#he still considers Mariana to be all he has left

[xailey56]

Ok so the more I think about it the more I have to say about the Gegg situation besides that he needs to talk to someone who actually understand his grief. Other people have pointed out and I agree with them that Slime is taking things just a little too personally as Gegg because he is getting too lost in the sauce as Gegg so he sees Gegg as an extension of himself. Because of this any time someone doesn’t like Gegg he sees it as a rejection not of Gegg but of him, Slime. And I think his goal isn’t just to help him understand Juanaflippa as he’s stated but I think also he wants people to care about him but because of what he’s done he doesn’t believe he deserves it as Slime so maybe if he’s someone else, maybe if he’s Gegg people can care about him and it’s ok.

What really makes me sad about this and another reason why I really think Slime should talk to Mariana is that Mariana has decided to play his character as still being very much in love with Slime. In spite of everything he genuinely cares about him and wants them to be in this together. Slime doesn’t think he deserves love but Mariana loves him anyway and I think that Slime needs to know that. I think he needs to be confronted with someone who knows him and everything he’s done and understands his guilt and his grief because he’s in the same boat and still loves him because maybe then he’ll realize it’s ok to let himself be loved and cared for and maybe together, actually together, the two of them can start to heal.

[somebluemelodies]

@atthebell's SPIDERBIT WEEK DAY SIX: it couple | enigma revisiting the coffee shop au for this one, which you can read here! consider this a couple months or so post first date :> featuring: qroier being hopelessly in love and qcellbit being a total fucking nerd (/affectionate. and also hopelessly in love) this is a little lengthy like the last one my apologies-

"Roier, I can hear you thinking from here, man."

Roier abruptly stands from his spot leaning against the counter. "Perdón."

"Keep thinking that hard and you're going to destroy your last functioning brain cell." Mariana eyes his best friend. "Are you still trying to ask that guy out?"

"Yes," he answers, exasperated. "I don't know what the fuck to do."

"Just fucking ask him, man! It's not hard."

"I don't want to just ask, man! I want to do something cool for him, you know? He deserves it." Roier eyes Mariana right back. "Besides, I don't think you're allowed to offer relationship advice. You and Slime just started making out every day and eventually slapped a label on it."

Mariana looks smug and punchable. "And we're engaged now."

Roier only flips him off, leaning back against the counter and returning to his moping pondering. The other barista huffs after a few seconds, finally attempting to make himself useful. "Well, what does he like?"

"He's an investigator," is how Roier answers, "he—"

It's like a flip is switched in his brain, and he shoots back upright. "That's it! I know!" And before Mariana can question it, he's rushing out back to grab his phone.

When he returns, he's near-silent for the next several minutes upon grabbing a pen and napkin, save for occasional mumbling to himself as he studies intently whatever is on his phone screen.

Mariana doesn't bother stepping over yet, watching as Roier eventually starts writing something down on the napkin. Only when the pen has been capped, and Roier sighs to himself, seemingly satisfied, does he finally question the other again. "Happy now?"

Roier nods, smiling. "Sí."

(And so it goes.)

...

“And someone left this on one of the tables?”

Roier nodded. “Sí. Shortly before my shift ended.”

Cellbit seems mildly skeptical, but he doesn’t question it. Besides, who would he be to pass up solving a jumbled mess of letters?

“Well, it’s not a Caesar cipher. Doesn’t make sense. But…” He leans down, reaching for his satchel and rummaging through its contents before he finds a piece of paper, placing it on the coffee table alongside the napkin.

Intrigued, Roier scoots closer from their spot on his couch, hooking his chin over Cellbit’s shoulder. It looks like a table, but it’s full of letters instead of numbers. “What is that?”

(It’s just to get a closer look.)

(Cellbit wills his cheeks to cool down.)

“It’s for a Vigenère cipher. The letters in the middle are for all the encrypted letters. The left-hand column is the alphabet for whatever the key is, and the top row is the plaintext, or the 'normal' letters, if you will. In this case, it's what we're going to solve for."

(Cellbit explaining is leagues better than reading a bunch of words on a screen.)

(He could listen to Cellbit talk all day.)

“So how exactly do you solve it?” Roier asks. He has somewhat of an idea, but it was mostly him filling out the criteria on the website to encrypt it for him.

“I want to try and figure out the key first. I’m guessing the little coffee cup in the corner here has something to do it.” Cellbit points to the little doodle in the bottom right-hand corner, thinking for a moment. “It might not work, but let’s say the key is the word café. Vigenères are polyalphabetic ciphers; it utilizes multiple Caesar ciphers inside of itself, but the increments depend on whatever the key is— sorry, not important— polyalphabetic just means that they—"

“Use multiple alphabets?”

Cellbit smiles, and warmth blooms in Roier’s chest. “Yes!”

He pulls a pen from his chest jacket pocket. “We’re going to repeat café until it matches the length of the message.” He starts writing the letters underneath the cipher, continuing to talk. “We’re only going to be using the C, A, F, and E letters on the left-hand column, none of the others. Let me just finish this…”

Roier waits patiently until Cellbit gets to the last letter. When he does, he reaches for the table he’d pulled out. “Okay! So, now, to actually decipher it, we’re going to take the first letter of the key, C, and we’re going to locate the first letter of the cryptic message, Y, in C's row.” Cellbit’s pen lands on the letter Y. “Next, we’re going to follow that up to the top row for the plaintext.” The pen travels up. “W. So, the first letter of the decrypted message is W. Does that make sense?"

The barista nods as the investigator glances over to check. "Yeah. You're very smart, gatinho, you know that?"

Cellbit chuckles. "Gracias, guapito."

With that, he starts to work on decoding the rest of the cipher. Roier can't help but marvel at the speed he's able to work at - and doing it manually at that, not just putting it through online like he did. But Cellbit solving it fast is doing nothing for his nerves, his heartbeat starting to pick up.

He lets the other work quietly, trying not to shuffle and shift too much from his place leaning against him. He can't tell if he's regretting this or not, with the way the anticipation is killing him.

(But he also knows shit like this makes Cellbit happy, so maybe it won't be the complete end of the world.)

When Cellbit gets to the last word, though, he starts to slow down, processing exactly what the message is in front of him. He becomes acutely aware of Roier's head on his shoulder, the way his dark eyes are flitting back and forth between him and the papers, and pieces start clicking into place.

But he finishes it, because he knows Roier made it. Because he's stunned someone would go to this length for him. And so, the decoded cipher stares back up at him.

(WILL YOU BE MY BOYFRIEND)

Cellbit reads it back over to himself, once, twice, heart hammering in his chest as a haziness washes over him. He feels Roier lift his head, momentarily mourning the loss of contact, but wills his voice to work. "Roier..?"

"Well?" Roier asks after a moment, and Cellbit feels brave enough to glance over at him. They lock eyes, and he looks just as nervous as Cellbit feels, if not more. "Will you?"

For a moment, Cellbit doesn't move, expression unreadable, and Roier wonders if maybe this was a mistake after all. But then he sits upright, and orients to face him. "Cellbo—?"

He's effectively cut off by lips pressing against his, one of Cellbit's hands cupping his face as the other rests against the back of his neck.

Roier's eyes close immediately, melting into it as one arm wraps around the investigator's neck. His other hand goes up, threading through Cellbit's hair and subconsciously deepening the kiss.

(It feels warm, it feels right.)

They only pull apart when their lungs demand oxygen, foreheads resting together.

"Does that answer your question, guapito?" Cellbit breathes out.

Roier grins. "I think I need a little more clarification, gatinho."

Cellbit can't help but laugh. "Let me try again, then."

"By all means."

And somehow, the second kiss is almost better than the first.

(Enigma solved.)

[newlacesleeves]

okay fine fine i'll take the silly karate show seriously for a second.

i have spent most of the day talking about what i liked about it because, well, there was a lot i did like. remember, the bar wasn't just on the floor. it was buried in mariana's trench. but to say it exceeded my expectations is still an understatement. i really did like it.

putting this under a cut. spoiler warning obv. (also me talking in stream of consciousness.)

as for criticisms, yeah i have some. the first being the same one everyone else has: there were almost no johnny & robby moments. robby beats miguel for captain and johnny chooses to comfort miguel for his loss. he gives them both the exact same speech before they fight. literally word for word. now, sure, we can imagine their relationship is still pretty fraught but this would have been a good opportunity for johnny to show how proud he is of robby and instead we got...nothing. huh. okay then.

the next would be tory. i cannot fucking fathom why they set up this friendship between sam and tory and everyone only for NONE OF HER FRIENDS to comfort her or go to her when her fucking mom dies. (on a positive note, that episode won the whole season for me. more on that later.) obviously the idea is to set up tory running straight into kreese's arms but also we could have had that set up and still shown some fucking sympathy for her. (another positive: peyton list can act her ass off.) it felt out of character for all of them. sam spends all of the third episode befriending tory. they have that million minute hug. what do you mean sam didn't run after her and instead just accepted her captain position?

also. samtory. i kinda wish they dragged it out just a little longer. especially considering what transpires in ep. 5 (or doesn't?)

devon and kenny. what devon did to kenny was fucked up and just. wow not okay. i didn't like it. i didn't find it funny. again, it's a set up for conflict between kenny and anthony but 1. is that really necessary at this point? and 2. why THAT? it was cruel and unnecessary. devon trained for like 6 weeks she's not as good as the others use that as a character development tool instead of her cheating to win. i liked devon when she was introduced. i don't know if i like her at all now. she came off as petulant and entitled and it left me feeling so disappointed in her.

and the miyagi secret. look, i think it's ridiculous that they added this plotline in the first place but besides that, what exactly did we learn? he may have robbed a guy and he was a boxer? and he fought in the sekai talkai? (that part might be intersting let's see where that goes.) it just didn't really land for me personally. we could probably do without it entirely and the season wouldn't change.

okay some positives now. guess what they're almost all about johnny i'm not even sorry if you're following me you should be expecting this from me.

from the fucking beginning we get to see some actual growth from him. the whole naming the dojo thing in previous seasons would have been the cause for the dojo divorce but johnny and daniel both handled it so well and so mature i could cry.

the fact that they made him a car salesman and not like a mechanic or a janitor was also great. i feel like this season they really gave johnny some positive pride in himself. the way he talks about eagle fang and how he built it himself. how he learns from chozen when they go house hunting. and him being a GOOD car salesman not just pretending to do it for laughs. i loved that. i loved it so fucking much. that's what i want to see going forward. to that end, they finally eased up on the "johnny is a moron" shtick. thank god. because he's actually not a moron, he's not a complete idiot he has thoughtful ideas and can create lesson plans that have deeper meanings and all of that is innate in his character and should be played up more rather than "here's the himbo from the 80s who doesn't know what pandora's box is or how public parks work."

episode 5 really nailed it for me. tory's grief is palpable. her fighting through it literally is beautiful to me. and yes, YES, it was the right thing to do to stop the fight okay i'm not saying they shouldn't have. but what we get out of that is a real and emotional and RAW fight between daniel and johnny. not about fighting styles or who has the better dojo. they are both coming at this situation from their own trauma and past and johnny explains that (bonus points for the laura mention THANK YOU WRITERS) and daniel isn't hearing him so he goes for the jugular and daniel reacts in the MOST DANIEL LARUSSO WAY I HAVE SEEN SINCE SEASON 3. he punches johnny right there and doesn't hold back even if you can see the regret on his face a moment later. and johnny -- the GROWTH is in the way he doesn't react. he doesn't punch back. it's a real fucking moment for the two of them. we aren't talking about defense vs. offense. we're talking about GRIEF and all of johnny's bottled rage about feeling sidelined by daniel this whole time (which has been sort of daniel's default stage for the last few seasons) comes spilling over the top and it was such a good moment of catharsis i will be thinking about it forever.

there were other things i liked: johnny leaning into his girl dad-ness, the fights (always the fights!!), the return of shawn, sleeveless gi my beloved, johnny prom king confirmation (never ever getting over it). but these were the stand out moments for me on my first watch.

and look. these were the first FIVE of FIFTEEN episodes for this season. a lot of y'all are acting like this is the whole thing when this is literally just the beginning. so i understand what you're saying about what the show lacked but it's not like they're ending it here. we have ten more episodes to go let's hope they continue the trajectory they're on in the next drop.

TL/DR: I LIKED IT A LOT.

[heresthestorymorningglory]

Together Bound In Madness - Part 3

Summary: So close, yet so far...

A/N: This particular piece of work wasn’t meant to see the light of day and live its life in my WIP folder…it was supposed to….

Then I mentioned to @ken-dom that I might share and well…here we are…what can I say y'all? She’s mad encouraging and I love her dearly for it. Without her none of these would exist.

As always, this NSFW 18+ and has a few extra warnings attached; a kidnapping trigger warning being the biggest one, this part also includes a physical assault trigger,

The title comes from the Marianas Trench song The Killing Kind

Y'all should know by now I rarely post one shots…..so yeah, this will be multiple parts….I’m just not sure on the final tally yet. You can find previous parts here.

Enjoy my loves! <3 

You had sat on his bed after changing your clothes, he’d had every intention of making sure you were comfortable, but when he looked up from digging in the first aid kit to bandage your ankles, you had fallen asleep propped against the headboard. 

He got to his feet and pulled the covers on the bed back fully before gently shifting you to lie down. You hadn’t even stirred. He bandaged your ankles as he’d initially intended before he pulled the strip of soft fabric he’d had tied around your wrists earlier from the back pocket of his jeans and gently tied your wrists together. He produced another strip of fabric and did the same to your ankles. 

He wasn’t 100% confident you wouldn’t still try to leave if he’d left you to sleep. 

You had been so quiet, and so scared; he couldn’t imagine how awful it would have been for you had it been someone else, someone truly evil. 

He covered you with the duvet as you turned over in your sleep; you looked so peaceful, a stark contrast to earlier this evening. He pressed a gentle kiss to your temple, here you were safe, here you were cared for, here he could protect you.  God you were beautiful; especially in his clothes. Sleeping soundly in his bed; comfortable and safe. 

He found a spare pillow from the linen closet and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch, locking the door before settling into the soft cushions. 

***

You gasped, startling yourself awake. The bed smelled different, because it wasn't yours. 

You squeezed your eyes shut wishing this had been some lucid fever dream. The ties on your wrists and ankles confirmed otherwise. 

Your heart raced as reality came flooding back. 

The apartment was dark, and it was still dark outside; you were still dead tired, you couldn’t have been asleep for more than a couple of hours. You could see the outline of his sleeping form on the couch, snoring softly. 

Your own bedroom was on the other side of the wall; all you had to do was get there. Get inside and lock the door. 

You stayed lying on your side, pretending to be asleep in case he woke up, your teeth pulling gently on the fabric bound around your wrists. It felt like it was taking you a lifetime, he had been careful not to tie it against your bandages, but the knot was tight. Finally, you felt it start to come loose, making the hole big enough to pull one wrist free and then the other. 

You sat up, slowly, careful not to draw attention to yourself, watching the silhouette on the couch for any sign of movement. You pulled your knees against your chest under the duvet, keeping your working hands hidden as they picked at the knot. It finally came loose and you pulled your feet free. 

He hadn’t moved, but he was still between you and the door. You consider getting on your hands and knees and crawling to the door, but on the off chance he was awake, or woke up, you could run faster. You hadn’t seen any trace of your phone since leaving work, and you weren’t about to go searching for it. You pushed back the duvet and climbed out of the bed, walking as quietly and as lightly as your bare feet would carry you. You approached the end of the couch where his feet had been, he still had work boots on, his head was turned away from you as he breathed deeply; his arms folded over his chest. You practically held your breath, not daring to make a sound as your crept past. You watched over your shoulder for any sign of movement until you reached the door. Gripping the deadbolt between your thumb and finger, you turned it slowly, biting down hard on your lip waiting for the click. You squeezed your eyes shut as the lock made a loud clunk in your hand. Your hand moved to the door knob, gripping it hard enough to make your hand ache, still listening intently over your shoulder for any sign of movement as you heard the latch click softly. Still holding your breath, you pulled the door open slowly, praying to god it wasn’t going to creak. The light from the hallway was impossibly bright; you didn’t dare open the door any further than you needed to to fit yourself though. Your heartbeat pounded in your ears as you inched your way out into the hallway and pulled the door shut agonizingly slowly to avoid any noise. 

Your whole body shook with a combination of fear and adrenaline as your eyes quickly scanned the hallway, empty. You ran to your own apartment door, standing on tiptoes, your shaky fingers frantically feeling for the spare key you kept on the ledge. Your fingers slid along the entire length, nothing. Your key was gone. 

“Fuck, fuck fuck” you whispered dropping back down on your heels. 

You ran your tongue between your lips, letting out a shaky breath. You turned on your heel as a shadow darkened the hallway. 

“No!’ you gasped, your scream was muffled as his hand clamped over your mouth, squeezing your jaw hard, his other arm wrapping tightly around your midsection as you dug your heels into the carpet, to no avail.  Your feet slid against the floor uselessly as you twisted in his grip; he was a lot stronger than you thought, a lot stronger than he looked. 

He dragged you thrashing and screaming down the hall back to his apartment. You watched the door swing shut with a loud thump. 

He dragged you to the centre of the room, before dropping you on your back a heavy boot landing next to your hip as he loomed over you, trapped between his feet.  

You sat up to scoot yourself backwards in an attempt to get some distance between you. 

A half step and he has easily closed that distance again.  

You looked up at him and his blue eyes flared with anger before you felt a hot sting across your cheek, his leather gloves making it hurt twice as much as a bare hand. 

You gasped, crying hard, your own hand flying to cup your cheek.  

You screamed in frustration as you sat on the floor, you hugged your knees to your chest. 

“What do you want from me?!” The break in your voice betraying your anger. Your cheek burning as you sniffed, dropping your head again, a tear dripping off the end of your nose. 

Your shoulders shook as you broke down sobbing, not sure what else to do. You wrapped your arms around your knees, hugging them tightly. 

You jumped as he brushed a piece of hair off your face before slapping his hand away. 

He caught your wrist squeezing hard, making you cry out as he squeezed against the raw skin under the gauze. 

He hadn't seemed to notice, he simply yanked you to your feet and threw you down on the bed. He grabbed your hands together in one of his, producing a length of rope from seemingly out of nowhere. He seemed totally unbothered by your kicking and screaming. He straddled your hips, his weight heavy on your middle as he secured the other end of the rope to the rungs on his headboard. 

You pulled hard, but it was in vain as it only caused the rope to bite into your skin. You dropped your arms as much as your restraints would allow with a huff, glaring at him. “I know you’re not a fucking mute, why won’t you talk to me?” you snapped and as you expected, your question went unanswered.

[call-me-strega]

Ghost Selkie AU Tidbit: Abuela Soliña

I’m still playing with my Ghost Selkie Au, tossing it around like a cat toy trying to decide if and how to write it and one figure that I’ve kinda developed a backstory for is Abuela Soliña. Now said backstory may never see the light of day in the the main story so I thought this’d be a fun tidbit to throw out while I’m still considering the main story overall.

Okay so my inspo for Abuela Soliña, or Señora Mariana Soliña, actually came from a couple of different sources. I took some of the general headcanon from the DCU; Crime Alley has a large population of people of color, specifically Hispanic in the area Jason lived; that Jason has Hispanic heritage; that some of the older women in the alley occasionally feed street kids; and took them to create a person that would be a maternal figure for Jason bc I’m all for giving him Good Adult Influences.

She functions a bit as a plot device taking up the role of Jason’s magical mentor and helps move the story along. However, I wanted to give her more depth so I based her off an actual figure in Spanish history. Once I had decided a witch was the best magical figure to live in Gotham and guide Jason I actually did a bit of research on famous Brujas in folklore and came across María Soliña/Soliño a famous witch from Galicia who inspired the women of her village to fend off Ottoman raiders and survived the Spanish Inquisition without being burned at the stake. She was the main inspiration and namesake of Abuela Mariana Soliña. She did have children, though not much is known about them, so I wanted it to be implied that Mariana was a descendant of María. I wanna say I’m placing her around age 50 when she first met Jason and 65-ish(?) when he returned to Gotham.

Anyways, like I said I didn’t want her to remain a plot device and actually have depth so I kinda started building a backstory for her. Her grandparents or parents were likely immigrants who moved to Gotham from Galicia, Spain back when the city was younger. Back then the different magical communities were a bit more segregated. Vampires stayed clans with vamp doctors and leaders, gargoyles in their own community, fae in their courts, etc., but she did let that stop her. She was always deeply involved in the inter-magical community and was a central figure due to her interest in learning other supernatural cultures of the city.

She eventually grew up to be a full-fledged bruja who sold her magical remedies, charms, potions, etc to any supernatural being willing to pay her. This actually helped her amass a large amount of wealth quickly, especially when her charms, totems, and remedies caught the eyes of superstitious crime bosses across the city. She always insisted to cover her face with a shawl to protect her anonymity and had several mob bosses sign magical contracts agreeing to protect her and her rights to do business thus making her virtually untouchable in the Alley.

I wanted her to be a very strong influence on Jason. She is very strong, sassy, confident, clever, and street smart and taught Jason some of those traits. She actually meets Jason through Catherine. Mariana had many close friends with children though she herself never married. Catherine was actually the daughter of one of her close friends and Mariana was like an aunt to her. When her friend died and Catherine was left on the streets Mariana did what she could but her fear and unreadiness for motherhood held her back.

Catherine was taken in by her uncle’s family and the two were estranged for a time. In that time she falls into addiction due to her uncles on involvement in drug running as well as bad peer influences. She reunites with her Tía Mariana when she marries Willis and reaches out to invite her to the wedding. Even though they are no longer very close, after Catherine becomes pregnant Mariana offers to help out when she can. She lives in a different (read: magical) part of the Alley so she only sees Jason occasionally but makes a point to feed him, and when he discovers her secret, to teach him some basics of the supernatural world to help him get by.

After Catherine’s death Abuela Soliña is distraught. She offers Jason a hot meal and some money she had set aside (Catherine’s old college fund she never got a chance to use) but hesitated to offer a place in her home so soon after the loss. Jason sees her grief and hesitation, mistakenly assuming it’s unwillingness to deal with him full time and runs off. She tries to invite him back a couple of times but he mistakes it as one off events and remains a street kid until Bruce adopts him.

He still occasionally goes back to the Alley to visit her after that, usually as Robin. The first time he went to let her know he was okay she immediately clocked him as Jason but wished him well with Bruce. When he visits she still feeds him and gives him luck and protection charms to help with crime fighting. (Side Note: on one of his visits Jason finds out the Alfred and Mariana know each other and Have Met Before™️. Neither explains how or why)

When Jason dies Mariana grieves him deeply. When he comes back as a revenant she is both relieved and guilty. She’s happy to have the boy back but a revenant’s existence is not a peaceful one. When he searches her up and comes to see her he looks like he’s survived hell and back and he probably has. He seek out her guidance and help and this time Abuela Soliña is more than willing to pass on her vast wealth of knowledge of the supernatural community and its cultures to Jason.

One of the biggest two regrets Mariana holds with her is not adopting Catherine or Jason when they were at their lowest and she had the chance. That’s why as Jason’s rage cools and he begins looking to return to a (semi-)normal life she offers to adopt him as her grandson for real this time. She has a friend who owes her a favor and can fabricate the paper work to turn Jason Peter Todd into Jason “Pedro” Solina (and his mother posthumously Catherine Soliña-Todd). She offers to officially make him her little witchling and he emotionally accepts.

Mariana is still an active and well-known figure in Gotham’s underworld and supernatural community so having her backing gives Red Hood a lot of pull and credibility. Plus his revenant titles increase his claim to fame in the magical community. Red Hood is well loved and “Pedro” is well accepted with in the community. He’s kind of a public figure, bordering minor celebrity due to his connection to famous Bruja and witch doctor, Mariana Soliña. Not that he is aware of that fact.

Lastly I’m gonna tack on some nicknames Jason receives pertaining to his connection with Señora Soliña:

Soliña’s boy (el chico de Soliña)

Little witchling

Pequeño niño brujo or pequeño brujo (little witch boy)

Young brujo

El neito guapo (the handsome grandson)

Alborotador (troublemaker)

Heredero (heir/inheritor, referring to Mariana’s kowledge, wealth, and position in the community)

(P.S I tried my hand at drawing what I think Abuela Soliña would look like but I’m not super confident in it. I think I’m a better writer than drawer, but if you guys actually wanna see the drawing anyway let me know and I’ll make another post with it)

[tenpintsofsundrop]

Decided To Break It

Abby Anderson x Fem!Reader

All the broken hearts that hang around here. All the sick things that make you pull out your hair. All the bad dreams, all the nightmares.

A thousand promises that never seemed to help me before...

With nothing left to think I'll probably sit around and ignore. The apathy that always leads me... And always finds a way to break me down. And that's when I Decided To Break It.

Summary:

Abby confronts your abuser, and you both come out better on the other side because of it.

Abby Anderson x Fem!Reader. Childhood Friends to Lovers. Hurt and Comfort. Can be read with or without considering the canon events.

Word Count: 5,000

The Last of Us Masterlist | AO3 Link | Ellie Version

If you want to be notified whenever I post a new fic, make sure to go to my library blog @sundropslibrary and turn on notifications there.

List of detailed warnings and author's notes below the cut.

Warnings: reader uses she/her pronouns, themes of abuse and abusive relationships, domestic abuse, childhood friends to lovers, hurt and comfort, mentions of canon deaths and incidents of canon violence, Abby has a self deprecating inner monologue, Abby experiencing some transphobic comments (even though she is not trans in this - angry cis men are just like that), the reader’s abusive partner is a man, the reader is described as having injuries from a physically abusive incident, the reader experiencing physical and emotional abuse from a romantic partner, the reader is saved from her abusive partner by Abby (and Manny), the reader is mentioned to be wearing Abby’s clothes - but Abby is a big muscled girl so I think plus sized girls could fit her clothes (especially if they were clothes that were big on Abby), Abby calls the reader ‘baby’, some romantic involvement between Abby and the reader (but the bulk of the focus is on Abby rescuing the reader form the abuse), technically cheating - because the reader kisses Abby while she is still involved with her abusive boyfriend, Abby murdering someone with her bare fists (technically with her fists and then smothering him with a pillow), somewhat graphic descriptions of Abby beating up the abuser, happy/hopeful ending. 

A/N: Title comes from a Marianas Trench song of the same name. I have always thought of it as a very Abby song (and it's on my Abby playlist) - I think it definitely represents her following the Fireflies and then the Wolves with them feeding her blind promises that don't work out for her, and when she 'decides to break it' is when she decides to break free from the mould in order to help Lev and Yara. And in this case, the broken promises and lies are two fold - her pushing down her feelings for y/n and her seeing y/n be 'happy' with the abusive boyfriend, and when she finally snaps is when she 'decides to break it'. I like how it fits. It could also be fitting of how someone in an abusive relationship is fed lies and empty promises and it's difficult to break away from that.

...

Abby had always liked you - she always loved you, even if she claimed over and over again, wasted her breath telling people that it was strictly the type of love reserved for a friend. 

But she refused to admit the true nature of those feelings to herself. She refused to call it love, or romance, or affection. Maybe because she didn’t even realize that’s what it was in her own mind. But she definitely had a childhood crush on you that blossomed into something else along the way. 

You were someone that Abby’s dad was always fond of when you lived with the Fireflies at Saint Mary’s hospital. And though you weren’t studying to become a medic, Jerry always pushed Abby to hang around you more because you were sweet, good natured, and bookish, and he always thought you were a very good influence on her. 

It was something that led the two of you to become fast friends. When the two of you were still so young and the world was still so small, you were each other’s biggest priority in it. 

Abby often mourned for those days like winter days mourn for summer. But she could never imagine how the two of you might get back that kind of closeness. 

Living at the WLF, you unintentionally drifted away from Abby. 

The Salt Lake Crew was always close, especially after making the treacherous journey from Salt Lake to Seattle with nothing more than a tiny glimmer of hope for their safety after the bloody massacre at Saint Mary’s. 

Abby protected you the whole way, made sure you never had to carry a gun, would have thrown down her life to save yours at any moment during the journey - especially when she was stuck in such deep depression after her father’s death. In a lot of ways, you kept her alive during those days. You kept her spirit alive, made sure she held onto the good memories of her father instead of throwing herself headfirst into the darkness. 

But when everyone integrated into the WLF, things changed. It was a very rapid shift from the group spending 24/7 together, watching each other’s backs, to everyone having different jobs based on their skills and having colliding schedules that caused them to part and spend less and less time around each other. 

Manny and Abby were the ones who ended up staying the closest - ironically, even closer than the romantic couples of Mel and Owen, and Leah and Jordan. Mostly likely because they roomed together, and they often patrolled together. 

Abby was always regretful of the fact that she didn’t get to see you more often. 

Whenever Abby saw you around, in the cafeteria or during the rare occasions when the old crew could work their schedules to get together (usually using someone’s birthday or another celebration as an excuse) she mourned the fact that the two of you were drifting apart. It seemed like the two of you were becoming more like strangers as the days went on. 

You had taken a job as a dog trainer, wrangling the many pups that the WLF raised and kept on hand, so Abby saw you most often in passing if she was checking out one of the dogs for patrol. 

She often found herself with a pang of yearning in her chest if she saw you cooing sweetly at the pups, petting them, knowing that they could tear out the throats of enemies with their teeth but cuddling with them and calling them ‘baby’ in the same breath. 

(Deep down, she was reminded of herself - how she felt rough and horrible and she often felt unlovable, but she thought someone as soft and sweet as you could still love her. She hoped that you would.)

Very often during their conversations, Manny insisted that Abby had a crush on you. He said that she always had and that he had seen it for years, and Abby was being dumb not to pursue her feelings for you. These conversations usually ended with Abby rolling her eyes and pointing the finger back to his love life, asking why he didn’t just settle down with one of the many nice girls who frequented his bed. 

The topic came up so often between them, but it was something that Abby tried not to think about. The two of you dating. The two of you being anything more than friends. It felt so fictional. Often when Manny spoke about it, it felt like a joke in her ears. 

It was something that was latent in her mind until she saw you with him.

He was some random scumbag - some new trainee who had come in from a settlement outside the city that Isaac had broken up. He had allowed some of their people in (“strength in numbers” he always said). But seeing you with him, Abby gave less of a shit about where the guy came from, and started thinking about where he was heading to and how quickly she could get him away from you. 

Seeing the way you looked at him, with stars in your eyes, entirely lovestruck, while he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear - it just made Abby nauseous.

Abby had been working with some of the new recruits. Fucking morons. Isaac had asked her to whip them into shape, her experience and skill vs their idiocy. 

It was the only reason she knew the guy. It was the only reason she could pick out his stupid face among the seemingly endless sea of people at the WLF. 

She remembered this idiot specifically. He had made sure of that. He was too cocky, but didn’t know his way around a gun. When he had gotten his hands on one of the semi-automatics, he got trigger happy and put several bullet holes in one of the concrete walls. He would have blown away half the squad if his dumbass had been two inches in the other direction. 

When Abby had snatched the weapon out of his hand and began reprimanding him about gun safety, he had gotten in her face and called her a ‘meathead’ and made some rude comments about her possibly having a dick. Clearly, he was intimidated by her size. She let him be. 

(And yeah, she did have a dick. In a box under her bed. One that the girls she and Manny shared around often joked was better than the real thing.)

It was immediately clear to Abby that you didn’t have a clue what the guy was really like. You wouldn’t have any interest in him if you knew what he was like in the field, if you knew how he had spoken to some of your friends. 

You kissed him sweetly on the mouth before you parted ways. Clearly completely unaware that Abby was watching with rage boiling inside of her veins. It was only when Abby looked at the crushed water bottle in her hand that she realized why her shoes were wet - unconsciously, she had been imagining that it was his head.

Manny chalked up her hatred of your new boyfriend to jealousy. And maybe it was. She had no other reasons to hate the guy. No good ones, anyway. Incompetency aside, he learned fast and got over his major flaws, and he quickly learned to only trash talk Abby behind her back so that she couldn’t take any real complaints about him to Isaac. 

When you brought him to Jordan’s birthday party and introduced him to the rest of the group as your boyfriend, they all seemed happy for you.

They didn’t suspect anything when he glared at you with absolute fire in his eyes as you joked around with Owen - someone you thought of as a brother. The cause of a very funny story (that the group still brought up often) when you ate literal dirt rather than kissing him during a game of truth or dare when you were all teenagers. 

Unfortunately, Abby didn’t have any evidence to back up her horrible gut feeling when you and your ‘new boo’ disappeared from the party so suddenly. When she had asked Nora, apparently you left because you were complaining about being tired.

Over the next few weeks, Abby watched you fade away from a distance. 

Your glowing smile became a dull, fake one. Whenever she saw you, you avoided her gaze. And the rare times when you would look her in the eye, she could see you crying out for help from within.

She thought she was being paranoid. She thought it was her pure spite of the man you were dating - some jealousy, a childhood crush bubbling over, the fact that she hadn’t gotten to you first. The fact that she hadn’t been brave enough to confess her feelings to you that she hadn’t even admitted to herself. 

She wanted to believe that you were fine, that you were thriving and happy in your new relationship, before she let herself think that you were actually being hurt by someone who claimed to love you.

Until one night when she was alerted by a knock on her door. 

She and Manny had just come back from a thirty hour patrol shift, and he was already dead asleep. Abby had just gotten out of the shower, combing through her long, wet tendrils as a characteristic Seattle storm thundered outside.

She rushed to put on a tee shirt along with her form fitting boxer briefs to look decent. Even though the only light in the small apartment was currently the flashes of lightning from outside as she walked across to the door. She thought perhaps she had imagined it, the sound of knuckles, the sound of someone trying to grab her attention. It would have been easy to mistake. The thunder rumbling and the rain pounding on the windows was certainly distracting. 

Nonetheless, she opened the door to check if her mind was really that far gone after such a long shift. 

She gave a small smile when she saw you standing there. Usually you didn’t take time out of your busy schedule to come and see her. 

But when the next flash of lighting came, and fully illuminated you where you stood in the hallway, it made Abby’s gut curl with a unique sickness. The look of pure fear in your eyes, the swelling of purple around one of them, the distinct marking around your neck that looked like fucking handprints, marks of thumbs attempting to press into your windpipe.

Abby felt the rage of god and intense pity, mourning and regret, her love for you swell up inside of her all at once.

“Y/N.” 

She said your name in a voice so gently, a timid kindness that you hadn’t been treated with in weeks - it instantly broke you.

You broke down in sobs, muttering out ‘I’m sorry to bother you’ - but Abby didn’t let you get out a moment of apologetic self pity before she swept you up into her arms, pressing the uninjured side of your face against her chest as she ushered you into the apartment and closed the door behind you.

You clutched onto her like a lifeline when stranded at sea, balling your knuckles into the fabric of her shirt as she put her strong arms around your quivering body, cradling you. She had a heavy suspicion as to what had happened to you, but she was going to wait for you to point at the suspect before she went spinning out of control.

The commotion - the echo of your cries - easily woke up Manny, and you began to profusely apologize before he trampled over this with his worry for you. He instantly reminded you of the big brother figure who used to slide you his pudding cups before he went to arms training while living at Saint Mary’s. 

He made you a cup of tea while Abby sat you down on the edge of her bed, cradling you against her chest and waiting for you to calm down. 

When Manny saw the marks on you, he exchanged a look with Abby. He knew that whoever had harmed you would soon be experiencing infinitely more wrath than they ever thought to bring upon you.

Eventually, your sobs calmed enough for you to explain the situation to them. 

Just as Abby suspected, you ended up telling her a long tale about how this once dreamy boyfriend had turned into a monster; he had shed his skin and shown another face, and he had been abusing you for a few weeks now, hurting you in the worst ways, right under everyone’s noses. 

Abby felt a stinging type of guilt splash up into her throat, and she had a feeling that she was never going to forgive herself for letting you be around that man. 

It had started at Jordan’s birthday party. That night, he had accused you of sleeping with Owen behind his back, and you had nearly scorched your throat trying to explain to him that Owen was your long-time friend, more like a brother to you. But that had only ended with you having a busted lip for ‘lying’ to him. 

And things had only gone downhill from there. 

The most recent incident being him coming home from a patrol to find that the dishes in your now shared apartment weren’t done, and he had called you a sloppy, lazy pig. The ensuing fight had ended with him nearly strangling you to death until you broke one of those dirty plates over his head.

Abby pulsed with anger, and when she went for the door, Manny stopped her. 

He nodded toward where you were still sitting on her bed, your body still visibly shaking as you stared at the floor with a completely blank look. Thunder rolled outside and the loud sound caused your entire body to jolt, and more tears rolled down your cheeks. 

Abby’s insides ached for you. She felt guilty for not following her gut feelings sooner, for not trying to help you sooner. 

“Abs, she needs you right now.” Manny told her. “I want that pendejo dead as much as you do.” He grunted these words with intense furocity, anger, passion. He needed to protect you as badly as she did. 

Abby almost tempted him. She wanted to encourage the bad side that she knew he had. She wanted that fucking prick’s throat under her hands, struggling for breath right now. 

“But tonight…” Manny continued, putting a hand on Abby’s shoulder, pulling her from the murderous revere that he knew she was disappearing into. “She needs a safe place to fall. Tomorrow, we can go to his place with a body bag and a shovel.” 

Unfortunately, he was right. 

So, as much as she wanted to charge out the door and bring the wrath of god to the man who had hurt you - instead, she got you to drink the rest of the tea, and then she got you something oversized and comfortable to wear. 

She put you on the inside of the bed, closer to the wall to help you feel safe. 

Abby stared up at the bottom of the bunk, cursing herself for not trusting her instincts, listening to your sniffling cries. She was entirely surprised when you spoke. 

“I’m sorry.” You said, once again attempting to apologize for ‘imposing’ yourself on Abby and Manny in your time of need. As if you weren’t supposed to lean on good friends. As if these friendships weren’t founded on needing each other. “I shouldn’t be bothering you like this, I-” 

You moved to climb around Abby, moved to get out of the bed, and Abby stopped you with a gentle hand on your waist. You froze on the spot, your body half pressed against hers. She tried to ignore the tingles it sent through her, feeling you pressed up against her so close. You were vulnerable. You didn’t need her and her stupid feelings making things so messy. 

“Are you seriously going back to him?” Abby asked, her throat nearly stripped raw with rage. 

You let out a quiet whimper, and She wanted to kick herself. Of course you thought her anger was misdirected at you. 

“I’m sorry.” She doubled back, entirely quiet now. She reached up, gently cupping the back of your head, trying to soothe you. “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant, I’m sorry-” 

“It’s all my fucking fault.” You sobbed, dissolving into more harsh cries. “I should just listen better. I can be better, I can be better, I know, I just-” 

“No.” Abby growled, now entirely insulted by the idea that you would ever think it was your fault. Even if you swung first, no one ever had permission to hit you. Not on an earth where Abby was breathing. If anybody ever laid their hands on you, no matter their stupid reasons, they deserved to have it come back on them twice as harsh. “It’s not your fucking fault. Not a chance, baby.” 

‘Baby’ - the word slipped from her lips before she could stop it, and at first she hoped that you wouldn’t hear it over your own chest shaking cries. 

But it seemed to soothe you. In a moment, your sobs quieted down, and you melted into her, your body going lax against hers, laying on top of her in a way that she had quite literally only dreamed of. 

“Abby-?” You croaked out, not daring to ask if your ears had been mistaken. 

“You deserve so much better than that.” Abby replied, her voice quaking with passion and the intense purity of her declaration. “So much better than whatever that fucking asshole has been giving you.” 

You lifted your head from where it had fallen on her shoulder then. Your eyes were glassy with tears, the one still swollen and bruised from where he had hit you, possibly worse now as the injury truly set in. Abby reached over and grazed a thumb oh-so-lightly over the ring of the bruise, cursing it for existing in her mind. You bored into her soul as you stared her down, looking for any trace in her eyes that what she was saying was a feigned comfort, rather than her undeniable truth. 

“Like you?” You posed, the words so quiet on your lips that the breath barely escaped. 

It was a fantasy. It was a far-off dream. 

But still - Abby put a hand on the back of your neck and pulled you into a gentle, entirely sweet kiss. It was a promise. She was never going to let anyone hurt you again. 

In those moments, laying in her bed in the dark, it felt more like a dream. She was too perfect. It couldn’t be real. 

When you pulled back from the kiss, your gentle breaths puffing across her now wet lips, the words got caught in her chest. 

‘I’m going to kill him.’ 

That’s truly what she wanted to say to you. In her mind it was a comforting promise, but she knew that to you, it would sound much more like a foreboding threat. 

She chose something else instead. 

“It’s okay.” She told you quietly. “Go to sleep now.” 

You nodded lightly, and relaxed against Abby once more, tucking your face into her neck. She felt comforted by feeling your gentle breathing against her skin. You fell asleep curled up tight to her body, clutching fistfuls of the blanket and her shirt as the anxiety crept back in while you slept. Abby continued to fitfully go over it all in her mind, wondering how she could have let this happen to you. 

Sometime that night, she did fall asleep (likely from the pure exhaustion of a thirty hour tour). When she woke up - you were gone. Somehow, you had sunk around her sleeping body and disappeared. 

The mind games of your abuser were in full effect; the things he had said to you dancing around inside your head. Even though Abby and Manny didn’t know it, you were on your way to apologize to him for supposedly starting the previous night’s argument. 

Both your friends were struck with worry, and they dressed quickly in order to search for you. 

They thought the best game plan would be to head to the cafeteria, to start asking around to find out if anyone had seen you. Abby was surprised when she got to the cafeteria and easily spotted you among the faces. 

She found that rage boiling in her stomach once again when she saw that you were talking to him. 

It was a feeling that quickly turned blinding when the word ‘whore’ was thrown at you. 

Apparently he believed that because you wearing one of Abby’s shirts (the clothing you had slept in and kept on) it meant you had fucked her, and you were cheating on him yet again. It was a grand conspiracy, because you had never cheated on him with anyone before. (Other than when you had kissed Abby, seeking comfort the night before.) 

But all of that was a mere blur at the back of Abby’s mind. 

She felt herself snap when you moved to walk away from him and he grabbed your wrist with an abrasive roughness, jerking you back toward him. 

Without hesitation - without even considering any earthly consequences, Abby charged toward him. When you saw her large, intimidating form appear behind him, your eyes lit up like a deer in headlights, but he didn’t seem to notice her coming. That would be his demise. He was too hellbent on torturing you to pick up on anything else. 

It gave Abby the perfect opportunity. 

She grabbed the back of his collar and lined up a punch. The impact to his nose caused him to drop the grip on your wrist, and you cupped your hands over your face to muffle a gasp as you watched the fountain of blood spatter out from the hit. He screamed out, starting on some kind of protest, but Abby landed another hit on his jaw with a curled fist. This sent him hurtling toward the floor, landing flat like a starfish on his back, only semi-conscious at this point. 

She had gathered the attention of everyone in the room by now; random strangers who stared with shock and awe as she stepped toward him and put a knee in the middle of his chest. Some people began to cheer at the very one-sided brawl as Abby continued to brutalize the man, pummeling his face with her fists, completely fuelled by her intense rage, intent on punishing him for even thinking about hurting you. 

You yelled a protest, and moved toward her, wanting to stop the violence. But immediately Manny thought better of anyone getting between Abby and her target, especially in this state of intense blinding rage, so he caught you by the shoulders and held you back. He simply let you collapse into his chest and cry as Abby continued to bruise her knuckles on the man’s stupid face. 

Owen was the only one brave enough to push through the crowd, grabbing Abby’s elbow and screaming her name. He dared to pull her off the unconscious, nearly dead man as she continued to pant like a raging bull. 

Abby didn’t even have time to bandage her knuckles before news of the incident got back to Isaac. And then you, her, Manny, and Owen got called up to his office at the FOB to explain why one of the newbies was in a coma after being beaten half to death in the middle of the cafeteria. On her way to the trucks, Abby caught Nora by the elbow and tried to convince the medic to smother your ‘boyfriend’ with a pillow. Nora said she would if she could get a moment alone in his room in the medbay. Naturally, she trusted Abby’s judgment enough to know the guy was a scumbag without having to ask why. 

Abby was the first one to be called into Isaac’s office while you sat in a chair in the hallway. You were still crying hysterically; upset that it had come to such intense violence, shocked that you had witnessed something so bloody, and terrified that Abby was now going to get in trouble with Isaac because of you. 

Manny and Owen waited with you; Owen trying to get the full story out of you and Manny sheltering you, trying to get Owen to lay off his questioning, seeing as you were still sensitive and shaken from almost being murdered the night before. 

When Abby sat in the chair across from Isaac, she crossed her arms and slouched, spreading her legs wide, her jaw still absolutely tight with anger. She made no effort to hide her bloodied knuckles. 

Isaac cleared his throat loudly before he spoke. 

“Now I know, if you tried to kill that man, you had a damn good reason to.” He said, giving Abby the benefit of the doubt. “What did he do?” 

“He knows what he did.” Abby huffed out, almost too angered to think about it without spiraling out into another rage fit. 

Isaac glared at her, obviously wanted a better explanation than that. 

“If he’s unfortunate enough to wake up, you can ask him about it.” She gritted through her teeth. 

Isaac sighed hard. “Now, that’s not very helpful, Abby.” 

Hatred churned in Abby’s chest. She hated having to speak it aloud, but she supposed it was necessary. She hated that Issac was putting you through this, rather than simply believing that Abby knew what justice was when she saw it.  

“He tried to kill Y/N.” Abby said, hot, rage-fuelled tears gripping at her throat. “He’s been abusing her.” 

Isaac did need to confirm the story with you, and you insisted that Abby sit in the room with you while you talked to him. Isaac was someone you found vastly intimidating because you rarely had to deal with him. 

Abby stood behind your chair with a comforting hand on your shoulder while you spelled out the entire thing, Isaac listening quietly - the bruises on you were more than enough proof for him, and he had Manny come to collect you and get you some water and some tissues while he told Abby how the whole thing should be taken care of. 

“When you get back, tell Nora to pull back the young man’s medical care. I don’t need him wasting resources.” Isaac instructed, firm and simple. 

He was a practical man, and Abby admired that. 

“If he somehow miraculously pulls through, we’ll... deal with him then.” Isaac continued. Abby nodded. “Next time something like this happens, deal with it more privately. Shooting a rabid dog in public frightens people. You know I trust your judgment on these matters, but… I don’t need others questioning you.” 

“Yes sir.” Abby quickly agreed. 

They took you back home and Manny took you back to their apartment to help you get settled, saying something about ‘right way to cook eggs’ as he took you down the hallway. Abby knew he would keep you distracted while she took care of business. She then visited the medbay to give Nora that note about ‘withdrawing’ the scumbag’s medical care. Which in reality, just meant that Nora guarded the door while Abby smothered the guy with a pillow, not to take any chances. 

Over the next few weeks, Abby made sure that you would be safe. She moved you into her and Manny’s apartment, ensuring you would be close by to start you on a road to better healing, and even though it was tough - things did go up from there. 

You found it easier to heal and get back to being your old self while being close by to your friends, and if you realized the feelings you’d had for Abby the whole time - that was just a bonus. 

It was something you reflected on one morning as you tossed a tennis ball to one of the dogs. You weren’t expecting Abby to come by - you didn’t think she would be collecting a dog, you didn’t think she had a patrol that day. 

“Are you checking someone out?” You asked, reaching down again to grab the tennis ball from Bear’s mouth when he brought it back to you. You took a moment to pet him, scrubbing behind his ears as he gratefully leaned into the touch. 

“It’s my day off.” She reminded you. “I just wanted to come check up on you.” 

You gave a grin at this. Even if you hated what that man had done to you, done your mind and your life - you did like how it was bringing you and Abby closer together again. 

“This is the easy part of my day.” You told her, looking down at Bear with fondness. “If you treat them right, they never bite you back.” 

Abby’s expression faltered from lightness, just for a moment. She knew it had a double meaning. You still believed that the whole thing had somehow been your fault. 

She gently reached out and took the tennis ball from your hand, tossing it far to the other end of the fenced in yard, causing Bear to run after it. It was a temporary distraction away from the dog so that you would have to face her. 

Abby knelt down beside you, where you had been crouching at Bear’s level, and cupped your face very timidly in her hand. You leaned into the touch, now locked in her precious gaze as she gathered the right words for you. 

“You are a good person, Y/N.” Abby told you firmly. “You deserve nothing but goodness in return. And anybody who treats you with anything less than kindness is someone who has evil in their heart. And they deserve to suffer because of it.” 

Tears clouded your eyes at the pure sincerity of her words. 

“Abby-” You croaked. 

Before you could get caught up in possibly arguing with her, Bear came barreling back, and dropping the ball in your lap once again. He then licked a large stripe up the side of your face, and you dissolved into laughter because of it. 

Abby wanted to get used to hearing that sound.

...

Final note: yes, I used to be @/pinkchubbiebunnie. Yes, this a post from my old blog (slightly cleaned up and edited). Please do not accusing me of plagiarising fics if you see this, because this is my own fic. This is my new blog. Feel free to follow me if you're interested in my fanfiction and thoughtful discussions of the media that I enjoy.

[tubborucho]

So you may have seen I asked people to do sort of a challenge:

The situation goes like that: Team Soulfire as a Cursed team was left on the Island because of their loss along with all the Eggs plus 3 other ones that they found. The Watcher keeps playing games with them and at some point splits the team for 10 small groups (1 Egg in each) to survive on their own and try to find each other.

Divide all 10 Eggs (excluding Chunsik) between 16 Soulgayfire members (excluding ElQ and that guy) that way that each Egg has not more than 2 Adults and each Adult can only have 1 Egg. BUT none of the Adults with the Egg can be their parent (including married into it – like Mariana for Sunny and, for the sake of a challenge, Pac and Fit count as married).

Hint: There will be 4 teams with an Egg and an Adult and 6 with an Egg and 2 Adults

I would love to see what everyone thinks would be good duos/trios and why! Feel free to reblog with your ideas or make a separate post (pls tag me).

My own thoughts under the cut! Preferably do not read them before you make your own

So in the duos I chose I put a lot of thoughts into trying to make each duo/trio strong enough to survive this (because though each person and egg are strong, not all of them strong in a ‘i can survive’ and ‘i can fight’ ways).

Those are my picks:

Chayanne – Lenay

First of all, I think they would bond over potatoes. But also I think they are quite similar in being resourceful while at the same time Chayanne can give Lenay PVP protection where Lenay, I think, would be able to be somewhat of an emotional comfort to him.

Tallulah – Arin&Fit

Arin/Luzu and Tallulah have a special bond that I really like, even if it’s not canonically there at this point. And I kind of miss Fit and Tallulah from the first weeks of the Eggs. After all, he was the first person to find her :) And each team with Fit has an advantage.

Ramon – Pierre

Honestly, they would be a fire duo. Both very smart, very strong, very creative (unfortunately Create is not an option). And both are survivalists. Out of all the duos/trios, I think they are the one that will go through that the easiest.

Dapper – Missa&Kameto

Now, it’s a bit of a ‘that would be fun’ when it comes to Dapper and Missa being paired, considering that Missa is kind of Bad’s colleague, but just on a completely different end of the spectrum. Nonetheless, I think him and Dapper would get along swimmingly. And Kameto is a great addition, because he is canonically a very very good spy and a ninja, so definitely has some useful skills to help them survive.

Leo – Mariana&Pol

I admit, this one is probably the weakest, but my only other option was to switch Pac and Pol, which I decided not to do, because I think Leo and Mariana combo needs someone more grounding with them, and it’s not Pac’s strength lol. Overall, I think they are still skilled enough to survive as a trio, and also the communication will be much easier, because all 3 speak spanish.

Richas – Rivers&Niki

Rivers and Niki together is a bit of a guilty pleasure because I wish…. I wish, man. And I decided to give Richas to them, because god knows the kid needs someone who would not play into his suicidal tendencies (as I believe those two wouldn’t). Also I just think they would have a very nice dynamic and also have their grounds covered with Rivers and Richas being able to fight and Niki being good at gathering and farming.

Pomme – Tina&Bagi

Another one that was a vision. Just three lesbians chilling together. Out of all the Eggs Pomme is one of the best pvpers and protectors, where Tina and Bagi may lack (well, not lack, they can hold their own when needed, it’s just not their strongest suit), but Tina and Bagi are very strategic and resourceful, once again, covering all grounds. Plus Bagi (and Tubbo, but separately) would probably be the first one to actually come up with a plan for finding everyone.

Sunny – Badboyhalo

Sunny needs to stay the undowned queen, and who is the best to do it, if not Bad? Both are actually very good at survival, can fight and can farm quick. Bad would also be able to play along with Sunny and her pretend games along the way, which are a big self-defense mechanism for her (mermaid Lenay as one of the examples).

Empanada – Tubbo

Though a lot of the Eggs are very smart, I think Em is one of the few that can not only keep up with Tubbo (considering that there’s no Create), but also keep him in check and smack some sense into him when he is getting carried away. And Tubbo really needs people like that around him to use his skills on maximum. After all, he is arguably the strongest person on the Soulfire, particularly because he is incredibly smart. Both of them also have all the grounds covered and would be very efficient.

Pepito – Pac&Mike

I feel like Pac and Mike would do a great job being protectors of the babiest Egg out of them. And I think Pepito would enjoy their company a lot. Ngl out of all the ‘teams’ I think those 3 will have the most shenanigans, and I no doubt can see them getting jailed and escape somehow like Looney Toons characters lol. Once again, as a team they can fight and they can gather, so would be able to keep themselves alive.

[el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle]

As you recently posted that you are worried about the third series without Gaitan I would ask some questions. First, what did you thing of the second series *Ecomoda*? What would you want Betty, Armando, et al. to be up to decades later? Are there aspects of the original series you would like to see followed up?

Hiii thanks for the questions!🥰

Tbh, I never watched Ecomoda. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the cute Armando/Betty fluff, but I really saw no point in it (and it always looked so oversaturated with colors that it was unappealing to me lol). So some of the things I'd love to see might have been answered already in Ecomoda and I judt don't know lmao. Although That's also part of my issue with this new coming series!

Regarding what I would like to see, new and continued, and in no particular order, I'd love:

Tributes and/or mentiones of the original cast members that are no longer with us. Perhaps Hugo keeping a portrait of Inesita on his desk and occasionally making comments to it (("ay, Inés, ¿está viendo usted la porquería de puntadas que son estas? No, es que esta gente es alérgica al talento, de verdad" while he's in the middle of one of those tantrums or something before moving on. Just general and occasional comments in a way that leaves the viewer with the sure knowledge that Hugo loves and misses Inesita, and that for him she'll forever be his best friend and she is never forgotten but also not to an unhealthy degree you know??)). Bertha talking about her Gordito on the phone or to the Cuartel (just because the actor passed doesn't mean the character has to, too). Betty mentioning something like Catalina moved to another country or something but that they are still the best of friends and keep in contact often; or Camila saying she's planning to go on vacations with her Aunt Cata for the summer. Just in general, I'd love for this new part to not forget those who participated in the original, and for all the relationships and friendships that were so cute and strong to remain as such in the new one.

Betty and Armando still in love. I want them to be so in love and devoted to each other, but I also want to see them as a team working together in Ecomoda. I also want them to be respected. Maybe the Cuartel is not so aprovechado anymore? Lol

Flashbacks. I want some more details about their lives, things that we missed for the past 20+ years

Clues about the characters' pasts. I want to know Marcela and Armando's childhood. I want to know when Nicolás and Betty became besties. I don't need big full scenes, but a casual mention like, Armando going "oh, sí, yo tenía tu edad cuando...". Just to fill in gaps that the original left (although I'm also fearful of too much info considering Gaitan is no longer the one writing them)

Unfortunately, there are characters that aren't coming back even though the actors are still around. I want to know what happened to Daniel, to Sofia, to Jenny. I want to know what happened to Daniel after being so stupid as to invest every single penny he owned and put it in a proyect that led nowhere lmao. I want to know what happened to Jenny.

I'd love to see Freddy and Jimmy being good friends. Jimmy doesn't have to call him dad, but I want it to be super clear that Freddy basically is and they love each other as father and son (as seen in ysblf). Just imagine their bond now, after so many years! Hopefully Freddy and Aura María are still going strong

I don't remember if Mariana is coming back, but I'd loved to see her actually getting a modeling career like she wanted

I want to see the relationship between Betty and her in laws

I want to see how Marcela came back into their lives (which is honestly baffling and I'm still unsure about this decision, but I understand they had to bring back the iconic duo)

I REALLY don't want Patricia to be redeemed. I don't. She never seemed like she wanted to be redeemed. But if she is, they better give a super good explanation

I also don't want Mario redeemed lmao. I hope he still is the hedonistic womanizer with no sense of morality. Again, I don't think he wanted to be redeemed.

In general, my only three real expectations are: Betty and Armando still together, good and faithful characters, and a good story. I really don't see the need (besides money lmao) to bring it back, so I'm not having much hopes ((especially regarding the characters. I really hope they aren't further flanderized!))

Thank you for your question🥰🥰

[woodchipp]

Remember my analysis of Aubrey's talk with Hero and Kel (ft. Sunny) on One Day Left? Now, I'd like to tackle what is considered one of the game's highest points story-wise - Sunny and Kel's fight with Aubrey in the church on Three Days Left.

I have Things to say.

Right off the bat, we get a wonderful glimpse of how sweet Sunny is - the game forces you to barge into the church while its attendants are in the middle of a sermon Kel rather wisely advises Sunny to wait out. Of course, you can't actually wait until the sermon ends - intruding is required by the game to progress, and Kel's dialogue right before you are given the chance to trigger the choice prompt ("Yeah, I'd feel bad about interrupting this") implies that Sunny doesn't care much about his friend's opinion nor does he care that he's interrupting something important. the main protagonist of all time, truly

After Sunny enters the church, Kel follows him for some reason (even though he's strong enough to drag his malnourished bestie back out) and the two find Aubrey shortly afterwards. Kel asks her to return the photo album she stole from Basil. As with the fight in the town's park, Aubrey refuses because "it's none of [Kel's] business." He argues it is since all of them used to be friends back in their childhood, to which Aubrey says they're not friends anymore. This time, Kel's response is to mention Mari

...and Aubrey's is to waste what could've been the game's biggest gut punch if it was the actual plot twist.

Sunny doesn't react to this because his Depression is deeper than the Mariana Trench, apparently. You'd think this would be quite the brutal reality check for him after he spent four years living in a fantasy world where his sister is still alive, but nope.

Kel calls Aubrey out for dropping such a bombshell for no reason and says she can't just forget her old friends because she has new friends now. Aubrey replies by revealing the main source of her angst

And you actively made one of said friends' life worse for the past four years because you couldn't be arsed to clear up a misunderstanding.

You have no moral ground to stand on.

Then, the following exchange occurs:

The only rebuttal Aubrey has to Kel's solid point is "well you're Stupid and you don't Understand anything!"

...Huh. I think I see why she's such a fan-favorite.

It's his property and his alone. Also, the album is literally titled "Basil's Memories", you fucking twat.

Kel and Aubrey continue arguing before the latter spells out why she's been attending church. After all, It's not like "Mari's dead." would have allowed the player to infer Aubrey wants to maintain some semblance of normalcy while being devastated by the death of someone close to her, right?

And that is followed up by Kel spelling out Aubrey's internal conflict. Now that's some subtle writing!

You do understand you're basically repeating yourself, right?

"The AUBREY you knew is long gone. And the AUBREY you knew... She's long gone, too."

This game had three editors, by the way.

Kel then delivers a largely insincere apology, which Aubrey rightfully rejects.

Said "apology" doesn't even include any sort of assurance that he will try to stay by her side if they face another hardship. It's less "I'm sorry for not being there" and more "come on, I said I'm sorry, can we wrap this up already? 😒" l know he does genuinely apologize and promise to stick together with her before the group hug on One Day Left, and that just raises the question of "Why couldn't you say that sooner?"

Aubrey tries to walk out of the church, but Kel blocks her way. Sunny is there.

Geez, what is Kel's damage? First he calls her a "scumbag", now she's a "thief"

I may consider these descriptions appropriate because I'm the player, but Kel is Aubrey's former friend. If that's how they interact after their friendship dissolved, I don't want to imagine what kind of "friendship" they had in their childhood days.

Aubrey mockingly calling Basil "poor [and] defenseless" doesn't make sense. The phrasing implies Aubrey has reason to suspect Basil is not the meek and innocent little boy he seems to be... but she doesn't. As far as she knows at this particular point of the story, the most horrific thing he's done was ruining his own photo album for some reason.

1) Given that Sunny's reaction to seeing Basil's cover-up was relief at getting away with the mess he made, Aubrey isn't even wrong in her assessment. the main protagonist of all time, truly

2) Sunny doesn't react to a derogatory label anyone else would take offense to because he has the emotional range of a potato.

There is a big difference between having a bit of trouble with reading the room at times and being an insensitive moron.

Kel falls squarely into the second category.

As for the fight itself, I think the main problem with it is that it occurs way too early in the story. Between the iterations of Aubrey we see in Headspace and Faraway Town, her character undergoes a change so dramatic she essentially becomes someone different altogether, and you don't get to spend much time with the new Aubrey before you're thrust into such an emotionally-charged confrontation with her. This fight feels like it should've occured somewhere in the game's second half and marked a turning point in Aubrey's character arc, but as it is, it's just... meh. It has little impact.

So, since we barely know who Faraway's Aubrey even is but the game needs you to feel bad for her nonetheless, the only way it can think of to achieve that is to make the churchgoers irrationally mean!

There's a violent delinquent with a fucking nail bat fighting two other kids yet the churchgoers only note that Aubrey's drip sucks.

You're supposed to take this fight seriously, by the way.

The churchgoers' reaction to the aforementioned nail bat is to calmly chide Aubrey for bringing a dangerous weapon to the church instead of, y'know, calling the police.

"That girl is a threat to this neighborhood." WHY AREN'T ANY OF YOU CALLING THE POLICE, THEN?

This implies Aubrey's been bringing the nail bat to church all this time and the pastor apparently paid no attention to it. He also seems to be fine with a member of his congregation beating up random people at his church.

Bruh.

Speaking of the pastor! You can actually talk with him after the fight.

So the pastor's reasoning for letting a dangerous delinquent into the church - and consequently endangering the rest of his congregation due to said delinquent wielding a weapon - is basically "she's a poow widdle girl 🥺 pwease feel bad for her okay 🥺"

Amazing.

Oh, and just as cherry on top

Kel, right after the fight: man, maybe we shouldn't have done this? I feel bad for Aubrey :< Kel, half a minute later: WE FOUND THE ALBUM!!! TEAMWORK!!!! LET'S HIGH-FIVE!! :D

The writing in this game is very realistic, nuanced and sophisticated.

[ishipallthings]

Cap-IM Rec Week 2023 (Wed)

Wonderous Wednesday, July 19 for @cap-ironman Rec Week!

Today I'm reccing some of my favorite AUs :D

Remember to show some love for your hard-working creators!

this is how you fall in love by complicationstoo @ifmywishescametrue

Steve wants to have sex at least once before he graduates from college. He’s twenty one, never really dated anyone, and doesn’t see the point in waiting any longer. He plans for just a simple one night stand with no strings attached, but his plan doesn't account for falling in love with Tony Stark.

make my wish come true by JehBeeEh @jehbeeeh

Steve Rogers and Tony Stark haven't seen each other since they left for college. When they're reunited in the same small town where they grew up, old feelings resurface that neither expected. Can they work together without letting their feelings get in the way. Or will they be left heartbroken when they both have to leave after the holidays? A story about going home, going for what you want, and delicious cookies.

santa, won't you bring me the one i really need by quidhitch @maangoes

Although Tony typically makes it a point to avoid anything that could be reasonably classified as Pepper-approved self-betterment, he will be making an exception this year in the form of a list of New Year’s Resolutions. —Well, not so much a list, exactly, it’s more like one very loud, very obvious, very critical proposition. He’s gonna write it down, put it on his calendar, say it to Jesus, and do whatever the fuck normal people do to make these things happen. In fact, even though they’re only halfway through December, it’s already emblazoned in his mind in big, flashing neon letters: STOP SLEEPING WITH EX-HUSBAND. This is possibly an inappropriate thought to have while said ex-husband is pushing him up against his apartment door and trying to get his hand down Tony’s pants, but Tony has admittedly never excelled at being appropriate.

Dedicated to You by mariana_oconnor @mariana-oconnor

Steve Rogers is happy with his life. He runs a small bookshop, has good friends, and he fervently believes that the printed page is not obsolete. He's not expecting Tony Stark, billionaire inventor of the best e-reader on the market and perennial prey of the gossip magazines, to walk through the door. His friends think he's crazy not to at least get the man's number, considering he's had a crush on Tony for years, but as luck would have it Steve might just get another chance. A Notting Hill AU.

stellar collision by Pandemic @eachxnn

He turns sixteen in front of his bathroom mirror with a chill across his skin, goosebumps on his arms, and a burn across his sternum. A wet laugh bubbles up from his mouth, too close to tears, as he watches avidly as ink pours across his skin. He thumbs the mark, presses into it, and gasps when he feels his stomach twist and a feeling he can’t shake that his soulmark is somewhere out there doing the same.

Place Your Bets by RurouniHime @thegertie

Steve Rogers may or may not have just picked up a prostitute. This may or may not be Tony Stark’s fault.

the road to hell by colourexplosion

in which no one has super powers and Steve is Tony's PA after Pepper gets promoted.

it's a small world after all by earliebirb @earliebirb

“Great speech.” Smiling at the compliment, Tony turns around. “Thank y—” And nearly drops his champagne flute. His world comes to a stop. They had only spent a night together, but Tony would recognize those baby blues anywhere. It’s Steve. Steve from Tony’s London business trip. Or, as Rhodey has become accustomed to calling him—The Soulmate That Got Away. 

you'll remember me by Areiton @areiton

Tony closes his eyes and wonders, a brief sharp sting of pain, if Steve's watching tonight. If he still likes to drink his whiskey and coke and pick out winners before they are announced, if his eyes still light up when he watches a movie. Tony licks his lips and pushes the thought down away, where it can't hurt him, where it won't show on his face. Because he won't show it, not here, not where the entire world is watching. It's his. Just his.

Selvage by elwenyere @elwenyere

When a mysterious knight is wounded in battle while protecting King Anthony Stark, it's hard to tell who's more frustrated: the king, who has so far failed to discover any clues to the missing man's identity, or the king's personal attendant, Steven Rogers, who can't believe King Anthony took the field in the first place.

Ain't It A Shame, Too Bad? by Carsonian @carsonian

On his twenty-fourth birthday, Tony was saved from drowning by a man he has yet to find. In other news, Tony's fallen hard for the mute, scrawny blond that washed up on his kingdom's shoreline two-and-a-half days ago. These two things can't possibly be related, can they? (Spoiler(s): They're related.)

The Stark Who Loved Me by gonetoarcadia (fic), Girl_Back_There (art)

It’s 1814 and Captain Steven Rogers joined the army to provide for his adoptive sister Miss Jamie Rebecca “Becky” Barnes following the death of their parents. Although she’d prefer to run away to join the army too, instead she decides to do what will guarantee to bring him home and provide for both of them: marry. The Viscount Anthony Stark is a known Rake and prefers it that way, but he can feel the clock counting down until he needs to produce an heir to inherit everything. With the Stark estate in jeopardy, he’s running out of both time and options. If he has to, then who better than the diamond of the season, Miss Barnes? The only hitch: her overbearing, troublesome brother. Her extremely handsome, overbearing, troublesome brother. Nothing is simple in the game of courtship, especially when the most dangerous thing of all becomes involved: falling in love.

Hope you guys enjoy the recs, and stay tuned for more! Please mind the tags before reading. Check out my tag for previous years’ rec lists :)

[hey-i-am-trying]

Hey! This doesn't have much to do with the rest of what anon's have explained already, as I found their summary pretty on point on the whole Otipep situation, but I also wanted to give my two cents in and that is: Even if the Admin did continue being Pepito, I don't think they would have gone far. And this is not because of their behavior or the fact that they bypassed the first week of development with 07, but it was because the type of role they were looking for would never fit in with the Hispanic crowd.

Considering the most active Spanish speaking CC's that were in the server, like Roier or Mariana, they tend to have a very a light, joking, kind of chill way of role-playing. They prefer being humorous (as we all saw with Roier's tapes) than making profound and deep RP narrative lines. And Roier is the most RP driven out of the Hispanic members! The Admin and the character they wanted to portray might have been successful with other content creators like Philza or Bad, who enjoy playing out more serious story lines, but it would have never been played out the way that it was intended with the creators that the Admin was paired up with. That's why I was a bit confused reading the declaration on twt because you only need to watch one stream of Roier's to notice, he has very little serious moments and most of these are also tinted with comedy. And I'm sorry, but in my opinion, if you know who you're going to be playing with, as an admin and NPC, you need to adapt :/ So yeah, as a Hispanic watcher it felt really out of place, not only in the progressing narrative that had been presented but also in the community's ambience and general preferences when it comes to RP.

Thank you both so much for sharing! I decided to post the two asks together because I believe they compliment each other a lot.

I think understanding the context that the og admin had like 2 days to come up with Pepito story is really important. I find really strange that Pepito, the character, seems to have been intented to be latine or at leat hispanic when the og admin is european and is not hispanic, I am unsure if this decision was made by the admin or if it is how they were instructed to act, but it is odd.

I do not think they had much time to research and understand better what time of rp Roier and the other parents do.

This is not an excuse for the admin, as I still believe they were rude and after so much to reflect about her actions, still come out as being dismissive of their own actions.

However, this is a bit of a larger reflection on the administration and whoever was resposible to instruct and coordinate the egg actors.

I do not understand why the og admin couldn't be up front about being a non-native speaker, the originals eggs were paired with their parents regardless of their nationalities and native languages. Pepito has always act younger than the other eggs so having a charcater that speaks manly spanish but is not a native speakers wouldn't be terrible odd and left room for the parents to be the ones teaching Pepito about the spanish language and latin culture.

It feels like in this search of having Pepito being only seen as hispanic character, the actor and any othe staff involved in this forgot that there are culture nuances to languages that can't be thought in a class.

Thank you again for everyone that shared and I am sorry again to Roier and his community for the things that happend.

[riskyalt]

It's wild how q!Roier permanently rotates in my mind still. MY DOOMED CUBITO NOOOOO.

Love how q!Roier's motto since the very beginning has always been 'to live with fear is to not live at all'. It's so interesting to me, seeing this through the lense of a character that has suffered so much and been left by so many, that it still rings true.

q!Roier is unafraid, he's just simply lonely. That's the entire base of it to me. He was never afraid of q!Spreen after the betrayal, instead venomous and spiteful deep down, wanting to inflict the same pain he felt but tenfold back onto the guy. He wasn't afraid knowing that q!Spreen is the better fighter, he's just so distraught and lost by the sudden loneliness of having three consecutive people he considered family leave on what he knows is a lie, it just turns into anger. But it's never been about fear with him.

Then, Tilin and Juanna. Tilin was a literal child to him, there is no other way to put it. They were with him and Bobby more than they were with q! Quackity, and he took care of Juanna when q!Mariana couldn't, it was all him. But they died anyway. Both under q!Roier's care, they died anyway.

While raising Bobby, q!Roier always mentioned that fear isn't worth living by. He always encouraged his son to live life to the fullest, to experience everything as if it's his last time. There was never the baseline of fear there. Concern, yes, but never fear. So when Bobby dies, he feels alone again. Just like after the betrayal. On awful, miserable timing, q!Jaiden also leaves him after Bobby's death. They leave off on good terms, of course, she just needed her time and q!Roier understands that, it's just...he's alone. Again.

Then comes q!Cellbit, q!Roier's second love on the island. Of course, spiderbit helps q!Roier feel like he has a proper family again, people to take care of like he's always loved doing. It's great, he's thriving.

And then the kids are gone. Richas and Leo, which he has gotten particularly close to, just disappear. It's a sick cycle, a dauntingly familiar pattern that keeps happening to him. Everyone he loves always leaves. It's like a rule of nature at this point, it cannot be coincidence. But he still has q!Cellbit, and q!Vegetta and q!Foolish, and the rest of the islanders. Granted, they're not as close, but they're still proof that he's not alone. Not again.

And then q!Spreen canonically is announced dead. His first enemy, his betrayer, the one he swore to rain hell upon and torture to pay back the pain, is dead. Without q!Roier even able to see him. It's a strange pain to feel.

But then? Purgatory ends, and with that not only does q!Cellbit, but also q!Jaiden, q!Foolish, Richas, Leo, dont make it back at first. From q!Roier's perspective, everyone he has put so much time into loving, has left him. Again. Like always. Stuck in the same sickening cycle.

Yet despite that, there's never been any fear of loosing someone that we can observe in q!Roier's behaviour. I think he's always been motivated by that bone-deep fatigue of having to grieve over and over and over again. To live with fear is to not live at all, but to live with no one is hardly living anyway.

I think the core of everything has never been fear, it's always been about loneliness, and that's such an important thing to remember when thinking about q!Roier's actions

[sannylity]

mmm glarb thinking about artistic director x prostitute au for the 100000000th time this week

considering the past success of all his shows and the attention she gained, mariana is well-off. meanwhile, charlie's a struggling college graduate who lives with his daughter juanaflippa, his friend wilbur, and wilbur's daughter tallulah. they are renting out a small house and its not the best but theyre staying there and its their casa :D

though mariana paid him well for his work on set, charlie has that sweet sweet student loan debt to pay off and hes also raising a child while helping raise another child, so he still does nights at las casualonas, though theyre less common then they used to be.

sure, charlie was the star of the show. sure, everyone in the cast and crew adored him. sure, mariana and him were in a romantic relationship. but he was always afraid to ask any of them for financial support, instead hiding his class status and finding excuses for the days where it was hard for him to move.

mariana didnt know much about charlies home life, be it in his childhood or in his current years. but she noticed how he lit up in shock at every gift, every meal, how he looked around in wonder each time he went to his house.

charlie met mariana's parents- they were very well off, kind but strict, with bright smiles on their faces as they asked him questions and listened intently to his answers, never a shred of judgement visible.

mariana would ask about meeting charlie's parents, to which he was always met with uncomfortable silence or straight up "no"s. but he eventually caved in, saying that his parents weren't in the same spot, so they'd need to visit them seperately.

first, they went to see his dad- mariana was very uncomfortable as she realized they were entering the police station, before they sat down at a booth, looking into the eyes of a man in an orange jumpsuit, scars dotting his face.

a few days later, they went to see his mom- they'd packed a nice picnic, and charlie excitedly brought the other man into the graveyard, sitting down beside a grave and chatting to it happily, leaving flowers for his mother.

needless to say, when they made it back to mariana's house, charlie got a tight hug and kisses across his scalp. he never realized, she never realized that neither of his parents could be considered "in the picture" anymore.

he grew up with two parents who love each other very much and an older sister- they were rich, they were a nuclear family, they were picture perfect.

so it was strange to see a n image of a man and a woman standing with five kids, all of them with fear lingering in their eyes, holding photographs of three more children.

-💫 (huh i popped off)

Yes, you did pop off!

And this AU definitely tackles a lot on their social status since Charlie worked as a sex worker while Mariana is a successful director.

I like the idea of Charlie still going to college and striving hard to finish his year. It makes his load so much heavier, that’s why he doesn’t have time for romance and relationships. All he knows is providing for himself and his daughter and that’s it.

So, when he ends up having a relationship with Mariana, a total curveball in his life, a risk he took. The difference in their social status is highlighted during the first time Mariana steps into Charlie’s home. Maybe a small studio with overpriced rent but it’s near Juana’s kindergarten and his college, so it’ll make do.

At some point, even Mariana tried convincing Charlie to move in with him, but Charlie sees it as a pity offer, so he rejects him. Like you mentioned, he doesn’t like people spending for him because his independence is all the control he has left in his life and he’s not about to let go of it over some rich guy who takes pity on him.

Little by little, Mariana manages to coax him into accepting small gifts, that he deserves flowers and chocolates and serenades. Soon, when Charlie becomes financially stable, when they resolve issues regarding self-worth and social statuses, they even move in together to a new place that they both pay for. They pay date nights alternately and Charlie even gives gifts back to Mariana.

Charlie opens up more regarding his past and Mariana accepts him wholeheartedly. They live happily ever after when money and status no longer becomes an issue.

They love unapologetically.

[bulkyphrase]

Time Loops Rec List: 2024 Edition

It's Groundhog Day, which means it's time for my favorite Marvel time loop fanfics from the past year! See this post for the November 2022 and February 2023 picks.

(why I posted the first Groundhog Day list in November is a mystery even to myself)

god loves everybody, don't remind me by napricot (Gen, Mature, 70,381 words)

Summary: N'Jadaka didn't believe in the gods of his people. But belief was not a prerequisite of the gods' attention, and the blood of the Panther tribe ran in N'Jadaka's veins. Bast took hold of his soul in her mighty jaws and lifted it free of his body. She gave him a warning shake, just as she would a misbehaving kitten, and set him back. With one careful claw, she tweaked his path through time into a twisting loop. Wayward and abandoned though he was, N'Jadaka was still of her tribe. He could set things right, if given the chance. Erik gets a do-over. Erik gets a lot of do-overs. Or: Erik Killmonger's own personal version of Groundhog Day, only with a lot more murder, dying, trips to the ancestral plane, awkward family conversations, and divine intervention.

offer me that deathless death by canistakahari (@unicorncoalition) (Stucky, Explicit, 10,656 words)

Summary: Bucky dies for the first time in February of 1945, and then he dies again, and again, and again. It doesn't stick, but he can't find a way out, either. Also available as a podfic read by GhostCwtch (@ghostcwtch)

The rest are below the cut!

Exit Life by EiraLloyd (Stucky, Teen And Up Audiences, 11,346 words)

Summary: Bucky says, "Can I ask you a question?" and unravels his plans once again. "What is it?" "I don't— have all my memories back," he admits. "But there's this one day. I have… different memories of how it went. I don't— I think it's the same day. The same inn, the same train, the same mission." Steve feels cold. He feels colder than he did when he froze in the Arctic. "Do you—" Bucky hesitates. "Do you know why?" (Alternatively, the countless times Steve fails to protect Bucky from a guy in a metal suit and the one time he succeeds.)

Dead Man's Switch by emptydistractions, art by profoundalpacakitten (@emptydistractions12, @profoundalpacakitten) (Stucky, Mature, 20,335 words)

Summary: Steve has only ever wanted to help people. Maybe that's part of the reason why it nearly tears his heart in two the first time he watches Bucky die. He can't help but think of the 'what if's'. What if he'd been there sooner? What if he'd been able to stop it? By the five hundredth time he watches Bucky die though, the whole situation's really starting to lose it's charm. (Or: Bucky is stuck in a time loop, and Steve is accidentally along for the ride.)

Of things lost in time by erde (Stony, Explicit, 16,082 words)

Summary: The Time Stone beckons Steve with the promise of home. He ends up in Clint's farm, reliving the same day again and again.

The Last Time by mariana_oconnor (@mariana-oconnor) (Winterhawk, Teen And Up Audiences, 12,446 words)

Summary: Today has been strange and, considering the majority of Bucky's life, when he says strange, Bucky really means that. It's not one big thing that makes it strange. He's fought giant interdimensional squid monsters while standing on the shoulder of the statue of liberty. Things like that don't faze him any more. It's the little things that are making the back of his brain itch. All the little things that are starting to add up. It's that uncanny valley feeling: everything just a little left of normal, not enough for you to say exactly what's wrong, but enough that you know something isn't right. And he's pretty sure it's got something to do with Clint Barton.

ceaselessly into the past by shepherd (Stony, Explicit, 84,131 words)

Summary: Edge of Tomorrow/Live.Die.Repeat AU, following the movie. After earth is invaded by the Chitauri, Tony Stark is forcefully drafted into the military for a suicide mission. It ends up with him being inexplicably caught in a time loop that always seems to end with him dying horrifically. And, of course, the day was a Thursday- he had never gotten the hang of Thursdays. (please regard the tags for warnings- there are more explicit warnings inside)

double back by flowermasters (Sambucky, Explicit, 12,560 words)

Summary: Sam gets stuck in a time loop. In 1943. Things could be worse, but they could certainly be better.

Reason Number Four by hannahsoapy (Clint Barton/Phil Coulson, Teen And Up Audiences, 3,309 words)

Summary: On Monday, at 4:37pm, Phil dies in Clint's arms. And at 4:39pm, and 4:44pm, and 4:57pm... it's been a lot of Mondays.

[all-soul-crossover-comic]

IT IS TIME. FOR THE CRINGE FEST.

This is back when instead of "bitch" I said "bish" and didn't have a damn clue. To begin, here is snufkin with a gummy snake. He was going to have a pet gummy snake named regina.

He looked so menacing and white

I would not trust him with my finances. Beyond the "keep reading" thing, there is actual pages. It's been two years. It is time to reflect on my dark past.

The original run was only three pages. I gave up after not many people paid attention to it. Probably because it was trash. But still.

RIP Blueberry Muffin...

Also, a nine year old says the word damn. I was 12 when I made this lol.

Oh so I just skipped to when they already settled in? Oh. Ok. I remember making a version that had snufkin saying "Jerk" instead of "Douche" because the amino I was posting it in had a rule against cursing.

The worst page. Never want to look at it again. I was hoping to to make it an ask thing, but like...I was three pages in and nobody was paying attention-

The original ask prompt pages are all lost to time. Or probably somewhere on my main blog idk I don't wanna go through all that shit, it's like diving into the Mariana trench. I'm too lazy. I just know I deleted the ask prompt pages in shame from certain sites.

Even now, with a little more support than before, I don't get asks. Wish I could go back and tell myself not to rush it out. To make it actually worthy of attention from others. But yk, can't change the past.

Time for more miscellaneous stuff. Slightly creepy stuff.

This was back when ages weren't established, but no matter what it's creepy.

Like how else are people supposed to take this lmfao

Also it says she's married because of the guy that married a miku hologram (and apparently divorced it????)

Anyway that stuff quickly left.

This is 80% snufkin. I loved snufkin. Still do. Don't draw him this much anymore tho-

The image with blood coming from his mouth (he bit his tongue) is what i consider a sort of in-between from the transition from sfc to All Soul. He's gaining some of the personality he has now. Blood is becoming a theme.

I also have some colored traditional drawings from around this time. I'll share them when I find them, and same with the digital pieces.

I didn't really think of winx club when I started it. I only really got into winx after the absolute garbage fire that was fate. Still hate it. Trying to be better than it. Probably gonna end up like it anyway, everything I write is like a soap opera.

Anyway, prepare for the sprinkling of cringe in the coming weeks as I find old all Soul related artwork. Maybe I could even show off my 2016 artwork.

[green-mochi-blog]

Hugo seems to be a concept design before Antonio, so he is Mariana's cousin, and although he looks younger than her, it doesn't seem that their age gap is very big, maybe two or three years. But if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that he has a major crush on Mariana. Just like his older brothers

Hugo is as sweet and shy as Antonio, and he adores Mariana with all his soul. Even after he got his gift, he tried his best to still have free time for his favorite cousin. He likes to spend time with her outside in nature. They go for walks and he shows her the animals and translates what they say to her

Because of his shyness, Hugo is not very subtle about his feelings. He blushes and stutters around Mariana, and always gives her this lost puppy eyes

Carlos teases him for being so obvious, he even calls him Mariana's lapdog, but the truth is, he's dying of jealousy, because Hugo's kind and gentle nature makes Mariana prefer him over Carlos.

Now Carlos not only has to compete against his older brother Oscar (in my headcanon Oscar is Carlos older brother), he also has to compete against his younger brother, who almost always has the upper hand with Mariana

Even Oscar is starting to feel insecure. It was hard enough competing against Carlos for Mariana's attention, but they were so busy sabotaging each other that they didn't realize they gave Hugo too much of an advantage.

They simply didn't consider him as a threat. They were wrong.

Like: *Carlos and Oscar fighting over who will take Mariana to a village festival.

Oscar: I'll be the one to take her. You don't even treat her right!

Carlos: you wish, you skinny, ghost-faced little prick. I'll be her partner!

*They argued so much that they didn't notice that Hugo invited Mariana first and both left without them

In short, Mariana has her own harem composed of her three cousins who do nothing but fight to spend time with her