#rose woulda sent that comment

[incorrect-hs-quotes]

EB: i just ate a pound of pecans, what should i do??

EB: apparently they have a lot of fat and it's recommended to only eat one ounce a day. they're cinnamon covered. i accidentally ate like 3,600 calories of them (i'm a little white boy) what can i do please thank you help me thank you.

[thewholecrew]

they didn't expect to find anyone in the arena so early in the morning but as they entered the building they heard the echoing of forceful swings and hard fists against the punching bag. aside from rev and now more recently octavia, they didn't know many who would venture in here to work out or practice moves. that was why they were surprised to see grant already in a full sheet of sweat going ham against the punching bag.

they watched his form and it looked pretty good, feet spaced out properly. he wasn't as light on them but of course his enemy wasn't moving, simply swaying each time he sent a flying fist into it. there was some power there and rev grinned as they dropped their bag on the bench behind him which spooked him, causing him to turn with fists up and eyes wide if only a moment. rev snickered, hands up at their sides, always forgetting how well they could sneak up on people without realizing.

"sorry," they said before tilting their head, "didn't expect anyone to be here so early." "s'fine." grant replied in a simple gruff tone as he turned back to continue punching the bag.

a brow rose as rev walked closer, wrapping their fists as they did so, "you want some real competition? pretty boring fighting something that can't even fight back." they would know, the punching bag was rev's last resort, much preferring a willing participant against them if there was one. and as grant paused, panting slightly with lowered fists he shrugged. "sure, you offering?"

rev snorted, "you see anyone else?"

grant smirked at that, shrugging, "just checking." picking up his water bottle he took a long drink while rev finished getting ready, pulling off their baggy sweater and slipping into the ring in the middle of the arena. "ohhhh, so the big man's got a sense of humor --- who woulda known," they taunted as grant joined them. "there's a lot you don't know about me," he answered simply with a small smirk as he raised his fists and resumed the stance rev had studied when they'd entered.

"well that's obvious," rev answered with a scoff and a roll of their eyes. "one thing i do know?" they began and grant raised an inquiring brow as rev took their own fighting stance with a grin, "is that by the end of this i'll have knocked you flat on your ass."

grant kept his smirk from growing wider despite the amusement that sparkled in his eyes, "you think?" he taunted back which only had rev's grin widening, the fire flickering in their eyes too, "oh, i know so."

and then they lunged. they were fast but they expected grant to be slow, to only have his strength --- a mistake on their part. grant ducked the swing and slipped easily past rev, trying his best to keep the small smirk on his face from growing. he said nothing but rev's nostrils flared and their grin seemed to transform into a snarl.

they lunged again and grant brought his arms up to block the punch -- a bad idea as their fist connected with his arm and he knew there would be a large bruise there later on. he still managed to dodge a hit from the otherside, grabbing revs arm as he spun and ducked, foot sweeping out. there was skill there that rev hadn't anticipated but they were quick enough to jump back. once landing a step away, rev scoffed. "alright.... not bad," they praised, rolling their neck as they shrugged their shoulders. no holding back now.

the two fought for a while, rev was amazed at how well grant did at redirecting their punches, clearly trained in something that none of the guys rev had ever fought knew. he even managed to a few strikes in which had rev nearly howling with excitement. the thrill of having someone to fight against that was actually pretty decent? "seems like you sure are full of surprises," rev commented, as they'd launched themselves at grant and had been flipped over his shoulder. rev landed rather gracefully on their feet in a crouched position, hands against the matt as their eyes sparkled.

"still think this is going to end the way you pictured it?" grant asked, panting lightly as he rolled his shoulder. rev simply smirked, "i sure do, wanna know why?"

"---cuz i can do this all day." and they lunged again, swinging fist after fist, some landing but grant was able to deflect and dodge most of them until rev lifted their knee and both his hands went to catch it. it was a quick movement but it seemed as if time slowed down just for a moment as rev leaned in, an almost feral look on their face as they said, "and i'm just getting started."

[yepiamthesmileyface]

Just Friends(?)

[Image description: screenshot of an ask sent by @nemesis-is-my-middle-name​ reading “38 - Everyone thinks we’re already dating, but we’re just best friends- oh wait? (if ur taking prompts idk)” end image description]

Read it on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28347906

Going to a Denny’s after a case was always a gamble. On one hand, there was hot, cheap junk food at whatever ungodly time they wrapped up their investigation; but on the other, sometimes the Denny’s had specimens like this. Vivi sighed, shoving a huge bite of her pancakes in her mouth and trying to tune out the ravings of the old white man who had stormed up to their booth — at three in the morning, mind you — and started screeching about how you should be ashamed of yourselves, displaying such perversions in public!! and three people living in sin!!

Normally, Vivi would have at least been making snarky comments, if not actually challenging him to a fight for insulting her and her boys like that, but...she was tucked comfortably under Lewis’s arm, the hand that wasn’t holding her fork reached across and resting on Arthur’s thigh. Also, it was literally three in the morning, she was covered in mud and slime from chasing a giant frog-creature around in a nearby river, and she had been awake for twenty-one consecutive hours. She took another bite. The pancakes tasted extra good for the exhaustion and ache sunk into her bones, strawberry topping and whipped cream and thick fluffy pancakes and maple syrup...it was almost enough to get her to forget about the man shrieking at them. She glanced back over at him, idly noting that his face was turning an interesting shade of puce.

The waiter walked back over with the same jaded, unfazed look he wore when the three of them had staggered into the Denny’s, soaked to the bone and absolutely covered in muck. He folded his arms and stared at the old man. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You’re disturbing the other guests.” The old man turned to look at the waiter, puffing up not unlike the giant frog the Mystery Skulls had captured and returned to its actual habitat not half an hour ago, and rapidly deflating as he took in the completely impassive, almost dead-eyed stare of the late-night Denny’s waiter. He hurried out of the building, spitting one last insult about how they were all going to hell for living in sin. Given that he had used that particular phrase about nineteen times, it had kind of lost its fire, as far as Vivi was concerned.

Vivi felt some of the tension drain out of Lewis, and she turned her head, looking over at her boys. Lewis looked relieved and tired, catching her eye and smiling at her, soft and warm and completely unguarded. There was a streak of mud high on his cheek, almost matting in his no-longer-pristine hair. She smiled back, the expression billowing up like a balloon on a current of love, and reached up to wipe the smear away. Lewis leaned into her touch, and she cupped his cheek for a moment before wiping her hand on her skirt and leaning forward a little to peer around Lewis’s chest in order to check on Arthur. In contrast, Arthur looked like a live wire of tension, like he would either shatter or vault over the table and sprint away if anything else happened. Her smile dropped.

The waiter turned to them, ready with a scripted apology that actually carried a note of sincerity that Lewis quickly waved off. As he took care of talking to the waiter, Vivi leaned across him, patting Arthur’s leg quickly to get his attention. 

Arthur jumped, nearly hitting his knees on the table. Vivi felt a little guilty, but quickly pushed through. “Hey. It’s alright. He’s gone.”

Arthur met her gaze, eyes wide and grin forced. His hair hung limp around his face, framing him beautifully in dark gold. “Y-yeah. Plus — plu-plus, h-he — was, wasn’t even may-making any, any, any se-sen-se.”

She bit her lip. If his stutter was coming out that strong, he was either much more anxious or much more tired than she thought. Probably a combination of both. Pulling up a warm, playful grin from the depths of her chilled bones, she said, “Yeah. I mean, his argument was both really painfully dumb and also really Christian-centric! I mean, hello, not everyone is Christian, I’m definitely not, so, like…”

Arthur continued on like he hadn’t even heard her, leg starting to bounce under the hand she just realized she never moved. “I me-mean, I mean, he — h-he — we, we’re — I mean, we’re jus-just, just friends. Wh— I do-don’t kno— I dunno why h-he tho-thougth we we-were —”

Vivi felt Lewis freeze under her, and she wasn’t far behind. She felt breathless, like she had been punched in the gut, like he had slapped her in the face instead of saying those three little words bouncing around her head. We’re just friends?! “Wait. Wait, what?!” The words came out closer to a whine than she would have liked them to, but she was too stunned to really care.

At the same time, Lewis gasped like he had been shot. “You’re — are you breaking up with us?!” He sounded like he was two seconds away from bursting into loud sobs in the middle of this Denny’s.

Arthur’s mouth dropped open, and he stared at them with eyes the size of dinner plates. A stunned silence fell over their booth, broken only by the wavering sound of Lewis’s breathing.

Before any more drama could happen, Vivi held up her hand, forcing the words out past the cold spot that had taken up residence between her lungs. “No. Nuh-uh. Arthur, one word answer, and we’ll talk about this all when it’s tomorrow. Are you breaking up with us?”

Arthur opened and closed his mouth a few times before volunteering a tentative, “N-no…?”

Her shoulders slumped as she let out an explosive sigh. “Alright. Let’s — tomorrow? Tomorrow, when we’re not all so tired, we’re gonna talk about this, yes?”

Arthur nodded slowly, still boggling at them for some reason. Vivi was too tired to puzzle his behavior over properly, so she just glanced up at Lewis, who also nodded, unwinding his arm from around her to wipe at his face.

The rest of the night seemed to pass in snapshots to Vivi’s tired mind. Their dinner being boxed up. Walking back to the motel, just across the parking lot. Patting Mystery on the head and telling him he’s a good boy yes he is. Collapsing face first into the delicious crisp coolness of the starched motel bed. Lewis’s deep, tired chuckle as he took her glasses off her face. The weight of another body next to hers, but not the two she had become accustomed to after countless nights on the futon in the van. 

The next morning, she woke up slowly to the smell of coffee, and made to roll over so she could sit up. Instead, the world plummeted around her as she rolled right off the bed with a sharp, panicked yelp, caught in a devious trap of tangled blankets and sheets. A soft, almost stifled snort came from her left, and a pair of hands reached into the gordian knot of fabric, deftly untangling her. She squinted up at the blur of color and fuzz, the pale yellow-orange blur instantly recognizable as Arthur.

Vivi huffed, knowing full well he was smirking at her, the bastard. “Oh, like you’ve never rolled off the bed before.” She flailed her hand towards the bedside table, groping around blindly and not finding her quarry. “Where the hell’re —” A yawn interrupted her, wide enough to make her jaw crack. 

The Arthur-blur disappeared for a second, and when he came back, he slipped her glasses into her hands, his hands nice and warm where they made contact with hers. “Lew had ‘em over on his side of the bed for some reason.”

She slipped her glasses on, and the world came into rose-tinted focus. “Thanks, Artie.” She looked around the motel room, noting a distinct lack of giant purple-headed fops and talking dogs, and frowned. “Speaking of, where is he?”

“He’s grabbing all our meds from the van, I think. At least, I’m hoping he’s grabbing all of ours, he just said he’d get the meds, but I didn’t —” Arthur cut himself off with a swig from his travel mug. “Oh, and Mystery took himself out for a walk a couple’a minutes ago.”

Vivi laughed. “He’s probably definitely grabbing all of our meds. Did he make coffee, or did you?”

“It’s from the breakfast buffet, actually. Burnt, but not horrible. Better than that place in Staccatto, anyway,” Arthur shrugged, walking over to sprawl on the couch. “I grabbed you a cup, too, don’t worry.”

“The mud we were wading around in yesterday woulda been better coffee than that place in Staccatto,” Vivi grumbled, picking herself up and making a beeline for the coffee. “I’m pretty sure it was dirt. At least fifty percent dirt.” Leaning against the wall as she drank, she picked at the feeling that she was forgetting something. Something important, not just the fact that she forgot to shower last night and as such was still covered in itchy, flaky mud and sweat and her socks were sagging down without fresh sock glue — she shook her head to clear it. She was forgetting something important, something that had happened the night before. The case had gone well, they were paid half upfront and they would get the other half later that day, Lewis was getting their meds, breakfast was either the buffet or leftovers...leftovers. Wait. Her eyes widened as the whole Denny’s escapade came back to her in a flash. The bigoted old man who had practically burst a vein yelling at them, Arthur’s comment about them being just friends — but he wasn’t breaking up with them, apparently???

Downing the rest of the coffee in one gulp, she glanced towards the door, then back to Arthur. She should wait, Vivi told herself sternly. She should wait for Lewis, because Lewis was an important part of their relationship, and he should not be left out of serious relationship discussions.

Luckily, she was saved from the antsy feeling creeping around under her shoulder blades by the sound of the door opening. Lewis ducked in, a tote bag bearing the logo of a kitschy tourist trap in his hand. He beamed as he noticed her, walking up and giving her a good morning kiss.

Vivi laughed, putting a hand on his chest and pushing him away lightly. “Lew, I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet! No morning breath kisses, we all agreed those were the worst.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Arthur start, but Lewis just laughed, walking over to the table and setting the bag down on it. He started to unpack, first his own rainbow pill caddy, then Vivi’s cylindrical one, and finally Arthur’s loose assortment of orange bottles. “Fine, fine. Meds, everybody, come and get it.”

Once they had all taken their various medications, and Arthur had been chided into using his coffee to take his meds instead of taking them dry, Vivi took a deep breath. “Okay. Boys, I think we need to have a serious conversation now.” Arthur stiffened, and his eyes darted towards the windows. Vivi immediately strode forward, sitting down on the couch next to him. “I will sit on you if I have to, Artie,” she warned him, only half joking.

Arthur sighed and slumped against the couch, covering his face with his hands. His ears were cherry-red, and Vivi couldn’t help but find it cute.

Despite the cuteness, she shared a worried glance with Lewis as he settled down on the bed across from the couch. Lewis shook his head, a worried frown pulling at his face. She took another deep, grounding breath, setting her shoulders and sitting up straight before she looked at Arthur. “Okay. Arthur. What was that last night? You — you said we were just friends,” and those words still stung like a winter wind, “But then you say you’re not breaking up with us?”

It came out a touch more accusatory than she wanted it to, and Lewis took over with a gentle, “We’re not mad, Arthur. Not disappointed, either, but — if you don’t want us to even say we’re dating when we’re in public, I wish you’d told us earlier. It’s okay if you don’t! It really is, I get it, but…”

Arthur went impossibly redder, and curled in on himself, drawing his knees up towards his chest. “I dndwrdn…” he whined, muffled by his hands.

“I didn’t catch that, sorry,” Vivi said, wrapping her hands lightly around his wrists and tugging gently, trying to get him to lower them. 

Arthur took a deep breath, dropped his hands, and half yelled, “I didn’t know we were dating!!!” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, his hands shot back up so fast he practically slapped himself in the face.

Vivi sat back, stunned. He...didn’t know? How could he possibly not know?!

“I — I, I, you — you never asked!” Arthur yelped.

Oh, she had said that out loud. “What do you — Arthur, we asked you out two months ago!”

Lewis raised his hands in a T, using the same tone he used on his sisters when they were getting too rowdy. “Okay, you two, time out!”

They both fell silent, turning to face Lewis.

Lewis tilted his head, looking at their boyfriend. Who...apparently didn’t know that he was their boyfriend. “Arthur...do you really not remember? We asked you out when we were back home, almost two months ago.”

“Okay, yes, it was a month, four weeks, and five days, not two months, but I don’t think semantic arguments are gonna be a big help here, babe,” Vivi grumbled.

Arthur shook his head wordlessly, still hiding his cherry-red face.

A month, four weeks, five days, and a handful of hours ago…

“It honestly feels so weird not living out of the van, doesn’t it?” Vivi mused, taking a bite of pizza.

“It really does. I’d completely forgotten what it was like to be woken up in the morning by forty pounds of overenthusiastic child launched directly at my sternum,” Lewis laughed, rubbing at his chest.

“Lew, we’ve only been road tripping for three months. That’s a bit quick, big guy,” Arthur snickered, pausing to shove half a slice of his weird oyster pizza in his mouth.

“It was so nice, though! The most I had to deal with while living with y’all is your pointy elbows!” Lewis leaned over and mussed Arthur’s hair. A laugh bubbled out of Arthur as he batted at Lewis’s hand futilely, trying to save his cone of hair gel. Laughing, Lewis subsided, pulling back. “But, yeah, I woke up this morning with a Cayenne-shaped bruise right on my sternum.”

Vivi winced sympathetically, shaking her head. “Ouch. Did she mean to?”

“Nah. Just excited.” Lewis’s smile turned fond. “They missed me. Demanded souvenirs and made me sit down and be their personal giant teddy bear as they watched Moana for the eighth time. Then Paprika gave me about twenty bead bracelets. When y’all come to the Paradiso, she’s got your piles waiting.”

“She’s still doing bead bracelets?” Vivi asked, a note of excitement in her voice. The last time they had all gotten bead bracelets from Paprika, it was right after the Peppers had explained what transgender meant, and the three of them had all gotten a bead bracelet with the word transgender wildly misspelled, the pink, white, and blue of the flag slapped randomly on there. It was the best piece of jewelry she owned — hers said “trasgenner”, Arthur’s said “trainsgandr”, and Lewis’s said “trasgeneer”. Paprika had been very determined to do it on her own, and had just gone with her best guess on each one.

“Yep! She’s got one for both of you that has your favorite animal as a charm,” Lewis revealed, grinning.

“Perfect!” Vivi did a very restrained fist pump.

Arthur hummed, staring at the pizza boxes on the table. It was almost a full twenty seconds before he grabbed another slice. “That actually sounds really nice. Both the, the bracelets and the personal teddy bear Moana thing.”

“Honestly, it wasn’t bad at all.”

Silence descended on their table, comfortable and companionable. Vivi shut her pizza box, setting her elbows on the table and propping her head on her hands, studying the two in front of her. Butterflies were building in her stomach — they were just both so beautiful, the warm noonday sunlight making both her boys glow in different ways. Arthur looked like he was wreathed in gold, his hair and eyes shining the same color as the sunlight. On the other hand, the warm light brought out the full richness of Lewis’s skin tone and made his hair gleam like the satin of his ascot, as well as glinting off his sparkly magenta nail polish. She made eye contact with Lewis, jerking her chin towards Arthur and wiggling her eyebrows.

Lewis blushed, glancing at Arthur nervously. Arthur, completely oblivious, simply leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting closed. He didn’t look tired, or, at least, not drop dead exhausted, just relaxed, happy, and full, so Vivi took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders.

“So, Artie...there’s something we’ve been meaning to ask you.”

Arthur opened his eyes, meeting her gaze curiously. There was no undercurrent of nervousness in his eyes, and Vivi was warmed to the core by his trust in them — she had asked an extremely open-ended question. “Huh? What’s up?”

Lewis cleared his throat. “We want to ask you if...Arthur, would you like to go out with us?”

“I thought that’s what we’re already doing right now…?” Arthur looked adorably confused, brow furrowed as he looked between them. 

Vivi shook her head. “No, like, as a date. Will you go on a date with us, and-or be our boyfriend?”

Arthur sat very still for a long moment (she wasn’t even sure he was breathing) before a grin unfolded across his face, as resplendent as the sun itself. “Yeah. I’d — I’d really love that. I — yeah. Yeah, I’ll go out with you and be your boyfriend.”

“Oh, perfect!” Vivi squealed, barely restraining herself from launching across the table and kissing him until he was more lipstick-mark than man. “When works best for you? Should we go somewhere in town, or wait til we’re on the road again? There’s this sushi place in Tremolo that I’ve just been dying to try, we should go there, if we’re waiting til we’re on the road again. Or just in general, it seems really good and I haven’t had good sushi in ages.”

Arthur tilted his head, clearly considering her words. His smile took on a wistful edge. “...y’know...I don’t really need all the fancy date stuff. Just...I’m happy to do what we’ve been doing, just...together. Having you guys be — being with you guys, romantically — that...that would be enough for me,” he said softly.

Lewis grinned over at him, soft and sappy, and opened his mouth. Before he could say anything, his phone rang in his pocket, and he pulled it out, grimacing a little as he checked the caller ID. “It’s Papá. Hold on, I gotta take this.” He stood up, stepping a bit away. Not a minute later, he stepped back, regretful smile firmly in place. “...sorry, guys. I’m needed back at the Paradiso for free childcare,” he joked.

“Aww…” Vivi was really only half disappointed. They had pretty much finished up lunch, only a few slices left between the three of them (none of them hers), and she had a shift at the Tome Tomb coming up soon, anyway. And, more importantly, they had asked Arthur out and he said yes! Their couple was now officially a polycule!

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck. “I can — give you a ride. I gotta get back to Uncle Lance’s place anyway, I’m...” he trailed off, and Vivi waited maybe ten seconds for him to finish his sentence before accepting that he had lost his train of thought.

“Well, then...the Tome Tomb ain’t far, I can walk. I guess this is the end of our first date,” Vivi sighed. She stood up, standing on her tiptoes and pulling Lewis down for a chaste kiss before walking over and pressing a kiss to Arthur’s stubble-roughened cheek — familiar territory that should have been safe enough, she did that in the post-case exhilaration at least half the time. 

Arthur blushed bright red anyway, and she left with a bright laugh, walking on clouds with the universe held in her hands.

A month, four weeks, five days, and a handful of hours after that…

Arthur groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Really?! I — guys, I had been awake for, like, two solid days at that point!”

“So you — you don’t remember us asking you out at all?” Lewis asked, shocked. 

“No! Or — well — ki-kinda? I — kinda thought I was dreaming…” Arthur trailed off into muttering, fidgeting with his bracelets and not making eye contact.

Vivi paused for a moment, eyebrows creeping up. “Wow. Way to inflate our egos, there, Artie,” she joked. 

“Wh— how am I inflating your ego?!” Arthur jerked his head up to look at her.

“We asked you out and you literally thought you were dreaming. We’re literally your dream partners!” She cackled.

Instead of laughing, Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, looking down, his words spilling out in a jumble. “Um. Y-yeah, actually...I — didn’t think it was — I, I mean, I’d, um I’d had dreams...like that...before. And...uh. Since then if I’m being honest.”

Vivi felt a blush rising in her cheeks, and she covered her mouth. 

“That’s...that’s incredibly sweet, Artie…” Lewis managed, blushing harder than she was. 

Vivi cleared her throat. “Sap,” she managed, shaking her head fondly.

Arthur took a deep, shaky breath. “So, um. Can...can we start over? On dating? I do — I really, really do want to date you guys, for real, I just...didn’t...know?”

“Of course!” Vivi and Lewis exclaimed in accidental unison.

“And this time you’ve definitely slept enough to be lucid,” Lewis added on lightheartedly. “You were snoring before I fell asleep.”

“Well…” Arthur smiled, lopsided. “I’m pretty sure I am, anyway. Lucid, that is — and how could you hear me snoring over Vivi’s, anyway? But, uh —”

“— Hey!” Vivi interrupted. “I don’t snore that loud!”

“You sound like a train, Vivs,” Arthur teased, before clearing his throat. “But, uh. Anyway. Wanna...wanna pinch me so I’m sure I’m not dreaming this time?”

Vivi smirked at him. “I’ll do you one better, actually.” 

Before he could respond, Vivi leaned over, pressing a kiss to his lips. It took him a moment to react, startled, but he hesitantly started to kiss back after a second or two. There weren’t any fireworks, at least for her; if anything, it felt like being electrocuted, but in a good way, sparks shooting through her whole body, curling her toes and making her fingertips tingle. Arthur’s hand came up to grip at her sweater. Vivi kept the kiss chaste, and pulled back after a moment, glancing at Lewis.

Lewis pouted at her, a smile tugging at his lips and his voice. “Aww, I wanted to kiss him first, you got to do it at the restaurant.”

Arthur licked his lips, breath coming out a little funny, and swallowed hard before he got up and stepped towards Lewis, grinning crookedly. “W-well...consolation prize?”

Lewis let out a bark of laughter, startling Arthur into jumping a little, and pulled Arthur close with a gentle hand. “I can live with that,” he murmured, leaning in to kiss him. 

Vivi settled back, watching her boys kiss from the lumpy motel couch. It felt like coming home, like kicking off her shoes and shedding her stress as easily as taking off her scarf. She ran her tongue over her teeth absentmindedly, and grimaced. “Whoops. Sorry, Artie, didn’t mean for our first kiss to be a morning breath kiss.”

Arthur broke away from the kiss he was sharing with Lewis to blink at her, swaying a little bit. “...huh?” he managed, brain visibly rebooting. “Oh! Uh. It’s okay, I don’t think I...noticed?”

“Still, it’s the principle of the matter,” Vivi wrinkled her nose, standing up. “I’ll be right back, you two keep doing what you’re doing.” She tossed in a wink for good measure, and made her way to the bathroom with the accompaniment of Arthur’s flustered squeak and Lewis’s deep, rich laughter.

[softlunars]

unholy.

60 things ; things you said that i wish you hadn’t & things you said with clenched fists. — bang chan ; stray kids

demon au! —fallen angel!chan x demon!reader

requested: [yes!]

(a/n): “nunc ostende te” is latin for “now show yourself.” i didnt,,, wanna look up an actual demon summon cause i’m a whole ass scaredy cat so that’s the most i did sjzknaksmz

technically, chan shouldn’t be doing this. he shouldn’t be drawing a pentagram on his apartment floor. he shouldn’t be opening a summoning book. and he definitely shouldn’t be flipping to the demons section of said book.

this would’ve all applied to him if he still had wings on his back. but he didn’t — they were clipped off months ago, and chan was sent to tumble down to the earth, forced to make his own path from then on. did it bother him? well, maybe if he thought about it enough, it would. he doesn’t allow himself to drift off to the past, though; things are left in the past for a reason, and sometimes, they’re better off there — to be forgotten.

chan thumbed through the demons section, his eyes flitting across the hundreds of pages until he found what he was looking for.

how to summon a demon.

he scanned the page, looking for the ceremony that had to take place. he skipped over the descriptions of demons — different types, kinds of powers, different demon specialities. chan wasn’t interested in all that; he just wanted to summon a demon. did he have any reason? no, not really. maybe he wanted to spite God further or something, he didn’t know.

the book, which was filled with descriptions of supernatural beings and different summons, materialized in front of him in the early dawn. the ancient literature acted as if it were a magnet, reeling in chan’s interest until he finally picked it up. which is how he found himself in the middle of a pentagram.

he set the book down, outside of the pentagram’s reach. a nervous huff of air left him. why the hell was he doing this? he didn’t want to come face to face with a soul-eating creature from the depths of hell, and he certainly didn’t want to be ripped to shreds before his soul followed suit.

chan continued anyways. he’s already finished the preliminary setup — there was no legitimate reason to stop now.

he took a deep breath in a futile effort to relieve his nerves. was chan stupid? going through with this, yes, he most likely was. did he lose his mind? most definitely.

chan took a quick glance at the sentences he needed to utter. he had to get them right; if he didn’t, he might as well sell his soul to the actual devil.

he began the chant, albeit very shakily. chan was certain he was going to die tonight. his few months spent on earth were going to abruptly end as soon as he finished.

“nunc ostende te.” as he uttered the final sentence, chan snapped his eyes open. if he were going to die right now, he might as well look his killer in the eyes.

the dim flicker of the candles’ flames were the only things he could see. nothing moved, nothing changed, not even the air felt different — something chan thought to be the first aspect to dramatically shift after chanting a summon this dark.

he breathed a sigh of relief. thank the heavens that didn’t work.

the candles were extinguished. the air became bitingly cold. and suddenly, chan feared for his life.

“i don’t know who’s coming out but you don’t have to show yourself — i’d be more than happy to just go to sleep.” he spoke into the still air, trying to convince whatever spirit entered his apartment to leave him the hell alone.

“you summoned me, man. it’s your fault you asked for a demon.” a dark voice bounced off his living room walls. as it stopped speaking, a body materialized at the edge of the pentagram. well, chan thought, it was a nice couple months.

the gaze that met his eyes was apathetic, empty and almost… entertainingly bored. there were no visible horns, no bats’ wings or pointy tail chan could make out. if he didn’t know any better, he’d assume the person in front of him was just a mortal.

you spoke again, this time with an amused edge decorating your speech. “i don’t take fallen angels’ souls, if that’s why your mind’s traveling twenty trillion miles an hour. i don’t even collect souls in general, dude. i just fuck with people.”

“how did you know i’m a fallen angel?” chan’s eyes glinted with a curious apprehension; he knew demons could read minds — angels were granted that ability, as well — but he didn’t know they could differentiate immortal beings from mortal ones. this was something angels weren’t granted the gift to do. unless they made themselves known to each other, angels weren’t able to tell supernatural from human.

“you got a funny aura ‘round you. i usually only see that with fallen angels or whatever. but what’s a former God’s kiss-ass doing in the middle of a pentagram?” you raised an eyebrow conspicuously. the few times you were summoned before, you’d only been greeted by a handful of fallen angels. their reasoning for summoning such a dark creature was simple — they were bored and wanted to tell their former ruler to “fuck off.”

chan shrugged his shoulders at your question. he didn’t have a response; he didn’t even know why he did it himself. your head rolled back on your shoulders as a sharp laugh echoed throughout the room.

“your thoughts are fucking hilarious, just thought i should tell ya.” your comment made a blush furiously form on chan’s face. maybe this was a really shitty idea.

“listen, fallen angel, i gotta make other rounds, so i’m gonna strike a deal with ya.” you watched as your summoner’s eyebrows rose, prompting you to continue.

“i ain’t gonna do some typical demon shit, alright? but i wanna mark ya — it isn’t a bad thing, man, calm down!” you really were entertained by this. what a hell of a fun time this was making itself out to be!

chan’s eyes squinted as he stared you down. he had his apprehensions, of course — he didn’t know what the hell a mark was; he was never taught that! what if this was a way for you to siphon his soul from him, bit by bit, until you drained it from his body entirely?

“it’s just so i’m the only demon that’s allowed near ya. no one else can come anywhere close to you with this. so, while you’re protected from other nasty lil’ shits, you got your own lil’ shit that can annoy you until the end of the universe.” you observed the former angel’s face, gauging his reaction to your offer. you were pleasantly surprised when he nodded his head.

“fine. mark me.”

after you marked the fallen angel, you found yourself constantly appearing at his side. he would almost jump out of his skin every time, which always provided you with an intense laughing session.

you learned quite a bit about chan. you were informed about the difficult schooling he was put through as a child; he’d reveal small bits and pieces about his life in the clouds, like how one time he almost made a fellow angel kick his ass past recognition.

“i was a really shitty angel, now that i think about it.” chan laughed out once, on one of the times you accompanied him at nightfall. “maybe you shoulda been born a demon.” you had joked that night, but chan took it harsher than you intended. the shift in his emotions was evident, as he turned colder toward you until you left him alone for the following week.

you chose your words more carefully after that night. sure, you were a demon — a supernatural entity born for the sole purpose of evil. but being a creature formed from pure hatred didn’t hinder the conscience you owned, regardless of how small it was.

your efforts weren’t always fruitful. tonight was one of those times.

chan had turned colder than ice just moments before, a comment you made angering him once more. the fallen angel became mute, barely even acknowledging you were still in his apartment. it hurt your feelings — pissed you off more than anything. you never intended to attack him with your choice of words. but, regardless of how cautious you were, so many things seemed to set chan off.

“chan, i dunno what your whole… issue or whatever is, but you ain’t gotta be a dick to me ‘cause of it.” you felt the boiling pit in your stomach grow as chan turned to face you. if looks could kill, both of you would have been reduced to dust.

“my problem, (y/n), is your heartless comments about how i ‘should’ve been born in hell.’ i was born an angel for a reason, just like you were born a demon for a reason.” his voice sliced through the air, making the fire in your stomach pour out. if chan wanted to see why you were a demon, oh, was he going to see why.

“okay, kid. your wings were torn off your back for a reason, and you wanna know why? ‘cause you fucking failed at being an angel! you couldn’t appease God, you couldn’t reach the standards he set. you. fucked. up.” your aura darkened as you continued spitting words at chan. flames seemed to form around your body as your fury fueled you.

“which means, angel boy, that you weren’t cut out to stay behind those damn pearly gates! you weren’t a good fit. you weren’t meant to stay at God’s ‘holy fucking side.’”

chan’s gaze filled with hatred and indignation as your jabs reached his ears. how dare you say that to him? how dare you act as if you know anything about heaven, about God?

his fists clenched and unclenched by his side as he listened to your tyraid. finally, chan snapped after your last insult hung in the air.

“you might as well have been banished to hell, ‘cause at least you woulda been surrounded by people who fucked up just as bad as you did, and people who were just as shitty as you.”

“stop acting as if you know anything about heaven. you’re a lowlife demon, for fucks sake!” his words felt hotter than the flames that licked at your skin down in hell.

“you’re the scum of the supernatural world. you hold no good in your heart, no light in your soul — nothing!” you watched as the glint in his eye grew into a ball of fire, aimed to hit you and reduce you to nothing.

“God wanted me at one point, which is the difference between you and i. someone wanted me, no one ever wanted you.”

chan’s words slammed into your brain. these thoughts — they weren’t new to you. you were well aware that no one wants a demon around. no one would ever want a demon around.

you could easily push those facts to the side if you or a fellow demon voiced them. but hearing them from chan, a former angel, someone God handpicked to serve him, lit you up.

“you’re just as terrible as us demons. you have no fucking soul, bang chan.”

“you deserve to rot in hell, just like the rest of us.”

with that, you disappeared from chan’s apartment. the fallen angel never saw you again.

[momestuck]

Epilogues: Candy, chapters 1-5

This is gonna get long.

The Candy route is, in effect, the route where John refuses to go back to finish off Lord English, but remains on Earth C. Instead, the story begins by picking up another long neglected thread: Gamzee. Then it continues to various other places.

Contains: a rough recap of Gamzee’s story, a longwinded attempt to be evenhanded and not callous about the Gamzee Discourse, because it’s relevant again... and then I read the next three chapters, which visit some of the other characters, setting up the board for the new story (because let’s be real, this is a whole new story of its own at this point!)

a quick recap

It’s been three years since the comic ended so I’m gonna recap what I remember about Gamzee’s story. He was sent on a murderous rampage in the ‘murderstuck’ arc - there’s some debate if he was acting according to his own will, or that of Lord English’s agents, there, but either way he killed a large number of the ‘beta trolls’. He was ultimately stopped by Karkat, who deployed the ‘shoosh pap’ of establishing moirallegiance. During the three year meteor voyage, he entered into some kind of very harmful kismesis relationship with Terezi, but got very little screen time. And uh... then I get confused.

In the “game over” arc, he is mind controlled - I recall by Aranea - and used to bring about the deaths of most of the cast. This, of course, was retconned. Also I think I skipped over a bit.

And, in some capacity, he was present when Caliborn won the contest for dominance with Calliope. He assisted the young Caliborn’s villainous plan, and for his trouble got repeatedly shot to pieces, which he took silently.

And at some point he got locked in a fridge by the rest of the cast. We briefly see him get knocked about in there during ‘Collide’, and then he makes no further appearance.

Let’s go on the Homestuck wiki and see what I missed...

while under the sway of Lord English (murderstuck arc), he caused some of the kids to receive Lil Cal and a harlequin doll, which is what made their session ‘terminal’

he intervened in the alpha session, and was responsible for the prototypings of various dead trolls into combined forms

this:

The fridge remained on LOTAK until Lord Jack was decapitated which resulted in a black hole, somehow taking Gamzee, Crowbar's crowbar and Yaldabaoth to future Earth.

so i guess i missed that in all the chaos of Collide, but that explains how he ended up in Caliborn’s world.

also crucially, half of Gamzee is absorbed into Lil Cal along with Caliborn and Arquiussprite, which creates Lord English, the series villain.

so anyway...

The initial premise of this story is: John decides to remain in the C universe and enjoy his life instead of living in an undecisive fugue, rather than go out to fight Lord English and wrap up that side of the plot. Calliope makes a request of him: he should use his retcon powers to pull Gamzee out of the plot, someone ‘only he can save’.

The second chapter is basically a very sarcastic discourse post in Gamzee’s voice. Shortly after being rescued, Gamzee goes onto a long speech about how he’s prepared to redeem himself, and the ‘mitigating factors’ that make him worthy of redemption: (an ‘abusive childhood’ at the hands of his goat dad, and his socialisation). I’ll excerpt a bit to give you the general flavour, with the typing quirk removed for readability:

gamzee: i been all like. abused and stuff, homies.

gamzee: as a child, i got motherfuckin neglected on by a stern old fatherly goat.

gamzee: i was a disappointment on him, and can’t says i blame him for abandoning the shit out of his useless kid.

gamzee: i woulda motherfuckin done the same shit at me if i was a big cruel goat.

gamzee: so that explains like, pretty sure most of my crimes in a way that makes a motherfucker wanna take his forgiveness out for a fucking spin.

gamzee: there’s other reasons to consider, like...

gamzee: shit that makes this redemption arc fuckin tight like an uncracked elixir.

gamzee: like, hows my purple blood meant i got the culture pressures put on me to be a salty damn jester for life.

gamzee: what about that hand the messiahs dealt me, my bitches.

gamzee: a motherfucker’s gonna envy that like a wicked cod rash.

gamzee: so how can i full and truly fuckin get blamed on for, when it comes to a little bit of subjugglation i got culturally hornswoggled up to doing, and also tragically goat abused which needs to make you shed a tear for this motherfucker, lest you wanna be as atrocious as me.

This is reminiscent of V’s episodes in Friendsim, insofar as - we’re clearly not intended to buy it, but it’s directly mocking lines of argument in the fandom, about whether it’s ok to be a fan of Gamzee (because fandom is all about casting moral judgement on finding that you relate to fictional characters’ narratives in the wrong way, justifying your own attachments to characters and works as progressive, etc...).

By putting these arguments in a very explicit and ridiculous form (having Gamzee speak on whether he personally deserves a ‘redemption arc’), and then having the narrator and also popular characters such as Terezi dismiss them, V’s stance is fairly clear - at least these particular readings of Gamzee are to be dismissed. Terezi comments:

JOHN: apparently we’re going to let him have a “redemption arc”?

TEREZI: H4H4H4H4H4H4H4H4H4H4H4H4

JOHN: yeah, it’s...

JOHN: well, what is there to even say?

JOHN: it’s literally the dumbest fucking idea i’ve ever heard, but what can you do.

TEREZI: SHOV3 H1M B4CK 1N TH4T FR1DG3 4ND THROW 1T 1N TH3 OC34N, 1S WH4T

There’s two ways the story can go from here. One might be that this is the last we’re going to hear about Gamzee, it’s just a quick fuck you to one particular set of readings of Homestuck, and then on to whatever V considers more important. Another is that, a more subtle story is about to be told than the deliberately absurd framing here.

I should state my own stance, since it’s probably going to be relevant. I had a friend who cared a great deal about Gamzee, in part because he was essentially a chew toy in the latter part of the comic, who could be treated violently without consequence, which - as far as I understand their feelings - my friend found meaningful in relation to their own experiences of abuse.

I recall thinking there was some credence to ‘mind control’ interpretations, which posit that the difference between Gamzee’s chill affect early on and his ludicrously violent behaviour later was the control of Doc Scratch and other agents of Lord English; Gamzee in this reading is aware, and horrified (as hinted at by a brief window where Aranea’s mind control is released during the Game Over arc and he is ‘himself’ again, and cries and begs for mercy, before once again becoming extremely violent). Whether this is the case during the ‘fridge’ section is not clear. This goes some way to explaining why Gamzee is indestructible, and mutely devoted to assisting Caliborn when Caliborn treats him with nothing but violence.

In this reading, Gamzee is a tragic character to the point of absurdity. He is forced to witness another person committing horrific actions with his body, and then abandoned by those who’d care for him because they do not recognise the mind control. His only escape from one mind controller is another one.

However, that’s just a reading. For fans who identify strongly with Terezi, Gamzee is often interpreted as her abuser due to the effect his relationship is shown to have during the asteroid voyage (pre-Game Over). To these readers, people - such as my friend - who identify with Gamzee are engaging in apologetics for abuse.

Because this is so fraught, I am not going to make any claim that a particular reading of Gamzee is ‘unambiguously true’. I think a third interpretation is the ‘shitty writing’ one, that Hussie basically intended Gamzee as a joke character, not one with interiority. He’s a scary clown! Perhaps he didn’t realise how strongly this character, who from the start was presented as someone to laugh at, would resonate with the readers.

I hope that this discussion gives some sense of the different possible nuances of Gamzee, and I am hoping that this epilogue will not simply be a polemic for one particular reading.

now, chapter 3+

I read the first two chapters right after I heard about the upd8. From now on, this will be a true ‘liveread’, i.e. written alongside my first readthrough of the story.

At this point we switch viewpoint character to Dirk! This is a very short chapter: Dirk cancels ‘everything’ - all his ongoing plans - and does not explain why to Jane, or Jake. Whatever the reason is, it’s very bad news and has a short time limit.

Apparently John’s decision to say has had some kind of metaphysical effect, which causes Rose’s mysterious malady - and her various anxieties concerning ‘canon’ - to dissipate.

So she gets to spend some time with Kanaya. This is nice - we barely got to see Rose and Kanaya together as a couple in canon. It’s a sweet conversation... and makes me worry about what’s going to happen in the ‘Meat’ route.

There’s a little clarifying on Jade, Dave and Karkat’s relationship now...

JADE: i never thought id be thinking of you as my weird nerd friend by the time we were in our twenties

It’s a weird, intimate, and uncomfortably close to sexual thing to be doing in front of other people. Dave and Karkat share a vaguely mortified look. Jade sort of lives here, but she doesn’t that sort of live here.

The expression is so warm and blatant that it can’t help but draw Jade’s attention. She frowns and pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose, making some quick calculations in her head. They’re so obvious, she thinks, and yet here they are. Virginal losers who are performative about sitting exactly a foot apart whenever they’re in public. It’s so pathetic it makes her want to howl at the moon in sorrow. 

so i guess we’re going to have a jade working very hard on getting dave and karkat together type arc

well i guess we are but oof, jade what the hell... jade decides to like, go in with all the subtlety of a train, aggressively flirt with karkat, up to the point of like, putting her fingers in his mouth... which to him is just like, a straight up assault. but it’s them who are ‘hopeless’, not her...

dave very awkwardly changes the subject to talk about the possible Jane presidency. apparently, Jane is very xenophobic towards trolls (which didn’t seem immediately apparent from the comic but I might have forgotten tbh). Karkat speaks of ‘the potential genocide of my people’

DAVE: but i dont think shed go so far as to commit genocide

DAVE: thats really exaggerating her faults

DAVE: like wed have to get pretty far away from the people we were when we started all this for that to be a viable outcome

...phrasing it like that... makes me rather apprehensive!

[adilynia-kiden]

Of Favors and Confusion Pt. 3

PART ONE PART TWO

“Can we just… not?”

“Not?! Not what? Not mention the fact you’ve been gone a month and a half… you show up in Icecrown kissing not one but TWO different men, and then you seek favor for a TRIAL joust? Yeah, let’s not talk about that kodo in the room and or that it’s a completely unlike you!”

“So… what I’m not allowed to change? I have to perpetually remain the same as to not shake the proverbial tree?”

“Fucking hell, Pixie! Change would have been cutting your hair, or…enjoying the rain more than the snow. Your tongue was down their throats!”

Color that matched the Ironfist’s hair blossomed with such ferocity across Addie’s face that she was forced to reach out and steady herself on the railing they leaned against. “Yeah, so what? How many have been down YOUR throat this week?”

“Stop deflecting…we’re talking about your extracurriculars here.  You could have at least warned me!”

Rolling her eyes at that notion, her whole body shoved against him in a clatter of armor and snorting laughter. “How exactly am I to send that in a letter? Dear Raelin…All is well here, though I must admit to being exceptionally tired of the rain.  You needn’t worry that such dreary weather will lower my spirits. Both the Marquis and his fiancée have taken me to their bed in pursuit of chasing away even the smallest of dour moods with their skilled hands and mouths. Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds?!”

“Wait… their ENGAGED and you’re….you…WHAT?! “ Balking at Addie, Raelin’s large hands curled around the wood of the ring in an effort to keep somewhat steady while his mind was blown again.

“Well, I… that happened earlier today…so….”

“Titans balls, Pixie! I woulda expected this shite outta Vinn-“

“Well maybe we’re more alike than you thought!”

“Except Vinnie had a place to put her damned heart! YOU DON’T!” Raelin roared, causing Addie’s ears to wilt.

“Hearts aren’t inv-….” Raking her hand back through her hair, the comment was cut off on account of the metallic taste in her mouth that heralded a lie on her tongue. Until that moment, Addie hadn’t realized just how much she had been denying that very fact. Hearts were involved, hell… everything was involved, and she was powerless to stop it. “They…make me feel something…okay? I don’t know what it is…but it’s not just something I can ignore. Too much at stake…and besides…it’s temporary. ”

Inching closer, Addie grabbed the man’s wrist and dragged it over her shoulder with a look of challenge set upwards, as if she dared him to deny her that small comfort. He’d gone years without as much as a hug from the Pixie that didn’t involve tackling him to the ground. He wasn’t going to complain, but it was still quite a shock to have her so willingly seek any physical contact.

“Not saying it’s a bad thing…just that I have earned the right to get worried over you. I’m not asking for details here, Pixie…I do NOT need those. Probably wouldn’t have questioned the kissing…well maybe a bit…but the favor? How many times did the Baron try and get you to carry his? How many times did you refuse on the grounds of the sanctity of such a thing? “

“27…if we’re counting the time he didn’t ask and just slipped it into my pouch…” Addie mused, sighing in exasperation at the memories of the overenthusiastic Baron and his pitiful attempts over the years to woo her.

“Exactly. You always wanted the victories for yourself…earned every drop of sweat and blood to obtain them. What am I supposed to think when you …GIVE one away?”

“I don’t know what you’re supposed to think! –I- don’t know what I’m supposed to think! I did it because he’s earned it… a hundred times over, and yes I understand I have only been there a little over a month. B-but… there are details you don’t know… and I can’t tell you, Raelin!  I can’t explain why I asked for his token today… it just felt right… and because it mattered to me that part of him was with me…and no, I don’t know what that means either!”

A solemn expression was a rare thing for the Ironfist, but Addie’s blunt confession pulled his usually cheery features low. The desperation that touched Addie’s voice plucked on every heartstring he had for the small knight, and further fed the concern he had for her situation.  Raelin had never seen her flustered like this, and while the subject matter had something to do with it, whatever confusion she was facing was set across the battlefield of her warring emotions.

It’d do no good to get her riled up; she’d just end up going silent and not saying anything at all. That was her way… just as it had been Vinnie’s. Their instincts told them to shut themselves down and hide in the armor they were so often encased in. One never got anywhere trying to force anything on them, least of all to put words to how they were feeling. He did the one thing that the Silverfall sisters had never been capable of; retreat.

“I get it…look, I’m not judging or…prying…but Mal’s going to figure it out sooner or later, and you’re going to need someone in your corner. You think he’s just going to shrug and let it slide that his only remaining child is shacking up with two humans… one of whom she was sent to PROTECT?”

“Think he may already have a clue…”

“Even more of a reason to tell me what’s going on…as much as you can. Let me at least tell him you’re safe and happy…shit… One is going to be hard enough to explain… two? You’re going to need one hell of a battle plan to handle that little truth bomb…” Turning her back to the fence post, Addie finally looked up to Raelin with a helpless expression. There was so much confusion set in those teal eyes, he barely recognized her. There had always been such surety when it came to Addie, as her path had been decided from a young age with very little deviation. To see her falter now, plucked every heart string the half elf had, as her tangled up emotions were palatable

“I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t have a plan. I jumped without looking. I just -KNOW- what I am doing is right…and I need you to trust that. I need you to know I made this decision… on my own, and for the next ten and a half months…down to the last second, I intend to own that choice.”

Conviction laced every word that Addie spoke, leaving Raelin no other choice but to accept what she said and swallow down the lingering fear he had. It wasn’t as if anyone could move a Silverfall once they decided to stand their ground, and he couldn’t remember the last time the Pixie had been so adamant about claiming hers.

“Long as you’re sure… that’s what I’ll tell Mal.”

“Entirely sure. I need to do this.” Clearing her throat, Addie’s leather clad fingers lifted to rub at the back of her neck. A pleading look was given to the Ironfist, as if she silently begged him for mercy. ”So… can we get off this  awkward subject now? Kinda don’t need to discuss my sex lif-“

“Yeah, we –really- don’t need to discuss that. You just…be careful…you know…take…ya know herbs or… whatever prec-

Addie’s hands rose quickly, covering Raelin’s mouth with a shake of her head. “If you finish that thought and allude to matters I have -WELL- in hand, you won’t be using your cock for a month.”

Raelin wasn’t so sure what was more shocking; the fact that she was threatening such violence for genuine advice, or that the salacious word had spilled out of her mouth far too easily for one who usually adhered to the polite vernacular. All he could do was stare in awe as she sauntered off towards the small party currently warming their hands by the fire, and wonder just what the HELL was happening to Adilynia Silverfall.

(( Mentions: @silverfall-patriarch @teren-k @ly-canthos @daughterofkiden ))

[writerleo86]

Terravenger - Season 5: Part One -- Episode 332 (Do Not Copy)

    In the Training Room, Clay Wilcox walked toward the right side of the gym as his hands were on his waist. And he looked carefully at his surroundings.

    The counselor Mercury pointed his right finger at the door that was at the left side of the room. The door began to open and everyone spotted the next warrior.

    "Well..." Tai cried. "I'll be damned."

    The opponent for Clay was revealed to be the shocked Seth Black.

    "Hey Clay!" He greeted.

    Clay gave out a determined grin and yelled "Black! Guess we're next! Yer my opponent!"

    Then Seth shook his head and responded "Then come at me with everything you've got, I guess!"

    "With no question!" Clay informed him. "I'm goin' all in!"

    Tai yelled to Clay "Do yer best!"

    And Jade told the two competitors "You two just have fun!"

    Paige shook her head as her friend Iris said "This should be interesting."

    Clay gave out another smile and yelled "Time to play!"

 Episode 332:  The Beginners Arc -- Clay Wilcox

    Moments later, Clay lowered onto his right knee and gave out a soft smile.

    Akari shook her head with a smile on her face. And she thought to herself "Do your best, Clay."

    Something soon appeared above the young man.

    "The hell's this?" cried Tai. "Is Clay goin' first?"

    It was a figure with a circular chest and a pair of muscular arms that remained down. Its head had no mouth, ears, or a nose. But it did have a large circular screen at the front of its face. It also did not have any legs. It only had a large spike aiming at the bottom from its waist. And a golden MAF badge was on the left side of its chest.

    Akari shook her head once again and said "Of course he would now."

    Tai turned to her and asked "What the hell's that, Mi-chan? Is that thing a weapon or somethin'?"

    "Sort of," Akari informed him. "That's Bob. He's Clay's weapon alright. But he's also Clay's partner."

    "Partner?" Tai cried. "That thing's his friend?"

    And another student -- Dilan Carr -- responded "I do remember hearing about Wilcox having a nervous breakdown during our last year. It was Counselor Mercury that suggested Wilcox to talk to someone about his feeling."

    "So?" asked Jade. "Dat thing's who Clay's talkin' to?"

    Then Akari informed them "Clay really didn't want to tell anyone about his problems and personal stuff. So, he decided to create Bob there. Bob is a great listener. And he does give Clay advice sometimes."

    "How bizarre," Paige commented. "Wilcox must have been through a lot during his few years at the Academy. That, and what is happening in his life outside of the school grounds. I do feel for him."

    "So do I," said Iris. "Wilcox seems to be a great person on the inside while he is brash and immoral on the outside."

    "But?" asked Jade. "Ain't dat thing made of clay too?"

    She faced Akari who stood by her right side and asked "And how do you know all this?"

    The smiling Akari lowered her head as Jade yelled "Are you two goin' out or somethin'?"

    And Akari told her "We'll talk later, I promise."

    "We better!" Jade cried.

    Once the creature of clay lowered to him, Clay wrapped his right arm around it.

    "I need yer help on this one Pal," said Clay. "We're goin' against da Black Dog after all."

    His opponent Seth spotted the creature floating around Clay and responded "He's going all out this time. Clay never calls him out unless he is feeling certain emotions."

    And Seth asked "Are you alright over there?"

    Clay gave out a determined smile and answered "Oh yeah! I just got very excited, that's all!"

    "Too excited by the looks of it, I guess," Seth implied. "You only call out Bob if you cannot handle your emotions carefully."

    The creature called Bob floated by his left side as Clay informed Seth "Yer right Blackie! I got too excited! I get to throw down with you of all people! Yer one of da guys I wanna fight so bad!"

    Seth gave out a playful smile and said "Well then. Let's get started."

    First, Clay drops a pair of small white marbles from his hands. He soon pushed his right hand forward and blew out three long bullets made of white clay. Meanwhile, the nails from the fingers of Seth grew longer. And Seth crouched into a wolf-like stance as his eyes began to glow yellow.

    Second, a ferocious Seth hurried under the three projectiles as he ran on both his hands and feet. Once Seth was close, Clay snapped his right fingers. The two marbles had melted into a large puddle of clay. And the puddle formed into a ball around an unsuspecting Seth.

    "Wow!" Jade implied. "Clay might end this fight quickly."

    "Ya think?" questioned Tai.

    A smiling Iris lowered her head and said "Cass will be petting Seth's wounded back for a month, I suppose."

    "You should hold the thought," Paige told her.

    The large ball of clay was suddenly cut into two pieces from the inside. And the ball fell into many pieces as Seth ran like a dog from the trap.

    Clay spotted his opponent hurrying to him and cried "I knew this was gonna be a damn good battle!"

    After he ran closer, Seth tried to strike Clay multiple times with his claws. And Clay dodged every attack by moving from left to right.

    Then Clay blew a barrage of white bullets from his mouth. Seth quickly dodged every projectile using his quick movements until he gave out a Diving Left Side Kick after he leaped forward in a circular pattern. And another barrier of clay formed in front of Clay which negated Seth's attack.

    Seth quickly pounced away from him as Clay watched with a large smile on his face.

    "I know..." Clay cried. "...that's not all ya got, Seth! Keep it comin'!"

    Next, he spat more bullets of clay from his mouth to his opponent. Seth continued to dodge every projectile using his evasive moves as Clay thought to himself.

    "Guess I gotta go wit' dat move! I didn't think I was gonna use that against Blackie. But whatever. Let's go!"

    After that, Clay poured a large puddle of a white-colored substance from his mouth that spread in front of him.

    "He's goin' with that move?" questioned Tai.

    Dilan faced Tai and replied "I remember that you had a battle with Wilcox before, during our fourth year. The match had taken place by the lake on Taurus Road I believe. The area was surrounded by a large group of citizens including the Commander."

    And Tai thought to himself.

 Tai's thoughts:

By a beautiful lake during one early afternoon, the crazed Tai stood his ground as his opponent Clay Wilcox crouched onto one knee.

"What's this guy up to?" Tai cried.

Clay blew a large puddle of a white-colored substance from his mouth until the large puddle formed into thorns that grew toward his target Tai.

     After that, Tai gave out a large smile.

    "He's definitely usin' that move," He thought. "I wonder if Seth's ready for this?"

    The large puddle soon formed into long thorns which made their way toward the target.

    "Tree of Woe..." Clay yelled. "Piercing Thorns!"

    Seth continued to dodge every thorn using maneuvers such as rolls and cartwheels. Meanwhile, Clay watched as he gave out a vicious smile.

    The thorns stopped growing as Seth landed far at the other side. And small pods of clay began to fall from the branches of the large tree that had grown before Clay.

    "Wow!" Tai implied. "That's new!"

    Akari shook her head and said "This may work."

    Every pod fell to the ground and Akari explained.

    "The pods that you all see there. They are actually like mines. Clay already knows that Seth uses techniques from close-range. So, the mines are there to protect Clay in case Seth wants to come forward. Each pod gives out a small explosion once an opponent steps to it."

    "Impressive," Dilan described. "One pod is able to explode a small amount if the opponent advances. Wilcox has made the area into a field of mines. And it is apparent that Clay is using little from his ki. Now that is extraordinary."

    Seth thought to himself as he looked around at all the pods that landed before him.

    "Damn!" Jade cried. "This guy knows how to lay traps!"

    "He should," Mercury informed them. "Some of our soldiers would have Mitchell Wilcox accompany them in certain missions. He is able to lay traps that appear as nothing but seeds to any enemy. His method is quite affective when he is sent as a guard on missions. He is only performing the way that comes natural to him."

    "So," Iris replied. "Wilcox is indeed an expert when it comes to trapping an opponent."

    Clay stood behind the tree with a smile on his face as the creature Bob circled around him repeatedly.

    "What's yer move now?" Clay asked his opponent.

    And Seth listened to Clay telling him "Ya know once ya step forward, the bombs go off. Yer in a real pickle Blackie. Admit it already."

    The claws on his fingers formed back into regular nails as the eyes of Seth returned to brown.

    And Seth rose his heads as he gave a kind smile.

    "I give up," He told Clay. "I can't get to you when these mines are at my feet. So, there it is. I admit defeat. I yield."

    "The winner..." announced Mercury. "...is Mitchell Wilcox."

    Tai lowered his head and said "Maybe that's for the best. Clay woulda blown Seth a new one if this match went on."

    "True," Akari replied. "But Seth did his best."

    "They both did great," Jade claimed. "This was better than Paige's match. That's for sure!"

    A relaxed Paige lowered her head and told Jade "You should not forget that you have not fought yet. You should not speak out of turn."

    "You wanna go right now?" yelled Jade.

    And an irritated Akari said "Settle down Jade."

    The pods from Clay as well as the large tree of clay all faded away. And Seth gave out another smile.

    "I had fun," Clay told him. "You came at me with everythin' you got. I ain't gonna forget this day. Thanks Blackie."

    Seth shook his head and said "I'm glad to have helped."

[hamlet-writes]

Study Hall

Jonathan Crane was used to dealing with unexpected visitors, whether they be potential assailants or fellow rogues (or both).  Therefore, the insistent knocking on his apartment door came as no major surprise.  Glancing somewhat warily in its direction, Jonathan unfolded his legs and rose from the tattered leather couch he had been perched upon.  He started forward to greet his guest, then paused, thought for a moment, and swiped the syringe of fear toxin from its spot on the coffee table before crossing the room in two long strides and cautiously pulling the door open.

He had been expecting a number of people- Edward, here to pester him yet again; Jervis, here for medication or advice; Batman, here to break his nose and drag him back to Arkham- but the young woman he found himself faced with now was not one of those options.  Her long, blonde hair was disheveled and tangled, yanked out of its neat ponytail and falling forward over her tear-streaked face, and she looked up into his eyes with such an expression of horror and relief that he found himself speechless.

"...Ms. Randall?" Jonathan asked after he had regained his voice, incredulous.  That seemed to be the final straw for poor Molly.  With a strangled sob she half-stumbled, half-jumped across the threshold, throwing herself into the stunned Jonathan's arms.

"Professor Crane, please," Molly gasped, clutching his shirt in balled fists as if he would disappear if she let go. "I-I-I recognized you on the street, b-but I didn't tell anyone, I sw-swear!"  Almost by instinct, Jonathan wrapped a protective arm around his former student’s trembling figure, pulling her inside and closing the door. "My dear child, what happened?" Jonathan asked.  Even as the question left his mouth, he had already figured out the answer.  If the floral blouse pulled haphazardly back across her chest after being torn open wasn't a clear enough indicator, her shredded and blood-stained white skirt certainly sealed the deal.

"My-my coworker followed m-me out on the way home," Molly stammered out between quick breaths, still clinging desperately to Jonathan. "I...t-told him I wasn't...B-But he wouldn't, wouldn't listen t-to me.  I-I-I couldn't get him off, I couldn't, h-he wouldn't..."  She broke off at that with a sound somewhere between a whimper and a shriek, burying her face in Jonathan's chest and sobbing hysterically.

It took every ounce of Jonathan's self control to swallow the righteous fury threatening to overtake him.  Setting the vial of fear toxin down on the table, he grabbed his coat from where it hung on its hook by the door and pulled it over Molly's quaking shoulders, leading her gently inside.

“Shh...” Jonathan said. “You’re safe now.  I got ya, Molly.”

How odd to see the Scarecrow speaking so gently now, so different from the callous cruelty he usually reserved for his fellow human beings.  Stranger still to see Jonathan, usually so averse to physical contact, allow Molly to keep her vice-like grip on his shirt even as he settled both of them onto the raggety couch tucked against the peeling and mildewy wall.  For a long while he simply sat there, one arm still around her, rubbing reassuring circles on her shoulder with the thumb of his hand as she sobbed into his chest.

After what seemed an eternity Molly finally pulled away, wiping the last tears from her red and puffy eyes and pulling Jonathan’s coat tightly across her chest.

“...Ms. Randall,” Jonathan said after a moment’s pause. “You’re most certainly welcome here, but why come to me?  Why not go to the police?”  A strange question, given his open despisal of the Gotham City Police Department, but Jonathan was willing to admit that there were some things that they were better equipped to handle than he was. “Or the hospital, at the very least?”  The girl’s wounds were obviously more than psychological, but she bit her lip and shook her head.

“No, I- my parents are paying off my student loans,” Molly said, wiping the heel of her hand quickly across her face. “If they found out this happened, they’d think it was my fault.  I can’t afford that.”  Jonathan clenched his jaw but made no comment, simply nodding.

“But why me?” he asked. “Outta anyone you coulda gone to?”

“You were the closest person I knew I could trust,” Molly said.  

Her words hit him like a truck.  “Trust” and “rogue” weren’t words that were usually associated with each other, and for good reason.  Jonathan hadn’t earned his reputation as one of the most dangerous people on the eastern seaboard on words alone, and to hear Molly say that she trusted him was almost surreal.  The thought brought him back to his days as a professor, and that was enough to set the beast in his chest to growling again.

“Who did this to ya, Molly?” Jonathan said, and his voice was low, barely above a whisper, but it carried on it the beginnings of a storm.  The underlying threat was not lost on Molly.

“Professor, I really don’t-” she began, biting her lip.

“Who?” Jonathan insisted.  Molly looked him over for a moment, pulling his coat more tightly across her shoulders and shivering.

“Michael Bromley,” she said, then cast her gaze down to her lap. “Professor, can I...use your shower?”  The girl was giving him exactly the opportunity he needed and she knew it.  Jonathan nodded and put on what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

“First door on the right, my dear,” he said, offering her a hand and pulling her gently to her feet.  She nodded slowly, starting away from him and sliding the door wordlessly shut behind herself.  As soon as the latch had clicked Jonathan had swiped his phone from its spot amongst the clutter of the coffee table, hurriedly typing in the number.

“Edward, I need an address,” Jonathan said as soon as the phone stopped ringing.

“Well hello to you too,” the Riddler said. “I’m doing wonderfully, thank you for asking.”

“This ain’t the time, Edward,” Jonathan snapped.

“Well, if you want information, you’re going to have to pay like anyone else,” Edward said with a bored sigh, no doubt draping himself dramatically over the nearest chair or person.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake-” Jonathan began.

“I run a business, Jon, you can’t just expect me to give out freebies to every tall, dark, and handsome man,” Edward interjected.

“Edward, please,” Jonathan said, lowering his voice.  There was a pause on the other line.

“Fine, but only because you asked so nicely,” Edward said, recognizing the rare urgency in his friend’s voice. “What’s the name?”

“Michael Bromley,” Jonathan said.  The faint tapping of computer keys was the only sound for a moment.

“Just sent it to you,” Edward said with a bit of a huff. “I hope you’re gra-”

Jonathan hung up before he could finish his sentence.  Stomping across the room, he swiped his mask and the syringe of fear toxin from their spots on the table before slamming the door behind himself with a loud clang.

~

Michael Bromley fumbled with the apartment door, finally managing to get the key into the slot and throwing his shoulder against it to force his way inside.  Scratching at his sideburns, he chuckled dumbly to himself before stumbling through the dark.  Thick fingers finally found the light switch, and a hazy yellow glow flooded the apartment.  Bromley didn’t even notice the figure illuminated suddenly from behind until a hand grabbed him by the back of the neck.  Something jerked his head down, cracking his face against the kitchen table with enough force that he could feel his nose collapse in on itself even before blinding pain shot through his entire skull.  He cried out, clutching his bleeding face with rough hands and stumbling away before whirling to face his attacker.

Jonathan stood snarling from beneath his mask down at Bromley, framed by a crown of faltering yellow light- THE SCARECROW ON HIS PERCH.  

“I know what you did,” Jonathan growled, stalking towards Bromley.  The man finally seemed to take in the mask leering down at him, the hangman’s noose fastened around the monster’s neck, the syringe clutched between claw-like fingers, and all the color drained from his face as he took a hasty step away.

“What the hell’re you talking about?” Bromley said.  He knew, oh, he knew what he had done, Jonathan could see the fear in his eyes now, and in a different circumstance it might have brought a sadistic smile to his lips.  This wasn’t the time for pleasure though, oh no; this wasn’t just control, not power, this was pure, righteous fury, and a dangerous growl rumbled like thunder in the back of the Scarecrow’s throat as he advanced on Bromley.

“Don’t play dumb with me, boy!” Jonathan snapped.  He bared his teeth beneath his mask. “Didja think she owed ya, hmm?”  Bromley scrambled backwards, striking the back of his knee on one of the chairs around the table in his haste to escape and falling with a harsh crash to the linoleum floor.

“Didja think she’d say yes to an animal like you?”  Jonathan tightened his grip on the syringe, prowling forward. “And ya are, ‘cause only an animal woulda done what you did to her.”  Bromley swallowed hard, glancing feverishly around for something to defend himself with.  

“Didja enjoy it, Bromley?” Jonathan hissed. “That rush of adrenaline when she tried to push ya away?  The feelin’ of power when ya hit her?”

“Why the hell do you care, man?!” Bromley said, high and strident with tremulous terror. “She’s just some dumb bitch!”

Three things happened next.  The first was that whatever thin barrier had been holding Jonathan back shattered.  He launched himself at Bromley with a high-pitched sound caught somewhere between a growl and a screech, plunging the syringe into the animal’s jugular and jamming his thumb down on the stopper with enough force to bruise.  

“She was my student,” Jonathan snarled.  Bromley stiffened, eyes widening with shock as the fear toxin slid like ice through his veins.  Jonathan could see the fear set in, could see reality slipping away, but it brought him none of the usual satisfaction.

The second was that Bromley began to tremble, crying out and clawing frantically in a desperate attempt to free himself from underneath Jonathan’s snare.  Jonathan dug one viciously bony knee into Bromley’s stomach, pinning him to the floor and glaring down at him.

“D’ya feel that, Bromley?” he growled. “It’s got ya in it’s grip now, don’t it, boy?”  

“Get off!” Bromley cried, trying to shove Jonathan away. “Get off get off get off!”

“How’s it feel, Bromley?” Jonathan hissed. “To be completely powerless?  To try an’ get away, terrified, but be unable to escape?”  He grabbed a fistful of Bromley’s shirt, lifting him up and slamming him down hard on the linoleum floor. “To be completely at someone else’s mercy?”

The third was that the door flew off its hinges, crashing into the drywall as a swift heel cracked against it.  Jonathan’s attention snapped to the door just as a gauntleted fist grabbed him by the hangman’s noose fastened around his neck, and he gagged as Batman yanked him off of Bromley, tossing him across the kitchen.  Day-old dirty plates and unattended pans clattered to the floor as Jonathan landed with a cacophonous crash on the table’s surface.

“How?” he gasped, teeth bared in a pained snarl as he propelled himself to the floor, keeping the table decidedly between him and the Bat.

“The neighbors heard everything,” Batman said, reaching for something on his utility belt.

“Oh no you don’t,” Jonathan growled.  Heaving with all his strength, he flung the table off its wobbly legs and into Batman, making a mad dash towards the open window.  Just as he was steeling himself to take the drop from the third floor, there was a flurry of yellow and red, and a puckish, masked boy appeared in the frame.

“Mind if I drop in?” Robin asked, grinning cheekily.  

“You li’l brat,” Jonathan growled, reaching into his coat for the switchblade.  Robin grabbed the top of the window frame and lifted himself up, swinging through the window and kicking Jonathan hard in the chest.  The Scarecrow stumbled backwards, wheezing from the impact.  Unfortunately, Batman had recovered from the momentary distraction, and was ready for him now, confiscating the knife with one hand and twisting Jonathan’s arm behind his back with the other.

“Damnit!” Jonathan swore, trying vainly to jerk himself out of the Bat’s vice.  Batman pulled up ever so slightly on Jonathan’s arm- a warning, but it sent a spike of pain up through his elbow that made him gnash his teeth together.

“Check on him,” Batman said, jerking his head towards Bromley.  His struggles had ceased, and he lay curled up in the very furthest corner of the room, shivering violently and gasping for breath.  Robin nodded, darting to the man’s side.

“Don’t bother,” Jonathan snapped. “He ain’t wakin’ up.”

“What did you do?” Batman growled.  Jonathan chuckled despite himself.

“My toxin’s effective at a concentration of point-one molar,” he said.

“How many did you give him?” Batman said.  Jonathan couldn’t help it- he threw back his head and laughed.

“How many, Crane?” Batman insisted, pulling up sharply on Jonathan’s arm, whose laughter turned quickly to a pained gasp.

“Five,” Jonathan snapped. “The mind can only take so much.”  Robin looked up from his crouched position beside Bromley’s comatose form.  Batman turned to look at him, and the boy simply shook his head.

“Why?” Batman said.

“Why?” Jonathan said, and the beast had begun to rumble in the back of his throat again. “Why?  If you had any idea what that, that animal had done, you woulda been here yourself long ‘fore I was.”  He tried once more to pull himself out of Batman’s vice-like grip, to no avail, and fell back, gnashing his teeth together like a feral beast. “But where were ya, Dark Knight, hmm?  You self-proclaimed protector o’ the innocent, you come to the aid of an animal, but where were ya when she needed your help?”  Batman said nothing; he knew he would keep talking, yes, Jonathan always kept talking, perhaps too much, a byproduct of his teaching years...

His student.

“She showed up at my door, jus’ a-sobbin’ away, bleedin’, an’ she asked for my help,” Jonathan snarled.  Well, that wasn’t exactly fair- Molly would be horrified by what he had done, he knew it, but the man had deserved it...

“Who?” Batman asked.

“Molly Randall,” Jonathan said, as if it were obvious. “He-”

“WayneTech employee,” Batman interrupted, pursing his lips.

“Well, yes,” Jonathan said, though he wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything.

“What happened to her?” Batman asked.

“Whaddo ya think?” Jonathan spat, craning his head to glare back at him.  Batman clenched his jaw and said nothing.  Jonathan’s attention was drawn to Robin, glancing uncertainly between rogue and vigilante, and the small part of him that was still a teacher hoped the boy had no idea what they were talking about.

“Your time passed, Batman,” Jonathan said. “She didn’t need protection, she needed revenge.”

“Not like this,” Batman said.

“Exactly like this,” Jonathan snapped.  Red and blue lights pierced through the hazy yellow glow still illuminating the apartment, and police sirens crescendoed slowly to life.

“Took ‘em long enough,” Jonathan scoffed.  Wordlessly, Batman steered Jonathan towards the door, allowing for one last glare at Bromley’s eerily still form before he was being led swiftly down the stairs.  Batman all but shoved him down the last flight, and Jonathan squinted against the sudden light.  

“Hey, wouldja look at that?” a gruff voice barked, and a rough hand yanked the Scarecrow’s mask from his face. “If it isn’t our favorite straw-stuffed freak.”

“Charmin’ as always, Detective Bullock,” Jonathan said, giving the man his most unimpressed look as Batman pushed him further into the throng of GCPD officers and squad cars.  Flashing lights, angry voices, and callous shoves surrounded him, flooding his senses, too much, too much-

Someone was snapping handcuffs onto his wrists, yanking him out of Batman’s custody, he wasn’t sure who- not that it mattered- and a nightstick was rammed into the small of his back, forcing him towards the nearest, very unappealing backseat of the squad car.  He’d been pushed halfway into it when he turned, locking eyes with Batman.

“You know I’m right,” Jonathan said.  A hand planted itself on top of his head, shoving him the rest of the way into the seat and slamming the door behind him.  Through the window Jonathan maintained eye contact with Batman.  The Bat looked away under his scrutiny, and the Scarecrow grinned.