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in3rci4 · 8 months ago

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† ALL OF THEM ALIVE : AFTERMATH HEADCANONS †

Introduction

I asked you guys which Hcs would you like me to write first and you decided the option . The majority of blogs had talked about their own personal Hcs about this AU ! / Possible final where all the boys survived their kidnapper " The Grabber " , so I think it's time I'll do mine too . In this fandom we all wished or thought at least once about this , about the " what if " , and it's interesting how there's some stuff we all agree with and how some would differ depending the person you're asking . But anyways , I shall get to the point and talk about what you stopped reading for

author's note : I'm really sorry for not writing lately , I've been kinda stressed out and with little time to do something like this . Like I said before , I promised than little by little I'll do y'all requests , I didn't forget , so please be patient because soon I'll have the time

Warnings ¡! : Children abuse , SA , VERY long rant , possible misspelling , specific details that might be gruesome , headcanons about future and family situation of each character , suicide , angst , mention of real life killers / predators , homophobia , sexism , etc ... . If you don't agree with the following headcanons then I'm open to discuss yours politely , so now after that been said , enjoy it ^^

¿ How they escaped from " The Grabber " ?

This one is very difficult to decide , since there's a lot of options that can be valid and logical in the context of the movie , so I will make a ranking to most to least " possible " in my opinion :

THE GRABBER HIMSELF LETS THEM GO : Now , I know that knowing this character is based on a pedophile serial killer and IT'S a pedophile serial killer , the possibility of him letting them go sounds not logical at first , but hear me out on this one . The first 2 thoughts that comes in my mind when someone has escaped their kidnapper , is that they escaped when they've killed or ran away when their kidnapper was distracted , or , the very own criminal let them go . Remember the scene when Albert tells Finney that " nothing is going right " or that " he's thinking about letting him go " ? Well , I think that if in another universe they all escaped from him because HE lets them go , either because he was afraid of being caught by the police or his very own sick self that had enough of toying with them ( You imagine what could been " enough " for this psycho ) . The circumstance of them also being discarded as " dead " in the worst physical state is also an option , yet one of the saddest , because this one is where they get to live the worst of the " Naughty boy " game . Some walking back home on their own , some others found by other people that called the authorities for help

MAX HELPS THE KIDS TO ESCAPE : this crackhead seems to be smart on his own way , but way too fucked up with drugs to reach his full sane and clean potential , yet , on the movie , he figures his brother out , but he unfortunately dies by the hand of his very own blood . But , if Albert did went to work , I believe he would ramble a little about how it made sense , on how he didn't figure out sooner , etc . Soon the plead of the kids of letting them go makes him go back half on his senses , and he either calls the police and tells the kids to search on the house more about his brother in order to have more proofs against him ( Yes , this sounds dumb but justice sometimes don't do what they have to do ) or either takes all of them to the police station right away , proud of himself because HE DID found the kids , but of course , little does he know that he won't and will never get the credit for it .

SAME BASEMENT , DIFFERENT ROOMS : This one that I've seen more repeating on the people on the fandom , and I guess I understand why . There's 2 possibilities in each instance : The place , the victim who knocks out the Grabber and the final state of the kidnapper . If if we're talking about the place , it ain't something impossible for a house to have a immense basement under it with multiple rooms and stuff . Albert Shaw is based on Jhon Wayne Gacey , a pedophile homosexual serial killer that also did "children entertainment " gestures and had also like work construction business , this man hide the bodies of his victims under his house , on his backyard and in another house apart from where he lived ( Josef Fritzl can be also compared to this killer too , this man build a basement specially to SA his own daughter and have incestuous children with her that maintained them from escaping ) . A sick twisted mind that build a basement JUST to SA poor boys that had the bad luck of encounter him . That , or the "Naughty boy " game takes place in different locations , the first part , under his house basement , the one that we see on the movie , the second , somewhere else , a basement that who knows what happened or who created such thing with soundproofed rooms that has a black phone united to the next room , the boys , prisoners of a masked human devil that checked that all the telephones were disconnected or broken , but they make it work , and create a plan to take down their tormentor . The idea of all of them taking him down at the same time sounds cool and almost relieving , as all the victims participate on fighting against their predator , but if you prefer more the idea of Finney being the boy who takes down The Grabber , then the final plan is him setting the others free after being done with him . And depending on how possible you may think an option or other is , The Grabber gets killed by all his victims , or survives , and is arrested ... Not allowing the cycle of pain to end for the kids

UNKNOWN PREVIOUS VICTIMS GHOSTS : I admit I don't really know if the creators / writers or whatever said something about this before , but this man killed 5 kids and its hinted on the book that he had also kidnapped more , we only know about this kids on the movie because of Finney's perspective and Gwen's dreams ( Except Griffin Stagg ) , but what if there was more somewhere else in another state / town ? What if instead of only one child having an spiritual gift we had 6 trapped children that got kidnapped in a haunted building of previous victims of The Grabber ? Perhaps all of them being able to contact the Spiritual world but not knowing until they were taken by a crazy man ? That would be not only cool in my opinion to see in a movie ( it would be really interesting to see how differently they would react to ghosts ) but it can be something possible in the context of the movie and / or in the " The Shinning" universe ( non confirmed to be cannon it's just a theory )

THE POLICE SOLVING THE CASE : Look , we all know sometimes police it's more useless and dangerous that what they supposed to be , BUT , if we are talking about the most possibles " what if " , I think that maybe , in this particular case , in another universe the detectives ( I don't remember their names , I think maybe Mr Wright and Mr Miller ? ) figure out fast enough to solve the case and save the kids ( Tbh Gwenny did so much more for her brother and those kids than the police did on the movie , and she's just a child that didn't got credit for being the most important person on the case ) so if we didn't have Gwen's psychic abilities and we're on a non paranormal context of the movie , sooner or later killers are discovered , either because lack of self awareness or because they wanted to be recognized , and usually sexual predators tend to lack self awareness the more they get " confident " ( ik fucking disgusting ) . If the they did the same Max's reasoning , I believe that they could have the luck to say " that the help came " ( Again , I believe this possiblity of police figuring Albert Shaw sounds reasonable , but doing it on time , that's a 40/60 , 40% they got before any SA or death happened , 60% that something bad already happened when they got to arrest Albert Shaw " The Grabber" )

THE VERY OWN KIDS ESCAPE BY THEIR OWN : All of this are possibilities , even if it's on the lowest of the ranking , it is still something that could happened , but for me , it's a very low chance of it actually happening . I know cases of children and teenagers escaping and saving others from killers / kidnappers , but if the whole movie happened , it was because no matter how "popular " or " strong " they were , they were still kids / young teens against a grown ass adult twice their weight and height . But my point is , if they did escaped on their own without interacting while being captive with others victims , then The Grabber definitely cannot commit his crimes on the same place / in one of his houses . As I see it on this option , if they did escaped , they did it like the way they tried and died for ( Billy breaks a window , Griffin escapes on a moment of distraction , Vance escapes by getting into another room that helps him to exit , Bruce perhaps instead of digging himself a tunnel finds a trapdoor that leads to a tunnel . Idk what to think as a escape route for Robin or Finney , perhaps Robin had to actually get into a fight with the Grabber and started to get chased but he manages to escape , maybe Finney waits enough time to observe and makes a whole plan to escape and call the police on Albert's absence ) . Idk if they would be able to tell who is their captor or not , but I'm sure that in this last option , The Grabber definitely gets arrested or " learns from his mistakes " to " get better " at kidnapping children .

¿ Do they stick together after all the trauma ?

I believe it's a 50/50 , I can see both options being possible if all or some of the victims survived

WHY IT'S POSSIBLE : Nobody would understand the pain and trauma that they been through better than them as a group , not the police , not the reporters , not their friends , not their families , not the child therapists , only them . Unconsciously would still be on alert mode and seek for their and the others safety , possibly being more protective or snap back at those who try to bother them or another boy , and if we follow the " Same basement , different rooms " option , they feel like they're in debt with the others for helping / saving their life , making a sort of friendship / comfort bond with the other boys . A friendship that could be intact for years even after they are living their own lives or are far away from each other

BUT AT THE SAME TIME : Seeing the others is a constant remind of what they been through , wich it could result in them drifting apart from each other to avoid the memories coming back at them . Perhaps some will even resent others , blaming them without knowing why , be mad that they told the police / other people what they been through and now everyone knows they also been SA or physically abused , frustrated that people or the own victims boys search them asking about what happened or how they feel after " it's all over " . If they didn't killed Albert or help the other to escape , then the anger for not being able to finish him or be left behind would also increase the discordance between each other

¿ Would they be able to go back to their normal lives ?

I'm sorry but again , I'll think it's a 50/50 thing , or well , more like a 40/60 thing . They of course , after so much trauma in their heads they will need time to get over or deal with it , but some will have more support than others and that's a fact . They can't erase the past , but some of them would not have the same tools to deal with it in a healthy way ( Personal opinion : none would be able to cope in a healthy way . We're talking about boys that been possibly SA with physical and mental damage from living such situation as kidnapping and being captive against their will . Homophobia was 6x worse in the 70's , even if nothing was their fault , there's always people that would make them feel like shit for " not standing up " or " letting it happen" , questioning their sexuality or " if they liked it " or if they " search that " . Media would definitely not help this situation at all )

So in a ranking of who I personally think would be able to manage to " come back to normal" in their lives to " fastest to slowest " or have more support would be :

BRUCE YAMADA : His family and popularity would make him the one gets more empathy from the people in town , not like the others won't get it at all , but he definitely would have the odds more on his favor . His parents are wealthy enough to pay him a therapist or seek a doctor that helps him to cover his scars , anything that he asks or needs to feel better . People , let's be honest , would sympathize more with him than before and would even get it from those that before didn't like him that much . Yet , it would take him time to get back on his normal rhythm , baseball would be more difficult due how much muscular strength he lost while being captive , parties would overwhelmed him , and he would not like going out by himself , always needing someone on his side . Luckily , he would be on shape in a few months , hanging out in small parties and slowly but surely , being on his own on the streets . All though , he makes sure that his friends , baseball buddies or the people that hangs up with him in general didn't dare to bring the subject of him , the others or The Grabber on his presence , he doesn't want to start a unnecessary discussion or stop talking to them for their loud mouths ...

BILLY SHOWALTER : Everybody recognized his face before and after he went missing , but this time it was different , the look in the eyes of people that he came across with wasn't indifferent or the regular polite ones , now they would speak for the person louder than their voice did , they tried to hide it , but the pity was something that the look in their eyes didn't lie about . Nobody said or told him nothing , but he knew , Billy knew that everybody knew , and it made him a little bit paranoid ¿ How much did they knew about what happened ? He stopped delivering papers after seeing his face and the others in it , stopped watching TV for a while until the news of his " case " would disappear , his family thought it would be a good idea to take more trips to his grandparents house or outside the home general , like camping , lakes , family cookouts , etc . Little by little he would gain a little bit more confidence on himself , but he would need to isolate himself from the people to get a bit of peace of mind and be back to " the real world " . Sometimes frustration of not being able to erase people's memories of him as the kidnapped kid would get him , but he'll suppressed it , as well as he can , just like him trying to not get alarmed by his dog barks ...

FINNEY BLAKE : He's for sure got his back covered by his sister Gwen before , now and forever , their bond was always strong and it became even stronger after he went missing . After surviving The Grabber the bullying stopped since he was THAT kid who survived the The Grabber , making him be in peace for a good amount of time on high school , although when it all calmed down , some or other dude would call him names , but it wasn't like he would get beaten for it , and if they tried to , he wasn't scared to throw a punch to shut them up . I do believe that Terrance tried to change for his son and daughter , but even then , the damage was already done , there's was no more violence or alcohol smell in the house , but there was no deep connection between him and his kids . Sometimes his father would accidentally make a loud noise and he would flinch or jump on his place , to later realize it wasn't nothing . And if his father kept his same attitude that he had before he was taken , Finney wouldn't take any more shit from him anymore . As a generational curse , father and son would get into heated discussions , discussions where Finney would dare him to hit him or Gwenny , just once , for him to see what'll do to his father if he did . So , if we expect the good development , I think he will sometimes get to live a somehow normal life with ups and downs , the last ones being the hardest times if they clicked something from the past , but usually being able to compose himself , if his dad doesn't help his recovery to normalcy , then he might slowly loose little by little the calmness in him and isolate himself to avoid problems , like before ..

ROBIN ARELLANO : His mother was ecstatic when she heard her that her child didn't die like her husband , giving him a big hug that was full of pleading for forgiveness and thanking God for bringing Robin back home alive , as well his uncle , who waited for her to to finish to hug his nephew too . He would get child treatment for a long time , his mother would make him a lot of his favorite food for him to gain weight and pepper him with kisses and cheesy nicknames that he didn't heard since he was a toddler , his uncle giving him more gifts than before as well as doing the impossible to make space on his work schedule and drive him the way to and back from school . At first Robin didn't complain , why would he ? He would lie if he says he didn't missed his family and the affection he receives from them , but as time passed and he tried to "get over it " and go back to normal , he noticed how much those actions made him feel weak and useless . He asked his mother to stop treating him like a child and his uncle to let him walk by himself like before , wich lead her mother to be confused of why he wouldn't like what she does and , for the first time on his life , he having an argument with his uncle about what's safe or what he needs . School was still difficult for him to understand , Robin felt like everything changed since he left and now he's more close to suspending than before , thankfully he got a tutor teacher that is just as good and understanding like Finney . The kids still respect him as one of the toughest in school , even the ones that were waiting for an opportunity to fight him didn't want to face him , but that made him angry , how he's supposed to let all this pent up frustration now ? He didn't see this as respect , he felt this as pity , they consider him not in condition to fight , he escaped the god damn Grabber for fucks sake ! He hates it , the feeling of vulnerability not leaving after escaping that cold basement . He'll try to keep a low profile and try his best to avoid talking to people , keep his cool , but hearing his uncle talk about the fight he had on his work with his mother because some coworker called his nephew a faggot , made this feeling of vulnerability turn into disgust ... Disgust by himself , which lead him into a depression and isolation period of time that he would only get over after a year or an a half . Later , he would tell himself that what happened made him stronger , and that's part of him now , hyping himself up as well as he can , because toxic masculinity won't go just because of him ..

GRIFFIN STAGG : He only has his mother for support and some other adults that felt compassion towards him , after all , he survived a huge cut on his throat that didn't let him talk freely like before . He had to learn sign languages along with deaf and / or mute kids , they were friendly , and even if he was a little bit doubtful of the idea of making friends , he found himself comfortable with them . He hated it , how even in hot weather he had to cover his neck , how he went to invisible to have the entire school eyes on him and his name known for every kid in Colorado , and not for good . For a long time doctors told him to had certain soft food diet until his throat got better , so the frustration of not being able to talk or eat freely made him isolate himself or shut himself down . His mother took him to a child therapist and it certainly helped him , just not enough to say he's happier . The only good thing he sees on all of this is that he's better at school and learned to be more focused , because the part of him not being able to talk back and be like a walking ghost of flesh and bones was definitely not the good one ...

VANCE HOPPER : The actor of this character said that his background or house life is definitely not good or supportive , specially coming from his father . I headcanon that this kid had the misfortune to have the worst type of men as his dad : aggressive , abusive , toxic and definitely not the most open minded either . I also think his mother is much of a submissive woman who accepted her fate and is way too scared to do something against her husband , which results into her not standing up for her son when he gets beat up or yelled at . Even he hates his old man with all his heart , he unconsciously became similar to him in thinking and bad temper . I also think either because of his mother or his father contacts ( not in the rich kind of way , its either because his own father works there or one of the two knows someone inside the police force ) he would set free of jail and not being sent to a juvenile rehabilitation center . After what he been through , his hate towards the world and life would increase even more , because he was the exception of out the 6 boys , the only one that the police didn't care to find and kids were grateful he was gone , that his own father was grateful that he "escaped " from his house , but his mother knew that it wasn't like that . He would feel that everyone thought he searched what happened to him , that everyone stopped fearing him to be disgusted by him , it would take a slight insult or wrong look for him to explode and beat the person . He felt conflicted , and didn't know where to go to feel better outside the mall with a pinball machine , teachers still saw him as the outcast , his " friends " didn't feel comfortable being around Vance anymore and the therapy costed way too much , or well , too much for his dad opinion . He would get into trouble more often than before , but no one would say something , they would resort to just to avoid him like an rabid dog , just like before he guess . If he's by himself , he would grow up hating himself and projecting that hate towards others , not to say that his father stopped beating his ass , but the venomous comments shamming him for what happened didn't , to the point Vance wished he was just straight beaten up like before instead of hearing those awful words every day ..

¿ What if The Grabber and the children are taken to the court of law ?

I don't think I saw people talking about this or maybe someone did but I never encounter their opinion before , but let's just say they escaped either by A or B and Albert is not killed but arrested , you know how painful would be for the boys to live the whole process until his sentence is dictated ? The constant interview with the police , the television transmitting everything , the lawyer and fake witnesses in Albert Shaw's favor , etc .

We have the Yamada and Showalter family , the Yamada family will try to get every contact to help them win the case , the best lawyers possible in the name of their son and if it's allowed , the other children too . The Showalter family would ask every neighbor in Denver to speak in favor of the children and would definitely do everything on their power to make the country know what injustice would be made if they give a monster like Albert Shaw a lower punishment that he deserves , for the people to not believe what the witnesses says and his " good man " facade and think about their children , probably with the television or radio stations help . The Arellano family would try to to avoid the public eye just like Mr Blake ( Terrance ) , unless the police , media or the court made a difference with Robin because he's hispanic , then they , specially his mother Mrs Arellano , would expose with all the tools they could get access to , the people who disrespects Robin . Terrance would try his best to not interfere with the legal process , but if someone ever tried to blame Finney for defending himself he would get physically violent , and I believe to avoid this impulsivity to happen , he would try his best not to see Albert Shaw's face and make it worse for his son . Mrs Stagg I believe would not want at first her son to live through the whole process and would have her son's mental health as priority first , but seeing that it would be more harmful than beneficial , she would be by Griffin's side until it's all over or at least that horrible man gets what he deserves . Hopper's family though , expect bad things to happen with this family . The father Mr Hopper if offered money , wouldn't care that the man that harmed his son was set free and could even force Vance to step aside of the whole legal process , or maybe not accepting money , but definitely enjoying the attention that the reporters gives him everytime they tried to speak to him for more information . The mother , Mrs Hopper does want justice for her child , but isn't sure how to help him without making her husband mad or messing up things , but she would definitely take the courage to testify against the disgusting person of name Albert Shaw , even she doesn't know if what she's doing will bring her consequences , since Albert's lawyer accused them of being involved with police corruption .

I think all of them would collaborate as much as possible for the life imprisonment to be dictated for " The Grabber " , repeating their testimony as many times as necessary , even if they feel ashamed if any SA happened and would take them a timespan to open up to the detectives and the court .

¿ Would they tell their friends or family what happened ? ¿ How they would continue their lives ?

Definitely it's different on each case / boy , and we're definitely not on the same line as before with the law happening because once dead , the only thing left of " The Grabber " is the damage he caused in these boys . The police demands their testimony , they get it , and it's over , but what the details they don't release on public ? Would the boys tell those closed to them what exactly happened underground with that man ?

Those details : Paranormal activity , Gwendolyn Blake / Max Shaw participation , starvation , dehydration , the state of the kids the moment they're found ( Dirty , bloody , skinny , with dry white lips , perhaps with missing pair of clothes ) , SA towards the missing children

VANCE HOPPER : If possible , he would keep every detail to himself , internalized homophobia and sexism would live with him as he grows up to be a volatile man that would have a hard time trusting other people and keeping his job . Would rely on drinking or physical violence to cope the trauma , definitely isolating himself , perhaps changing Pinball for gambling machines . In a very heated period of life , he may consider suicide or commit illegal acts

BRUCE YAMADA : Asked his parents to not let anything come out of the police station that wasn't already said on TV , his parents asked him why , but he only told them to do it for him . Would deny or avoid talking about what happened focusing to become the baseball player he always dreamed to be . It isn't until one day , as a already famous hitter of strikes , in a interview a reporter asks him if any SA happened during his time captive by the criminal " The Grabber " . Bruce couldn't stop his hands from trembling and his voice to stutter after the interview . This would make him have panic and anxiety attacks , fearing the public eye as he never did before , but the more you try to run away from your past , the past gets closer to catch you as time goes by . After a while , he feels like it's to time to tell the truth , and Bruce gets enough confidence and courage to speak on the media that yes , he was sexually abused by a man that kidnapped him when he was a teen , that felt that he should hide it if he wanted to be a baseball star , because society makes the SA victims feel guilty for what they live through even if it's not their fault , specially men , that either are ignored or ridiculed , treated as trash or unworthy of empathy . This would had a huge impact on the media , but also would help people to question their beliefs and speak for their experiences . When he got the permission to open a foundation for abused children and teenagers , he felt that invisible weight on his chest get lighter . The letters of fans that have been abused thanking him for speaking out loud his experience made him cry on the privacy of his house ...

GRIFFIN STAGG : Would only tell his mother if she persisted once and never talk about it again , and since Griffin's therapist died of old age , he wouldn't want any other to have a session with , wich meant he'll never tell anyone about it . He grows up to accept jobs that he changes once a while when the money ain't for him to pay the bills , like being a librarian or a janitor of different buildings , his frustrated dream of being a veterinarian would from to time to time make him feel sad about it , but he'll comfort himself by saying that at least he has enough to live good . Well , good it's what doctors say , because he's tired of the constant medical visits for his vocals and throat to be checked . It's not like a miracle would and he suddenly was healed completely and capable of speaking . It's just the same old routine since... That ...

ROBIN ARELLANO : If possible , he would deny everything that happened to him if his family wants to know " the truth " . The truth is that he tries to move on and forget , but until he gets on his period of life with confidence and cool persona back , he would feel like the worst shit ever . He grows up and gets some of his old normalcy back , the horror movies though ? Not his favorite type anymore . I believe he probably wants to become a soldier like his father , but ends up being a fire fighter or part of a rescue team , but at an adult age , because his youth would have tons of low wage jobs due his inexperience and origin . Would only confess a single time to someone that confessed to lived something similar has him , to make them know they have his support and they're not alone .

FINNEY BLAKE : Would only confess this as an adult on a dinner with his sister , breaking down , rambling nonsense that would stop once Gwen stands up from the table and hugs her big brother , rubbing his back in a attempt to comfort him . He definitely works hard to be part of the NASA workers , although as time goes by , he realizes that being astronaut was a huge responsability and demanding , and he prefers to stay as a spaceship engineer . If some collegue or superior tried to talk with him about his time being captive on the basement , he would politely ask them to change the subject of the conversation , if they persistent he would find an excuse to leave and " go back to work " . Maybe if he did choose the astronaut profession this wouldn't happened ...

BILLY SHOWALTER : If the police didn't let the people know , he would take all his memories to the grave , maybe write them if he feels the need to vent . Doesn't matter who asks , he would always deny , decline and avoid any exchange about what happened on the 78' . He wanted to become a reporter or with enough luck a businesses man , but due the circumstances he prefers to be a low profile mechanic , little does he know that one day he'll become the most expensive race cars mechanic , meeting a lot of famous people that some would become close to him . The world would only know what Billy went through once they found a notebook were every dark , depressing and specific details was written on those old pages of paper .

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d8nielaa · 3 months ago

Note

hi friend, can i request a sodapop imagine, like enemies to lovers type, but soda is protective over reader and its just super cute???

thank you friend 💜

Authors Note: ofcc friend!! u rlly had me cooking with this one 🤓

Why do you hate me?

Sodapop Curtis x fem!reader

⚠️ mentions of blood; injuries, getting beat up, being called slurs and etc.

The first time you met Sodapop, was in the 4th grade. You had just moved from California, since your family was looking for a change.

You hated change.

You were sitting alone on the swings, not having the courage to get to know anyone. You often stayed quiet, especially around people you didn't know.

You were lost in your head, dreaming about going back to California, with your friends and family. Not with these strangers.

That was until, you felt a pair of hands on your back, pushing you off the swing. It was a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, a baby blue dress that just screamed "daddy's money".

You hit the ground with a groan, the wooden chips supporting you.

You looked up, about to say something, when another kid, who looked just like you, stood in front of you. When I say looked just like you, I mean dirty, poorish. A greaser, like you.

You were new, you didn't know the difference between a soc and a greaser. But looking back at it, you knew you were a greaser.

"Hey, leave her alone. She didn't do anything, she was just sittin' there minding her business!" The boy with bright blue eyes said,

You felt a pair of calloused hands grab your arms and hoist you up. You turned your head to see a boy, with brown curly hair, and dark brown eyes.

"She was on our swing- she should know the rules."

"She's new! what did you expect?!" The boy replied, before walking over to you and the girl.

"You okay? I'm Sodapop, and this here is Keith but, we call him Two-Bit."

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

You two had became inseparable that day, like two peas in a pod. You and Sodapop were never apart, always laughing and smiling together.

His parents had even caught you both cuddled up on their couch, asleep.

Everything was fine and dandy, till freshman year of high school.

You knew Soda wasn't cut out for school, but you still encouraged him to try. Even though he always whined and complained.

You tried to help him study, and even became his tutor.

But nothing seemed to work.

Then one day, he had snapped.

He was struggling and falling behind in every single class, and there was only so much you could do for him.

So he dropped out.

When you found out, you went to his house, determined to confront him.

"Soda-you're smart! You shouldn't have given up-"

"I'm not smart! okay? I'm far from smart- and everyone thinks I'm stupid! its humiliating..."

"Soda please just listen to me-"

"No! I'm sick of you trying to take pity on me for being dumb! you're just weighing me down."

Your heart broke. What?

You were weighing him down? But you guys were best friends..why was he mad all of a sudden?

"I-"

"Get out-i don't wanna see you anymore."

So you left.

You cried, you were heartbroken. Your best friend, said you were weighing him down.

But, you knew that deep down, there was something else that caused his outburst.

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

Ever since that day, you were alone again.

You had stopped hanging around the gang, stopped coming around to the Curtis house.

Nobody knew why. And you managed to slip away before anyone could as you why.

Thankfully, when Ace came, you weren't alone.

You two became friends, not best friends because you were too scared to get close to another person again.

Afraid that you were gonna weigh them down.

Ace was hanging around the guys, you knew that.

One day, she had invited you to come along, and you didn't want to at first but hey-maybe Soda wouldn't be there.

So, you went.

However, you were wrong. Like so wrong.

You get to the lot with Ace, happy to see the rest of the gang again.

Johnny was with Ponyboy and Dallas, smoking and joking about who knows what.

Steve and Two-Bit laughing their asses off for no reason what so ever.

Darry and Sodapop-wait...he was here?

You huffed as your eyes landed on him, and you considered turning around and booking it out of there, but Ace caught on and grabbed your wrist, dragging you to see Soda.

You groaned, desperately trying to pull away, but it was no use.

Ace was stronger than you: emotionally and mentally.

She stands by your side, making you stand right next to Soda before you ran off to Two-Bit, while Darry excused himself to go pick up his paycheck.

You stood there, arms crossed over your chest as you stared at the ground, desperate not to talk to him.

You could feel Soda's eyes on you, and you could he wanted to say something, but he didn't.

"I hate you,"

"Good"

"Fine"

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

You and the gang were out at the drive in, mixing in with the socs. Some of them had their eyes on you, and it honestly made you feel extremely uncomfortable.

You were leaving the concession stand, two cokes in hand. Your shoelace was untied, but you hadn't noticed. You ended up stumbling over them. You didn't fall, you simply dropped the cokes and landed in a crouched position of sorts.

You braced yourself on the floor with your hands, and took a moment to pull yourself together before looking up.

There you saw an angry soc boy, a huge coke stain on his madras shirt.

"Oh s-shit, I'm so sorry-"

"Stupid bitch, can't you watch where you're going?!"

"I-i" You stuttered nervously, tears brimming your eyes.

It felt dramatic, but you were an overly sensitive person. And being scolded or reprimanded by someone just really hurt.

"Hey! is there a problem here?" A familiar voice came from behind you. You turned around to see Sodapop, a look of concern and determination on his face.

He gently holds your arms in his hands, pulling you behind him. You pressed yourself into his back, feeling one of his hands coming around and resting on your back.

"This dirty slut doesn't know where her damn place is, she ruined my shirt."

"You can just wash it, no need to start yellin' and insulting people-and she ain't no goddamn slut. So shut your mouth"

"Excuse me!?"

"Hey-Hey Hey! stop it!, break it up." Darry said, tugging you and Soda with him."

Before you could get a chance to say thank you, Soda walked away, clearly upset.

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

Your mom had sent you out for groceries, and you complied because it was early in the day and there was no way any of the socs would get to you...right?

You were walking back to the store, arms occupied with the brown paper bags fulls of vegetables and other things.

You could hear the corvette from a mile away; you should've ran when you had the chance.

But you didn't.

You were pushed into the brick wall of a nearby alleyway, the bags ripped out of your hands.

You fought back as much as you could, landing a few kicks and punches. But when you're up against three soc guys, it's really no use.

Your cries must have been loud, loud enough for Sodapop, Two-Bit and Ace to come running your way.

Whoever was on you was pushed off, and you were pulled off the wall in a matter of seconds.

A pair of calloused hands held your face gently, and with the tears blurring your vision, you were met with a very concerned Sodapop.

"Hey-hey you're okay doll...yeah, you're okay." He muttered as he examined your face, seeing the scratches and bruises that now littered your body. His breath hitched at the sight of the blood that was dripping from your hairline, and the small cut of your lip and nose.

"C'mon, let's get you home."

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

It was after the rumble, and...after Johnny and Dallas died.

You were all at the Curtis house, mourning and crying and just really going through it.

You had gotten the worst of it, having been thrown to the ground so hard twice, that it felt like all the breath in your lungs was pushed out.

You were in the bathroom with Soda, sitting on his lap as he sat on the edge of the bathtub.

You were patching his up, as best as you could with the supplies you were running low on.

He had his hands on your waist, his grip tightening whenever you cleaned one of his cuts with an alcohol wipe.

It was silent, the room being filled with your soft breathing, and Sodapop's whimpers.

Once you were finished, you had moved to get off and cleanup, but he pulled you back down.

"I-" You had began to protest, but couldn't even finish the rest of your sentence when Soda placed his lips on yours.

It was soft and sweet, the kiss warming your whole body. Your tense shoulders relaxed, and you practically became putty in his hands. His hand gently came to hold the nape of your neck, guiding you as you two kissed.

It was so so good, you never wanted it to end.

However it did, because you both needed air.

You looked at each other, both of your faces flushed red.

After a while of silence, you spoke.

"Why do you hate me?"

"I don't-"

"Then why did you push me away?!" You asked, demanding an answer.

"...because I was scared. Scared that I was gonna hurt you-and that I wasn't good enough for you."

"Soda-"

"Please..You make me feel things I can't explain, and every moment we're together feels like a little piece of something perfect. I just want you to know that, even with all my insecurities, I care about you a lot. I’m not perfect, but I hope that’s okay."

You sat there, shocked that Soda had really felt that way and had that much to say.

After a moment, you smiled softly while nodding your head.

"Yeah, that's okay with me."

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

Authors Note: Reading this, I realize that I didn't cook but hopefully this is to your liking!

#the outsiders musical #x reader #sodapop curtis #sodapop curtis x reader #jason schmidt

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yoshiko-and-the-hikikomori · 27 days ago

Text

Headcanons List!! ☆

--> general tw for mentioning s/h

if the item has a star (★) next to it, that means its one that i, mod, have projected onto him. this means that he's probably ooc!!

Gifted kid burnout, which led to more anxiety being put on him- if he isn't an academic weapon, what is he good for? ★

He also came from a pretty religious family, which fucked him up 'cause now every little thing he does is watched, right? ★

I like giving him longer hair and more stubble than in canon sooo

He gets headaches and motion sickness really easily due to how long he stares at his screens ★

He's got acne scars ★ oh my godddddddd please i love adding little human touches to him. this doesnt make you any less beautiful in fact i love you more because of it dont even try me

He owns those dumb 'eat sleep play video games repeat' and 'i paused my game to be here' shirts because people bought them as a joke for him

REALLY bad anxiety and depression (which i mean. canon actually)

the previous point means that his physical health also is pretty bad because depression is a bitch and will make you unable to do things like eat, drink water, shower, brush your teeth/hair and we don't need to sanitize that its okay to be human ★

major eyebags!!!

He'll go through these phases where he'll eat a lot at once for a few days then eat nothing at all for another few days in a cycle ★

He got disowned when he turned 18 due to being a 'disappointment' so he dropped out of college due to the mental toll that took

He's actually pretty smart without his ability, he just doesn't believe it 'cause he feels like his ability is the only thing that makes him smart.

He uses really bad humor to cope with his feelings!!! ★

MAJOR sweet tooth ★ get that man away from nearby pastry shops. He sometimes visits them before they close/right when they open because there's less people, and the workers there know him by name.

He used to self-harm but stopped recently.

Can't roll a blunt to save him life (is he stupid??)

He's addicted to keychains.★ He doesn't have any bags to put them on (he doesn't go outside enough to need one) so he just has a corkboard with pins in it to hold them.

He picked up a whole bunch of hobbies due to boredom of being inside all day with nothing to do. He's mediocre at them, but it's a bit of enjoyment that's worth it.

that's it. that's the point. guys please do you hear my screaming into the void not everyone can be twinks. do we see the vision of the homebody who has self-esteem issues yet cannot bring himself to change it (due to depression immobilitating him). who has to learn to love himself. also i just think he's cute.

He writes fanfiction c'mon. Look at that man and tell me to my face he has not taken a crack at dear Archive of our Own to write tooth-rotting fluff. Maybe a sickfic even. Do we see the potential everyone.

Terrible vision, he can't even see his own feet in front of him without his glasses. He's not making it better with his ability, but oh well...

He hates eating fish ★

He has a box containing all of his old childhood toys buried into a closet after having put them away at the ripe age of 05 ★ (this one doesn't count for my other blog, @/yoshiko-the-blankie because he's 07)

He has a really bad problem with gnawing and biting- he'll bite at his lips (then wonder why they're bleeding and cracked-), inner cheek, or whatever he can get into his mouth at the time. ★

Uhhh bushy eyebrows because the guy i'm into has them. so he can too

ALSO I FORGOT WHEN I POSTED THIS. I REFERENCE KUNIKIDA AND KATAI'S MAGNIFICENT DAYS A LOT. AS WELL AS THE WAN! CHAPTERS (ESPECIALLY MIDNIGHT TENSIONS ('giant mushroom') AND STORMING KATAI TAYAMA NEXT DOOR!!!! okay thank you

he got bullied a LOT in high school

I'll probably add more when I think of them / they fit RP lore soo

computer divider @/bleedingspiral | tags?? if you're interested idk @no-ones-sunshine

#mod attack!!!!! scares you!!!!!!!#idk if i should tag this with the main tags...#uhh #bsd rp #bsd roleplay #thats good i think

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atimeofyourlife · 1 year ago

Text

Whumptober day 19

rated: t | wc: 1113 | prompt: Floral Bouquet | Psychological | “I’m not as stupid as you think I am.” Steve gets sick of the kids constantly insulting his intelligence

The words were starting to really drain Steve. It was making him want to pull away, to isolate himself. To avoid the people he thought cared about him.

The thing is, he knew he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. He'd never claimed to be a genius, to have anything on Dustin, or Robin, or Nancy when it came to intelligence, especially book smarts. His grades were never great, he passed and kept his grades at a level that allowed him to keep his place on the sports teams, but anything above a C on a report card was almost unheard of in any class other than PE. Then the whole college issue was a whole other beast, but he felt he should be allowed some grace there considering he'd been recovering from a severe concussion through the back half of his senior year. It took two weeks for him to return to school, and then was only attending for half days until winter break started.

But he wasn't stupid either. He'd managed to graduate on time despite the concussion in the last few months, only failing one class in the four years he was in high school, that being freshman Spanish. His memory when it came to something that interested him was second to none, able to recall baseball and basketball facts and statistics in an instant. He was good in the kitchen, able to remember recipes, and come up with new ones on the fly, always knowing what would work together, even being able to recreate recipes from something he'd eaten. His experience in first aid could probably rival that of an EMR, maybe even that of an EMT. He'd even taught himself how to fix things, he could do most of the repairs in the house that didn't involve electrics, and rarely needed anyone else to look at his car.

But it wasn't anything the kids were interested in, so they considered him stupid. They would throw jabs at Steve's intelligence because he'd failed to get into college, but then turn around and fawn over how smart Eddie was, him getting held back twice not mattering because he read Tolkein and played DnD. All of them execpt Lucas calling him a dumb jock any time he referenced a sports statistic or used a sports metaphor. He was half convinced they only called him dumb about that because they were projecting over not fully understanding what he was talking about. They acted like cooking wasn't a real skill, that he didn't have to do anything other than shove something in the oven and then put it on the table once it was done. Sometimes the boys, especially Mike, acted like it was women's work to be cooking, and that it was somehow demeaning to their masculinity to see Steve so at home in the kitchen. Any of his other skills were just treated as a given, as if they were something that everyone knew, even though the majority of the party wouldn't know where to start with treating even the most minor of injuries, or how to fix a leaky faucet, or how to troubleshoot what was making that noise in a car. Hell, he didn't think some of them would be able to change a light bulb or a tire even with direct step-by-step instruction.

It all exploded one day, the kids talking over each other about something Steve couldn't quite follow. Between the speed they were talking, how their voices blended together into an indistinguishable mumble and the topic just being something DnD related that Steve really wasn't interested in, it made it impossible for him to understand what they were talking about.

Lucas asked Steve's opinion on something as Dustin and Mike were starting to get heated in their disagreement. Steve asked for clarification, as he'd lost track of what, exactly, they were arguing about.

"Come on, this is why we don't ask Steve anything important. You know he's too dumb to understand." Mike sneered.

"You guys know that I'm not as stupid as you seem to think I am, right?" Steve snapped, sick and tired of the way the kids would talk down to him, as if they perceived him as lesser.

"Sure you're not, Steve." Dustin replied, his tone condescending, as if he was speaking to a child much younger than him rather than a grown adult four years his senior.

"Just because I'm not some child prodigy genius doesn't make me stupid. I graduated on time with a head injury that made class really fucking difficult." Steve tried to keep his voice under control, but it was hard to keep his volume at a reasonable level.

"Anyone can graduate on time, it doesn't make them smart." Dustin said, still talking like he was explaining it to someone who had difficulty understanding anything.

"Munson didn't." Steve spat out. "And somehow you dipshits believe he's the smartest guy alive at times. He got held back twice, but apparently he's a genius because he plays that game you do."

"He's just smart in a different way."

"And I can't be?" Steve asked, his tone getting harsh. "Who figured out that the Russians were broadcasting their message from Starcourt? Or how about some stuff you guys don't understand? How do you put someone who's unconscious into the recovery position? How do you change the oil or a spark plug in a car? What is the correct way to prepare meat so there is no cross contamination?"

"Yeah, but none of that stuff is actually important." Mike replied.

"So you're telling me that DnD is more important than knowing how to take care of someone in a medical emergency? Or fixing a car? Or making sure you don't give someone food poisoning? I'm not stupid. But I know you guys will never see me as anything but stupid. As the dumb jock." Steve pinched at the bridge of his nose, trying to hold back his emotion. Not wanting to let it show how much it affected him.

"Steve, it's not like that. We didn't mean-" Dustin started, but Steve cut him off.

"No, it is like that. You genuinely think I'm stupid. Maybe I am. If I'm so stupid, I must be too dumb to be able to keep driving you everywhere, or to keep hosting your game whenever you want to use my house. But I guess you little geniuses are smart enough to figure that out." Steve turned and left the room. The kids could find their own way home, he was done letting them take advantage of his generosity when they wouldn't give him any respect.

#whumptober2023 #no.19 #“I'm not as stupid as you think I am.”#stranger things #fic #steve harrington #steve harrington whump #dustin henderson #mike wheeler #lucas sinclair #atimeofyourwrites

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kolbietheaggrievedwriter · 4 months ago

Note

And to go back to one of my favourite works, Atris Cloudbarrow + someone else... I'm not sure who she would chat with! Maybe Elliot if you want a prompt or a surprise character is also accepted :P and "are you sure you want to do that?"

This is canon ;3 It takes place when they're kids.

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

Elliot whirls around to glare at the dumb girl who gets to steal Niren away for hours at a time every time she shows up - with the grown-up's permission, even. Nothing at all like Elliot, the unwanted bastard who has to either wait until his father deigns to take him along on a visit to the king or a good opportunity to sneak away, the latter of which is getting harder and harder to do as the maids and guards watching him learn to counter all his tricks. It's never that easy.

…It's not her fault, though. Elliot's not like any of his so-called family. He won't get angry and take it out on the wrong people. That's stupid, and Elliot isn't stupid. Niren thinks he's smart and fast and strong (and pretty), and aside from his mom, he's the best person Elliot knows. He can't be wrong, so all that must be true. Elliot doesn't ever want to make it not true, so shifts his glare to the ground.

"Niren said I could visit him," Elliot justifies himself stubbornly. A beat later, he realizes he's only supposed to call him by name when the two of them are alone and frowns in frustration at the mistake. He looks back up when she doesn't immediately call him out on it.

The girl - Atris, he thinks - smiles kindly at him, not seeming the least bit affected by Elliot's initial hostility. "He's sick. They're not letting anyone see him."

He knows that. That's why he has to go see Niren right away. Everyone Elliot's ever known who got sick died soon after. Tucked away in his mother's arms in their cold, leaky shack of a home, he could hear them howl in pain for hours and hours on end. The abrupt silence afterward was somehow always worse, though. It was always horrific. When the guards came to get the body, they would burn their house down just so no one else went in it and got sick, too.

Niren is the prince. He's nothing like the lowly commoners inhabiting the slums of the city Elliot had grown up in, who were weak and filthy and starving and unable to afford even the weakest healer's services. He's probably getting treated personally by the High Priestess of the church, and he's got hundreds of servants looking after him night and day.

Still. Elliot's got this restless feeling inside, an urgent burning need to see Niren with his own eyes and make sure he's not suffering. That he's being taken care of, that it's not worse than he's been told. That he's not going to suddenly disappear and leave Elliot, too, like every friend he ever made before, everyone he's ever dared to care about besides his mom.

Elliot doesn't say any of that aloud. Wouldn't know how to, ten years old and only a single year into actual schooling. It's too big and complicated for even him to really understand. But Atris must be able to tell some of it anyway because she looks at him the same way his mom did every time he realized he recognized the agonized screams ringing out through the night.

"I'm scared, too," she admits softly.

She glances around, like she's checking for prying eyes, and it's only then that Elliot notices she's alone. Like Niren, she's an important noble, so she's never actually unsupervised. They're always accompanied by a guard or a servant. Yet here she is, without either, outside the castle and beneath the window of the infirmary where Niren is supposedly resting. Why did she come here?

It dawns on Elliot like the slap of a ruler against the back of his hand when gets some dumb noble rule wrong. He points at her accusingly and shouts, "You were planning to sneak in to see him, too!"

Caught red handed, instead of looking embarrassed, Atris puts her hands on her hips and raises her chin imperiously. "So what? I'm his fiancé."

To that smug declaration, Elliot can only sputter incoherently. He gets over his indignation quickly enough, though, and they hatch a plan to sneak in together.

Later, sitting at Niren's feet on either side of him on the huge fluffy bed where he's recuperating, they tell him this story, and he laughs so loud, it alerts the guards outside.

#ask meme #fool of a prince #ficlet

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pumpumdemsugah · 1 year ago

Note

Did you see Doja Cat recently getting slammed for uploading pics of herself sticking her tongue out and wearing a t-shirt with Sam Hyde's face, a man in his late thirties who's a known neo-Nazi? I know you've talked about her in the past, and while I'm not surprised at this point, she's so sick in the head it's genuinely unreal. Imagine being so arrogant, snide, and mean-spirited online while still being obsessed with approval from the most physically hideous and racist white men imaginable.

She's not very intelligent at all. The day I heard that after she had a concert she was in a video chat, face out with white nationalist...I knew she's too slow and addicted to edgy attention to not do something like this in the future

This is what happens when your daughter is raised by the internet and is addicted to attention because she likes being edgy and getting the approval of edgy men. Doja cat is the sort of figure that was never meant to become very famous because it was a countdown before she did something dumb and awful again so I stopped paying attention to her years ago minus that weirdo thing between her and that stranger things kid. There's nothing going on up there.

I really don't think she's smart enough to understand she doesn't have the cult following of Kanye or being man to whether this . Her fanbase is made up of mainly young women and women are ( in general) not as receptive to this sort of behaviour. Other female and mainstream acts aren't going to want to collaborate with her or be seen with her because their fans won't like it.

The music industry was probably over the moon when they signed someone as empty headed as Doja cat. You'd think with how old she is, she'd know better but the place where her sense and self respect should be there is a massive hole for negative validation

Niche internet subcultures are molding young women like we've never seen before. Take your daughter's to museums and make sure she has hobbies outside being online because you don't know what weird shit on the internet she's looking at and might raise a Doja cat

#anonymous #asks

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cootcutebatkat · 9 months ago

Text

No one had any faith that Stan would be okay when he graduates high school. But I think Ford is the exception.

He doesn't think the Stan O'War will be enough, at least with a high school degree. He's not ready to explore the world and change it for the better and prove himself as a scientist to fit in with like-minded weirdos. Unless he has a Master's degree or a PhD. Maybe even two or three PhDs!

Stan may not go to college or at least West Coast Tech. But he's always been the sociable adventurer type anyways. I've been holding him back on his relationships anyways. We've been holding back each other all this time, haven't we? We need to part ways now, at least for a moment, so we can grow up.

I'm ready to grow up. Isn't Stan? Yeah, I'm sure he is. He wants to be free as much as I do.

My project is broken.

Why?

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Why is it broken? Why are they rejecting me? Why are they going away? Why can't I go with them? Why can't I get out of here? Why can't I get out of here?

Stanley.

Why? Why was he here? What did he do? Why did he do this? Why does he not want me to leave? Why should he treat me like this?

Why is he pretending that nothing's wrong? Does he really not know? Or is he really attempting to look innocent? Is he even ashamed of what he's done? Does it matter that little to him?

Accident. Horsing around.

Goofing off, huh? It's just a joke to you, huh? My future, my ticket out of here, my chance to be worthy, my chance to really make something of myself, all of that is a fucking joke, isn't it?

Why is he always smothering me? Why is he always tailing me? Why can't he just grow up already? Why does he need me to stay here? Why does he need the Stan O'War? Why right now? I'm not ready. I'm not ready. I can't do that. I need this. I need the college. I need my future. Does he not get that? Is he stupid? Is he cruel?

He did sabotage it. It was really on purpose and he's not even sorry about it. Not one fucking bit.

He was never really my friend. He probably wanted me to fail. He's not stupid enough to. To do all that. I don't get it. He was supposed to be my friend. He wasn't. When did he stop being my friend?

He wasn't worth it. I'm so stupid. I'm not. I'm smart. Not smart enough. I know better. I just didn't want to hear it. Because it hurt too much. But I knew all along that he wasn't worth it. That he really is cruel and dumb like the rest of them. He did bully other kids after all. He makes people smile sometimes. He knows how to talk to girls. He has a reputation. I'm not like him at all. He hates me. He always has and I just didn't want to hear it. I just wanted to believe he was good. That's all it was. I'm so stupid.

I guess everyone is like this huh, even Stanley.

I'm not playing this game anymore, Stan. Go to hell.

Even Dad agrees. Even Dad knows. I was right. I was fucking right. I fucking knew it. I knew Stan was just using me. I knew Stan hated me. I knew it. He's a sick fucking bastard. I was going to be free. I was going to succeed. I was going to make something of myself. I won't be the freak anymore.

There is so much noise right now. So much noise. So much noise. Everyone is awake. Everyone is mad. Everyone is scared. I can't do this. I'm so fucking scared. Stan, I'm so scared. Stan is bad. Stan is fucking terrible. I'm stuck here. I'm stuck in this shit hole. This is my life now. Why can't I get out of here? Why can't get I the fuck out of here? I can't live in this place anymore. I can't. I fucking can't. I hate it here. Stan's not my friend. Stan trapped me here. Trapped me here with him. What else is he going to do to me? Is he gonna keep pretending? Is he gonna stop pretending? What is he gonna do if he stops?

Stan's gone. I'm safe.

Dad cares about me. Dad cares about my future. Dad is right about everything. I should trust Dad on certain things. I know not to trust him when I cry or be sad or be loud or

Stan will be fine. I know he will. He just wanted to stay here out of some sick sadistic reason. Or lazy reason. Like Dad said. He's right about everything. Stan will probably be a conman. A charlatan. Hah. That's what you get for betraying people. For betraying your friend. What have I even done to deserve this? Why should I put up with this?

I'm not. Like Dad said. Dad has always made it clear that real men fight back. And Stan always has fought back. And then he became a bully. But I'll be better than that. I know better than that. From now on, I'm never going through this again.

#gravity falls #post #mine #my writing #character pov #fic #didn't mean to be but i'll post on ao3 later

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arcane-fanfictions · 28 days ago

Text

Like Father like Son

Chapter 1: The Beginning

It hadn't even been an hour since the explosion. Fires raged all around their once office, lab, home and city, but now it laid in ruins. Anyone within the line of sight of who survived the blast was in significant danger of his wrath. Whomever did this would suffer a very long, drawn-out death. The only thoughts running through his mind keeping him sane were two things. His kids.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" He screeched, his ragged voice strained from the force of the blast, years of surviving fumes of the mines and smoking. A faint shift to his left revealed a large broad-shouldered woman with a beautiful face riddled with pain and absolute hatred. Her sneer gave her words away before she said them. Only one of his pupils contracted, while the other remained unaffected by his mounting fury.

"We didn't find either of them in the rubble... we're working on it. The Enforcers are combing all over our turf, looking for proof of bodies. Knowing Jinx, she is strong and more than likely got out before. It's-" The expression of fear on her face made it apparent she stepped a bit too far.

"DO NOT, dare say it Sevika. I would know if either of them is dead, without proof. Jinx I have no doubt is fine. She seems oddly capable of avoiding certain doom. He, on the other hand is ungodly stubborn, even more irksomely so than Vander. Physically he is not strong but mentally he is unmovable. Strictly speaking, he's too stubborn to be killed so easily. He's a smart boy, he knew the risks. He's alive. And I dare pray you don't prove me wrong."

Sevika narrows her eyes, despite her own feelings about the pair she knows better than to test Silco's inexplicably thin patience. The sneer formed into a deep scowl as she turned.

"I'll do what I can. I found survivors of our group, and I'll send them to find them. When we do we will report back. But my top priority is YOUR safety. I will be back the moment I send those orders. The cause dies if you're not around. So don't be a dumb ass and do something stupid while I'm gone."

With a faint mechanical click, Sevika turned and walked briskly back to the small group of ragged looking survivors, huddled far enough back in the somewhat intact brick and motor alleyway. There was a loud series of orders being barked out from Sevika as the ragtag group slowly dispersed to attempt to locate the two missing members. The sound made Silco's blood freeze, as he stared where his office just was moments ago. A faint hum escaped his throat lazily, as he knelt slowly down to his shattered cigar box, the one sat nestled next to his favorite bomb design made by Jinx.

A faint sad quirk of his lips traced itself across his face, as he reminisced in the bittersweet memory. All lost now. It was one of his most prized possessions from his kids, along with the first little robot his son successfully created. Clankerbot, he called it. How it made him smile seeing the rare toothy smile his little boy gave him that day when he said how proud he was of him. Such a shy timid little boy. Yet he grew up to be extremely hard headed stubborn as EVER and wickedly intelligent, yet so fragile physically.

Yet despite it all he became so strong of mind and will. It reminded him so much of himself when he was younger. Still to this day he hated seeing his little birds getting older and ready to spread their wings, into a society of rotten people no food less chances of a happy life and under the feet of the topsiders, who know nothing of what it is like to suffer. It made him sick. Before he knew it Sevika was back at his side, waiting to escort him to a safer location. That ever present indifferent scowl returned to his face, his back still to her.

"Even now I presume you won't even grant me the chance to search for my own offspring hm?" Silco asked, a faint hint of cynical sarcasm creeping into his slippery tone. Sevika snorted and walked next to him, easily dwarfing him by a solid foot. Despite that he didn't flinch. HER loyalty to him was resolute, solid, and never wavering. She was one of the very few people who nearly had his full trust. Nearly.

Sevika stares at him, despite being taller it is not a condescending stare but a stern look of respect yet concern.

"Being your kids, it'd take a lot to kill them. Especially Jinx. They will turn up. But right now with all these Enforcers around, we don't have the time to waste or risk. We need to go..." She said, with a tone oddly lacking in severity. Perhaps he mistook it but he swore he heard a legitimate twinge of fear at the very end. That's new. The moment was gone the moment she set a hand on his shoulder nudging him forward. She was right. If he died, there'd be nothing. Nothing for his kids to come back to. They'd find them. He'd scour the rubble as he went, hoping for a sign they'd be OK.

"Fine. Lead the way." He hissed, eyes narrowing as he strode along behind her, scanning every nook and cranny as he went through the remains of the small life and family he had built, and just watched burn to the ground before his eyes.

***...Meanwhile, a few blocks over in Zaun...***

The streets were swarmed with enforcers, and nowhere seemed safe. For whatever reason fate seemed hellbent on absolutely screwing him over. First, he was minding his own damn business in his home, when his sister storms in and, of course had to start shit up. Not again...

Unfortunately, she and their father had another tiff. Normally, he kept his nose out of his father's business, especially because he hated how often it resorted to violence. And shimmer. It hadn't even been 10 seconds before she leaned on his shoulder her long blue braids nearly hitting him in the face as she moved like a liquid cat across his room desk and the back of the chair he was sitting in. How the HELL she did it he didn't know.

Honestly, kinda hurt especially since he was physically limited to a fragile and less than ideal body. Especially his leg. Watching her move so effortlessly while he barely managed to walk without a cane and a custom made leg brace honestly felt somewhat insulting. Either way, it was extremely graceful, when she hadn't been doing it to be a typical obnoxious sister. As she was right now.

"What happened this time...?" He said, his voice husky from lack of use and thick accent. The bags under his eyes were getting more prominent by the day. Sleep had been getting more and more difficult, especially with how many orders he had to fill for his clients. And fact he had a very hard time saying no to those who were suffering. And how the numbers only kept getting longer and longer and longer.

Prosthetics and repairs for many miscellaneous items never ceased. Small jobs to big ones, he didn’t care. He was helping them in his own small way. Meanwhile, his father assisted drug dependency, gang wars, and violence. Unfortunately, he learned at a young age to keep those opinions to himself. And how his father was NOT going to get him to build weapons. Jinx handled that, not him. It certainly didn't stop them from having some occasional nasty spats about the displeasure of each other's CAREER choices. Regardless, he did raise him as his own when he lost everything, even younger than Jinx first met Silco... Even though they don't see eye to eye, Silco was still their dad and always would be.

"SO, dad told me to go up topside and steal some stupid blue gem thingies, right?" Jinx says, leaning on his shoulder as he busily tightens a belt on a heavy machine laid out in front of him, and Jinx gently probes one of his goggle lens up from his eye, making him groan and pause his work. Viktor grimaced at the gesture and sighed in defeat to drop his wrench and stare at her, annoyed.

"And DID you commit theft of these pretty blue gems dad asked you to?" He asked, in a rather deadpan tone. His sister could be annoying grating and absolutely aggravating on all levels, but deep down he does care deeply for her. Judging from the gleam in her deep blue eyes she certainly was going to explain it in a very colorful overzealous story.

"Well, DUH, COURSE I did! Like wow it wasn't even that hard to break in. They focus all their guards in halls doorways windows. But the funny thing is they don't have them IN their labs. Weird huh? So while Sevika handled all the easy guards I took the more fun way and snuck in using the vent systems, also no security on those, and grabbed em. But, that's where things get... messy." The sudden drop in pitch and tone and the increased fidgeting made Viktor pause and look at her.

"Jinx, what happened..." Viktor asked, his golden hazel eyes focusing on her, worry and concern creeping into his voice. When she refused to make eye contact with him and the fidgeting got worse, he knew it was bad.

"OKAY well! I didn't- KNOW those stupid pretty gem thingies could cause..... explosions." She says, her foot tapping rapidly and her eyes shifting all over the room. Her left hand was gripping tightly on her right shoulder as she glanced around, now standing up before pacing frantically. All the color left Viktor's face as he rose from his desk, grimacing as his hip and leg screamed angrily in pain from lack of use and such an abrupt motion.

"Jinx, Jinx- Calm down! Stop... I'm here okay? Take a breath. So what happened the building exploded? How did you not get hurt?!" He asked frustration and anger boiling. Why would Silco make her go after something so dangerous?! She was gifted brilliant but she was HIS LITTLE SISTER, and anything happened to her he would absolutely never forgive any of them. Or himself for letting her go do something so stupid. Then again, it's not like anything he said or did ever would STOP her either.

She lived on the edge of danger every day. She thrived off it. It honestly gave him a pang of jealousy, how easily she could adapt and live a much more adventurous if not reckless life. Yet, he knew that kind of life wasn't for him. Routine and stability were what kept him grounded. And books. Oh, all the books. There are never enough books and knowledge. But books couldn't ever replace Jinx. Nothing could.

It was a long moment when Jinx stood still and stared down at the ground. Her voice shook faintly and her gaze finally met his, eyes firmly locked on him.

"I was... about to sneak out when a guard caught me. I was about to duck out the window when they fired their gun, it hit the gem thingie. Then... half of the council building was blown to smithereens. And... dad was real mad. Like I ain't ever seen him this mad, MAD. It wasn't even MY FAULT!" She yelled, her eyes welling up with tears.

There is a pause and a faint jump when he hugged her, but this time she didn't try to shove him off. Or fight him. Physical contact never was Viktor's comfort zone, but he knew if Jinx was upset enough to come to him and nearly cry, he knew she desperately needed a hug. Guess he could make this exception. Just this once. And deny it anytime she attempted to use this against him as blackmail in the future.

"Hey, you did amazing. First off, you probably pissed off Sevika, which is always a good start~" Viktor said playfully, with a devious rise in his pitch at the end of his comment which earned a faint snort and a giggle from Jinx. That mischievous gleam returned to her eyes as she looked up at him, as he slowly reached for his cane and stood fully beside her.

"Second, you snuck in through the air system, on your own, broke into the highest-level security building and swiped up incredibly important Piltover Technology right under their noses! To me I know that you were absolutely how you say, a bad ass?" He said and the dorky expression on his face earned him a playful punch to the shoulder. Even with her holding back it certainly did smart. For someone so small, she REALLY packed a punch.

"Well... I guess but dad was... real upset. Said the Pilties would be up in arms and 'see it as a threat and a declaration of war' or some stupid thing like that! Fortunately, the blast knocked me into the river, bit scraped up and Sevika and the others got out before they got hurt. No one got killed but from what I heard definitely hospitalized. None of them pompous councilors were there so I don't see WHY it's such a big deal!" Jinx huffed, and slumped into his chair like she was a balloon that just instantly deflated. She made Silco's dramatic episodes look comical in comparison.

"Hm, pretty sure you DID blow up their most fancy and expensive building...-" A cog he had on his desk narrowly missed his head by an inch, and coming from Jinx she definitely missed intentionally. Judging from the scowl forming on his face and the scrunched up look on hers they were back to the typical sibling shenanigans.

"OH shut it you nerd."

"I prefer scientist, thank you."

"UGH you're gonna go into that stupid lecture about the differences between a nerd and a scientist aren't you?!" She exclaimed, rolling her eyes and sticking her tongue out as she sat in his chair facing the wrong way.

"WELL since you brought it up-"

"OH ew absolutely not! Today was shitty enough I don't need your nerd scientist lectures too!!" She exclaimed, with a lil extra emphasis to add a bit of harshness to it. Luckily Viktor knew she was joking and he smirked, inhaled like he was about to go onto a LONG LONG speech about it when she pushed him carefully back to his seat and put the goggles, he didn't even notice she managed to steal off his head during their conversation.

A bit baffled, Viktor glanced around as he struggled to process exactly how quickly she can move and if she actually secretly was made of liquid. Judging from that classic smug Jinx expression and hand on hip look she at least had perked up a bit. With a heavy sigh and an eye roll, Viktor slowly eased himself back into his chair as Jinx made her way to the door with a half drunken like sway.

"If you're going to show off go do it elsewhere! And DO NOT TAKE my stuff-" Viktor retorted, turning back to his now completely unorganized desk, while Jinx made her way to his lab doorway, grinning.

"Ppft don't be so angry grumpy pants! And hey.... thanks. For real I mean it... You're the best bro I can ask for. But that never leaves this room!" She whispers giving him the "I'm watching you" hand gestures while staring right at him. The look he returned is one of cold calculated thinking as he stared at her display.

"Hmmmmmm. I guess I'll think about not saying anything of that HUG never comes up-" he countered levelly, the faintest hint of deviousness creeping into his flat businessman tone. The pout he earned quickly made him groan. Ugh, he was going so soft because of his sister. One day she will end up breaking him and he'll cave to her puppy dog eyes. As of right now, she hadn't broken him yet. Unlike Silco. But the SECRECT STARE, was a whole different ball game.

"I was joking. We never speak of this to anyone other than us, I swear on my life!" He stated loudly, making an X motion over his chest where his heart is, a ritual he and Jinx made over the years as kids for swearing absolute secrecy. Neither of them had ever broken it yet, and he hoped it wouldn't ever happen. When she smiled gently, he couldn't help but do the same, before she waved and softly shut the door behind her. If he was honest, the lab was much quieter when she wasn't there, but also was a lot more.... boring. What a crazy thought.

It had taken over an hour for Viktor to put his desk back to its proper organized state ( of chaos) when he paused. Something felt wrong. Whatever was going on, it was getting louder. And closer. Normally, his neighbors and people passing by their home knew better than to make a lot of noise, especially at the risk Sevika may be banging on your door, and she rarely if ever gave warnings. A few broken fingers WAS her definition of a warning. Very convincing one too.

Cautiously, Viktor rose from his desk slowly, hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He wasn't imagining things, that was people running- screaming- and sounds of a very serious scuffle or scuffles heading right towards their home. His blood froze. Silco always warned him the dangers he'd ESPECIALLY be in because he can't run, but what he was good at was hiding and using his quick wit.

Unfortunately, combat was a very poor choice for him as he wouldn't stand much of a chance unless he nailed someone to the head with his cane- and that's if he's lucky. Aaaand unfortunately a decent portion of Zaun knowing he's SILCO'S son.... oh that means the chances of not being killed but TAKEN increased to a VERY HIGH probability. He swore under his breath in his native tongue for literally running the calculations of the probabilities of that happening in his head. Really, NOW?!

With a shaky hand he gripped his cane and slid it under his arm, glancing around trying to figure out which spot would be best- by the time he made it halfway across the lab the screaming and sounds of fleeing Zaunians was so loud they were practically outside of his door-

He caught a glimpse of some fleeing people, horror etched on their faces. It was just a split second but one was missing half an arm, blood going everywhere before the sound of a gunshot and a sound of a wall being hit with something wet made him nearly puke on the spot.

Normally, Silco kept him very far from any of the blood, gore, drug deals since he clearly hated them. AND the fact Viktor spent an entire week making his father's life a living HELL through endless complaining and ranting he decided the cost of making Viktor endure such things was not worth the benefit. The only time he ever did it he handled it with a very cold detached expression and a poker face to even rival Silco's, but that didn't stop his pure disgust with his father afterwards. Granted... he was grounded from his lab for a MONTH after he won that argument but it was worth it. Spared him seeing unnecessary violence and suffering... Well. Any ADDITIONAL suffering, anyhow...

A second gunshot caused part of the glass window to his right to shatter into bits, making him flinch and instinctively cover his face and eyes with his arm. They may not know he's in there yet- two more steps till he was at the floor hatch door-

Glass cut and dug itself into his boots and feet, making him grimace with every step. Shit- he tugged hard at the hatch door lever and pulled once he was kneeling on the ground and cleared as much of the glass shards as he could with a nearby book. While he was on the floor wanted to spare his legs shins and knees any extra glass shards. His boots and feet had enough, he didn't need MORE. Despite his best efforts, some sneaky shards managed to bury themselves in his legs anyhow. All he could do was try to ignore the pain and possible bleeding.

Without pausing he heaved open the heavy metal door hidden directly in the middle of his lab when he heard the sound of something metal being shot out of what sounded like a large hollow tube. There was endless screaming now, and sounds of muffled barked orders metal armor and weapons making contact with bone clothes and skin. Enforcers- this was VERY BAD-

He didn't have long when the rest of his window shattered fully, the damage exacerbated by the metal looking can that came in and clattered loudly on the wood floors. By the time the can stilled, he had managed to wedge the hatch door open wide enough for him to slip though and quickly close it behind him if necessary. It was a horrendously painful struggle to get on his knees alone and slowly swing his legs over the trapdoor edge, but the noise outside was quickly disrupted by a new and much more worrying sound.

The can burst open, spewing large amounts of a noxious green gas into the lab, clouding the entire space with a green haze thick enough to grab with his bare hands. It spun in circles as it did, propulsion forcing all the contents out of its small metal prison at a startlingly fast rate. Viktor gagged and wheezed, tears streaming down his face as the gas stole every ounce of clean air in a matter of seconds. It burned his eyes, blurring his vision and made his lungs feel like they were on literal fire.

The coughs and wheezes it caused him to double over, stalling his escape to the mines and dirt flooring below. Before he knew it the front door of his home was kicked in followed by heavily armored enforcers came swarming in. Their guns were at the ready, sniper sights sending small red beamlike lights scouring over his family home.

Weakly Viktor attempted to cover his nose and mouth using his under shirt, staring down at the bleak scape deep down beneath his laboratory. Last time Silco made them do emergency runs for such events, the specially designed sliding metal ladder did had extended down into the darker depths lurking below. The time between then and now, it seemed the ladder had become jammed. The ladder whined and creaked, the metal just within sight hidden slightly under the hatch door groaned weakly in protest.

Of course, of COURSE it would be stuck. Why would anything work? Life was never that simple. Especially when it was actually important. If he wasn't in a possible life or death situation, he so would've cussed the thing out harshly before PASSIVE AGGRESSIVELY tearing it apart and putting it back together.

With an agitated groan and a series of coughs, he dragged his cane a bit closer, before scooting towards the side of the hatch door, squinting best he can to see where the motor was. There. He could just barely see it. If he was going to do this, he’d have to be fast and precise. One wrong move, either a spark or a noise, could have deadly consequences. A spark could end up blowing them ALL UP, and too much noise would risk bringing the enforcers to him faster.

Neither sounded good, so…. Viktor took a slow breath before lowering himself onto his stomach, with his cane now hanging in his hands and arms dangling down into the darkness just above where the ladder would have been. He had to force himself NOT to look down, because he knew he'd clam up if he did. The thought made his hands shake a little but, but it didn't deter him.

With a confident grunt, he thrust his cane forward with as much force he felt would knock the machinery’s safety lock. The motor whined and groaned, and the safety lock creaked eerily, before a loud clunk followed. Part of the very rusted safety lock was hanging loosely from the strong elastic belt, but it was still holding on. Perhaps another hit or two-

A loud crash and something sounding like plates shattering a couple rooms down from him made him wince. They were closing in and fast. The next few hits would definitely be loud- but he had to risk it. They did not know this home inside and out like he and Jinx did. When they were younger they took time to explore every possible nook and cranny, even the creepy dirt barren foundation structures and jokes of Silco storing bodies down there. To be fair... He more than likely dumped at least a few down there... At the moment he was beginning to feel the urge to dump a few himself...

The one thing that kept bothering him was a bunch of bastards currently destroying everything in their home. The sudden realization made his blood boil, and his grip on his cane tightened. A deep growl began to form in his throat as he heard more items and bits of his property currently being demolished filled with a burning fury, one he needed to dislodge a safety lock-

With a lot more rage behind his cane, he managed to hit the locking mechanism two more times before the machine whined before a loud SNAP followed. The entire time he was trying to limit his breathing, to avoid causing more coughing fits and drawing more attention to himself. The elastic band and locking mechanism slipped off, and the motor screeched as it dropped from it's prison and plummeted to the ground below. There was a tense silence from the entire house, before the now damaged motor hit the dirt ground with a horrifically loud series of crashes bangs and what sounded like a minor pipe bursting. Loose cogs and screws fell slowly after, adding small mechanical background noises seeming to shift all attention to his lab.

There was a tense and unsettling silence as the enforcers' seemed to stop what they were doing and all directed it towards HIM. A loud screech of metal made Viktor stare in dismay as the now freed ladder was sent speeding down to the earth below, and smashing the remainder of the safety mechanism that somehow survived the drop. The sound made his stomach churn, especially since it meant he still needed to go DOWN that very same ladder-

By the time he slowly scooted himself to the edge of the hatch door, there was sounds of his locked laboratory door being jiggled. Sweat began to bead his forehead, he had been doing all this within 3 minutes and that gas was starting to make his head swim and his body began to feel so heavy and tired. The burning sensation within his lungs began to sting, as he carefully slipped his right foot onto the first wrung of the ladder, his legs shaking a lot. He hated heights… especially ladders. It took several deep breaths before he could put both his feet on the first wrung, mainly using his upper body strength to hold himself steady.

The ladder seemed to wobble a bit, making him tense up. Wearily he grabbed his cane and slipped it over his left wrist, trying to keep it balanced and also not fall off the ladder. Now the only panel of wood (the door) keeping from being brutally murdered was being slammed against with full force by a large enforcer, making Viktor swallow his fear and scurry down the ladder as quickly as he could.

It hurt like hell, as his knee, hip and back screamed in pain at each step or rather awkward shuffle down. It was far from graceful or dignified, but it worked as long as he didn’t die or break a bone. By the time he got far enough down the ladder, he watched as the hatch door groaned and slowly shut itself closed. It sealed itself with a loud whine and a hiss. A loud relieved sigh escaped Viktor's lips, he was elated the shutting mechanism didn’t break from him bashing the shit out of the motor system.

By the time he wearily shimmied down to the 5th wrung, he heard his lab door smash open. He was mildly impressed to hear the door actually being knocked off it's hinges and fully slamming onto the wooden floor with a heavy thump. The vibrations and shaking it caused Viktor to tense up as the ladder shifted and creaked dangerously, his hands sweating and his body trembled. GOD he HATED heights.

All he could do was bite his lower lip to keep his shocked gasp from escaping his lips and alerting the enforcers literally walking only a few feet above his head. Every time they stepped on the wooden floors, dirt and dusted began to rain from the ceiling, easily giving away their location. A series of louder than average footsteps filled the room, and the bustling noise of his lab being torn apart stopped abruptly. This must mean a very high-ranking authority was present… why would they be at HIS home though-

“Did you find anyone…?” Spoke a voice so deep and gruff it nearly gave Viktor chills. Something about the tone commanded absolute attention, and utmost respect. It also made Viktor bristle. That was an accent he was unfamiliar with. Thick, gruff and definitely distant. Not from Piltover or Zaun, but why would outsiders involve themselves in Piltover or Zaunian business? And why the HELL would they be going around assisting in the murder of people just trying to SURVIVE this hell ridden hole?! This complicated things significantly- especially with dad's business and Jinx- They were in serious danger-

Perhaps if he got some information, he’d be able to feed what he found out to his father- if he was still alive… and free. His thoughts were disrupted when the Enforcer a few feet to the left of him shifted before stuttering pretty badly. The floorboards creaked and dust fell lazily, making Viktor’s nose twitch. A tickle in his throat started forcing him to scrunch up his nose and face, as he desperately hoped to hold back a cough or a sneeze. This was horrible timing...

“W-we are doing our best, s-sir.” The man seemed to shift sightly making every single enforcer in the room quickly take a step back. What kind of man would make them that scared…? When the man merely grunted the entire room collectively nearly pissed themselves.

Viktor was both impressed and horrified. There was a soft pause, before the man seemed to… be looking for something. He stared quietly just above him, as the massive man was standing with one foot over the hidden door, the other on the wood floor. The sounds the wood made compared to the solid metal door was significantly different... Oh no...

A sudden cold sweat made Viktor’s whole body tense up. Everyone in the room seemed to sense it, too. Before he could even blink, he felt it before he heard it. A single solid hit to the hatch door, and the edge of the door buckled. That was made of solid metal! And he was now staring at a hand that was almost as large as his head protruding from the edge, which was now completely smashed through, like wet paper.

His body refused to work- he was frozen in place. It was incredible to watch such strength, such raw power. Before he could blink, the hand began to pull upwards, prying the metal door off its securely locked seal like peeling plastic off a sealed food container. The metal door screeched in agony, metal being torn from the seams and sealed edges, wood planks that overlapped snapping like flimsy twigs.

It was the most horrific sight as Viktor watched light from his lab pouring in down on him. All he could do was stare, slack jawed and in horror. It… was completely open now. And he was staring up at a man who was holding a door that weighed over 50 pounds… like a piece of PAPER, LIKE NOTHING AT ALL.

Every single enforcer was staring in horrified awe at this man, who must’ve been over seven feet tall. Enormous wasn’t even a good enough word to describe this man. Rippling with muscles, there was no ounce of fat within sight. His hair was a dark shade of brown, almost like the bark of the very rare trees that managed to survive a short time in Zaun. A thick beard and mustache adorned his face, his eyes a steely lighter shade of brown than his hair, brimming with sheer determination and unshakable willpower. At present his danger filled brown eyes were threatening to bore holes through his head. Every single fiber of this man screamed power, authority, and commanded utmost respect.

And… now all that pure look of disgust was staring DIRECTLY down at HIM. His insides churned, as for once he felt absolutely horrified. There was absolutely no hesitation or mercy lurking behind that man’s gaze. It was filled with his exact intent, fetch HIM. If they wanted him dead, they would not have wasted their time invading his home. They needed him alive…

And for a split-second Viktor was staring and doing very sloppy calculations of just how easy this giant of a man COULD reach into the basement from where he was kneeling... The man seemed to be thinking the same thing. Debating if he’d be able to snatch Viktor from where he was holding onto the ladder for dear life. Now he realized he was holding on so tightly for an entirely DIFFERENT reason. There was the chance… due to his size he would be very slow- and that was the biggest and worst assumption he ever made in his life.

Within the blink of an eye, the man was already moving like a bolt of lightning, massive hand outstretched trying to snatch him off the ladder. Viktor barely had even a split second to react- Instinctively, he crouched down, feeling the man’s index and middle finger just barely graze the back of his neck. Just judging from the swing, this man was absolutely holding back, and even just that graze was enough to leave a sizable red nick along the back of his neck.

Normally, he prided himself on being level headed in tense and dangerous situations, but right now fear seemed to be taking the steering wheel rather than his logic and sharp wit. Because of his crouching, his grip and sweaty hands caused him to lose his footing and he actually slid down the ladder at least 7 to 10 feet before he managed to get a grip back on it. The sudden traction and grip jolted his spine, and sent searing pain down his back, hips and legs. The pain alone caused him to bite his tongue hard enough to make it bleed, but he refused to let his eyes water.

No. He had lived with this suffering long enough, he refused to cry. ESPECIALLY not in this situation. Much to his delight he hadn’t yet realized his sliding endeavors literally landed him a single wrung above the ground. Don’t show weakness, he spat angrily in his mind. Forcing himself to look up, he stared with all the hate and ire his tiny body could muster directly into the man’s disgruntled gaze. Much to his surprise, the massive man smirked faintly and locked eyes with him in a silent challenge. The man turned and spoke firmly to the nearest enforcer who nearly balked at him.

“Leave this Zaunian scum to me…” The man spoke gruffly, eyes wrinkling around the edges. The expression on his face seemed like he was going to enjoy this little game of cat and mouse. The expression on Viktor’s face was just on the cusp of seething hatred and disgust, matching the beast glaring down at him. The Enforcers all turned and glanced at one another before one spoke up.

“Sir, that’s not- “

“Are you questioning my command?”

A heavy silence fell around the room. The monster of a man rose up to his full height, fists clenched as he rolled his neck to the right, raising his shoulders, creating a rather stiff cracking noise. One of the Enforcers made a gagging sound loud enough for Viktor to hear from down far below them. Hesitantly, Viktor took the final step down, instantly regretting it as his back and hip immediately screeched in agony. Much to his dismay, he barely missed the remaining corpse of the shattered motor and safety lock he dislodged only a few moments ago.

All he did was grit his teeth, taking a few heavy but semi labored breaths, before unhooking his cane from his arm and glancing up one last time at the man. All he could see was the gleam of the man’s eyes before his massive hands gripped the edge of the hatch doorway, before pulling with all his might, making the metal screech in distress. The heavy metal, concrete and wood structures buckled and moaned in protest, but gave way after a few solid tugs of the man’s massive brute strength.

By the time the hole was wide enough, Viktor had already begun making his way through the darkness below, doing his best to navigate the rather dangerous mine terrain under his home. The man grinned before pulling his glaive from it’s holder on his back before letting himself fall into the darkness, hitting the ground in a crouch.

The impact caused the earth beneath him to buckle and shatter under his weight. A slanted smirk crept across his face. He never lost a fight or failed, but one thing Rictus did love was a good challenge. Let the game begin.

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oneatlatime · 2 years ago

Text

The Storm

This post was delayed due to dumbass technical issues. I managed to save it from annihilation by the skin of my teeth, and learned an important lesson about saving drafts along the way.

Long time no blog. As it's currently storming where I am, I feel it's time to watch this one.

Aang in the opening credits has his tongue out like a dog on a car ride. Now picturing a car full of airbenders hanging their heads out the window.

It's been long enough since I watched one of these that I forgot that dream sequences tend to be tinted brown. Had a two second panic trying to remember the episode where Sokka learned airbending.

I wanted to see more of Gyatso but not like this!

Appa the morning person.

Hey Zuko's back. Haven't seen him in a few episodes. Pipi Longstocking hair is still doing him no favours. Also is he really pale this episode?

I feel like Zuko's intelligence varies wildly from episode to episode (usually to serve the plot) but this may be a new depth of dumbness: tell the crew to their faces that their lives don't matter. You know, the crew that prevents the thing you're standing on in the middle of the ocean from sinking. The crew that keeps you fed and actually going somewhere. That crew.

On the other hand, Zuko's method for creating mutiny may break a world record for efficiency. He's such a dumb smart guy.

I'm with Katara on this one. I don't like that swishing either. And if they're out of money, why were they in a market anyway?

And with a kick to the rear, this episode's 'violence towards Sokka for laughs' quota is filled.

Never before in the history of humanity's hubristic quest to tame the seas has a wharf ever been this clean.

And I'm with the crewman on this one too. Zuko's actions really do line up with him not caring about anything beyond his own concerns.

Talk about rock and a hard place for Iroh here. From what I've gathered, it's Zuko's ship, which means that Zuko's in charge of everything including keeping order. But, Zuko is also being unreasonable in the face of a very reasonable complaint from the crew. So Iroh has to pacify both while undermining neither, and not appear to be in command. Takes delicacy.

Appa gets a mooring! Also what is that cave back there?

I was hoping the show would bring this up! To anyone who isn't riding along on Aang's adventures, it sure does look like the Avatar disappeared when he was needed most, continued to stay gone no matter how bad things got, and then just reappeared randomly one day with seemingly no plan to set set things right. Did he reappear to fight the firelord? According to rumour, he reappeared to ride giant koi. What would the average person be left thinking? The fisherman is right. And Katara - will you please let Aang fight his own battles for once in his life?

Aang being the bravest person you know? Do you not remember this?

You know, this?

"That fisherman was way out of line."

Poor guy needs a blow dry. Should be possible, what with airbending and all. Didn't know that Appa had a goatee. Actually the facial hair in general in this show is pretty creative.

If this is going to be the exposition dump storytelling episode, we may all need an emotional support Momo.

These air scooter shenanigans are making me think that the first lesson airbenders learn is how to nullify motion sickness.

Is this the first airbending we see by someone that isn't Aang or Appa?

Someone's been taking fashion tips from Narcissa Malfoy.

Oh fuck off that's too much pressure for a kid. Nice Wisteria though.

Isn't the toys thing a thing in the real world? Something to do with the Dalai Lama?

If Avatars have to be told that they're the Avatar, that implies that they don't know instinctively. Theoretically, could an isolated avatar living in peace time go their whole lives without figuring it out?

Oh wise and learned council of airbenders, please tell me how relying on a 12 year old is going to save you from a war?

Baby Zuko! Baby scarless Zuko! He looks like just the prettiest little princess in these shots. Also, either this happened not all that long ago, or Zuko is majorly overdue a growth spurt, because he's maybe one inch shorter in this flashback. Also also, Pipi Longstocking hair doesn't work no matter how much hair you have to put up. Also also also, the whole reverse tonsure look he has going on in the present really downplays how round his face is. He's got chubby baby cheeks. Also also also also, if Zuko is as much of a prince as his title implies, he's right that he needs to know how to rule.

I have picked up over the course of this show the fact that the fire nation seems to prioritise aesthetic. But this is just ridiculous. And a bit on the nose too. A literal wall of fire dividing you from the commoners? Not even the commoners, the highly esteemed generals in charge of your war? How does this guy see or hear anything that's going on?

Katara asking Aang why he wouldn't be excited about being the Avatar seems out of character for me. Why exactly would he be excited about being catapulted to the number one spot on the fire nation's 'enemies of the state' list? It's not like Katara doesn't know what happens to people on that list.

Don't worry about these jerks. They'll all be immolated in a little bit.

Smelly kid jokes. That's some peak 90s comedy right there.

I love Gyatso. Solidly in Aang's corner and happy to advocate for his charge even against grumpy temple elders. Never loses sight of the fact that Aang is just a boy and needs balance.

This Zuko disrespecting old farts stuff is nonsense. Like when you get called in to HR for 'walking disrespectfully past Sherri's desk' or 'aggressive choice of footwear' and you know it's just because they're looking for a bullshit reason to fire you/force you to quit because the owner's nephew wants your job and they don't want to pay for severance or unemployment. If pointing out obvious flaws in objectively stupid plans is an offence worthy of an honour duel (I'm not even going to try and spell the actual name), then this guy needs to be dueled too:

He called bullshit too.

No no they're not actually going to

oh fuck no

hang on he doesn't have his scar yet is this going where I think it's going?

Back to idiot monks phew. Another rock and a hard place situation. Aang needs to be a normal 12 year old. The world needs a fully trained Avatar. The best they can do is a half trained 12 year old avatar. That would have ended well I'm sure.

Oh yeah just yank out the remainders of Aang's support system. That will certainly encourage him to quickly develop into a responsible adult, rather than an emotionally disturbed 12 year old with unmatchable uncontrolled powers. What were these monks thinking? Or were they thinking at all? Were they just panicking? Because only Gyatso seems to have his head on straight. Upset avatars destroy things - we've SEEN that - and these monks think the best way to turn Aang into the Avatar they need is to do something that will upset him probably more than any other possible thing? At least they didn't think to take away Appa too.

Katara's right. He does have a right to be angry. I like that this show gives the characters permission to feel.

Indulging my inner pedant for a minute, he never saw Gyatso alive again. His bones were in pretty good condition. Actually, given that firebenders killed him, why weren't his bones covered in scorch marks? Also, is that where all the other airbender skeletons went? Instant cremation?

The fisherman's right - the avatar did turn his back on the world. Aang's right - he did run away. Katara's right - not running away wouldn't have saved anyone. Kudos to a kids' show for not flinching from tackling topics that have no right answers. Yay nuance!

oh god here we go

Free life tip: If you ever see a dependent and/or child assume this position at the feet of their guardian, call the relevant authorities. Quickly.

And of course there's a crowd of hundreds too. Nothing like a little public mutilation of children to flex your power over the masses. This firelord's ego is so fragile.

So that's where the scar comes from. Also the firelord's line about learning respect casts a new light on when Zuko said he'd teach respect to the crewman at the beginning of the episode. Guess he was channelling the firelord.

Big repsect to Zuko for the above. He's never lacked in bravery. This is the opposite of the "shameful weakness" nonsense.

"Things will never return to normal." THANK YOU

Why is Zuko in such a hurry to go home to that anyway? Seems like the only person who likes him is his uncle, and he's travelling with him.

This is odd. I've always felt like I know Aang, and hearing his story this episode just confirms that I do know him, who he is, what makes him tick. And it lets me know him better. I've deepened an already deep understanding of who he is. However, I thought I had a surface (if jumbled) understanding of Zuko, but hearing his story this episode, and especially the final series of shots, the way they frame him as alone in darkness contrasted with brightly lit memories, makes me sure that I've never known Zuko at all. Who is this guy? I feel like this is meeting him for the first time.

There's also definitely something worth examining in the fact that Aang tells his own story but Iroh tells Zuko's (beyond the fact that Aang is the only person left who could tell his story).

Thank god some comic relief. Not a moment too soon.

I didn't know firebenders could do that. Judging by his face, I don't think he did either.

The judgmental energy in this shot is unparalleled.

"I'm not but I still don't wanna!" This old couple has some seriously good lines.

Appa saves the day once again, this time with an assist from the Avatar powers. I swear if Appa's existence was paired with Sokka's brain they could do the Avatar's job no problem.

Zuko apologises. That is good. But is it Iroh he should be apologising to?

"I'm here now and I'm going to make the most of it." A lovely message to conclude a show on. But are we going to gloss over the whole 'father mutilates his son BARELY offscreen' thing?

Appa shakes!

Final Thoughts

This section could very easily devolve into increasingly hysterical ranting about the whole ZUKO JUST GOT HALF HIS FACE BURNED OFF AS A FORM OF COURT ENTERTAINMENT thing. Lord have mercy the fire nation is fucked up. To prevent that, I am going to share one thought, and only one thought on that fiasco:

this is the first time I've really felt that I'm not the target audience of this show. If I had seen this at 8 or 10 years old, I would have been appropriately mad at the firelord for doing such a bad thing, but it would have made perfect sense, because he's a bad guy, and they have to do bad guy things. It's what makes them bad guys. As an adult, with more knowledge in general, but especially about things like power dynamics and the long term consequences of child abuse, I am valiantly fighting not to spiral down a path of horrific implications because I want to be able to sleep tonight. From both a political and a familial point of view, there was no one (who wasn't 12 and frozen) who could have stepped in. It was the firelord who did it; it appears that there is no one above him in the fire nation hierarchy. It's Zuko's father who did it; good luck getting a kid to stand up to a father in front of an audience of hundreds in a culture that obviously worships a bastardised concept of respect (zuko tried though). Iroh couldn't (or wouldn't) interfere on either political or familial grounds. As an adult, seeing a child (because Zuko may be 16 in the show but that boy kneeling is BABY) stuck in such a situation, knowing there's literally no way to get out of it, no hero going to swoop in and save the day, no judicial process to dish out consequences, well that's hard to watch. And that's all I'll say about that.

Here's a thought: did the avatar (not Aang, but the figure/concept of the Avatar) disappearing fail Zuko, and by extension the fire nation, as much as it failed the other three nations? And the natural follow-along to that thought: did the fire nation attacking the rest of the world hurt the fire nation as much as it hurt the rest of the world?

Aang made a mistake many years ago by running away. He gets to redeem himself by not running away and saving Sokka and the fisherman. Zuko made a mistake at the beginning of the episode by undervaluing the lives of his crew (to their faces, no less). He gets to redeem himself by saving the helmsman and letting the Avatar pass in favour of getting the crew to safety. But I don't think these stories are really parallel. Aang's natural impulse was the mistake. He learned from it, modified his behaviour, and did better the next chance he got. Zuko's natural impulse was to act as he should have. He was taught (violently) that this was incorrect behaviour, and modified his behaviour based on his father's teachings. This modification (not valuing the crew) is the mistake. In Zuko's case, learning from the experience and modifying his behaviour actually means unlearning the lesson he was taught and reverting to his former behaviour. Aang's natural state needed modification; Zuko's externally imposed behaviour needed to be forgotten. Not parallel.

Aang = hope is an interesting conclusion. It's only possible for him to represent hope because he dashed everyone's hopes by disappearing and staying gone. If the avatar had defeated the fire nation 100 years ago and prevented a war from ever happening, he would not have been a symbol of hope. I don't know what he would have been a symbol of, but it's the fact that he's been gone long enough for things to get really bad that makes him a symbol of hope in the present. So if Aang was always meant to be hope, then he was always meant to get frozen.

Aang = hope is also interesting in that it positions Zuko on the side of the enemies of the fire nation. If Aang represents hope to the world, and Aang represents hope to Zuko, then Zuko is not on the Fire Nation side of the conflict (whether he knows it or not).

The humour in this episode was minimal but very welcome. The old couple was heaps of fun, Sokka got a couple of good lines (although never enough - still waiting on a Sokka episode), and the juxtaposition of humour and very serious themes was artfully handled. It was never jarring or tonally off. The switching back and forth between the two story threads was well done too, especially how they tied in at the end.

I'm kind of annoyed that Katara got relegated to shouty defender of the actually-a-little-bit-guilty or Agony Aunt. She deserves better. I'm not at all annoyed that Momo filled the role of cuddle administration. That was lovely to see.

It didn't even occur to me to check if the art/animation in this episode was pretty. That's usually a primary concern with me, but I was too wrapped up in the plot to notice.

I can't believe a kids' show went there, but they did. And they did it well. This episode felt much longer than 20-ish minutes, in a good way. It was packed. Definitely going on my rewatch list.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #the storm #avatar the last airbender

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after-hours-art · 2 years ago

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Consider it a medicine

Paring: Hange Zoë x fem!reader

Genre: fluff

Warnings: Mentioning of sickness,

Your headache was killing you. Just as soon as you thought that going out without a jacket would be a smart choice "because it's spring," you ended up in your bed under the covers and three blankets. Mental note - never trust Military Police soldiers' predictions about the weather. Too bad your brother was the soldier you listened to. Another mental note - kill him the next time you see him.

You rolled to the other side to hide from the sunlight that started peeking from behind the white curtains. You were so dumb to choose such a light color for your room. Now it's definitely too bright for your headache. You strated, feeling tears in your eyes. Another sign of long-term illness. And why did it have to happen now, right before the next expedition? You heard the noises on the corridor. The cadets and others were probably getting ready for breakfast. You didn't feel hungry at all, so you just hid your head under the pillow to hide from the noises. Oh, why do those Jaeger and Kirstein kids have to be so loud??

- SHUT UP! - you managed to shout, but you were sure that after that, you lost your voice for good. You shut your eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

// Hange's POV //

I kept looking around for Y/N, but she was nowhere to find. Have I done something yesterday to upset her? She was away for the whole week. Maybe I got too excited about her being back? Walls, is she mad at me, and now she's trying to avoid me? Is she mad because I left when she was still asleep?

- Hey, Four-Eyes! - Levi's voice broke the train of thoughts in my head.

- Huh?

- I called your name three times. Where are you these days? We NEED your crazy Titan knowledge to set the trap for that Titan. So wake up and help - blackhaired man took sip of his tea.

- Levi is right. We need to stay focused, Hange. You know that Survey Corps' future relies on this expedition. - Erwin said as he managed to smile. As if he wasn't risking the whole Regiment existence in two days.

- Yes. Right. Sorry. The weapon will work. For sure.

- What's with you? Your Titans got killed again?

- Don't bring Bean and Sawney into that. It's... somethi- someone else.

- Are you freaking about that brunette girl? Y/N or whatever her name was. - Levi sended me a serious glare. - You two broke up? That was a short relationship.

- We didn't break up! - I shouted and hit the table with my hands, accidentally causing silence in the mensa. - S-sorry, guys. - I sat back down and covered my face with my hands.

- Y/L/N isn't here? I thought she came back from Wall Sina yesterday. - Erwin put his hand on my back.

- She did. And I saw her. Yesterday. I got a little... excited and happy to see her, and now she's probably mad at me, regretting ever getting to know me. Oh, Walls, what if she wants to leave the Scouts because of me?

- She's too good to let her go. She has done the most kills, not counting my squad in it. I wonder how you, Titan-lover, ended up falling in love with the one who kill them - Levo scoffed and put his cup down. - I'm waiting in my office, Erwin. There's a strategy I'd like you to consider.

Ackerman left the room, leaving me with Erwin.

- Just go talk to her, Hange. If she's not here, she might be in her room. And take her some food. We won't have any use of a hungry soldier. - he stood up and left. I sighted. I took half of the sandwich I had left and left the mensa. Maybe Erwin was right, and she is just tired? I knocked to her dorm door, but no one answered.

- Y/N? It's me. Hange. I just wanted to talk. You weren't downstairs this morning and... Y/N, can we just talk? - I waited for a while, but still no answer. After assassination of my Titans, something in my head alarmed me that that assassin might move to people.

- Y/N! If you won't answer me, I swear I'll break this door! - still only silence. I moved the handle and, for my surprise, it was open. I stepped into the dark room.

- Y/N? Princess?

//2nd POV //

You whimpered as you heard a familiar voice.

- Princess! What happened? - Hange closed the door behind them and rushed to your bed, kneeling next to you. You pointed at your throat.

- Are you sick? You lost your voice? Oh, Walls, I was so worried. - Hange gently put their hand on your forehead just to discover fever. It wasn't high, but it only made squad leader worry more.

- Oh, Princess. - they took your hand in their, gently carresing the top of your palm with their thumb. - I thought you were mad about yesterday, and you regretted hanging out with so... energetic person as me.. - they moved the hair from your face so they could see your eyes.

- Hange... - you said with a raspy voice.

- It's alright, Princess. - Hange gently wiped the single tear from your cheek. - I got you some food, but I think tea might be better for you now. - they wanted to get up, but you grabbed their wrist, wordlessly asking them to stay. Hange smiled softly at you.

- I will be right back, I promise. - they said as they freed their hand and left the room. You sighted and closed your eyes again. Hange came back a few minutes later with a cold towel to put on your head and warm lemon tea in their hands. They carefully placed the towel on your forehead and helped you sit down on the bed. You took a sip of warm tea while Hange pulled themselves a chair to sit next to your bed.

- I'm so happy that you're not mad at me. I mean, it sucks that you're sick. But I'm happy that my... excitement yesterday didn't freak you out.

- No, Hange. You don't freak me out... most of the time. I got kind of worried about you when you were doing experiments with those Titans, but I love you, Hange. - you said putting your cup on the nightstand. Hange just kept looking at you with their eyes wide open.

- What? Did I say something wrong?

- You said that you love me. Do you... do you really mean it? That you love me?

- Of course I do, Love. If I didn't mean it, I would let you... welcome me the way you did yesterday - you blushed at the memories of the last night. Hange reached their hand to gently brush their fingers against your neck and the hickeys they left on you last night when they were claiming you as theirs.

- I love you too - they leaned towards you, but you moved away. - What? We just said "I love you" for the first time. Why won't you kiss me? Oh, no. You ARE mad about yesterday?

- No, Hange - you grunted to get your voice to work. - I'm sick. I don't want you to be sick, too.

- Consider it a medicine - Hange said with a serious look in their eyes.

- A medicine?

- Yep. Let my kiss take all your pain away from you.

- Hange, you have an important expedition. They can't afford not to have you there. - you put your hand on their cheek and gently rubbed it with your thumb. - You are too important, my Love.

Hange sighted and kissed you by the surprise.

- HANGE!

- I won't get sick. I promise. I just needed to kiss you. I left you in the morning, and I didn't spot that you were feeling sick and.. oh, I'm a terrible partner

- You're the best partner. And I loved the kiss. I actually feel better after that tea and towel and the fact that you're here. - you looked at Hange with the soft gaze that you had reserved only for the ones you truly cared about. Hange's hand ended you at your cheek, tackling your hair behind your ear.

- I'll take good care of you, I promise.

- Focus on the missio-

- Us. That's the only mission I care about now.

- Hange...

- Y/N. I... I just want to hug you now

- You'll get sick.

- Screw that. Move over - they got off the chair and got on the bed next to you.

- What? Hange!

Just a few seconds later, you were sitting between their legs, your back resting on their chest as they were holding you close by the waist and placing soft kisses on the top of your head.

- Hange... you'll get sick. - you mumbled but enjoyed their closeness even more than yesterday.

- I don't care. I want you to be warm, cozy, and safe. - they said as they kissed the side of your head.

You leaned more into their hug.

- Just a few minutes, okay? I don't want Levi bursting in here.

Hange reached for your hand under the covers and locked your fingers with theirs.

- Now rest, my Princess. - they whispered in your ear, making your spine shiver. - And I'll make sure that you won't go on that mission.

- But you'll have to be extra careful, good?

- Yeah. I'm used to risking my life like if it's nothing but... - they kissed the top of your head. - Now, as I have a person to live for, I'll come back in one piece. Promise.

- I'll kiss you when you'll be back - you turned your head and smiled at them. Hange used that opportunity to steal another kiss from you.

- Hange!

- I couldn't resist. You're too cute, even sick with teary eyes and that red cheeks.

- Red cheeks are your fault... - you mumbled shyly. Hange only giggled and smiled, happy that you were in love with them.

- I'll make your cheeks more red when I'll be back - they whispered in a lower voice close to your ear, something that always was giving you goosebumps.

- Hange! - you pulled your knees to your chest, hid your face in your blushed face as Hange laughed at your adorable reaction.

Part 2

#hange x reader #hanji zoe #attack on titan #attack on titan fanfiction #aot fluff #fluff #hange zoë #hange x fem!reader #hange fluff

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hypersomniaaboutsleeping · 1 year ago

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💫 FROM NARUTO TO BORUTO FANFICTION💫 #1

Official name: Unexpected

Only here on En here. From author personally.

P.s. sometimes dumb! Oops. (Daichi/dai/day - one person)

After the genin exam, Boruto felt like he was being watched.

- Well, I'm telling you, dattebanya, someone is following me!

-Boruto, that sounds crazy! - Sarada objected. - Who did you surrender to anyway?

- And here! Adults don't care..

- Maybe because you worried too much before?

Adjusting her glasses, the Uchiha was already approaching her house with a smart look.

There was a whistle. An unknown guy, but just a copy of Naruto, seems to have come down from the roof.

- Small fry, parents are not at home by any chance?

They are distinguished only by green eyes.

Uchiha and Uzumaki immediately armed themselves.

- Dobe.

And children are immediately deprived of consciousness.

She was a black-haired girl about the same age, but with tired blue eyes.

- We haven't even introduced ourselves..

- Daichi, don't be a bore. And what could they say? The truth?

- Maybe yes. - The young man answers her with displeasure.

And helps to get into the empty house of the Uchih family.

Sakura works late, they noticed that two weeks ago.. They'll talk enough.

... Of course, Boruto woke up. Just like Sarada.

- Who are you? What do you need?!

In a panic, the boy is bombarded with questions from his father in his youth.

- Boruto, we were actually taken hostage!

"We just wanted to talk.." - Flashes at Daichi.

- No, but you're going to attack us with your fists, aren't you? Ah.. well, it won't get to you yet, but Uzumaki is dumber.

- God, Dai. You managed to insult me, yourself, this one and my brothers.

When a previously unnoticed girl came out of the shadows, the "prisoners" stood up even more.

- Okay, let's introduce ourselves. I am Mikoto Uzumaki-Uchiha.

Black hair, blue eyes..

-It all looks like one sick hallucination.. - Boruto whispered to Sarada.

- We actually hear! Daichi said offensively. - And we came to help..

Mikoto just grinned and continued.

- Because there is no one to help us at home. I don't know how to describe it, illness or attack.. Well, to begin with, let's say who we are.

To this, the green-eyed Naruto (as Boruto called him to himself) gave a nod.

- It was pointed at him. - Son of Sakura and Naruto. - And made a funny gesture. - Need a clue who I am? More precisely, not only me..

Sarada made a face "I don't understand what for", first of all Boruto.

- My mother is Sasuke, and my father is Naruto. No need for such faces, it's not my fault that you have a strong male friendship.

- Mikoto, don't teach children bad things!

- And you're already infuriating with correctness, by the way, you helped tie them up. We still need to find my brothers.. At least one somewhere in the vicinity. I hope Kurama doesn't have a collective consciousness or something..

Daichi thought, as if listening to himself.

- Maybe of course I'm defective, but since appearing here, the fox is silent ..

The girl just shook her head wearily.

- In general. Of course, we apologize for the warm welcome, but we are all united by one big, big future trouble here.

- Why should we help you?! - Boruto immediately objected. - This is the first time we've seen you, and this is the first time we've been tied up!

Sarada, however, agreed with him. But it was worth asking..

- What are you talking about? - The Uchiha decided to clarify, which they began to untie first.

- About a kind of apocalypse, of course - Mikoto chuckled.

- Which Mikoto-san has already experienced together with her brothers. We don't know the mechanism yet, but we've met... In my world. Let's explain in more detail... When we find her brother.

But now it has become interesting for the rest.

- Like some other Naruto kid?

- Yeah. And believe me, you're lucky to have a family. - Dai answered quite amiably.

Boruto.. There was nothing to add. It was.. A controversial issue.

- Do you want to get acquainted? Mikoto unexpectedly suggested.

- No, leave it, there are enough impressions for today.. We're leaving.

Apparently, this opinion was already outdated.

- Miko, you didn't do that, did you?

Now a black-haired boy with a familiar mustache walked into the room.

Deichi gave him a high five as affably as possible. It looked funny, correlating the fact that they were the tallest and the lowest in the room.

The boy looked incredulously at another version of himself, going to his sister. And after whispering something..

- Do you think it was our dad? Menma.. She stroked Junior's forehead with a sigh. - no.. They're not here either.

And she took him in her arms. She whispered something..

- We will meet local parents. Let your negligent father rush home, everyone will gather there.. You have in common. Konoha has common problems.. Oh, yeah. There's a third in the team with you. Where did you fall?

-Are you talking to me? - It would have been easy to wait for him at home..

Boruto looked at the girl with disbelief.

- Well, then I'll go. You will say thank you later, Daichi is leading this kindergarten back, he does not take off his cape.

- Yes, there was a wind there! And no one noticed..

- Yeah, but Kurama has a three-room apartment now. Let's blow. And I'll tell you - Day is a saint in comparison with me. And everyone here knows Sakura, he has a stronger punch.

"She's playing the elder again. Well, yes, with a difference of a couple of months .. " - flashed at Haruno.

Mikoto was leaving.. And it seemed to have evaporated.

- Well, little ones, Sakura won't be here for a long time.. We're blowing down the street, but we'll see Aunt Hinata.. E-heh, it's a pity you don't know how cool it was with me, datteban'o!

The young man pushed everyone to the exit. Menma was still clinging to him incredulously, but Boruto and Sarada were walking in front.

- A.. - Sarada had already conceived questions.

- I wonder how we lived at home? Well.. Mikoto will arrive and tell about himself. And what's interesting in my life is, Naruto's dad, Sakura's mom.. The best friend is Fumayo Inuzuka. Son of Hinata and Kiba. Or.. You might be interested in something else?

- Yes.. And Sasuke?

- And your folder is no different at all, only he doesn't have a wife. Do you see a free bird. Works for the benefit of the village.

Deichi noticed Boruto shivering. If Sarada tactically recognized, technically, her stepbrother, then the second one was confused. Who knew he had so many alternatives..

- Why are you frowning? I'm sorry, I don't read thoughts.

- Is there really no difference at all, we shouldn't be so..

- Similar? Come on, they didn't distinguish me from my father at all.. And we have the same one, by the way. Don't worry about your uniqueness until you realize that the Uchiha children have wiped our noses. With such a family, either die great, or renounce.

Sarada noticed that he still had a little less from Sakura than from Naruto.. And paid attention to Menma.

Probably, Day was a fairly familiar person for him, because he shunned the others, with the exception of his sister.

- What happened to you?

Day stopped abruptly. He turned his stern gaze on her.

Menma calmly replied.

- The Nine-Tail had to be sealed again.

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jellogram · 10 months ago

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I'm genuinely so fucking sick of hearing about former gifted kids. Oh waaaah, you got told how smart and special you are!!! I'm sorry it set you up for disappointment but are you forgetting the kids that were left out of your extracurriculars and field trips because the school thought they were stupid? Are you really going to complain about being in the Smart Kid group when there were swathes of kids getting implicitly told that they were too dumb? Unless you're talking about how ex-gifted kids are annoying then I don't want to hear about it at all sorry

#and for the record i was also a gifted kid who became a disappointment #but i dont complain about it because that's stupid and entitled and whiny

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cookinguptales · 1 year ago

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more personal thoughts again, and under a cut as usual.

because it's the time of year for retrospect, I suppose.

This year, for various reasons, I've had to think a lot about my teenage years. Let's just say that my past has come back to haunt me, and I've had to decide whether or not I consent to be haunted.

It's been worth it, in the end, as many painful things are, but... I'll admit there have been growing pains.

So many people have been looking back on the past in preparation for the new year, and I guess I've just been looking a little bit further than some. For many years, it was easy to hate the person I was as a teen. Like many teenagers, I was kind of annoying. Thought I knew everything. Loved too hard too deeply too often. Was kind of at an 11 at all times.

Trusted some people who I really ought not to have trusted.

And it was easy, honestly, to look back at the me I was back then and disparage her. Oh, look at all the messes she got herself into. Look at all the stupid shit she believed. Look at the people she allowed to hurt her. Look how cringe she was, how mean, how annoying, how impatient. How desperate she was to be loved.

But... I'm 33 now, and this year as I've been forced to really look back on the life I lived back then, I've realized that I've been a grown woman bullying a teenage girl.

Of course I didn't know the things I know now back then. I hadn't had the very painful opportunity to learn them yet. Of course I thought I knew everything. I was in that weird place that teenagers exist in where they know more than people think they do but not as much as they eventually will -- and frankly, I was actually very smart, in retrospect. Of course I was impatient; I was so fucking sick and I had so many responsibilities and so little time in which to accomplish them.

I was such a normal teenager, as far as shittiness goes, and one that was doing her best in what were truly terrible circumstances. I was dealing with housing insecurity, physical and emotional abuse at home, severe medical problems, medical abuse on top of that... And sexual abuse, eventually, once a very unsafe adult realized just how vulnerable I was and was drawn to that. She really delighted in alienating me from my peers even more than I already was, so it's cruel for me to be angry at myself for letting it happen.

(It's strange. Almost every person I've been able to force myself to tell the details of what happened to said, almost to the exact word, "I hate her for what she did to you." And it wasn't until I heard it a few more times this year that I was finally able to realize that for years, the only person I hated for it was myself. She hadn't even let me have that, the ability to hate her for it. She was too good at making me think it was all my own fault. I'm getting better at letting myself feel that anger for it, though. And directing it at the right place for once.)

It's so easy to remember all the times I blew up at people, got in arguments with my friends, said dumb shit, embarrassed myself, hurt those around me. But I've been remembering other things, too, lately. The way I would always invite new students to sit at lunch with us. The way I would make presents for my friends. The way I reached out to other students who I saw were struggling, both emotionally and academically, and the way I tutored the younger kids for hours before and after school. The way I would learn new things, even when I was being encouraged not to. The way I would fight for the rights of others even when I couldn't do it for myself. The way I would try to protect people like I was not being protected myself.

The way that hope and optimism attracted me like a moth to a flame, and how it was the one thing I truly wished I could believe in.

The art I made, the friends I loved, the kindnesses that were important to me... I feel like I can finally acknowledge the life that I breathed back into the world, not just the resources I was sucking up when I breathed in.

I feel so strangely protective over that teenager now, especially because I spent so many years being her biggest detractor. I see that she was just trying her best, and that she had a thousand huge feelings and no good place to put them. She was struggling with ideas that were too big for her, especially because she had no one trusted to guide her through them. She did her best to be kind, but didn't always succeed because none of us can, really. She loved foolishly even as she felt wise because... she was just desperate to find someone who was safe to love, I guess.

And I guess she never really found that.

As an adult, I can see that I wasn't a failure; I was being failed. There was so little safety in my life back then, so how can I be angry with myself for ending up in unsafe situations? How can I be angry with myself for being an abused child when there were adults there who wanted to abuse me? How can I be angry with myself for believing what I'd been taught, what I'd been sabotaged in my attempts to unlearn?

Back then, I was really trying to make sense of the world through the evangelical lens I'd been given, and while I was irritatingly liberal to the adults around me there, I had no way of knowing how truly conservative I was until I got out of that place. I literally just did not know how much of what I'd been taught had been lies until I started being taught the truth. I couldn't exactly unbrainwash myself until I'd found a safe and encouraging space in which to learn.

I remember going to college and saying some dumb shit in class like day one and being so terribly embarrassed when I realized that everyone in that room thought I was an idiot. But I just... made a conscious effort to learn and be better, and I realize now that many people can't bring themselves to do that. I wasn't perfect as a teen (who is?) but I always did my best to grow. To learn better, to be better. To be kinder.

I guess I can look back on the things I suffered now and understand how I dealt with them. And, with very few exceptions, I dealt with them by trying to make sure no one else would ever go through them. I can see the way that I would choose these causes, these battles, these windmills to tilt at and it was just -- that protectiveness, I think, coming out in a new way.

It's always been easier for me to protect others than myself, I think. Easier to extend to grace to others than to myself. I always managed to see others as victims who should be protected, who should be taught, but myself as an idiot who should've known better.

And once I was able to distance myself from my childhood self, that little girl who was being hurt by almost everyone around her, it became easier for me to want to protect her as well. To see her as an imperfect person worthy of love all the same. A person who should've been protected and supported back then. By them and by me.

But... I think I'm just kicking the problem a little ways down the road again. Because even as I wrote the first version of this post, as I wrote a post about how this year has been a journey of looking at my own childhood with clear eyes and realizing I was never as awful as I believed myself to be, I realized that like... I still do it, really.

I still get mad at myself for not being "good" enough. I still get mad at myself for being unable to complete work at the same rate as able-bodied people. I still get mad at myself for making mistakes, for believing things that aren't true, for not knowing everything before even having a chance to learn it. I still feel embarrassingly desperate for affection.

I still get so mad at myself for not being perfect. I feel like I'm never good enough, smart enough, kind enough, patient enough, interesting enough, stable enough, determined enough, productive enough, adult enough. I still tell myself that I'm an idiot for ever believing that someone might love me.

I can forgive my sixteen-year-old self for believing religious propaganda because I'm not that sixteen-year-old anymore. I can forgive my sixteen-year-old self for being awkward with others because I'm not that sixteen-year-old anymore. I can forgive my sixteen-year-old self for falling in love with a sexual predator because I'm not that sixteen-year-old anymore.

I can forgive her because she's not me.

So... I guess it's still a problem for me. Being able to forgive the person I am now for being an imperfect human who makes mistakes sometimes. Who isn't always productive or likable or charitable or kind. Who doesn't get things done on time, who has a messy-ass house, who still has a pile of unmailed Christmas cards near the front door. Who still gets really, really sick. Who will probably have to take medication for pain and for mental illness for the rest of her life.

I think... what helps is still, as ever, externalizing things. I still find it so, so difficult to love myself, so it's difficult to believe that others could, either. So instead of trying to brute force it, instead of just going "well, just love yourself more, you idiot," I think of the ways that... other people don't think of me like that.

My friends are happy to get Christmas cards from me even if they come in January. They like going out with me even if we have to move our plans around for accessibility's sake. They're patient with me and they think I'm kind and they like what I create. They think about me when I'm not there, and it's because they love me, not because they're irritated.

I worked with a new author last year. She was really high-profile, and I was really nervous about it. We were working one-on-one, not through a publisher, so there was really nothing to hide behind. I ended up being late with my edits, and I felt awful about it. Totally embarrassed, guilty. I felt like I'd never be a real adult who could get things done on time, who didn't have to fight both my body and my mind for every. single. win.

I met that author again in a social situation several months ago. I was so afraid that she'd be mad at me, for some reason, but she just told me that she was constantly impressed with how hard I work and how hard I try and how much I want to support the people in my life. She knew how hard it was for me, so she was proud of me for never giving up.

(She's old enough to be my grandmother, so this didn't come off as particularly condescending, lmao.)

idek man. I give myself so little grace that it's impossible for me to imagine others doing it. But... idk, I'm trying harder to do that. Imagine people liking me, caring about me, respecting me artistically and professionally. Like when I say that I have literally been practicing! Like it's a skill to develop! lmao

At the beginning of this year, when I imagined people liking me I felt almost ashamed of myself. Like I was putting people in situations that they'd never want to be in, even mentally. Now... I mean, I still feel silly and kind of dumb, but it's a step up from guilty, like I was insulting a person by imagining them caring for me.

So... going forward into the next year... I'm not going to be making all these big NYR that I'll inevitably mess up and then get mad at myself for. I've spent enough of my life mad at myself for being human and for being hurt after life hurt me.

I just... one NYR I always make is to try one new, fresh thing every week. A new tv show, a new musician, a new book, a new food. Just something totally new to me to keep things fresh and exciting.

(This, I've learned, is good for my depression. Enrichment for the tiger, etc.)

Another NYR I make every year is that every time I talk about how much I didn't enjoy something I consumed, I talk about something else I did enjoy. When a bad thing happens, I try to think about a good one. This helps me balance my negativity with my positivity and prevents me from getting too bogged down.

But... this year I also want to put actual, focused practice into letting people love me. Believing people when they praise me. Imagining people loving me and enjoying me and wanting to be around me. Imagining people enjoying my mind and my heart and even my fuckin ramshackle-ass body.

And... I know this one is less concrete and more of an ongoing battle, but... I want to work on forgiving myself. I want to look at my "crimes" and think of them the way I would if it were my friend, or a stranger, or the child that I once was. Something to fix, perhaps, but not something innate or unforgivable.

idk. I just get so worried about being kind to other people, but I'm such a dick to myself. That seems unfair, and I do want to be a fair person. So I really want to work on that. I don't want to bully anyone, least of all myself.

And I guess I'll just keep making personal posts on tumblr, lmao. (I really do miss journaling communities...) I always worry that I'm oversharing or annoying people or generally being Too Much, but... the way I see it, they're tagged and they're under read mores. People can make their own decisions whether to read them. And, much to my genuine shock, some people have sent me messages for being so open about my thoughts, feelings, and experiences on tumblr.

So I guess I'll keep doing it both for me and for you! And the people who don't like it just don't have to click.

The one piece of advice that's really stayed with me over the years is that... y'know, people like to help you. They like to be empathetic. They like to be patient. So instead of apologizing when you've inconvenienced someone, thank them for that patience, empathy, and help.

Instead of apologizing here for the space I take up, I'll just thank you for giving it to me. And thank you for reading what I write. 💜

Happy New Year, and let's enjoy it with kindness.

#personal post

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