. 

“Wanna play volleyball?” JIji offered. 

“I haven’t played before,” Okarun warned sheepishly. 

“I’ll teach you!” JIji eased, waving his fists around excitedly. “It’s going to be so fuuuuuun!” 

Grabbing Okarun’s arm, Jiji hauled him to a wide volleyball net, taking up the other half that wasn’t in use. Jiji turned to Okarun, eyes alight with glee. “You are going to be amazing at this game! It comes down to speed and reactivity!” 

Okarun perked. He exclaimed excitedly, waving his fists about slightly, “I'm good at those!” 

“Yeah you are!” Jiji hyped, finger gunning the sky. 

Explaining the rules, Jiji hopped over the net and took his place on the other side, scoping up a free ball. “Yo, yo! You ready, Okaruuuun?!” Jiji called. 

“I’m ready!” Okarun called out dramatically, sharing Jiji’s pumped energy.

Jiji hopped high, and hit the ball hard, sending it flying across the net. 

Okarun tracked it effortlessly, darting forth and intercepting it. With ease, he knocked it back, watching Jiji race up to barely get it in time. With a big wide grin from Jiji, the game was afoot. 

Minutes dragged on during their play, with only a handful of points coming to exist between the two athletic boys, both getting caught up in the fun and competition. Eventually, as the game went on, attention was drawn their way, some in awe by the skill and dexterity of the two boys and their near even match.

Many girls had their eyes set upon JIji, the tall youth easily drawing in the gaze of others, how his body would flex and the strength behind his blows. 

A few had their own admiring eyes upon Okarun, his slimmer frame did little to deter the muscles he developed, and it worked nicely off his dexterity. 

A little over an hour later, the game was done in a draw, both Okarun and Jiji wore out from the endless back and forth. 

Jiji though didn’t have much chance to have a break as he got swarmed by various girls, offering eager compliments and playful flirtations. Ever the social butterfly, Jiji entertained them eagerly, finding enough energy to work off the eager crowd of admirers. 

Okarun for his part was ready to lay back on a beach towel and relax. Looking over, he could see that Momo and Aira had returned from their race and were back on the beach. While Aira was relaxing back on a lounge chair and tanning, Momo was plopped on the sand, teaching Vamola how to build a sandcastle. Turbo Granny was seated on top of Vamola, and faintly, Okarun could hear her demanding they make it big enough for her to get into. 

Okarun smiled fondly, about to go join them, when a flirtatious voice cut him off. 

“Here you got, Hotshot.” 

A little surprised, Okarun turned to see an offered water bottle, and looked past it to a girl batting her eyelashes at him. 

“Oh, thank you,” Okarun said, accepting the water bottle. 

A little random, but he’ll take it. It’s a nice gesture. 

“That was a very impressive game,” the girl said, her hand coming to rest on his bicep. 

Okarun drew away, giving the girl a wary squint. “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he offered neutrally, turning away to join the others, only to go rigid when the girl wrapped her arms around his. 

“Why don’t you join me for a walk down the beach? Let the breeze cool you off?” the girl persisted. 

“I’m here with company already,” Okarun pushed back, torn between being polite and snapping. He could feel his nature twisting in displeasure at her approach, receiving such affection from a random girl. This was not the attention or affection he wanted. When the girl tightened her grip on his arm, he did pry her off of him, adding sternly, “And I have a girlfriend already.” 

And you aren't her , he added silently. 

The girl squinted at Okarun like he said Nessie was just a regular dinosaur. 

Then she narrowed her eyes. “Who’s your girlfriend?” she demanded, “Cause I don’t see her around.” 

“Over there building a sand castle,” he pointed out.

The girl eyed Momo and Vamola, the former falling back with a huge laugh as Turbo Granny fell off Vamola and landed onto the shobby looking mass they were making. Vamola’s wince didn’t last too long and soon she was smiling and laughing with Momo. 

While Okarun smiled with full adoration, the girl was not impressed. 

With a scoff, the girl declared, “You could do better.” 

Okarun went still at the claim, his glasses taking on a bright sheen, hiding his eyes. 

“I don’t know which it is, but they both look childish,” the girl declared, flipping her black hair, “and one even looks like a skank. Now, I have a lot more to offer. I actually have a house here on the beach that we can go and enjoy—”

Okarun interrupted, “You should run home to it then.” 

 The girl turned to Okarun in surprise, gaping at him. “What?” she asked dangerously. 

Only for her fire to dim down at the intense pressure around the guy, turning his gleaming glasses towards her. While she couldn’t see his eyes, she could feel his glare. He continued, his voice in a deep growl, “You’re really starting to piss me off, yo.” 

The girl took an instinctive step back, put off by the intense anger the guy was putting off, unaware that he shot up in height, of the wispy white mane he now sported, and of the big black maw that was dangerously gritting its teeth, ready to snap at her. 

“Y-you know, you wear glasses anyway,” the girl put out, backing away still. “You’re not worth my time.” 

Okarun didn’t bother replying, continuing to glare at the girl until she fully walked away. 

“Okarun?” 

He turned, his red eyes settling on Momo as she came to join him. He noted absently that she was covered in sand, and smelled like seawater. 

“You ok?” Momo asked. 

His maw dispersed as he sighed, letting the irritation go. “Yeah, yeah, I, I’m ok.” Still, he did immediately go to her side, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close, giving a slight nuzzle to her forehead. “I’m better.” 

Momo blushed at the sudden affection, peeking up at Okarun in surprise and slight concern. Tempted to ask, she opted to let it go. Instead, she wrapped her arm around him and led him over to their spot, voicing, “Come on, you can help us make a sand castle up to Turbo Granny’s standard.” 

“I’ve never tried before,” Okarun warned. 

“Neither has Vamola, and that’s not stopping her!” 

He chuckled, feeling much better now. “True. I’ll give it my all!” 

Momo smiled back. “That’s all we can ask.” 

As Okarun joined them, his bad encounter was forgotten as he joined Vamola in trying to figure out how to get a wall of sand to stand, listening to Momo’s tips and guidance. 

“I’m coming in!” Jiji called, rushing over to join them, sliding to their spot, barely avoiding the second lumpy try at a castle, sparking off cheers and grumbles as JIji joined in, offering his own crazy tips on how to mold the castle. 

[resident-idiot-simp]

Soap who only ever asked Ghost and the team to not do was tell him he was too much to tell him he was loud and needed to shut up. He has confided in them his past horrible experiences. He told them to redirect him but to 'please don't tell me I'm too loud or too much.' he never asked anything else of them. They agreed always being careful to do as he asked.

Except for one mission. It had been a shit show and Ghost had screamed at Soap to shut up. No one realized that Soap shut down immediately. No one noticed how he scurried off. No one noticed how he secluded himself. And that only reinforced the fact more that he was too much. That he was a burden.

(Soap is me fr fr)

Imagine Laswell visits and is the only one to notice. Laswell always wanted to be a mother Just didn't have the chance in her current line of work It was too dangerous. But she clocked Soap immediately sorrow came off of him in waves. She hurried over to him and took him aside asking what happened. He wouldn't say and she just knew it was the team. He had hugged the poor kid and he broke in her arms. She had never wanted to reem out the others more.

She held him until he had cried himself out the poor kid was exhausted. In moments like this she remembered that he was so incredibly young. He was still a kid no matter how elite of a soldier he was. She walked/carried him back to his room so he could get some rest. It looked like he hadn't slept well in days.

When she was sure he was settled she stormed out and twords the others. They were going to have to beg and grovle for Soaps forgiveness and for hers as well

Laswell barges into the rec room in front of everyone and their mother and starts going off on the 141. Everyone is witness to it because they all deserve to know what bad teammates they are to one of the best men she has ever had the pleasure of meeting let alone working with

They had broken on of her children's spirits and so she will break them

The 141 hadn't even noticed. Sure something was off sure they felt wrong footed but they hadn't realized why and it had pissed her off beond measure

Everyone watched as Laswell draged them through the mud and tore them a new asshole. He screamed at them for every bit of 10 minutes and then whole time they sat their frozen.

Frozen in horror not only because of the real fear Laswell may pull a gun on them but also the horror of what they had done to a member of their family. They had been on edge for days and they hadn't known why, but it was Soap the little bastard was the sooth to a to mean comment the backup you could rely on when you were being ganged up on. He was the joke to lighten the mood.

He was the glue of their team of their family.

The next morning when Soap gets up he finds the team all lined up outside his door with Laswell all begging for his forgiveness. They brought his favorite candy and snacks. Brought breakfast from off base and his favorite coffee order. He doesn't know what to say or do. He tears up unsure of how to feel. Laswell tells him they are going to have to make it up to him because what they did was unexcusable.

Soap doesn't know how to respond just nods. it takes weeks for Soap to slowly go back to being himself and the 141 has never been more thankful when he made the first joke to lighten the mood in months.

(It makes it even worse that all the recruits learn their favorite sergeant was mistreated 🤭. They make comments for months and Laswell forbid them from punishing them after all public humiliation works incredibly well)

Soap and Laswell girls night where she tells him to not give them anything close to forgiveness for at least a week because they deserve to suffer for their BS.

"And Ghost that boy deserves none of you for at minimum a month that man is supposed to love you!"

'uhh we aren't together??'

"yes you are anyways as I was saying!"

[questforgalas]

Thank you for coming back

Notes: So once again, @zaana's incredible art lived rent free in my head until I put it down on paper. So here's a delightful AU where Crosshair doesn't get sent to Tantiss because guess who gets to him first? Chose to do a rescue from Barton IV because Cross is in his imperial armor in the art, and I thought "Hey, let's maybe give him a break and not make him go through torture before he's rescued?" Neat idea, right? Let's tell Jen and Brad

WC: 3K (lol this was going to be a drabble)

Characters: The Bad Batch (all of them!)

Tags: Wrecker POV (he deserves all the Crosshair reunion energy), angst at the end (Crosshair is going through it ok), hurt/comfort, giant family group hug, Crosshair and Wrecker cry, Hunter is emotional, canon typical violence, implied mistreatment by the Empire (did I mention Crosshair is going through it?), family reunion, all the family fluff I could fit into 3k words

Tay's Masterlist

Read on AO3

The sound of blaster fire was becoming permanent in Wrecker’s ears. Hunkered down behind a duracrete barrier, he kept his DC-17 trained on the Imps attempting to advance on his position, blaster bolts streaming past his head. 

“Seriously, who trained these guys to shoot,” he thought to himself, needing to only dodge a few bolts from the barrage while his targets fell with each pull of his trigger. 

The landing platform at the depot on Barton IV was looking more like a true battlefield and less like a remote outpost with every passing minute. Two T-4 shuttles lay in smoking ruins - the first thanks to Hunter’s skill on the Marauder’s rear gun and the second thanks to an excellent detonator throw by Wrecker - and stormtrooper bodies lay scattered across the duracrete ground. So far, Wrecker and Hunter were executing their part of the plan perfectly, but when it came to creating distractions, there wasn’t much guess work as to Wrecker’s success rate. 

The Batch’s intel told them that the depot, located on a desolate, frozen planet that rivaled Hoth’s  icy temperatures, normally operated as a blip on the Empire’s priority list. In fact, blip might have been giving it too much credit. The small clone trooper squad that was assigned to protection detail put in requests for equipment, supplies, and reinforcements throughout their year of service, and every request fell on deaf imperial ears. Gathered from the information Tech found during his hacking, Commander Mayday of the squad put in a request for reinforcements 40 rotations ago, citing that only five members of his squad remained alive at the time the request went in, but Tech couldn’t find any log of a response anywhere in the records. Complete silence from the Empire. 

Until 4 rotations ago. The call went out for a platoon of stormtroopers to ready for deployment to Barton IV with orders to transport cargo of high importance to the Empire from the depot to the military base on Coruscant. Prior to the platoon’s arrival, a small squad of clone troopers was sent to scout and ready the depot for the cargo transfer. The squad consisted of two standard troopers and one specialized. One prickly, stubborn, unyielding specialized trooper who Wrecker couldn’t wait to see again. 

When Tech caught chatter that a clone trooper shot a commanding imperial officer in broad daylight in front of an imperial depot, he initially intended to send the intel directly to Captain Rex, informing him of another defecting clone who would be in need of assistance, but after he scanned the information log, he didn’t register his datapad falling from his hands, thudding on the floor, only able to to focus on activating the comm on his vambrace, urging Hunter to get to the Marauder as quickly as possible. Because there in front of him, written across the Marauder’s main computer, was CT-9904: Defector. Charged with the murder of Lieutenant Nolan. In custody on Barton IV. Scheduled for armed transfer in two rotations. 

The discussion was short - Hunter the only one remaining cautious until Tech confirmed the lack of security at the depot, even with the stormtrooper platoon coming in - and the Batch set their course to Barton IV less than two hours after the message was intercepted. The plan was easy, one the Batch could nearly execute in their sleep, even with their newer blonde addition. Create a distraction to draw the majority of security out into the open which Hunter and Wrecker would engage while Omega provided cover from the Marauder. Meanwhile, Tech and Echo skirt along the edge of the chaos, slip into the depot undetected, locate Crosshair’s location, and extract him while neutralizing any remaining threats if necessary. 

Plans 5, 4, and 21. The Batch specialty. 

“Wrecker, incoming! Northwest!” Hunter’s smokey voice called over the commotion. 

The far gate of the depot opened, ten stormtroopers running out to join the fight. “Yeah, I see ‘em, Sarge,” Wrecker confirmed. “They look excited to see us.” 

Hunter took cover behind his barrier, and turned his head in Wrecker’s direction.

“How about you give our hosts a warm greeting?” Hunter suggested, cocking his head to the side. Wrecker could feel the smug smirk under that helmet.

“Gladly,” Wrecker responded gleefully. 

Reaching into the pack on his back, he grabbed two thermal detonators, clicked them live, and chucked. They arced into the air, curving in opposite directions, landing right in the middle of the oncoming troopers, and Wrecker watched as all ten stormtroopers disappeared into a beautiful burst of orange, red, and black. 

“Direct hit,” Wrecker yelled, pumping his DC-17 in triumph. 

Across the way, Hunter gave a quick thumbs up and popped his head above his barrier. Wrecker did the same, confirming that the landing platform was clear of imps for the moment, but they knew more troopers would arrive soon. They’d only taken out about 30 of them so far. 

“Agh, where are they,” Hunter wondered, helmet trained on the door they expected to see their brothers emerge from. 

“Give ‘em a few more minutes, Sarge. I doubt the Empire just left Crosshair in a set of binders on a crate.” 

“They’re dumb enough to,” Hunter said. A soft chuckle came through his modulator, “Wonder how long he’d humor them until he took them all out with his hands still bound.” 

“Knowing Crosshair? They wouldn’t even get the binders on him,” Wrecker laughed. 

Hunter went quiet, helmet still pointed at the door. Then his shoulders fell like he was bowing to a weight Wrecker couldn’t see. “We’ll have to be patient. He’s…” Hunter paused. “He’s probably not the Crosshair we remember. There are going to be some … invisible wounds.” 

Wrecker released his own shuttered breath. He looked down at the ground for a moment, and then looked back up to find Hunter looking back at him. “Doesn’t matter how long it takes. We’ll help patch those up too.” 

Hunter remained still for a breath and then nodded. 

The silence was interrupted by a chime on Hunter’s comm. “What’ve you got, Omega?” he asked as he activated the connection. 

“I’m picking up multiple heat signatures heading our way. Looks like our little break is over,” Omega’s voice chirped over the comm. 

“Copy that,” Hunter responded.

Wrecker brought his own comm up to his mouth. “What’s your count, kid?” he asked playfully. 

“I’m at 4,” Omega answered, a smug tone floating through. 

“Only 4? You’re falling behind. I’m at 18,” Wrecker said. 

“I don’t think the thermal detonators should count,” Hunter interjected. 

“What?! Did you see how perfectly those landed? Probably my best yet! Not even Tech could pull that off.” 

“It’s hardly fair when I’m all the way back here on the Marauder!” Omega argued. 

“Excuses excuses, kid,” Wrecker teased. Their debate came to a quick halt when the remaining hangar doors of the depot opened, revealing the last wave of the platoon. “Alright, break time’s over. Shoot good, kid.” 

The platform became engulfed in battle once again. Blaster bolts peppered the air. Thermal detonators flew. Line after line of stormtroopers tried to take the advantage on the two ground soldiers and their coverage, but Hunter, Wrecker, and Omega held them back with ease. Wrecker heard General Skywalker speaking to Hunter about something called meditation once - a staple Jedi practice of centering one’s mind and connecting with the force through quiet sitting - and while Wrecker wasn’t sure this would meet the Jedi standard, he imagined this was the closest to meditation he would ever come. Surrounded by the sounds of battle. Adrenaline pumping in his veins. He’d hit a point of focus that drowned everything else out, his mission the only thought in his mind. And he was dam good at it, too. 

His DC-17 sang, and he let out a jovial laugh as he took down another line of troopers. As he focused on the enemies in front of him, the squad’s comm channel chimed in his helmet, and the only thing in the galaxy that could divert his attention from the battle in front of him called through the speakers.

“Hunter. Wrecker. We’ve got him. We’re approaching the exit. What’s the status of the platform?” Echo’s voice came through. 

For a second, Wrecker and Hunter turned towards each other, both chests rising rapidly with fast breaths not caused by the battle in front of them, and Wrecker knew if he could see Hunter’s eyes, they’d reflect the same bottomless relief he was feeling. 

Wrecker forced himself back to the present and provided cover fire while Hunter responded. 

“You’re clear to exit. A few imps left but nothing we can’t handle. Wrecker and I will provide cover fire while you cross the platform. Go directly to the Marauder,” Hunter ordered. 

Wrecker’s breath caught in his throat when a low, raspy voice could be heard in the background. “No, we thought we’d take a hike in the mountains.”

A hitched breath came through, and in his peripheral, Wrecker noticed Hunter lean his helmet back against the duracrete barrier, shoulders shaking. 

“I never thought I’d miss his attitude,” Omega piped in. 

That broke the tension building in Wrecker’s head, and a laugh barreled out from his chest. Brain clear and ready to act again, he focused on the remaining stormtroopers trying to hold their ground. 

“Omega, get the engines running. We’re getting off this hunk of ice as soon as we’re all onboard,” Hunter finished relaying the orders. 

“One more thing,” Tech’s voice came through this time. “I did the scan. The inhibitor chip has indeed been removed, but only after the encounter on Bracca. Crosshair did remove it voluntarily unbeknownst to the Empire.”

“Tech kind of refused to leave the holding cells until he was able to confirm it all. Hacked records and everything here on the depot. That’s what took us so long,” Echo supplied.

“Thank the Maker for Tech, and his stubborn need for knowledge,” Hunter mumbled. He went back on the comm, “Glad to hear it. Now get out here.”

Hunter turned to Wrecker. “Let’s take out as many as we can before they get here. Once they emerge, you lay down cover fire, and I’ll take overwatch.” 

“Copy that,” Wrecker replied, and they went to work. 

Time that had been passing at light speed slowed to the flow of Mustafar lava. Only ten stormtroopers remained posted across the platform, and Wrecker was determined to clear as many as he could before his brothers emerged. 

Another minute passed. Another. Then another. Time was taunting him.  

A whoosh floated over the blasterfire. The blasted door to the depot finally opened, and there in the doorway were three bent over figures - two supporting the weight of the third in between them - hobbling onto the landing deck. Wrecker allowed himself one glance hoping it would calm his running mind. Echo took most of the middle figure’s weight, flesh arm wrapped around their waist and scomp arm securing the arm wrapped across Echo’s back dangling over his shoulder, while Tech kept one arm around the figure’s waist and kept his blaster at the ready in the other. 

As Wrecker glanced at them,  it wasn’t the figure’s distinct all black armor - the armor of the imperial special forces - that identified him to Wrecker. No, it was the tattoo around their right eye. The tattoo Wrecker sat and watched as Tech gave it to them when they were still just cadets. The tattoo that represented their pride in their skill. The tattoo that told everyone exactly which batch he belonged to, front and center for all to see. The crosshair. 

Flanking from behind, Tech easily took down three stormtroopers before they made their way down the stairs. The remaining seven stormtroopers barked out orders to fall back, trying to regroup due to the new arrivals, and Wrecker used their confusion to his advantage, taking out another three in one go. Realizing they were outnumbered and outmatched, the remaining four stormtroopers fell back to the hangar, shooting wildly at any target they could see. 

Slower than Wrecker would like, his three brothers made their way to his and Hunter’s position across the platform. As soon as they crossed the threshold of their barriers, Hunter stood from his coverage, falling in step to provide cover directly at their backs. 

“Alright, Wrecker. Let’s keep these guys pinned as we head to the ship,” Hunter said. 

Jumping into position, Wrecker kept a steady pace back to the Marauder without breaking his fire on the remaining stormtroopers. Hunter hit one more as they walked, and Wrecker had his finger on the trigger to take down another when a streak of pink flew over his head and directly into the helmet of his target. 

He glanced over his shoulder. 

“Final count: 12,” Omega beamed down at him from the top of the ramp into the Marauder. 

“Aha! Nice shot, kid! Now let’s get out of here,” Wrecker said, barreling up the ramp into the ship. 

The ramp closed up as the ship made its way into the air, and the energy within immediately went still. Tech sat in the cockpit, taking over the controls from Omega once on board, but Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, Omega, and Crosshair remained in the hold. 

Crosshair sat in the chair in front of the computer, slumped over, one hand on the armrest propping him while an elbow rested on a knee like that was all the energy he could muster. He was breathing heavy, chest rising and falling as if he’d just finished a training sprint back on Kamino. Wrecker quickly gave his body a once over. Crosshair had always been lithe, by far the smallest body mass of the Bad Batch, but there had been muscle underneath those long limbs that gave any regular clone trooper a run for his money. Now, Wrecker clocked only bones showing underneath the exposed areas his armor didn’t cover, and his cheekbones were sharp above the hollowness of his cheeks. Purple blotched under his eyes, and it was impossible not to notice the deep scar that covered the right side on the back of his head. The scar he received when he took the full heat of a Venator ion engine. 

The same engine he tried to trap his brothers in. 

“Thank you…for coming for me. I…I wouldn’t have blamed you if you didn’t,” Crosshair drawled, head bent down. Whether he was unable to lift it from lack of strength or not being able to face the current scene, Wrecker wasn’t sure. His own heart was thudding in his chest, threatening to burst out. He called on every ounce of discipline and self-restraint he learned in his years as a soldier and remained rooted in place, holding his breath. The rest of the Batch stood as still as statues, four sets of eyes on their silver-haired brother. 

“You can drop me off at the closest port. You can pick. Doesn’t matter to me,” Crosshair said to the floor. Still, no one else spoke. He raised his head, glancing at each of them. His gaze settled on Hunter. “I…I’d understand if that’s what you want to do. It’s what you should do.” 

The five of them felt the Marauder lurch into hyperspace, but still, Echo, Omega, Hunter, and Wrecker didn’t budge. Footsteps approached from the cockpit, and soon, Tech joined them, choosing to sit in the chair across from Crosshair. The silence grew, and Wrecked noticed the crease between the sniper’s eyebrows deepen while his eyes darted around the group.

“Well, aren’t any of you going to say something?” Crosshair asked, frustration creeping into his voice. He glanced around one more time, and finally stood up from the chair, a growl coming from his throat, back hunched like he was ready to pounce, and his gaze locked on Hunter, a finger pointed at the sergeant. “Listen, I didn’t ask you to come get me. I was ready to die on that platform after I shot the lieutenant, and I was ready to die in whatever maker-forsaken place they were going to send me. You hear me? I didn’t ask for this.” He gestured around the room, around the Batch. 

“So don’t make me a burden you don’t want. Drop me anywhere. Leave me. It’s what I deserve - oof!” 

Wrecker couldn’t take it anymore, and as he watched Crosshair teeter on the precipice of self-destruction, he took two strides towards his brother, and engulfed him in his arms. 

Crosshair stiffened, his arms frozen mid-gesture to the side. Wrecker stood there, arms firmly wrapped around Crosshair’s back and shoulders, head dipping to rest on top of Crosshair’s head, and he waited. Eventually, Crosshair’s arms fell to his sides, but his body remained stiff like he wasn’t actually registering what was happening. Then, after a few breaths, his arms slowly rose, one wrapping under Wrecker’s arm and the other circling over his shoulder. 

“Why did you come for me?” Wrecker heard muffled into his chestplate. 

“We don’t leave our own behind,” Wrecker answered simply. 

Wrecker felt the shaking first, then he heard the soft sobs. Tightening his arms, he held his once-lost brother as if challenging the galaxy to try and separate them again. When he felt Crosshair crumble into his chest, he released the grip he’d been holding on his own emotions, and the tears flowed freely. Tears of sorrow for what Crosshair endured. Tears of rage at the Empire. Tears of sweet relief at his family being whole again. 

Wrecker felt a pair of arms sneak between his waist and Crosshair’s chest, and when he looked up, he saw Hunter wrapped around Crosshair’s back, arms crushing the sniper into the sergeant’s chest. “We’ve got you, Cross,” Hunter murmured. 

One-by-one, Tech, Echo, and Omega joined in, the last squeezing herself into the middle, wrapping her arms around Crosshair’s leg, and even when the sobs quieted, they remained that way. There was a lot to talk about. A long road of trust to regain. They were about to navigate rough terrain. And the past will resurface, in old wounds, physical and not. But none of that mattered right now. In the middle of their home, a family reunited. Unsure what the future would bring them, but ready to face it all together.