#it's ok. i'm gonna be traveling and hanging out with my friends | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

starshinesama · 1 year ago

Text

✦ In such a lonely world, how I wished to see you again. ✦

Your pleas were heard.

Authors note: this takes place after any regular sagau fic, (definitely imposter au). Reader is Gender-Neutral but B/N is an implied she/her :]

༄ CW: CHAOS,Fluff episode,cringy red liners

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

- POV: after being so lonely in Tervat, - you meet someone from your world, - stranded, like you.

How odd, you feel like your feeling a sense of deja Vu.. hmm, must just be from rewatching the Liyue lantern rite cutscenes over and over!

previously ...

"O-OH, uhm.. im not really sure how to explain this-"

Your about to explain before you hear a familiar voice behind you-

"Your grace~ there you are! Oh? Who's that friend of yours over there?"

no… please not right now..

ugh, not NOW

“your grace?”

no. you are not dealing with Yae Miko today. you’ve had your fair share of chaos already.

you’d rather escape right now right here than have Yae miko spilling your secret to B/N, you've decided, your going to tell her yourself.

You grab B/N’s hand and book it for the nearest Teleport Waypoint!

.　⁺ . ✦

"hufff huff.." You pant furiously as you finally get teleported somewhere else in inazuma..

Probably somewhere in Chinju forest, considering the glowing flowers and trees everywhere

wow, you hadn’t abused your legs that much since the other timeline!

you don't know why you overreacted really.. you finally catch your breath. But hey! It worked out-

“uhm.. WTF IS HAPPENING?!??? and did she just call you your grace?! What was that about??"

oh right.. you avoid B/Ns gaze as u twiddle ur thumbs for comfort

“well.. uhm, do I really need to explain this?”

…

...You literally bled gold earlier.

...

“YES! yes please, can you explain everything? i have no clue how we even got here! are we dead? is this the afterlife? were we reborn- ARE WE IN HEL-!?"

“Hey! slow down girl, ok I can explain everything..” you sigh, this was gonna take awhile to explain, even you had a tough time coming to terms with the fact you were here now

“you might wanna sit down for this one” B/N still shocked and tired from all the running, lets you sit her down on a nearby rock, and thus you begin to explain

"So I was playing Genshin when.."

˓𓄹 ࣪˖

"-and then I saw you! So that's how we're both technically gods now" :D

You pretty much told her everything, wellll almost everything

You still haven't told her about your.. "welcome"

But you’d rather not think about irrelevant things right now

“woah.."

You gulp and nervously await B/N’s reaction..

“[Name].. that-that is…so…”

here it comes..

*You prepare to comfort a shocked B/N, and when she finally opens her mouth..-!!*

“soo.. AAWESOME!! OH MY GOD SO YOUR SAYING- WE’RE ARCHONS?!? wait no scratch that THE GOD OF ARCHONS?!” ✭

“OK I KNOW THIS IS ALOT BU- WAIT YOUR COOL ABOUT THIS?!?” You say surprised, You almost shouted out your words from shock!

“GIRL HOW COULD I NOT?!? THAT SOUNDS SO FUCKING COOLL, You HAVE. to. tell. me. more.”

“Well.. I do have this theory about our powers"

B/N inched closer hanging on go your every word "come on tell me!"

Her eyes sparkled with excitement they were so bright you were kinda scared you were gonna go blind 😨

You chuckle slightly at B/N's amazed expression and continue.. "well I was thinking that since we're the 6th Descenders that we would have some sort of connection to the elements and Celestia, like the traveler-!"

B/N smiled as you continued to rant about your theorys...

.　⁺ . ✦

“woah, So technically.. we're Indestructible like the traveler now?” she glances at a nearby cliff

"NO!! 😨⊹ ermm first of all the Traveler isn't indestructible, they just respawn- tho I'm not sure if it's the same here.. and I haven’t really tested if I was indestructible so..”

“So.. its not off the table? 😏”

You look towards the nearby cliff, and then look at B/N, she looks back at you.

You both smirk at each other

╭╯. ˚˖ ⁰₊ ⊹ ∘ ⁖⌯

“AAAAAAAAAHHH”

“SHUT UP WERE GONNA DIEEE”

“THIS WAS YOUR IDEA! ITS RIDE OR DIE NOW!”

You and B/N scream incoherently like 2 possums in a cat fight as you both fall down and down getting whiplash in the progress

why did you have to jump off the cliff without testing it first..!?

You shut your eyes tightly as you wait for the pain of hitting the ground…

but it never comes ‧₊˚⊹

“AAAAAÆÆEAA-“

suddenly the screaming stopped.

B/N suddenly goes unusually quite, did she die? Oh wait your still holding on to her

B/N gasped! “[Name] look!”

you hesitantly open your eyes

and… your.. not dead! yay!

instead your 5 feet above the ground floating in thin air-

WAIT YOUR 5 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND?!

“AAAAAAAA” You latch on to B/N tighter in an attempt to not fall

“HEY!! We're actually gonna fall!!"

“Oh, sorry!"

well that was embarrassing *cough

Your eyes widen as the wind in the air swirls around you and B/N ༄

and before you know it your back on the ground ༄ ⊹﹒

You look back at B/N and you both grin

“WE JUST UNLOCKED ANEMO!!”

Well that was quick! You sigh in relief

before you knew it, you and B/N were back safely on the ground, sitting next to a glistening Pond

(So after the initial shock, B/N seems to be taking this god powers thing REALLY well)

(like.. concerningly well.)

well, compared to you atleast

But you really didn’t have the most warm welcome to this world

B/N: "Sooo do you think we can unlock every element?!" :D

You bring your hand to your chin as you think "hmm.. probably since we’re both not from this world, how should we test it though?"

You both sit in silence for a moment

till B/N interrupts the silence of 2 braincells brainstorming together with a question 𖥔 ✢ ?

"oh speaking of wich!" "Cant we just ask the traveler about this? since we can just pinpoint wich nation she could be in" B/N points out the waypoint on top of the cliff

you flinch from guilt, but you know Lumine's arm is doing ok.

You look down at the twinkling pond, despite being shallow it has an odd charm to it ˖ ࣪ ִֶָ

You suddenly get an idea!

"hmm.. speaking of collecting all the elements! do you think we could control hydro too? It would be so cool if we could-"

"Trying to dodge the question? 😒"

You gulp a bit

"hahaaha nope! But try to dodge this- HYDRO ATTACK!!"

"WAIT-"

A fucking waterfall crushes B/N

…

Pfttt- wait no-

"OH MY GOD ARE YOU OK???"

"PLEPWLRPEKEOLEOW" the only thing you manage to hear are undistinguishable drowning sounds..

you rush to B/N in a panic (OH NO DID I KILL HER???)

AAAA B/N! BREATH BRO BREATH!!!

The never ending waterfall finally seems to be finished and stops.

B/N starts to cough furiously, phew shes not dead

"sorry.. I didn’t know it was gonna be that strong- wait… B/N!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS!?" a smile creeps up on your face again as B/N finally catches her breath ⊹ ｡ﾟ

cough "w-what??? SORRY (cough) CANT HEAR YOU SINCE THERES WATER IN MY EARS. DUE TO A CERTAIN SOMEONEE" she managed to say through huffs and coughs ⊹ ｡ﾟ

SORRYY (your still guilty, how dare you)

B/N somehow managed to dry off a bit, you were still feeling guilty so you tried to summon anemo powers to dry her hair.. to no avail :[

"ugh.. i think im having a brain freeze.."

"i dont think thats how that works-"

B/N shoots you a glare you know all too well..

"uhm.." you chuckle nervously

"anyway to what I was saying!! you know what this means right?!?!"

"That you waterboarded me-… WAIT, YOU USED HYDRO?!?" :D B/N's mood finally takes a turn as her ears perk up

"YESSS!!! THAT MEANS WE CAN COLLECT ALL THE ELEMENTS."

B/N gasped "OOOH I HOPE IM NEXT, I need to get my revenge on you" (you gulp, let’s hope she forgets about this…) she evilly laughs at your expression/j

she chuckles “haha, ok ok im just kidding, don’t worry ill go easy on you, so.. this means..!!”

"WE CAN AQUIRE ALL THE ELEMENTS AND BE OVERPOWERED!!!"

You both grin from ear to ear

"I WAS THINKING THAT TOO!!"

"ooh… OKOK so how did you do that?! i wanna try it too!"

well i kinda just-

You make a series of undistinguishable movements with your hands, and you fail at expressing whatever you were trying to say

"hm.. ok i think i’ll just figure it out myself.." B/N sighed

“Fair enough!”

well! my turn~ lemme try >:3

after hours of practicing you both figure out how to summon the elements (well, two of them anyway!)

You find out how to summon gusts of anemo like venti, and a Hydro blast like Neuvillettes, only problem is.. You cant tell HOW strong it’ll end up being.

But that'll be a problem for future you!!

For now you and B/N decide to call it a day, after all the Lantern rite festival is tonight! ✧

as you and your best friend touch the waypoint, somebody in the shadows reveals themselves.

They watch as you and B/N disappear in a flash of light

“So there's two of them now.. How annoying.”

𖥔 The balladeer, 6th of the Fatui harbingers. 𖥔

“I guess this mission wont be an entire waste of time after all. Ha, it's time to report back to the Tsarista.”

It's lantern rite time!

You and B/N have a wonderful time in liyue.

Thankfully Zhongli was distracted discussing to Baizhu about his back pains so you were able to sneak past him and see Hu tao!! Thank archons she didn't really recognize you..

She decided to come along with you still thinking you were foreigners

The three of you walked around liyue, seeing all of your beloved characters faces light up in person was so touching, along the way you saw Xingqiu and Chongyun dining together at Xianglings restaurant, their smiles lit up the streets till Xiangling offered them a serving of stir fried Hydro slime.. (to wich they politely declined) you chuckle at the sight, soon you see Ganyu and Keqing discussing what seems to be important documents over a nice set of tea, you can imagine Ninguang in her Jade chamber with Beidou and before you know it your back at the funeral parlor just in time to watch the lanterns float up into the sky.. you hear a distant melody in the air, ah you'd recognize Xinyans guitar and Yunjins singing anywhere!

Just then you hear a loud bang from the sky followed with the crackling of other fireworks being lit

Your best friend Holds your hand excitedly ⁖✦ ˖ ⊹ ｡

You smile, This year, everything will be alright.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE 🎉

___

Hewoo

I know this post is kinda late cus I ended up oversleeping, but I hope y'all like it nonetheless! The crossed out inner monologue of the mc is actually something I'm planning to use as foreshadowing for another fic.. but if your not really interested in that feel free to ignore them! Happy new year everyone! :) 🎉

(special thanks to my beta reader <33)

Taglist: @madokamagicaa @vianitry @scarletttcroww

#sagau #genshin sagau #sagau brainrot #sagau cult au #sagau x reader #genshin impact sagau #happy new year #2 best friends #chaos #friendship #you and your best friend get isekaid into genshin impact #genshin impact #liyue #genshin liyue #thank you all #best friends

103 notes · View notes

itsscromp · 1 year ago

Note

peter and miles comforting reader who just lost someone in battle? <3

Peter parker and Miles Morales x Reader

Awwwwwwwwww I love this so much, The fluff man the absolute fluff of this idea. Word count:1.1k

"No, No !!!! Dad !!!!, Dad !!!!" You rushed over to him as you lifted the rubble off of him, Taking off your mask slightly so he could see your face. Tears spilling from your eyes.

"Y/n ??" He weakly said as blood emerged from his mouth.

"I'm right here dad, I'm gonna get you help ok ??" You tearfully said.

Your dad was travelling around Hell's Kitchen when Kraven destroyed the surroundings on his latest hunt for lizard. Your dad got caught in the crossfire as rubble crumbled on top of him, You were swinging for lizard when you saw your dad in the blink of an eye.

"It's gonna be ok..." You said as he gently cupped your cheek.

"My baby... I'm so proud of you..." He was growing weaker.

"No... No Dad please stay with me" You took his hand. "Please... don't go"

"I...Love you... with all my heart... and soul..." He smiled weakly before going limp. He was gone...

You let out the most heartbreaking sob in your life, Miles and MJ witnessed it. They were so shocked and sad. Once they found Conner's they told Peter. But with him in the symbiote suit, he brushed it off as if he was a distraction from the mission. Which at first was a twist of the knife in the gut.

You didn't even have time to grieve after that, You had to still deal with Kraven, Then help Peter get the suit off, and then venom and the rise of his parasites.

After that, you were slumped into a depressive episode, You didn't get out of bed. You didn't eat anything. The only times you ever got out of bed were for the bathroom and water. You were a mess. Peter and Miles continued to call you to check up on you. But to no answer which really worried them both.

So they went to your apartment the next day and knocked on your door.

"y/n ??" Peter called out for you.

"You in there??" Miles called out as well.

But the same as the phone calls, no answer. this really worried them.

"What do we do, I lost the spare key to their apartment" Peter sighed and rubbed his face.

"Hang on man, I got an idea" Miles then pulled out a spider bot from his pocket and then set it up "Help our friend little guy"

The spider bot then entered under the door, before webbing the lock and pulling it to unlock the door for the two. They entered inside to see the place wasn't really as it was, The curtains were closed. The trash can wasn't emptied and the fruit on the bench was now rotten.

They tidied up the place slightly and then saw your closed door, Gently going over to it and opening it. Seeing you lying in bed... watching a video on your phone, of you and your dad.

"Y/n..." Miles was saddened when he saw you in this state. He gently walked over to you and kneeled down to the side of your bed. Gently taking your hand.

"I miss him..." You said so quietly, It was barely a whisper.

"I know man... I know" He gently wiped your tears.

"We're here for you, ok ??" Peter reassured you as he gently massaged your scalp, laying next to you.

Fresh tears began to fall, Peter wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close, gently rubbing your back. "It's ok... Let it out" Miles joined in, gently taking your hand and rubbing your knuckles with his thumb.

You continued to cry until you couldn't, gently passing out from exhaustion. You missed your dad deeply. The memory pierced into your mind, He was taken away from you.

You gently woke up, still in Peter's arms. You gently rolled over to face him, He felt sad seeing you lie this. The bags, how red and puffy your eyes were. You were exhausted, Not to mention the symbiote stung you badly.

"Hey... You know that wasn't me when I said that. I wasn't myself, and... I feel bad for what it said to you." Peter felt so guilty.

You didn't say anything to him, But you snuggled up to him closer. You just wanted to be with his company again, feeling his warmth. He wrapped his arms around tighter, pressing a gentle kiss on your head. "You're my best friend you know that ??"

You nodded gently, hiding your face in his chest, sighing gently as he massaged your scalp again.

Miles then came back a bit later as he sat down on the bed, gently rubbing your arm. "Hey, man... I ordered us some pizza... Your favourite." You nodded again.

"Come on... Let's get you to a shower" Peter helped you up as miles then found some clean clothes and a towel, handing it to you.

"Do you need help or will you be ok ??" Peter asked you.

"I'll... I'll be ok..." You then entered the shower, sighing as the warm water rushed through your skin. More tears spilled as you quietly cried to yourself. Soon after, you hopped out of the shower and went back out in your fresh clothes.

"There you are" Peter softly smiled at you and wrapped his arms around you. "You look like someone who needs a hug, but not just any hug. A Peter hug" He chuckled

Your lips twitched into a small smile.

"Is that a smile I see ??" He gently pinched your cheek.

"buzz off" You playfully said to him softly, before gently leaning your head against his shoulder.

"I love you guys..." You said as he patted your back. "We love you too y/n, so very much."

Miles then brought inside the pizza and the aromas hit your senses, causing your stomach to rumble loudly, they could both hear it. "Come on then" Miles smiled as he opened the lid, Gently taking a slice and offering it to you. gently taking it and biting into it, You sighed with content as you then ate your slice.

The two continued to help cheer you up and get you back on your feet, But there was one thing that hadn't been done yet, and the thought of it got you slightly overwhelmed. Visiting his grave...

You were walking alongside the two when you saw his tombstone... A wave of emotions set in you as you saw his name... Miles and Peter gently squeeze your shoulder. You laid your flowers down and gently touched the tombstone.

"Goodbye, dad... I love you so much" You said as tears spilled again.

You missed your dad deeply and every single day. But Peter and Miles were here with you for every step of the way. they know what it's like to lose loved ones. They would help pick you up and dust you off. They would help you get through this.

A/N: I got teary eyed writing this.

Taglist: @callofdudes @fun-k-board

#platonic #reader insert #peter parker x reader #insomniac games #peter parker #insomniac games peter parker #insomniac spider man #spider man 2 ps5 #insomniac games miles morales #miles morales x reader #insomniac miles morales #mile morales #Spider-man x reader

67 notes · View notes

savventeen · 1 year ago

Note

hmm savv what would u do with mutual pining and woozi? :3c

daisy,,, beloved,,,,,,,,,, how dare you make me think about mutual pining w/ woozi ( /hj ) (i am already pining for him and thinking abt MUTUAL pining is going to drive me actually insane methinks g o d sdkjflskjdf)

ok so. SO. after vibrating in my seat and fantasizing abt lying down in the middle of the floor for the rest of time as i think about this concept, i have come to the following conclusion: mixtapes. and i mean in the classic "hey i made you this mixtape" sense

reader and jihoon are both producers for the same label and don't really interact that much at first. in fact, they don't actually even meet for the first time until soonyoung invites them both to his birthday party and they start talking shop, bonding over teasing soonyoung, and then ending the night with a promise to grab lunch together sometime.

fast forward a couple of months and they are officially Friends. they've managed to start a tradition of getting lunch together once a week and bitching about various work bullshit, and they've also started to hang out together in group settings after realizing they have more mutual friends as well

reader is the first one to send jihoon a song. it's a few hours after their weekly vent session, jihoon having taken up most of the time complaining about shitty higher-ups giving ridiculous deadlines and stuck-up idol wannabes trying to tell him how to do his job without having a clue about what his job actually is, and he gets a message from reader that says "i feel like this fits ur current mood" with a link to a song. [cw the song linked has a somewhat startling gun sound] he clicks on the link, curious, and then bursts out laughing after a few confused moments of listening bc that was NOT what he was expecting, at all

and that's how it starts, really. a few days later, he sends reader a song with the caption "how much u wanna bet soonyoung would choreograph something to this just bc it has the word 'tiger' in the title" / "no bet he absolutely would" / "ur no fun :P" / "sorry can't hear you i'm sending it to soonyoung as we speak"

pretty soon they're sending songs back and forth almost daily "what are ur thoughts on this" / "?? i don't speak french" / "and?" / "...ok yeah this is p good" "is this kinda close to the vibe you're trying to get for that one group you're working with?" / "not quite. but that's ok bc IM Vibin with this one" "i need u to stop whatever ur doing and listen to this with the bassist bass you can get with w/ ur setup" / "ok??" ... "holy shit" / "RIGHT?"

fast forward another couple of months, and reader shows up to jihoon's studio with a can of coke zero and a flash drive. "what's this?" / "this, my dear woozi-ssi, is going to be the solution to our creative blocks" and then reader goes on to explain their idea: they both have tracks that they're stuck on (personal, professional, or otherwise), and so they're gonna 'sisterhood of the traveling pants this shit' ('i literally have no idea what you're talking about'). aka: reader put some files they're having trouble with on this flash drive, and jihoon's gonna add any notes/ideas he has and then give it back with some of his own trouble files on it. rinse and repeat

and not only does it work ("ohmygod i've been trying to figure out that bridge transition for DAYS THANK YOU") but it also becomes Their Thing. like, they're used to collaborating with other writers/producers/etc bc it comes with the job, but something about this silly little flash drive... feels Special. [*cough*it's because they're catching Feelings*cough*]

tHIS IS GETTING SO LONG FUCK OKAY other things i would include in this fic: - one noticing the other has been working on a lot more love songs lately (or maybe a lot more Sad (read: pining) love songs) - reader has a bad day at some point and they end up losing the flash drive and they have a breakdown over it (jihoon comforts them and also helps them find it we love emotional hurt/comfort in this household) - scenes where they're individually waxing poetic about the other to different friends and the friends are like "bro. ur in love with them" "uh, no? they just have a great work ethic and a great taste in music also their lyricism is just—" "you. are. in. love." "i admire them professionally!

AND THEN THE CONCLUSION!! one of them decides to bite the metaphorical bullet and confess their Feelings. this could be either of them, but i'm gonna go with jihoon bc i can. so of course he can't just say "hey i love you" like a normal person, he has to confess through music. so he goes out and buys a new flash drive (with a really cute cover bc he knows they'd like it) and puts two folders on there. the first folder is full of instrumental files and is titled "all the times i couldn't find the words". and the second folder is titled "and all the times i could" and it's all love songs he's written inspired by/for reader

he sneaks into their studio and leaves the flash drive on your desk while you're in a meeting, and then he Waits and waits and waits some more until it's time to go home and it's been total radio silence and his heart feels like it's been crushed. so he starts to head home in the rain (bc i am a cheesy bastard and love rainy confession scenes) but after a few minutes of walking he hears shouting behind him and he turns to see you sprinting at him while screaming his name and before he can get a word out you're clutching his shoulders, soaked to the bone and asking "do you mean it? the songs, did— do you really mean it?"

and all he can do is nod because his heart still hasn't quite found its way back to his chest yet, and then he can't nod anymore because you're kissing him. you're kissing him, and he drops the umbrella he was holding and you're both kissing in the rain bc you're both obnoxious helpless romantics and "y/n-ah, i mean it— i mean it. i love you"

"i love you too, you stupid romantic bastard oh my god"

"hey, you're the one who started kissing me in the rain"

and it ends like the cheesy romcom this turned into bc i couldn't help myself and i need to lie down in a puddle of feelings now k thx

[send me a person and a trope/au and i'll tell you what kind of plot i'd write for them]

#savv answers #savv writes #ask game #daisy 🍚#daisy im so emo and its all ur fault lskdjflksjflksj #I AM HAVING #TOTALLY NORMAL AND SANE FEELINGS RN #SO normal and sane #:''D #im mclosing it actually but its Fine

96 notes · View notes

junkydrawr · 20 days ago

Text

Scrounging up some more Snively scenes! Here's a couple of Snively and Geoffrey because I like asshole rivalry.

Scene one: gotta set a little background. In my original old fic, on a mission to Robotropolis, Geoffrey mistakenly thinks Snively is working with Naugus/Robotnik and reports it to King Acorn. Of course Geoffrey isn't worried about the truth either. Then without even verifying, King Acorn drags Snively outside and tries to hang him. It wasn't long before I looked back at that scene and cringed hard - I hate how I wrote King Acorn like a psychotic turd. So in the rewrite, I made the hanging a vigilante act from Geoffrey and his friends. They get caught and Snively is saved. But they aren't arrested because King Acorn thinks it will make them martyrs and increase attacks on Snively. Instead, he tells Geoffrey to never try that again. Snively begrudgingly agrees to keep it quiet but he also decides to send a little warning to St Stink. Whoa, long set up! Sorry!

(while cleaning Rotor's shed)

Silver winked. A sharp shard of metal. A razor blade! Snively waited for Rotor to turn his back, then seized the blade, sliding it inside his tracking cuff.

He cleared his throat. "I have to urinate. That coffee went through me."

"There's a bush out back," Rotor said.

"Rather uncouth. Explains the smell." Snively twisted his mouth and Rotor blushed.

"You can use my hut, I guess."

"The tracker will go off. I'll just run to Bunnie's. Won't take long."

The walrus nodded unhappily. "OK, but you should come back after. Sally'll be mad if you disappear on me."

"Now why would I do that, my dear Motor?" Snively bowed grandiously, his tracker arm pressed to his chest. "I'm having such a delightful time with you." He straightened up, still keeping the arm to his chest, as he backed out the door.

(Later one night...)

A weight settled on his bed, light and delicate. Geoffrey's body beheld the sensation, translated it into his dream as a lithe squirrel body, firey hair dangling onto his brow.

"Blimey," he hissed. "Been waitin' a long while to feel you on top of me. Gonna give it you real good-"

She put a finger to his throat, or maybe a claw. His eyes flew open and he nearly yelled. No luscious Princess looked down. No, it was a set of cold blue eyes, a smirk curved under a pointed nose.

"S-S-Snively...!" He made to jump up.

"Ah-ah-ah. I wouldn't move if I were you."

The object against his throat was real. Something hard, thin. Sharp. He went still.

"Mmm yes. You feel that?" The smirk deepened. "Makeshift scalpel. Blade isn't as durable as those in Robotropolis. I won't be able to do too much cutting with it. But..."

The blade dug in a bit deeper. Geoffrey felt every muscle lock. His heart fluttered.

"... I've only got to go about two inches. Depending on whether I go for the jugular or the carotid." Snively raised his eyebrows. "Don't fret too much, my musky friend. You're fucked...but at least you'll go quick."

Geoffrey clenched a fist, slowly creeping his arm away from his body.

Snively leaned down further, jamming the blade harder, shimming it sideways. A bright, immediate sting took the skunk's breath away. "I said not to move, you bloody pissant. You think I don't know how to use this?!"

"They'll...they'll know it was you!" Geoffrey croaked.

"Of course they will. And by the time they find you, I'll have disabled this pathetic tracker and be miles away."

Geoffrey stared, desperate to see a bluff. Snively's eyes gave nothing away.

"They'll catch you. Kill you."

"It's bound to happen anyway. But I'll die with the pleasure I took out one more of you filthy beasts..." Snively leaned closer, his smile going soft, his eyes dreamy. "There's a reason Robotnik put me in charge of interrogating the low level rabble. He likes his grand games, but he doesn't like the base shit. The blood. The mess. But he knows...I don't mind it...one bloody bit."

Geoffrey felt Snively's other hand travel his neck and then the Overlander raised it to his view. He saw his own blood smeared on the white skin. Gently, Snively wiped the red over Geoffrey's mouth.

"Decadent, isn't it? I've missed that taste."

Geoffrey wanted to curl up. Close his eyes and go back to sleep. He couldn't see a bluff. "... What do you want?"

"Ah, we've reached the negotiation stage? That was quick." Snively smacked Geoffrey's cheek lightly. "It's simple. It's in my best interests - for now - to stay here. And you know I didn't do anything on that mission. So it's very simple. You and your mangy friends are going to cease the vigilante antics. No more attempts on my life. I can take a beating now and then, we all know that." A wide, glittering grin.

The skunk was struck by the two-faces of the small human. The meek stuttering act he threw at Bunnie and Sally, the pitiful eyes and hunched shoulders and shy mumbles. And this. This blasted monster from Robotnik's army. Not a robot, not a grunt. Second only to the Fat One himself.

"So..." Snively narrowed his eyes. "Deal?"

"The...the King already told me to lay off with that," Geoffrey's voice rasped, but he didn't dare clear his throat. "You bloomin' psycho."

"Me, a psycho? You strung me from a tree. And believe me, it's only my living situation that's stopping me from cutting you open right here, Skunk." Snively took a few steps back, the scalpel held at the ready. Geoffrey could see now...it was a razor blade attached to a stick. "So, you be good and don't give me a reason to sneak in here again, hmmm? Because I will get you, Geoffrey."

A small chuckle. "That's fair."

"Sure thing, mate," he growled. "But next time, when you really screw us over - you better believe I'll be hanging you dead."

Oh, how he ached to attack. But he stayed, for some reason. Snively's creepy eyes locked on him, as he stepped back and back, until he vanished out the door like a ghost or a bad dream.

In the morning, when Geoffrey awoke, he swore he'd just eaten something off. There's no way that little shit snuck in here and threatened me.

---

Then he looked in the bathroom mirror and saw the red stain on his throat.

Scene two: Geoffrey is tired of Snively stealing his cigarettes.

Snively pulled a cigarette out of his pocket.

Geoffrey nudged Sonic in the ribs. "Don't those look like my cigarettes? I mean, they must be."

The Overlander gave a smary smile. "Doctor Quack prescribed them to me. To help my nerves."

Sonic shrugged. "I could care less where he got them. They stink. But if it stops him from being such a whiner, then it's cool with me."

Snively flipped up his middle finger as his other hand pulled forth a match.

Geoffrey shook his head. "What does that mean, anyway?"

The human struck the match on a nearby tree, setting the cigarette alight. "Fuck off, fuck you."

Geoffrey smirked, watching as Snively puffed on the cigarette.

As the smoke settled into his lungs, he frowned. Something felt...off. He exhaled and his eyes went wide. His lungs tingled and he coughed - and it was like a fire blazed within his chest, roiling up his esophagus. Putting a hand to his throat, the cigarette dropped as he coughed again, blood rushing to his face.

Sonic stared at him. Snively put one hand to the tree, nearly retching as the fire burned in his lungs.

"Blimey!" Geoffrey exclaimed. "I had no idea Doctor Quack liked the same Dragonfire-weed blend as me! He's tougher than I thought!"

"F-f-fuck," Snively croaked, bending over as snot and tears fled his face. "I... I can't breathe."

The skunk came over, clapping him on the back hard enough to put him on his knees. "Heh. You think I was gonna let you keep stealing from me? How those lungs feeling, you little shit!?"

Sonic laughed. "Nice one, St Stink." The two Mobians chortled as they watched Snively, but as the human continued to gasp and retch, Sonic grew concerned.

"Yo, Needlenose. You OK?"

Snively shook his head, clutching a hand to his throat.

"Little drama queen." Geoffrey grinned. "Feel the burn."

"Maybe he's allergic to whatever that is, " Sonic said.

The skunk snorted and kicked Snively in the ribs. "He's fine. Playin' it up like he always does."

The hedgehog looked doubtfully at the blood-red face, wet with a disgusting mix of mucus and tears. "I dunno. I'm gonna take him to Quack. Just don't get your snot on me, Snerdley." He scooped up the Overlander and zoomed away. Geoffrey spat in disgust. His fun was always ended too soon.

"Yes, he does appear to be having an allergic reaction," the feathery doctor said cheerfully. He rifled through a basket of syringes. "Why, another minute and his throat might have closed entirely."

Geoffrey entered just as Quack jabbed a needle into Snively's arm. The human coughed miserably, his eyes closing as his breathing evened out. Doctor Quack left the room with a mumble of retrieving something or another.

Sonic crossed his arms. "Not cool, St Stink."

"Give me a break. You were laughing."

"Yeah, until it turned out you tried to kill him." Sonic's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Again."

"Maybe he should quit stealing. Then he wouldn't be here. Wouldn't have been where he was before, either." The skunk mimed hanging from a noose, his tongue lolling out. "Ain't my fault he doesn't learn. There's a reason Robotnik beat him up all the time."

Snively grabbed a handful of the sheet he sat upon, using it to mop his face. "You filthy fucking animal. You want to keep trying me? I'll carve your insides out like a pumpkin."

Sonic gaped a little at that threat, while Geoffrey lunged forward, gripping a handful of shirt and roughly pulling the human from the bed. "Oh yeah? Then let's go, you gods damned little freak. Let's go, right now."

"Ahem." A female voice came from the side. Sally stood, her hands on hips. "What's going on here? I saw Sonic carry him in."

Geoffrey released his hold, stepping back.

She looked between the three men. Doctor Quack reentered, handing Snively a cup of creamy pink liquid.

"Drink that, lad. It'll soothe your windpipe."

He sipped it as Sally glared.

"I asked what was going on."

"Nothing," said Geoffrey. "My new blend of cigarettes didn't get on with him. I mean, I never gave them to him... So you know what that means."

"He put some kind of hot stuff in them," Sonic said. "Then Snootly was coughing and couldn't breathe."

Sally sighed and rubbed her nose. "Geoffrey, why would you do that?"

"It was a prank." The skunk scowled. "Because I'm over finding half my stash gone after I spend a night rolling them. But you're all right with the little prick stealing."

"I'm not all right with it." She gave Snively a dark look. The small man shrugged and sipped at his concoction. "You know, Snively, I think I'll have you spend the rest of the week with me. I'm on greenhouse renos."

"But you hate working with me." A displeased scowl twisted Snively's lips.

She tossed her hair, an evil edge to her smile. "And you hate working with me even more."

She turned and left. Geoffrey whistled. "What a punishment. Getting to work with Her Hottiness. You always manage to get away with everything. But one of these days...you'll slip up too bad for her to pardon."

"One of these days...you'll have an unfortunate accident. And then you won't have to worry about me anymore." Snively smiled, slow and malicious. "Or anything else, old chap."

Sonic wanted to rub his nose. He dodged between the skunk and human. "Man, you two really are annoying. No wonder Sal gets headaches."

"All you men give me headaches." They startled to see Sally back in the doorframe. "Just so you know, Geoffrey, I've added your hut to Snively's forbidden locations. Your cigarettes shouldn't go missing anymore. Right, Snively?"

"Of course, Princess."

She left and the Overlander turned big blue eyes on the doctor. "Doctor, you'll surely prescribe me some cigarettes, won't you? I have a terrible case of nerves, you know."

"Well, I don't see the harm..."

Again, the Princess was back in the doorway. "And Doctor, giving those to Snively is unacceptable. He's not to be using drugs. Understood?"

"That's not fair!" Snively snarled. "Why am I being punished?"

"Seriously?" She put her hands on her hips. "Because you're a liar and a theif!"

"Whatever." Snively rolled his eyes as the squirrel, skunk and hedgehog departed, leaving him with Quack. He downed the rest of the pink concoction, and crossed his arms sullenly.

"How's the throat, lad?"

"Better." Snively said. He uncrossed his arms. "Thanks."

The duck looked at him a moment, and then winked. "Just between you and me, I don't think the Princess needs to know if you find a few cigarettes in your pocket."

A genuine, startled smile spread on Snively's face. "Really?"

"Don't be seen by her or Geoffrey. Yeah?"

"Of course."

---

Scene three : Lil fight as Geoffrey, Snively and Bunnie are on a mission in Robotropolis

"Mate, I know how you can make Bunnie happy. Them skills you acquired with Robotnik?" Geoffrey grinned nastily, leaning close to rasp in the smaller man's ear. "Made the Big Round Guy really happy with that slick tongue of yours."

It was the last straw to his frazzled nerves. A haze of red settled over his vision. Logistics didn't enter his mind. Scrawny Overlander versus brawny Mobian? No, Snively simply lunged, his fist landing a surprise blow into Geoffrey's gut.

"Oof!" Geoffrey staggered back, clutching one arm to the spot, the other forearm lashing out to block Snively's next attack. He gasped for breath. "You stupid little shit!"

Snively found himself slammed back against the wall, two black hands on his shoulder. The skunk's knee came up, attempting a shot to the balls. Snively twisted, taking it to the thigh instead. He sank his teeth into the meat of Geoffrey's arm.

"Bloody lunatic!" Geoffrey wrenched his arm away.

Snively launched off one foot. The top of his skull impacted the soft underside of a jaw. Geoffrey gagged, staggering back once again. His breath hissing, Snively reached for his boot and the makeshift scalpel. I'll cut his fucking intestines out, I'll piss into his corpse!

Geoffrey lunged.

A body of metal and flesh came between them. The skunk stopped up short; Snively ceased his attempt for his illegal shiv.

"Y'all stop it, right now!" Bunnie growled. "What in the hoo-haw are you two doin', fighting like this?!"

"Crazy bugger attacked me! Little shit can't take a bloomin' joke...it's pathetic!"

She turned and beheld Snively, a surprise smirk on her lips. "Well then, you ought not to be messin' with him, Sugah. Snively's a wild lil thang."

"Heh. Wild in bed too?" The skunk sneered nastily.

"You better watch it. Ah hit harder than him, you know." Bunnie brandished a metal fist.

"So uptight, the both of ya." Geoffrey straightened his hat and crept to the end of the alleyway. Bunnie and Snively followed. She threw a wink to him, whispering.

"...are you wild in bed, though?"

(A/N: Oh that Bunnie hahaha.

Snively's cheeks flushed. She chuckled, eyes sparkling in the low light as she strode ahead of him. He swore she was putting extra sway into those metal hips.

Violent nut Sniv is fun to write. Lmao. Realistic though?

Hey, what do y'all think of me using Geoffrey in this story anyway? I know he has Ken Penders' stink on him lol and I was almost thinking to just make a dupe character of him. But I honestly don't really care that much. It's just a question heh.

Anywayz hope these were enjoyable and thanks for reading as always :))

#snively #junkysnivfic #satam #Stupid stuff

7 notes · View notes

krisp-xyz · 11 months ago

Text

ok I'm gonna ramble about outer wilds.

if you haven't played it, even if you don't typically care about spoilers, PLEASE avoid spoilers bc this is the most delicate game ever when it comes to spoilers due to the way it's designed. it's one of the few games where spoilers WILL rob you of the experience. with that said,

OUTER WILDS SPOILERS

this is a very very special game to me fgkjldfjk the ending was really beautiful when i first played and the more i thought about and processed it, the more it really stuck with me to the point where i *will* just cry if i think about the ending too much and god i cannot play through that ending again without sobbing. since im assuming people reading this have played the game, yall already know the nature of the game. the only thing you have to gain from anything is knowledge, and once you beat the game, you cant really ever play it again. sure you could maybe go for achievements or explore things you never saw but the experience is kinda just over.

I very much interpreted the ending as being about death. the game has the whole supernova time loop thing going on which sorta makes the idea of respawning a canonical aspect of the game. the fact that you can just hop back into your ship and you dont really have repercussions from death which is a pretty much synonymous with games as a whole tbh is a canonical aspect of the game that you the player AND you the hearthian traveler exploring the universe are a part of. this doesnt immediately seem to special and didn't even click with me very much until quite a bit after i beat the game, but to beat the game is to accept that you're going to die, and truly dying in this game is kinda the closest media has come to communicating what death really means for me at least. you start aimlessly wandering this star system and eventually start to piece things together, you make goals and eventually figure out how to beat the game, etc. all the knowledge you have to gain in this game leads up to the ending. maybe you stop the supernova and save everyone! maybe thats why you're trying to find the eye of the universe! but no, all the stars are dying. you were just unfortunate enough to be born at the end of a dying universe. There's nothing you can do because death is inevitable for you and those around you.

to beat the game is not only to accept that the sun will explode for the last time, that the end of the experience is inevitable, that all your hearthian friends will die for good, but beating the game also requires accepting that *you the player* have reached the end of this experience, *you the player* cannot hang onto anything forever, that the end was inevitable for you too. sometimes i get genuinely sad that i can basically never play this game again, and i almost wonder if my little hearthian protagonist felt similar during the end of the game. that feeling of the inevitable end finally reaching us.

AND DESPITE IT ALL, you finally accept that you are not immortal, that this will not last forever, that the sun cant keep exploding and looping and exploding and looping forever, when you finally accept death on your own terms, when you have no idea of what's in store for you and what will happen next but you take that dive anyway, you just,, get to share a moment with the people close to you. you sit around the campfire as everyone's music comes together for the first time, once *literally* worlds apart, now, in harmony, as the little audio cues to find your friends on each planet become a symphony. they each share messages about how they feel and every single fucking one resonated with me so much sdjklfsklj stuff like "you cut it a little short dont you think?" and "i got to be a part of something really cool, so I've got no complaints" and "the future depends on the past, even if we wont get to see it" and MY FAVORITE FUCKING LINE FROM THE ENTIRE GAME. solanum, the only non-hearthian character around the campfire, a nomai, one of the species that made this all possible, a friend, says something different. she says that this is the end of our journey, and she asks you a question. she just asks if you're ready. its not required to say yes to finish, its not even required to talk to her to beat the game, but if you say no, she will ask again if you are ready whenever you talk to her afterwards, while leaving a message for you in case you are not ready for it to end. she says "its tempting to linger in this moment where every possibility still remains, but unless they are collapsed by a conscious observer, they will never be more than possibilities." when you finally take your final plunge in this moment, you watch the universe collapse before you, remarkably similar to all the times you watched the sun explode before your eyes, and you die.

even though you the player are clearly still alive, (its just a video game after all :p) the experience is over. you died in a way too. this world is no longer yours to explore and discover. after the credits theres a very nice touch where you see the start of a new universe after you enter the eye and the entire universe dies before you. you see some new creatures huddled around a campfire together to remind you that death isn't the end, because "the future depends on the past, even if we wont get to see it" and that maybe it was enough to be a part of something cool, to share those moments with your friends, to explore the universe in whatever unique way you did.

SO WHAT THE FUCK IS ECHOES OF THE EYE

DLC spoilers beyond this point ofc.

if you're like me or countless other players, you probably wanted more, well I've got just the news for you!! theres a DLC !!!! "but wait, doesnt this defeat literally the entire purpose of the game?" yes :D but that's not a flaw, in fact they do this in the best way possible. the DLC challenges the message of the game because there is a fundamental aspect of death that the game barely even touches that the DLC explored *thoroughly*: fear.

chances are, you realize you can beat the game and go beat it and are immensely moved and equally confused by the ending because it takes so much time to process that you never really have a moment to fear death. theres never a moment where you are scared of what comes next because it doesnt really click that this is the end of everything until after the end. in my opinion at least, this is pretty much the only flaw with their portrayal of death and the DLC remedied this.

so it turns out you want more and weren't ready for this to end! its time to explore the owlks and their contributions to this story. im not going to explain their story in depth because im assuming people have played ofc, but key traits with the owlks is that they feared loss. they archived what they wanted to destroy, they lost their home beause of the efforts they made to reach the eye and were horrified, they tried to escape by hiding in a world of their own creation. they hid the eye to prolong the life of the universe as infinitely far as they could. they stumbled across a way to similarly archive one's consciousness, and conquer even death itself, but it was all out of fear. they couldnt accept the end so they hid from it.

and let me just say THE DLC IS FUCKING SCARY. they lean into horror and I think everyone should play it even if they arent into horror. the puzzles arent actually too challenging in execution, and making the discoveries you need is no sweat if you've gone through the base game tbh, although it is very different in a very refreshing way. The real challenge and the real roadblock is fear. some of the things you are required to do are immensely scary and put you into situations you frankly dont want to be in! but if you quit, if you dont do this out of fear, if you hide and if you try to escape this, you're just like the owlks. you dont get through this by not being afraid, you get through this by not letting your fear paralyze you. you need to face your fears (often quite literally as you need to lure owlks away from things and I think its a nice touch that they can also hide from you by turning off their lights and then they can still see you by shining their light towards you even if yours is off FUCK that but this is a bit of a tangent lsdkfgljsd) and if you succeed where they failed, you learn one of the biggest mysteries of the game. you learn why the eye's signal vanished as fast as it appeared, why the nomai failed to find it as effortlessly as the owlks did, but more imporantly, you make a friend :] you meet the owlk that enabled the eye of the universe to be found with a brief decision that they made in a single moment so long ago. the efforts to build upon what the prisoner did were not in vain, and the prisoner accepts death by literally walking into the water as their light goes out. they leave a final message for you, urging you to ride into the exploding sun with them by your side, and you know its time to go beat the game again.

hopefully at this point the ending has sat with you long enough for you to realize what this means. now, more than ever, this is finally the end of the game. you wanted more and you got more but that desire for more similarly cant last forever. the game still needs to end and this is why there should never ever be another DLC for this game please,, a desire for more and a fear of the end kinda come hand in hand, and the fears that you chose to face were not in vain. this is it! theres nothing else! maybe you're sad that the game is ending for the last time, and maybe you still dont want it to end. but in those final moments around the campfire, solanum isn't the only non-hearthian friend around the campfire :] the prisoner is there too wondering if they even deserve to be there after what their kind did, but its over now, everything worked out. they say something really simple that was, without a doubt, the perfect addition to the game for me:

"...How beautiful. It’s different than I’d envisioned.

Whatever happens next, I do not think it is to be feared."

I think one of the reasons this game resonated so much with me is something that I really struggled to grasp until I watched shammy's outer wilds review. there's something so much more significant about *being* rather than just, observing. tons of movies try to tackle these ideas of death and even plenty of games, but with outer wilds, *you* are having this experience that will end that you can never have again. *you* are exploring a world in your own unique way that cannot last forever. and I think that's ok. I think that's what makes it special.

I'm a game dev and an artist and I think outer wilds is genuinely profound. it makes me want to make something that touches people in the way I felt touched by outer wilds. I'm so happy things aligned for me to get to use this same medium for art. I'm gonna go cry now thanks for reading <3

#outer wilds #outer wilds spoilers #I'm not crying I'm not crying I'm not cr #i did just copy paste this from discord btw

26 notes · View notes

deke-rivers-1957 · 4 months ago

Text

ECU High - Mike's Circumstances

One weekend morning Mike wakes up and heads downstairs to see his dad dressing up in his uniform.

"Where you going, dad?"

Mr. Edwards turns around.

"Last dusting of the season. I just got word from our neighbor Mr. Ling that he just got a promotion of a delivery driver."

"Wow congrats to him."

"Yeah instead of picking apples he'll collect 'em from orchards all over the Texas/Oklahoma border. Of course all that traveling means he'll need someone to watch Sue-Lin while he's gone during harvestin season. Think you'd want to do that Mike?"

He scratches the back of his neck. On one hand babysitting sounds like a girl's job but on the other hand, he wants a model plane and needs to raise money to do it.

"Sure I'll do it."

"Atta boy. You're 14 now so you can be left at Mr. Ling's house by yourself. If there's ever a problem you know momma's here."

"Thanks dad. Good luck on your flights."

Mr. Edwards smiles and walks downstairs to leave the house.

"Edith I'll be back in two weeks. If Walter comes by with Sue-Lin while I'm gone, Mike said he'll be fine babysitting."

"Ok dear."

She kisses him on the cheek and he walks out the door. Mike goes to have breakfast when there's a knock on the door. Mrs. Edwards goes to answer.

"Sorry for short notice Mrs. Edwards. Got called to work early. You are able to watch Sue-Lin?"

"Oh. Yes Walter. Mike said he'd love to babysit. I'll send him next door after breakfast."

Mr. Ling bows.

"Thank you for help. Hope you have good day."

"Thank you, you too."

He goes to leave as she closes the door.

"Mike that was Mr. Ling. He's leaving for work early so I said you can start watching Sue-Lin after breakfast."

Mike almost spits out his milk.

"Today?! But mom I was supposed to meet my friends at the mall today."

"Well unless you're willing to take Sue-Lin with you, you'll have to cancel."

Mike groans.

"I gotta call the guys then."

He finishes his milk and gets up to use the phone. He finally gets to calling Clint.

"Oh Ah don't mind if ya bring 'er round. Jus make it clear ta Pacer that yer bringin a lil girl. He don't really like surprises."

"Yeah I know but I hope he'd feel at least a little better once he knows she's a 7 year old Chinese girl."

"Wha's her bein Chinese gotta do with it?"

Mike stops for a second because he remembers that Clint simply doesn't know these things.

"There's a history of Chinese people being treated badly. Even though Mr. Ling hasn't had that happen in this neighborhood, it can still happen. Pacer would feel better about it because he can relate to that."

"Oh. Well Ah won't be mean ta her if that's what ya mean Mike."

"I know you won't Clint. I'm just telling you that Pacer might feel better because of it."

"Ok then. Ah'll see ya in a couple hours."

"Alright bye."

He hangs up the phone. Then he picks up again to call Pacer.

"Hello?"

"Um hi, Pacer. Listen I know you don't like surprises but there's gonna be a little change in plans today."

"What?"

Mike takes a deep breath.

"We're still gonna meet at the mall today as promised. I just need to bring someone with me."

"Who?"

"My neighbor's daughter. He got a sudden promotion to delivery driver so he's gotta travel a lot. She's a small 7 year old Chinese girl named Sue-Lin so he can't leave her at home alone."

Mike can hear a sigh over the phone.

"Ok. I just don't wanna answer personal questions."

"Oh yeah don't worry about that. Sue-Lin's the type that don't need to be told things twice. Mr. Ling's a first generation Chinese-American immigrant so he's still very traditional."

"Alright then. So long's that's the case that's fine."

Mike sighs in relief.

"Good. Thanks. I'll see you and Clint later then."

"Ok. Bye."

They hang up and Mike goes back to the kitchen.

"Is everything alright, Mike?"

"Yeah. Just had to make sure Pacer was fine. You know how he is mom."

She sighs as she washes dishes.

"Well it's not my business to pry, but it sounds to me that he could seriously benefit from some therapy. The poor boy is clearly traumatized and I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"I know mom. I think Clint being who he is has actually been helping him out. He doesn't feel as jumpy when you so much as talk to him."

Mrs. Edwards dries a glass.

"That's good but Clint's just a boy himself. Pacer needs a professional who can help him in a mentorship role. Why isn't Mr. Lightcloud a Native?"

"Yeah he moved from Arizona. His sister makes and sells turquoise jewelry. He's our world history teacher."

"Alright then, son."

Mike goes to the door.

"I'm gonna go next door and tell Mr. Ling I'm taking her to the mall."

"Alright Mike. Stay safe with Sue-Lin now."

Mike goes over to Mr. Ling's house and knocks on the door.

"Who is there?"

"It's Mike Edwards Mr. Ling."

He opens the door and gives a little nod.

"Thank you. Please come sit down on couch."

Mike comes inside.

"You have question?"

"Uh yes I do. I have some friends I want to meet at the mall and I wanted to know if I can bring Sue-Lin with."

Mr. Ling nods.

"Yes yes you can take her to mall. She needs to buy new clothes for cold weather."

"Ok. Is there a time you want her home?"

"I come back home at 5 pm. I want Sue-Lin back at 6."

"Yes sir."

Mr. Ling gives a short nod again.

"Good. I get Sue-Lin from room."

"Ok Mr. Ling."

Mr. Ling goes to Sue-Lin's room and knocks on the door. He starts speaking in Chinese to ask if she's ready.

"I'm ready daddy."

She comes out of her room in a traditional Chinese outfit with her hair in twin pigtails. Mike's heart melts with how cute she looks.

"Hi Mr. Mike."

"Hi."

"Daddy said you were taking me to the mall to get new clothes."

Mike smiles as he nods.

"Yes I'm taking you clothes shopping. I'm also meeting with some friends. Clint talks a lot and he'd love to meet you. Pacer though is very shy and doesn't like it when you ask a lot of questions. Once he gets used to you, he'll think you're a great little girl."

Sue-Lin smiles.

"That's ok Mr. Mike. I'll just talk with you and Mr. Clint."

"Alright then. Now your daddy said I gotta have you back by 6 pm."

"Ok Mr. Mike."

He stands up as Mr. Ling goes to the door. He speaks some Chinese to Sue-Lin and then to Mike.

"Are you going to mall now?"

"No I'm taking Sue-Lin next door for a couple hours since I won't meet my friends until later. My mom's going to drive us."

He nods.

"Good. I see you at 6."

"Yes sir."

Sue-Lin waves.

"Bye daddy."

Mike and Sue-Lin walk out the door to head over to his house.

"Momma we're back."

She comes out of the kitchen.

"Why hello there Sue-Lin. What a lovely outfit."

"Mr. Mike's going to take me shopping today. I saved four whole dollars."

"How wonderful dear. Now I have some work to do before I can take you and Mike to the store. You can sit down on the couch and watch some tv."

"Thank you Mrs. Edwards."

Sue-Lin and Mike go to the couch and sit down.

"So. What are you allowed to watch?"

"My daddy only lets me watch educational shows."

"PBS Kids it is then."

Mike turns to channel 13 and sees a show he's never heard of before.

"What's this?"

"Word Word! Everything's made out of letters to spell things. The duck is made out the letters used to spell duck."

"But what if you split the letters up do you just stop being awake? Like that sheep there, does she still know what's happening when she's just separate letters?"

Sue-Lin giggles.

"Of course she does. She's made of letters and she's a sheep which makes her alive. A lot of the shows daddy lets me watch is about reading and spelling."

Mike lets out a whistle.

"Man. Cartoons sure have changed."

"You watched cartoons Mr. Mike?"

Mike fiddles with his hands.

"Well yeah but they were very different. The Magic School Bus had its first episode involve the kids going to outer space. One of the kids froze his head and got a cold because he took his helmet off on Pluto."

"That's silly Mr. Mike. A bus can't fly to Pluto."

"And you can't make a sheep out of just letters silly."

She giggles and Mike realizes that maybe babysitting won't be so bad after all.

An: Sorry this took so long. Some installments are harder to write than others. If you haven't been tagged but wanna see more please leave a note down below.

Tagging: @mercsandmonsters, @vintagepresley, @thetaoofzoe, @elvismylove04, @ashtag6887,

@tupelomiss, @thedaisymaisy, @richardslady121, @arrolyn1114, @theelviseffect,

@elvisbooty76, @theladyofmylife, @xanatenshi, @just-another-boring-bisexual, @aliengoth3,

@phil2135561, @gayforelvis, @ash-omalley, @eptodaytommorowforever, @wildhorseinkansas,

@alienelvisobsession, @comebackep, @presley72elvis, @leopardandstuds, @ellie-24,

@heart-of-ep, @thatbanditqueen, @starboybutler, @be-my-ally, @myradiaz,

@jaqueline19997, @louisejoy86, @peskybedtime, @lookingforrainbows, @kiankiwi,

@your-nanas-house, @januarypresley1969, @justrae9903, @codalysssssworld, @burnthheparaphilia,

@joshuntildawn13, @briefpandatimemachine, @sillybookmarks, @tacozebra051, @cattcb,

@perfectpresley, @vintagegirl50s60s70s80s, @lett-them-eatt-cake, @precious-little-scoundrel, @j-v-9-2,

@almightybigbrain, @pinkcaddyconfessions, @miniaturerunawaykid, @msamarican, @hooked-on-elvis,

@doll-elvis, @idk583838, @queencreole1958, @queenncreole, @them-rts,

@thelonelyheart, and @theelvisprincess.

#mike edwards #clint reno #pacer burton #ecu high

7 notes · View notes

radioactivepeasant · 1 year ago

Text

Snippet Monday: Blackmail au

Prologue

"Travel the stars with us," the Precursors said, "Become one of us."

"I will," answered the hero, "but only on one condition: in the next iteration of this endless cycle, let the child have his family. Let at least one iteration of us know his father."

"If we allow this," said the Precursors, "you will still be the chosen hero. You will still hold the blood of Mar. And you will still suffer. But for one lifetime, we will let the child be a separate person, in exchange for your service in this lifetime."

"Then it is agreed," said the hero, and so the wheel of time turned, changing direction ever so slightly.

Part One: The Bargain

"Ah, there he is, right on schedule." Krew chortled as Jak slipped through the pub door.

There were a lot of people at the bar, all Wastelanders. Tess shot a worried look at Jak, but kept her bubbly smile up. What was going on? Were these friends of Sig’s? Jak wasn't so sure, considering the concerned grimace Sig was sporting.

One of the newcomers, a broad, scarred man with a drooping mustache, stood up and approached Jak slowly.

"Yep," he drawled, circling the boys, "Nipper's got the eyes alright. Same jaw, too." He snorted. "Heh. And here I was afraid you was losin' your touch, Krew. Right. We'll take 'im."

"Excuse me?" Daxter sputtered.

"Sorry, Jak," Krew said without the slightest shred of sincerity, "But after that little racing stunt of yours, I had to do some thinking. I've got a lot of money riding on Errol winning that final race. I'm afraid you've just become too expensive to keep on. No hard feelings, eh? It's just business."

"Ok?" Jak eyed the Wastelanders suspiciously. "And that's supposed to keep me from racing because...?"

"Because you're under new management, shall we say." Krew gestured to the Wastelanders. "Don't think of it as being fired! Think of it as a transfer of sorts."

Daxter bristled. "You wanna run that by us again, Morning Breath?"

Instead, the Wastelander turned on his heel to face Krew. "Now, you an' me, we both know you're askin' too high for the state the brat's in. Come on, Krew, you ain't fed him this whole time?"

Jak went rigid and began to back towards the door. Whatever was happening here, he wanted no part of it.

"Well it's wholly up to your lord's discretion, of course," Krew said, oily smooth, "If you can't come up with the price, I'm sure the Baron would pay fairly for a soldier of Jak's caliber."

One of the women at the bar laughed meanly. "Lordship said you might say that. He also said to remind you that you could do that, but only if you feel like being hanged with your own entrails."

Krew fanned himself and hovered higher. "Oh dear me, that sounds like bad blood, doesn't it? Speaking of blood, you'd best get moving if you don't want to lose the boy, there. I'm not responsible for losses incurred during pickup."

Jak had barely gotten out the door before they were on him. Someone grabbed Daxter from his shoulder, and four more sets of hands pinned his arms. These weren't weak, exhausted Havenites. Or indolent KG looking for excitement. These were real Wastelanders, and they were more than a match for Jak's struggles.

"Let him go, rot you!" he snarled, lunging for the woman holding Daxter by the scruff, "Get your hands off him!"

"Easy, boy, easy." The woman took a step back. "Just gonna hang onto Shorty here as insurance."

Sig finally managed to push his way through the crowd and elbowed one of Jak's captors in the gut, hard. As the man doubled over, Sig ripped his hands off of Jak's arm.

"Hands off my rookies," he hissed.

"Sig, w- what- what- what-" Jak could barely speak. Rage and terror constricted his lungs, his throat.

"I don't know, cherry." Sig shook his head grimly. "But I'm gonna find out. No matter what happens, you stick close to me and do as I do, okay? We're gonna get you through this."

Then he shoved the rest of the Wastelanders away, one by one. They parted like wheat before the wind, like they knew Sig. Like they respected him. The second he was free, Jak had to lock his knees to keep from collapsing. He couldn't even bring himself to be angry that they could all see him trembling uncontrollably. Krew had sold him to Wastelanders like a piece of meat. Like a slave. What would happen to the search for the Tomb if he was imprisoned in the Wastes? Would The Shadow force the Kid to search in Jak’s stead? He wouldn't put it past him, not after the jobs they'd sent him to do.

"Oh, I do so love facilitating family reunions!" Krew cooed, hovering at the door, "It warms the heart! And me wallet!"

He waggled his fingers meaningfully and cast greedy eyes over a trunk the one called Kleiver kicked in his direction.

"Mmyes, tell your liege lord I'll keep me eyes peeled for the smaller brat, eh?"

Jak's already chilled blood froze. He lunged for Krew, barely restrained by Sig at the last second.

"Don't touch him!" he growled, "Don't you even look at him! I'll kill you! I'll rotting kill you!"

Jak didn't see the Wastelanders around him, even Sig, suddenly exchange extremely grim looks. But when Sig tugged him away from the bar and towards the waterfront, he knew something had changed.

"Quiet, cherry," Sig hissed in his ear. "You're gonna have the Guard down on us with that yelling, and I don't want to give Krew any ideas about collecting that bounty on you!"

They had to physically drag him into the air train, and even that was only possible because the woman holding Daxter captive went in first. Cursing Sig every step, Jak struggled in vain to get his arms free.

"Jak!" Sig finally exploded, "Knock it off! We're trying to save your ass, here!"

"I didn't ask for your help!" Jak aimed a kick behind him and met hard metal armor. Memories of the prison clawed at the edge of his mind, threatening to pull him back into a dark place.

"You have no right-! You can't buy- you- you-"

His breathing became rapid and labored. "I am not a thing!" he screamed, finally breaking free.

Seconds too late. The hatch was closed.

"Jak! Jak, look at me, kiddo, look at me!" Sig desperately tried to grab his arm.

"I don't know what's going on, you gotta believe me. But I know Krew wasn't joking about selling you to Praxis, and I'd die before I let that bastard get his hands on you again."

Kleiver curled his lip at them from across the hold. "Paid a ransom that coulda fed a garrison for a month and this is the thanks we get? Ungrateful brat is what you are."

Sig glared at him. "Ransom?! You walked in there talking like an auction! Who's ransoming Jak?"

The woman holding Daxter spoke up.

"Lord Damas wants him. Krew contacted him, month back. Said he had proof the Heir of Mar abandoned a bastard son during the coup and if nobody came forward to "take responsibility", he'd out him to Praxis."

Jak went very, very still. Was Krew using him to defraud someone? Wouldn't be out of character. But where had he gotten the idea to pass Jak off as the lost Heir? And did that mean little Mar was abandoned? If he was, Jak knew he was going to make this so-called lord in question pay in blood for it.

"Jak? Bull. Damas lost the baby in the coup. He didn't abandon him." Sig snapped.

"Not on purpose, at least," Kleiver snorted. “If you was carryin’ a deposed king’s brat during a hostile takeover, would you say anything?”

Sig tightened his jaw and said nothing.

Jak didn't know how long they were in the air train. He'd blocked everything out. The Wastelanders, Sig, even Daxter. He'd shut them out and retreated into the one corner of his mind where the darkness couldn't touch him. The place where he remembered the sound of the ocean, and warm waves against his ankles. He was free there, and they couldn't take the sea from him.

When they landed, he didn't even notice until a blinding light pierced the hold-

Along with the smell of salt air.

Jak raised his head slowly, squinting through hanks of hair into the light. His free place in his mind didn't have the smell of the sea. Why did he smell salt?

"Everybody out!" Kleiver bellowed, "You know I don't like monks, so let's get this over with, yeah?"

Sig wrapped an arm around Jak’s shoulders and pulled him to his feet. "Stay close, kids," he murmured, and Jak finally realized that now he had Daxter. "I...don't know what to tell you. But I'm gonna do whatever I can to keep you two safe, okay?"

They exited onto a spire of rock, high above what seemed like an endless stretch of desert on one side, and a turbulent sea on the other. A Precursor temple sat before them, surrounded by ruined columns and porticos. Three zoomer-like vehicles were parked near a tiny natural waterfall, which seemed to mean something to the Wastelanders.

"Welp. He's already here." The woman in the yellow turban sighed. "Fingers crossed this checks out, everybody."

She waved to Sig.

"Get him inside before noon, huh? I don't feel like losing a layer of skin to the sun, thanks."

It was nearly ten degrees colder inside the temple. Personally, Daxter thought the weird people dressed in rubber emanated half the chill themselves. One of them approached Sig, holding a small plastic cup. Their eyes flicked to Jak, and they held out the cup with a bored expression.

"Blood or saliva sample," they said flatly.

Jak balked. "What?"

Sig cringed. "They want to...to see if you're who Krew claimed you are. Just...spit in the cup, kid. Their computer will tell them if Krew was lying or not."

When it became clear that the monk wasn’t going to leave until they got what they were after, Jak begrudgingly spat into the cup. The monk exited the chamber without a word.

Jak spent the next three hours huddled in an alcove, behind a small Precursor statue. He clung to Daxter like a lifeline, glaring out at the monks and Wastelanders watching him and whispering amongst themselves. Any time one came close, Jak scooted further back into the cloister. None of them looked small enough to get around the statue at the mouth. They couldn't reach him here.

One man in particular wouldn't stop staring at them. He had a commanding presence, despite not being the tallest or broadest in the room. Scars decorated his face and arms, and sharp points of Precursor metal had been set into his skull. Which was admittedly kind of badass. He watched Jak with dark, piercing eyes and a hard set to his jaw. When a monk placidly paced forward and presented the man with a datapad, murmuring, "Positive match, sire," the man's eyes darkened further.

He turned on his heel and disappeared through a door.

"Sire?"

"I'm going to pray," the man snapped in a rough voice. "Leave me. And get the boy some water, for the gods' sake!"

Was that the man who had supposedly paid a ransom for him? Jak retreated into the very back of the cloister and buried his face in Daxter's fur.

"Rot this day. Rot this whole rotting week," he mumbled.

"You said it, pal." Dax wrapped his arms around Jak’s neck and tried to comfort him. "Hey, they made me spit in a cup too! You think their computer will tell them I'm an ottsel? Or a human?"

Jak blinked. "Uh....how smart are computers supposed to be?"

"Like. As smart as Vin, I think?"

Jak shrugged, grateful for the distraction. "Maybe. That'll freak ‘em out, huh?"

"Oh yeah. So what do you think is up with Spikes? Wrong answers only."

"Wrong only? Uh...he just found out he's part marmoset."

"Or his application for a piercing refund was rejected."

"Or," Sig interrupted flatly, "he just found out he had a kid he didn't know was alive, and he's dealing with a lot of guilt right now."

Sig crouched at the mouth of the cloister and looked in at them. He seemed to have aged years since that morning. He held out a hand and sighed like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

"Come on out kiddo. We're gonna get you some food, some-"

He closed his eye and shook his head. "Volcan's bones. I...I didn't know- none of us did...gods, he must've snatched you the same year we lost Mar-"

"Mar?" Jak interrupted sharply, "What do you know about Mar?"

When Sig looked up again, Jak was shaken to see tears in his eye.

"I ain't talking about the founder of Haven, cherry. And I don't think you are, either."

He sniffed and cleared his throat. "Little thing. So...he's so- he was so small. Sweetest little kid you ever met, always getting into trouble."

He cleared his throat again and tapped his cybernetic eye. "Only takes a moment. You look away one minute. Not even one full minute. And that's all it takes for the world to end. Praxis sympathizers ambushed us. Shot out my eye and took- took Mar. We never saw him again. But...but I think you did."

Jak's stomach churned, and the world began to spin. Mar? The little boy he'd been so desperate to protect? This had to be some kind of trick, they were trying to trick him into giving up Mar's location so they could get to the Tomb. Daxter's claws dug into his arm, pulling him back to earth before the dark eco could take over.

"I have to go back-" Jak croaked, "You have to take me back- take me back! Take me back! I can't leave him alone!"

Sig shifted and looked up at someone just out of sight.

"I was right," he said heavily, "He knows something."

Next >

#snippet Monday #jak and daxter #dadmas #king damas #jak and daxter au #fic prompts #writing prompts #blackmail au #dad sig #jak and mar are separate people au #angst with a happy ending #jnd Kleiver #Damas did NOT plan this well. He panicked and went for 'whatever gets the kid out of Haven the fastest'#Jak has no idea that Krew has been holding him for ransom for weeks

49 notes · View notes

cyn-onym · 2 years ago

Text

GYARU!! (Various!Tokyo Revengers X Gyaru!Reader) Pt. 3

Hoshino (Y/N) is a laidback, yet well-mannered girl who has little to no aspirations in life besides shopping, the newest trends, and having fun. Because of how she expresses herself she is what many people call a Gyaru.

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

First Person POV -

Today was eventful, I'm drained.

Maybe I should just go to sleep and worry about my homework tomorrow? I thought as I threw myself onto my bed after a shower. I could make up an excuse or beg Chitose for hers, but it'll probably cost me... As I contemplated my options my phone began to ring, it was my best friend.

I sat up and propped myself up on my headboard before answering. "EMMA! What's up!?"

"Y/N!! How was school? Anything interesting happen?" The girl yelled back. I laughed before responding "Yeah, school was boring as usual but afterward was a real event!"

"Really what happened?!!"

"Tell me why I ran into a group of gangsters on my way home and it turns out they're called the 'Tokyo Manji Gang'." As I finished my statement Emma let out an "Eh?"

To which I responded, "What? Have you heard of them?"

"Yeah, you could say that.., but continue with your story."

"Ok, so as I was passing them I realized they were beating up some kid from my class. So, being the great samaritan I am, I helped him out."

"You didn't get hurt did you?!"

"Of course not, I couldn't bring myself to help him until they left... Their leader is like 2x my size and I was not in the mood to get harassed."

"For real."

"But the plot thickens, you remember Nozomi right?"

"Uhh, a little.."

"Well, she just happens to be dating the leader of said group."

"...No way. Are you gonna tell her?"

"I mean I'll try but she can be stubborn sometimes.."

"Mmm."

"But wait it doesn't stop there, I also know the girlfriend of the dude they were beating to a pulp."

"No way. Really? What's her name?"

"Hina, we were in the same class last year."

"Mmm."

"She's so sweet, earlier I bumped into her and she looked so scared like a little rabbit."

"Awww maybe we should all hang out sometime?"

"That'd be amazing, I can imagine you guys getting along really well. But enough about me how was your day?"

"Well compared to your's it was so boring, l didn't even get the chance to see-" Before Emma could finish her statement she was interrupted by a slamming noise, presumably her bedroom door.

"Oi, what'd you think you're doing barging into a woman's room unannounced..."

The person she seemed to be talking to didn't respond, leaving the situation up to my imagination. However, it wasn't long before yelling broke through the air "OI HOLD ON WAIT-, STOP DON'T JUMP-" Before an abrupt tone rang out signalizing the girl had either hung up or her phone had disconnected. I stared at my phone in fake disbelief before jokingly rolling my eyes. It's been a long day, it's time for me to go to bed.

'Should I mention what I saw to Nozomi or leave it be?' I pondered the idea I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning came and I prepped myself for another day of school. I was still groggy from last night's events and ended up procrastinating my morning routine. It wasn't until the clock read 7:45 am that I put myself into gear.

I hastily put on my uniform, before fixing my makeup, and grabbing the items I picked up last night. I then traveled off to the train which happened to be packed the one day I'm running late.

By the time I reached school, it was 8:40 am. I quickly changed into my indoor shoes before rushing to my classroom. Just as I entered the bell rang out. As I made it to my seat I breathed out a sigh of relief, I made it just in time.

Not even a minute later Ms. Kubo stepped into the classroom and greeted everyone. Waiting for attendance to conclude I scanned the room to distract myself. As I examined the room I spotted Hanagaki, his face was still bandaged up from last night and he seemed to be deep within thought.

I stared at him for a minute hoping to telepathically gather his attention which surprisingly worked. Our eyes met and I gave him a subtle wave and smile which he sheepishly returned. I then turned my attention to the board before taking notes.

After hours of classes, it was finally lunch break, I put away my supplies before gathering my lunch. Looking over the classroom I searched for Hanagaki but he was nowhere to be seen.

'I wanted to ask him how he was doing.'

Meanwhile, the girls were blowing up my phone telling me to meet them on the roof again but I wanted to see Hanagaki first. He's not anything special and I'm no homewrecker but I'd be lying if I said he wasn't interesting. There's something about him...

He must be eating with some friends or Hina, so I decided to check the halls and some of the neighboring classrooms.

I even asked some students nearby but they hadn't seen him either. A whole 10 minutes passed and I still couldn't find him, however just as I was about to give up I spotted him walking with some friends.

Third Person POV -

"Hanagaki-kun!!" a voice exclaimed.

The group of boys all turned around in surprise only to find the notorious Hoshino Y/N making her way over. "EHHHHH!!!" The boys exclaimed in surprise, The Hoshino Y/N was making her way over. She noticed them. No, she noticed Hanagaki. How did she even know his name furthermore his existence??

"Oi Takemichi how do you know her!" Makoto and Yamagishi aggressively whispered as they dragged him down. All to the confusion of Takemichi, were you important? "Why I just happened to meet her yesterday?? Is she important or something?"

Yamagishi and Makoto could only stare at the boy in disbelief.

"THAT'S HOSHINO Y/N, YOU BASTARD. SHE'S ONE OF THE CUTEST GIRLS AT MIZO MIDDLE! SHE'S EVERY GUY'S WET DREAM!" Makoto screamed out.

"ACCESSORIZED FROM HEAD TO TOE, WITH LOOKS THAT BRING PEOPLE TO TEARS, AND A SMILE AND VOICE THAT COULD BRING ANY MAN TO HIS KNEES. SHE'S ALSO HALF FOREIGN AND GETS CONFESSIONS ON THE DAILY!" Yamagishi continued.

"Don't tell us you gave up on Hina and moved on to her, you lucky bastard. I'll kill you!" Takemichi was appalled were you famous?

"Hanagaki-kun!" Before the two boys could put their hands on the blond, the girl arrived before them.

"Hanagaki-kun, geez didn't you hear me? It's rude to ignore a girl when she's calling you." The girl stated with a pout getting up in the boy's face. In response, Takemichi stuttered out an apology as his friends seethed in anger.

"Did you need something Hoshino-san?" The boy questioned. "Oh, nothing I just wanted to check in on you after last night?" The boys surrounding the two froze in surprise, what happened last night?

"TAKEMICHI, YOU BASTARD!!" Makoto screamed before placing the blond in a headlock. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HINA?" Yamagishi cried. "MORE IMPORTANTLY, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US!!" Accompanied by Makoto.

"Oi, YOU TWO CUT IT OUT!" Atushi chimed in followed by Takuya.

However, before the boys could continue their antics a laugh rang out. The girl in front of them gripped her stomach in pain as she tried to catch her breath. "You guys are hilarious! Yesterday on my way home I stumbled upon Hangaki-kun and patched him up. You guys should have seen him he was crying." Makoto and Yamagishi almost dropped to their knees in relief.

The blonde tried to deny the statement but could only sputter in response.

"Nonetheless sorry to disrupt you guys during your break. I never introduced myself, my name's Hoshino Y/N, and you all are?" The girl noted.

"Sendo Atushi, it's nice to meet you." The boy with a plum-colored pompadour stated. "Yamamoto Takuya, it's nice to meet you as well." The blond with long hair shyly responded.

"Yamagishi Kazushi, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Hoshino-san." The chestnut-haired boy with glasses said smugly. "Suzuki Makoto, but you can call me whatever you want." The tallest with a slick back stated flirtily.

"There's no need for formalities just call me Y/N, it's nice to meet you all, we should all swap numbers and hang out sometime~" The gal said confidently flipping her phone open.

After getting everyone's number the girl took it upon herself to make a group chat. Before looking at the time, lunch break was almost over.

"We should totally eat lunch together one day, maybe tomorrow? I gotta go meet with my friends, so I'll catch ya'll later~" The girl stated excitedly before running off.

Once the girl was out of sight she smirked to herself. Despite how they dressed Hanagaki's friends were kind of attractive. They just needed some work...Heavy industrial work but nonetheless, they were diamonds in the rough and she was gonna polish them.

The days following are looking more eventful from here on out.

★彡

Third Person POV -

A week has passed since you became friends with the Mizo Middle Five.

Or at least that's what they liked to call themselves. As expected they made your days at school more eventful and entertaining.

At first, it was just quick interactions before and after school but it quickly became more. After-school convenience store visits or trips to the arcade, you even started eating lunch with them every other day.

After hanging with the boys for about a week they quickly realized that the rumors about you were pretty 50/50.

Most portrayed you as gal that went to school by day and partied all night with upperclassmen. When in reality your nights were spent in your room, talking to Emma, browsing clothing magazines, or playing with your Tamagotchi.

They were also surprised to find out that you didn't have a boyfriend. You laughed it off, but couldn't help but wonder how could someone like Takemichi managed to get a partner before you. Tons of guys confessed to you but they always had one fatal flaw. Which would be brought to your attention by none other than your best friends.

Similarly to you, the boys weren't as in tune with their "delinquent" lifestyle outside of their lame attempts in scaring lower classmen which often didn't work.

Regardless, today you happened to be spending lunch in an empty classroom with the Mizo Middle. Halfway through eating your lunch, you realized that you forgot to grab a drink.

"Hey, I'll be back I'm gonna grab a drink from the vending machine." You said grabbing your wallet.

"Grab me one too!" Yamagishi exclaimed before you could exit the classroom. "You gonna pay me?" You asked side-eyeing the boy.

"No.."

"Then I guess you have your answer." You said before abruptly shutting the door. Traveling down you reached the machine and inserted the required Yen into the machine. Once your drink dropped you gathered it before making your back to the classroom. However, as you arrived you noticed whispers coming from inside the room.

"It's been every day lately."

"Today's fighter..is gonna be Takuya," Sendo whispered.

'Fighter? What were they talking about?'

"Takuya can't do this!" Yamagishi yelled.

"He's not good at fighting at all!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Tell that to Kiyomasa." Sendo responded.

A silence followed.

'There goes Kiyomasa's name again.'

"I'd love to take his place if I could. But it's not like they'd ever listen to what we had to say." Sendo continued.

"Takemichi." Takuya spoke up.

"Huh?" Takemichi questioned.

"Just watch! I'll get revenge for you. When I win, you better treat me to some gyudon." Takuya said confidently.

"Takuya.."

"Anyway, just keep believing you can win, Takuya!" Yamagishi declared.

"Yeah I know."

"You've got this Takuya." Makoto persisted.

Before the conversation could progress you re-entered the room "I'm back".

"Y/N-chan! Welcome back!" Makoto chirped happily. "Did you get me a drink?" Yamagishi asked as you entered the classroom.

You glared at the boy before reiterating what you said earlier, to which he rolled his eyes.

"Hey, promise me you guys won't get too hurt..."

The group looked at each other in confusion before coming to the realization that you had overheard their conversation. Sendo sighed before responding, "Wow, have a little faith in us.."

"You guys are my friends I'm gonna worry..." You said flopping back into your seat.

"Aw, Y/n-chan cares about us~" Yamagishi teased as he threw his arm over your shoulder almost knocking the drink out of your hand.

"S-shut up! You said pouting your lip.

Before the boys could tease you any further the bell chimed.

Quickly cleaning the empty classroom and rearranging the desks you all made your way to your classrooms.

"All right, let's do this! Takuya yelled hyping himself up.

"If you tense up too much, you might fart." Yamagishi inquired confidently.

"Gross..." You stated grimacing at the boy's statement.

"That's just you, dumbass." Sendo sighed.

★彡

The bell chimed again signalizing the end of the day.

Stretching you rose from your seat and gathered your stuff. Pushing in your chair you paced out of the room.

You were going to find Chitose. The girl was a member of the student council, surely she could help?

Reaching the student council room you opened the door to find Chitose sorting through some papers. Perking up you greeted the ravenette. "Hihi!"

Engrossed in her task she gave you a distracted response "Hey...did you need something?"

"Can't I visit one of my best friends after school?"

Looking up from the papers the girl raised her brow "Mmm.."

"Hehe...besides that what are you doing here alone?" You asked attempting to change the subject.

"I just had to organize these documents." The girl stated setting the documents aside and collecting her stuff.

"So you're leaving now? That's perfect." You said following the girl to her shoe locker. The girl glanced up at you in confusion.

Once the girl's shoes were on you decided to pop your question. "Jah..do ya think you could help me out before you go home?"

"Mmm, with what?"

"So you see- my friends are in this fight club an-"

"You mean those delinquents?" Nozomi interrupted, Akane following close behind her.

"I mean- yeah..but they're more than that..I care about them."

"More than us?" Akane questioned.

"What? Of course not you guys are my best friends.." You stuttered shifting your gaze.

"Y/N.." Chitose spoke.

"Yes!" You exclaimed hoping the girl would agree with you.

"I can't help you."

"Huh...why?!" You cried in confusion.

The raven-haired girl sighed before continuing. "Look..past this gate, I'm just another student, like everyone else."

"But-"

"Plus I'm busy. I have to study for an upcoming exam, and the student council is also debating meeting before school. Remember we talked about this, did you forget?"

"Of course not...sorry."

"Why don't you come and study with us? Chitose prodded.

"I can't just leave them.."

"Eh? Says who?" Nozomi inquired with an annoyed expression.

It seemed like the longer the conversation continued the harder it became to speak.

"Y'know..Y/N how long are you gonna mess with them? It's getting kind of sad." Nozomi sighed.

"Right?! We could find you better guys than those ones. I could even recommend a few. Akane smirked.

"Huh?"

"Akane's right, if you want to sleep around we could fix you up with someone?" Nozomi commented opening her phone.

"What?! I-I'm not sleeping or trying to sleep with them!" You stated defensively.

"Eh really?! My bad.." Akane remarked surprised.

"If that's the case why do you hang out with those losers?" Nozomi continued.

"I-" You started however before you could defend yourself Nozomi chimed in again. "It's ok if that's your type. They seem easy, but they're likely not experienced, to be honest."

"Like I said they're just-"

"Friends. I got it. I got it, jeez!" Nozomi sighed as she rolled her eyes.

The three girls continued to chat amongst themselves but you couldn't manage to make anything out.

Talking somehow only made the situation worse...so you stayed quiet, lost in thought.

"Well it's getting late, I gotta go, tomorrow." Nozomi stated as she brushed past you.

"Yeah, see ya." Akane said as she followed behind the girl.

You didn't respond as you watched them leave.

"I should get going as well...but Y/n just go home, they're not safe." Chitose stated with a sympathetic smile.

You opened your mouth to object but she walked away, leaving you alone.

Unconsciously you traveled to the side of the school before leaning on one of the concrete walls to catch your breath.

It hurt to breathe, it felt as if your lungs were deflating no matter how much air you tried to breathe in.

It didn't help that you were shaking, not in anger but in shame.

Crouching down to gather yourself better, your vision began to blur as you fought back tears before shakily taking out your phone. It was now 3:45, the club would-

No. It was best you just went home. What could you possibly do for them?

It's not like they'd die...

They'd be fine? They'd be fine.

Right?

146 notes · View notes

feeling-pushy · 7 months ago

Text

The Early Years Shorts

Four little shorts that cover those early years spent with Montanha, Rosie and Asher as they traveled the world together, also a way to show the development of the future romance shared between Montanha and Asher :3

Anyways hope you like them!

Short 1: Montanha Doesn’t Like to Swim

It had been a couple of weeks since they picked Asher up, and so far he’s been an excellent addition to the team. Not only has he been incredibly helpful, picking up the slack when it was needed. But he had been providing another unique voice in the long conversations shared traveling down the long winding roads. Rosie and Montanha liked having him around.

The three of them were in what they believed to be the state of Mississippi at this point in their travels and had just found a place to rest for a few days. It was out, deep in the woods, where those Creatures wouldn’t really venture out. And there also just so happened to be a clean river nearby. An excellent place to fish and to swim on these increasingly hot summer days.

Montanha, Rosie, and Asher were quick to set up the camp. And once it was done, Asher decided to surprise his friends with a gift. Calling them both over to see. “I've been holding on to something real special!” he said, digging into his backpack. After a minute, he pulled out a dozen or so packets of powdered shampoo.

Both Rosie and Montanha's eyes go wide at the sight. “Holy crap!! Where'd you get those??” Rosie exclaimed, Asher smiled, “I found them in a storage facility while we were scavenging around. Probably just couldn't be put on the store floor in time before everything happened! But the good news is, we're not gonna smell like shit anymore!”

“Oh hell yeah!! I'm gonna go take a bath then! Don’t wait up!!” Rosie said as Asher handed her one and she went running off towards the river. Asher watched her go for a moment before turning his head to look at Montanha, “You and I can probably do the same after she's done, don't you think Montanha?”

Montanha, however, involuntarily flinched a bit when he said this, and his posture stiffened as he became a bit more guarded, “oh- uh- you mean together?”

“Yeah, I mean... Unless you're a more private guy? It doesn't really matter to me”

“Erm, yeah.... Sorry.” Montanha mumbled, not looking Asher in the eye as he said this, his hands unconsciously holding the front of his leather jacket together to hide himself. “Oh, dude. No worries! My brother was a private guy so I get that” Asher said quickly, seeing his obvious discomfort.

“Yeah....’ he then suddenly stood up, “I need to go... over there.” he said before somewhat stiffly walking off. As soon as he was out of Asher's sight and hearing, he let out a big sigh. He felt somewhat bad for lying about being a private guy, though in some ways he was. There were just certain, things, he didn’t want him to know about. He just didn't want Asher to end up treating him differently. With a tight-lipped frown, he decided to go make himself useful and go chop some wood.

Asher sighed as well as he left. Damn it, leave it to him to accidentally offend him. He'll have to make it up to him.

The first thing Asher thought to do was invite Montanha to go swimming. Perhaps if they could swim and have a bit of fun together , maybe Montanha would warm up to him. He waited a day to ask just to make sure he'd cool down enough

“Hey dude! I figured since we've got a good spot to hang for a bit we could go down to that river and maybe go for a swim! Cool down a bit, y'know?” Asher asked, approaching Montanha who was organizing their excess pile of wood. Montanha’s eyes widen a little at the question, “I uh, I can't swim.” he said rather quickly, too quickly really, as once again he unconsciously pulled his jacket front closed to hide himself.

Asher blinked, having not expected this answer, “Oh, um... Ok!”

“Ok...’ they both stand there for a moment before Montanha suddenly just turns his head, ‘Huh? What’s that Rosie?? I'm coming!” with that he ran off to the right, and into the brush. Not even a minute later Rosie came in from the left, eating a handful of blackberries she'd found, “what’s he running for?” she asked curious as she munched on a berry. She then turns her head and holds out a hand for Asher, “blackberry?”

Asher doesn’t go for a berry and instead just sighed, “I'm... Not sure actually. I think I might have offended him the other day on accident… I think he’s still mad at me.”

“Yah did? Wow, how'd you manage to do that?”

“I'm not sure, he didn't tell me or anything but just kinda... Ran off. After you went to wash yourself in the river I suggested going in together after you were done and he just got funny. I just didn't realize he was a private guy.”

Furrowing her brows, Rosie continued to nibble on her berries like a little squirrel before the realization struck her, “Ohhhhhhhhh.... Yeah, don’t worry about it.” she said after a moment. Asher just turned his head to look at her, forehead wrinkling, “You sure? He seemed really upset.”

“Oh he is, but it ain't because of you... Kinda. Anyways, just don’t sweat it. He'll get over it.” She offhandedly stated. Rosie then just placed some black berries in his hand, then patted his hand a little, “Well, I'm gonna go fishing, smell yah later!” As Rosie walked off again, Asher, hearing the word ‘fishing’ perks up a bit, “Fishing...”

The following day, Asher and Montanha both sat at the riverbank, fishing poles in hand. Fortunately, Montanha said yes when Asher gave him the invitation to go fishing with him and he thought now would be the best time to hopefully talk things out.

“So, uh… I wanted to apologize for the other day Montanha.” Asher said, getting the conversation started, “Hm? Oh! Uh... I-It's fine...” Montanha stammered, eyes glancing away. “No it's not. I shouldn't have made you uncomfortable but I'm gonna do my best to not do that from now on.” Montanha chewed his inner cheek a bit as he again pulled at his jacket, fingers fidgeting with the metal zipper teeth, “... It's not your fault. You didn't do nothin' wrong, it's cause of me.” He mumbled, still unable to look at him. “don't say that now. It’s never anyone's fault how they feel.”

“Still, I don’t want you to think you did anything wrong. You're a nice guy Asher.’ Montanha said softly, watching his hands as they found the zipper itself and he very quickly zipped it up and down the teeth as he tried to process his thoughts, he then let out a deep sigh, ‘Can... Can I admit something?”

“Sure man!

Montanha nodded, looking out into the water, “Look, I just... There is a certain image I know I project. Which is a big, strong, and manly man. The kind of man people depend on. And I care a lot about how people see me... So it's hard to admit that I'm-’ he hesitated, feeling a cold twisting in his stomach before he let out a sharp exhale, ‘I'm Transgender.”

Asher was silent for a second before speaking, “Oh! Ooooohhh! I totally get it now!”

“Yeah... That's why I got all weird about you suggesting we bathe together and the whole swimming thing. Cause I didn't want you to know and have it change how you saw me.” He admitted. Asher’s eyes softened a little and he looked out at the water as well, “I see... Thanks for telling me. I want you to know it doesn't change how I think of you.”

“You're just sayin’ that.”

“No I'm not, really! Hell, I have things I haven't told you about cause... Well actually cause of the same reasons.” Asher mutters.

“Yeah? Like what? If you don’t mind me ask’n.”

Asher didn’t speak for a moment as he swallowed dryly and took a deep breath of his own, he then turned to look Montanha in the face, “I'm actually pan...” he admitted.

“... Oh, like pansexual?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.’ Was all Montanha said blinking a bit in surprise, he then quickly cleared his throat, “Well, if it helps, I'm also gay too. So it doesn’t matter much to me. It doesn't change how I see you either.” As Montanha said this, he finally fully turned his head to face Asher, giving the copper haired man a small smile. This was met with an equally warm smile as Asher gazed back at him, “Thanks man.”

As Montanha continued to smile at him, his face began to flush as his cheeks started to get warm. The only reason he looked away in that moment is when he felt a yank on his fishing pull, and on instinct, he yanked up in response before reeling it in. Cussing lightly as the fish fought back, yanking harshly against his poll. After a quick tussle with the thing, he managed to pull out a large Sauger fish.

Holding it up and away from both his and Asher's faces so they don’t get cut by its sharp fins Montanha gave Asher a wide grin, “Now, this is something I care a lot about! Woo! Look at the size of this one!” he joked with a laugh. Asher laughed and grinned just as wide, his warm brown eye sparkling, “yeah! That'll go nice on the fire tonight!”

“damn right!” As the two of them share this moment together, Montanha couldn't help but feel his heart swell a little.

Asher really did make a good addition to the team.

Short 2: Do You Wanna Build A Ground Blind?

As the cool autumn breeze rustled through the trees, Rosie and Montanha found themselves relaxing by the fire pit which was yet to be lit. The smell of the chilly midafternoon air felt good and gave Rosie a sense of energy.

Leaning back, Rosie looked up and admired the clear blue sky, seeing a few wispy clouds floating by. Just then Asher walked towards them, a grin on his face. "Hey guys, I just caught a couple of fish for lunch!"

Montanha smiled at that, but Rosie made a face, "fish again? Is that all we got?" she complained. Montanha chuckled, “We also have some dried fruits and nuts from our last supply run if your lookin to nibble on something else, squirrel girl."

Rosie met that answer with a punch to Montanha’s arm. Plopping down next to Rosie, Asher smiled as he watched their usual antics. Once Rosie was done hitting Montanha she leaned back on her log and let out a big sigh, "I'm just saying, some red meat would be suuuppppeerrr good right now." Rosie then turned her head to look at Asher. "maybe we should do some hunting?"

“That's not a bad idea. We could use a fresh source of meat besides fish." Asher agreed. Rosie then got a bit more excited as she sat up, “Hey you know what we should build??’ both men look at her with a raised brow, ‘a ground blind!!”

“a ground blind…?” Montanha asked slowly, confused. Asher, on the other hand, perked up, “Oh shit yeah! A nice ground blind would be perfect. Then we could go out early and set ourselves up to hunt deer instead of just looking around for them.”

“Exactly! Ugh been a long time since I did some good old-fashioned hunting in a blind.” Rosie said, Asher nodded humming in agreement. Rosie’s enthusiasm had been contagious as Asher suddenly stood up and stretched, a determined look on his face. “Alright then, let’s get started. We should scout out a good location for the blind first. We’ll need to find a spot where deer are likely to pass through. Somewhere near water or a game trail would be ideal.”

Rosie jumped to her feet, already buzzing with energy. “I know a spot! There’s a clearing not too far from here, near a creek. I’ve seen deer tracks there before.”

“Lead the way, Rosie,” Asher said, grabbing his gear. Montanha, wanting to help out, followed suit and the trio set off through the woods.

The crunch of leaves underfoot and the crisp air filling their lungs, Rosie led the way, her eyes scanning the ground for familiar landmarks and a smile on her face. After a short hike, they reached the clearing she had mentioned, just a small opening in the middle of the trees with plenty of grass and what few wildflowers were still stubbornly sticking around. This would be an ideal spot for deer to graze, and therefore an ideal spot to hunt.

“Here it is,” Rosie announced, pointing to the ground where several deer tracks were clearly visible. “This is where they come through.” Asher knelt down, examining the tracks. “Looks fresh. This is a good spot.”

Rosie looked around, noting the natural cover provided by the trees and bushes. “We could set up the blind over there,” she said, pointing to a cluster of trees that would offer a perfect vantage point. “Perfect,” Asher agreed. “Let’s gather some materials and get to work.”

They then spent the next few hours collecting branches, leaves, and other natural materials to construct the ground blind. Rosie and Asher both showed off their expertise as they worked to weave branches together, creating a sturdy and camouflaged structure. Montanha pretty much followed their lead, gathering what they needed him to gather or helping to lift things that needed to be lifted as both Asher and Rosie added their own little touches to ensure the blind was both effective and comfortable.

By the time they were finished, the sun was beginning to set, casting a warm glow over the clearing. The blind stood ready, and Rosie stepped back, admiring their handiwork. “This is going to be hella perfect! Tomorrow morning, we’ll come out here early and see if we can bag ourselves a deer.”

“Sounds like a plan, I look forward too it!” Asher said with an excited grin.

As they made their way back to camp, Rosie and Asher were both abuzz with anticipation as they talked about the upcoming hunt. Even as they ate by the fire pit, now lit and crackling with warmth, they continued to discuss what weapons to bring, what gear to wear, and whether they should pack thermos’s with warm drinks. Montanha was content to just listen along, even if he wasn’t all that into the subject matter at hand, it was still just nice to see his friends excited about something.

When it was time for bed the three of them got into their shared tent and got themselves situated in as they cuddled, Rosie being little spoon to Montanha, and Montanha being little spoon to Asher as he laid in the middle. It was ideal for keeping warm, as well as giving each other a sense of comfort and safety. As Rosie snuggled up, she didn’t look tired at all as she grinned all giddy, “Tomorrow’s going to be a good day,”

“Yeah,” Asher agreed. “It’s going to be great.”

“Try to get some sleep you too.” Montanha said, “especially you Rosie.”

“Ok Dad.” Rosie quips with a smirk, Montanha just rolls his eyes, “Shush. Go to bed.” Asher chuckled, “Alright, good night you two.”

“Night.”

“Good night!”

With that, they settled in for the night, even Rosie did after some effort, the promise of a successful hunt fueling her dreams as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, the first light of dawn began to creep over the horizon, casting a soft glow through the trees. Rosie was the first to stir, like the excited child she was, she started to shake Asher awake, “Ash! Wake up it’s hunting time!” she whispered loudly.

Asher stirred after a moment and he gave her a sleepy smile, “yeah, give me a sec, I’ll get suited up.” Rosie nodded as she then turned and shook Montanha, “get up big guy! It’s hunting time!” Montanha lifted his head to look at her, blurry eyed, “What time is it?” he mumbled.

“I don’t fuckin know’ she takes a moment to check her phone, ‘four A.M.”

Montanha stared at her for a long moment before putting his head back down, “Yeah ok you two have fun with that…”

“Aww come on Montanha! Monnnttyyyy!” Rosie said, trying to egg him on a little with his least favorite nickname, “Nope. I’m sleeping. You two can hunt…” he said waving her off. Rosie puffed her cheeks annoyed but decided to let him be.

Asher and Rosie then quietly get ready, pack up their gear and soon the two of them slipped out of the camp, the early morning air cool and crisp against their faces. The forest was still, the only sounds being the soft rustling of leaves and the distant call of a bird.

When they reached the blind, Rosie and Asher settled in, their movements slow and deliberate to avoid making any noise. The blind provided excellent cover, allowing them to remain hidden while having a clear view of the clearing and the deer trail.

Rosie scanned the area, her eyes sharp and focused. “This is perfect,” she whispered. “Now we just have to be patient.”

Asher nodded, positioning himself to get a good shot if a deer appeared. They sat in silence, the forest gradually coming to life around them. As the two of them sat back in the shelter, they let the quiet of the woods take over for a moment. The soft cool breeze of the early fall air making Rosie shiver a bit as her breath came out in small white puffs.

Rosie breathed in the chilly air and after a moment her expression morphed into a melancholic one as she gazed out into the forest, “I missed doing this. Last time I did something like this, it was with my dad.” Asher, blowing warm air into his hands, looked at her, “Oh yeah? You and your dad hunted?”

“yeah, ever since I was ten. He showed me how to use a gun and a bow and arrow. Hunting season was our season you know?”

“Yeah, I do... What kind of hunting did you guys do?”

“Mostly deer and pheasant. My dad said for my eighteenth birthday he was gonna get me a license to hunt elk and we were gonna go hunt one as a late birthday gift... We would've gone this year.” Rosie said, voice trailing off and her eyes looking down sadly. Asher looked down a bit, recalling his own memories, “I'm sorry Rosie...”

“I saw them one last time, or at least I saw their doppelgangers, the day it all went down.” Rosie mumbled, Asher quietly lifted his head, face unreadable as she spoke, Rosie had never shared this part of the story with him before.

“Montanha had been walking me to my home, then they called us and asked us to meet them on some desolate road. From the moment I saw them I knew something was wrong... But I didn't want to believe it was. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Montanha stepping in, I wouldn't be here.’ tears filled her eyes as she continued, voice becoming thick, ‘I try really hard, not to think about it. The fact that my last memory of them will forever be of them turning into those- those things. It fucks me up so much.”

“I know what you mean... I went through the same thing with my brother.”

“I'm sorry’ she whispered, ‘that sucks...”

“It does... But my dad always had a saying for things like this.’ Rosie glanced at him, curious, ‘You can't focus on what's behind you, you won't know where you're going if you do." Asher said with a small smile.

Rosie eyes drifted down once more, face contemplative, “... but where do I put her memory? When it haunts me night and day? I can't hide it in the closet. And Lord, I can't throw it away....” she said flatly. After a moment of silence, she glanced up at him and looked a bit embarrassed, “sorry that's a quote from a song.”

Asher, however, gives a light chuckle, “Nah, it's alright. When I first heard him say that, I was just as confused. But I know now that what happens to someone can't be changed... But it's not the only thing we can focus on... Besides, look at that view.” As he said that, he gestured out to the trees, as the sun began to rise.

Rosie looked out and watched as the sky turned that orangey-pink, washing the forest in a warm glow and even coloring the early morning fog on the ground, it was like a hazy watercolor dream. A small smile graced her lips as she gazed out. Rosie hesitated a moment, before resting her head on Asher's shoulder, “Thanks for coming out here with me. Montanha is my best friend. Hell, he's kinda like a brother, but there are just some things he doesn't understand. But I'm glad you do.”

“Well, I try. That's all we can do.”

They sat like that for a long time, before Rosie’s keen eyes caught movement at the edge of the clearing. She tapped Asher lightly, pointing to where a young buck had emerged, cautiously stepping into the open space. Asher sat up and slowly drew his bow, careful to remain silent and steady.

Rosie watched intently, her own breath held as she kept her eyes on the deer, as Asher released the arrow. It zipped through the air, striking the buck cleanly. The deer staggered briefly before collapsing to the ground. Asher and Rosie exchanged a quick look, “We did it,” Rosie whispered, her eyes shining with excitement, “Yeah, we did.” Asher replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulder in a side hug, smiling warmly.

Short 3: Celebrity Crushes

It was a warm enough evening, with summer being just around the corner, so the three of them decided to stay up late around the fire. Sitting there they watched as the fireflies glowed throughout the expansive grassy fields and listened to the crackle of the fire and the chirping of the crickets. As the three sat there, Rosie was the first to pipe up, “So, celebrity crushes. What’s everyone’s top three?”

“Oh that’s a great question. Hmmm… Gonna have to say Harrison Ford is one for sure.” Asher said after some thought. “Not a bad choice, he’s pretty handsome. Joel Miller is a ten for me, shame they’ll never get to finish that “Last Of Us” tv show…” Montanha said with a sigh.

“Of course you got a crush on a man from a zombie apocalypse show.” Rosie said with a small eyeroll. Montanha just shrugged, “I will not deny he only came into my radar because of zombie apocalypse media. But he was pretty good in the Mandalorian too.”

“What about you Rosie?” Asher asked, Rosie didn’t even hesitate in her answer, “Oh, Johnny Cash for sure.”

“Pfft, of course you got a crush on a country singer.” Montanha said, parroting back her previous statement. “Shut up! He wasn’t just a country singer! He did movies too!!” Rosie whined. Montanha tittered, “Ok, ok! Sorry.”

Rosie however was still pouty as she sat there crossed armed, “Why don’t we here another one from you then, since your tastes are so much better than mine?” she asked huffingly. “Hm, ok, I think Kurt Russel for sure. Specifically in “The Thing.” When he’s got that big beard.”

“Shit that’s actually one of mines too!!” Asher suddenly shouted, looking pleasantly surprised. Montanha’s eyes lit up, “Wait really?!?”

“Oh my god yes! Like normally he isn’t my favorite.”

“But something about that long hair, and that tired look…”

“and that attitude?”

“ugh yes! It’s just so...”

“Sexy…”

As they spoke, they had leaned in closer and closer together, having a little moment. Rosie then stuck her face between the two of them, “Hello? We still talking about crushes or do you two need a minute alone?” Both sat back up again sharply, a dusting of pink on both of their cheeks, “Haha sorry I think we got a bit carried away!” Asher apologized.

Rosie raised a brow, but then shrugged, “Anyways, I just wanna say that Sam Elliot is also another celebrity crush for me.”

“Oh really? He certainly is a handsome fellow.” Montanha says with an approving nod, “Yeah no arguments there… But you sure do like older celebrities, do you not like any of the modern ones?” Asher asked curiously. Rosie’s face turned a bit red as she looked away, “I… I may have watched a lot of MeTV…’ she mumbled, ‘O-Only cause my dad liked it!!”

“Oh yeah..? What’s that last celebrity crush then hmm?” Montanha asked, with a bit of a smirk on his lips. Rosie started pouting again as she turned her head, still blushing, “Well now I’m not telling you. If you’re just gonna tease me.”

“Aw come on.”

“No.”

“Would it make you feel better to know I got an oldies celebrity crush too?” Montanha offered up, Rosie glanced over for a moment, “Tell me yours first.”

“Duane Jones.”

Rosie’s eyebrows go up as recognition crossed her face, “From Night of the Living Dead?” Montanha smiled wide, “Oh hey, so you have seen a zombie movie!” Montanha joked. This brought back Rosie’s smile as she giggled for a moment, “Only cause it was on MeTV that one time…”

“Fair enough. But yeah, I think he’s real classy.”

Rosie giggled again, “Yeah… James Stewart or Jimmy Stewart as some people called him, is my last one. I would say my number one crush actually, I always thought he was charming and he always played real sweet but sassy guys, he was and still kinda is, like, the templet, for the kinda guy I wanna fall in love with…” she admitted as she tucked back her hair and blushed again. “That’s not a bad model to go off of… I liked him in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’”

“Oh hey, so you have seen movies other than zombie films.” Rosie joked, which made Montanha chuckle. There’s a bit of a comfortable silence as the fire popped and the crickets chirped.

“Scarlet Johanson is my third celebrity crush.” Asher piped up after a moment. Both Rosie and Montanha start nodding in approval.

“Oh that’s a good choice, she’s very pretty.”

“Oh yeah, I’m gay and I still can appreciate her aesthetically.”

“Like her best when she’s got red hair, like mines.”

“Oh yeah red hair is the best look for her, I love red hair.”

Asher shrugs, “I personally prefer her blonde.”

“Eh, blonde is fine.”

“Blonde’s not my favorite.”

Asher exhaled sharply threw his nose, before bursting into a loud laugh at them and their almost simultaneous response. Both Montanha and Rosie blinked for a moment before they also started to laugh. The three of them laughed together as the little speckles of ember drifted up into the night sky.

Short 4: The Biggest Little Spoon

It had been a cool late summer night, the perfect night to lay out and sleep under the stars. After spreading out a large tarp, Asher, Rosie, and Montanha piled on a bunch of blankets and pillows to make it comfortable. Once everything was set out, Rosie was the first to flop down into the cushions with a smile, “Ohhh yeaaahhh, this is gonna be awesome.”

“Hey, make sure you save room for us, okay? We have to share that thing,” Montanha pointed out. Rosie waved him off, “Yeah, yeah, I will.”

“So, are we actually going to cuddle then?” Asher asked hesitantly.

“I mean, yeah, if you still want to. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I mean, I got no problem with it. I guess I’ve never, like, cuddled with a friend before?” Asher admitted, his shyness making itself known alongside a slight blush.

“It’s not such a big deal. I mean, me and Rosie just like the company.” Montanha said. “And the warmth!” Rosie added. “Montanha is like a damn heater, great on a cold night.”

Asher smiled a bit, “Alright, wouldn’t hurt to try, right?”

Montanha nodded. “So, uh, did you want to be held? Because I guess I could hold you, and then you can hold Rosie, and we can go in that order. Or maybe you would rather have Rosie hold you? You two are closer in size, so that could be a good option, and then I can just hold Rosie.”

“Uh, well... If it's all the same, I'd actually be more comfortable just holding onto you.” Asher said, another small flush gracing his cheeks. Montanha blinked, eyes widening like saucers. “Wait. Me?” he asked stupidly as he pointed to himself. “Yeah. I mean, if you're chill with that. You don’t gotta if you don’t want too.”

“Oh. I mean, sure! I’d just, uh, never had anyone offer to spoon me, so I just wasn’t expecting that...” The blush on Montanha’s cheeks surpassed the red-headed man’s as he said this. Popping her head out of the cushions like a little prairie dog, Rosie gave Montanha a look, “Hey! I offered once!”

“Yeah, and it was literally the worst we’ve ever slept. You kept kneeing me in the back...”

“And you're a literal mountain, and I couldn’t even wrap my arms around you! But it was the thought that counted!” Rosie argued. “Okay, fair enough,” Montanha said. He then looked at Asher, “But uh, yeah, if you wanna give it a shot, I don’t mind it…”

“Okay, cool.” Asher said with a smile.

Montanha and Asher then joined Rosie in the pile of pillows and blankets, and the three of them lay on their backs for a while, just watching the stars. They then decided to have a bit of fun pointing out the constellations.

“Haha, hey look, the stars in Sagittarius look like a little teapot,” Rosie pointed out with a small laugh. Asher laughed a little as well, “Heh, yeah, I think I see what you mean.”

“I see the Little Dipper.” Montanha added.

“I see the Summer Triangle.” Asher pointed out, tracing the shape with his finger. “Oh, and I see Hercules!” Rosie piped up.

“… I see the Little Dipper…” Montanha said again. Asher turned his head to look at him and laughed a bit through his nose, “Do you not know any of the constellations?” he asked, the tone of his voice sounding amused.

“I know the Big and Little Dipper….” Montanha mumbled.

“Oh my god, Montanha, really?” Rosie asked, laughing. Montanha pressed his lips together in a pout, “What? I didn’t really go outside much before the apocalypse!” Asher laughed softly, “Well, hey, why don’t we make up our own constellations then?”

“Oh! Yeah! Okay, let me see… That star there, there, and there? I’m calling that ‘The Mountain.’” Rosie said, pointing out the stars and tracing them with her finger. “Oh, I think I see that. Hmmm, I think those stars right there make a little squirrel.” Montanha added.

“I think those ones there look like a little bowl.”

“Those ones right there are totally an acoustic guitar!”

“And those ones definitely make a little rose.”

The three of them continued to make up little constellations together for a while longer. But soon enough, sleep started to weigh their bodies down. The three then positioned themselves to sleep. Rosie rested curled up in a little ball, her back against Montanha’s chest as she enjoyed the warmth. Montanha draped one arm over her but tucked the other hand to his chest. Asher lay with his face resting against Montanha’s back and one arm draped over Montanha’s side.

That night, as they lay under the stars, Montanha was the last to fall asleep. But unlike most nights where he lay somewhat fitfully, he found himself relaxing rather quickly. His biggest fear had been that Asher would be a snorer and would snore right into his ear, but to his pleasant surprise, Asher slept silently. The steady rise and fall of Asher's chest against his back was actually quite calming.

Asher's arm, draped over him, felt comfortable and reassuring, like a warm blanket. Montanha also realized that while Asher was shorter than himself, he was just the right height; his knees didn't hit his back, and his head fit perfectly in the curve of Montanha's upper back. It was almost as if they were two pieces of a puzzle finally clicking into place. That realization made him blush a little as he lay there.

As he drifted closer to sleep, Montanha was surprised at how natural it felt to be held by Asher, and he found himself overwhelmed with an odd sense of appreciation. It wasn't just the physical comfort; it was the sense of security and trust that Asher's presence brought. He had always been the protector, the one who looked out for others, but tonight, in Asher's arms, he allowed himself to be cared for. For the first time in a long while, Montanha felt truly at peace. A small smile curved on his lips as he finally succumbed to sleep, wrapped in the warmth of Asher's embrace.

As the crickets played their quiet melodies and under the wide, starry skies, the three amigos rested together in peace.

#my writing #writing #nonpreg writing #my ocs #montanha #rosie #asher #shorts #collection of stories #alien apocalypse #apocalypse

6 notes · View notes

skrunksthatwunk · 21 days ago

Text

just read shin devilman and i'm about to be so annoying what the FUCK WAS THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (both /pos and /neg but frankly /baffled. what the fuck. anyway thoughts below)

ok so i knew sd (i'm just gonna call it sd) was gonna be weird right. it has TOS style gratuitous funny time travel plots and TOS style homoeroticism it's like. it's mostly there to see ryo and akira hang out in a variety of Historical Events/Settings/Clothes and that's fine. in theory.

chapter one fucking. i. okay i had this foreboding sense right like oh... they're in vienna in 1913 and my first thought was "do i google when hitler was born + is this a "do we kill baby hitler" time travel theoretical??" and i was like no no he would've been older. anyway it's gotta be a coincidence right hitler's not going to be in this. and then we meet this painter. his name is adolf. oh god. he hates jewish people. oh no. but everybody was antisemetic back then it like,, it might be a hitler symptom but this could still be another unaffiliated adolf. oh but his hair's greasy. but he doesn't have the mustache so maybe it cancels out? and as it goes on im like seeing okay his jewish.. art dealer(?) is selling this portrait of his unrequited love to another jewish man and i'm like oh god Please don't do what i think you're going to do with this but also debating whether or not i want this to be hitler because on one hand it would be an awful narrative choice. like politics aside (we'll get there) it's just so goddamn tacky. but on the other hand my fear and increasing belief that go nagai is about to reveal this guy to be THE adolf hitler is building up pressure for a fit of hysterical laughter that i Know is likely coming. god it would be so baffling and so so funny and

i howled. is my point.

like i cannot express to you how fucking mind melting this was to me. for the next couple hours of reading i would just stop and (unprompted) whisper adolf..! adolf hitler...!! to myself like. god what a fucking. just look at it god i don't have to explain LOOK AT THIS SHIT. LOOK AT IT. he animorphs into evil older hitler. it's in Such poor taste and it has Such fucking. dumb implications. we'll get there.

what else. oh i love how nagai doesn't even bother with explaining them adjusting to places most of the time. next chapter BOOM they're in armor on a boat ready for battle. did they just pop out of the dimensional rift like that? in historically appropriate roles/clothing? that doesn't always happen though bc ryo has to get them clothes for versailles next chapter. but we meet them with the cheyenne and it looks like they've been there a while so. idk it's goofy to me. he really said i am not putting all that effort into a drabble.

pivot but i like how dumb yaoi-coded a lot of sd is. i read it for The Scene (the "akira im not into women i um. i. uh" scene) but it still kind of surprised me sometimes. i would be chastising myself for looking at akira diving overboard to save ryo (in full armor) bc it's not Really gay to save his best friend's life right and then that's Immediately followed by this

im fucking losing my mind. kyaa don't take off my armor (baka). what am i doing. what was HE doing writing this. etc.

^^i didn't even gather everything gay i saw because eventually it started feeling about as enlightening as pointing out the gay bits in a ryokira doujin. but those are some highlights i guess. you think they encountered homosexuality in the ancient grecian military? surely not...... unless..............? (also they're bound by fate..... look i know they're almost The most literal iteration of that dynamic but. i know what you are)

i love this bit. zero stakes. "yeah greece kinda ate shit" "lol exactly like--" "SHUT THE FUCK UP AND WALK!!!!!!!!!"

what else what else. oh this panel was funny. only her left arm is being severed here so that right shoulder is supposed to connect to her back. somehow. spot the difference!

THEY GOT FLAT STANLEYED

another panel i liked. the h in dhevilman stands for head empty

this one too. the scan was actual shit so i kept not seeing the guns so this was Extra jarring to me

also look at these little blurbs at the end. iirc they only did those for the joan of arc and little bighorn stories and LOOK HOW DIFFERENT THEY ARE TONALLY

like the joan chapter is largely sweet? i guess? it's supposed to be a happy ending and it's like aww (though. i don't think joan would be like "an angel in the form of a demon... :)" but whatever) and then it's like Yeah Well She WAS Tried For Being A Witch. By Humans. And Was Burned Alive. it's super jarring and then the little bighorn one is like "sometimes they put this in movies!" as if we didn't just see people get massacred???

actually that brings me back to the hitler thing. i'm kinda new to devilman so take this with a grain of salt but part of what i appreciated about How devilman's apocalypse happens is that like.. demons weren't Really in control of humanity's governments or anything. they inspired paranoia that exacerbated preexisting prejudice and selfishness and led people to view the marginalized as the most dangerous For their past oppression, and humanity tore itself apart. and when there was a little compilation of the groups targeted in this, jewish people (specifically in the context of the holocaust) and native americans were both brought up, and i respected that as well. devilman takes place in our world, so discussing these atrocities and ongoing bigotries is like,, relevant and important for what it's trying to do, i feel. it wasn't focused on much, but it stuck out to me, and i think it shows a degree of care about those genocides on the part of nagai.

but i think mentioning them in passing and from a contemporary perspective was a bit safer. you have to be a lot more careful doing historical fiction/time travel misadventures about Very Real atrocities for your Very Unreal Fantasy Romp. and i think that because nagai feels moved by these atrocities and because they're kind of important to devilman and what it's saying about humanity, he felt it would fit to have them in a devilman story that includes time travel (or perhaps he was just inclined due to artistic preferences. either way). i think it also makes sense to explore, in theory. yet any time you insert your fantasy bullshit as a cause for/major factor in An Actual Irl Genocide/Etc you kind of trivialize it. not quite the same, but the closest other example i could think of was how motherfucker supreme jk row.ling took the witch burnings and was like haha that was witches playing pranks on stupid idiot muggles. they were laughing btw. real actual irl people were murdered!! i'm not saying you can never joke about it or mess with it but when you're treating them as serious events And Also going "well actually it was my Dumb Fantasy Thing that caused that" you like.. make it about your dumb fantasy thing instead. the dead are reduced to props.

ch 1's depiction of hitler was of one who already hated jewish people before watching his beloved be burned alive by a jewish(?) demon (a demon masquerading as a jewish person? yeah), but who decided to dedicate his life to jewish extermination Because of that event. and i think the decisions to have him hate jewish people before this AND to not make him a demon are good. this could've been worse. but it still kind of makes the holocaust about demons, y'know? hitler was a person, one influenced by the world in which he lived. countless surrounding factors led to his hatred of jewish people, his attraction to fascism, and his genocidal project. the same is true for everyone involved in perpetuating or tolerating the holocaust. there is no inciting incident, really, for that hatred existing. not for most people. devilman is fundamentally concerned with the nature of group hatred, fear, bigotry, and violence. i would argue they're within its central bundle of inextricable themes (no matter how many adaptations try to, y'know. extricate it). exploring historical instances of that makes sense. but disregarding all of that nuance in favor of "demons tricked him" is in bafflingly poor taste. it's one thing to place demons in a contemporary/future-set story manipulating governments and encouraging violence, but it's another to make the murders of millions of Actual Real Not-Props-For-Your-Spinoff people retroactively caused by demonic influences. because it kind of decreases the agency of the Actual Real murderers. in sd they were tormented, deceived, manipulated by higher forces. in reality they were manipulated, maybe, but by humans. the same is true for the little bighorn chapter. admittedly, i'm less familiar with this event, but it seems... vaguely accurate? to my memory? regardless, taking a massacre that was part of a genocidal effort spanning centuries and going "custer had demons in his heart >:(" is like. revolting to me! and i don't think it's even a like,, metaphorical demon in the hearts of him and his men because we see a very literal demon in marie antoinette's heart the chapter prior. i think it's supposed to be the same thing. symbolic, maybe, but in-story there is in fact a literal demonic possession causing this. as opposed to the propaganda, violence, willful ignorance, greed, callousness, etc which actually caused it. it's like.. anti-relevance. anti-poignance. even if the demons are symbolic of like. humanity's base instincts or whatever i still don't like it. it's stupid and it sucks. and you've got like. tiana getting raped. and because of the context she's a sort of stand-in for everyone who experienced sexual violence as part of this genocide. and it's got the go nagai depictions of sexual violence funk on it (i need to finish devilman lady but Oh Boy) so it's like yucky and that makes the depiction of the genocide broadly yucky because it's again a snapshot of an actual THING that HAPPENED to REAL PEOPLE and it still has the horny funk and. god am i making sense?? whatever it's like. bad to me. i'm not saying you can't like shin devilman or whatever but this part was gross and as hard as the hitler twist made me laugh it was simply not worth it. the toybox approach to historical fiction is Not Good when you start putting in real atrocities and real people, imo. you can't blame hitler's antisemitism on demons bc that primes people to dismiss others as Just Evil it encourages an ignorance that perpetuates genocide and also it's just kind of bad for your story's like.. social commentary. devilman feels like an indictment of humanity but sd almost feels like it's excusing humanity for the same actions bc of the retroactive thing. it's like devilman's demons weren't manipulating humans who independently had a pattern of mass violence for xyz reasons but instead were the secret cause of every cycle of mass violence humans did. it blows!! genuinely open to differing views on the fucking political commentary in shin devilman but idk i just uh. don't think it was good. as someone who's fresh off a first read.

idk. um. i thought shy ryo was interesting.

tbh it doesn't seem like,, in line with my image of ryo from the original series? but i kind of like it when characters are unexpectedly shy, so it's cute to me. i have to wonder when in the process of writing devilman nagai decided ryo was 1) in love with akira and 2) intersex (something ryo if not nagai himself explicitly ties into his interest in men), because the whole thing feels... different than devilman irt that dynamic. i mean, i've been talking about how gay sd is, but i genuinely think a lot of that comes from a desire to depict their relationship with those things in mind, both for the audience and (again, potentially) the author. making ryo more shy in like.. a kind of effeminate way? (idk man idk) feels like the sort of not-quite-retcon that'd stem from that.

actually i kind of liked his relationship with tiana, brief as it was, and what it highlighted about ryo. he blushes when he realizes she's into him, and while he sort of rebuffs her flirting, it's clear that he still cares about her. he's flustered by the situation because it puts him in an awkward spot, not being able to say why he's not interested (and who he's actually interested in). it's a less-discussed and honestly very relatable part of being gay and closeted that was like,, pleasantly surprising to see. hell yeah. and that bit about ryo being unable to kill animals where she says he has a gentle heart is so cute to me

they're friends!! :> and that rules. i think there's a tendency to depict queer characters who don't (and are unable to) reciprocate the feelings of a straight character as being cold to them. and i think it would be really easy to take this gay sort-of-villain in ryo and make him disregard tiana (or women broadly)'s feelings (the gay misogynist trope). but ryo is tiana's friend. her crush isn't going to change that, because the friendship is genuine and comes first, and i like that. and i think in the context of sd we're supposed to read ryo's feelings for akira as ultimately unrequited. he loves akira, and akira loves miki. but that's not why they're not friends in the end. i see ryo/tiana and ryo/akira as parallel relationships. that in a world where ryo confesses and akira doesn't reciprocate, they would still be friends (something especially powerful with a gay character, who're treated as if they perverted a perfectly normal friendship). it's kind of sweet and hopeful, even if you know their relationship's going to end for other reasons soon enough. and he cries when he sees her dead!! i know that feels like a no-brainer to have characters cry when they see people massacred (people who took care of them for weeks) but it's not a given!! and again it shows that he cared for her rather than being like pshuh. women. which again a lot of people inject into their gay guy characters. like i'm glad that one of the adjustments made to ryo's character Was Not That (phew) but instead something that kind of made him more similar to tiana, made him relate to her even though her crush made him feel a bit awkward. like. there's room for exploration there, with him projecting his own awkwardness onto akira and stuff. anyway. yeah i wish she was a more developed character bc she is very much a brown girl there to fall in love with a foreign stranger, highlight elements of his character, and then die horribly but that doesn't mean i don't like what was there, i guess, so much as what wasn't.

#oh also i know there's at least one spinoff thing where ryo and miki kiss but here ryo says he's not into women so...? irt the gay vs bi ryo #debate i am going with gay for the purposes of writing this but like. bi ryo enjoyers i see you i salute you #bonus round i like ryo's striped jim-jams. his pjs. he didn't even button it up the whole time he was with hitler which is wild to me.#this means that hitler saw satan's cleavage. god i'm still not over it. ADOLF.... ADOLF HITLER!!!! like come ON #like did we need both the image of him With the mustache AND his full name to recognize that this was in fact THAT adolf?#on the subject of injecting fantasy bs into real historical stuff i will say that i don't.. particularly have a problem with the joan of #arc and m antoinette chapters? which is probably weird right #like that's a person who existed who died etc but i guess it just doesn't feel. Quite As Weird To Me? for some reason?#when it's one person's relatively unimpactful internal experiences rather than the catalyst for mass murder. i guess #it's like saying mozart had a dream about something. like yeah it's kind of weird using a real person as an action figure like that but #it's not like.. THAT big of a deal (depending greatly on what you do with them)#shin devilman #oh lmao it's letting me post it. like 5 hours later. alright

2 notes · View notes