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soulmate-game · 3 years ago

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Hawkmoth was a bitch, and Marinette meant that with every fiber of her soul. Fu was also a bitch, and Marinette actually had good memories of the guy. Not many, but she had some. The fact that the guy got two ten-year-olds to become super heroes and fight a supervillain for him kinda soured those memories, though. But with Chat Noir not allowed to leave his house? Yeah, even as young as they were it only took about a year to find out who HawkMoth was and another year to take him down.

Except, that left Marinette alone. The final battle took her mom away, and Chat had to move out of Paris after his dad was arrested. Luckily Jagged allowed her and her papa to move into his house in Gotham, and everything was…

Well, it was okay. For about a month.

Then her dad was gone too, and she had no way to talk to Jagged, and the police were scaring her—

Yeah, that was the basic order of events that led to where she was now. Pushing fourteen years old, ex-superhero, protector of a magical box of gods, stealing the tires off of a very nice motorcycle.

Marinette was tempted to just take the whole thing, she loved bikes and knew she could drive it. But the thing had more security than she knew what to do with, and the fact that it belonged to Red Hood… she didn’t want to deal with trackers today, thanks. So the tires it was.

Should she maybe care more about the fact that she was stealing from a vigilante with a violent streak? Maybe. Did she? Hell no. For all she knew, maybe Red Hood was a bitch too. (Yes, she was still learning English slang. She was fluent by educational standards, but learning how to curse in a foreign language was fun and she still had a little bit to go. Her few street friends were very happy to help).

A shadow dropped down in front of her, and Marinette’s hero instincts kicked in. The tire iron she was using cut through the air, slamming right into the side of Red Hood’s knee.

—*—*—*—*—*

“Hood,” Batman’s voice grumbled over the comms, instantly grabbing the attention of everyone else who was on the comms. It wasn’t as gruff as he usually sounded, in fact it almost sounded like… he was trying not to laugh?

“Did you get gassed by Joker?” Dick asked before Jason got a chance to respond. “Need backup?”

“No,” Batman responded, sounding a little more composed. “Not a rogue. But Hood, I need you to join me at my location as soon as possible.”

Finally getting the chance to talk, Jason responded a little warily; “Sure, B. Wait,” he blinked at the location that was sent to him. “Isn’t that where my bike is parked?”

Batman didn’t respond at first, only the sound of labored breathing— again, as if he was trying not to laugh. “Just get here, Hood.”

Sighing, but not too mad since the night had been fairly quiet so far, Jason decided to humor the old man and head over. When he could see the cape-clad back of Batman, he easily leapt over the last roof and sauntered over.

“Okay, B,” he had his thumbs tucked in his pockets as he drawled. “What’s the issue?”

Batman was grinning. As in, actually showing amusement. And he just pointed down, straight at Hood’s bike.

Jason rolled his eyes under his helmet, turning to look. At first he didn’t see anything amiss, until he saw movement and looked harder. Oh. Oh, holy shit.

“Is that a kid?”

“Yep,” Batman’s grin grew.

“Is she… stealing my tires?” Hood was so, so glad he wore a helmet that hid his expression. Because… wow.

“Yep,” Batman finally lost his composure, chuckling. “This seems like Karma, don’t you think?”

“And you just watched her so you could rub it in,” Jason groaned, throwing his head back in exasperation. Of course he would. Nobody knew it (except the other heroes who knew him) but Batman was a petty little jerk when he wanted to be. He bought the whole Daily Planet just to spite Clark, for crying out loud.

“Don’t adopt her,” Batman said as he stood up, patting Red Hood’s shoulder. “It looks like she’s almost done.”

“Shit,” Jason hissed, looking down to see that she was, actually, very close to being done. She had already had one tire completely free by the time he had arrived, and now she was only seconds away from getting the other one completely free.

He took a quick assessment— she was tiny, and really thin. Definitely a street kid, he thought, though he didn’t recognize her. He knew most of the street kids that stole to get by, nowadays, which meant she must have been fairly new. But even though she seemed to know what she was doing, her small frame made her take longer unscrewing the tires than it normally would have taken. Sure that she wasn’t a threat by any stretch of the imagination, he jumped down. His plan had been to startle her a little by showing up out of nowhere, but he didn’t want to scare her too badly. Just make her jump a little.

But he had underestimated her, it seemed. Without wasting a second, she jumped up and swung her tire iron at his knee. He cursed, she was a lot faster than her had been expecting. He was able to move so that the weapon only clipped the side of his knee, his knee pad thankfully taking the worst of it. She still hit hard enough to make him stumble and hiss in pain though, which was an accomplishment.

That’s when she abandoned her weapon and her tires, darting to try and escape only for Batman to drop down and block her escape. Though really, it was the grin Batman had that scared the girl most of all, apparently, making her slowly back away from him.

“Please stop smiling,” she begged with a faint French accent to her words. “It is not natural.”

That made Red Hood laugh, already recovered and right behind her. He plopped a gloved hand on her head.

“I know, it’s creepy right?” He joked. “What’cha doin’ stealing my tires, kid? I kinda need them to drive anywhere,” he was careful to keep his voice light and devoid of any anger. He wasn’t really upset, all told. It would be hypocritical of him if he was.

She looked between the two vigilantes for a moment, clear intelligence behind those bright blue eyes as she seemed to consider something. Suddenly she pulled away from Red Hood and stepped away from his reach, straightening up and trying to look tall.

“My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she said as firmly as she could. “My father was Tom Dupain, he was killed in a mugging three months ago. We were living in a house that our family friend leant to us after my mother’s death six months ago, and we moved here from Paris. I haven’t been able to contact him, and the police… I don’t trust them,” she admitted, clearly seeing this as the chance she had been waiting for. “I have been living on the streets since my father died. I am sorry for trying to steal your tires, Monsieur Red Hood. But it was a risk I had to take.”

“Did you expect us to catch you?” He asked, crossing his arms as he re-evaluated the girl. She was a lot stronger than he had assumed earlier, both physically and mentally. She seesawed her hand to indicate ‘kinda’.

“Even if you didn’t, I could make good money off your tires,” she justified with a shrug. “To me, I would win either way.”

“Who is your family friend? Can he help you now, take you in?” Batman asked, moving forward and kneeling down to be closer to Marinette’s height. Neither he nor Jason had missed the part where she was an orphan, but they had expected that considering what they had caught her doing. And they both knew that she wasn’t likely to take any apologies they tried to offer very well. It was best not to show pity, or she might get angry.

Marinette frowned. “... Our family friend is Jagged Stone. He lets me call him Uncle Jagged,” she told them, clearly expecting the disbelieving grunts they gave. “I mean it! You can call him, he might even be looking for me! I—“

“We know,” Hood assured her, now kneeling down as well. Man, she was short. “Calm down, we know you’re telling the truth. Jagged has made several public announcements about his missing honorary niece, we just didn’t recognize your name right away. And Jagged doesn’t have access to very many pictures of you, those he does have the Mayor isn’t allowing him to show because that spineless jackass—“

“Language, Hood.”

“—Cares more about keeping bad press off the air than finding a kid, even if it’s a world famous rockstar who’s asking. That’s probably why you haven’t heard anything, the mayor’s keeping it off the radio and not many reporters are brave enough to take the story and get on his bad side.”

“Oh…” Marinette took a deep breath, fighting the tears that were threatening to rise up. “He has been looking…” she sniffled, curling in on herself a little. “Can you take me to him?”

“I think we can do that,” Batman agreed, standing up. “I’ll contact him. Red Hood, can you handle everything here until I give you a place to meet up with Jagged Stone?”

Jason nodded. “No problem, B. Come on, little rabid pixie. Step one of gettin’ you back to your uncle is to help me fix my bike back up.”

Marinette sighed, shoulders dropping. “All my hard work, undone…” she playfully complained. But in the end she didn’t argue or fight against it, she just sat down and helped him reattach his tires.

All the while, Jason’s family kept teasing him over the comms. Clearly they were also thoroughly amused by the cosmic display of karma.

“...Monsieur Hood,” Marinette asked once they were done repairing the motorcycle and he had given her his too-big extra helmet. He tilted his head a bit to show he was listening. She squirmed. “Can… can we stop by my hideout? I have something really important I have to get.”

Jason smiles gently under his mask. She might not have been a street kid for very long, but she really did bring back some memories for him. He got on his bike and held a hand out to her.

“Sure thing kid. Wanna grab something to eat after? Can’t have a reunion on an empty stomach.”

She gave him a lopsided smile— not quite overjoyed, but definitely hopeful and thankful. Maybe this was the end of her streak of bad luck, she could only hope.

“Only if you don’t mind, Monsieur Hood,” she agreed before taking his hand and letting him help her onto the bike.

“No skin off my back, pixie,” he assured her. Then they were off. He followed her directions until they got to an abandoned building about three miles away, not in a good part of town at all but at least not in crime alley. Marinette easily led him through the building, skirting around other piles of ratty blankets and up broken stairs until they got to the badly-maintained top floor. She led him over to an almost invisible door in the concrete wall that pulled out to reveal what was probably a broom closet once upon a time. It was crowded with what looked like junk and empty boxes, along with a few blankets and two or three changes of clothes that were clearly her’s. A few belongings scattered around— a book, a small pink purse, and… Marinette came out of the pile of mess holding what had clearly been a very carefully hidden box. She also grabbed the purse and slung it over her shoulder, but didn’t seem worried about anything else.

Jason frowned at the box. It wasn’t that big, but it was clearly made of old wood. There were intricate carvings that were painted pink, in a symbol that was itching at the back of his mind. He recognized that symbol, but from where?

“Ready to go, kid?” He asked as he thought about it, getting a nod from Marinette. Twenty minutes later they were at a Batburger, sitting in a shaded booth that couldn’t be seen from the street.

She never let the box out of her sight. She kept it on the seat next to her, and Jason noticed that she tried to keep one hand on it at all times. But when she spoke, now her French accent stood out to him even more than before. But why—?

And then it clicked. Paris. Hawkmoth. Ladybug, Chat Noir, magic artifacts called Miraculous. Wonder Woman had raised a fuss when the heroes disappeared, declaring that something was wrong but she couldn’t put her finger on what. Then the magic users they trusted were called in, and returned from Paris with the grim news that the former Guardian of those artifacts had activated a failsafe and passed the guardianship on to someone else while erasing his own memories at the same time. But nobody knew who he could have passed it on to, so Batman had been given the green light to do all the research he and his team could into the Miraculous box to try and help track it down.

And here it was. The carvings were in pink now, which might have been the “cosmetic change” that Constantine had mentioned might happen when the box changed guardians. He had found the box full of super powerful magical artifacts… in the hands of a newly orphaned street kid who couldn’t have been older than fourteen at best.

What the hell?

“...” Red hood reached into his pocket and pulled out an old receipt and a sharpie. He scrawled on the back of the receipt and handed to Marinette. The girl was halfway into a bite of her burger when he did, and blinked at him owlishly before swallowing and cautiously reaching out to grab it. She frowned at the numbers scrawled there.

“What’s this?” She asked.

“My contact info,” he explained. “I won’t ask questions about why you have that box,” he watched her instantly stiffen but continued as casually as he could; “but it doesn’t matter. You can call me if you ever need help with anything, kid. Help with that box, help if you get in trouble in Gotham again, or even if you’re having a bad day. You can call me for whatever, got it? I don’t care if you think it’s stupid, if you can’t talk to anyone else in your life you can always call or text me and I’ll do whatever I can. Got it?”

“...” Marinette sniffled for a second and looked down at the table in silence for a second. “... what if I want your motorcycle?” she joked, but the watery tone of her voice gave her away.

Jason laughed, patting her head. “I need my bike, but we can talk about getting you your own once you are old enough to get a license. You almost done? Bats says that Jagged is ready to meet you, I can take you to him right now.”

“Yeah, lets go!” she was newly energized and shoved the last bite of burger into her mouth greedily. “And Red Hood?” She asked as they headed out to where he had parked.

“Yeah, kid?”

“Thanks.”

—*—*—*—*—*

Permanent tag list (I remembered it this time!)

@rosalineandrosemary @neakco @justanotherfanficlovinbitch @trippingovermyfeet @certainmuffinbagelcalzone @bigpicklebananatree @fantasylover-92 @prongs-flowers @jumpingjoy82 @prettylittlebutterflie @queenz-z @literaryhiraeth @waffelyunsure @deathssilentapproach-blog @waiting247 @theirlmikan @unoriginalmess

#maribat #ml x dc #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #dc x miraculous #soulmate-game #platonic jasonette

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findingjoynweirdstuff · 3 years ago

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Dream SMP Recap (July 25/2021) - The Wilburger Ranvan

Wilbur comes up with his new calling: selling burgers in a burger van! At Phil’s suggestion, Wilbur teams up with Ranboo to do so, setting up their new business on the outskirts of Las Nevadas.

A brief summary of the week’s total events can be found at the end of the post.

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VOD LINKS:

Wilbur Soot

Captain Puffy

BadBoyHalo

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- Wilbur and Phil hang out in the Arctic. Wilbur has a proposition for Phil

- He says he met up with Quackity and it was a nice time. The one conclusion he came to is that Quackity is very resourceful

Wilbur: “As much as I may disagree with your views on anarchy, I must say, it’s pretty harmless. I -- I can’t hate you for it. I can’t hate you for enjoying literally living in a peaceful little village in the snow, I mean the server’s never been this peaceful since -- since all the countries and nations and cities and everything is gone. So Phil, I came to you with one question, one question...do you think Quackity should be allowed to be left unchecked?”

- Phil says no. The issue is, there’s no government, no police force. What Techno’s done is left a power vacuum and now Quackity’s come in with an unethical establishment, gambling...

- Wilbur wants to make a burger van

- They get interrupted by an Enderman ascending from the basement

- He knows there’s a bit of déjà vu, but the difference is that the burger van isn’t going to sell drugs this time. He wants every steak to have a name

- He’s done with being a source of authority, a president. His calling is just burgers, no ulterior motives

- Phil knows someone who would help out: Ranboo. The richest, most knowledgable man on the server, and he’s run out of things to do on the server

- Wilbur doesn’t want to play with Ranboo, but Phil threatens to kick him out if he doesn’t so he does, annoyed at being treated like a child

- Wilbur gives Ranboo his proposition

Wilbur: “I like to think, you know, let bygones be bygones, let’s bury the hatchet, let’s be -- Ranboo I’m gonna go out on a limb here...do you wanna be friends?”

- His next progression, after being a dead-terrorist-president...is to be a chef. Ranboo is onboard

- They start walking over. Wilbur asks if Ranboo’s heard of Las Nevadas, and Ranboo mentions their abandoned cookie post that was causing trouble. He wants to create competition for Quackity’s business. Eventually, maybe Quackity will have to make a deal with them, maybe even be their friend

- Ranboo wants to keep it respectful. Wilbur assures him that they already has the land necessary

- Wilbur wants to pick Ranboo’s brain and asks his thoughts on Quackity. Ranboo says he just hasn’t seen him in so long. Their last interaction before everything else happened was just that they were in the same cabinet of New L’manburg

- Wilbur didn’t know that Ranboo was part of L’manburg’s government

- Wilbur asks if he dislikes anyone. Ranboo says not too much, just people that he doesn’t agree with. Everyone is just a product of what they’ve gone through, so if you understand that, you understand the person

- If you align yourself with everyone, isn’t that more complicated? Ranboo says that’s why he’s just been living with Phil and Techno away from everything, trying not to involve himself in much, but he has a terrible radar on what’s involving himself and what isn’t

Wilbur: “What about Dream?”

Ranboo: “Well that’s -- well, with Dream it’s kind of like...all I’ve heard of Dream, all I’ve seen with Dream is just been like the really bad things that he’s done and everything, so I would say that I -- yeah, I don’t really like Dream, but I mean, he’s also not really someone that it matters whether or not I like him ‘cause he’s just away in that prison for a really long time, so I mean...”

Wilbur: “No trial?”

- They reach their competition and go into the fast food restaurant

- He peeks into the casino, but holes it back up. This building doesn’t benefit the consumer

- Wilbur places down some signs insulting Quackity’s burger place, guaranteeing those signs will never leave since they don’t care about the customer

- Wilbur shows Ranboo his area, which he's thinking of naming “Paradise.” Ranboo says it could be a neat play on words...pair-of-dice

- Wilbur and Ranboo decide to make the place red and white, retro-themed. Ranboo gives Wilbur Ranord and Wilbur goes off to gather some red

- Wilbur likes Tubbo since he’s strong-headed and doesn’t let people push him around

- Ranboo says when you can’t change someone’s mind, it’s no use to needlessly argue. Wilbur points out that Ranboo seems to be a bit more dynamic than a purely neutral, peaceful force. He’s somehow appeared in almost every conflict the server’s had since Wilbur died

- Ranboo says it’s because he’s bad at discerning things, but he’s been doing alright with his situation recently. He wants to help people, and sometimes he lets that desire to help people get in the way of what he says about himself

Wilbur: “Ranboo...why did you help to help me?”

- Ranboo needed something to do, and he also thought that Wilbur’s an alright person, so he wants to get off on a better foot because he doesn’t like having people not like him

- Wilbur asks why he doesn’t think Wilbur’s a bad person. Ranboo says he did bad things, but also went through things that made him that way and now he’s changed as a person since he died. He’s optimistic in that

Wilbur: (sniffs) “Good, uh...that’s nice. Thank you. Uh...I think I needed to hear that.”

Wilbur: “Can I be real with you man? ...I think I scare people.”

Ranboo: “I mean...yeah, I do the same thing.”

Wilbur: “No, not in -- no no, I mean I...I don’t think I...I think a lot of people share your idea, but they share your idea in trying to -- trying to keep me from hurting them, you know? Like they’ve seen what I can do and they don’t want me to do it again, so they adopt your emotion in order to do it.”

- He demolished Jack Manifold’s house twice, he completely ignored him in the war, and what it took for Jack to forgive Wilbur was just a sorry.

Wilbur: “And I know -- I’ve spoken to Tommy about Jack Manifold! And Jack Manifold is not the sort of person to forgive someone like that with a sorry! Imagine if Dream said sorry to Jack Manifold! What’s Dream done to Jack Manifold, huh? Barely anything! I imagine if Dream said sorry to Jack Manifold, Jack Manifold would ignore him. Do you know why? Because DREAM’s in prison, and I’m not!

“Dream is -- he’s had his comeuppance and I’ve not! My comeuppance was apparently not good enough for these people! They’re just waiting! Waiting for the next thing for me to slip up on them -- Ranboo, I’m not gonna fucking slip up, Ranboo, I’m different. I’m not Dream...god, I wish I was! Sometimes I wish, I wish I’d gotten that comeuppance but Ranboo, I’m not Dream. And I’m not gonna be Dream, and that’s...”

“I’m living in eternal Limbo...again. I’ve been through Limbo. I’m out of Limbo. And socially, I’m still in this Limbo, and man, Ranboo, hearing you say those words that you said to me? Do you remember what you said?”

Ranboo: “Y-yeah, I do?”

Wilbur: “You said...(sniffs) I think people can change, that’s number one. And number two, you said you’re scared that people don’t like you.”

- He tells Ranboo that they’re kindred. They have the same neuroticism, their strongest point. But anxiety is not their downfall. Wilbur’s parents are alive because they were anxious and didn’t let anything take them down

- Ranboo says they’re both thinkers. They may think in different ways, but they think at the same level

Wilbur: “I think you might be a bit braver than me in showing your true colors. I feel like with you, Ranboo, I never have to be guessing your next move. I never have to be guessing your hand, you know? I feel like life dealt us the same cards, and the difference is you build your trust by showing people your cards whilst I keep them close to my chest, and I feel like that might be the big difference.”

- He asks Ranboo what he feels about thievery. He’s going to steal Las Nevadas’ cows to make into burgers

- Ranboo makes some concrete and starts building the van. Wilbur rides off on a horse looking for some sheep

- Wilbur asks Ranboo about Tubbo and Ranboo talks a bit about Snowchester. Wilbur thought Techno was successful at getting rid of all the nations, but Ranboo says it’s not a nation. Wilbur doesn’t know about Kinoko Kingdom either

- Wilbur gets to the spider farm, which has Kanye West in it

- He heads back and they discuss names like Paradise or Wilburger

- Wilbur asks Ranboo’s opinion on Tommy and Ranboo thinks he’s great. Tommy’s gone through a lot, but it’s made him a good person.

Wilbur notes that he seems to think that everyone’s gone through something. Ranboo says yes, the only bad people are those who are evil without a reason why, but there’s not many people like that

- Wilbur names the first burger “Wilburger Vol. 1″ and puts a watermark on it

- Wilbur wants to ask Ranboo one last make-or-break question

- Chat suggests the “Wilburger Ranvan” and they like it

- They go to Quackity’s restaurant and Wilbur wants Ranboo to smash the windows. Ranboo does

- Wilbur goes inside and places TNT. He hands Ranboo the lighter and tells him to detonate it

- Ranboo does so. Wilbur tells Ranboo to go back to the van. He’s passed the test

Wilbur: “Ranboo, I’m proud of you man. You’ve -- you’ve taken a side.”

- Wilbur goes back and places a sign at the crater:

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***** Wilbur + Ranboo Did this together

*****

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“I love that guy.” (laughs) “I love that guy.”

END OF WEEK RECAP:

7/19 - Nothing much happens.

7/20 - Sapnap and George speak with Mexican Dream

7/21 - Foolish creates Philzavilla and breaks into the prison

7/22 - Nothing much happens.

7/23 - Nothing much happens.

7/24 - MCC, no updates

7/25 - Wilbur and Ranboo make a burger van

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Upcoming Events:

- Captain Puffy’s Lore Stream

- Wilbur’s 11 planned streams

- Egg Finale Stream

- Tales From the SMP: “Space Race”

- Ponk’s prequel stream

- Ponk’s current-day lore with Sam

- Puffy’s Lore Cast

- Sapnap’s lore

- Dream’s lore video

- Quackity’s casino opening

#dream smp #dream smp recaps #long post #long posts

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imagineyourworld · 3 years ago

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Rockstar AU

Hunter x Genderneutral!Reader (Cinderella Story) Wrecker x Genderneutral!Reader (Love at First Sight) Tech x Genderneutral!Reader (Enemies to Lovers) Crosshair x Genderneutral!Reader (Second Chance Romance) Echo x Genderneutral!Reader (Friends to Lovers)

Warnings: Slight bit of language, mean fans in the last one

Hunter

Hunter would for sure be the lead singer

He’d be the one most people simp for, including your friends

The same friends who dragged you to the concert, and the same friends who abandoned you the next day because they just had to spend the afternoon at the bands known hang out spot to try to meet one of them

Little did they know that Hunter wasn’t there that afternoon, in fact he had the same plans as you, to spend the day aimlessly wandering the city streets, a new city for you, one you’re just visiting for a few days, and a new home for him, one he still needs to familiarize himself with

You exist a small café, where you had just gotten yourself a drink, when you first met. In real movie meet cute style you walked right into him and spilled your drink all over his shirt, and the light grey material did little to hide the stains

“I am so, so sorry”, you said over and over again as you began to search for bag for a tissue to wipe off the worst of it. To your surprise he just chuckled. It was a low and raspy sound, one that sounded somewhat familiar. Only when you stopped your search and actually looked at him did you realize why you knew that chuckle, it was the one your friends had shown you over and over again in a ton of different videos. Just your luck, that you didn’t just spill your drink on anyone, it had to be Hunter from The Bad Batch.

“I gotta say, this is a new way of meeting fans.” You raised your eyebrow at his words. “Who said I was a fan?” There ist was again, that chuckle. Even though you told yourself that it didn’t affect you, you were only human and couldn’t deny that Hunter was incredibly attractive. “The look in your eyes. It’s alright, I get it all the time.” You scoffed. Who did he think he was? He was a singer, not some god. Based on the expression now overshadowing his face that wasn’t the reaction he had been hoping for.

You apologized once more, even offered to buy him a new shirt, before you made your goodbye and tried to walk past him. Hunter’s hand on your wrist stopped you. To be honest, you were a second away from janking your wrist from his grasp and asking him who he thought he was, a question that wouldn’t stop running around in your head. “Before you go, how about you buy me a coffee? You do kinda owe me for ruining my shirt”, he said. Though his words were arrogant, it was his kind, almost joking, tone and the hopeful expression in his eyes that made a small smile appear on your face. “I don’t know, what’s in it for me?”, you asked, trying to match his tone. Hunter just shrugged. “At the very least an interesting conversation.”

Of course it wasn’t the conversation that made you agree, not at first at least. But it did turn out to be good. So good that it made you forget who you were actually talking to, and good enough that by the end you even gave Hunter your number.

When he texted just half an hour after you parted ways, asking you whether you wanted to have dinner the next day, you realized that you would have a lot of explaining to do with your friends.

Wrecker

I don’t know why, but I feel like Wrecker might be the guitarist.

Other than Hunter I don’t think Wrecker would have the biggest fan base, but his fans would be the most dedicated and loyal

Wrecker would be most likely to date a fan. While he might not be looking for a romantic partner amongst the fans, he does try a bit of flirting here and there if someone catches his eye.

That’s actually how the two of you met. You had been saving to buy tickets for the concert and the following meet and greet and ever since Wrecker saw you in line his eyes had been glued to you. “You’re not exactly subtle, you know”, Tech told his brother as he followed his stare. Wrecker nudged him with his shoulder, which made Tech stumble a bit due to his strength. That’s when he heard it, the one sound that was better than music in his ears. “That’s not very nice”, you told him with a sly grin.

Honestly, you had no idea where you were getting your sudden confidence from. You were standing right in front of The Bad Batch and yet here you were, making a joke.

Embarrassment coursed through Wrecker’s veins, making him rub the back of his head nervously. “I know. It’s... a bad habit”, he finally admitted. It was your laugh that told him you weren’t really mad or scolding him at all, and without thought he joined in. Your laugh, if possible, sounded even more beautiful than your voice.

“What’s your name?”, he asked. You told him, a small blush making its way to your cheeks. Of course you had expected the band to be friendly, but never in your wildest dreams did you ever imagine Wrecker being this kind. And if you weren’t mistaken he was even flirting with you. But that couldn’t be, right? He must have thousands who flirt with him every day, why would he be interested in you of all people? “(Y/N)”, you told him. After his next action there was no doubt left in your mind that he actually was flirting. “(Y/N), Wrecker repeated as he lifted your hand to press a gentle kiss to your knuckles. You didn’t know what to focus on. His soft lips on your skin, the way your hand felt and looked so much smaller in his big hand, or the way he said your name.

Leave it to Tech to interrupt your little moment. “You need to move it along, there are others waiting”, he informed his brother. Of course he was right, of course you shouldn’t expect Wrecker to continue to talk to you when there were others waiting for his attention. But little did you know that letting you go was something Wrecker wouldn’t dream off. “This thing ends in half an hour. If you want to, you don’t have to but if you want to, you can wait for me in the lobby of the Park Hotel in about an hour and we’ll continue this conversation, (Y/N).”

Part of you knew that there was the possibility that he was only looking for a one night stand, but the bigger part told you that Wrecker was genuinely interested in your company. It was that part that made you agree. And you were so glad you did, because the rest of the night spend with Wrecker couldn’t have been better. Apparently he felt the same, because just before you left he slipped a small note with his number in your pocket.

Tech

The usual instrument for a band might be drums, but I cannot imagine Tech playing the drums. A keyboard however? That’s so Tech.

I can’t see Tech dating a fan, but a fellow musician would be a dream come true! There is just one slight issue...

“I can’t stand that guy! He never stops talking, every time he opens his mouth I just wanna punch his stupid glasses right into his eyes”, you grunted. Tech had been about to round the corner, in his hands he had the setlist you had requested for your band, which was opening for The Bad Batch. Now, after hearing those words and realizing that the friendship the two of you had been building had all been fake, that Tech had been right in trying to shove his developing feelings down, he just threw the pieces of paper in front of your feet. “There”, he grumbled before turning around and leaving again. You shot your friend, who you had been talking to, a confused look.

Your band opened for The Bad Batch for a couple more shows before you parted ways. They went back to recording, while you had your first solo tour, which went incredibly well, since only a year later you reunited at a music festival where both bands were asked to play.

“God, Wrecker, did you grow?”, you laughed while Wrecker enveloped you in a hug and lifted you a few feet into the air. “I think I’m a bit too old to continue growing, but who knows”, he replied with a grin. Tech tried his best not to roll his eyes. How could his brothers still be friendly with you? Wasn’t it obvious to them how much you hated him? Wasn’t blood thicker than water? You moved away from Wrecker to greet Tech next. Your previously joyous smile growing nervous, but it still ignited something Tech wanted to put out. “Hey, long time no see”, you started. You reached out to touch his shoulder, but before you could Tech took a step backwards, knocking over Hunter’s water bottle. Tech saw this as his way of escape and quickly offered to get a new one, though Hunter, who knew what he was up to, shook his head. “Take (Y/N) with you, they know the location better and can show you around.” Tech wanted to disagree, he really did, but he knew there was no use in arguing with Hunter shortly before the concert.

You did show Tech around, at least a little bit. You even tried to chat as best as you could, but his answers were reduced to “yes” and “no”, if he even gave you an answer that is. Finally you reached a small supply closet in which you knew most of the snacks and drinks were kept. “They have your favourite chocolate, I checked the second I heard you guys were showing up”, you told Tech with a smile, hoping at least your shared love for chocolate would break the ice. It didn’t. What did break a second later, almost as soon as Tech followed you into the small room, was the door. With a loud bang it closed behind Tech, and no matter how hard the two of you pushed or pulled, it wouldn’t budge.

“What now?”, you asked, chewing on a piece of said chocolate. Tech was just shoving his phone back in his pocket. “I texted the others, one of them should come around with maintenance in a few minutes.” A moment of silence followed. “Hey, Tech”, you started softly, nervously. “Why do you hate me?” Finally Tech tore his eyes away from the water in his hands and looked at you, really looked at you. “I didn’t hate you until I found out that you hate me. I still don’t hate you, no matter how hard I try-” The last part was mumbled, so quiet you almost didn’t catch it, but you did. “I don’t hate you! Why would you think that? God, Tech, I was starting to fall in love with you during your last tour, but then you suddenly got all cold and never talked to me.” This made Tech raise his eyebrow. He ran a hand through his hair and avoided eye contact. “You were?”, he asked, his voice soft before it suddenly hardened again. “Then why did you tell your friend that you wanna punch me?” Confusion and realization chased each other across your face, finally it dawned on you. “Tech, you idiot, I wasn’t talking about you, I was talking about my neighbour.” He opened his mouth and closed it again. “Oh... So, you don’t hate me?” You shook your head. “In fact, I’d like to take you out to dinner. As a date. If you’d like.” Of course Tech said yes, there was lost time to catch up on after all.

Crosshair

Crosshair might play the drums, it gives him an opportunity to be in the background (and let all his aggressions out)

The two of you had been dating for only a few weeks when he left the band. Afterwards he told you that he needed a bit of space, wanted to be alone for a while. You weren’t exactly happy, but you understood, though when he still hasn’t reached out to you after almost two months you decided to give him a call, only to find out that his number had been disconnected.

It wasn’t until a couple of years later that the two of you met again. It was actually your friend who pointed Crosshair out in the crowded café and encouraged you to talk to him, to find out why he had ghosted you instead of simply breaking up.

“Why did you ghost me instead of simply breaking up with me?”, you opened, having stolen your friend’s exact words. Crosshair, with sunglasses and the usual toothpick between his teeth, looked up from his phone. His face didn’t betray any emotions, but you knew him well enough to recognize a hint of shock in his eyes. “What are you doing here?” You didn’t answer, instead you pulled up the chair opposite of his and sat down at his table. “I asked you first.” There it was, that laugh you had first learned to love and later to hate. It wasn’t a mocking or cruel laugh, instead it reminded you of his reaction whenever you would do something he found cute. “How old are you? You rested your elbows on the table and glared at him, a look that you knew from experience was one of the few things to truly make him uncomfortable. “Old enough to be tired of your bullshit. Now answer my question.”

Crosshair had never been a man of many words, his answer just proved that all over again. “I wanted to start my new life without any baggage from the old one.” Even though you had been hurt after the initial breakup, you considered yourself to be stronger because of it and over Crosshair, but his statement hit you hard. “Is that what I was? Baggage?” Finally he reached up to take the sunglasses off and really look at you. You hated the part of your brain that thought that he still looked good, and as if this conversation didn’t affect him at all. “You didn’t let me finish. I never thought of you as baggage, but you were a connection to my old life, my old band, that I couldn’t take with me into my new life. But I soon realized that I made a mistake, you were more than a connection, it only occured to me after it was too late that I loved you.”

To say you were shocked was the understatement of the century. Of course you had liked Crosshair, but even back then you couldn’t say whether you were actually in love with him. “I know I messed up, but maybe we could meet for dinner and try again.” Those were the last words from the longest monologue you had ever heard him speak. Crosshair put his sunglasses on again and left without another word, though he did leave something behind. You picked the piece of paper up and realized that he had given you his new number, the number you would only have to call to rekindle your relationship, but was that what you really wanted after what he did?

Echo

No doubt, Echo plays the base. It’s the backbone of a band and often underestimated, just like Echo.

The poor guy’s start with The Bad Batch wasn’t the easiest, he joined the band shortly before Crosshair left and many fans thought he was the reason behind the split (which of course he wasn’t, but you know fans). Needless to say that this resulted in some trust issues.

You had been working for the band for what felt like ages, basically from the very beginning and the second you met Echo you were intrigued. It took a bit of time, but he finally started to open up to you and now the two of you were good friends, you were actually one of the few friends Echo had outside of the band.

Though one day your friendship was put to the test. You were backstage, in Echo’s private room, which on itself wasn’t unusual, you spend more time with him than any other band members. What was unusual, and made Echo stop in the doorway, was the fact that you were going through his mail. “What are you doing?”, he asked, not yet angry, but not exactly calm either. He could have sworn that you actually jumped in shock before you turned to face him, guilt written all over you. “Echo, I was just...” “Going through my mail?”, he finished the sentence for you. You knew there was no use in lying, so you simply nodded. “Why?”

The million dollar question, to which you knew the answer would hurt Echo, and possibly your relationship. “I was looking for fan mail.” A gentle smile was now on Echo’s lips. He stepped closer to you, so close that he could take the envelope you were holding out of your hand. “You’re doing a terrific job, but I don’t think you get any fan mail, especially not send to my room.” As if to prove his point he opened the first envelope and started reading. At first his expression didn’t change, then it darkened. Before he could finish you ripped the piece of paper away and threw it in a far corner of the room. “Is that what you were looking for? Hate mail?” You knew there was no sense in denying it any longer. “I’ve been trying to hide it from you, but you get a lot of letters like that. Everyone gets them once in a while, but ever since Crosshair left it’s been a lot.” Echo’s eyes flitted from your face to the letters you were still holding in your hand. “You’ve been doing that all this time? Why?” For some reason the obvious shock and disbelief in his voice broke you more than any words directed at him ever had. “I don’t want you to take what those idiots say to heart. You... You’re perfect just the way you are”, you told him, whispering the last part. Echo stepped even closer to you, so close that you could feel his body heat through both of your clothes. So close that you had to lift your head to continue looking him in the eyes. Slowly Echo took your chin in his hand, his thumb caressing your jaw. The other hand found its way around your waist and you cold feel the cold prosthetic through your thin shirt. “I think you’re perfect as well”, he whispered. Your eyes widened at his words. He had heard you, and he thought you were perfect. Perfect! “Echo, I-”, you started, but he interrupted you. “Since we’re both perfect, maybe we’d be perfect for each other.” A blush crept up his neck as he said those words. You reached up to wrap your arms around the reddening skin. “Maybe we could find out over dinner tonight.” Echo smiled at you, a smile that made you question how anyone could hate him for what had to be the millionth time. “I’d like that”, he said as he leaned his forehead against yours.

-------

This AU just popped into my head and I had to write it down. At first I wanted to make the 501st a band, but I wasn’t quite sure what to do with Anakin and Ahsoka in that scenario, but then it occured to me that the Bad Batch as a band would fit even better, I hope you agree.

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jamestrmtx · 3 years ago

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Fairytale Complex - [Undertale | Sans x Reader]

[Gender Neutral, Frisk's Parent Reader | Slow Burn]

Chapter Twenty Two | Another Medium (Part 2 of 4)

[First] | [Previous] | [Next]

"Hurry, ren. We're gonna be late!"

You smile down at Frisk and watch as they tug at the edge of your shirt to try pulling you along with them.

The door's left open, and even though those meant to pick you up for the event aren't here yet, they still urge you to go outside and wait.

"It's only seven, honey." Your thoughts drift back to your video call and Sans's most recent text message, letting you know half an hour later that he'd be here soon. "We've got a few minutes left." You grab their hand and put a stop to their energy, facing their eyes. "Are you that excited about starting school?"

They nod and grin wide. "Even more, if you're gonna be working there, too!"

Your smile falls as you remember the folder Sans had given you. It had been thrown into the farthest corner of your bookshelf that same day, and you'd been too reluctant to look at it any more ever since. You didn't want to take their kindness and help for granted, just as much as you didn't want to forget about your reasons for learning more about monsters. Your godmother was right in terms of you needing to understand them more, so you've established it upon yourself to bring that up during your first, official date night with the skeleton. Understanding the changes being made to the Underground could aid you with the slim chance of finding a way to either halt or delay it from becoming a big tourist attraction, and you could finally be more clear and upfront about your feelings related to the dream -- even if all of that was easier said than done. Not only had you crossed far too many boundaries with him already, but you were still keeping your dubious relationship with him, all while continuing to be wary of him and everyone else for their past. The subtle but no less irate light to his gaze when having your aunt bring up the the Judgement Hall had been more than sufficient for you to try something -- or at least, assist him and every other monster with that process.

In short, hypocrisy's absorbing you bit by bit, and today's your very first attempt at trying to break free from that. Whether you succeed or not doesn't matter. Giving it a shot, on the contrary, does. Even the slightest amount of closure achieved with your research could help in setting your thoughts straight, and -- perhaps -- to finally stop yourself from comparing monsterkind with Jerry.

To put it this way: you couldn't allow yourself one thing if you were allowing the other to continue happening.

After all, why were you willing to engage in a relationship with someone like Sans, when you were still far from forgiving and much less forgetting Jerry over abandoning Frisk for so many years?

Why were you willing to befriend someone like Alphys, who'd been close to ending up in jail due to the failed experiments made on those of her own kind?

Why were you willing to book a night at Mettaton's hotel, knowing he'd once set Frisk into danger greater than any other monster you knew had -- Undyne being a close second?

Even someone like Papyrus brought harm to them once!

"Ren," Frisk calls out, tugging your hand. "You look angry. Are... Are you okay?"

You nod and let out a breath, composing yourself. "I'm fine, honey."

"Are you still thinking about avenging me?"

Your eyes shoot wide open at that, and you can't avoid suspecting they might have the capability of reading your mind.

Regardless of their word choice, you were -- in a sense -- wanting to avenge them from anyone who'd once caused them harm, be it Jerry, the monsters, or the loud and nosy neighbour from next door wondering why Frisk enjoyed playing with action figures just as much as they did playing with princesses.

"Ren!"

Hearing their whine of concern, you snap out of it and look down to see they've let go of your hand, both their arms now outstretched and in wait for your embrace.

"Do you want a hug?"

Your smile returns at that, albeit a bit more melancholic compared to the first time. You get down to their height and pull them in for a hug, sighing when you have them safe in your hold; it feels right to have them close and in your care, no matter how much your mind insists otherwise. The question you brought up back at the Judgement Hall still feels like the most subconscious part of your mind had possessed you, insisting you turn back to how you used to be after Frisk's fall.

"You don't need to protect me that much!" they say, letting go. "I... I know all the monsters well, so I'd tell you if any one of them's bugging me. You don't need to hate them for my sake, and you don't have to compare them to dad, either." Without a doubt, if humans still had the capability of using magic and spells, you would label them a mind reader. "You should get to know them on your own first, and not just based on who they are to me. Because if that's really all up to me, then the only one I don't really like much is..."

At that, they stop; they bring a finger to their chin and tap it twice, delving deep in their thoughts along the way.

"Huh..." Frisk taps their chin again and their gaze turns furrowed, scrunching up the more they think about it. "I mean, I don't really know if I dislike any of them... I just know I wanna have friends!"

You're compelled -- if not, urged -- to argue against that, though your heart stops you from spilling any of those thoughts out. Still, your mind attempts to push through it. Personal feelings couldn't cloud your judgement, if that meant it could bring harm to your child.

"Even if they-"

Hearing the engine rumbling as Papyrus parks close by the sidewalk is a blessing in and of itself; the aforementioned date night with his brother can't get here any sooner. You need to sort your thoughts out once and for all. Almost half a year of waltzing with the seemingly never-ending issue of Frisk's journey and the bonds they made through it was far too much. If you were slowly making friends with those same people too, then you needed to stop this at once. No matter how much you wanted to avoid said confrontation, that had to be done -- for both CPS and reasons beyond.

"You're right." You huff, bring a hand to your forehead, and go lower to massage the brim of your nose. Not a moment after, you fix your glasses, look back to their side, and form a smile. "Thank you, dear."

• • •

You close your eyes just before the monster presses a damp cotton ball to your wound.

Isopropyl makes it sting immediately, yet you're too busy with your thoughts to care about it that much.

"You okay?" Sans asks, meeting your eyes when you open them. "You've been quiet since we got 'ere."

"I'm okay, but..." You think back to how you greeted him with a wave, right as you did with his brother. While the monster before you didn't seem to mind it, you can't avoid the thought of how you used to be with Jerry. It was easier to be more affectionate back then, and it was easier still greeting him with a kiss -- be it a simple one on the cheek or a quick one on the lips. Now, you can't so much as imagine the prospect of doing that with your new partner without overthinking or feeling stressed about it. "I was wondering if we... if we should maybe keep our relationship private -- f- for now?"

He finishes wrapping the bandages and fixes them tight before replying with, "That's fine with me. Did you watch the video?"

"No, I'm..." You grow short of breath at the thought of how many people have likely seen it by now -- how many times it's been shared, and how many more discussions and heated arguments have revolved around it. "I'm too scared to."

You can't bring yourself to look at him any longer, so his expression falls unknown as he suggests watching it together, a question you answer to with a quiet and mumbled 'sure'.

Sans proceeds with a nod and stores all the items used back into the first aid kit before taking out his phone, settling down in bed, and holding your hand with his free one. "Really sure?" he asks, squeezing it once. You reply with an even quieter 'yes' and watch in silence as he clicks on the link sent by what you assume is several people, based on how Undyne, Brenda, and even the man from the train station -- now his friend and your co-worker -- have messaged him the same information, all three left unread. The one he chooses is farther back and dated with yesterday, this one sent by Jerry.

It plays in an instant and the first thing to appear is Asgore's garden, while murmurs are what compose the audio as the one filming shows himself around a field of trampled flowers, these now a mess of broken pots, thrashed earth, and missing rocks. A few others make him company and engage in small talk, though it ends quickly when one of them shouts for everyone to 'get over here quick'. The group does as told, leading for the cameraman to rush along with them out of the garden and into the Judgement Hall. The audio grows quiet as he ventures further, steps and voices now discreet as he films a fuzzy image of two people sitting at one of the benches laid around, with the exception that one sits on top and has their arms wrapped firm and tight around the other. Multiple people urge the cameraman to approach the scene more, making him show you and Sans kissing, albeit of a blurry quality with how much he has to zoom in so as to not be caught. Even the noise is recorded with how silent everything else is, this one mostly composed of hitched breaths and clothing shuffling against each other as you hug him closer. Thankfully, no kissing noises are recorded, something you assume is due to him having a shapeable skull rather than lips, along with how slow and careful your actions are.

The video ends when the kiss does, and it leaves you in the same silence created right before clicking on it.

Regardless, Sans opens up the page it was posted on to reveal more information about the creator.

'Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this stuff? This is the future that awaits us, if we continue to act as if we can live peacefully with these people. Opposing these changes is necessary, if we wish to keep our normalcy. Casual make outs with a being so far from human shouldn't be the norm of our world', reads the caption.

Below, some of the replies read from ones saying the poster isn't the only one who shares those thoughts, to ones who've taken the time to write an entire paragraph about the situation.

'🤢🤮'

'Absolutely not.'

'No, you're not. This is outright hideous.'

'Click here to see my 👄 HOT 🔥 noods 🍝: www.uhohspaghettios.xd'

'Wow, this is just like 1984.'

'Next thing you know, we'll be the ones living in the Underground.'

'I need eye bleach ASAP!!! 😱'

'Yeah, no. Hard pass on whatever the hell I just watched. Why did you even film this?'

'That skeleman is nothing but a closeted cradle-robber. Anyone who's met (Y/N) knows how naïve and childish they are, and them dating someone like that screams bad news. Forget that he's a monster, people! What's more important here's how he's got a liking for them despite that gap -- both mentally AND physically. He should be ashamed for bringing their reputation even further down with this video. At this point, I have trouble believing they'll ever recover from all this.'

'...Ok, but...... Am I the only one who finds this kinda.................. Hot? 👀💦'

'Of course, even a monster would try to have his way with someone like them. Look at how they're dressed!'

'To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand how wrong this stuff is. The degeneracy infesting the Surface nowadays is extremely subtle, and without a solid knowledge of social sciences, most of the immorality will go over a typical person's head. There's also the skeleton's nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterisation -- his personal philosophy draws heavily from George Orwell literature, for instance. People like us understand this stuff; we have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these social rejects, to realise that they're not just ridiculous -- they say something deep about LIFE and SOCIETY. As a consequence, people who see nothing wrong with this truly ARE idiots -- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the humour in the skeleton's existential catchphrase "Genocide is wrong", which itself is a cryptic reference to Er*n Yeag*r from Att*ck on Tit*n. I'm smirking right now, just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as our fight against this backwards evolution unfolds itself on their phone screens. What fools... How I pity anyone who disagrees with you and tries to defend this behaviour. 😂'

At the bottom of it all, a neglected comment reads:

'Not only are you and your companions trespassing in an unsafe location, but your recording shows clear evidence you were damaging former King Asgore Dreemurr's property. You have also chosen to film these people without their knowledge despite them being in a private area, and uploaded the footage to a massive social media platform, as well. This is punishable by law, and I will not hesitate to stand for these people, if they decide to file a lawsuit against you.'

What stands out the most goes beyond the commenter's name, as his profile picture is what captures your attention first, regardless of how well-dressed he appears in the image and how small it is without clicking on it. Sans seems to share the same thought as you, as he clicks on the man's account without thinking twice. It takes some time to load, but when it does, your mouth gapes and you find yourself at a complete loss for words.

'Gerardo "Jerry" Gonzalez Gutierrez del Valle. Family practice lawyer since 20XX. Co-founder of the first Alcohol and Smoking Helpline for monsters. Former quarterback for Ebott U's Football League,' his bio reads.

You're overcome by what feels like an hour of silence before you can process what you've read. The age-old experience of reviewing material from your textbook at three thirty in the morning arrives when you try to read through his profile a second time, then a third. Even his pictures are difficult to process, these a variety of him posing with his co-workers at the newly-opened helpline building, screenshots of his progress with quitting alcohol and his strike of days and months sober, images of him in different suits, and -- last but not least -- a couple of Throwback Thursdays from his glory days, featuring both high school and college memories. It's hard to decide which feeling out of multiple is stronger than the rest, as jealousy combines with the slightest thing you expect out of this discovery: being reminded of the good ol' days. Guilt arrives next when growing aware of your current relationship with the one sitting next to you, even if it's only the thought of how happy you used to be with the man in those pictures before everything went haywire.

"You're... You're seeing this too, right?"

You hear him chuckle and see him agree with a nod, though you can't exactly fall back down to Earth again; were this a dream, you would accept it as such.

"Yeah." The monster looks you over once before adding, "And am I imagining it, or did I catch you smilin' at 'im just now?" He winks.

"So you're telling me you're really not surprised by this, at all?"

"...Touché."

You stand up and give your back to him, irked by his assumption despite him being nothing close to serious about it. "But, please don't think I still like him." Your hands turn into fists at the thought of going back with someone like him, no matter his current intentions. "I still haven't forgiven him, and I still..." Bile rises to your throat as your stomach churns wildly. "I still hate him." Then, you take a pause to gather strength. "And maybe that's a strong word, b- but... It's hard for me to forget that's the same man who once accused me for every little thing that wasn't 'normal' with Frisk, from them running away the first time, to them refusing to call him dad -- even when I never prevented them from visiting him, and e- even when he stopped visiting them first." Your chest shakes as you huff. "I... I still dislike him, and I really hate that I remembered good things about him just now."

Your mouth refuses to shut up and makes you continue on with, "So if I still can't forgive him, how can I make a decision for CPS with so many of you and in so short of a time? I still can't decide what to do, no... no matter how much I've learnt about everyone else." Your throat turns dry, and you find it difficult to swallow. "Hell, it was only yesterday I finally gave into one of my doubts. I thought it twice before asking if you wanted to kiss, but it'd been in my mind for a long while before that."

"You're sayin' the kiss was you decidin' to trust me?"

"Yes."

He scoots closer to your side and furrows his gaze.

"Even after that dream, and even though I started it?"

"Y... Yes." You do the same as him and smile. "I trust you, and... And I know the dream's likely just me overthinking this. One thing's spilling the truth when you're drunk, and one thing's getting... too caught up in your fears -- to the point where you have these warped dreams about someone else, no matter how much they mean to you."

His irises soften in their light, and a hint of culpability seems to fall on him. "Then I'm sorry for bringin' your ex into this." You sit back down with him and hold his hand again. "It wasn't right."

"It's okay."

"Doesn't look that way."

Before you know it, you're held by your lower back, pulled close, and brought down in bed.

He stays on top, gaze focused on yours rather than on your lips or anywhere else suggesting something more.

"Have you found that help yet? Counseling, I mean." His gaze remains the same despite having changed topics so abruptly. "How're ya doin', puddin'?"

"Bubbles and Brenda suggested two recently, but I... I still haven't gotten around to calling either one of them."

"Want me to make you company while you try that now? We've got time."

"...Kiss me first, please?"

He lowers more and presses his teeth to your neck.

"Gladly."

[First] | [Previous] | [Next]

• • •

Tag List (Comment or message me if you want to be added to [or removed from] it!)

@the-simp-express

@nektotersh

@disastrous-l0vebug

@therealchickenjoe

@mintyflakes025

@pandaquick

@timelock97

@candle-creeps

@paperb9gs

@merak0

@homesickinvader

#sans x reader #undertale x reader #lgbt #lgbt themes #gender neutral reader #male reader #female reader #mother reader #father reader #parent reader #chubby reader #long fic #romcom #adventure #mystery #platonic relationships #slow burn

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floralkittygambler · 4 years ago

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HuskerDust - More Toxic Than You Think [LONG]

This is the rough version of a deeper and more complex subject I want to ‘decorate’ with more ‘screencaps’. DISCLAIMER: This is allegedly controversial and led to me getting literal death threats and an ED triggered. Ive about heard a lot of people’s shit on this so dont try it. I’m speaking from personal experiences too - experiences I really fuckin dont wanna be sharin yet they kinda validate my points. I want people to be aware of the damaging image from someone who can speak from experience without attracting dickheads or people twisting things. Again, I aint particularly comfortable sharing this so yeah- Be courteous- TW AHEAD - ALSO LONG ASS READ. DNI STANS OR ANTIS. May tag a few folks, may not. HuskerDust is an extremely popular ship in the community however there’s glaringly obvious flaws in this one-sided relationship that both the fans and even the team fail to see. Neglecting the dangerous real world implications this ship [as well as many others] present to it’s audience - especially the more influenced of the audience, most who are children.

Angel flirts with all the male cast however one who catches his eye the most is Husk. Now I want to point out a few things [of many... obviously]; Angel is instantly starry eyed upon seeing Husk, likewise he actually started off with a ‘Hey~’ instead of something sexual. However he quickly ruins this after Husk tells him to go fuck himself [defined by: “ go fuck yourselfphrase of fuckVULGAR SLANGan exclamation expressing anger or contempt for, or rejection of, someone.” ie, he rejected instantly] by responding with an offer to allow Husk to essentially watch him masterbate. Alongside this, he cradles his face. Husk pulls away and seems to pull a face to express rage/disgust or growling imagery alongside COMPLETELY withdrawing his body away from Angel as Angel stares with goo-goo eyes. Firstly, Angel loves animals - perhaps it’s Husk appearing cute that adds to this, however Im not going to address animal imagery just yet. Secondly, Angel isn’t really portrayed to respect other’s boundaries BUT he does respect... Alastor’s. Al declines the blowjob to which Angel shrugs and doesn’t push this matter any further. With Husk, he’s pretty harshly told to piss off yet he makes quite and explicitly sexual remark, alongside invading his personal space and touching a man clearly disinterested and pulling away. From the initial rejection, it then becomes sexual harassment. I also want to add that Husk comes with [some] perks in his feline form. And if my name didnt make it obvious, I work with and live with cats on a daily. Briefly, I have been educated in how to understand cat’s language in various individual cat as well as how to handle and work with them. Cats are often drawn towards me and Ive been successful with various types of cats. My most recent being a cat I’ve dubbed as Big - Big was abandoned quite young and has lived most his life on the streets [where I live is high in crime and drug rings, so you can imagine how strays are treated] leading to him being extremely fearful and hating people, hissing and fleeing just seeing people. I took time out last summer to finally give befriending him a shot. It’s taken just under a year of hard work and now he visits every day for his mush [wet food] and kisses, responds to his name and runs up to me in delight. Ive even taught him a phrase to signal that I dont want him or the other cat’s to fight [keeps them all safe and aids them becoming acquainted under supervision - something that’s been working surprisingly well]. I apologise in advance as this is not going to be the first instance of this sort of thing but they are relevant. Trying my best to keep it as brief. For Husk, I will be using a mix of cat and human characteristics to break down his reactions. In this first interaction, he turns his body away in a way to suggest caution, wariness and disinterest. In fact, much of his general body language is that of a man deeply closed off from connections - for starters, he folds his arms quick a bit which suggests lack of openness, shutting off and defensiveness *usually*. Likewise, when touched, he slightly jumps and tenses before pulling back in aggression with flattered ears - a sign cats give to display extreme hostility in a situation. It’s NEVER a good thing but then again, neither is crossing someone’s boundaries. It’s even stated that Husk hates Angel’s advances and wishes for nothing to do with him - the same dislike of sexual advances that Al dislikes in Angel. The ending as they all walk inside, Angel turns to Husk, winking and blowing a kiss his way despite the clear rejection earlier. In fact, Husk once again grows tense and is even irked by such a gesture. This won’t be the last mention of Angel totally disregarding how Husk feels - something that rubs off onto the fans AND the team themselves. And it’s... *concerning*, to phrase it lightly. Angel so far is the most persistent towards the most resistant, and in my post on RadioDust I have already established [briefly] on how Angel seems to chase unavailable men. The more unavailable, the more tempting. The one that got away, mentality. It’s not healthy. And I’m surprised so few have acknowledged this. Taking a break from what we’ve seen in the Pilot, let’s establish some facts about the pair. Angel died in 1947 in his 30s [some posts specify 34-35], putting his birth year around 1911-12ish. Husk died in the 70s IN his 70s [again, nothing is truly specified, so for both we’ll go with 75 - the same number in his IG username] that puts birth year roughly 1900′s. Now an age gap between two adults of 11 - 12 years difference is actually reasonable and can work, depending on circumstance and whether theres a balance in power or not. But when we account for their life experiences and death ages, it’s something else entirely. Angel died young. Not only that but his mind seems more stuck in his raunchy teens than of an adult. And even THEN, he wouldnt be one to necessarily settle down [by which I mean in life, not romance]. He’s extremely emotionally stunted and his selfishness and wanting his own way come off very spoilt [when Husk is pissed off about the cat costume, Angel gets moody because he’s used to compliments AND is dressing to impress Husk. When Husk wanted the money he was rightfully owed, Angel threw a fit for ages until starting to earn it back - even though he owed Husk a drink, which I’ll be coming back to, Husk still wanted the money in the end perhaps hinting to only accepting a freebie as it’s on offer as well as Angel being overly persistent. He even dumps his pig onto Husk to look after, while theres no issue in pet sitting, Angel said Husk ‘owed’ him due to missing the show yet when HE owed Husk, he threw a fit.]. Angel’s life style is wildly chaotic in life AND death, and even though we all know he’s most likely going to be redeemed, he still lacks a lot of experiences in life. He lacks maturity. On the other hand, Husk’s been through his own share of chaos and heartbreak. Difference is, he’s had a life time of experience. He doesn’t act immature in a childish sense. He truly behaves like a downtrodden old man. He’s had his days and would feel more secure settling down in a more peaceful environment with fun yet much needed calm. A better way to handle his need for risk. Age gaps in adults that are large [75 - 35 = 40 years!] are far less likely to work for a multitude of reasons. The main reason is the difference in life stages - that difference in mentality and experiences plays such an impacting role on compatibility. Often their goals and energies are polar opposites and their common grounds minimal. There’s also the looming concern of power dynamics. Whilst it’s usually the older figure that’s holds the power advantage, in this case it’s a little bit more complicated. I’d argue that it’s possibly Angel with the higher power. This rarely works irl but it’s POSSIBLE. Look at Hugh Heffner and his last partner before his death. I believe she was around 22. However there’s many common grounds, immediate attraction, and similar goals. Though incorrect, Heffner does give off a pimp-like vibe (he’s not but you get what I’m implying with mothlike imagery). Husk does not strike me as that type. It would definitely cheapen his character. In terms of interests, the main thing they have in common is that they like to drink. A bad habit, especially when one is an alcoholic. Both are also rather lazy except for certain circumstances [Husk will go out of his way to help HOWEVER he’s obliged to under Al, the only one he’s seen to willingly help and bond with/be seen with is Niffty. Angel is when there’s a fight, chaos, drama or any sex work]. Both are also rather snarky and vulgar. In terms of love, both suffer intimacy issues. On Husk, it’s ‘losing the ability to love a long time ago’ meaning he was likely cheated on or at least had a failed relationship. If he was ever ready for a new start, he’d definitely want something stable yet rewarding. For now, he needs a LOT of work - work he is not yet willing to put in, nor does he have a reason to. Angel doesnt want to commit because he’s extremely selfish as well as in an already abusive ‘relationship’ already. Sex work is sometimes VERY taxing on the mental health due to some of the folk you service. He’s seen the worst in many and just enjoys the pay and fuck. IF Husk was cheated on, then it’d make a lot of sense if a sex worker wouldn’t be his flavour, it would just serve as a reminder. Not only this, but Angel HIMSELF actively participates in cheating. Not with Val... but with *Travis*. BOTH know Travis is married (I’d be feckin worried if Trav didnt-) yet they still choose to cheat anyways, regardless of the pain it could cause. Angel even mocks this by sending greetings to Trav’s wife. Honestly this... Reminds me a LOT of Stolas - a main character who sexually harasses another character clearly not interested/comfortable, participates in cheating and we’re supposed to root for them (and before anyone gets offended, I do have more to say on Angel’s behalf so please be patient). Either way, it’s very toxic and concerning. Even if Husk wasn’t cheated on, I dont think many would feel exactly secure after having such a rough past with love, diving into a relationship with someone who’s openly participated in multiple affairs. And that’s no shitting on sex workers either, it’s just a point that some would feel uncomfortable with the idea of being with ANYONE (regardless of their work) having actively and KNOWINGLY took part in having an affair previously - especially multiple. Husk’s in an emotionally fragile place and needs more security. We’ve already established Husk heavily dislikes Angel’s advances. In fact, his responses to Angel are similar to his responses to... Al! His body language is VERY test and closed off to even Al, who’s most likely knew him for a very long time. If even Al gets this treatment (whilst also disrespecting his boundaries) then it’ll be the same with Angel (both force Husk into their lives and schemes, both disregard his boundaries). And he’s shown to STILL go out his way to help both however this is most likely tied to an unspoken ‘debt’ he owes Alastor. Plus he’s been mentioned behind the scenes to be a secret softie and protective grandpa type. But this animosity is very reflective of how Loona behaves and responds to Blitzo as well as how both Loona AND Husk (One being a ‘lowly servant’, the other being a literal old MAN) as pets - even the fans - just because of their forms. But this isnt the first of the disrespect they receive. Now we delve deeper Both are addicts of some kind (Husk - drinking, gambling. Angel - Drugs, possibly sex). Not a good mix at all romantically. Addicts often and unintentionally feed their addictions to each other as well as can increase likelihood of relapsing which even a recovered addict can slip back into. When times get tough (a natural occurrence) both are likely to suffer with their addictions. Interestingly, they can become addicted and dependent on one another, which is genuinely unhealthy for a mindset anyways, regardless whether addiction existed prior or not. Addiction only increases these chances. Angel likes confidence in a man (confirmed on Patreon). Yet, Husk is even confirmed in streams to be deeply troubled and insecure. One thing he hates is his demon form, something that we’ll touch on shortly. Angel loves quality food ESPECIALLY of Italian origin whilst Husk is willing to eat the shit they give you in bars (admittedly that was painful to type as someone who grew up around pubs - either way it’s not exactly high quality or gourmet is what I’m saying). Interestingly, in some character references of Angel, it’s stated that he hates rejection. Hates. That’s a VERY strong word. This could explain but not justify why he’s persistent with Husk (similar to NiceGuys believing you’re playing ‘hard to get’ - further illuding to an immature and toxic mindset) though it interestingly doesn’t apply with Alastor. Odd. There’s a counterpoint to symbolism in art. A very VALID counterarguement... If it suited Viv’s style. During Media Studies, Business, Design and Art, hell fucking Silent Hill! - I’ve been educated on effective symbolism as well as artistic trademarks (the most famous that most should know is Alfred Hitchcock!). Hitchcock often appeared in all his films, usually as a sidefacing silhouette, trading marking his films with his very PRESENCE. Viv’s seems to revolve around hearts. I mention this because an IG account made the point that hearts were to symbolise anyone connected with Angel’s story and love life (Valentino’s business and shades/collar, heart behind Angel’s head, Heart tattoo on Cherri’s right shoulder, hearts for Husk’s paws, eyebrow marks above natural brows, wings, and nose as well as most of the playing cards). Thing is, there’s hearts EVERYWHERE in all of Viv’s works and such symbology of Angel and hearts is weakened if it connects to the villains/abusers as well - taking away the positivity in a love symbol. Viv’s used hearts in her font, backgrounds, in characters ears, in all her series just generalised, Blitzo’s forehead, background characters, again the cards, Travis’s eyes, Millie’s right shoulder in the SAME place as Cherris. Even Vaggie had a heart tattoo on the shoulder in some christmas themed artwork (on her left). Heart’s is just something Viv seems to brand herself with. And that’s fine though I feel she could do with cutting it down slightly. One thing to early note on the cards (again, this’ll creep up later and my name should tell you why), most are heart suits and usually either a face card (J, Q, K), Joker, ace or 2s. Face cards/Jokers for more details close up (look at the signing artwork) and the rest are just easier to animate, though a little bit of a peeve to someone into their cards as well as the massive overuse of red in Hazbin overall. It’s extremely unlikely to be symbolic. If they change it to be so, then it’s... Weakened. As I’ve mentioned earlier, Silent Hill is an example of extremely clever symbolism in more darker media (more so, SH is considered a ‘hell’ of sorts and does feature religious iconography WITHOUT causing offence. A great example of how to portray this type of thing - they even mix humour in if you consider some of the sneaky references, dialogues and odd UFO/dog endings). Discussing Viv’s art further, she drew a gift for her sister (original creator of Husk when he possessed white fur) of Angel playfully dragging a disinterested and annoyed Husk (I believe this was still around the time SpiderMoth was canon). The newish art tends to have Angel putting a holly crown on him or sitting on his knees, Husk seeming too lazy to really do anything about it. Very nonchalant. I also want to include some interesting stream arts here and later to further highlight their bond. A fan asked Viv in a stream to draw them “actually getting along” - this wording implying that the fan is aware of Husk not enjoying Angel’s company. So Viv did, with an extra doodle of Husk being one of the ‘canadian people’ from South Park who sing “Im not your friend”. The art alone shows Husk’s absolute discomfort, even the extra thing Viv added w/o request. As they’re her characters and the fan asked for what they’d look like getting along, to show this discomfort goes to show the dynamic once planned. Husk just isnt a fan of Angel, especially when he’s being sexual and touchy. It can be great for small comedic parts, however both the team AND fans have now crossed this over to really creepy and triggering realms in their ships. It’s creepy and doesnt look good on Angel (who they actively root for) nor the gay community (more on that).

[Yes Ive already pointed out the comedic side of this ^ but it doesnt bode well considering the other points and issues that arise] There’s also a request for drag angel flirting with drunk husk. Personally thats a lil creepy to specify one of the two being intoxicated and thus not able to truly consent. If Angel is willing to flirt with someone in that state, it doesnt mean he would fuck them, but it does feel the fan was thinking that’s the case. In all truth, I think Angel WOULD flirt with those incapable of consent purely to swindle or pickpocket. I’d like to think [and HOPE considering his own abuse by Val] that he’d never take it further. And I hope Viv, the team and the fans see how incredibly creepy that thought is. I’ll give benefit of the doubt though it is still a concern. Either way, Angel appears... Annoyed? Husk is completely turned away and seems incredibly grouchy and confused. This shows yet more rejection on his behalf as well as Angel’s response to being rejected, which highlights his immaturity towards it. Remember, he’s USED TO and EXPECTS everyone to want him (even saying this in the Pilot). Hell, there’s even a Rich Vaggie request where Viv again randomly includes Husk. This time, he’s faced towards her and relaxed, though seems unimpressed and overall disinterested in this type of behaviour. Behaviour and interests of Angel [Celeb status and rich appearance due to Val, despite getting very little of the cut and the vanity, as well as Husk just not giving a shit about this sort of peacock display]. (Also wanted to note in Viv’s #3 stream 1:50:50, Faust makes out that Husk is a ‘dirty, creepy old man’ as well as him constantly threatening violence towards Angel. I dont see him as *creepy* in this context - as it implies perversion that he blatantly lacks fortunately - though it’s very telling of how Husk feels and again shows this toxic relationship).

/Angel’s Type: First off, daddy issues. He has them. Now let’s look at ‘daddy’. Henroin is shorter than Angel, dark fur, grumpy, old, wears only a hat and tie, big brows... Sounds familiar? Ok, look at his brother Arackniss. Similar to Henroin, dark, short, grouchy, bullied by and bullies Angel, is adverse to Angel and overall possess a bad relationship. Ok.... His main client, Travis! Short, dark fur, moody, Only wears hat and tie, drinker (shown in stream as request so take drinking with a pinch), similar face to- Is no one else seeing this trait? Angel seems to go for these shorter than him grouchier men who either want him for sex or hate his presence. Men who are like his dad and brother. All of these guys are far too similar, and we’ve got enough men in suits, bowties and sharp teeth in this show to boot as it is- The psychology of this type of attachment is rooted in a bad familial relationship alongside the subconscious desire to repair or compensate for it. Unknowningly the person will keep seeking out this sort of guy who isnt good for them to fix this internal issue. The resolution is to NOT go for these types. It’s also connected to intimacy fears, by going for those you know arent good for you/right for you/interested in you is often the manifestation of these issues. Pair them with daddy issues and it’s a disaster! There is science to back this up. Valentino is interestingly the opposite yet still toxic issues arise. Why? Because he’s going from one extreme to the other but with the same mindset. Neither of these men or types for MANY reasons are right for him. And visa versa. Seeing a pattern? ~~~~

Angel w Husk? I mentioned before that Husk hates his demon form. If you’re an old man, a gambler, some Vegas bloke and have this grouchier disposition, why the fuck would you want to look like an oversized pet? Exactly. Angel however adores his own aside from the feet. Now I find it strange how the guy we’re rooting for just so happens to like his own form which was intended for punishment. But that’s not todays post. I said earlier that Angel is heavily fixated on Husk’s appearance. Especially the feline aspects (calling him Husky and Kitty - petnames he hates that also treat him again more like a pet than a man -, dressing as a ‘sexy cat’ to appeal to him which can come off as more mockery. This is even backed up by fans who seem to think an old guy’s gonna act like some school girl anime trope?). All of this completely disregards and disrespects Husk’s feelings and perspectives. Something the fans and team take part in actively. Angel - whether you want to hear this or not - is SELFISH. When Husk ‘owed’ him for missing the show (babysitting Fat Nuggets), Husk begrudgingly fulfils this. The second Angel owed Husk for stealing drinks, Angel threw a hissy fit. The silent treatment, going to other bars and posting about it whilst complaining (again focusing on Husk being ‘cute’). Trying to cop out of it by buying Husk a smoothie (though it looked like a date, lets be real, do you REALLY have to bribe someone to date and be around you? No) and even then he still had to owe the money which was more of Husk’s concern. Yes he did in the end and more money than needed, hence the returning of the extra cash, but that is no excuse for the childish behaviour prior. He’s much too accustomed to being adored and pampered and getting his own way that he cant grasp when people arent a fan or willing to pamper him. If they make them a ship, all it does it make Angel completely into a shitty Gary-Stu that everyone loves and pities for his suffering, rather than teach him to grow, earn his redemption and confronting his own toxicity. Let me make this extremely clear: ANGEL DOES NOT DESERVE ABUSE OR RAPE. But when he starts behaving as shitty, he’s hard to root for. Remember, he’s sexually harassing all these guys, with Husk getting the brunt of it. But it’s treated as a joke for them and only taken seriously for Angel. Val abuses all of his employees. He abuses VOX and even THAT was mocked by fans and staff. It’s... It’s frankly gross. In every interaction Husk has with Angel, his body language is closed off, tense, uncomfortable, turned away and hostile - look at the IG. He wont even allow Angel to touch him. Compare this to Niffty, who he’s fine with taking pictures with and letting her hang around and touch him. Body language is relaxed (relaxed shoulders, open body language) and he doesnt look hostile at all. What does Angel do? Always tries to get close to Husk (such as sitting as close as possible during Poker) and forces both his OWN hobbies onto Husk (ones that Husk shows a strong disinterest in) and Husk’s hobbies (Poker). It’s very FORCED and not natural. Going back to immaturity, he blames Husk and his cards for being shit at the game. They’re always bickering, insulting, fighting in the comments but fans only see this as a ‘cute couple fight’ or Husk being ‘tsundere’.Tsundere. An anime trope often used in young characters. Irl tsundere is NOT this dramatised. The tsundere you see in anime, apply that irl and you get the recipe for the most toxic, petty and immature relationship going. You get constant fights, unease, not feeling loved/appreciated, little trust - the list goes on. Plus an old bloke really isnt going to indulge in tsundere traits. It’s childish. After his history with love, I doubt he’d be up for games and messing about. For something meaningful, he’d just want open honesty. Their ‘relationship’ feels like it’s written by horny kids attempting a fanfic after being inspired by 50 shades and twilight (both show toxic relationshiiiiiips~). The worst is that these are adult writers trying to portray some realistic yet sensitive topics. This is just ill fuckin taste. Even the warnings in Helluva’s ‘Horny Demons’ leaves a bad taste when the fans are thinking Stolas is the best dad despite both parents ruining Octavia’s mental health. Despite the next day after that episode aired Stolas starts flirting with Blitzo again on IG. Despite Blitzo being clearly uncomfortable and sexually harassed and even co-herced into sex (VERY UNHEALTHY MESSAGES HERE). Viv herself has been in bad relationships so how the fuck she’s blind to this and even borderline fetishizing this sort of behaviour that everyone seems to play off as ‘Awwww cute tsundere <3 BOYFRIENDS BOYFRIENDS BOYFRIENDS’ is abhorrent. I’ll go into this more later on how this really just... It treats male sexual harassment and assault as a fucking joke- Angel’s constant unwarranted flirting is no different from the freaks on IG that send dick pics to underage kids and random women in their dms and fathom that they’re ‘nice’ and have a ‘chance’. Wanna know the creepiest? The candid photo of Husk on Angel’s wall. Something Husk seems horrified about. It’s fangirlish and teenager like at BEST, and obsessive stalker at worst. He’s NOT respecting Husk’s boundaries or feelings. That’s still up despite Husk’s reaction. He still wore the costume despite Husk’s feelings. Angel’s thinking with his dick and it’s such a fucked up message that everyone seems to support just because ‘its FICTION. Theyre in HELL.Theyre BAD people.’ Yeah? Well look at how that’s effecting and warping reality and perspective. It’s glamourising it. Fetishsizing stalking and making it cute. Yer have celebrity or boyband or whatever youre a fan of pics on your wall. NOT your crush. NOT someone who clearly isnt interested or happy with this. If someone who kept commenting on your pictures “sexy” suddenly had a picture of you on their wall, what would YOU think? How would YOU FEEL? Because myself and my own sisters have been in VERY fucking similar situations and it’s traumatic. His paw is even attempting the lens - Angel is crossing his boundaries and not getting the message that Husk doesnt want this. He’s forcing himself onto Husk. Yknow... VAL forced himself on Angel and it ended up in numerous rapes. Angel hasnt raped Husk, but if he wont take no. If he wont respect boundaries. If he only wants Husk to do what he wants but throws a fit when he owes husk - he’s picking up on Val’s bad habits more and more. How are so few - even the very team creating this - not seeing how disgusting this is? Are we only supposed to give a shit if Angels hurt? If so, the message isnt so much of how despicable Val is but how awful it is to upset Angel. Fans constantly blame Husk for being grumpy, annoyed at or rejecting Angel. Look at this real world implication. Not only that but Angel being gay just reinforces one of the worlds most disgusting and inaccurate stereotype of gay men being sexual predators and forcing men to have sex whether theyre comfortable or not. MOST gay men arent like this, and those who are its just because THEYRE shitty people (Jeffree fucking Starr, but look how people ‘stan’ his fuckin behaviour). Val is rubbing off on Angel as much as fiction has a MASSIVE impact on reality - whether we’re willing to admit it or not. Like Val, hes pushing past boundaries, he’s selfish, hes more into visuals than anything else. It’s one sided, superficial and theres no click. No connection. Be in this situation yourself and seeing this sorta shit becomes second nature to stay alive. Angel even says that most of hells residents are ‘ugly freaks’ yet finds Husk cute. It’s all LOOKS. Who else likes appearances alone? Val. I know this will trigger and upset fans, Ive been told to fucking die and have my ED triggered when I mentioned it before. But accept that all of them have flaws. Everyone irl have flaws. But there’s flaws and then theres a fuckin crime. If Husk was a woman, more people would see the flaw, but even then... Look at many romance movies - not all but many go for opposites attract (science proves this inaccurate irl), stalking, or even sexual harassments and assualts but she falls for him and they end up together. That aint love thats Stockholm with extra steps. Think you’re triggered and upset? Go through this shit - have a history with it happening - and then see some show you love and a comfort character get treated the exact same and everyone JUSTIFIES it, including the team themselves. It’s NOT cute. Part 2 to the previous point: Both do share common interests, but it’s very unhealthy such as excessive drinking, both being addicts and being rather lazy, etc. Otherwise the common ground just isnt good. They’re opposites that really dont compliment each other. (Not a valid point here but I find it interesting how Angel loves aquariums and Husk can fly too). Viv’s writing is mediocre at best (but with glowing potential - a diamond in the rough - hence why it’s so frustrating) but Husk’s writing is the laziest. According to Viv he’s (paraphrased) “easiest to write... doesnt care about anything, almost always grumpy leading to similar reactions to everything”. His voice and alcoholism even has a lot of inspiration from Rick Sanchez. As I said with Angel in the RadioDust post, it’s almost like the addictions are seen as a joke. A running gag is fine if you can play it off well and it’s not about something so serious EVEN MORE SO when the series is about how damaging the addictions are and redemption. Why is this end goal being ignored unless it’s about Angel himself? That’s not just favouritism or bias, that’s also heavily self indulgent and a backwards ass message. Right now, Hazbin and Helluva have this ugly fixation on sex and ships. VIV has a fixation on ‘horny demons’. Her main characters are incredibly sexual bar Al (dont even say Husk, Niffty, Charlie or Vaggie or even loona and Moxxie are even on par with the focus and treatment Val, Angel, Blitz and Stolas are given). It’s very fixated and concerning. Its starting to feel like it’s about to divulge into hentai than a legit series with even a hint of the plot or a message. It reminds me of Family Guy trying to be BoJack. It’s starting to remind me of fucking Sausage Party and the final orgy. Sex and swears makes it inappropriate for kids but that doesnt make it adult or mature, and this is coming from someone who swears more than a fucking sailor whos stubbed his bare pinky toe on a fucking crate corner. Constant swears arent funny or artful in the slightest when it’s over done. It’s just... childish adult humour. We cant be expected to want to root for any of them at this rate- All A24 and other companies are seeing is big cash and easily manipulated child audiences (for easy money). They KNOW it can be better but theyd rather be lazy as they’ll profit big either way. This is going to end up like YanSim and YanDev. Amazing potential, shit writing with a leader too stubborn to accept and act on criticism, seeing it as hate. At this point, Husk isnt a deeply troubled man with vices and interests. He’s just fuck candy and romantic end goal for Angel. To compliment and complete him. Just another accessory to the Angel Show. Vivs sister who made Husk even loves Angel so it’ll only serve to further this already toxic narrative. The ship doesnt look or feel right. There’s too much established now to see the dynamics and favouritism in the creators. Self indulgence. You cant play favourites when you do this sort of thing professionally. The audience can see it and it turns people away. Ask any nonHaz/Helluva fan what they think and it’s... Well, average. Another thing is everyone went full hype on Frozen focusing on something other than romance as a form of love. But then go back to “Ok now everyone reenact the final scenes of Sausage Party” afterwards. Not everything is sex and romance, and it really is starting to feel Viv and the fans are focused on that like Incels focusing on ‘chad’. It’s creepy. Helping with food, telling someone self conscious on their weight that they’re not fat, not taking more money than someone owes, even helping out with a pet - that’s something that a good friend would do. In fact, Husk even laughs at the goofy Angel cutout and it being destroyed. It doesnt instantly equate to wanting to fuck. The fact that the fans and even some of the team seem borderline horny is... Completely destroying this show, it’s message and everything about it. Viv said ships were hardly the focus in her stream but look at it now. Look at what Viv focuses on now. It’s just fanservice shit. Nothing more. Self indulgence shit, look at the team making rape into a fetish or shipping themselves publicly with the characters on the public IGs. It’s like watching children run a business and it’s painful because the entire series is suffering when it could be amazing. Friendship should be more normalised as a valuable type of relationship just as much as love or family are. I’ll also add that Husk adding after the show “Oh fuck... Is this what I missed? Shit.” is ooc like the ‘date’ (that was compensation for stolen drinks, like a tamer version of Blitzo fucking Stolas for the grimoire). It contradicts that he slept it off rather than an attempt at staying awake, as well as calling it a “god damn peepshow” implying a repulsion to the peverse tendencies. The constantly commenting, following and posting Angel related pics makes little sense either from someone who’s blatantly been sexually harassed as well as the clear repulsion of the candid pic on the wall. He outright rejected Angel. What would be realistic are the IGs focusing on learning about the characters, their lives and interests - ALL updating at realistic paces. Old men arent tech savvy usually nor care for social media that much. He’d post drinks, gambling, casinos, life with Niffty and Alastor. Heck maybe a picture of Angel captioned “When will this guy leave me the FUCK alone?”. He even only seems to tag angel, even in the pic that had Charlie and Vaggie [their shared account] or Niffty. Theres a CLEAR bias in the staff room and it’s messy. Look how most the female cast is ignored (Vaggie/Charlie, Velvet who posted a birthday gift to one of the new artists on the merch WHY? Gasu btw, Niffty, Millie only posting twice - heck even Vox and Loona sometimes get neglected. CLEAR. BIAS.) The ships focused on are 1) NOT established canon yet publicly favoured by Viv and the team (Stoliz, HuskerDust, VoxVal - that last pair havent actually got a VA either-), 2) Are TOXIC and theme around abuse or sexual harassment but it’s ‘cute because gae’ - NO. This makes gay people look really bad when they’re not. 3) HD and SL focus on one sided, stalkerish, cop out ‘tsundere’ excused ships to sugar coat the creepiness which only further fuels bigotry, 4) SL has MERCH on it now, so thats also profiting on sexual harassment imagery (again, dont give a shit they arent real - the EFFECTS are. The people who can relate ARE. The people being horridly stereotyped ARE). Thing is, the IGs originally were there to promote ADDICT which started as a fan song anyways despite everyone saying how Viv is stubborn in her ways an uninfluenced by her fans (proof says otherwise) yet shes allowed a fan song to be canon. Theres a focus on forced love for fanservice. The IGs have long outstayed their welcome. The Val account allows glamourisation of the sick shit Val does AND entinses fans to bully as they forget a REAL PERSON runs the fucking account, Val isnt even a scary villain either - hes just a big teen like everyone else - stuck in a teen drama with all this. Pimps are smart. Theyre scary. Theyre masters of manipulati- HOW DO THEY NOT DO THE RESEARCH?! Viv wanted this sense of realism and dealing with sensitive topics in one of the worst executed ways Ive ever seen- It’s toxic. It’s dangerous. These are shit messages and your fans display that when they think all criticism is ‘hAtE’ and actively bully real people w REAL EXPERIENCES. Telling them to ‘stop pls’ does fuck all because you still promote shit messages straight after. Like with Stolas to Blitz in a IG story a day after Ep 2. Classy. Fanservice seems desperate to keep these fans (rather than market correctly... Just like YanDev) and it leads to fans feeling like they have the audacity to steer the series. Poor business with WEAK boundaries. Viv, you lost your series a long time ago. Want it back? LISTEN TO LEGIT CRITICISM. Stop surrounding yourself with yes men. Even my best fucking friend calls me out when Im out of line because a real friend will fucking take the chance of hurting your feelings if it means helping you in the long run and grow. Mick joked about the inside of Husk’s ears matching Angels coat, that the ears are cat’s most sensitive and vulnerable parts. 1) Cats vulnerable part is their tummy - hence why you need their trust first (alternatively yer get the odd cat that has full confidence they cat hurt you a lot faster than you can tickle them - I own one), 2) Its weird that Viv doesnt know this considering how many cats she has - its important to learn the language of those you love to give them your full understanding and a great bond 3) This romanticises sexual harassment more than it already is in the media (remember, theres women out there still murdered for saying no!) as well as reinforces the stereotypes of gay men forcing non-interested men into sex (again, a very toxic and unrealistic trope - a dangerous one thats led to gays being murdered!). And the ears design is unnecessarily overly complex considering those fuckin wings he supports. If the design adds nothing to the character but aesthetic, then it can go on the chopping block. Rules for simple animation. Besides from Angel sharing the same tooth as Val (who knows if that was added after he started working for Val as branding?) you could use this argument to say Pent or Al are soulmates for Angel because of having striped suits, or sharp teeth - no, it was intended as a joke that Viv fueled to irresponsibly because it’s not the first time she’s dodged publicly addressing something (something youll NEED to get used to in a big company), and she’s publicly dodged shit after this too so Im not putting faith in her until she can act professionally as the job requires. Likewise, professionals should consider what and how they joke as they’re presenting an image of a company/business. And people WILL eat that shit up face value regardless. In her stream #2, a fan requests for art of flustered angel and smug husk to fuel their ship. at 2:10:21, she does so. She’s also done this for Baxter x Niffty and Cherri x Tom. As a professional, you really should be avoiding this sort of thing in the name of fanservice. I get it, fanservice = financial gain. But it also results in empty meaning. It’s a shell of what the passion project once was, hence why you make the ENTIRE skeleton before involving others. The team help construct the muscles, tendons and organs. The public - moreso critics and the more experienced in those fields help sew the skin. Then you bring it to life, the fans become like blood. They aid to keep it alive. Even Ash and Mick mention Husk being ‘tsundere’. Im had most my piece about it earlier, however I’ll repeat and add some extras. Tsundere is an exaggerated personality, often used in younger characters. In terms of a relationship, it’s very immature, leads to poor communication and results in a toxic love. Science can back this up as well as the lack of realism. It’s more immature minds/hearts that go to what they interpret as tsundere in hopes of the love life the media portrays. A farce. Y’know what Angel needs? Someone open, honest, open to love and comforting. He doesnt need someone rebuffing and him chasing. It’s nothing more than an immature thrill. Once the love begins, it’s burns out QUICK. It’s far from sustainable or healthy. It’s not what either really need and further show Angel’s fixation on men who subconsciously remind him of his father. It’s not healthy. Another thing is a tsundere actually IS interested but shows it in the most immature and childish means possible. Would a really old bloke actually give a shit to play those sorts of games? No. Not one coming from a place like husk has. It’s painful how lacking in research and experience these people are. Science backs up that opposites solemnly attract also. In fact, they often either repel or only get as far as friendship. Fan and Team Mentality in Brief: Im coming out with my ultimate pet peeve: if you’re going to have one of the MAIN characters be a gambler, do your research. The only background shit is a casino, LOADS of sex references (in Pride? Really?) and drugs. It’s like someone listing what they think is adult and tabboo and naughty. It’s yikes. Cards are almost always aces, 2s or blank. MOST are heart suits (like we need MORE red - we get it, it’s hell. But it’s an immature larvae stage hell). I get 2s and aces being easier to animate, however you have Husks wings, the entire of alastor, angels arms - if youre busting the budget for the menial then bust it to the cards. Theres like ONE spade. The full house isnt a full house (here’s a display of the fans lack of education on the matter as well which serves as a sure sign that they know just as little on any of this as SpindleHorse, they think it’s a sign on him being a card cheat. A card cheat. I aint saying hes not but what I AM saying is poker professionals are some of the most observant people in the world. Especially when money’s involved they’ll ensure youve got your facts right. That wouldnt fly at ALL. But theres more~ fans think Husk spent loaaaads of time staring at angel’s face in the IG poker out of <3 Newsflash. When you play poker you read EVERYONE like a book. Every little twist and twitch of the features. Its not about love. It’s about winning. Its about money. Play enough poker and it’s instinct if you want to actually play decently. Call bluffs. Life aint a fuckin romance.) And playing Poker at a BlackJack table? In a casino? These are all common knowledge and basics if you just research. And this is coming from someone with a history of this. The fans even believed Tipsy Bartender’s ‘Peach Princess Cocktail’ was something Spindlehorse made as a beverage form of Niffty, Angel and even Charlie because of the name. Now, Im not expecting everyone to be a fuckin boozy either, but to not even consider it’s a very real drink does show that many fans are far too young for that 18+ label. Fanart of HD often has Husk being OOC OR being held hostage (often via webs - one even being reblogged by Viv, aint that cute!). Some even have Husk completely intoxicated, which would be rape. Im not sugarcoating it. Because too many are getting the sweet treatment and copying Viv’s ‘dont address and it disappears!’ tactic - A LOT of internet celebs do it. The ship is drawn a lot by the team in the public eye, Viv reblogs it publicly (SL, HD, alongside canon only ships, how curious-). Husk is pan yet doesnt behave as the stereotype. And Id FULLY support this with my fucking SOUL (fun fact: you cant sell a soul. Thats myth to scare people-) if it was done correctly. But the way bisexuals, lesbians, gays and aces are portrayed so stereotypically (even Pan in terms of Val’s sexomania), it’s really REALLY uncomfortly coming across as Husk being pansexual JUST to make him an ‘option’ for Angel. Hell even the hets are given a shite representation. Some art btw has husk tricked into a kiss. Cute, we’re really starting to like blurring consent aint we? Remember, Angel has celeb power in his world. In the real world, he has a following. HE has the power in the ship massively. Hell, fans JUSTIFY Angels behaviour and absolutely rip Husk a new shithole if he fuckin even so as to DARE OPPOSE ANGELS MUCH DESERVED LOVE! - sarcasm because I have to make that shit clear now. Fans dont care about Husks feelings, he wasnt even popular until this ship started to explode. Y’know what would be cool and break stereotypes? An old straight white guy actually accepting his friends sexualities. The pan thing feels really fucking gimicky and exploitive and gross based on the history of all this shit. It feels disingenuine. Representation doesnt come from it just being there. What next? Katie whips on blackface to further show shes a bigoted knobhead whos white and straight? Dont get me wrong, Katie’s an arsehole but theres other means to show this rather than ALL HETS HATE THE BIG GAE. They dont. They really dont. But hey, we’ll show a gay man sexually harass every guy and root for him! NO. Thats fucked up. It makes gays look like the predators theyre not. It’s like the fucking 50s with modern tech - is that the real identity of Vox? Fuckin maybe. WHAT THEY NEED - FUCKING FINALLY, ITS THE END IVE BEEN ON THIS SHIT FOR DAYS WHILST SICK LUCKY ME EH? CAN YER FEEEEEEEL MY TIREDNESS OF FANDOMS AND CREATORS EXCUSING SHITTY THINGS FOR CLOUT, MONEY, FAME AND OTHER DUMB SHIT? IF YOU CANT, THEN WHAT THE FUCK, AND OTHER NEWS: Right. Lets get our main shit. Compatibility between the pair is really low - lower than even the team seems to see. And yer old fart of a Hag here’s gotta use my personal suffering as an example because thats what the cool kids do, right? Their friendship compatibility is high. VERY high. But low for love. HEALTHY love. In terms of convo flow, it only has a river when insults are flying, otherwise Husk actively cuts Angel short or outright annoys him. In reality, someone like Husk would gross out Angel, but the cute cat look can turn that the fuck around - JUST the look. Fans and the team oddly think it’s cute though. Yes, I remember being negged at the bar and thinking “BOY arent my pants flooded like the fuckin planet when the ice caps are melting”. There’s no click. Theres infatuation and lust one sided based on looks. Husk isnt even remotely interested and no means delayed yes apparently. Angel as a rape VICTIM should know better than to blur consent like this. Angel isnt a rapist [for the skim reading raging stans ANGELS NOT A RAPIST, YAAAAAY!] but he sure has a shit grip on when he’s looking like Val when Val forced Angel into a kiss by not accepting rejection. It’s. CREEPY. Its fuckin weird. Husk is literally named after being a shell of his former self, I doubt random sex and forced interest is gonna make him spring to life like bastard Zeberdy from the Magic Pissin Roundabout. Honestly, sexual harassment and addictions are treated the same in this - a joke. A punchline. A gag. Sure makes me fuckin gag. Nah, the more healthier Chaggie relationship (needs work on Charlies damn part - dont let freaky taxidermy men sexually assault your life partner like that) is booooring, lets focus on sexual harassment leading to true love like all the other shitty romcoms shall we? Or sugar coat it with ‘getting to know them better <3′ like Beauty and the Beast. A story, by yours truly: My mom’s mates with this woman. Lets call her M because her name starts with an M. M is just like Angel except slightly older, overweight and disabled - so not everyones cup of tea visually (shes neither here nor there to me imo, not like I hold interest in shaggin her). Like Angel, she fuckin flirts with any ANY man around her. She’ll even touch without consent, rub allllll up and down their backs and bodies, and not leave them alone. She even did this with a few gay men. Shes not a horrible person BUT mom and I are constantly trying to stop her and get through her head how DISGUSTING this treatment is. But nothing gets the message across. Shes ALWAYS talking men and sex and has an on/off fling with this one bloke (dont worry, hes the male M, cheats and does the same as her). Everyone, even women, are uncomfortable with this. Irl it’s desperate and a HUGE repellent. Men are visibly SO uncomfortable. She does it to my father too who is - in case youd forgotten - MARRIED TO HER BEST. FUCKING. FRIEND. My father is not a man of fear (and interestingly, hes one of the real life Huskers I know!) but this woman? *insert Heavy bc why tf not* She scares him. My dad does everything in his damn power to pull away, reject, resist, avoid and cut her off. The only reason hes even nice to her at all is because mom likes her (when M isnt a gross hornbag, shes genuinely a good friend to my mother - much like angel and Cherri). My dad’s strictly banned from insulting her or telling her to fuck off from my mother BECAUSE of her nature with him. Even at her non horny times, he’s even said shes not his flavour. I’ve had numerous accounts like this myself (ask any woman-) but the worst was the guy thinking - THINKING - that Id eventually be his whilst he played up a lot of our similarities up, seemed nice and I actually thought I had a good guy friend (put it this way, Im genuinely scared of men because of guys like this). At this time, there was a character I discovered who looks and behaves SO much like me, and shes married. My simping arse for this fictional BEAUT [Im sorry but Iris is fucking awesome] compared her romantic traits towards Olgerd as something Id do - and this was a STATUS. It wasnt even too him, tagging him, nothing. I was just spamming Iris like the Iris whore I am, and... Yep. Ill be honest and say that God only knows what else I did that made him think I was ready to rip off my clothes and shag him. My post history back then showed Im like this when I find a character I relate to. I also send hearts a lot publicly and to friends to express joy - I get NERVOUS how that’ll be taken now. He tried to pit my ex friend and I against each other for him and even cyberstalked us pretending to be a girl named Raven. My GUT told me this aint no bastard ‘Raven’. The vibes he gave me, and the fact when I kept saying no he took it as a delayed yes (He even said “Ill wait for when youre ready” not “I understand and am happy to still be friends”) gave me literal nightmares of this guy tracking me down and raping me. He’s currently dating that ex friend (I was still willing to be their friend and support them but they said it was hard to keep us separate in her lifes and she didnt want conflict, so I cut it off amicably with her and I fuckin hope he treats her right. I even sensed in my gut she’d like him and he’d like her - even that theyd be good together! But then I found she was 17 and he was 10 years older, that he was cyberstalking and pitting us against each other, that he was secretly an arrogant fuck and that he gives off red flags like her ex’s - but shes passed 18 now and I want to trust her as an adult that she can deal with this. Shes got a good family.) As a kid, Ive been fuckin groped at school in my shitty neighbourhood. One kid even harassed me wanting to know if Id started my periods yet. Hed constantly fondle girls and ‘keg’ them aka yank down their skirts or trousers in public, and 2 years later held a fucking KNIFE to my throat in a classroom with the shittiest substitute teacher, all because I stood up to him (I was not known for my bravery at school so). He was harassing my female friend who suffers from it since as well as her upbringing, bullying her and stealing her stuff. Shes TINY. She was bullied just as bad as I - who was somehow both the school ghost AND pariah somehow- - and I stepped in and told him to cut that shit out before snatching her things back. I told her to ignore the desperate prick. Thats when he took a boxcutter and held it to my throat, threatening me to keep my head down. Now my neighbourhood fucking qualifies as the British ‘hood’ but Id been lucky to avoid this. Ironically, I wondered what this situation would be like a year prior. Im convinced I can fucking foresee bad shit now and with anxiety that aint good. I froze mentally and I just said “Wooow, Im fucking scared- *friends name*, ignore him” and continued my work. I fucking mentally kicked myself for speaking but I genuinely didnt know what to do. Obviously not fucking that. He sat the full TWO HOURS at our table with this knife, jolting forward mockingly and switching who he pointed it at. The knife btw was from that very room as it was graphics and art. Teacher didnt even notice though honestly Ive had an entire class throw shit at me and call me a whore and the teacher in that class looked at me and TURNED AWAY. End of the day, I reported it to my actual graphics teacher when he returned and he told me he’d take this higher up and to get my parents. My home was only 5 minutes away but I had to walk alone when most the students were gone AND through a fucking alleyway. I always walked with my head low but that day I kept it high and tried to look brave because I genuinely thought he was waiting for me. That he was going to rape and kill me because he’s a pervert and Id just discovered a fucking violent one at that. I broke down at my door. Do you know how fuckin hard it is to look your parents who are dealing with two cancer patients and other issues in the eyes and tell them their ‘little girl’ had a knife to her through for standing up for herself? We went back, I described everything and even remember the yellow-orange handle just to get this kid punished? I even wrote an official police statement (well, the written witness account they add to their statement and evidence) and had to speak on mine and my friend’s behalf because she was that shook up. I never even used to speak for myself! He got expelled, but yknow what us jolly folk dealt with? Hearing kids and his mates mumbling about the ‘rat’ and how much of a cunt they were. Teachers and kids praise him for his art skills and even pin them on display EVERYWHERE (one - ONE - was a fucking self portrait and none of the staff seemed to find issue in that) and even an occassion where he came back into the school when he legally wasnt (trespassing). Do you know how hard it is to fucking avoid someone without raising suspicions from everyone around you in a narrow corridor? Im TALL too. I got NO support from this and felt on edge because he could easily sneak into school. I couldnt say shit because his stupid ‘spies’ were about. Just typing this is upsetting enough- I also know a rl Angel who’s like him minus the sexual harassment. She’s... I never used to like her and visa versa but we actually get along really well now, even though she can be creepy and perverse- But she wouldnt be my type either nor I with her. Often we really fuck each other off but we can also bond great. Another incident reminds me of Husk’s candid photo. Ive had people keep my photo despite me saying not to however I had someone SOMEHOW at that school one the fuck up that. There was a cut out from a magazine of a lady who looked like my DOUBLE except she was asian. Now I thought this was cool and it made me feel sorta pretty. This one girl showed everyone and the teacher, pretty much everyone was like “Oh shit that really is you, C!” and it was harmless fun at first. Until I wanted the picture. Again, this woman looked EXACTLY like me. Yet this girl refused and said she wanted to keep it and even carried it around in her pencil case. Yes it wasnt me but due to the similarities, this photo was called me (tbf the fuckin pic got more respect than I did-). This isnt the only creepy instant between me and this girl but the photo reminds me of it. And this tops people keeping photos OF me which happened in primary school. This was me but legal at that time. And asain. It was super fucking neckbeardy the way she treated this photo and stared, often stroking it and looking at me. I just hope she was only trying to scare me. Theres one final instance of a sexual assault but Im just not yet ready to be public about it. 2 here already know. Those are some of my rl experiences and more to come (unfortunately) that show these behaviours in real life. It seems - it comes across - that sexual harassment, MORE SO TOWARDS MEN, is seen as some punchline and not something legitimately horrifying or dangerous. It’s not cute. It’s fucking FAR from it. Ive already mentioned how putting two addicts together can lead to relapsing, dependence on each other in an unhealthy way. And Ive even mentioned what Angel needs in a relationship in the RD post. Luckily for you, I’ll copy and paste it here: “ We need to think about where both are mentally. What benefits would a relationship give both? How would they be good and bad for each other? For Al, aside from his outdated views and being a fucking murderer and narcissist, he actually seems in a good mindspace for a relationship IF he opted to be in one. Angel however has a very immature mindset, likewise is in a phase of life where hes bed hopping. IF he were to be in a relationship, I’d say he needs a male equivalent of Cherri - someone with a similar mindset yet some differences, willing to have fun and in touch with their younger side, down to cuddle, open to share and receive love as well as not afraid to publicly be affectionate with him, someone who sees him as more than just for sex, someone fun, someone who’ll let him embrace his cutesy side publicly without shame - Cherri is younger so maybe someone who’s his age or slightly younger perhaps? I think Angel’s not retirement home ready to settle and needs someone on his level that can cuddle and chill as well as feels free and youthful enough to go wild with him. In one sense, he’s got a teen girl sorta mindset (dont put him with a teen though, it’s fuckin weird-). He needs someone positive and raw, someone to let him be himself as well as someone comfortable to be themselves around him. He has a habit of latching onto unobtainable men (in psychology, this is self sabotaging subconsciously): Travis the client, Val a pimp, Husk (emotionally unavailable and needs HEAVY self work - interestingly far more than Angel - plus he’s still onto his last relationship and an addict to gambling and alcohol), Pent who’s the enemy he was currently fighting (inappropriate timing), Alastor who’s not interested in another but his own needs [selfish, VERY bad for a relationship]. Subconsciously he’s self sabotaging on purpose. There’s many psychology books as well as sources online for this, if you’re interested. Either way, Angel is drawn to men either like his father [who dislike him, shun him, or are otherwise cold, abusive or just blatantly dislike or otherwise dont care about him] or anyone with money to fuel his drug addiction/’debt’ to Val. Going with any of these men isn’t a good idea. Preferably, Angel needs someone who he doesnt immediately crush and obsess over. Someone who he doesnt sexually harass or assault. Someone he can build a connection with quickly that can bud into romance (think how Chaggie started as a friendship which clicked immediately). Maybe even someone he doesn’t expect to fall for but does so anyways. It would be more realistic as Viv wants as well as more healthy. That for once he isnt sex or money craved instantly, thus doesnt sexually harass/assault and is given a proper chance to develop and grow a friendship and love. Someone who isnt an addict. Someone with an on-par mindset where they click. Someone open to love. For any chance of a good relationship, Angel needs to be with anyone BUT who we’ve already seen. There’s too much toxicity that’ll be swept under the rug and justified otherwise. Too much shit to fuel homophobes in terms of gay stereotypes. Even though Ive focused a fair bit on Angel, it’s NOT just about Angel. That’s something fans forget. Some he depends on or someone who depends on him in the long term wont last and will be very dangerous to both. Just because you suffer, you dont then deserve to be rewarded with ‘something nice’. You dont get to have everything youve ever wanted. Giving him any of these blokes [minus Val] gives him a pass. Gives him what he wants. I get Viv loves him but life doesnt work that way. True lasting growth comes from learning that. Acceptance and growth. You dont get everything you want and sometimes thats a GOOD thing. He’s not a spoilt kid who gets everything he asks for, he’s YOUR creation. If you really wanted what your creations deserve then you need to research and be realistic with it. Because hes starting to feel like a shitty Gary-Stu at this rate.” Sorry for that copypaste clusterfuck. Copy paste is not my forte lol Now Husk. Remember Big? Probably not after the info overload, but if you do GREAT. Big needed love, patience, understanding, someone who could help him, someone who understood and respected his boundaries. I spent so much damn time and now he cuddles up and exposes his tummy because I make him feel understood, loved and safe. He NEVER purred or meowed (why would he need to meow when he didnt speak to humans?) but now he does. He lives on the streets of a neighbourhood with rough folk. He used to draw blood and go rabid on my arms. But I was patient and showed him that I understood his reasons but that he was safe with me and had no need to strike out. I never pushed his boundaries let alone doing it multiple times (the rl angel I know is fucking skilled at pushing cat’s boundaries and wonders why they all huddle up to me and avoid her lol). Husk is an unavailable man. Romantic/Sexual love does NOT heal his wounds. But thats the only thought fans and the team have given on his side. He needs love to ‘fix’ him. The WORST reason to get with someone. Theyre not a project and you arent a fucking miracle worker. Treat them as an equal. He needs a good friend. JUST a friend. Like Big, he needs patience, trust, understanding, and extensive help (arguably more intense than Angel’s). He needs to love himself a bit more FIRST. Someone who respects his boundaries INSTANTLY. Someone relatable and similar, open to love not just sex and not as troubled (if they are, they need to handle it way better, healthily and overall be in a good mindspace). Viv can ship whatever the fuck tickles her fancy, but once your passion project becomes public and funded, you have set responsibilities on how to address and handle sensitive issues as well as having to accept criticism. If Husk goes sober in the name of love (ESPECIALLY with the guy not respecting his boundaries and sexually harassing him), then it’s a fucking INSULT to alcoholics. I know a few rl Husks but there’s one that anyone who knows me enough knows the man I hold closest to my heart was an alcoholic and spitting of Husk. That’s why Husk’s character means so much to me. But there’s only 2 here who know a bit more of this man. This is something Id hoped to not share so soon, nor as messy. And Im already getting waterworks because this is FAR from easy. I guess Husk became the very thing *I* needed in order to face this. This man was my grandfather. WAS. I cant even fucking accept that. I was a fucking child. I feel stupid being so open about this over some stupid cartoon but it just shows the real life effects this has on REAL fucking people. This man was old and lonely. Always at the pubs. He taught me card games, card tricks and card magic as well as one of his own sons dealing with a gambling addiction. I feel so fucking stupid crying about this- I dont want to open up but its the only way I feel I can get people to understand my side in all of this. This man was a fucking MESS. A closed off, lonely, grumpy old bastard. He lost his love because of his alcohol addiction and never found love again. Never got over that woman. (Shes still kicking and we’re close - im keeping some things under wraps between them as its not my place). Gave up on life and love. Worked hard at his fixation on cards and puzzles, as well as crass jokes and knowledge. But he was very lazy otherwise. Bitter and angry. And you know what? He was my world. I love this man with every fiber of my being because he was the first person to love and accept me for me. He treated me as an equal and helped me grow as a person. In fact... He was only ever happy around us kids. He had hope again. Protected me. He used to hate gays and blacks and you know what? He taught HIMSELF as to why that was shitty thinking. He taught ME about differences in people and to accept it. He taught me that you dont always have to understand to accept. He taught me poker and... swears admittedly. He was a beautiful soul that was broken inside. He needed to love himself. But you know what actually fucking happened? You know what I watched as a kid? I watched as he smoked until every morning he woke throwing up phlegm just to BREATHE. I watched as sometimes the light in his eyes died and through smoke breaks and early drinking how he’d sometimes slip and show me his pain. And we’d have deep talks about it and the world and everything. How alcohol ruined his life yet he craved it. His scent. I remember arguments I wasnt supposed to overhear and growing up seeing him fucking DIE slowly in a hospital bed. The man he was ended up as a fucking husk. His skin was bloated and purple, he was half machine on how much shit he was hooked up to. How he was barely a man at all. He was dying of cancer and he fucking knew and never told us. His cancer meds gave him horrid hallucinations. And I practically spent most of my time in that hospital because TWO people had cancer. Two stunning people had fucking stupid bastard cancer. He was a fuck up. He was flawed to shit. But seeing glimpses of the real him was a fucking ethereal experience. He made me feel like a PERSON. And all we could do in the end was watch him just die. He WANTED to die and you could see it but hed only eat around us to fake fight out of his own hubris and not wanting to let us down. That year, I watched 2 of the only people who ever gave a shit about me die the most dishonourable deaths God could have gave them. Years prior I watched his son gamble EVERYTHING away - his lover, his house, his everything. Hes a moderate gambler now with a partner who never had a history of any addiction. She helps keep him in line as he helps her. But most nights I fucking dream of this shit. I cant even think about my hero because I fucking weep. I still have nightmares. Im still up thinking how I could have saved him from himself when it’s him who was the only one able to. I have to live my life with those memories and I was just a kid. Im a full woman and Im still haunted by it. Even that year is blasphemy and I fucking hate it. I want to take him in my arms, hold him and tell him he’s enough. That its ok and he can get through this. Anything that reminds me of him, I love because I know the other side. The real side. The side not tethered to vices. When I see people like that, I pray they see themselves like that too and I want to help them see it. Tell them that they can live again. It’s better than fucking decaying in a hospital bed. That when people make this sorta shit into a cute quirk it’s not. And it’s dickheads like me who have actually seen it play in the real world to REAL people they love. They arent a fucking accessory to fix for your own narrative. They arent a fuckin performing monkey. At least with Rick and Morty it’s kinda humorous and never played for some shitty toxic ship to appeal to everyone who’s never had to face that shit themselves. And Im like my old man but with more hope and no addiction. I drink and I gamble but I’ll never let myself get that low. Because I honour him but Im not as fucking saft. I wont allow it even though it’s a fucking battle. Those addictions are in the blood. My family history. Its always been so fucking normal. I’ll never knock someone for an addiction or try to preach them out of it because theres often pain fueling it, but I’d never encourage it or toxic faux cures and stupid romance promises as some bullshit MLM remedy either. I KNOW it’s fiction but I want people to see the real side. I want VIV to see the real side. Id willingly for FREE fucking sing that shit if it meant spreading a good message. Because this is fucking hell. FIXING IT: The ship’s basis is too set in stone now - too familiar to change. Best is to never let it be canon. Because you know what else it teaches? That rOmAnCe cures all. Not therapy. Not rehab. Not any REAL work. Just fuck and date it all away as if it’s that easy. It’s a mockery! I tried to be professional about this but when the media bombards this shit constantly, the has the AUDACITY to play like it’s giving a good message is salt to the wounds. A kiss with a fist. An old man dont care for the petty teen drama that Angel and Cherri (even fuckin Al) thrive on. Want this to send a good message still? Angel hates rejection and thinks everyone wants him. Have Husk reject him. Especially because no one should go out with someone whos sexually harassed them there. Been there, done that got the fuckin tshirt. Have Husk reject Angel the way Gravity Falls has Wendy reject Dipper. It helped Dipper move on and mature, and this is what Angel needs for growth and to be more humble. Husk would be a fucking excellent mentor to Angel, a friend and protector, someone who shows him the ropes like Grunkle Stan like a grandfather figure. To not fall for his mistakes. Husk would be a better expert than any of them plus it balances the power dynamtic. It’s healthy and realistic. Touches the topic with the sensitivity it needs. Not everything needs a ship or romance. Wounds healed that way dont stay healed long. Angel seems more fitting as a son like figure, and he can play that dad like role for him. And if any of the team EVER saw this, fucking take this idea. Its YOURS. FREE. FOREVER. If we wanna play this NDA but still reblog some of the story telling arts and have some of our team indulge in it. I wont sue. Fucking TAKE IT if it means doing this shit right because Spindlehorse have beautifully triggered so many different people and their different traumas to please teenagers sexual fantasies, their own kinks and for a jolly good joke. This is a bastard long read and Ive had to face the traumas again but if good can come from it then I’ll GLADLY dance this duet again. Stans, Antis, dont even TEMPT interaction. You arent brave sending suicide threats behind a screen, youre a coward and a waste of oxygen. I WANT Hazbin and Helluva to succeed. I want Viv and her crew to do well. Trust me, I wouldnt waste my time if I didnt give a shit. Viv is fucking gifted and its being wasted if it’s not at her full potential for the approval of a rabid army of kids and immature adults who dont know any better (stans and antis). I know she would like a good and decent fanbase. Stans and antis arent it. Tagging you folks because it’s long but yall actually helped me have the courage to open my trap to this. Screenshots are coming later though all of what Ive said is easily sourced. But this has been days, Im sick, im tired, ive been upset facing my own traumas. If any tags wanna help then by all means but otherwise. @honesthazbinarchives, @siaesnow (also added age still bc despite the lack of physical aging, theres also the mental aspect and experiences as well as power dynamics side to it, in case youre wondering), @noirellearts, @enchantedchocolatebars, @galemalio (thank you for letting me weep like a bitch), @angel-blitz, @critical-hazbin, @what-the-hazbin, @hazboobhotel, @pineapple-critiques-stuff, @devils-advocutie, SORRY AGAIN FOR BEING A LIL BITCH FOLKS, I feel awkward like my teen years but yeah- fuck it Im old and imma rot soon anyways. If this experience can help then Ill be glad.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin critical #anti huskerdust sorry folks #vivienne medrano #criticism #toxic relationships in fiction #how fiction impacts the real world #yeah im a wimp who cares?#hazbin needs to change for the better #concerned fan #dont be another yandev #dont be another yansim #stans and antis dni #stans and antis will be blocked and reported #hope this gives justice to my hero about the rl effects of addiction #rest easy Kiddas got this #still shitting myself #read more wont work sorry

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shyrose57 · 4 years ago

Note

Thank you other anon for wishing me well!! That means a lot to me!

He does but Raq doesn't actually know Rans backstory. So he doesn't know Ran has siblings. He just assumes his mom either died or abandoned him due to finding Ran completely alone and being a hybrid. Before Ran would just scream at Raq in Enderian, now both Raq and Ran scream at eachother in it. Jackie describes it as, "A screaming match to assert dominance."

Yep, his body was already straining itself to fend off the posion and the teleporting ended up straining him more than he could handle. So as soon as he teleported them he collapsed and wasn't able to even stand.

That just made me imagine them digging down only to look up and see Phil clambering down after them like a mole.

After he made a scavenger hunt made out of everyone else's items. Phil found his axe in a destroyed tree trunk and Ran found his sword buried in the ground. While Sapnap found his bow hidden behind stones and Jackie was never able to find his particularly because Ranboo forgot where he hid it.

Yes, although its very rough.

Porkius is very very suprised and needs time to come to turns with them being there. While Porkius reacts well to Techno, Techno does not like Porkius and has threatened to punch him a few times and one time he followed through and punched him hard enough to make him fall to the ground.

Definitely.

---------------------

Ranboo is still his ancestor! Ran feels mostly confused, startled, scared, and oddly a bit comfortable. Phil makes him feel comfortable because he reminds him so much of Watson who was a very close and comforting figure to him. But Techno kind of scares him cause while Porkius was kind to him he was also strict, so he's afraid Techno will be stricter and mean just due to how he looks. He also just kinda ignores Ranboo at first because he can't handle the fact he's looking at his now alive ancestor.

Not really I'd say, even though they all have different enderman percentces, they have the same instincts. Though due to Ranboos memory problem, his memory of enderman culture is almost non-existent, and instead presents itself through his instincts. If any of that makes sense?

Karl is terrified upon seeing Ran, as soon as he even hears he's here he immediately drops what he's doing and after a few questions runs off to find and confront him. Tubbo is incredibly fascinated by Ran and at first he respects Ran's boundaries and stays away from him, but as soon as Ran is walking around outside and exploring the surrounding environment, he sees that as the perfect opportunity to bombard Ran with questions. Eret (who I like to headcanon is like a medic and knows a lot more about medicine than most), doesnt comment at first and is instead focused on helping him, but after he learns more about Ran, he is fascinated by him but takes time to get to know Ran and work on making a friendship with him. No one else, not even Michael knows about Ran being there, though they do eventually find out.

A multitude of reasons 1. He landed wrong and ended up breaking an arm and cracking two ribs due to the sudden stop. 2. He isn't used to traveling through time so time travel had the affect of making him very sick, including headaches and nausea. 3. When he was dragged into the timetravel a match in the Pit just ended and he had a few bruises and cuts that hadn't been taken care of yet, so the travel and harsh landing just aggravated them and re-opened some. 4. The harsh landing ended up also giving him a concussion.

When Ran is finally consciousness enough he refuses to speak in anything other than Enderian. At first Phil and Techno are scared he can't speak nor understand their language. But Edward steps in and tells them he can both understand and speak it he just doesn't want to necessarily. So Edward does the communication with Ran on their behalf, he also takes the time to comfort and help him come to terms with him being there. Edward is also the one to gently push/convince Ran to actually speak to them.

Agreed, uh, maybe From Future to Past? Idk.

------------------------

I already have a name for this au thankfully, Tip of the Iceberg AU. (Also I wanna say real quick not every single character in the Dream SMP or Tales From The SMP will be featured in this au because it's just to many characters for me to keep track of, it'll mostly be characters I feel like I understand if that makes sense)

They end up everywhere, the Bandits end up in Las Nevadas and end up robbing the place before they bolt, running with no real direction in mind. Zack and Cletus end up just outside of Las Nevadas but they run off into the woods once they hear yelling inside the country. Isaac, Porkums, and Grievous end up in Kinoko Kingdom. Ran lands in Erets castle and accidentally breaks a window from his entrance. Jackie, Jon Jon, and Sheriff Sherman end up in Pogtopia but manage to get out (expect Jackie who is stuck and they can't get him out so they actually left for help). Benjamin lands into the ocean around the Guardian farm. Ranbob also lands near the Guardian farm but instead on land. Charles and Watson land somewhere nearby Foolish's summer home. Ranbulter and James get dropped onto Tommys Memorial Island. And Ash lands in Snowchester. (Note I believe these will be all the tales characters I'll be mostly using, but if any get added I'll probably mention where they also ended up).

Something important though is that almost no one stayed where they landed, Ran ran off into the surrounding forest so he could focus on regathering himself and calm down without worrying about getting attacked, Benjamin just randomly picks a direction to go (North) and ends up picking up Ranbob to join him. John John and Sherman went different directions to look for help; the Kinoko Kingdom group argues before finally Porkums and Grievous head off together having elected to follow the oceans edge (they think the Kingdom is abandoned and think following the ocean will eventually lead them to a city or something), while Isaac calls them stupid and stays around the Kingdom, exploring and taking stuff; and Charles and Watson just kinda walk around though stay in the general area. Anyone I did not mention stays where they landed or is close to where they landed. SOMETHING IMPORTANT THOUGH IS THAT NONE OF THEM GET DIRECTLY SEEN BY ANY SMP MEMBERS RIGHT AWAY, its only found out what happened when Quackity accuses Fundy of stealing from him which he heavily declines. And instead says that he saw others riding out of the country so it must've been them (he saw them from a distance), and their descriptions are enough to unnerve Karl who then goes back to Kinoko Kingdom to look at his Tales from the SMP books where he runs directly into Isaac and realizes what he feared is true.

Once Karl gets confirmation that people from both the past and future are here he immediately calls an emergency meeting and just tells everyone almost immediately that he's a time traveler so it doesn't become a problem later, they don't believe him but Isaac is kind enough to help convince them. Soon everyone is convinced and while everyone is included only a few are actually part of a active search party. Those people being Techno, Phil, Ranboo, Tubbo, Foolish, Quackity, Sam, Eret, Bad, and of course Karl. Everyone else is assigned to just keep a eye out. Not everyone is in the party because they didn't want to be or they had other stuff to be doing.

He explains the In-between and Other Side but other than that they never really interfere, if anything he gets dragged into both sides when sleeping and the two sides both push him to find everyone and fix it all.

Jackie, as per usual, is the funniest gremlin on the block.

Poor Ran!! At least he gets some rest?

Absolutely terrifying image, I pity the poor fool who witnesses it.

Pfft. Can you just imagine the chaos? Half the time it's probably just caused by his memory issues. Prank war a few weeks ago? Ranboo forgets the traps he put up, and everyone ends up with brightly colored hair, and a large amount of rabbits in their house, and he;s standing right there with them trying to figure out who did it.

It's something, so I'll take it!

Technoblade: Nearly starting wars since...uh, whenever he spawned in, I'm not really sure of the details there.

Good.

-----------------

So Ran is aware Ranboo is his ancestor? Does he have the same backstory as Brothers AU!Ran?

Does this mean Ranboo is working solely on instincts when around other Endermen or Ran? How does that work out?

And since Enderwalk has all his memories, what are Ran's encounters with him like? Is he aware of Enderwalk state, or was that lost to time? Where do their instincts lead them? Does Ranboo get a bit more hesitant towards Ran when he's leaning more on them? Or is he more open and welcoming? Can he tell Ran shares his blood?

Confrontation? Uh oh, how does that go? Especially considering Ran's possibly the only one to have a vague idea of Karl's hobby? Does it end up coming out?

How does Ran feel about having Tubbo constantly ask questions? Is Tubbo just curious, or is he trying to figure things out? Does this mean Ran ends up in Snowchester, or does Tubbo head to the Antarctic? Medic Eret?? What kind of relationship do they have with Techno and Phil to get called in and come to their aid? How do Eret, Karl, and Tubbo learn of him, if this is being kept hush-hush, and why is it being kept such?

Poor Ran, he's really gotten the short end of the stick here. So time traveling can negatively effect those not used to it/built for it? Does Karl suffer similarly?

And Edward speaks Common, then? Also, Edward!! Is he still Techno's roommate here? Does he have a little nearby area? Or does he head back to the End when he's not hanging around? Has he been helping Ranboo as well?

Sounds good!

-------------------------

Gotcha, gotcha.

The fact that the bandits first instinct upon appearing in a strange new place with no prior warning is to rob it brings me great joy. How does that go for them? How far do they get, what do they steal?

Cletus & Zack: Dunno who you are or where I am, but I don't like the sound of that, so lets bolt.

Issac, Porkums, and Grievous actually don't sound like a chaotic combination, so they probably don't cause too much trouble.

Poor Eret. Imagine just trying to enjoy your day and coming back in to see your window broken.

Jon Jon and Sherman with Jackie just sounds really funny actually. The blatant contrast from time periods and all, and Jackie's pure chaotic energy...Also, they'd both be so much taller than him. Why was he stuck though? What happened?

Another question is, at what point was everyone tossed back? Long after Karl had left, before meeting him, in the middle? Is it different for some? How do those who've met him before react? Why does Isaac believe Karl, and how does he help convince the others?

Who's found first? What happens then? Is anyone hurt? What are both sides definition of 'fixing it all', and how does being dragged in between the two effect Karl?

#Brothers AU #dream smp #dream smp au #From Future To Past AU #Tip Of The Iceberg AU #tales from the smp #karl jacobs #ranboo #tubbo #technoblade

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skiller0dani · 4 years ago

Text

Abandon Ship | Monty De La Cruz

M A S T E R L I S T Timothy Granaderos Masterlist

smut requests info

important notice: 13 reasons why covers some really heavy stuff and their material can be extremely triggering. seeing as my writing is supposed to be for fun only I won’t be including many of the topics seen in the show. in fact, unless I say otherwise most of all my writings for this show will take place before Hannah Bakers suicide. if you or a loved one ever needs to seek professional help please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

also: MONTY DESERVED BETTER AND HE WAS A VICTIM AS WELL YOU CAN’T CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE. mkay that’s all. enjoy, my loves xx

why are all the men named timothy hot as hell??? first timothee chalamet and now timothy granaderos?? wtf???

You doubt Monty knew you were Alex’s twin sister. At least you hoped he didn’t, because if he did and continued to beat Alex to a pulp then that would show how much you actually matter to him. You held a bandage in your hand, carefully dabbing at Alex’s eye which was split open. “Don’t tell Dad.” You nearly laughed at how ludicrous his request was. Alex looked as though he’d gone 4 rounds with a boxer, there was no way Dad wasn’t going to notice. “I can’t cover this with makeup Al, Dad is going to notice.” You tell him and you see the subtle eye roll and the oncoming lecture he knew he would receive. His eye was swollen shut, and there were cuts and bruises all over his face. “So what did you say to piss Monty off?” You ask, you know your boyfriend pretty well. He’d been trying to get a handle on his anger management issues and normally he could keep it together...unless provoked. In no way was what Monty did to Alex justifiable, but you knew Alex could get fired up and he says shit without thinking. “Nothing, it doesn’t matter. Doesn’t change the fact that your boyfriend is a psychopath.” Alex says with a heavy sigh as he shoves past you out of the bathroom.

“Like how do you know he won’t turn that anger on you someday?” Alex says, both anger and concern deep in his eyes as he watches you. You begin to clean up the bandages and bloody rags, “Monty would never hurt me. He loves me.” You argue gently, you trust Monty with your life. Alex scoffs and you can tell he’s still stood behind you. “So he says. I don’t know how you trust him at all.” With that last grumble Alex retreats back to his bedroom, leaving you to finish cleaning the bathroom. When your Dad gets home, you know he’s going to ask where Alex is. Although it’s not unusual for Alex to hide away in his room these days, he’s getting...angrier than he used to be. You heard the kids at Liberty High whispering about what happened, Alex picked a fight with Monty. Alex approached him first, Alex egged him on. Alex knows about Monty’s explosive temper so why on Earth would he do that?

“Hey honey, where’s your brother?” Your Dad smiles as he presses a kiss to your head. You return his hug as he wraps his arms around you, “room.” You tell him simply and when he releases you to head for Alex’s room you wait for the yelling to start. After the door opens, it does’t take long for the bomb to go off and soon they’re screaming at each other. Your Dad is obviously very upset that someone nearly beat Alex half to death, but you get upset after Alex opens his mouth and a barrage of words spill out. “It’s only because of Y/N’s freak boyfriend! He’s a fucking lunatic, he’s the one who did this to me! How could you let her date someone like that?” As soon as the words leave his lips he sees the shift in Deputy Standall. Your eyes widen, first of all your Dad didn’t even know you were dating anybody. Second of all, this is his very first impression of Monty. “Alex you are such an asshole!” You yell as you slam your bedroom door before propping your office chair against it to keep it closed.

The next morning you emerged from your room only when Monty texted that he was out front. This is the first time Monty has picked you up from your house but you figured it was time he knew who your family was. Your Dad was of course waiting for you by the front door with a look of both concern and anger on his face. “Y/N why didn’t you tell me and your Mom you were seeing anybody? I don’t want you to see him again, look what he did to your brother.” Your Dad said sternly but you shook your head forcefully as you pulled your shoes on. “Well I’m pretty sure Alex left out the part where he egged Monty on. Alex started the fight Dad. That fight was both of their faults. I don’t want to be late for school.” You snapped as you shoved past your Dad and out to Monty’s car. Offering a smile, Monty noticed right away that something was off with you. You slid into the passenger seat as Monty leaned over to press a sweet kiss to your lips. “What’s up with you baby?” He asks, genuine concern in his eyes. He looked up and spotted Deputy Standall standing in the doorway and his eyes widened.

“Woah shit, is that your Dad?” Monty asks as he pulls off down the street. You’re silent in the passenger seat, your arms crossed. Your silent treatment and tense body language is starting to freak Monty out as he fidgets with a seam on his jeans. “Baby did I do something?” He asks, his panicked eyes glancing over at you. You smiled bitterly as you turn your head to look at him, “yeah Monty you did. You beat my twin brother to a pulp yesterday.” You snap and Monty looks confused for a second before a look of understanding dawns on his face. “Alex is your brother? Ah shit baby, I’m sorry I didn’t know.” Monty says with a sigh as he pulls into his usual parking spot at the school. You stay silent, but honestly you feel a bit relieved that he didn’t know. Monty turns to you and takes your hand, “I’m sorry Y/N. Is uh is he okay?” Monty asks but from the tension seeping into his voice you can tell he really doesn’t care if Alex is okay or not. You exit the car, with Monty not too far behind you as he slings your bag over his shoulder. Just like he does every morning.

“What was the fight about?” You ask, remembering how Alex completely avoided the question when you tried to ask him. Monty looks uncomfortable as his hand slides into yours, your eyebrows pinch together. “Monty.” Your voice is angrier then you intended but you were angry. Why wont either of them tell you what’s going on? You pulled your hand from Monty’s and snatched your bag from his shoulder. “I have to go meet with Jess.” You snap angrily as you stomp down the hallway, leaving a very dejected Monty behind. You spent most of the rest of the day avoiding Monty and Alex, having had enough of both of them. Monty leaned back against the lockers, his eyes on you as you stood and chatted with Clay. “Yeah I saw the fight from yesterday, Monty went kind of crazy.” Clay commented, and you sighed while pinching the bridge of your nose. You had been really good friends with Clay since 6th grade and you can honestly say he’s one of your closest friends. “Neither of them will tell me what happened either. It’s pissing me off.” You grumble, catching Monty’s agitated gaze. Clay shut his locker and turned to face you, “I think I heard one of them say your name but I’m not sure. Anyway I should go, Monty looks like he wants to kill me.” Clay says, his eyes also meeting Monty’s before he turns and heads down the hall.

You roll your eyes at Monty and you turn to follow the path Clay took when you feel a hand wrap around your arm. You’re not at all surprised to see Monty forcefully, but gently, dragging you to a supply closet. When he shuts the door behind you two, you can practically feel the frustration coming from him. “The fuck Y/N! I said I was sorry about Alex I don’t know what else you want from me.” Monty snapped, crossing his arms as you glare up at him. “And seriously, Jensen? You avoid me all day and I see you hanging out with fucking Clay Jensen.” Monty snaps, and while most people would see anger you can see a flicker of insecurity flash behind his eyes. “Monty what I want is the truth. What happened with Alex? You know Clay is my friend Mon, he doesn’t mean anything to me.” You tell him gently, your anger melting away when you see how big of an issue this is for him. “You wanna know what happened with Alex? Fine! What happened was that he reminded me how bad I am for you, how fucking badly I’m going to fuck up your life.” Monty snapped, nothing but fear and self-hatred pooling in his eyes.

“He reminded me how I’m just some stupid prick from the wrong part of town with a drunk Dad who beats on me for fun. He reminded me how I have no idea how to love people or how to let them love me. My life has been in a downward spiral from the moment I was born, my life is a sinking ship Y/N and if you knew any better you’d find a fucking lifeboat and abandon ship.” By the time Monty was finished there were unshed tears in his eyes and he refused to look at you. His chest is heaving and you can tell what Alex said really got to him. You take a step forward and reach up to cup his cheeks before you’re forcing him to meet your gaze. “I love you Montgomery. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.” You whisper but Monty pulls away, his eyes sad and his body language tense. “No I’m not. I nearly beat your brother half to death yesterday because he had the balls to tell me the truth. We can’t be together, you’re too good for me. You deserve to be with someone like Clay.” Monty says, turning for the door.

Your heart is broken even though you know he didn’t mean it. Your heart is fucking broken even though you know his is too. You lay back on your bed, the tears still fresh and rolling down your cheeks. Monty broke up with you today. He thinks he’s saving you, but he’s hurting you. Alex knocks on the door before pushing it open, guilt weighing heavily in his chest when he sees the tears. “Well what you said must have resonated with Monty because you got what you wanted. He broke up with me because you’ve convinced him he’s going to ruin my life.” You said, your voice weak from the crying. Alex stayed silent as he pushed his hands into his jean pockets. “I didn’t want this, I just wanted you to be safe.” Alex says sadly but you laugh bitterly as you roll to your right side. “Don’t worry Alex, my body is safe but my heart has been fucking shattered now get the hell out.” You snap as sobs begin to choke through your chest again. Alex leaves and closes the door behind him, leaving you alone with your quiet crying.

School the next day was awkward. And painful. You’d arrived with Alex, but as soon as you crossed the threshold into the school you bolted to find Clay. You couldn’t be around Monty or Alex right now. You could see Monty out of the corner of your eye in his usual place against the lockers with the football guys. You felt tears thickening in your eyes as you turned towards Clay, who had been gracious enough to endure a 3 hour phone call last night about the breakup. He’d listened to you cry and he comforted you and promised he’d walk everywhere with you today. Monty spotted the bags under your swollen eyes, he felt guilt upon the realization you must have spent most of the night crying. In the long run this is better for you though, you’ll get over Monty and find someone who could treat you better. Or at least that’s what Monty repeatedly told himself to stop from caving and begging for your forgiveness. You had your back to Monty and firmly on Clay- who had been babbling on about some robot comic he reads. You’d asked him to talk about literally anything to keep your mind off Monty.

Alex sat on the bleachers, his elbows resting on his knees. He didn’t only see how messed up you were, he also saw how messed up Monty was. He was stalking through the halls like a ticking time bomb, as though he’s waiting for someone to give him a reason to hit them. Alex knew he messed up, and he also knew he needed to be the one to fix it. He pushes from the table and after checking the clock he figures Monty will probably be out back, it’s his off hour. When Alex pushes through the schools back doors he sees Monty send his fist into some kids face, “you wanna say that about my girl again?” His voice was tense and his fist was holding the kids shirt tightly. The kid, who apparently said something about Y/N, quickly shook his head while reaching up to pinch his bleeding nose. Monty released the kid, watching him scramble inside and his eyes land on Alex. “Y/N send you?” Monty asks, looking down at his bruised and bloody knuckles. Alex shook his head as he took a few steps towards Monty, “no but I am here because of her.”

Monty reached into his backpack to pull out a rag, which already had bloodstains on it to wipe his knuckles. “I think breaking up with her was a mistake. She’s like really sad.” Alex says, itching the back of his neck as Monty pauses for a second before continuing to wipe his hand. “That’s funny coming from you. Nice face by the way.” Monty says, a snide smiling crossing onto his face. When he’s in pain he deflects and lashes out. “I know. Look I’m sorry about what I said yesterday, I know you have a crappy home life but I guess I didn’t realize how happy you make Y/N. Even though you’re an asshole to everyone else, you’re really good to her. Don’t punch me for saying this but I think she’s changing you, you’re way less of an asshole then you were 6 months ago.” Alex said and Monty turned to look at him, an unreadable expression on his face. “I might have been right about a few things but definitely not about everything. I was wrong when I said Y/N would be happier without you, because I’ve never seen her so sad. She was up all night crying on the phone with Clay.” Monty’s eyebrows rise at the mention of Clay.

“I mean you can do what you want but I genuinely think the best thing for Y/N is you. So, yeah.” Alex says, clearing his throat awkwardly before turning back inside the school. “Also she’s been with Clay all day. Last I heard they were getting pretty friendly in the Library.” Alex quips before the door closes. That’s a lie of course, while it is true you’re in the Library with Clay you two are in no way getting ‘friendly’. The comment is enough however to set Monty off, so he yanks open the door and storms for the Library. When Monty nearly barrels into the Library he sees you and Clay looking for a book near the back, but you’re not really near each other. Just talking. “Fuckin’ Alex.” Monty grumbles and as Monty turns to leave he hears his name come from your angelic lips. “I haven’t heard from Monty yet. He hasn’t even glanced in my direction.” You say to Clay sadly. Clay reaches up to grab a book from a higher shelf that you were struggling to reach, “well if he’s not a complete retard he’ll come around. I don’t know Monty very well but I know he cares about you.” Clay reassures and while you smile you’re not sure you believe him.

As you and Clay keep searching for books, you feel a large, familiar hand wrap around your arm. “Can we talk?” Monty asks, his eyes boring into yours. Clay continues down the isles of books, a small smile on his face. You nod hesitantly as you pull Monty to a back corner of the Library. Monty awkwardly itches the back of his neck as you wait for him to say something. Desperately trying to form the right words in his head Monty rolls his eyes as he cups your cheeks. He’s always been more of an action guy than a word guy. He desperately presses his lips against yours, his hands pulling you impossibly close to his body. You melt into him as your arms wrap around his neck. “I love you.” Monty whispers against your lips, his hands sliding down to rest on your hips. There is nobody in this secluded area of the Library and soon the kisses grow more frantic, as Monty reaches for your ass to haul you up. You wrap your legs around his waist as he rests you on a table, his lips fervently moving against yours. Monty’s hands press flat against the table on either side of your legs. He grinds his hardening cock into you, causing a breathless gasp to escape your lips.

“Monty we can’t, not here.” You whisper through the kisses as Monty’s fingers begin to dance up your thighs. Your head falls back as Monty’s lips trail down your neck to your shoulder, “sure we can baby. You just gotta be quiet for me.” Monty whispers into your skin as his hands make contact with your core through your jeans. You bite your lip to prevent a moan from slipping out, you grind your hips into his hand in an attempt to get more friction. “Think you can keep those pretty sounds you make nice and quiet so I can fuck you right here?” Monty asks, his hand rubbing tortuously slow. You bite down hard on your lip as your fingers grab tightly onto Monty’s shoulders. “God Monty,” You moan softly into his ear as his knee presses between your legs to part them. His lips work magic on your neck as he sucks and bites all the right places, “please tell me this is makeup sex.” You whisper as your fingers gasp onto the short hairs on his head.

“Baby this is ‘I never should have let you go’ sex.” Monty whispered, his fingers gently popping the button of your jeans open. Monty quickly glances over his shoulder, and when he sees nobody in sight he pulls your jeans down to your calves. “I love you,” Monty whispers, his eyes looking into yours as his hand dips under the waistband of your panties. Your fingers gently rub along his neck as his fingers dip into your wet opening, “fuck I love you Monty.” You nearly cry out as he begins to slowly pump 2 fingers into you. Monty’s forehead is nearly pressed against yours as his hand comes up to clasp over your mouth. His pupils dilate as he lustfully watches your eyes roll back in your head when he crooks his fingers inside you. Your fingers curl around his wrist to ensure he keeps pumping his fingers into you but much to your dismay Monty pulls his hand away when he notices your thighs beginning to shake. Reattaching his lips to yours Monty lets you reach for the button of his jeans.

You desperately fumble with the button of his jeans before you finally pop them open and yank the zipper down. “Condom?” You whisper against his lips and Monty nods quickly while digging into the pocket of his jeans. He always has one with him just in case the two of you can’t wait until school is over. Like now. After Monty has rolled the condom down onto his hard cock he presses the head against your entrance. “Now baby I need you to be nice and quiet or we’re going to get in a lot of trouble mkay?” Monty breathes softly against your lips and you nod as your arms pulls his body closer to yours. Monty wraps one arm around your body as the other reaches down to help guide his cock into your tight opening. “Shit Y/N.” Monty hisses quietly as he stretches you open, inch by inch. Your mouth hangs open as a quiet gasp escapes your mouth at the feeling of Monty sliding inside you. Monty begins to slowly but forcefully thrust into you, his hand coming up to cover your mouth when a tiny moan escapes. You’re softly crying out against his palm as he pushes into you over and over again. “Christ baby you feel so good around me.” Monty huskily whispers into your neck as you hold his hand over your lips. You’d cry out in ecstasy if his hand wasn’t there.

Monty’s other hand reaches down to thumb at your clit, “need you to cum around my cock baby. Fuck I need to feel you cum around me, need to know I’m making you feel good.” Monty breathes, his face still nuzzled into your neck. You feel the heat spreading through your body like liquid fire as you keep your knees spread wide open for him, your chest heaving against his. Your hips begin to buck against his and with one more sharp, forceful thrust into you Monty slams the head of his cock directly into your g-spot and you cum instantaneously. You clench hard around him as you cum on his cock and Monty groans softly as he also cums into the condom as you cum. Monty presses a long kiss to your sweaty forehead before he pulls out and tosses the condom into a large trashcan sitting nearby. Monty tucks his cock back into his jeans as he pulls your jeans back up your legs. After Monty buttons your jeans again he looks up into your eyes, “baby I’m sorry. What Alex said just really got to me because he said literally everything I have ever worried about, out loud, straight to my face. I’m really good at pretending to be confident but I can’t act around you. You always see right through me, and I got scared. So I ran. If Alex didn’t come and tell me to get off my ass and fix this I don’t know if I would have and that scares me more.”

“Wait Alex came and talk to you today?” You ask and Monty nods, his hands resting on your hips as you stay seated on the table. “He told me to fix this, and well I’m glad he did.” Monty smiled, a loving look crossing onto his face as he studies your eyes. “I’m not about to be a presumptuous asshole and assume you’ll take me back because you let me fuck you so, Y/N baby will you please take me back?” Monty asks and you can see that flicker of fear in his eyes that you’ll say no. You press your lips against his again, nearly taking him by surprise as he stumbles back a step when you completely throw yourself into his arms. “I love you and you’re stuck with me.” You smile and Monty smiles widely, pressing his forehead against yours. “I love you-” “God ew I’m happy you two are back together but seriously ew.” A voice sounds from behind you. You step back onto the floor as you turn to see Alex with a grimace on his face. “Will you two just hurry up? There’s a fight out back and for once Monty isn’t involved.” Alex says with a roll of his eyes as he watches Monty smack your ass. You lace your fingers with Monty’s as you two follow Alex out of the Library.

#13 reasons why #monty de la cruz #monty de la cruz smut #monty deserved better #13 reasons why smut #Smut #alex standall #sister!standall #timothy granaderos #timothy granaderos smut

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holyfuckthisfishcandrive · 4 years ago

Text

@meepishme deceided the first one who’s backstory I should elaborate on (in the pirate au) is Virgil! @alias290 idk if you still wanna be tagged in this stuff just let me know if not

(I’m doing this in fic form (which is why this too so long, sorry) it’s jumping a bit in the timeline (only after the deathday) All in all I’m not sure how happy I’m with the end result but whatever.)

Also the other four crew members are half other characters belonging to Thomas Sanders with two minor OCs sprinkled in.

Word count: 2340 (not betaed)

Warnings: abandonment, memory issues (not really but issues with forgetting shit), abusive parents (no violence in fic, but mention of parent wanting their kid dead)

Virgil leaned on the wood of the railing, his post in the crowsnest long abandoned.

It had been five days since they had spotted this island and discovered that once the low tide set in the Eye of God was stranded on the beach, free to leave as soon as the high tide came back.

It had been four days since Remus, Roman, Nija, Kai and Elliott had gone to scout the island.

It had been two days since Logan had gotten so restless he couldn’t wait anymore and had gone out to search for them together with Janus, Patton and Muk, leaving Virgil behind with those so familiar words.

“Keep watch over the ship, okay?”

Just that Logan always followed it up with “I’ll be back soon.”

He did it since he’d gone to pull the last lever and Virgil had broken down. They all made sure to promise that they’d be back since then. That they wouldn’t abandon the ship and him with her.

Logan didn’t really have to say it with the request.

Virgil would agree anyway.

He always watched over the ship.

He had to.

But it had been two days since they’d left.

The island wasn’t that big.

At least the first group should be back by now.

Unless something bad had happened to them.

Virgil anxiously glanced to the horizon, where the sun was steadily moving closer to the sea.

Soon it would be six and three days.

“I should do something...”

Nobody answered.

“But I need to watch the ship... I could take the ship with me. It would be hard on my own but I could do it. But then I’d have to...”

His gaze wandered towards the steering wheel and he swallowed past the forming clump in his throat.

“No...”

Virgil sunk down until his head rested on his arms.

“Sundown,” he decided. “I’ll wait till sundown. Then I’ll go look.”

He looked down at the sand.

“If I can.”

The twins both like to wonder what he was. They never listened when he said human, but they did listen when they asked if he could leave the ship and he didn’t answer. They’d listened and taken it as a no.

But it wasn’t.

It was an “I don’t know.” An “It’s been so long since i tried that I can barely remember.”

Maybe Remus was right. Maybe he was a ghost tied to the ship and he had just never noticed that he’d died.

What would happen then if he tried to leave? Would he just disappear?

The thought scared him.

But the thought of losing yet another crew was scarier. Because how long would it take this time before their faces became too blurry to recall? How long until he didn’t know their names anymore or couldn’t be sure if they’d been part of this crew or one of the others?

He sighed.

About an hour later the last rays of sunlight barely tinted the horizon orange, lingering even though the sun was already gone.

Carefully Virgil climbed down the strick ladder. Inches above the ground he stopped.

Just underneath his foot was the sand.

He bit his lip and stared down at it.

Taking a deep breath he scrunched his eyes shut and lowered himself to the ground.

The sand was soft and shifted under his bare feet. Virgil curled his toes into it and opened his eyes again.

Slowly he let go of the ladder and took a step back.

A mix of anxiety and exitement swirled in his stomach.

He could leave. He wasn’t a ghost. That was good, very good, because that meant that he could find the others and be back before anything happened to the ship.

“I’ll be right back,” he told her. Then he turned and ran towards the forest.

The rough ground, sticks and stones felt strange but at the same time brought back echos of memories he’d long forgotten.

At another time he might’ve stopped and chased these echos, but right now he had to find his crew, before they became nothing but an echo as well.

It took him less than an hour to find a building hidden between the trees.

Well, that was an explanation at least.

Virgil snuck downhill to the gate and looked around uneasy. He didn’t like this place and the longer he was away from the ship the more he felt like it was a bad idea to leave at all.

-_-_-_-_-

Janus cursed and let the lock fall back against the metal bars.

“I can’t open it,” he muttered, stuffing the toothpick back in his pocket. He muttered something about “If I had an actual lockpick-” but no one was listening anymore.

Logan sighed.

“Great. So we’re stuck here,” he rubbed his temples. “I fucking hate cults.”

“If they at least wanted us for our bodies,” Remus spoke up, sounding genuinely disappointed. “But nooo... We’re just human sacrifices. I’m too hot to die.”

“Bitch, you’re gross,” Roman elbowed him in the ribs. “I’m the hot one.”

“Guys, we’re about to be killed, can you argue about who’s better looking some other time?” Nija groaned. “Besides, I’m obviously hotter.”

The door to the hallway opened and Logan tensed.

A guard fell to the ground with a chatter.

“What the-?”

A small figure slipped inside.

“Virgil?” Logan stepped up to the cell bars.

“You can leave the ship?” Janus raised an eyebrow. “That’s new.”

“Are you okay?” Virgil’s voice shook slightly.

“About to become god sacrifice but other than that okay,” Roman smirked. “Can you break the lock?”

“I can try,” Virgil raised his knife and took the lock in hand.

It fell just moments later and the cell door slid open. Nobody listened when Janus muttered that it was easier with a knife.

They only encountered two people on their way out but they didn’t even get the chance to shout before they were knocked out.

Logan let his gaze linger on Virgil.

Even though it had been over ten years he was still a teenager. Maybe a bit older than back when they’d met but barely.

He was shorter than Nija and didn’t even have that awkward lankyness most teens had, as if he hadn’t even reached his growth spurt yet.

Logan heard Remus chuckle behind him which was usuall a bad thing, but before he could react Remus had swooped past him, taken his hat and dumped it on Virgil’s head.

It slid over his eyes and Virgil stumbled before pushing it up slightly.

He shot Remus a confused look and went to take the hat off but Logan stopped him.

“Keep it for now. It suits you.”

-_-_-_-_-

Logan pulled the grip slightly and watched the ship pass though ‚the curtain‘ as Roman had named it. There was something nervwrecking about sailing through the very fabric of reality into another world.

He also had to be ready for any terrain they might end up in and had to be ready to adjust as needed.

„Sky!“ Virgil called and immediatly everyone was moving.

The main mast was split in half into wing like constructions in seconds, far quicker than the first time they‘d flown.

Logan streered them higher until they broke through the clouds and were under the bright morning sky of another world.

„There‘s something starboard!“ Virgil called. „I think it‘s an Island!“

„Can we check it out?“ Patton turned to Logan with a wide smile.

„Sure, why not?“

It didn‘t take long for the island to come into view and Virgil climbed down to lean against the railing.

„How…?“ Logan heard him whisper and he leaned over it, nearly falling. „It is!“

„Do you know this place?“ he asked.

If Virgil heard him he ignored him completely. He dashed over the ship towards the bow.

“The island has a harbour,” Janus called over to Logan. “Should we land?”

He glanced over to Virgil and back to Logan.

“Yes, let’s land.”

“Can I come with you?” Virgil asked as soon as they landed in the harbour. “Please?”

He had left the ship only two times even after the cult island, usually refusing when Patton or anyone else offered to take him on shore.

“Of course,” Logan answered. Virgil still hadn’t answered how he knew this place, but if it was this important to him, Logan couldn’t exactly say no.

While Patton, Janus, Mul and Nija stayed behind, Logan, Virgil and the twins wandered away from the ship, and Logan watched Virgil grow more and more restless, looking for something.

They didn’t meet a single person in the narrow streets of what looked like had once been a rich town. Remus wondered aloud if they’d find corpses anywhere, earning himself a playful smack from Roman.

The sudden sound of footsteps made them stop on a crossroad.

Logan let his hand rest on his cutlass.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had guests around here,” a man’s voice spoke up behind them.

Virgil swirled around in a heart beat.

“Dad!”

He dashed towards the man and tackled him in a hug.

“What?!” Roman blurted out.

The man looked down at Virgil slightly confused. He had a scruffy beard and dark tanned skin. He looked like someone who worked outside in the sunlight a lot.

He reached up to put his hands on Virgil’s shoulders and pushed him off slowly.

“Virgil?” he asked, sounding just as surprised as Roman. “You’re alive?”

“I watched over the ship,” Virgil smiled up at the man. “Just like you told me to!”

But the man didn’t even seem to listen.

“How are you alive?” he asked, louder this time. “I sent you out of this world into time so you could age. You shouldn’t be alive!”

“What do you mean?” Logan could hear the smile slip off Virgil’s face.

“I put you on that ship to die. What are you doing back here?” the man nearly growled this time.

“What-? You said you needed me to watch over her,” Virgil sounded so much more like the kid he was, than Logan had ever heard him.

Following an impulse he stepped forward and put his body between Virgil and the man.

“Who are you?” the man hissed at him.

He was intimidating, sure, but Logan had messed with gods before. He wasn’t afraid of this asshole.

“I am Captain Logan Conley. Who the fuck do you think you are?”

-_-_-_-_-

Virgil heard Dad answer but he couldn’t really hear what he said. His ears were ringing.

Here on the Island there was no time, he knew that. It was why Dad had taken him elsewhere a lot when he had been little. Just so he would actually age.

But this time Dad had wanted him to stay gone.

He’d sent him away to die.

Suddenly everything was too loud.

The Captain was yelling and Dad was yelling and Dad had lied, he’d lied to him, he’d wanted him dead!

He had to get away.

Virgil ran past the twins, through the familiar paths back to the ship.

Muscle memory wanted him to climb up into the rigging - “You have to watch over the ship, it’s important” - but that was a lie too, wasn’t it?

“Hey, kid-” he barely heard Patton as he rushed past and down into the ship’s hold.

Down in the cargo bay he curled up, hiding behind a crate.

For a while he was alone. Long enough for him to catch his breath and stop crying at least.

Then he heard footsteps.

“Can we sit down by your side?” Remus asked, his voice softer than usual.

Virgil glanced up.

The twins stood a few feet away, waiting for an answer.

He nodded.

Remus sat down to his left, Roman to his right.

“Hey, kid,” Roman said.

“Hey,” Virgil’s voice sounded brittle even to his own ears.

“So, this is where you’re from,” Roman nodded. “It’s a nice Island... How long did you live here?”

Virgil shrugged.

“There’s no time here,” he said even though he was pretty sure they had gathered that much by now. “Physically,” he added after a moment of thought,” I think I was... six?”

His voice wobbled on the last word as more tears threatened to spill.

Remus sighed.

“You know, family is pretty complicated sometimes,” he spoke up. “You always think, and people tell you, that family is your blood and the people you grow up with. Like your dad for you, my father and mother, so on and so fourth. But... That’s bullshit. It’s absolute crap. Family has nothing to do with blood.”

Virgil glanced up at him again.

“But you and Roman are brothers. You’re blood. You’re family.”

“We are,” Roman nodded. “But we’re family that just so happens to also be blood.”

Virgil frowned.

“I don’t get what you mean.”

“Family are the people you choose. The people you feel safe around, who you trust and who just... feel like home,” Remus tried to explain. “I know this sounds cliche but I don’t know how else to put it.”

“What we’re trying to say is... It’s hard when the people who you thought were supposed to love you don’t and you don’t know why, but it’s not your fault. And it doesn’t mean you’re alone. There are people who will love you,” Roman put an arm over Virgil’s shoulder. Lightly enough that Virgil could easily shake it off if he wanted to.

He didn’t.

“If you want us to, we could be your family,” Remus suggested.

“I-” Virgil’s breath hitched. “I’d like that.”

“Come here,” he could hear Roman smile and the next thing he knew he was being hugged from both sides.

He couldn’t stop himself from crying again.

“Don’t tell him I said this,” Remus spoke up again after a while,” but I’m pretty sure the Captain thinks of you as his son.”

“Patton definitely does,” Roman nodded.

“Patton thinks we’re all his kids,” Virgil managed between sobs.

“And honestly, I think we are.”

#sanders sides #virgil sanders #logan sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #pirates au #creativity twins #platonic dlampr #my writing

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violetwolfraven · 4 years ago

Note

And 28 has so much Sprace energy, so I'd be forever grateful if you wrote that as well. Again in canon era if possible?

What if we kissed because we were arguing and I really wanted you to shut up but we both enjoyed it? Lol jk... unless..?

It does have sprace energy. Coming right up!

Tw: vaguely referenced period-typical homophobia.

...

Race was fighting the urge to start swinging already, and he’d only been in this argument for a couple minutes.

It was unusual. He could usually keep his cool pretty well, being one of Manhattan’s two seconds in command and one of the borough’s best negotiators.

But this wasn’t a usual argument.

This was Spot.

Race didn’t see clearly when it came to Spot. He never had. Hell, he knew Spot didn’t see clearly when it came to him, either. They dialed all each other’s every feeling to 11 and made everything else melt away with the amount of raw emotion they made each other feel.

Were they friends? Technically. Race would even consider Spot to be one of his best friends. But that didn’t mean they didn’t absolutely hate each other sometimes, pissing each other off in every wrong way and digging salt into old wounds.

They’d known each other long enough to know old wounds, and that could be a good thing, sometimes, but right now was definitely not.

But Race wasn’t the one in the wrong, here, even though he often was. Rational people didn’t let their closest friend sell on their turf for years and then suddenly decide to revoke that.

“For the last time, Race,” Spot snarled, “You’re banned from Brooklyn, so deal with it! You can shove your abandonment issues up your ass! It’s not like I’m your brother!”

“No,” Race shot back, “But you are my friend, so I’m tellin’ you that ya can’t just cut me out of your borough and your life with no explanation!”

“I can do whatever I want.”

“Why?” Race shoved him, hard, unable to help himself, “Cause you’s the King of Brooklyn? I’m quakin’ in my boots.”

“Shut up.”

“No! If you want me out of your life so badly, why not make it permanent? Why not kill me?”

Spot growled his answer under his breath, quiet enough that Race couldn’t catch it over the rage in his own head.

“Gonna kill me, Spottie?” he challenged, “I know you can do it. I know you’ve killed before, so why not now? Why not one more? One knife, and ya cut me out of your life for good.”

That was a shot Race absolutely should not have taken. He knew that Spot hated talking about his kills. He felt guilty about them. He was haunted by them.

Right now, Race was too angry to care.

“Don’t be stupid.”

“Is it stupid?” Race asked, smirking, “Go on, do it. I dare you. I know you’s got a knife on ya somewhere—probably more’n one. So why don’t ya use it?”

They stared each other down for a good few seconds, neither willing to be the one to break because that wasn’t who either of them were.

The tension growing between them was so thick Race couldn’t breathe, and he wished that Spot would just use his knife to cut it.

Whatever one of them said next would redefine their friendship or end it. Race was sure they could both sense that.

To his surprise, Spot broke first, looking away and sighing.

“I can’t.”

Race shrugged, “Why not? You’d be gettin’ rid of me either way.”

“I can’t, Race,” Spot said, his voice tight in a confusing, unidentifiable way.

“Spot, you say ya ain’t my brother like it changes anythin’, but ya miss how there’s a million ways to care ‘bout someone. Losin’ a friend ain’t better than losin’ family. I should know since I’s lost a lot of people. And if ya don’t understand that, you ain’t the kind who should be bothered by killin’ someone, so why pretend you can’t kill me?”

“I can’t,” Spot insisted, the tension in his voice growing.

“Why?” Race shot back, not even sure why he was so angry anymore beyond the fact that it was Spot, “Come on, Spottie. Wh—“

Race had been expecting Spot to interrupt him.

But he wasn’t expecting Spot to cut him off by kissing him.

And he definitely wasn’t expecting to kiss back, fisting his hands in the other boy’s shirt and trying to fit months worth of feelings he hadn’t recognized for what they were into just a few moments.

“‘Cause it’s you,” Spot hissed, pulling away just a few inches, “That’s why.”

Race was still a bit breathless from the kiss, but he tried to collect his thoughts into words, anyway.

All that came out was one too-terrified-sounding word.

“Oh.”

Spot snorted, “That all ya got to say?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Race asked.

He couldn’t tell if he was feeling everything or nothing right now and couldn’t decide if he cared.

“Because,” Spot whispered, finally taking his hands out of Race’s hair, “I can’t do this. Not with anyone. No King of Brooklyn with sense can.”

“Jack and Davey can.”

“It ain’t just ‘cause you’re a boy, Racer,” he hissed, “It’s partly that, but... I knew when I challenged for king I was givin’ up a lot of things. Any relationship was always gonna be one of ‘em. I made my first kill when I was 13–ya think anyone would wanna deal with that? And that ain’t even takin’ into account the danger. It’s my burden. I’m the one who probably ain’t gonna make it to 20. I’m never gonna put all that on anybody else.”

“Ever stop to think somebody might be able to take all that?” Race asked quietly, reaching for the other boy’s hand, “Might want to for you?”

Spot moved his hand away, “That’s why I had to kick ya out before ya ever found out I had... feelin’s. For you. ‘Cause I knew there was a fair chance ya felt the same.”

“So ya lose your chance at happiness?”

“Do you honestly think I deserve one?”

“I think ya do,” Race said firmly, “And I know you don’t think so. So stop worryin’ about what you deserve and focus on how I deserve better than you kissin’ me and confessin’ and then turnin’ around and just kickin’ me out.”

Maybe that was conceited to say, but Race knew his own worth even if the rest of the world didn’t seem to, most days. And he’d never met anyone who made him feel the way Spot did.

And not just the euphoric, on-top-of-the-world happiness, but the bitter, raging anger and the agonizing, broken hurt, too.

For better or worse, Spot Conlon made him feel more than anyone else, and damn if Race was going to let him go without even trying.

This time, he didn’t let him pull away from grabbing his hand.

“Tell me ya don’t want me,” he challenged quietly, “Tell me and I’ll leave.”

Spot wouldn’t or couldn’t say it.

Race knew neither of them needed the other. That wasn’t how they worked. They were both strong enough to survive on their own.

But he knew he still wanted Spot in his life.

He wanted him in the exact way Spot was afraid to admit he wanted Race, too.

“You can’t, can you?”

Spot shook his head, “I wish I could.”

“I’ll try not to take that personally.”

“I wish I could push you away so you’d be safe,” he clarified, “I’m not as strong as I wish I was.”

“Hmm,” Race put his hand on the side of Spot’s face, “Care to have a moment of weakness and kiss me again?”

The other boy scoffed, both his hands going to Race’s waist.

“You’re terrible, y’know that?”

He was terrified even if he’d probably never admit it, holding almost tight enough to hurt.

Funny. Race had known Spot for years and the only thing he’d ever known him to be afraid of was his own emotions and the lack of control he had over them.

“Want me to shut up? You’re gonna have to do it yourself.”

Spot rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue, for once.

Teaching him to believe he deserved it, whatever it was—being happy—would have to come another day.

This—all the swirling, chaotic, raw emotions dialed to 11 they always brought out in each other all locked up in one kiss—was enough for now.

#newsies #sprace #spot conlon #racetrack higgins #angst #canon era #violet’s writing

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gilmores-glorious-blog · 4 years ago

Text

i wish that i knew what makes you think i'm so special

more klaus/dave but this time it’s hurt/comfort bc i like to suffer :) title from love like you from steven universe

The ghosts were worse at night. It was quiet, no sound but insects and birds and explosions in the distance. Klaus kept his eyes open and he saw the mangled corpses of soldiers and civilians crowding him from every angle; he closed his eyes and he saw his father, saw Ben’s death over and over, saw Dave dying every kind of horrible death imaginable.

He decided the corpses were preferable to his own imagination.

But sometimes his exhaustion got the better of him. It had been three days since he’d last slept. Even when Dave fell asleep in his arms, when they snuck out to the jungle, Klaus didn’t dare to rest his eyes. God knows what would go wrong if they were both sleeping alone out there. So Dave had insisted they stay at the camp tonight, and that Klaus at least try to sleep.

Klaus tried so hard not to give in. He had gotten quite used to the ghosts around here, and as long as he ignored the ones that were men he’d known, his soldier buddies that had died too early, he could manage them well enough. But fighting in a war was tiring, and Klaus had to admit that this cot was more comfortable than the jungle floor, and although he missed Dave’s arms, he could hear the man snoring quietly in the cot across from his, and he could feel his eyes closing…

dave’s hands cradled his face. it was nice. klaus leaned in to kiss him, but before he could, dave crumpled to the ground in front of him, blood streaming from his mouth.

‘dave!’

through the blood, he tried to speak. tried to say goodbye to klaus.

‘you’re…’

klaus nodded at him frantically, encouraging him to talk.

‘you’re my greatest disappointment, number 4.’ the blonde curls turned to gray hairs, and the body that had been lifeless a moment ago was now all too alive. his father’s hands were around his throat, choking him.

he couldn’t breathe. couldn’t think. he needed dave.

klaus saw his siblings in the fading edges of his vision. they said nothing as reginald squeezed the life out of their brother.

in his final moments of consciousness, klaus heard a voice that belonged either to ben or to dave.

‘better him than us.’

Klaus woke up screaming. He clutched at the blanket around him, trying to remember where he was.

Dave was next to him in an instant. “Klaus!”

Klaus looked at Dave. Dave was here. Klaus was here. They were both alive. How?

“Hey, hey, take some deep breaths, ok? I’m here, you’re gonna be okay.” Dave moved his hand to Klaus’ back and rubbed it gently.

Klaus heeded his instructions, and after a few shaky breaths, the heat of the Vietnam night air made its way into his lungs and he felt his brain start to work again.

“Dave.” He reached a trembling hand up to touch his boyfriend’s cheek.

“Klaus, what happened?”

“Ah, nothing new. Just nightmares. Ghosts. The usual.” Klaus waved a dismissive hand. “Come ‘ere.” He pulled Dave up off from his spot kneeling on the ground and tugged him down onto the bed next to him.

“Woah, hold on.” Dave stood up again. “You know we can’t do that here. Your screaming probably woke some others up, and they can’t see us.”

“Fuck that, I wanna kiss you.” Klaus grabbed at Dave. He knew somewhere in the back of his brain that Dave was right, but he was tired and scared and shaken from his dream and he needed to touch Dave.

“Klaus.” Dave wrapped a hand around Klaus’ arm, knowing that Klaus was too weak to fight back anymore. “We can’t. Do you want to leave, though? I promise I’ll stay awake this time, and you can sleep in the jungle.”

As much as Klaus wanted to stay in the relative comfort of his bed, he wanted to hold Dave even more, so he stood tentatively.

Dave threw on a shirt and wrapped his jacket around Klaus before heading out of the tent.

Neither of them spoke as they walked towards their spot- a small clearing surrounded by trees, far enough from camp and secluded enough that no one would find them- but as soon as they were away from other people, Dave took Klaus’ hand.

The moment they made it to their clearing, Klaus threw his hands around Dave’s neck and kissed him, hard.

Dave reciprocated the kiss long enough for Klaus to send them both tumbling to the ground, but he pushed Klaus up a second later.

“Wait.” He sat up, bringing Klaus with him. “Are you alright?”

Klaus blinked, confused. “Yeah!” He moved towards Dave again, but found Dave’s hand on his chest stopping him.

“Klaus, your dream. Do you need to talk about it?” Dave moved to sit against a tree, and Klaus crawled after him, not wanting to stand.

“Oh right. That.” He laughed dryly.

“I know you get nightmares a lot, and I’ve tried not to ask about them, but if that’s what keeping you awake, we need to do something about it.”

Klaus said nothing, fiddling with Dave’s hand.

“I used to get nightmares when I was little,” Dave continued. “And my ma always had me talk about them with her. I hated it, but it did help. To tell someone else what’s happening in the dream that scares you so much. Do you think you can talk to me?”

Klaus swallowed nervously. He really didn’t want to share his dreams, but Dave wanted him to, and he wanted whatever Dave wanted.

“You were there.” He starts. “You were there, and I tried to kiss you, but you died before I could.” Klaus felt Dave stiffen next to him, but he said nothing. “There was blood everywhere, and you were trying to tell me something, but before you could you turned into my father. He started choking me, and my siblings were all there watching, and the last thing I heard before I died was you or my brother saying it was better that it was me he killed and not the rest of you. Which is true, of course, so that’s the worst part.” Klaus blinked back tears as he stopped abruptly, finding it too hard to keep speaking.

“It’s not true.” Dave said immediately, taking both of Klaus’ hands. “It isn’t true. I would die a thousand times before I let you get hurt, and I would kill a hundred men if it saved you from a scratch.”

Klaus looked at him, eyes glistening. “You’re such a sap.”

Dave smiled, kissing Klaus’ hand. “I am. But Klaus, you gotta understand, your dream was just that. A dream. I’m so sorry you have these nightmares, but they’re not real, Klaus. I’m alive. I’m right here. And your family isn’t. Your father can’t hurt you here. I’m gonna protect you. No matter what, I’m gonna protect you.”

Klaus leaned forward and kissed Dave gently. “Thank you.” He whispered, touching their foreheads together. It was a nice moment, and Klaus knew he shouldn’t ask what he wanted to, but he had to know.

“Why?”

“Hmm?” Dave was distracted, running his fingers through Klaus’ hair.

“Why do you want to protect me? Why do you want to help me through this? It would be so much easier for you to just leave, like everyone else does.” It had been three months since Klaus and Dave got together, but Klaus still couldn’t believe that Dave actually wanted to be with him. Guess that’s what thirty years of abuse and abandonment issues does to a guy.

“Klaus…” Dave had a sad look in his eyes. “I protect you because I care about you. I want to help you because you deserve help. And I’m never going to leave you, because you are an incredible person. Don’t- don’t say you aren’t because it’s not true. You are funny, and brilliant, and unique, and kind, and loving, and that makes you incredible. I know your past has taught you not to believe these things, but I need you to listen to me when I say them. I’m not lying, Klaus. I’d never lie to you.” Dave stopped talking for a moment and brushed his lips against Klaus’.

“I love you, Klaus Hargreeves.”

Dave kissed Klaus again. “I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my entire life.”

Klaus thought Dave was crying, but he wasn��t sure. Klaus was definitely crying, though. Because somehow, despite every past relationship and every reason Klaus had to not trust Dave, he found himself believing his every word.

Klaus moved so he was straddling Dave and kissed the top of his head.

“I love you, David Katz.” He held Dave’s head up so they made eye contact. “I didn’t think love was real before I met you. You’re the first person I’ve ever truly loved.”

Yeah, Dave was crying. Klaus lay his head down on Dave’s shoulder and cried along with him.

They sat like that for a while, neither one talking. What a strange sight that must have been. Two soldiers, beaten and bruised by the war raging on around them, clutching on to one another and weeping.

Finally Klaus lifted his head from Dave’s shoulder and began to wipe away his tears. “This would be embarrassing if it were with anyone but you.” He laughed weakly.

Dave chuckled, rubbing at his own eyes. “Pretty good summary of what love is.”

Klaus kissed Dave, and the salt of their tears mingled in his mouth, and it was the sweetest kiss Klaus had ever had.

“Hey,” Dave broke the kiss after a minute. “You should try to get some sleep.”

Klaus didn’t argue this time. He shifted so he was laying his head on Dave’s lap, staring up at the night sky. Here in the clearing, a few stars were visible amidst the lingering smoke of explosions.

Klaus’ eyes closed and he felt Dave’s hand on his face, his fingers gently tracing Klaus’ eyes and nose and lips, before lingering in his hair.

Klaus didn’t fall asleep right away, he was too distracted listening to the sounds of the jungle and the sound of Dave’s heart and his breathing, distracted by the feel of Dave’s hands, one in Klaus’ hair and the other clasped in Klaus’ hands, distracted by the feel of Dave’s legs underneath him and his chest to the side of him.

Right when Klaus had nearly drifted off, he heard Dave speak. It was quiet, so quiet that Klaus wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it. Dave must have thought Klaus was already asleep, meaning that he was speaking to himself and to no one at all.

“I love you Klaus. So much.”

Love. Klaus let the word roll around in his tired brain. He’d always hated that word. He thought it was just a word people used to validate their abuse. A word people used as a lie to trick him into trusting them. A word people used to a sickening amount towards others, but never towards Klaus.

But somehow, against all odds, lying there in the middle of an active warzone, in Vietnam, in 1968, someone was using that word towards Klaus. Not as a lie. Not to abuse. Simply because he meant it. Because he loved Klaus.

And goddamnit, Klaus loved him too.

#klaus x dave #klaus hargreeves x dave katz #klaus hargreeves #dave katz #the umbrella academy #the umbrella academy fanfiction #tua fic #jesus christ i'm lonely #i want what they had #obviously minus the whole active warzone/ending in tragedy thing #eli.posts #eli.writes

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itsclydebitches · 5 years ago

Note

[1] Hi! I hope you don't mind, but can I ask a sorta uncomfortable question? I wanna ship cloqwork because I like their character dynamic, but at the same time I get uncomfortable because when Qrow enrolled at Beacon (at "the right age," as specified by Raven) he would've been 17 - legally not an adult. Ozpin would've had a disproportionate amount of power over him, both as a legal adult and as his teacher.

Hi, Anon!

I apologize in advance that this response is probably going to be all over the place. I’ve got a lot of thoughts about this and very little ability right now to put them into a cohesive order. So we’re just chucking it all out lol.

First, there’s absolutely no need to apologize for being on anon. That’s what it’s there for! I think tumblr has developed a view of the anonymous option that, on the whole, isn’t particularly useful. In our efforts to call out those who are sending flames/hate under the comfort of anonymity (which you obviously are not), there’s no need for anyone to “prove” themselves by going off of it. You’re using anon because you (justifiably) fear how the fandom might react to these questions. I often use anon because I abandoned my “main” account years ago and dislike sending messages from it. There’s a huge range of reasons why someone might want to be on anon and ultimately it doesn’t matter why we use the tool that’s been provided to us. It’s there, so never feel bad about going anon for any reason :)

Onto the ozqrow! Or yes, onto the cloqwork. I learned “ozqrow” first so it’s pretty embedded in my head, but I agree that “cloqwork” is the more sophisticated of the two ;) Anyway, yes. There are potentially ways that we can view the relationship as unhealthy… with the key word there being potentially. AKA, as headcanons. No, Qrow wouldn’t have been an adult when he entered Beacon, but who’s to say a relationship began then? Some fans might like to imagine that despite the real world issues attached. Others—like you and me—would not. The important thing is that we both have the space to achieve whatever interpretation of the relationship we please. Far as I can tell, Qrow is 37 at the youngest. Four years at Beacon (17-20), 15 years after Summer’s death (35), and then roughly 2 years of in-canon present time (37). Realistically, he’s probably older than that. Based on the relationship dynamics it seems that Tai didn’t date Summer until he broke up with Raven and given Yang’s age compared to Ruby’s, that adds two years. So Qrow is probably around 39. Even that’s assuming that Raven had Yang right after Beacon. If she didn’t we could push the timeline another year or two, putting Qrow in his early 40’s. I lay all this out to demonstrate that… that’s a lot of time. How old “should” Qrow be before he enters a relationship with someone? Obviously that answer differs from individual to individual, but let’s say for the sake of argument that he should be at least 25. That puts him 5 years out of Beacon, potentially older than when Raven had Yang, and roughly 6 years older than most of our main ships right now (Blake/Yang, Jaune/Pyrrha, Ren/Nora etc.) where fans argue very strongly that at 19 they’re already adults and are able to make informed decisions, be it about relationships or world-shattering secrets. So we’re already holding Qrow to stricter standards than other characters and that still leaves roughly 15 years for him and Ozpin to start something, all of which is time that takes place outside of the Teacher/Student dynamic. It’s a choice to prioritize “But he was his headmaster for 4 years” over “But they were equals for 2 decades.”

Now granted, there’s more to this relationship than just Qrow’s own age. I’ve also seen people bring up the age gap and, more recently, Ozpin’s “manipulation” of Qrow. In regards to the former, we simply have to acknowledge that Ozpin is screwed in that regard. Everyone is younger than him. Almost the entire cast. At some point nearly everyone we meet will have, at some point, been a child while Ozpin is an adult simply by virtue of Ozpin being a reincarnating wizard who has already lived at least a thousand years. The only exceptions to this are Salem, the Gods, or Jinn, all of which are more “problematic” partners to my mind. Which again, isn’t to say no one can ship them together, just that it seems ridiculous to me that—if we’re really going to “justify” an in-canon relationship—we’d prioritize “Salem and Ozpin are the same age that’s so much healthier!” over “Salem abused Ozpin, killed their kids, and has hunted him for years on end. That’s... kind of not great!” It’s a matter of what parts of each relationship we choose to emphasize. And ozqrow is far from the only ship to grapple with this. In the witcher fandom I adore both Geralt/Jaskier and Geralt/Regis. Both of those ships have “issues” in regards to age. Is Jaskier not allowed to be with Geralt because he’s in his 30s and Geralt is in his 80s? Is Geralt not allowed to be with Regis because he’s in his 80s and Regis is in his 400s? When we talk about fantasy series we’re talking about species/races/abilities that are, obviously, fantastic. They don’t exist. Which means that real world concerns can’t perfectly map onto these scenarios. The question is not “Is a 1,000 year age gap problematic?” but rather “Are these both consenting adults who are in a position to make their own informed, romantic decisions?” To which we answer for ozqrow: yes. Unless we specifically imagine that the relationship began when Qrow was just a student but again, that’s purely headcanon. Emphasizing that non-canonical imagining of how a relationship might have started over the canonical years of working together as equal peers makes no more sense than going, “Yeah but there was a time when Regis was an adult and Geralt was just a kid, so if they’d met then it would have been super unhealthy so you shouldn’t ship them :/” They didn’t meet when Geralt was a kid. In the same way, Ozpin and Qrow didn’t start a relationship when Qrow was a kid for the simple reason that they have no canonical romance at all. That puts the power entirely in the viewers’ hands to imagine when/how such a relationship occurs.

Which leaves us with second issue mentioned: power dynamics and Ozpin’s “manipulation.” Take everything said above and apply it to this point too. That power dynamic only exists if we imagine a relationship while they’re headmaster and student. Which you can! Plenty of people want to write/read about such “problematic” stuff. That’s partly what fandom is for. But again, if that’s not your cup of tea there’s no reason to prioritize those 4 years over the 20 years we get later. I have heard some people say that the relationship is indefinitely imbalanced because of Ozpin’s age/power/leadership/whatever but… that simply makes no sense to me. Or rather, it seems hypocritical. Does that mean it’s “problematic” for Weiss to be with Ruby? After all, Ruby is the leader of their team and calls all the shots. What if Weiss feels like she can’t say no to her?? It’s terribly unhealthy. Does that mean Weiss can’t be with Blake? She was racist, after all, and comes from such a place of privilege. I’m not sure Blake is educated enough to hold her own with Weiss. Does this mean Blake can’t be with Yang? Blake comes from a very rich and powerful family whereas Yang is just a country girl… what if Blake uses that power against her somehow? Does that mean that Nora can’t be with Ruby? Or again, Weiss with Ruby? I mean, Nora is homeless and Weiss has been cut off from the Schnee line, so they might stay in a relationship purely out of fear of being abandoned--super unhealthy. These are all revised versions of things I’ve heard applied to ozqrow: Qrow shouldn’t be with Ozpin because Ozpin is his leader (Ruby/Weiss), because Qrow grew up in an “uneducated” tribe whereas Ozpin is clearly so sophisticated (Blake/Weiss), because Ozpin has power and connections that Qrow could never match (Blake/Yang), because Ozpin is tied to the life Qrow has built and breaking up supposedly threatens that. Which means he can’t ever break up. Which means Qrow is trapped. Which means it’s unhealthy (Nora/Ruby or Ruby/Weiss). They’re all warped, assumption based arguments that are only taken seriously when they’re applied to a ship that people are already inclined to dislike. The takeaway is that every relationship has power dynamics and every relationship has the potential to be “problematic.” Literally everyone. Give me any two people and I can spin some yarn about how one holds too much power over the other for the relationship to be healthy. Which isn’t to say that real power dynamics don’t exist that should be avoided (like a teacher/student relationship as you point out), only that fans are inclined to extend that past the point of logic in an effort demonize ships they don’t like. Someone having trauma in their past (which, again, is everyone at this point in the series) is not the same “power dynamic” as an adult grooming a child (which, again again, Ozpin didn’t do). So when we’re left with the acknowledgement that any relationship has the potential to be unhealthy, we have to ask… is it? And the answer is no. As you say, “We all know that canonically Ozpin ISN’T that kind of person.” That’s what trumps every headcanon and negative assumption. I could headcanon/assume that a Weiss/Blake relationship would be horrific because Weiss would be a racist ass to Blake and Blake would only stay with her because she’s determined not to “run away” from something again… but we don’t see evidence for that on screen and it literally never happens. In the same way, some fans like to headcannon/assume that a Qrow/Ozpin relationship would be horrific because Ozpin would use his power over Qrow in various ways… but we don’t see evidence for that on screen and it literally doesn’t happen.

If anything, post-Volume 6 I’d say there’s more of a potential problem with Qrow being with Ozpin. Meaning yes, as you point out Qrow has a lot of stuff in his past that makes him potentially vulnerable—toxic family environment, drinking problem, etc.—but we learn irrevocably in Volume 6 that so does Ozpin. He was manipulated by the Gods into accepting this “impossible” task. He was in an abusive relationship with Salem and, quite literally, didn’t survive it. He’s lived a thousand years of unimaginable trauma. He arguably was also an alcoholic at one point given the drinking we saw in Jinn’s flashback. He’s been betrayed time and time again by his allies… of which Qrow is a part. Arguably Ozpin has even more vulnerabilities than Qrow but both characters are in a position to hurt one another with those vulnerabilities: Ozpin could play on Qrow’s desire for family and Qrow could play on Ozpin’s need for support. That “could” is, again, important because it’s mostly headcanon speculation that chooses to see the relationship as inevitably negative… with the exception that canonically Qrow is the only one who we see using these vulnerabilities against Ozpin. The fandom likes to assume that Ozpin “manipulated” Qrow all these years but we simply never see that happening. In true RWBY fashion, RT gave Qrow a very damning sounding line—I gave up my life for you—and then let the fandom assume really negative connotations. In reality though what that line translated to was, “You trusted me despite the fact that I entered your school to learn how to kill you and your allies, then taught me how to be a better person and gave me a purpose in life: to help others, even if I’ve now learned I can’t fix it all in one lifetime.” Like yeah, what kind of horrible “manipulation”?? Ozpin’s supposed power over Qrow has only helped and benefited Qrow, despite how Volume 6 tried to paint that relationship as suddenly negative. What is said doesn’t align with what we’ve seen. In contrast, we do see Qrow using Ozpin’s vulnerabilities against him. He does betray him. He does punch him into a tree. He does help perpetuate those same lies to Ironwood. He does absolve Ruby without offering the same to Ozpin. He does then plant the seed—with absolutely no evidence—that he had a hand in Summer’s death. To be frank, Qrow has treated Ozpin like shit lately and it’s one of the (many) reasons why I hate Volume 6 and 7. Ozpin is coded as the perpetrator, but we never see him taking advantage of Qrow. Meanwhile, Qrow is coded as the victim, but we do see him taking advantage of Ozpin’s vulnerability. One character has helped the other flourish, the other has abandoned him in his greatest time of need. Right now I’d argue that the in-canon ship potential is “problematic” due to Qrow… but that doesn’t mean any of that has to impact fandom shipping. For me personally, I prefer to keep to Volume 1-5 material or AUs up until Qrow (hopefully) apologizes for his actions. Then I might feel inclined to write canon-based ozqrow content for Volume 8, or whenever we re-establish that respect (with AU elements involving giving Ozpin his own body. The Oscar situation is a whole other thing I’m not going to delve into here. Suffice to say, I’m considering Qrow and Ozpin as separate people right now). But even if they never make up, even if Qrow, or Ozpin, or both of them end up being completely toxic for one another, that doesn’t stop anyone from imagining something better for them in fandom. Fandom is transformative for a reason.

All of which isn’t to say that people have to like the ship (obviously) only that in the same vein it means that no one has to justify liking the ship either. Again, for me personally, I usually need some in-canon, healthy dynamic to work with in order to enjoy a ship. It’s why I love ozqrow because we did see that for 5 volumes and may indeed see it again. In contrast, it’s why I don’t love pairings like Yen/Geralt or Bakugo/Izuku because I don’t feel like I have a healthy foundation to work from and, for me, a healthy foundation is usually necessary (with some exceptions like my childhood love of Erik/Christine). But all those are preferences. They don’t—and shouldn’t—dictate anyone else’s enjoyment. Which is the problem when people don’t just assume that ozqrow is inherently unhealthy (which I hope I’ve somewhat helped to disprove here) but likewise assume that that’s necessary for anyone else to ship them. For you that potential coding of teacher/student and power dynamics might outweigh otherwise liking their dynamic and that’s fine! That’s a preference! But a preference doesn’t give anyone the right to throw shade at others for enjoying something different.

Which finally brings me back to the hypocrisy in all this. Ozqrow (and Blake/Yang) are the only ships I’ve come across in this fandom where the fans have to continually “prove” why their ships are valid. Not as potentially canonical relationships, but just as fandom-based ships. Just as fictional preferences we enjoy as a hobby. It says something about the fandom’s bias that we can watch Ilia, on screen, be one of the bad guys, kidnap Blake, try to murder her parents, try to ship her off to her abuser… and despite all this the fandom went, “Oh yeah. I could see them together.” But Ozpin and Qrow, who have supported one another for the vast majority of the series, suddenly need to provide receipts for how healthy their relationship is and if you don’t do a good enough job proving that, it’s cancelled. That’s messed up. None of these ships are “bad.” Ilia/Blake shippers should go wild with that potential! It’s just an issue of comparison and applying different, rigged standards to certain ships. This is a fandom where people ship the heroes with the likes of Cinder, Roman, Raven, Ilia, Salem, Tyrian… tons of killers and would-be killers, characters who have done objectively horrifying things. But it’s when two loving adult men might get together that it’s suddenly too “problematic”? That says more about that bias than it does the ship. For you, anon, if I’ve failed to alleviate those concerns and that coding means ozqrow isn’t really your thing? Great! You can drop the ship, involve yourself only in AUs, or anything in between. That’s how fandom should work. The problem lies not in asking polite questions about how we might interpret a relationship in canon (which as said in the original reblog I greatly enjoy doing!) but rather in some fans’ tendency to demand a moral standard from a ship that none other is held to and then when fans inevitably fail to meet that standard, they’re criticized for daring to like the ship in the first place. Ultimately whether you end up shipping/liking ozqrow is up to you—which is precisely where the power should be. In your hands, not the hands of someone on tumblr trying to make others feel guilty.

#rwby #ozqrow #rwde #mymetas #Anonymous

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outerbonks · 5 years ago

Text

selfish - rafe cameron

i posted this yesterday but it formatted all weird and annoyed me so i took it down but here it is again. please enjoy and lemme know what you think!

based on selfish by madison beer

summary; your relationship with Rafe isn’t healthy, you both know it, but you don’t know how to let the boy go.

word count: 1.8k

warning(s): swearing, mentions of drugs, toxic relationship

masterlist ♡

Boy, you're such a lost cause, now your name is crossed off

How you gonna fix this? You can't even fix yourself

Each day it got harder and harder to give yourself reasons to stand by your boyfriend, Rafe.

He was out of control, if he wasn't coked up and out of his mind he was blowing his top on pogues who did nothing to deserve his rage.

You loved him so much, you truly did but you couldn't watch as he destroyed himself and took you down with him any longer.

He'd been warned by you months ago that you just couldn't do it anymore. You were sick of the constant arguing, sick of his absolute lack of regard for anyone other than himself but more than anything you were sick of the disregard he showed towards you.

Rafe always begged you to stay, claiming that he needed you, that he'd get clean and fix himself up for you.

Months went by and nothing changed, yet the boy still promised you time and time again that he'd fix the mess he'd made of himself and the love that you shared.

It was almost two years, that I chose to spend here

All alone on New Years, thinking what the hell?

Your relationship with Rafe began when you were seventeen and he was eighteen and it was absolutely wonderful, it had been at first at least.

Now you were nearing your nineteenth birthday and the man who called himself your boyfriend hadn't returned any of your calls or texts in almost three days.

On a massive coke bender with his impressionable friends, you imagined, not that it was anything new.

He always did this, disappeared for days without a word and then reappeared when he overdid himself in a mess of tears and weightless apologies.

Sobs filled with "baby, I love you."s and "I'm so sorry"s and "please don't leave me. I need you."s

And they got you every time.

He'd miss dates, events that were important to you and you'd get mad and shout a: "What the hell is the point anymore?" He would break down and hold you like you were the most important thing to him in the whole world and you'd believe him when he told you just that, despite how he'd proved on more than one occasion that you weren't even more important than a bump of coke with Topper or Kelce.

I don't wanna break your thread and needle tryna stitch you, but I can't, I refuse

Every time he came to you undone you tried with everything you had to put him back together again, even if that meant tearing yourself apart to do so.

As it began happening more and more often you couldn't even remember the last time he'd kissed you just because he thought you looked pretty and not because he wanted to make sure you were still real and beside him.

You weren't his girlfriend anymore, you were his therapist.

Enough was enough, you had to put yourself first, if you didn't soon enough you'd have no more of yourself to give. Everything would be gone. He'd have wrung you dry.

Shouldn't love you but I couldn't help it

Had a feeling that you never felt it

I always knew that you were too damn selfish

It wasn't healthy and you both knew it. You shouldn't have stayed for as long as you have, he was bad for you but you were hooked. He was your drug and the damage he was causing proved that he was just as bad for your health. Yet you ignored it time and time again.

It's not to say that Rafe didn't love you because he did, he does. But he loved you in his own twisted way. He wouldn't move mountains for you and he wouldn't drop anything to help you but he'd just about die without you.

His love for you was selfish. It benefits him but never you. He could see the effect it had on you but how could he let you go when he needed you? Letting you go wasn't in the cards, you made him feel love and if you got hurt in the process then that was all the more reason why he couldn't give you up.

The knowledge that you loved him so much that you were willing to endure so much pain to make him happy fueled him.

Don't know why I looked the other way, I wanted you to change

Shouldn't love you but I couldn't help it, I always knew that you were too damn selfish

It was partially your fault. You saw right from the moment he first kissed you that he was doing it for the wrong reasons. Ignoring red flags had become a daily occurrence for you.

Giving up on him was something you didn't want to do, not in the slightest. You figured that he'd change, that he'd get better, that he'd treat you better.

He never did, never even tried.

But still, how could you just ignore all the good in favour of highlighting all of the bad?

His smile, the gentle touches he gives you when he thinks nobody else is looking, the way he kisses you like his life depends on it- you couldn't abandon all of it, you didn't want to.

And maybe that made you the selfish one, but you couldn't fool yourself anymore.

I bet you thought you gave me real love, but we spent it all in nightclubs

All you ever wanna do is lie, why you always such a Gemini?

Rafe's idea of a romantic date was dragging you to a kook party on figure eight, leaving you alone to deal Barry's content and then finding you hours later high as balls and begging to you fuck him in some random bedroom.

He genuinely believed he was some kind of king when it came to the way he treated you. He brought you to parties, made you popular, heightened your social status among the other kooks, but that was all he thought mattered. Getting everyone else's approval.

You allowed him to reflect his warped sense of love onto you, he gave you what he thought was real love when really it was just the approval of your peers.

He thought real love equaled approval. It was as simple as that.

That wasn't what you wanted though, you wanted trust and tender moments, things Rafe didn't give to you unless it played in his favor.

Trust was an issue, he didn't trust you to know where he was going and to keep your mouth shut about it so he'd lie, lie, lie and lie some more.

Calling him out on it never helped either.

"Y/n why can't you just trust me for once?" He'd ask, throwing his arms around angrily.

"Because all you do is fucking lie to me Rafe! How can you expect me to trust you?" You'd scream back, tears threatening to spill from your eyes out of frustration from having the same fight over and over again.

He'd see your tears and he'd ease up, "Baby, don't cry." He’d say softly and then he'd pull you into him, "I don't ever want to make you cry." Then he'd look at you with those pretty eyes and kiss you softly and just like that you were back in his trap, as if nothing was wrong to begin with.

Baby, who you tryna run from? Me or all your problems?

You know you will never solve 'em, you don't even know yourself

Every now and then he'd push you away, tell you that he didn't need you anymore, that he'd be perfectly fine on his own.

And so you'd leave and he'd go MIA for a while but ultimately end you right back where he started, at your doorstep begging you to take him back. You always did, he knew you'd never turn him away.

"Why do you do that?" You'd ask quietly, your head resting on his chest as he twirled a strand of your hair with his fingers.

He'd look at you confused, "Why do I do what, baby?"

You'd furrow your eyebrows and tilt your head up to look at him with a saddened expression, before you'd answer him pathetically, "Run away from me."

And then he'd sigh but wrap his arms around you tightly, "I just needed to figure myself out. You know I always come back." He'd try to reassure you but the statement only caused your blood to run cold at the thought of reliving the situation again and again.

"And did you? Figure yourself out, I mean." You'd question as softly as possible, always hoping the answer would be yes.

But he'd only shrug and pull you up to be face to face with him, he'd bring his hand to your cheek so tenderly and stare at you with an affection neither of you knew he was capable and he'd whisper out, "I don't know. But I just know that my head doesn't spin so much when I'm with you."

But it's not possible

Plus I'm not responsible for your self-made obstacles

Put my heart in the hospital

"I can't do this with you anymore, ok Rafe? I've had enough." You told him, swallowing the lump in your throat as he shook his head in refusal.

"What do you mean? What did I do?" He asked, tone demanding an answer as he took a step towards you.

Letting out a sigh of distress at his oblivious nature you frantically motioned between the two of you with your shaking hand, "This! This isn't healthy! All we do is fight and make up! I can't do it anymore."

Your voice was weak but absolute, he wasn't going to charm his way out of this one, you wouldn't let him.

"Baby, I-" he said softer, attempting to pull you in, but you took a step back and shook your head.

"Don't. I don't want to be your emotional support dog anymore, Rafe." His eyes widened and his jaw clenched, this wasn't happening.

"I'm trying to fix it! We've been over this!" He was shouting now and it brought up an anger in you, that excuse was old and you were sick of it.

"It's been two fucking years, Rafe! You haven't even tried! I can't possibly give any more of myself to you and yet you give me nothing." You yelled at first, but your voice lowered in volume at the end as you looked into his tear filled eyes.

"But I need you." Rafe choked out, voice cracking along with your heart, you couldn't stand this.

"I love you. But you're selfish and it hurts too much being used by you, so I can't let you anymore." Tears were falling down your face rapidly and you had to bite your lip to contain a sob.

"I'm sorry." Was all he could say, he couldn't deny what you said, it was true and you were right but he couldn't let you go. You were all he knew.

"We can figure this out, baby. We always do." He added, attempting to grab a hold of you again, nerves taking over.

But you shook your head, "Not this time."

Shouldn't love you but I couldn't help it.

#rafe cameron #rafe cameron x reader #drew starkey #obx rafe #outer banks #outer banks x reader

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drabbledragon · 4 years ago

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Linktober: Fall

Still a few days behind but I’m catching up! I’ll be up to date in no time!

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26749021/chapters/65731681

Summary: One of the Links is always changing, just like the leaves in fall.

Warnings: Swearing

Day 6: Fall

This forest was unlike anything the group had ever encountered before. Tall Aspen trees towered over them and created a mosaic of red, orange, and yellow up in the treetops, and a small stream trickled peacefully by small river rocks. The dirt ground beneath them was laden with hoof tracks and piles of leaves, with no indication that humans nor Hylians have ever stepped foot in this very forest. The place was wild, breathtaking, and absolutely beautiful in all its untamed might.

“It appears that we’re stuck in between eras.” The Hero of Time had concluded. The group discussion they had had a little while ago turned out to be inconclusive, with their best guess being a time between Twilight’s and Wild’s eras - but even that claim was a bit shaky.

Sky stepped forward and curiously looked at the trees around him. “ We haven’t seen any monsters here yet,” He turned back and regarded the other heroes with pinched brows, “ So do you guys think we’re in a time where Ganon doesn’t exist?”

“We very well could be.” Warriors chimed in.

The heroes had broken out into another murmured discussion about the matter, each one of them trying to figure out why exactly the Goddess would send them to a timeline with no destruction and no one to save. Among those several heroes was Four, eyes distant as his four personalities argued in his head.

C’mon, Blue, it’ll be fun!

Red, I’m not going to act like a five year - old and jump into a pile of leaves.

Awww, please? They’re so colorful and pretty and they make a cool crunch sound when you step on them! And this might be our only chance to relax and have some fun! Plus you heard Sky: there are no monsters here so we don’t have to worry about getting attacked or anything!

One, that’s not what Sky said; Sky said that we haven’t seen any monsters yet, meaning that there could very well be monsters, but just hidden. Two, how do you think the others would react? They’ll most likely treat us like little kids after, and I don’t want to be teased all the time like Wind.

But Vioooo, it’s just a little pile of leaves. Maybe everyone else will join when they see us jump in first! The corner of Four’s lips twitched.

Guys, Warriors is talking to us.

The Hero of the Four Sword was startled back into reality, and nearly shrunk under the captain’s expectant gaze. Struggling to find his voice, he stuttered out a quick, “ H - huh?”

“I asked you what you thought about the situation.” The Hero of Warriors frowned. Then with a placement of hands on hips and a raised brow, the man questioned, “ Were you even listening to a thing I’ve been saying?”

“Oh, um ...” The silence between them was palpable, and no matter how much of four’s personalities tried to rack their brains for the captain’s recent words, all they could think about was Red’s excitable personality bubbling to the surface. Green could feel himself quickly becoming suppressed under his red counterpart’s desire to let loose and have some fun, and he could feel his gaze flickering more and more to the piles of leaves rather than Warriors’s face. Three - quarters of him begged Red not to give in to his impulsivity, but they were fighting a losing battle, and Red was clearly the victor.

Four was pushing past Warriors before he even knew it.

Seven curious faces and an offended Warriors watched as their smallest hero leapt into the pile of foliage, giggling and smiling as colorful leaves fluttered around him like winter’s snow. His face was alight with newfound joy as he mindlessly tossed red, orange, and yellow leaves into the air, and for once, he felt like just another child enjoying a crisp autumn day. He idly wondered how long it had been since he was last able to be his exuberant self - to just abandon his duty as a knight and enjoy the small joys in life. He abruptly froze.

Red! What did you do? Everyone’s staring!

Oh my Goddesses, they’re never gonna let us live this down.

If we have to explain ourselves, you’re the one who’ll have to do it.

Red looked to the remaining heroes with tears in his eyes. Oh man, what’s he going to say?

He startled when a rush of blue and blonde jumped into the pile of leaves next to him.

“Woohoo!” Wind shouted when he popped his head out the pile, leaves and twigs tangled into his hair. He looked to the Hero of the Four Sword and beamed, “ That was really fun! Let’s do that again, Four!”

And the Hero of the Four Sword glowed, his red eyes bright with elation.

Not long after, Wild, Hyrule, and a newly - transformed Wolfie had joined in, each one of them caught in a fit of giggles and whoops as they hopped from leaf pile to leaf pile. It appeared that the heroes' concern about being dropped into an unfamiliar Hyrule had slowly dribbled away, giving way to amusement as they watched the five heroes let loose and enjoy themselves. With a warm smile, Time decided,

“I guess we’ll be staying here for the night.”

Dusk had quickly approached soon after, causing fading rays of sunlight to shine weakly through the trees. The Hero of Twilight and the Hero of the Four Sword walked purposefully through the forest, the former remaining in his Twili form as the two scoured the area for food.

The smaller of the two heroes took out his makeshift - shopping list Wild had given him, and scanned it over for the umpteenth time.

Well we have the mushrooms and apples the cook asked for, so we’re really just missing the honey.

We know, Vio. Can you just stop looking over that thing every five seconds? It’s starting to piss me off.

Wolfie questioningly looked back as he heard the paper crumple in the other’s hands, but Four simply ignored him.

Blue, it’s okay! I’m sure Vio’s doing his best! Plus it’s hard for us to remember things, right? So it’s okay for him to check back every once in a while.

Sure, but every five fucking seconds? None of us have memory issues that bad; Vio’s either messing with us or actually has amnesia like Wild.

Hey, look!

Red, Blue, and Vio all looked to where Green mentally motioned. There it was: their last ingredient was hanging on a high branch just above them, the bee’s nest swinging idly in the cool breeze.

“It’s really high up,” Twilight pursed his lips, his form now that of a Hylian’s. “ Maybe I can grab it with my Clawshot.” He was just about to search for his aforementioned tool when a sudden snort caught his attention.

“Really, Wolfboy? You need something like that to get a little bee’s nest? I can get that with my bow and arrow in one shot, no doubt.”

The Hero of Twilight looked over the other with obvious skepticism. “ Blue eyes, huh? So I guess Blue’s the one doing the talking.” Then with a taunting smirk, he asked, “ Hmph, up for a little challenge?”

Blue, just please say no.

“You bet your furry ass I am!”

Green mentally facepalmed.

“Then it’s settled,” Twilight said, taking out an orange Rupee and waving it around. “ First one to get the beehive gets 100 Rupees.”

100 Rupees? Blue gawked, that was going to be an easy win! With Vio’s precision and Green’s coordination, the four of them were guaranteed to win! Blue reached down to his bag to find his Bow, but paused when he felt that something was off. With a slow glance down, he was slightly horrified to find that his tunic was completely blue.

He quickly swivelled on his heels and frowned to see his three counterparts smiling right back at him. “Hey, seriously?! You guys are quitting on me just like that?!”

“Well you’re the one that wanted to challenge Twilight, not us.” Vio shrugged. “ So if you want to win, then do it fairly.”

“Yeah,” Red chimed in. “ I wanna see you win!”

Blue gritted his teeth. Really? His three other counterparts were bailing on him just because of something so stupid as playing fair? They were all part of the same person, for Hylia’s sake; using each one of their abilities was totally fair! He shrunk when he felt Twilight’s shadow looming over him.

“Well, Blue?” His eyes darted over to the Ordonian’s smirk. “ Is our competition still on? Or do you just wanna hand me my 100 Rupees now?”

There was a moment of hesitance from Four’s blue counterpart until he finally shouted back, “ You’re on, Furball!”

The two heroes each positioned themselves on either side of the tree, bows readily aimed at their unsuspecting prize. Blue did his best not to tremble under the pressure, but after taking a glance at the cool, calm, and collected Ordonian standing right across from him, he couldn’t help but feel his confidence wane like a dying fire.

“Ready ...” Green drawled from a distance, hand raised readily in the air.

Blue took a steadying breath. He could do this; just one little hit at the bee’s nest’s stem and those 100 Rupees were as good as his.

“Go!”

The call caused two arrows to fly simultaneously through the air like a quick gust of wind, both projectiles aimed at the same target. They both sliced through the air at an amazing speed but just as Blue had feared, Twilight’s arrow had reached the nest first, easily nicking the stem and sending the hive falling towards the ground.

But Blue wasn’t done yet. He may have lost the battle, but he’ll win the war.

Four’s blue counterpart broke into a sprint almost immediately after, arms strewn out in an attempt to catch the nest. He had successfully caught it when it was just a hair’s breadth away from hitting the ground, and he couldn’t help but cheer out in victory; but he had poorly miscalculated his win, because the next thing he knew, his degree of momentum had sent him tumbling towards the ground with a roll, and the steep decline of the hill only seemed to spur him on. He eventually ended up in a nearby stream not long after, with arms raised above his head in order to avoid the beehive from getting wet while the rest of him was currently drowning underwater. When he was finally able to gain his bearings, he sat up and looked to his three counterparts and the Ordonian looking back at him from the top of the hill, Vio and Twilight doing their best to hold in their laughter while Red and Green didn’t even bother.

Wild was cooking later that night, the smell of Glazed Mushrooms and Honeyed Apples wafting through the air in a tantalizing manner. Four sat blissfully next to the small campfire, and watched quietly as the group’s resident cook stirred the pot once again.

The Hero of Wilds pursed his lips as he said, “I honestly thought there would be more honey in that hive, but since we’re in a weird sorta Hyrule - limbo, I guess it would make sense if everything was a little bit off.”

Yes, Blue, it is weird that there wasn’t much honey in there.

Blue’s sudden flare of anger caused Four’s jaw to stiffen.

Y’know what, Vio? How about you go get the honey next time? I can sit there and supervise you while you do it and after you’re done drowning in a river, I can go over and laugh at you.

It’s your fault for challenging Twilight like that; you knew he would win.

Hey, doesn’t that smell like dad’s cooking?

The four of them sharpened their focus to the warm smell that was coming from the pot, and each one of them hummed in agreement.

Yeah, you’re kinda right, Red.

I wonder what he’s up to, him being the head knight and all.

Oooo, you think he’s drinking hot chocolate right now? I bet that vendor in Castletown is already selling some!

Idiot, he’s probably working his ass off protecting the castle! He doesn’t have time for stupid stuff like that!

“I miss him.”

Every personality within Four inwardly gasped at Green’s sudden words, and none of them missed the confused side - glance Wild gave them.

The cook’s brows pinched together as he said, “ You missing someone?”

“I, uh -” Green, who was now forcibly shoved to the front to deal with their situation, racked his brain for a way to explain himself; but when none came, he eventually settled on a wistful sigh and said, “ Yeah, I just miss my dad.”

“Oh yeah? What’s he up to now?”

“Well, he’s the head knight in my Hyrule, so he’s probably off protecting Zelda and stuff like that.” A nostalgic smile crossed his lips. “ When I was a little kid, my dad always used to make me fresh - cooked eggs and honeyed fruit for breakfast, and just before he headed out, he would always tell me how much he loved me even when I was a little brat, and I would always give him the biggest hug back. It’s been awhile since I’ve last seen him, but I know he misses me a lot, and he’s eagerly waiting for the day I come back home.” He nonchalantly shrugged. “ I guess you’re cooking just reminded me of him.”

Green sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. What was he thinking telling Wild of all people about his family?! He knew the Hero of Wilds’s was very sensitive about the matter, and for Green to just go on and practically brag about how his family was still alive and well? What an idiot!

But to Four’s pleasant surprise, the cook simply answered back with a longing smile. “ I got a few people I’ve been missing, too: my Zelda, Impa, Sidon - I know they’re all their wits end trying to figure out where the hell I went, so hopefully we’ll be able to stop by my Hyrule soon and I could explain to them what’s going on.” He propped a cheek on one of his hands and wondered aloud, “ I wonder if we could visit Sidon first. It’s been a while since I’ve last seen him and I did promise him that we’d go swimming at Palmorae Beach soon.”

Green smiled. At least they all had someone to go home to.

The full moon casted a beautiful light across their camp tonight, and the peaceful and quiet atmosphere seemed to compel the heroes into talking about their adventures again.

“Okay, but did you really fight the moon?”

“Perhaps, but that’s for me to know and for you to find out.”

“Jeeze, Old Man, you’re such a tease.”

The camp seemed alight with cheer and good banter, but one of the Links was quiet, plate in hand and eyes glued onto his shadow.

Warriors. Sleep. Snore.

Vio’s eyes lit up with mundane amusement. He had figured out what his shadow was trying to say: Warriors was caught snoring one night, and to be honest, it was pretty hilarious to watch in Shadow’s opinion.

Out of the four personalities that resided in Four’s body, Vio had become the best at deciphering what Shadow was trying to say, and that was pretty impressive considering the latter had to use some modified form of sign language so the four of them could actually see the signs he was trying to make. Having your shadow hold a hand in front of its own body did make it impossible to pull any kind of meaning from it, after all.

“Your shadow: it’s facing the wrong direction.”

Red, Blue, and Green all startled at the Hero of Time’s sudden observation, but Vio was good at keeping up appearances in tense situations. With a flash of disinterested violet eyes, he glanced to Time and explained in a hush voice, “ It’s a side effect of the Four Sword; the magic held by it seemed to change everything about us.”

The leader of the group regarded him for a few more tense seconds before tiredly sighing, “ Ah, the things you poor boys went through. If I could’ve prevented any of your adventures from ever happening, I would.” And with that being said, Time turned back to the rest of the Links, an amused smile on his lips as he watched their antics.

Hylia, Vio, you just saved all of our asses.

Yeah, did you see that scary look Time was giving us?! I almost couldn’t breathe for a second!

Do you think he’ll just let us live this down? Like do you think he’ll ever bring this up again?

Thank you. Vio.

Vio smiled at Shadow’s gratitude. He had saved all of his counterparts from a terrible interrogation and from a chance of being casted away from the group just because he was technically some derivative of a Dark Link.

A sigh blew through his nose.

Sure, Shadow may have been an enemy hellbent on killing every single one of Four’s personalities before but he had changed, coming to the realisation that Vaati’s wish to plunge all of Hyrule into darkness was beyond cruel, and he had taken to sacrificing himself all for the sake of making sure that Red, Blue, Green, and Vio were able to save the kingdom in time. Shadow was on their side - every one of Four’s counterparts were sure of it - but the rest of the Links wouldn’t understand.

But things change, just like the leaves in fall, and just like Four’s personalities.

#linkeduniverse #hero of four swords #fanfic #linktober2020

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outerjjbx · 4 years ago

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Jiara July Jubilee

Day 5, 30th July- 5 + 1 day (but I’m doing 3 + 1 because this is my first time using this format)

words: 3.8k

One of the few things that JJ learnt at school was that anger was a secondary emotion. He didn’t even really learn it at school; he learnt it in the counsellor’s office after a particularly messy fight. He was the one that got in trouble, even though it was the other kid that pushed John B’s books from his hands.

JJ was an extremely protective person. He would throw himself in front of a train to protect his friends. He would do absolutely anything to assure their safety and happiness, and his rage commonly took over when that was at risk. He was particularly protective of Kiara, because he knew she hated violence and wouldn’t engage in it like the others. That would be okay, but she was unlucky enough to be the typical victim of Rafe Cameron’s constant bickering.

They were at the boneyard, JJ flirting with some Touron he wouldn’t remember the name of, and Kiara minding her business by the shore. She was standing with a plastic cup, taking occasional sips and letting the waves wash over her feet. She jumped when she felt an arm sling around her shoulder, scoffing with she noticed a grinning Rafe.

Kiara shoved him off. “Go bother some other girl. Or, better yet, none at all. The world could do a lot better without guys like you.”

Rafe raised an eyebrow and placed his arm back around her. “What’s that, Kie? Can’t hear you over the music.”

Kiara rolled her eyes and pushed him off again. “Seriously, Rafe. Your bullshit gets tiring. Go away.”

Rafe held a hand to his chest. “Oh, I’m hurt!” he looked around, studying a group of Pogues messing around nearby. “Why do you even hang out with them? You’re rich, you’re hot. You’re a kook. Why are you running around like some sort of Pogue princess?”

“Maybe it’s because you’re all misogynistic assholes?” She replied sarcastically.

“I miss having you around the house, Kie,” Rafe grinned. “The view was always nice.”

JJ had noticed the commotion by then. He made his way over, hands in his pockets to appear casual. He stopped in the middle, purposely putting distance between them. Rafe smirked when he arrived, looking proud of his ability to draw him over.

“What, so she’s fucking you but won’t give me a try?” Rafe scoffed. “You’re hot, Kiara. Get some standards.”

“Fuck off, Rafe,” JJ mumbled. “Aren’t you, like, nineteen? Get a life.”

The mentioned raised his arms in mock surrender. “Okay, okay!” he began to walk away, but not before brushing by Kiara so he could run his hand along her waist.

Kiara yelped, flinching away. Rafe winked and prepared to walk away, but JJ grabbed his wrist and punched him square in the face before you could move.

Rafe fell down onto the sand. “Jesus Christ, you psycho! What the fuck was that?”

JJ grabbed Kiara’s drink and downed it. “Sexual assault earns a punch, Cameron.”

“I didn’t do shit!” Rafe argued. He stood up to hit JJ back and pushed him, but it only made JJ angry.

Both of them had anger issues, and both of them knew that. Sometimes, when they were about to fight, JJ wondered what made Rafe such an angry person. He seemed like he had such a perfect life, but his actions reflected something else. JJ knew the source of his anger, he knew that it was because of his dad, but he couldn’t figure Rafe out. JJ often had to remind himself that anger was not an original emotion, meaning Rafe’s red face and twisted expression was caused by something else, something deep-rooted.

Their fight lasted for three or four punches each, resulting in a bloody nose and a split lip or two. JJ was already roughed up, as he always was, so the injuries weren’t anything new for him. That made seeing Rafe with a swollen eye and red blotches of forming bruises even more satisfying. He was always attacking, but he was never used to getting anything back.

Topper was tugging at his friend’s arm. “Come on, man. It’s not worth it,” he said, as if JJ had been the one that was acting like a dickhead.

Rafe muttered something under his breath and spat blood into the sand as he left, his fists clenched. JJ and Kiara both watch him go, Kiara pulling her jacket on as she did. She hated that he’d ruined her night, as he usually did, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Terrorising here seemed to be one of his favourite hobbies.

“Thanks, JJ,” she mumbled as she zipped her hoodie up.

JJ nodded and looked down at his -or Kiara’s, technically- empty cup and nodded towards the keg. “Come on. Wanna get wasted?”

Kiara shrugged and followed him. They spent the rest of the night drinking and getting high, just enjoying each others’ company. They stayed at the party, but it was like they were in their own little world, sharing inside jokes and giggling to themselves. JJ made a promise to protect her that night, and Kiara returned it, unaware of the protecting he actually needed.

“Rafe, what the fuck motivates you so much that you have to be the single most annoying piece of shit I have ever come across?”

Rafe was annoying Kiara, as usual. She didn’t know what she did to attract such awful attention. Maybe she was a mass murderer in her last life, and Rafe Cameron’s existence was some sort of karma, his only purpose being frustrating the shit out of her. She couldn’t think of any other reasonable explanations.

Her friends were nowhere in sight, and Kiara was admittedly growing nervous. JJ was usually right by her side, ready to attack, consequences be damned, but she couldn’t even see him. She looked around for that familiar mop of sunbleached hair tucked beneath a stolen cap, but he was nowhere to be seen. She attempted to hide her nerves behind quick witted comments as Rafe slowly inched towards her.

She could practically feel his breath down her neck, whispering words she wasn’t processing. His hand was snaking around her shoulders, his touch sending a terrified chill down her spine. She wanted to push him off, but he was cornering her, and she feared angering him would result in dire consequences.

“I don’t understand what your problem is,” Rafe slurred. “I’m just as much of a dick as the rest of your Pogue friends. You just like pretending to be something you’re not.”

Kiara kept her face straight, refusing to show any emotion or reaction. “The difference is that they’re good people, actually. Kooks, especially ones like you, are rich, sexist assholes. I just prefer being around decent people.”

“Decent people?” Rafe repeated. “You mean broke criminals that have to steal to survive? You know my dad fired your buddy John B because he was stealing, right? Tell me, was the cheap dive worth it?”

Kiara scoffed. “You’re one to talk. Everyone knows about your coke, Rafe. I’m pretty sure selling cocaine is worse than shoplifting to stay above water.”

Rafe narrowed his eyes. He looked like he was about to say something, probably something angry and spiteful, but a voice interrupted them before he could.

“Is he bothering you again?”

Kiara let out a breath she didn’t realise she was holding as JJ approached her. He looked to her, silently asking if she was okay, and Kiara sent him an alarmed look. JJ nodded, understanding that she wanted him gone.

JJ grabbed Rafe’s arm. “Come on, Cameron. You know, you don’t have to be a dick all the time.”

The mentioned stepped back. “Watch your mouth, Maybank.”

“You’re right, you’re right,” JJ smiled slyly. “It’s in your DNA, you can’t control it.”

Rafe scoffed. “You’re one to talk about DNA.”

JJ stepped closer to him. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Rafe grinned. “Girls like mommy issues, don’t they? And daddy issues. You’ve got it going for you, man.”

Everyone knew of the Maybank name, and everyone knew that it was associated with crime and rage. The whole island knew of Luke Maybank and his multiple arrests, of the wife that abandoned him and of his no-good son. Being a Maybank had resulted in a painful life, not just at home, but everywhere. The lingering looks from shopkeepers, the drug dealers and criminals that would threaten him to get to his dad. They didn’t know what went on behind closed doors, but they knew it wasn’t functional in the slightest.

JJ shoved him back. “You’re one to fucking talk.”

Rafe stumbled backwards and scowled. He lunged forwards, beginning a brawl between the two. Kiara sighed as they tumbled to the sand, running a hand through her hair as a crowd began to surround them.

JJ was on top of Rafe, messing up his face, when Kiara realised how quickly things were going South. Their fights were always messy, but they never usually got that bad. Rafe was barely fighting back anymore, and Kiara was beginning to get worried. She hated Rafe, and he deserved to repeatedly get his ass beaten, but she didn’t want JJ to get in trouble, and she knew he always felt bad after he hurt someone without getting equally hurt back.

John B, Pope, Kelce and Topper broke it up instead of joining in, which Kiara was eternally grateful for. She helped JJ up and handed him his red hat, which had fallen off. He mumbled out a thanks and touched his busted lip, wiping the blood on his already-ruined shirt. His face was red, bruises were definitely forming and his clothes were stretched, but he didn’t seem bothered. He glared at the Kooks helping Rafe, but his angry expression fell as soon as he turned back to Kiara.

She gently ran her fingers along his purple cheek. “You don’t always have to fight him. I’m grateful you for him away, sure, but shit doesn’t have to escalate so much.”

“I don’t know how else to protect you,” JJ admitted.

Kiara sighed. “That’s okay. Hey, come here.”

She pulled JJ into a hug, letting her hands move naturally to play with his hair. They were always affectionate, but there was something about their hugs, especially ones like that, that felt different. Kiara pushed down whatever she was feeling as she stepped away and cleared her throat. She couldn’t catch feelings for JJ. There was no Pogue-on-Pogue macking, which she had made very clear.

“Maybe we should just stop going to parties at the boneyard,” she suggested.

JJ shook his head and smooth his cap over his hair. “No, no. We can’t let them get their way again. This is our territory, Kie. They visit for parties, but we’re the ones in charge.”

Kiara patted him on the shoulder and nodded. “I guess. Thanks, J. You’ve always got my back, huh?”

JJ hummed, holding eye contact for just a second too long. “Yeah. Always.”

Kiara could swear she was on a bad luck spree.

Everywhere she went, some Kook was there, wasting her time. She was working at The Wreck, just trying to get through her shift, when a group of them entered obnoxiously, disturbing the customers and making Kiara want to scream and kick them out. She approached them, an obviously fake smile on her face, as they all sat down at a table.

She recognised them from a couple of her classes. She usually kept to herself at school, since she hated basically everyone there, and she prayed they wouldn’t notice who she was as she came up to them with an apron around her waist and a notebook in hand.

“What can I get you guys?” she asked, biting her cheek to hold back a snarky comment.

Mimi Jones, who was in Kiara’s math class, raised her eyebrow at the girl. “Hey, I know you.”

“You’re that bitch that busted Sarah’s party ‘cause you were jealous, aren’t you?” a raven-haired boy chimed in.

“No, I’m not, because I didn’t do that,” Kiara sighed. She did, really, but they didn’t need to know that. “Now, are you guys gonna order or get out?”

She hated serving people like them. The Wreck was usually full of tourists, which was annoying enough, but the occasional Kook would stop by just to personally torture her. She didn’t even understand why they’d want to eat there- sure, it was a nice restauarant, but they were rich. They could literally eat anywhere else.

“Can I get a burger with salad and fries? No dressing on the fries, and no tomato on the burger,” Mimi requested using a condescending tone.

The rest of the Kooks order equally difficult orders, purposefully changing their minds and complicating their meals. Kiara smiled as fakely as she could and went back to the kitchen, holding back a hate-filled rant as she saw her dad busily cooking. She gave him the order and helped him with a couple of meals, which he seemed to appreciate. It was a busy day and they were short on staff, so she had to do as much as she could to help out.

Returning the meals to the Kooks was even worse than the order. They kept claiming she had messed it up, snickering to themselves as if disrespecting servers was the funniest thing in the world. Kiara couldn’t help but wonder what their parents did wrong. She was rich, sure, but working had humbled her. The most work experience the majority of the Kooks had was bossing around their staff or organising parties.

Seeing them was a painful reminder of her Kook year. She hated to remember that she used to be just like them, and that she had enjoyed it. She turned her back on the Pogues and treated her friends like dirt, and she’d always regret it. She could hardly believe she ever wanted to be like the spoiled brats she was serving.

Her shift couldn’t have ended sooner. She threw off her apron and practically bolted to her car, making her way to the Chateau as quickly as possible. Her breathing was beginning to grow uneven, and she was gripping the steering wheel so hard her knuckles were paling. She didn’t know why she was freaking out so much, but there was something about her classmates that made guilt pool in her stomach every time she thought about them. Every time she thought about how she used to be them.

JJ was asleep on the pullout bed, in only a pair of board shorts. She would usually laugh at him being asleep so late, but she was struggling to form words. He opened his eyes and sat up groggily as she slammed the door shut, looking to her with a confused and then quickly concerned expression.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, running a hand across his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Kiara whispered, her eyes brimming with tears. “I treated you like shit, didn’t I? In my Kook year. I know I did. I’m so sorry.”

He held out his arms, motioning for her to join him. “Woah, no. No, Kie. It’s okay. I mean, you were kind of a dick, but we’re past that. I know that wasn’t you. You’re a pogue.”

Kiara sat down next to him and buried her head against his chest, letting him play with her hair. She was crying quietly, just little sniffles and hiccups. JJ trailed his fingers up and down her back, his touch admittedly calming. She could nearly feel herself falling asleep in his arms, but quickly stopped herself.

She sat up, her cheeks red from both crying and blushing. “Thanks, J. Sorry about this.”

JJ tucked an escape curl behind her ear. “It’s okay. You don’t have to apologise.”

Kiara nodded and avoided her friend’s eyes. “You know I love you, right?”

She could hear his smile when he spoke. “Yeah. I love you too.”

JJ always put out the impression that he didn’t need protecting. Kiara had believed it, for a while. He would recklessly throw himself into any fight or sticky situation, and he’d nearly always come out on top. The bruises that casually littered his skin hadn’t been a cause for concern until Kiara realised they weren’t all from Kooks.

It was a quiet evening at the Chateau, with Pope, John B and Kiara all playing cards. JJ hadn’t arrived yet, and John B seemed to be the only one worried about that. He was regularly glancing at the door and barely paying any attention to the game.

“He’ll be here soon,” Kiara told him. “Why are you freaking out?”

John B was staring at the front door, adjusting himself for a better view. “He went home.”

“So?” Pope shrugged. “You think something happened?”

John B looked back at his friends, hesitating about something. “He-” he paused and sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

Pope looked concerned now, too. “Maybe? Like what?”

“It’s hard to explain,” John B replied. “And not really my place to tell.”

“JB, are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?” Kiara asked.

Their cards game was forgotten as John B ran a hand through his hair. “It’s just- his dad’s kind of a dickhead.”

“We know,” Kiara said. “But you’re acting like he’s a lot worse than that.”

John B shot them each a look, and it was enough to make them understand. Kiara felt her chest tightened as she remembered every time she’d seen the signs, every time she’d ignored them. Every flinch, every nervous glance towards any adult male. The bruises with unreasonable backstories, the reason he was at the Chateau so much. There was so much, and she somehow hadn’t seen it.

Pope seemed to be having a similar revelation. John B glanced at the front door for a final time before standing up and waving his hand in Pope’s direction.

“Pope, you come with me,” he instructed. “Kiara, can you wait here in case he comes back?”

Kiara nodded, her eyes wide. She watched John B and Pope leave, and listened to the van’s engine starting up. She carded a hand through her hair and exhaled shakily, trying her best to remain calm. She was remembering similar situations, when John B would leave in a hurry and return with a bruised and battered JJ. They’d always say something about a fight, and Kiara would tell JJ off before giving him an icepack and helping him bandage any cuts or split lips. She hated herself for never realising what was going on.

The sound of an engine nearing the Chateau made her perk up. She hurried outside and felt her breathing restrict as JJ’s bike came into view and pulled to a stop in front of her. Kiara noticed every bruise, seeing them peeking out of his shirt and wrapping around neck, like some sort of deadly disease.

He was grinning. “Hey, Kie. Sorry I’m late, I-”

Kiara cut him off by engulfing him in a hug. He winced, and she pulled away immediately, her eyes wide and apologetic. She cupped his cheeks so she could study the injuries on his face.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “How bad is it? Here, come inside, I’ll get you an ice pack.”

JJ chuckled and let her lead him inside. “Why are you flipping out?”

She paused, quickly running over her choices. If she told him the truth, he could think John B betrayed him by telling. If she lied, though, she would have to continue to sit by while JJ suffered. There was more she could do to help him if she told him she knew, so she made a decision.

“I know about your dad.”

JJ’s smile dropped faster than she’d ever seen. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “John B was worried, and we- we figured it out. I’m so sorry I didn’t realise sooner, J, I’m-”

“It’s fine,” he interrupted. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. It’s an occasional hit when I fuck up, that’s it.”

Kiara motioned to his face. “An occasional hit? I’m not blind. This isn’t okay.”

JJ shook his head, beginning to blink rapidly. “No, it’s... just don’t worry about it, okay?”

He walked past her, heading to the kitchen, probably for a beer. Kiara took a deep breath to calm herself and pinched the bridge of her nose. She had to get through to him, so he knew that what his dad was doing wasn’t okay. He was being himself, and it was just like he always said; deny, deny, deny. That was what he was doing, and Kiara had no idea how to stop it.

Kiara reached into the freezer and pulled out a bag of peas. John B kept them in there as their designated ice bag, and he never planned on actually eating them. She wrapped it in a small towel and joined JJ, where he was sitting down on the couch, facing away from her.

She gently sat down beside him. “I don’t know how to tell you how bad this is,” she admitted, “and I don’t know how to make it better. You’re always the one that protects everyone else, I never... I never thought you’d need protecting, too.” she gently placed the ice pack on his cheek and ran her fingers through his hair when he flinched. “I’m sorry for that. But you don’t have to be afraid of being scared, or of admitting that you’re hurt. I’ll protect you from now on. I promise.”

JJ was visibly trembling. Kiara moved the peas out of the way and let him rest on her shoulder, her chin just above his head. He was crying, she could tell, but she didn’t say anything. She just whispered sweet nothings in his ear and played with his golden hair, doing her best to calm him down. She held him until his breathing evened out and she knew he’d fallen asleep, so she gently lay him down so she could see the damage.

She pulled his shirt up and held back tears at the sight. There wasn’t really snything she could do, so she just held the makeshift ice pack to the worse bruises and hoped it would help. He would wince in his sleep every time she moved, so she made sure to keep a hand in his hair or trailing gently along his skin. After a while, she heard the front door open, and John B and Pope entered. They paused when they saw her and JJ, their shoulders loosening as they realised he was relatively safe.

“Is he okay?” John B asked quietly.

Kiara shrugged. “Not really.”

Pope’s eyes were trained to JJ’s stomach, where his shirt and been pulled up to reveal the bruises. “Oh my God.”

John B studied JJ’s hands, sighing when he saw nothing. “He didn’t even fight back.”

John B looked like he wanted to punch something, and Pope looked like he was going to pass out. Kiara knew they felt just as helpless as she did. There weren’t many options, and there were none if JJ was in charge. Knowing him, he wouldn’t want anything to change. She didn’t understand how he could suffer so long and still manage to smile every time she saw him.

She smoothed back JJ’s hair. “You’re going to be okay,” she whispered. “I promise.”

#jiara #jj x kie #jiarajuly #jj maybank #outer banks #obx #jj and kiara are end game #writing #jiara fanfiction #fanfiction

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