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yuseirra · 28 days ago

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(Probably my final analysis about this guy unless something new comes up) There is a reason why Kamiki must be a god from a thematic perspective.

+prediction: This manga's ending can be really unhinged lol

I haven't encountered any spoilers regarding the ramaining chapters and if I get sent ANY, I WILL block you. No prior warnings. I was too tormented by those earlier. I don't deserve that for having cared for hikaai..(But if I get anything right.. You may o<-<.. Ohh I have so many love-hate relationship w this comic.. I guess I'll be able to get over with this whole nervousness soon one way or the other)

Jotted this down earlier, used machine translator haha ;v;

To elaborate, I think there are two remaining ways to handle this character. One is to treat him delicately (but considering the limited chapters left, this seems almost out of the question; everyone keeps saying he's dead and it's over, and it upsets me. I don’t think that way. I’m not even sure if he’s actually dead, yet everyone seems so certain he is, and it’s depressing. Wouldn't that be a really bad outcome? It’s not about liking the character; it just feels so unfair to both the readers and the character if the story goes in that direction. Just brushing him off as a villain would be too shallow, and I don't think it would make for a good story. But everyone else seems to have given up... Should I give up too? Would the author make such a choice? I’m sorry, but I really don’t think they'd finish this story so sloppily after getting this far. If so, I’d say I could put more effort into writing about him, but I don’t want to speak like this about someone else’s precious work.)

The other option is to treat him as a "fallen god" like the title suggests, glossing over some details. This way, they can maintain some narrative consistency without devoting much chapter space to him. There are actually a lot of hints regarding this (for example, if we assume he actually killed a lot of people, it could explain why no bodies were ever found... Like, we might get a news story in the next chapter about hundreds of bodies being discovered in the mountains because the power that concealed them vanished after his death (which would be terrifying. Then I’d be left baffled & wondering again, what kind of person was Ai really involved with?;; why the heck did the writers make her love such a guy?? I explained how this could work in a way IF he's a god in my earlier posts)).

Looking at the broader scope of the work, if we try to understand what the story is aiming to convey, there’s a clear significance to the character.

If they want to bury several dark aspects of the entertainment industry in him and just decide he is the reason behind it all, then he can't just be an ordinary person.

Seriously, Ai wouldn't have died for this kind of reason if she wasn't a celebrity. Nino and Ryosuke, these deranged individuals, wouldn’t have meddled in her private life and family matters, claiming that she must be the perfect idol, that she can't have a boyfriend or children, chasing her down, and trying to kill her if she weren't one. Many of Ai’s miseries stemmed from her being an idol, where her individuality was not accepted, and this isn’t a problem that can be resolved by simply taking down one madman—it’s connected to societal perceptions. To write this off as being Kamiki’s fault doesn’t even seem possible to me. That's not just simply bad writing, it's irresponsible and harmful. So I don't see the writers making such a choice. They're smart people.

Even if Kamiki harbored resentment after breaking up with his girlfriend, Ai wouldn't have been harmed if she wasn’t a celebrity. Nino even mentioned that Kamiki only talked about Ai. If Ai had been a regular person, what he did probably would have just him reminiscing about her as an ex-girlfriend. Seriously. Does this really make sense for it to believe that Kamiki orchestrated Ai’s murder? There should be a better reason. Otherwise, it’s just Nino and Ryosuke being unhinged, right? Wasn't Kamiki a minor in middle or high school at the time? I doubt he would have directly ordered anyone to kill Ai. Does he seem like someone who would harm Ai deliberately? If that were the case, why wouldn’t he have sought revenge immediately after the breakup? Why wait four whole years? Why? Even if he had anger and resentment (which I believe he did not...this guy never blames Ai.)would die down a lot within that much timespan. Honestly, I have no idea. Considering about the major event at time being Ai's dome concert, I plain think he'd have intended to send flowers through a friend to congratulate her about it, but then the accident happened. Ai’s comment that “our kids are smart and will understand our situation” suggests they weren’t completely out of touch. Maybe Ai told him where she was, which is why he knew about the hospital on her delivery day. Just WHY would he harm her? He's been throwing away his entire life away for a cause related to her for over a decade after she's deceased!! He never wanted to hurt her!!

Going back to the point, if his character isn’t going to be given proper focus (but considering they even brought in a famous voice actor for him, wouldn’t he be more significant than just a side character?), then it would make more sense for him to be a god. That way, he can absorb the societal context surrounding him. Like, he was originally a divine guardian of the entertainment world, but he became corrupted and fell into madness because of humanity. And there are plenty of odd situations and foreshadowing that can only be explained this way... His unique connection with Ai, the intensity of his attachment—it wouldn’t need further explanation, because there’s a narrative that exists beyond the story itself. If he’s treated as just a person, he holds no symbolic value and is merely a broken-minded individual—a mere psychopath. What would that contribute to the story? It shouldn’t go that way. It wasn’t until Chapter 154 that I realized, “Ah... This guy wasn’t supposed to be the culprit.” I just kept following along from there. If the story has a message to convey, it needs to address this. I can see where it's headed, and it’s frustrating, so I just want it to show a bit more! And then they say the story is ending soon. I think the most pressing need for the story now is to resolve its thematic elements.

I can think of about three or four scenarios for how this manga might end. Remember Chapter 156-7 or so, where Aqua and Ruby have that conversation? That chapter is narratively ominous. After reading that, I thought this story might end as a vision flashing before the eyes of two dying people. Like, “You had fun, didn’t you? This kind of life wasn’t so bad, right?” If that chapter is any indication, it’s not impossible that the entire story has been a well-constructed stage, all fiction! That chapter gave me a weird vibe, so I mentioned that the author might craft an ending that over 70% of the readers would dislike in a post once.

If it takes a really bold direction, it could end like that.

Or it could go with a more conventional ending. But this story, since Chapter 1, has been talking about how “everything is fiction, the world is fiction, and it hopes for good lies.” I think something that ties back to that concept will come up at the end.

And the last scenario is an ending that tries to hold onto some deeper meaning (but that doesn’t rule out an Aqua-Ruby flashback ending... lol. They could try to maintain meaning even with that or fulfill Aqua’s dreams of going to medical school and ending up with Kana~~).

Honestly... Even with four chapters left, I’d like them to dedicate like two of them to Kamiki. If we’re talking about liars, he’s as much of a liar as Ai, but he hasn’t been highlighted at all. Is becoming like Ruby supposed to be ideal? I haven’t been convinced of that... If this story wants to say something meaningful about the entertainment industry, it should address the lies required by idols and actors alike.

Wrap up Aqua’s story in one or two chapters, give Kana a happy ending (Kana’s been through a lot in the narrative), even if Aqua and Ruby don’t find happiness, I think Kana should at least find some fulfillment. MEM-cho will do fine, and Akane’s smart, so she’ll be okay.

Kamiki and Ai deserve about half of the remaining focus, thematically speaking. Even if Kamiki ends up being too far gone and deserves to rot in hell, we should at least understand who he really was. Ai’s true feelings were revealed, but Kamiki never got that chance... He never had a real opportunity to be happy, either. To me, he’s more of a person who was pushed to the brink and went mad rather than someone purely evil, so I can’t stop thinking about him. There’s a reason the story was written this way, and I want it to show that. There's someone broken and hit and hurt, but no one's taking responsibility for it. Is that right? Is that what you call justice? I don't think so. It gets on my nerves. I knew that he was a noble soul before they even brought that up. He used to be kind but something pushed him so far. A good story should show what broke him.

The recent chapters have been intriguing but not particularly substantive, mostly dropping hints without much resolution, given the remaining chapters. Can they really tie everything up? I have my doubts.

I just want the story to hold onto its meaning, regardless of the characters’ fates. That’s my hope. For me, this piece is about the message. I really wish it gives out a good one. I’ll keep quiet now; I really hate being wrong—

Did I figure out what this manga is trying to convey? If I have- I hope it goes in that direction. I do have an idea. It’s still possible, after all.

#oshi no ko #oshi no ko spoilers #oshi no theories #hikaru kamiki #ai hoshino #I don't even care if Aqua lives or die now..;; the message of this piece it at stake #I'm ready to swallow anything if only that stays perfectly intact #and things are really ugly atm #spoilers #long post #I don't think the writers would be that irresponsible #they probably have a message to send and I want to see it

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rocoutlaststuff · 2 months ago

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So I’ve got a request a Franco Barbi x reader where they were his lover from before he was captured but now they’ve ended up in the trials as a reagent (assuming they can even remember each other) maybe some angst/hurt/comfort as a imagine or one shot whatever would be better for you!! ♥️♥️♥️

One request coming up! I got carried away with this, and you've officially turned me into a bit of a Franco fan which I did not expect. That's what listening to dialogue for an hour straight will do to a person, I guess. Regardless, I hope this is what you were looking for!

Presently in the Past (Franco x Reader) [Requested]

🐑 ♡ I lost the footage to make a Franco gif, anyone wanna play to get it back ♡ 🐑

You can't remember anything about your past, but your past remembers you.

Explicit, Graphic Violence, F/M, M/M, Other/M, Tag(s): Trauma, Human Experiments, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Drug Use, Needles, Memory Loss, Angst, Hurt/Some Comfort, Blood, Violence, Death, Explicit Language, Obsessive Behaviour, Possessive Behaviour, Pet Names, Cuddling, Flashbacks, Oneshot, Ambiguous Gender Reader, POV Second Person

Find it on ao3 ♡ WC: 6,432

Disclaimer: Easterman's introduction to the trial, and the first paragraph of the story were written by Red Barrels. I recommend reading Barbi's comic first if you haven't already!

Thank you to an anonymous user for requesting this! This is very much my first time writing Franco - hope he's written well ♡

CIA ASSET AT A BAR SOUTH OF MIAMI CONFIRMED FRANCO BARBI'S INVOLVEMENT IN AGENCY ACTIVITY IN CUBA. FRANCO DEEPLY ENTWINED WITH EXPAT/COUNTER-REVOLUTONARY CUBAN COMMUNITY IN FLORIDA.

STATEMENT FROM LAST KNOWN FROM CUBAN-COUNTER REVOLUTIONARY ASSOCIATE CONFLICTS WITH CIA ASSET. FRANCO IS HINTED AT LEADING DOUBLE LIFE BETWEEN ROMANTIC INTEREST AND CAREER.

ATTEMPTING TO CONFIRM.

“Maybe he didn't expect someone to like him,” Clyde muttered.

His attention hadn't left the shot of Wolf’s Milk that had been made for him. The mere thought of sickly sweet taste forced his insides to turn. Like the wild goose hunt he was on, he wasn’t about the forget it any time soon. And just when he thought he had some semblance of understanding, it had come out that Franco was attempting to hide his involvement with a potential lover.

He had done a good job too, despite him running his mouth in supposed privacy.

Finding said lover was useful if they could, yet Clyde was close enough to Franco that he preferred the time and resources went towards his target.

“You can say that again. Looking like that I'd give up, but that man… He's got tenacity. If you want to call it that, anyway.” The agent put down the freshly cleaned glass with a sigh, and he waved off a patron.

“I can chase up that lead for our mystery friend if you need, but the shop’s closing soon, so it's best that you're leaving. Good luck finding your guy. Nasty piece of work that one.”

Atropine. Benzedrine. Chloropromazine. LSD. Nitric acid. Glass. Knives. Needles. Drills.

So many things had dowsed, punctured, and been absorbed by your skin.

If you could take stock of how much abuse your body had suffered, you would have died many times over. Yet the cocktail of drugs that flowed through your veins mixed with the very same abuse to create a near perfect blank slate.

You knew who you were. You were one in the same with the person in the mirror. You shared your history with that reflection and no one else.

Yet sometimes when you looked at yourself, you felt like someone else. It was only ever a brief flicker of emotion - a feeling that you replicated in the decor of your space - but you held onto it when you felt it.

Hell, you encouraged it when you could.

Waiting to go into a trial was not one of those times.

Your focus remained on the reagent who sat in the lobby with you. Whereas you sat on one of open tables, he sat on the floor by the stairwell. His hands flit about his body which rocked back and forth from the repetitive tapping of his feet on the ground. The cries of other unfortunate souls beyond your rooms sent him further beneath the stairwell to the point that he was nothing but a shadowy figure.

You suspected he was new.

It was a horrible fate for someone new to be stuck with you too. While the others took their sweet time waking up, you had checked every room. There were four of you in total still within your lobby. The other twelve had left to go to their own trials. So you were left to decide whether you asked the newcomer if he wanted to follow you into the depths of Hell.

Doing trials alone was not the answer. It was rarely the answer in the facility, and the people you saw alone were alone for a reason. They scared you more than some of the freaks they released into the trials.

Your trio was one man short.

Yet you were experienced, and experience meant more pain.

“Hey,” you called out.

A muffled yelp.

“Hey, it's okay,” you soothed as you rose from your table. Each movement was slow, and you held up your hands. Before you even reached the stairs, you crouched to make yourself smaller to him, skirting your hand along the floor to steady yourself.

“Who are you?” the stranger barked at you. His voice was fractured. It never settled on a pitch, nor could one emotion truly determine the tone.

Even in the darkness, enough light reached him to caress the edges of the tears that fell down his face.

You told him your name then asked for his while you sat beside the stairwell. With your hands crossed over your knees, you hugged them tight and waited for him to respond. He eyed you from his hiding spot perfectly still as opposed to how he had been a few short seconds ago.

“I don’t remember-” he choked. “I don’t remember my name.”

There was not much you could do except watch him repeat that statement over and over again in floods of tears. When he started to hyperventilate, you guided him with his breathing to the beat of your fellow reagents coming down the stairs. When they saw the scene, they agreed to take him with you.

Sure, it took a lot of convincing to have him step into the shuttle with you, but he did.

And you gave him a nickname: Franco.

He seemed happy with it, and you were grateful to get the name out of your head. The others knew that was what you called the soft toy you kept on your bed, but you didn’t care. It was one of those silly things you fixated on - one that was better than some of the things other reagents found comfort in.

Like cattle, you were herded into the chairs without any other thoughts about what you should have been doing. It was a routine. One that you explained to Franco. You warned him about the clamps on the chair. Then you warned him about the TV and the gas.

How could you tell someone to brace for the torment you were about to endure though?

"You are the surgeon's knife, and where you meet flesh, blood and pain must follow. We are the surgeon's medicine, who regulate pain and death. Poison the supply of those who would ease pain, and we will let you out."

There were no words shared between the group, only the terrified whimpers of Franco beside you. He cried out at the images that manifested in the fog. The suffering was unique to the reagent, and you stared forwards in disgust with bile in your throat. It was impossible to drown out the sheer panic beside you.

Instead, it became part of your nightmare.

A woman staggered towards you. Her body was outlined in the needles that clothed her skin. They touched every part of her, bouncing to the irregular rhythm of her steps. She tripped, tumbled, and fell into your lap - your eyes shut in an instant to block out the sensation you knew wasn’t there. You told yourself that the weight that hit you wasn’t real.

It wasn’t real.

She wasn’t really there.

Franco’s cries were a white noise that tore through your skull like the nails that dug at your tattered slacks. It was too much. Unable to help your morbid curiosity, you allowed your eyelids to flutter open.

The pulse that pounded within your chest threatened to cease. Tension gripped at your body, and a man held your legs with a similar zeal. Chipped nails belonging to the pasty skin sunk into you. Bloodshot eyes met yours, yet they didn’t seem to hold any hatred. They watched you with a warmth you hadn’t seen since you entered the facility and a smile to match.

You felt like you were looking in the mirror again. Familiarity swelled within your chest, and frustration compelled you to tears the second your wrists crashed against the metal restraints.

He was gone in a blink.

The shuttle stuttered and ground against the rails, coming to stop. You mustered up a brief smile for one of your fellow reagents at the concerned look she shot you. She still asked you if you were okay though while the other checked in with Franco.

“I'm fine.”

You were. If you didn't know why you were so upset by your vision then there was no reason why you couldn’t be fine. If anything you were good. Maybe even great.

Despite the way your guts churned, and a dull ache beat against your head, you were exhilarated.

You recognised that man. You didn't know who he was, but you recognised him, and he was a part of whoever you were before.

He was your answer.

The first thing you noticed was the water. Amid the boxes and televisions, you were lost to the sound of water lapping against something. It seemed you weren’t the only one who noticed it too.

“What is that?” your friend asked. There was no telling if he was talking to himself or not as he passed by you. Franco lingered by your side while your group headed to a nearby set of railings.

“I knew it!” your friend exclaimed. “It’s water. They got water in here.” He proceeded to laugh at the sight before him when he turned to see a pier extending beyond you.

“Fuck - this is…” you watched as he looked around the walls plastered in the image of a distant city, and you noted the way his expression strained under the weight of his thoughts. “It’s too real.”

Nothing else was said. He continued onwards past the viscera not a few steps ahead of him. You allowed yourself the chance to peak over the railings, and the water seemed hypnotising in the way it calmed to near stillness. Something must have fallen in seconds prior to your arrival for it to have made a sound.

You decided you weren’t going to stick around to find out what that something was.

Franco twitched when your body collided with his. He’d frozen. Fight or flight’s third sibling had no place in the trials, however, and you felt your heart sink at the sight of his vacant stare. You weren’t sure if he had clocked out for good already when he probably hadn’t seen a dead body up close yet.

A once over of his attire led you to almost regret bringing him along as you leant down to remove your shoes. The action caused Franco to return from the depths of his mind, and he watched you with intense focus.

“Put these on,” you told him.

With two shoes placed before him, he did so with ample tenderness. Maybe he'd suffered from splinters already. It was a thought that repulsed you given you now had no protection against that fate.

“Thanks.”

You nodded at him and took his hand to guide him along.

“Ignore what you see. Focus on what we're doing,” you said.

Enforcing this yourself, you closed yourself off to the world around you. It didn't matter that the wood bit at your soles, nor did it matter that blood that wasn't your own caressed every pinprick sized wound you endured down there. There was no face you made when you felt something compress under your weight and burst with a squelch.

You continued - plain and simple.

There was little in the way of danger along the pier. Just a couple of stragglers that muttered to themselves. Nobody disturbed them. When you drew near the gate, things changed, and your steel willed determination waned at the sound of nearby pleading.

“Salvatore Cargo,” you parroted from a sign in a bid to soothe yourself subconsciously.

The pleading only grew louder as the gate was lifted. One by one, you slipped underneath to find the source of the cries. Two men hung above you like the countless decaying fish strung out to dry long ago. Except they were very much alive and terrified.

Their fear was your own as you knew the sound likely drew attention, and sure enough a shoulder connected with you.

So it began.

Your friend collided with you to prevent an ex-pop from gutting you on long talons. You were forced back into a crate, and you acted on impulse. Around you, your friends scrambled to fend off the attacker. Franco froze once more.

Taking his hand, you snatched a bottle from a shelf and launched it at the ex-pop to distract them. It gave your friends enough time to run, something that was feral and frenzied when lives were on the line.

Your heart pumped. Unable to keep up with your pace, Franco staggered behind you. Directions and quick observations sounded out from your friends like gunfire.

Without them, you would have missed the safe zone.

You threw Franco into a slot and pushed your way into another. As the click resounded, you nearly fell out the other side. Franco knelt on all fours beside you, and you wrapped your hands around him to pull him up. There wasn't anything going through your head as you dragged him to his feet towards the nearest desk.

All you wanted was for him to be okay. You pulled him down into the cramped space beneath the desk on instinct. He was hyperventilating again. The sounds of movement around you let you know that the others were on their way upstairs.

Meanwhile, you held Franco close to your side.

Each shudder of his body shook your own. ‘Calm’ wasn’t exactly the state you could describe him falling into, but he fell silent soon enough. It was just in time for you to catch the latest disturbances upstairs.

A voice different to your friends sounded over the now frantic cries of the hung men. The first gunshot made Franco smack his head against the table in fright. The second was cause for concern as you realised that you had in fact heard a gun.

The screams were silenced, and the voice was too muffled for you to make out what was being said.

It belonged to a man. That much you knew.

You peered over the table to survey the scene. The safe zone was still in tact. The lockers beside you didn’t seem disturbed, and the partition was still up. A third and fourth gunshot rung out, however.

Whatever was happening wasn’t finished.

The shill scrape of metal on metal filled you with dread - the partition nothing but a memory in the span of a second. You were being told to continue.

“Come on, hey. We’re going to make it through, but we need to move,” you told yourself as you grabbed Franco’s arm and pulled him from his hiding spot. Your friends all but fell down the stairs in their panic to tell you what you already knew: whoever was stuck in the trial with you had a gun.

It was a point of debate as you manourved through the environment towards the next stage of the trial. Even as you hauled pounds of drugs from a cart between one another - the gun outweighed any opinions or thoughts on your given task. How did you combat a gun? Could you take it from the unknown assailant? Were the ammo stashes anywhere?

Nothing useful came of your frantic whispers to one another, and while you took time to search for resources, you decided to help Franco out. It changed the subject at least to something more productive.

“Battery packs go in like this,” you explained, showing him how to work his ESOP. “As for this, if you ever step on a mine and there’s gas - or you’re gassed because it can happen, one puff. That’s all you need. It’ll take it all away.”

You snatched a brick for safekeeping, but no explanation was needed for Franco. He understood its use the second it was in your hand. It seemed he learnt quick too, repeating back what you’d said to him on the way back to your rendezvous by the drug cart.

“I’ve got this,” your friend said. He took out a thin tube you recognised all too well and placed the needle to the edge of his arm. It sunk beneath the surface. You were ready to move again.

Things were going smooth for such an advanced trial.

That’s what you thought as the cart was heaved along at a brisk jog. You eyed the surrounding area from the boat to the fish market, and you agreed with your friend. It was getting very real.

Too real, in fact.

The stench of rotting fish and past reagents left you nauseous.

“Right this way, please.” The mannequin pointed you in the direction of a weird tool, and the group immediately fell into disarray.

“No - geez, another fucking thing we can’t deal with right now,” one of your friends hissed. The other picked up the unfamiliar device. She pressed the switch on the side, yet nothing happened.

“Symbol decoder, it says - look,” Franco managed, “aim it at the uh, at uh-” he trailed off as he waved his hand in the direction of yellow paint nearby. The first attempt didn’t work, but as you crammed around the corner, everything became clear. You had to line up the image.

The device whirred as the roulette of potential combinations locked in far too slow for the sense of urgency you all felt.

Eight, seven, four.

You were left with Franco as the other two rushed over to the vault and input the code. Nothing could have prepared you for what happened next though.

“It’s mine. It’s God damn mine, and I’ll skin, salt, and fuck any ruptured scumbag who tries to take it!”

You weren't in the trial. For a second too long, you were somewhere else. In your head, on a dock, you didn't fucking know. All you knew was that the voice stirred something within you. Somewhere - you'd heard it somewhere before. Where? You couldn't remember. Maybe you hadn't even recognised it, but the strength of the familiarity was enough to shake you.

Somewhere. Someone.

In the blank space of your head that you could feel, you knew he was there. It made you want to claw at your scalp and peel back the flesh. If you shattered your skull then everything would spill out. Or would you end up dying in a disappointing pool of black tar instead?

What if you forgot everything?

“-you alright?” Franco asked, and your attention snapped towards him.

What did you do to deserve to be taken away from everything you knew?

You didn't say anything, nodding instead. A hand wrapped around yours, and he gave you the best smile anyone could muster in your circumstances. Fake and pained.

“Let's go,” he said. You nodded again.

Your friends caught up, and you were given an extra decoder. The space before you led to multiple darkened passageways.

Cattle cars displayed the symbols you needed to find like some sort of messed up children's game, and you were left with Franco. It was decided as a team. You went left. They went right. With a mental note made of the symbol you needed, you beckoned to Franco to follow.

So began your search.

All the while, you searched your mind for memories attached to that voice.

Franco gasped from the pain his night vision goggles caused him when he pulled them over his eyes. Thankfully, it was a pain you had forgotten, but you could sympathise with him. The section beside the train was incredibly narrow with no visibility. He had no choice but to wear them if he wanted to see.

You navigated around a corner with no luck finding a star. Then you navigated around another corner to find nothing useful either. But then a light from another cattle car caught your eye. Yellow paint lit up like fireworks the second you lifted your goggles.

The star was there. Part of it anyway. Both of you moved towards the part of the puzzle you had found, and you glanced around for its missing half. It had to be in front of you if needed to line them up, but where?

The answer was on a barrel.

“Got it-” you breathed, holding up the decoder. It sprang to life, and you jolted when Franco bumped into you.

You were going to ask if he was okay when he told you he had heard something. Against the buzz of the device, you had failed to listen for anything else. How could you when your attention was divided between some stupid star and fragments of your past? But when you focused you could hear it too.

Breathing. It was heavy. Strained. It had to be him. Unless it was another ex-pop there was nobody else it could be.

He wasn’t getting any quieter either, and you looked back at the decoder to see it had stopped on one number. You waved it in front of you, desperate for it to work. You were so close to being able to leave - you could get it before whoever it was making their way towards you reached you.

They could turn and leave. It was a gamble that you were willing to take.

If you stayed you could see him.

“Go hide-” you snapped, and Franco hesitated. “Go.”

“Who is that?” That voice. You froze when Franco finally moved, and he brought you with him onto the car much to your dismay.

“My dad send you? Think I'm fuckin' scared of you?” Franco guided you to a barrel and instructed you to get inside.

You did, albeit you were slow. The voice lulled you into a trance, and you wanted to know who it was. His face was all you needed. Just one peek. That was it. Fingertips rounding the edge of the barrel, you peered over the top to see Franco cross the train towards a barrel on the other side.

He ran right past the opening and fell in unison with a bang.

The sound of the gunshot continued to ring in your ears, and you stared in horror at Franco. He was alive - a strained groan spilled from his lips as he rolled over to grip his leg. The bottoms he wore were red already, but the blood began to seep from between his fingers.

“Found you, fuckin’ rat-” the voice cooed. “Try fuckin’ runnin’ now, cocksucker.”

The stranger came into view. As he stepped into the light you could see everything. It was him.

He was the man in your vision.

Your answer.

And still nothing made sense. Even as you took him in, you couldn't place him in your memory. But you could see the situation was dire.

“Gonna cry? What a fuckin’ coward,” the man said, and you shot up from the barrel. With a blind rig, you weren't much use, but the brick in your pocket was.

“Franco - move!” you cried out. Both men looked at you, and you launched the brick at the stranger.

It was a perfect shot.

“Shit - my fuckin’ head!”

You leapt from the barrel and almost careened over with it as Franco threw himself to his feet. He cried as he did - falling down when he tried to make the jump from the car.

When you landed beside him, you didn't get very far. A hand snatched at your neck, and your body was pulled back against the car floor behind you.

“Must be one of those roaches - the fuck do you think you are usin’ my name like that? You-”

He was Franco.

You let out a whimper at the sensation of your spine being pulled against the car's floor and upwards. As if it couldn't get any worse, a gun pressed to one side of your head, and a face the other. The proximity forced you into stillness at the feel of the real Franco’s breath against your ear.

“Ain't no fuckin’ way,” he huffed beside you, and you looked at the Franco on the floor who was trying to crawl beneath the car.

“One of a God damn kind,” your assailant said.

The aggressiveness he held in his voice shifted into something more joyous. He carried an excitable air around him as he let go of your neck, and he jumped from the train. The mood was shattered when he landed on an injured leg, and the shriek that erupted from beneath the train must have been heard trial wide.

“Shut your whore mouth!”

What were you meant to do?

As two shots fired off into the Franco beneath the train, you were faced with the Franco who had inspired the nickname. And he had killed a man. There was nothing else you could have done but run. You were a credit to your own survival as you did, but you mourned two losses.

One of which tailed after you.

“Where do you think you’re goin’? Are we playin’ games? Kiss and chase?”

You sped towards the drug cart at breakneck speed. It seemed Franco had a hard time keeping up with you as his breathing became more laboured. He shouted after you and began to talk to himself when he lost sight of you.

There wasn’t any time for you to explain as you crashed into your friends.

“Did you get the drugs?” one of them asked, and everything came crashing down around you. They asked about Franco. You felt yourself slipping as the thoughts struggled to form on your tongue.

“Gone, no - he’s gone. Franco got him.”

“What do you mean Franco got Franco?” You didn’t have a response to the question as you fumbled for anything. Each word that unceremoniously left your mouth felt like chewing on dirt. Franco killed Franco. Franco was the name of the ex-pop they had seen.

The silence that fell after you finished spoke volumes.

You could see it in their body language. The way that they didn’t move, yet their eyes danced across you. Muscles tightened like coils ready to spring. They didn’t say anything, but you felt their judgement.

While you tried to convince yourself it was just guilt, you knew why they would take suspicion with you.

You understood why.

“C’mon out, orsacchiotto, I wanna make sure it’s really you,” Franco called out. His tone was playful despite the weasely undertone of something else that dripped through. Whatever it was was primal. “You got more friends you want to introduce me too? I’ve somethin’ for ‘em too.”

A metallic bang erupted from one of the trains as if something hit a wall, and you flinched.

“I know where the code thing is, I got one of the numbers before Franco appeared - I can lead you to-” you were cut off by a hand against your mouth. Your friend had lunged forwards and covered it with his head turned. He let it slide down, and ran a hand over his own face, refusing to step back.

Then he gestured behind you. “Go on, lead the way.”

You did - going back in the way you came. At the same time, it seemed Franco hadn’t given up his search, and his words damned you beyond the judgement you had already suffered.

“D’ya remember those cold, cold nights when I used to keep you warm?” You weren’t sure if you wanted to remember.

“I’d give anythin’ if you’d come cuddle up to me. Baby’s lonely.” Whatever you were to him was more than a friend.

“I know what you want - zuccherino for my zuccherino - too bad it’s locked away. I thought your mommy taught you good manners… All you gotta say is please…” Yet there was a bite of hostility in his voice.

“Don’tcha miss me?”

You did. Deep down inside, despite the way your body screamed at you in all the confusion and pain, you missed him.

You wanted to stop running.

With a shaky hand, you held the decoder up to the star symbol.

Nine, three, zero.

You stared at the void between the floor and the cattle car knowing there was a fresh corpse there. Your friend went to the vault to open it up, and you waited beside the edge of the car.

But it wasn’t silent.

Your name spilled from nearby. Close. It was close, yet you couldn’t see anything. The sound of shuffling and debris being pushed out the way forced you back into the cool steel of the cattle car. From the safety of your light, darkness opened up before you. So you let the goggles slide over your eyes.

There, opposite you, was Franco. You were witness to him as he crawled through an opening in the wall on all fours. He was swift to his feet and quicker to train both barrels of his shotgun on you. A broad smile decorated his sunny expression, and laughter bubbled from his throat at your reaction to him.

“Bang!” he exclaimed. “Caught you.”

There was movement inside of the car.

“And another fuckin’ rat,” he muttered. “Am I not enough? You gotta bring these dumb fuckin’ fucks into my work? My house?”

Your heart was in your throat, and the lack of sound from the train alerted you to the fact that your friend had stopped moving. He was playing it safe. He wasn’t going to leave you was he? He was going to leave you with Franco.

Regardless of if your friendship still existed or not, you were going to try at the very least to let him do that.

You were fine.

“Wait,” you blurted out. “I don’t remember Franco, I don’t remember anything at all.” He stopped dead in his tracks. You glanced at the way his finger toyed with the trigger on his shotgun, and then you met his eyes.

“I don’t remember anything at all,” you repeated as everything began to unwind into sadness. “They put this fucking thing on my head, and they force me to do things I don’t want to do.”

You gripped at your night vision goggles, the bolts embedded in your skull. Franco’s head lolled to the side with narrowed eyes, and you had his full attention.

“Who?” he asked.

“Who what?”

“Who the fuck is making you do anythin’? Is it those scumbags that are runnin’ around?” You shook your head. “Nobody fuckin’ tells you what to do. You’re not some fuckin’ whore…”

Franco’s expression contorted as his fist tightened in on itself. He shook his head and strode over to the car. You watched as he slammd the butt of his shotgun against the train, cursing each time. Each sound sent shockwaves through your poor nervous system, and you felt feint from the amount of adrenaline that coursed through your body.

“Fuck!” Franco repeated. “Why the fuck is nothin’ makin’ sense today? Shit’s so confusin’. Give me strength, somebody.” The gun was pointed at you in a casual gesture far too dangerous for your liking.

“Baby’s got to put on his big boy pants. I’ll be comin’ back for you, oh, don’t you think I’ll forget, but first…”

You couldn’t stop him from leaving. He hopped onto the train, and when he left it, it wasn’t long before you heard the gun go off.

Lupara.

That was what he called it. You remembered.

Unable to control your tears, you let them stream down your face like you fell to the floor. When there was a scream from near the drug cart, you cried out louder in unison. Knees brought up to your chest, you buried yourself into your own makeshift darkness.

Nothing could reassure you as your head pounded from the memories that tried to break through into your conscious mind.

It hurt. All your friends were dead.

And the man who murdered them came back to you with a spring in his step.

Apparently, one summer before Franco had to leave for Cuba, in the light of the rising sun you’d both gone to the docks together. Nobody else was really up at the time, and only the waves disturbed you both. Nothing had been planned, it was more of a spur of the moment thing, but you enjoyed it none the less according to him.

He explained to you in great detail how you’d made plans together to get ice cream and spend the whole day lounging there. Nobody was going to move either of you unless you decided to go yourselves. It was something you wanted to do, and he was happy to oblige since you were willing to give him everything he wanted in return.

You would hold his hand and drag him around to show him all the things you loved, and he would tell you that he loved you.

Love was a word that felt like choking up sawdust when he said it. Love never worked out for him. It wasn’t his thing, but he said it anyway. He recounted how you were so innocent to him.

He never told you how he pictured the shoreline coated in red. Intrusive thoughts flashed the image of you lying before him all mangled and pretty with your face stained in blood. You never needed to know because he couldn’t do it.

No, you were different.

There was nothing but joy on your face as he’d followed you along that beach. It was hard for him to explain, but ever since you had settled into something together, he’d chased after that feeling of being wanted like he chased you along the sand.

You humiliated him in your own way by making him think he truly belonged.

And you’d done it again.

Still in the same spot that you had fallen to beside the car, Franco sat with you. He waved his feet back and forth, swaying his body side to side while he looked at you. You hadn’t come out of your self imposed cocoon yet, but you had a single eye on him too.

Things had been ironed out to some degree.

Obviously he’d asked you what you remembered before he told you a few bits about your past, and while you couldn’t be certain what was true or not, you wanted to believe him. At the point you were at, you prayed that it was true. Something about him soothed the ache in your head.

He was undeniably charismatic, and you weren’t going to deny the fact that you felt drawn to him.

Then the important question of what you were doing in his territory with the others came up again. There was little he could have done to hide the irritation in his voice as he spoke about you being around them. He wanted to know why you were helping them. If you were anybody else he would have killed you, yet you had a chance to explain.

Franco understood to some extent, despite being frustrated.

He told you that he felt great - better than he’d ever been - but things were off. Seeing you made everything that much sweeter, yet that didn’t change the fact that he too was having issues with his memory.

Déjà vu he called it. It felt like the same shit everyday with different faces.

When you’d told him you were kept by faceless men in laboratory coats and given orders, he mentioned he’d seen some people like that behind glass. It was clear the worlds you were living in were very different. To him, the docks were real. To you, it was an experiment.

Things had gone quiet after that while you pieced together the shards of your past until a hand found your arm. Fingers walked up it and poked at your cheekbone. Franco shifted himself into a kneeling position with his body turned to you, and you lifted your head at the way he searched your soul with his gaze. Without even speaking, he was searching for something in you.

“Not gonna leave, are you?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to leave, but I’ve never tried to stay in a trial before without doing what I’m told. What if they come to get me?”

“Then they’re fuckin’ dead. Think they got a chance against my Lupara?” Each word was spat with pride like he could see them cold already. “Hey-”

Your pulse quickened as Franco pulled your arm from your leg. He supported it in between his hands, and he brought your knuckles to his mouth.

“You’d never leave me,” he hummed against your skin. “No - no, I knew you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t abandon your baby.”

The contact left you flustered as your mind raced over the implications that you were very much his old partner. You didn’t even know if you’d ever separated. Most likely not, if he was going to treat you the way he was. It was strange to feel his kiss against your hand. Not unwelcome, but it was strange.

As he told you that he wanted to feel your arms around him, you crossed your legs and opened yourself up to him. Surreal was an understatement to have him crawl onto your lap without the need to be prompted, and you were delicate in the way you pulled him towards you.

When his head rested on your shoulder, you decided to stop trying to process everything.

“Back where I belong…” you heard Franco sigh.

The weight of his body kept you grounded in the moment. An overwhelming sense of comfort washed over you at the contact - something you had sorely missed - and you let it happen. There was so much you wanted to ask Franco, but for the time being, you savoured the affection he showed you.

He made everything feel better.

“Well shit,” Clyde sighed as he placed down Easterman’s report. He bet Avellanos was going to have a field day with the information they had been given. It was a small world, but even he hadn’t been able to track down Fraco’s supposed partner in the height of his investigation.

Turns out all they had to do was pick up people from the streets, pluck them from their homes, and they’d get lucky.

THE PREMATURE END OF THE TRAIL WHICH RESULTED IN THE DEATH OF THREE REAGENTS WAS BOTH DUE TO FRANCO’S OWN AGGRESSION AND THE NATURAL FLOW OF THE TRIAL. YET THERE WAS A CATALYST.

WE FOUND HIS OLD FLAME. THE FOURTH REAGENT BEING FRANCO’S ROMANTIC PARTNER CAME AS QUITE A SURPRISE, AND I THOUGHT YOU’D BE INTERESTED IN SEEING OUR FRIEND IN THE FLESH. I HAVE RECONSIDERED THEIR POSITION AS REAGENT MOVING FORWARDS, BUT WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO DISCUSS THESE OPTIONS FACE TO FACE.

UNTIL THEN, FRANCO AND THE REAGENT HAVE BEEN SEPARATED.

#Ritual_Of_Cirice fanfiction #Ritual_Of_Cirice requests #franco barbi (outlast)#franco barbi (outlast) x reader #outlast trials #tw blood #tw violence #tw death #tw drug use #tw needles #tw injury #tw non consensual body modification #tw flashing lights

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zombiee-reviews · 9 months ago

Text

Keirr character discussion / breakdown

• The egotistical prick • The Aira hater • The deciever

- Quick author note: I’m going to be doing something slightly different, where I basically read the scenes that involved Keirr and leave a tag afterwords of pages I am going over. This will at least give you opportunity to read along with me and understand my breakdowns a little better.

- Another note: I am always using the Tumblr mobile app, so I apologize if my documents look rather funky on the computer version. I am trying to spruce them up and make them look at least somewhat good lol.

- Final note: I will be going over “Asmundr” Keirr, only a little bit though, mainly for his background. Other than that, I am focusing on “Home” Keirr. Now let’s get into it!

What I will be going over:

- What we know of Keirr’s history

- How he suddenly went from sweet and family oriented. Then turned into an egotistical jerk off, who stopped prioritizing family.

- A little on his personality

- Early History

In Keirrs early history, we know that he was born around the middle of Kiques 1st comic, Asmundr. And let me tell you, this fool has changed designs like.. 5 different times.

Ahem, anyway. Keirr is shown as the more “mature” one, compared to Rhov. In Asmundr, it is shown that he is a “decent” hunter, while him and his brother work on deer hides. He is even more reasonably suspicious than Rhov, when Jahla enters the scene and tackles Rhovanion.

When the war between Ranulfr and the Asmundr pack hit, Keirr was pretty useful and followed instructions well. Near the end of the war, you could tell he was tired of having to kill the Shield wolves, but he continued to kill. And really, that about sums up Keirrs story in Asmundr. Obviously, the first comic wasn’t about the offspring, like Home is. So I can’t really follow up with much, in “Asmundr” Keirr.

- Read along breakdown:

Now, we’ll be going over “Home” Keirr.

Two years had passed since “Asmundr”, so I feel the rest of this information does not qualify for Keirrs early history section.

Too begin.. Keirr and his family are dropped off on Aedra, they are not given a time limit of how long this lasts. All they know is, father will return at some point. Until then, they all make do and continue with their lives.

Keirr is still shown to be the more mature / family oriented guy. As everyone else decides to explore Aedra and see what they can find, Keirr decides to stay back with the Asmundr pack. Keirr at least retains his personality, for now, from Asmundr.( Page 8. Can also be seen on page 104. )

Then came the time when Zilas died, Keirr was the one to discover him first. Of course, he took it pretty hard considering that he grew up with Zilas and saw him as a brother. Of course, a lot of those crucial bonding moments us readers need are shown “off-screen”. It was never truly shown how close Keirr and Zilas were. ( Page 127 - 128 )

Fast forward to the time he discovered Aira, this is when things get juicy. For a while, Keirr was not Kiques priority and he did not make a real, solid appearance for a few chapters, up until page 138. This is when Kique decides Keirr needs a fucked up “Home” style arc next.

Keirr is seen carrying a torch, probably out mourning his loss I’d imagine.. Otherwise, idk why tf he is out late, or seen / helping anyone bury Zilas? This was the time when night beasts were a thing. Anyway! He is caught off guard by a voice, who comes from Aira, hiding. Keirr still retains his suspicious behavior, like in Asmundr and asks her to come closer, for the fire he is carrying. To his surprise, he is greeted with a badly wounded dog. Reasonably, he asks Aira if she was attacked by a feline, probably trying to see if she is the reason Zilas is dead. Quickly, his suspicions are cleared and he offers her help. ( Page 138 - 139 )

Suddenly, in video game reloading fashion, Keirr spawns at camp with Rhov and Jahla. Where the hell did Aira go? Anyway, I like that Keirr called out Rhov and Jahla for trying to throw blame around on anyone they could, for Zilas’s death. And then looking down at them, like a disappointed father. Thankfully, he is still retaining his personality at this point. I have to say though, it is interesting that Keirr decides to care for Aira alone and not bring her back to the Asmundr pack. Knowing his suspicious behavior, this might have been the better option for him. ( Page 140 - 141 )

We are then shown Keirr and Aira at her den. Keirr is definitely shown as more able bodied than Aira and attempts to help her up, when he realizes she can’t make it up on her own. His so far suspicious behavior remains intact, when he realizes her den has an odd amount of space for one dog; especially one of her size. He even tries to wiggle in some questions for her, but to no avail. He leaves Aira with supplies and is even kind enough to give her a knife and hide a hare nearby for her. ( Page 151 - 152 )

A few hours had passed, seemingly it looks like Aira tracked Keirr down and sat down with him. Keirr then opens up a little bit about Zilas and his family. The odd part for me is that, he is shown to be a family oriented guy, you’d imagine he’d want to mourn with his family? But I suppose he would rather want to mourn alone, for some odd reason. Kique tends to do a lot of important things “off-screen.” Anyway, instead of going back to his family, he chooses to mourn with a stranger. Which to me is slightly out of character of him. ( Page 160 - 161 )

A day or so later passes and suddenly Keirr is an expert in physical therapy. This scene from him looks promising, until he joins up with Whispervale. More on that later. Keirr helps Aira jump over a log and help regain her mobility. Then he decides it’s time to go back to his family, in the middle of such a primary moment? Aira then runs up and kisses him to stop him from leaving. Then he subtly gloats at her about how he is her “only chance of survival”, I mean what a nice thing to say lol. I feel this is when Keirr starts acting out of character, but it isn’t super noticeable yet. I’m also not quite sure why he said she couldn’t join the pack, Kainan would have saw no problem with it? Then he contradicts himself by saying he’ll continue taking care of her, but can’t leave his family to care for a stranger, all in the same breath? What? lol. ( Page 197 - 199 )

Keirr then finally discovers that the Asmundr pack is no longer there. Also, it’s kind of funny how it foreshadows the reindeer being dead in the fourth panel, but magically they’re still alive when Ronja gives them to the Deer humpers. Not only this, but it’s way too soon for the Reindeer to leave behind bones? Or why didn’t Keirr notice them while he visited the territory? Another plot hole lol. ( Page 226 )

Then Keirr suddenly decides he wants to go back to Aira, even after being a subtle dick to her. He notices that she is no longer in the vicinity and begins looking for her instead. Contradicting himself again, because he just told her he wouldn’t leave his family for a stranger. So why does he choose to go after Aira instead and not start looking for his family? Hm. ( Page 235 )

At least Keirr was nice enough to go searching for her.. But he comes across her re-possessing herself with the monster she was previously. Aira explains that she can’t survive without it. Keirr added salt to that wound by saying previously, he was her only chance of survival and then dipping out on her. Reasonably though, Keirr stops her from completing the ritual. Once he is able to pull her away from the spirit, he comforts her and makes sure to tell her that he is here for her. Boy what a damn 180 that happens in the future! Keirr then discovers Aira’s background and what she use to be, they share a tender moment together and then apologize for their previous actions. ( Probably the one and only time you’ll see that in this comic. ) Then Keirr suddenly decides she can join the pack, because it was always an option, Keirr was just being a dick. And with that, Keirr invites her to look for his family with him. Aira is able to offer some advice, as she has previously traveled the entire island in her beast form. ( Page 267 - 276 )

Here comes the total 180 of Keirr, when Aira shows him the way to Whispervale. Suddenly Keirr spouts out “We should ask them to join their pack!” Wtf?? Even Aira asks him why, just ask them if they have seen his family. Then for some reason Keirr wants to use Whispervale for their resources before continuing, but in the same breath wants to join their Tribe? None of what he just said to Aira made sense to me. Obviously Aira is uncomfortable, but Keirr doesn’t give a shit lol. Once Whispervale approaches them, Keirr asks if they can join their Tribe. Keirr then attempts to gain sympathy from Fraujar, but rightfully he gets none. Fraujar makes a statement to Keirr that the health of his tribe is everything to him, and he needs more from them than what they have shown Fraujar. Fraujar then assigns Felidae to get them acquainted with everything. Not sure what Keirr or Kique are thinking in this moment, as this is a total 180 from Keirr and his plans.( Page 311 - 314 )

Time passes for the pair and of course Aira asks Keirr when they are leaving Whispervale. Seems she’s the one that adopted Keirrs old personality, cause she’s the only one eager enough to go find them. Of course Keirr shuts her down with a bullshit excuse. “We need stability!” Not sure why he suddenly is against his own idea of searching for his family and staying with Whispervale. I mean what else did he expect trying to find them? Aira is obviously uncomfortable joining a Tribe she did not want, but again, Keirr doesn’t care. Finally their right of passage comes and Aira is the first one to participate. Aira is once again expressing she is UNCOMFORTABLE, before her trial begins. Keirr tries to reassure her, but beyond face value, Aira is stuck there because of his dumbass, unwilling at that. Of course Aira doesn’t do very well in her trial, Fraujar then says her character can be improved, but her structure is… Not up to parr. Then Keirr is all like “Oh she just needs to be trained!” Homie, did you not listen to anything Aira has said previously? She was BORN like this, she can’t just magically work out and get better. That’s not how disabilities work, idiot. ( And would you imagine it, Kique is actually an ableist and no wonder Airas character was handled like this! Go on! Read Stazz / Zirvasitys documents on her relationship with the kind hearted author! ) ( Page 326 - 331 )

Tch, anyway. Aira is obviously disappointed, she told Keirr and even expressed to Keirr that she did not want to join this tribe. I would imagine being in her shoes, she feels unheard, but tried to please Keirr anyway, only to fail. Then of course came Keirrs time and suddenly we’re shown a flashback between Keirr and his father. Of course, this was never shown in Asmundr, or Home. Suddenly Kainan and Keirr found time to actually give a shit about reindeer behavior. ANYWAY. Keirr is oddly confident in larping, how did the confident, son of Kainan, shield wolf killer end up in this situation lmfao. Of course, to nobodies surprise, Keirr nails the trial, he still loses the fight against Raun and everyone is buddy - buddy. ( Page 332 - 336 )

The next scene that follows, we have Raun shouting out at Keirr, saying he looks good and can pass as a guard if he keeps it up. Tbh, this seemed friendly at first, but watching the way Raun interacts with Keirr in the future, makes me feel like Raun is the neighborhood creep lol. Aira then comes out of the hut, her scars completely healed. Keirr is at least somewhat more supportive in this page, but future Keirr is nothing but a prick. ( Page 345 )

Fast forward to chapter 10, we finally see Keirr again, because all of chapter nine was about dumbass Rogio. Ahem. We actually see some progress from Keirr, at least keeping his word to himself. But the odd part is, he brought Raun and not Aira? First of all, Keirr hardly knows Raun and Aira understood the whole situation a lot better than Raun. Soooo.. Odd choice in bringing Raun. ( Would like to add really quick, I know Fraujar assigned Raun to follow Keirr, but why tf would Aira not come either? ) Raun is more dead weight anyway, because he’s being a giant wussy about being in that area anyway. Not even allowing Keirr to scope out the area, completely. And Keirr is just laughing about it, like cmon man, I would imagine you would want to potentially comb through the area, not cater to some giant wuss like Raun. ( Page 458 - 460 )

And to nobodies surprise, the next scene that involves Keirr is a flirty Raun. He tries to encourage Keirr to let loose and have some fun, which would have been cool if it had stayed as a friendship kind of thing. But yet again, Kique force feeds us another MxM ship. At one point, if Kique had kept up with the Rhovanion x Rogio arc that he was hinting at, at some point. All of his main male characters would have been gay. Which is obviously unrealistic, not impossible! But unrealistic. Honestly, I take Raun as a fucking creep. You hardly know anything about Keirr and yet, here he is trying to make flirty gestures and tell Keirr he’s avoiding him. As a woman, to my fellow women, any time a man points out that you’ve been avoiding him, a very creepy vibe showers over us. ( Page 478 - 479 )

Then to nobodies surprise again, Keirr is suddenly able to pin Raun, even though Raun was seen to be a lot stronger than Keirr in his trial. Aaaaand of course, Keirr reciprocates Rauns flirting by responding to him in a sexual manner, “I’m the lead sarv now.” However, in the future Keirr becomes more of an asshole at Raun from this point. ( Page 480 )

Ah now this scene just pisses me off and makes me want to throw Keirr off a cliff. Aira is seen laying around, presumably missing Keirr, I’m sure. Or, just wondering where he went. When she catches sight of him returning, she is understandably excited to see him. The one guy that helped her out with everything, in her worst times. The one guy that made her stop from becoming a beast again.. Shits on her entirely. Eyup, you heard it right. Apparently, getting people totally dependent on you and then being a giant asshole, is something Kique favors doing. Aira of course asks Keirr where he went, Keirr is suddenly acting like the biggest ass to Aira. Which tbh, he has no right doing. HE is the REASON she is there, in the first place. She has EXPRESSED to him NUMEROUS times she is uncomfortable with the tribe, but yet, he took her cries for help and rolled them up and tossed them like newspaper. What a god damn jerk Keirr is. And of course, Aira is understandably upset. Keirr basically told her to fuck off and go make her own friends. Even tho a few chapters ago, he was seen cuddling and holding her, telling her he was there for her. FUCK you Keirr. ( Page 481 - 482 )

In the next scene, Keirr then wants to play a pity party for himself, sitting in the rain, all sad looking. Like he didn’t cause this whole situation for himself. Nothing told this jackass to join Whispervale and stop searching for his family, he did it all himself! So really, why tf is he sitting there acting all depressed? Get off your ass and go look for them! Nobody told you that you couldn’t? Honestly, he’s lucky that Aira still gives a damn about him, even after he treated her like utter dog shit. Then, while Keirr is acting like a baby, Zilas makes an appearance and Keirrs dumbass thinks it’s a grand idea to talk to the ghoul. It’s kind of interesting to me how Zilas is still mostly recognizable.. You would think by now he’d peel his skin off, you know, like what Fjordor said that ghouls do. Zilas has been dead for quite a while. Aira then witnesses all of this and comes to his aid, banishing the ghoul. Keirr then suddenly gets all butt hurt about it and snarls at Aira. Okay, I get it, you’re mourning dude, but I would have figured you’d have some logic / sense to know that Zilas.. IS NOT ZILAS! Keirr even asked the ghoul what he could do, like the damn thing can talk back to him. Honestly, Aira should have just let the ghoul tear Keirr up to shreds and save us all the drama lmfao. And one last thing, when Keirr says he saw that ghoul before, but didn’t recognize it. GIRL WHERE? ( Page 515 - 517 )

Suddenly, Keirr is the master of establishing the differences in the ghouls sounds and can still hear Zilas. Also, when Aira mentions that she lived with the Meteor Tribe, really that opened up way too many questions about her that I’d like to ask. But anyway. Aira gives some speech to Keirr about how MT basically fucked around and found out with the spirits. Then a conversation falls into place about burning Zilas’s body on MT land, which ew, his body im sure would be pretty rotted away by now. But this also brings me to another question, what are the ghouls made of? Are they a manifestation of the soul? They quite obviously can’t be their former bodies, because if that were the case, they wouldn’t even find Zilas’s body, as he would have risen and been a ghoul. Another fat question for this comic and I’m not even sure if this was talked about? ( I’ll be honest with you, I forget if this part was talked about. ) ( Page 518 - 519 )

And here we go with the sexual tension between these two idiots, Keirr and Raun. Raun is a full on creep already, but really Keirr is the big asshole here. Previously, Raun asked him out, as he mentioned before the trip, to Felidae and Aira. So instead of.. Idk, not leading Raun on, what does Keirr do? Hugs him and shares a tender moment with him. Oh trust me guys, it gets fucking worse from this point. And I will continue to say that Raun is a creep, but even he doesn’t deserve to be led on. I also don’t remember Raun asking Keirr out, but I’ll just assume that was yet another important off screen moment. This is also yet another rushed, no chemistry ship crammed down our throats by Kique. ( Page 526 )

So finally we get to the part where they eventually burn Zilas’s body, Aira asks Keirr if he wants to say something and of course! Nothing. It’s almost like any time someone dies in this comic, proper funerals don’t exist. Granted, Keirr just said “I love you, brother.” But when given the opportunity before hand, he was like eh, I don’t have shit to say lmao. ( Page 528 )

Fast forward to a year, I mean 3 months later ( in Keirrs arc ). Of course, in another off screen moment, supposedly Keirr and the others returned to Whispervale and told Fraujar what happened. In my opinion, I feel like some punishment should have been bestowed upon them, or at least show Fraujar being upset with them for doing this behind his back. It would have shown more character from Fraujar and also shown Keirr getting his ass chewed out, by bringing all this unnecessary drama and bullshit into Whispervale. Keirr is also being another nosy ass, listening in on his Jarls discussion. Within the midst of this, Ferah makes her appearance. Keirr miraculously still remembers her and asks what the hell happened. I almost forgot that Keirr and Ferah met previously, because they literally didn’t say anything to each other lol. ( Page 566 - 567 )

Oh boy, here comes the cringiest scene that involves Keirr. Keirr steps away for a moment, after watching Ferah, once Felidae walks in. Ferah wakes up and of course is spooked, cause she doesn’t know wtf is going on. Somehow they both remember each others names, though I don’t remember them ever sharing their names to each other previously. Anyway, Keirr asks Ferah questions about Roamer and Ferah tells him that Ronja and Roamer are at MT. Of course, Keirr gets excited and quite frankly I’m surprised he didn’t smell them before, because Keirr was literally in their territory a few months back, but whatever! Ferah then tells Keirr they’ve both been strong and bla bla. Keirr of course tries to take off, being this annoying problem child as usual. If I were Fraujar I would be so annoyed with Keirr lmfao. Of course you can’t just take off like that, from your tribe, which YOU wanted to join. Raun stops Keirr from running off and what follows after is a recipe for fucking disaster lol. Keirr ends up kissing Raun, further leading the king of creeps on. Keirr KNOWS that Raun likes him, so apparently kissing him out of emotional excitement is a totally normal thing to do. Especially when you know that person has a CRUSH on you and yet you don’t reciprocate it! No, no, it’s totally okay to lead on someone who has feelings for you! ( Page 572 - 576 )

Damn near 100 pages later and we finally see Keirr again. Course, nothing has changed with him. Raun and Keirr are seen in a hut together, Raun is basically asking Keirr what they are, because I mean.. They touched tongues, lmfao. But that was because of Keirr throwing himself at Raun, so really I don’t blame Raun for asking. Now in Keirrs defense, I don’t know why tf Raun is grabbing Keirr like that, when asking him a question, so I mean Keirrs response is a little valid, when he yells at Raun. But the blame still lies with Keirr, because this whole time he has led Raun on, but at the same time Raun has been a giant freaking creep bag as well. They are then interrupted when Keirr walks out and runs into Fraujar, standing there, needing to talk to Keirr. ( Page 640 - 641 )

A few pages later, we see a non emotional reunion between Keirr, Ronja and Roamer. I mean god, all of their expressions are so god damn bland. Y’all haven’t seen each other in months, but let’s just 1,000 yard stare at each other, BEAUTIFUL. ( Page 645 - 646 )

Fast waaaay forwards, to more important scenes involving Keirr. After Rhov and Keirr’s reunion, we are graced with a scene where Rhov and Feaf are telling Keirr that MT might get attacked… This fucking idiot. So instead of putting this whole thing on top priority, Keirr just brushes it off and is like.. I’Ll TeLl FrAuJaR iN tHe MoRnInG. Dumbass, how do you know if they are attacking MT? Feaf literally said they might come to Whispervale? How does Keirr know they aren’t literally waiting in ambush, that very moment? HE DOESNT. So instead of putting his family top priority, like he probably should’ve, he decides to talk about his relationship status. What a great fucking family member / tribe member he is. On top of this, “figuring himself out.” I think you know where you stand, buddy. This whole scene though, Keirr was an idiot. He doesn’t even show the slightest BIT of concern for his family / MT. Let’s act depressed af, because he didn’t know where everyone was, but as soon as he finds them and they could potentially be in danger, ah, let’s wait to warn others till morning! ( Page 788 - 791 )

Finally Keirr and Whispervale show up, but yall are too damn late already. ( Page 808 )

And that about sums up my read along breakdown!

- Personality Breakdown

So looking over Keirrs personality traits really gives me some mixed feelings. To be honest, I can’t say that he is independent. Not anymore at least, he was the one that decided he wanted to join Whispervale, he even went against his own independent idea of searching for his family. So for me, he is neither logical, independent OR family - oriented.

A few of these other positive personality traits really haven’t been tested thru the fire, so I can’t really say what he is or isn’t. Mainly because Kique does not focus much on Keirr, like he does with the jackasses of MT and former MT members.

To put it all in perspective though, Keirr was a pretty solid character in Asmundr and in the beginning of Home. Unfortunately, he too fell victim of Kiques weird kinks / fans and became a whole contradiction to himself and his own personality traits.

And that is the end ladies and gentlemen! Hope you enjoy :)

- Zombiee

#kique nordin #kique7 #asmundr #bad dog comics #asmundrcomic #asmundrhome #comic review #comic #homeasmundr #homecomic #keirr #Aira #rain #Whispervale #kique n

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beesmygod · 5 months ago

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hmmm. was olga more "respectable" than maxine, for lack of a better word? we know she was the head of the coven, but would that mean respect from people outside of magic practitioners? or because of the way the world is set, there is not really a sharp divide between people that meddle with magic and spirits and people who dont? im asking bc i find the theme of legacy super interesting when it comes up (do people think that maxine is dragging the gottwin name through the mud? or do they shrug their shoulders bc who gives a damn about what an exterminator does and doesnt do?)

this is a good question and warranted a good answer, sorry for the delay.

there are a couple things at play here:

the position of "town witch"/coven leader was once significantly more prestigious than it is today. what used to be a position as essential as the fire or police chief has been worn away by technological advancements; her position was essentially replaced with extermination as a global business model after the rise of the cheap, electronic anti-ghost devices. maxine inherited a defunct position and failing business.

the divide between those who practice magic and those who don't is, funnily enough, the same as my view on why people make art and others don't: they don't enjoy doing the process. its messy, its complicated, it takes a long time, doesn't have guaranteed results, and it involves dead things in one way or another. sometimes it's just easier to call someone to do the process for you when you can't be bothered to work on your pronunciation of magic words. in this way, a witch is sort of like a plumber or a mural artist. explicitly for hire to do something you don't want to deal with yourself because it might be out of your skill range/take too long to learn the skills. so olga's reputation did suffer a little bit from the irrational public assessment of extermination as a "messy" business.

there's also an unfortunate stain on the gottwin name that maxine inherited long before her grandmother died: her father ran away from home in his teens because he and olga fought viciously and publicly. no one heard anything else about him until he died, and it was a surprise to everyone (including olga) that maxine even existed at all. so the rumor mill started churning: what did olga do that upset her son so badly? by the time olga died, people seemed to understand that the family was cracked beyond repair; behaviors that were more acceptable in the decades before the events of the comic were looked at in hindsight as painful and cruel. and since maxine, public nuisance, was the end result of olga's work it's hard for the public not to lay the blame at her feet.

so, maxine is caught in a sort of weird nostalgic hell where people can simultaneously tut-tut her for not being enough like her grandmother or for being too much like her. lol. this was a ramble but i hope it was interesting. im folding most of this into the comic but a lot of it i just try to keep in my brain when writing and thinking about them both.

ive been thinking more and more about olga as we approach parts where we're be flashing back to maxine's childhood and approach the next (final?) book. "books" are the huge overarching storylines as opposed to individual chapters, so there's still a lot of AGS to go. i want to explore character motivations so much i just need the power and energy to do so again.

#a ghost story

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slocumjoe · 2 years ago

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Companions react to sole getting seriously injured by saving their life

This falls into two camps.

Angry; Danse, Cait, X6-88, Gage, Nick

Guilty; Piper, Preston, Hancock, Curie, Deacon, MacCready

Cait; Cait is not only of the opinion that she had it handled, but even if she didn't, Sole wouldn't have either. And clearly they didn't. Whole time she's dragging them to safety, stabbing them with Stimpaks, wrapping up their wounds, Cait is cussing unlike anyone has cussed before. It is almost magical. She's seeing red over it. All that anger is thrown at Sole, but its really at herself. She should have been more careful, she's the one who's protecting them. And look, she made a dog's breakfast of it. Sole doesn't get a lick of good bedside manner, but Cait never leaves their side, never takes her eye off them, never lets the painkillers wear off enough for them to hurt.

Curie; Tears. So many tears. If anything would make Curie doubt herself, her intelligence and her capabilities, it's this. The area is clear, and Curie is left with her dearest friend half-dead. Maybe 3/4s of the way there, even. Curie gets them into the first empty building she finds, and can barely perform basic emergency medical assistance, she's shaking so badly. She'll talk them through the process and pain, and even if her voice doesn't waver, her spirit does. Once Sole goes to sleep, sits by them with a hand on their pulse. If they stop breathing for even a moment, hell will break loose. Curie never allows herself to be in that position again. She always has another gun on her hip, another grenade, a shock baton. Never again.

Danse; He wears the power armor, he sponsors them, he swears to them he won't let them end up like everyone else he's cared about...and Sole almost dies for him. Danse lays on the fire support until nothing is left moving, hops out of the armor, and tends to Sole right there on the ground. He doesn't say anything. He has to focus, remember where the Stimpak goes, how tight is too tight for a tourniquet, estimates the bloodloss. Once Sole is better fit for transportation, it's back in the armor, and he takes them into his arms and wherever he deems safe. Danse handles them like glass. He doesn't look them in the face, doesn't speak as tends to them. If he says anything while they're...like this, torn to shreds, broken, he's going to be screaming it till his throat is bloody. Sole needs to sleep. Danse bottles it up until they're fully recovered, however long that takes. The minute he confirms they are healthy, the floodgates burst and he's such a mess, he doesn't even pull rank.

Deacon; Doesn't bother securing the area. Sole is over his shoulder, and they are gone. Over the hills, into a sewer, up a scaffolding if he has to. Deacon does not give a shit about the raiders, or Mutants, or whatever the fuck. He gets Sole outta there. Quickly patches them up however he can, and not once does his smile break or falter. He makes jokes every step of the way. Behind the glasses, his eyes are wide and glassy. Sole's blood stains his hands as he wraps them up, as he isn't as used to performing medical assistance on the field. Not one someone else, at least. Makes a mess of the first aid bag, the floor, their clothes. Sole never gets him to crack, admit he was scared. Deacon reimagines the scene in a comic book art style, dramatic shots of bullets whizzing past them, light glinting off the glasses as he heroically carries them to safety. If he thinks of it any other way, he's going to lose his shit.

Gage; If Sole dies, the last words they will have ever heard are "WHA'TH'FUCK'RE'YA DOIN'–" in a pitch Gage will never admit to reaching. Whatever the threat is, Gage might just suckerpunch it, sling Sole under an arm, and book it for the hills. He'd like to shoot up the place and remind them you don't fuck with my Overboss, but said Overboss is kind of dying. But its fine, because Gage is not panicking. Stimpak goes in left arm, right? Right. No, left, not— fucksake. Gage works so quickly he ends up hurting Sole. Wraps the bandages too tight, literally stabs them with the Stimpak, shoves joints back in place with no warning. He's not thinking of comfort. He's thinking of the lecture he's going to give them, since they're definitely not going to die here. And y'know what? Serves them right. You want to kill yourself in front of him, you deserve an extra bruise, courtesy of your unsuspecting, unprepared nurse. He doesn't even have the skirt for this shit.

Hancock; Also grabs Sole and bolts, also cusses the entire time, also has no idea what he's doing in regards to medical attention. The only thing he's confident about is where the needle goes. Laughs at this and sounds like a balloon getting the air squished out. Not for a single moment does Hancock have his cool. Its not until Sole is patched up and resting that he takes a breath for himself. Blames himself for being too cocky, too reckless, not paying attention. Hancock is a scrapper. Messy and skin-of-your-teeth fighting is his thing. Sole didn't need to...he can't put them in that moment of fear again, make them think he needs saving. The shotgun, the knife...they might have to go. Gets something mid-range, so he can stay closer to Sole. Not have to charge in. Getting Hancock to fight smart, fight conservatively...Sole may as well have moved a mountain.

Nick; Baffled. Absolutely baffled as why Sole would think, for even a second, that was a good idea. He was in a tight spot, yeah. But getting themselves in the same tight spot is not the solution to that, damnnit! Another Grab and Get The Fuck Out Of There. Patches them up pretty well, frets the whole time, grumbles under his breath but doesn't lay them out like he really could. Much like Danse, he can only be angry once they're okay. When they're better, aw jeez. Sole doesn't hear the end of it for a while. As they recover, will read to them and be all coddling, but Sole is not going to remember that. No, they'll walk away having learned the hard way, don't do dumb shit for Nick. Nick might need to see Sturges, get some fuses replaced.

MacCready; Screams a colorful assortment of cusses while headshotting like he never has before. Here's what Sole is going to remember, in between black outs: MacCready yelling at them while fumbling with a Stimpak; MacCready tearfully apologizing as he drags them away; MacCready yelling again, putting something under their head; Oops, more crying as he struggles with a tourniquet; rinse and repeat. MacCready saw it the same way, only half coherent. MacCready can't be mad at them for it, though. He tried to do the same with Lucy. But he can be mad at himself. It was his fault, he was out of position, he wasn't paying attention, whatever it was. Sole almost dies because of him, and he has to wonder if he can keep traveling with them if he's this incompetent. Lucy, he had to tell himself it was a mistake, an accident. A bad luck day. What if its him?

Piper; Sole doesn't look like they have long, so Piper gets the telling out of the way before they pass out/die. Doesn't even look for targets as she shoots, pulling Sole to safety with one arm around their chest, just fires blindly and hopes that keeps the creeps back. Piper knows some field medical assistance from having to save her own life, and that iron will of hers keeps her from shaking or stuttering as she tends to Sole's wounds. You'd think she's mad, calling them crazy. Wait until Sole falls asleep and Piper is, technically, alone. Hides her face in her scarf and sobs. She was supposed to watch their back, and they had to watch hers, and they almost died for it. Doesn't eat while Sole recovers, no appetite. Doesn’t let them see her upset or scared. Doesn't allow herself to forget it.

Preston; All military business. Pretends Sole is just another soldier in his squad. He doesn't mean to, that's just what his brain does. Knocks down whatever he has to, and gets them over one shoulder, and assesses the situation to go from there. Its a blur. There's a bus? Is it liable to explode or can Sole go in there? Empty building actually empty, or will he have to deal with ghouls? Will a Stimpak do for now or does he need to retreat and tend to them immediately? There is no panic until much, much later, when he isn't wholly focused on helping them. Like...a week later. He does whatever Sole needs, and just one day, realizes what the hell happened. Bottles it up because Sole needs him right now. Guilt is not a substitute for medical attention. His feelings, later, when he actually feels them, are a cold, numb dread.

X6-88; He's a courser, God damn it. He doesn't get endangered, he is the danger. X6-88 already had three different plans to get out of that corner, and Sole should have known that. Not only did they risk themselves unnecessarily, they did it for a courser. Sure, kill yourself for an unkillable machine. Smart. Cleans house like a Swiffer Wetjet and is at Sole's side with the medbag in 0.2 seconds flat. Doesn’t bother lecturing them, as he doesn't think it would register in this state. If anything moves nearby, fires a shot off without looking, one hand still tending to Sole. Gives Sole too many painkillers, as he himself, being a courser, needs more. They're fine, but he feels bad about it, seeing them too loopy and little odd-colored in the face. Once they've got their mind back, goes on for hours how dumb that was. If Sole ever does that again, they better hope they die, because X6-88 himself is going to kill them so hard.

#fo4 #fallout 4 #paladin danse #preston garvey #piper wright #nick valentine #x6-88 #robert joseph maccready #companions react #hancock #*thinks of danse yelling at me for getting hurt*#*giggles and twirls my hair and kicks my feet back and forth*

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latent-thoughts · 5 months ago

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I keep thinking about that post about Loki possibly returning for Avengers 5 and Secret Wars, and while mainly I'm rolling my eyes and internally screaming "please, no more", a part of me is bitterly laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. Like, really?? How many "one more time"s does he need? How many "one more time"s do they need to do the same thing over and over to him? Have they not sent their message about how they all feel about him, loud and clear?

I also keep thinking about Tom's quotes in the article. He says, "Loki is a splendid torch which I've got hold of for the moment".... but didn't the show already make it painfully clear that Loki was out and Sylvie was in? That Loki was lame and Sylvie is bigger better badder, yadda yadda yadda? Why do we need a rehash of that? Are they going to literally have a "torch passing" ceremony, where Loki passes a torch to Sylvie (except he stumbles and falls and immediately starts crying, of course!)?

And he also says, "and I want to make it burn as brightly as I can before passing it on to future generations".... but wasn't the show supposed to be the end-all beat-all of Loki and the extent of his powers? What could be better than Loki bound up in a tree for all eternity, alone, exiled, isolated, and crying, keeping that tree watered forever with his never-ending stream of tears? Is Tom secretly implying that the ending of the series actually sucked? Would he DARE to do that?!?! Wouldn't anything else be an insult to the brilliance and creativity and hard work that was The Ending Of That Show?? And also, is he really so naive to think that any writer or director would actually allow HIS Loki to even be a fraction as powerful as we all know Loki is supposed to be?? Oh Tom, please!!!

Sorry for the sarcasm overdose, but I'm just so done. It's comic relief to me now. I don't think anything they could do could make me care again. (But the sad thing is, I WANT to care again! 😭) They are just beating a decomposing corpse of a dead horse now. But I will say, it is interesting that he said "for future generations", seemingly implying the next torch bearer will be younger? Sylvie Di Martino, or whatever her name is, is not that young. I think she's at least dragging 35 behind her on a trailer hitch, so maybe they will bring on Kid Loki? I wouldn't really care either way, but at least Kid Loki would give me some kind of peace. I will NEVER call Sylvie Loki. NEVER. Not after how obnoxious they all were about her. The writers/directors had a chance to build a bridge with the Loki fandom, but they burned it instead. So, no.

Well, anyway, Avengers 5 is a long time away. There's no script, no director, and even after that it will probably undergo at least 2 years of rewrites, so we have a long time to not think about it.

And God bless you if you actually made it through all of this!! I wish you all the best, and love and comfort and peace @latent-thoughts !

❤️❤️❤️

I feel ya, Anon. *HUGS*

Also, I've stopped reading or listening to anything Tom says these days. He's nothing like the Tom of 10-12 yrs ago, which I mourn. Because he seems to have forgotten everything about Loki from that time, including every detail and input he himself put into Loki. It's like he has been supplanted by a Disney-Marvel bot. 😔

Whatever they'd do with Loki in future, I know it's not going to be good. I had some hope prior to the series, but it was crushed in the end. Loki isn't the Loki he used to be from the 2011-2013 era, he's unrecognisable. I just call him Larry in my head.

Hence, I'm done with Marvel now (I assume most of his original fans are as well). They can keep announcing that Loki will be in their future projects, because he's their cash cow, but we're disillusioned and over it.

Personally, I'm simply bunking in the 2011-2013 era. The fics are good there. And my imagination is limitless. 🥹

~Latent-Thoughts

#lovely anons #sweet anons

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llamamicrowave · 1 year ago

Text

Why I ✨Hate✨ Phin Mason

(any racism will be deleted <3)

In the Miles Morales PS5 game, we are introduced to a new version of the Tinkerer. Originally a one-off villain from the original Spiderman comics, the PS5 game developers try (and fail) to elevate the character.

First off, her personality. In most of the scenes, she is in with Miles, she’s just ruthlessly bullying him, this would be fine if it were a mutual thing but Miles just sits back and takes it?? Her entire personality basically dissolves into an ‘asshole that is better than Miles in every way possible’. The developers make her a weird tech genius, implied to be smarter than Miles and even Peter Parker in some scenes. This choice makes sense with her Tinkerer persona but (in my opinion) they kinda give her Ganke’s original personality and reduce him to a social media guru (refer back to the Thanksgiving scene at the beginning of the game).

In her FIRST SCENE (before we know her as the Tinkerer) she and the Underground attack a Roxon plaza where Miles’ mom Rio is campaigning. At this point, Miles doesn’t know Phin is the Tinkerer but Phin knows for a fact that Rio would be there (once again, refer back to the Thanksgiving scene at the beginning of the game). She is KNOWINGLY putting her friend's (and implied crush) mom at risk along with innocent civilians. And the WORST part of this is that this was completely unnecessary to the Underground's actual goals. Their real target was a truck containing Nuform of the COMPLETE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN, and since Phin is the leader of the Underground SHE chose to send a ton of her men to the rally, all while knowing Miles and Rio would be there. She then, out of costume, apologizes to Miles and blames the attack on Spiderman. HUH????

This bitch is dumb. And I mean that literally, her plan doesn’t make any sense. Despite the developer's attempts to make Phin seem like an evil genius, her entire plan falls apart once you think critically. Her goal is to halt the production of Nuform, a new, dangerous energy source developed by her brother, Rick. Nuform was also responsible for the eventual illness. Keep in mind that this illness didn’t kill him. While trying to destroy all the remaining Nuform, he got electrocuted (I think?) by it and then died in front of Phin.

(Apparently, this whole family is dumb ‘cause who takes a teen girl into a highly secured lab?)

Phin’s plan is constantly changing from the minute she is revealed as the Tinkerer to the final act. At one point Miles tries to warn her of Roxon's plan but she doesn;t take his warning and her entire plan falls to shit. And she has the AUDACITY to blame him for that!

And I haven’t even gotten to when she finds out that Miles is spider man! She accuses him of lying to her (which he was) in order to get access to her DOMESTIC TERRORIST ORGANIZATION! Did Miles lie, yes. But did Phin put innocent civilians at risk, including Rio? Yes! Phin needed to be taken down and she wouldn’t listen to anyone else instead of Miles.

The game wants us to believe that Phin is a sympathetic foil to Miles instead of the aggravating dumbass she really is. We see this in almost every interaction the two have. Miles is painted as a liar who doesn’t deserve a friend like Phin and is constantly apologizing to her, despite Phin being the aggressor and often in the wrong. Where ass Phin is depicted as a misguided girl with good intentions.

This is a problem because the plot of the game depends on Miles and Phin’s relationship, and if we don’t care about that relationship the emotional payoff at the end falls flat. Spoiler alert: the bitch dies. (DING DONG).

#miles morales #atsv #itsv #spiderman miles morales #spiderman ps4 #phin mason #phin mason slander #ghostflower

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desultory-novice · 2 years ago

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CW: Serious but vague talk about the complex feelings associated with the loss of a loved one and mourning - both in Kirby and in real life. Some personal stuff and once more for good measure mentions of death and mourning.

I know I don't owe anyone an excuse for my brief absence, but I was completely caught off guard this year when I realized the anniversary of Planet Robobot fell just days before the passing of my own father last year. No surprise I didn't make the connection last year, but it hit me this year and it hit hard.

I know that they're not the fandom's most popular characters ("most hated" may be more like it?) but I feel almost painfully close to the story of Susanna Patrya Haltmann and Max Profitt Haltmann. For I was also a child who was torn between being really mad at my father for his flaws and mistakes while also pining for this idealized parent-child relationship we didn't have, to the point of often spurning the bond we did have because it wasn't going the way I imagined it. I also had to watch close up as he wasted away, his senses going one by one, till he looked more and more like a fading shell of a person.

...You know, I didn't even finish playing PR until last year or maybe the year before? Of course I knew the story spoilers. But I couldn't make myself play it. I finally did because I felt I had to. And I'm glad, even if finishing it left me with a weird sense of sadness. A sense of sadness that finally came full circle a few months later...

I thought I would draw something for the anniversary this year. Something sad, bittersweet, poignant, meaningful. Something akin to a tribute. But my pen just wouldn't move. I don't think I have the words or the visuals to fully express what I felt about it right now. It's why, even though I really do like these two characters, I hardly ever draw them.

It's this closeness that renders them blurry in my vision.

...I suppose I might as well talk about this while I'm here, but I have this ask in my inbox about the Merry Magoland Branch AU. About Joronia and Max and what happens to them after their souls are freed.

'Do they come back to life?'

...God, I've written one thousand answers to that post in my head.

Part of my brain says the "right" answer to give - here on my Kirby blog where every story has a happy ending or at least a chance at salvation no matter how grim - is "of course they come back to life!" The Merry Magoland Branch AU is a sad but cutesy fractured fairy tale of a story where everyone ends up better than they started! Besides, they’re already souls. What else would happen to them? Just quietly go off to rest? That wouldn’t be satisfying!

...

But another part of me looks at "Kirby," a series that has characters who have "died" and come back to life and characters who have died and stayed dead and I feel like, as painful as it is to those such as the Sectaranza shippers and the other fans of of the implied dead cast members...

...they're not coming back. They can't come back. They shouldn't come back. Even in a completely fictional setting, even in a silly AU, it is hard for me, personally, to make myself change what has happened. What has been done.

Don't get me wrong, I've even scribbled out a few "everyone lives!" scenarios but I've never been able to draw a single one... I tell myself that if a miracle happens and one day I'm scouted to make a Kirby comic or animated series or movie, something where I get to retell the world from the beginning, I would not have it so the "dead" characters die, if only because they are unique enough that I would want them around to use for future stories. Like Moretsu Pupupu Hour, with its funny Sectonia who is literally allergic to peace. Or that one manga I haven't read where Susie and her father run some kind of puzzle store??

But again, that would be a Kirby I had control of from the beginning.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm proud of Kirby the series for not being so grimdark “realism” that Marx, upon blowing up, turns into meat pasta and instead comes back with a smile and laugh to kick exploding jester balls at people all because you waved a magic heart-shaped wand.

And I'm absolutely content with letting spunky wizard Magolor mercilessly fight his way back through some sort of purgatory dimension and start life over as a medieval salesperson, building up good karma one microtransaction at a time. I think that stuff is important. (Well, not so much the microstransactions.) But I'm also proud of it for letting some characters... not come back.

Dark Matter Blade is both a badass and strangely attractive (...just me?) for an eyeball made of dark matter but despite the fact that maybe all he wanted was friends, despite the fact that it's implied he rescued Gooey from Dark Matter and hid him on Popstar to protect him from Zero, despite the fact that he should have become a good guy and was instead used heartlessly by Zero like ammunition, losing the few marks of individuality he'd been able to keep thus far (his hair and armor and cape) he's just gone. He'll never join the others on Popstar. Never enjoy the warmth of a spring day or get to be a sibling to Gooey. He'll never even get to explain things to poor Gooey that they ought to know, and he was probably the only one who could.

It's tragic. It's upsetting. It's unfair.

And it's...important, much as I hate to say it.

Dess secret... but I actually get a little mad when people want Taranza to "...hurry up and find a new girlfriend and stop being in mourning all the time" because... I think it's okay for Kirby to have "a character who is in mourning." I suppose there's no real reason he can't be "character who was in mourning who was able to find love again" but I also kind of like that he's THERE as a character for anyone who has lost a loved one and is still sad about it. For those who haven't begun rebuilding their life just yet.

Gooey is the one who lost someone without every really knowing what he had/could have had. Susie is the one who lost someone and also has to get back to work because that's a real thing too.

I didn't really mean to talk about death and mourning in Kirby (for a second time) but I think part of me had to as well. At least if I was ever going to go back to regular posting. I don't even really feel as if I even captured everything there was to say. Like I said, I don't really have the words.

But, yeah, anyway, if you've ever seen me politely push back when someone brings up Susie or Max discourse of the negative variety on my blog, hopefully you have a slightly better understanding as to why I respond the way I do.

#Kirby #Susanna Patrya Haltmann #max profitt haltmann #sectaranza mention #Dess Text Post #Taranza #Gooey Kirby #Dark Matter Blade #cw death #cw personal #cw illness #I left Elfy and Fecty out of this because that was too much speculation #But you could see them as something similiar

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electricprincess96 · 6 months ago

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What do you make of the change the New52 made with Catherine and Sheila in Jason's Death storyline?

Despise it. And I've argued with plenty of other so called Jason fans on this one. They all hated Sheila and were happy to see her removed from canon but the fact is all they did was give her story to Catherine thus tainting the one good person Jason had in his early childhood. Jason fans need to realise you're meant to hate Sheila, she sold a young boy, her own son out to the Joker. They also need to realise just cause someone is bad to Jason doesn't mean they shouldn't exist for the purposes of the story. Sheila being an awful mother, an awful person, is necessary for Jason's story while tainting Catherine with that storyline removes the one adult figure in Jason's life that he felt didn't actively seek to hurt him even if she still let him down in another way.

Jason feeling ostracised in Bruce's family, finding out Catherine wasn't his birth mother and realising he had a chance at a parental connection with someone who might appreciate him only for that woman to turn him over to the Joker is heartbreaking and contributes to Jason's later unwillingness to trust people (unless you're Talia cause for some reason DC and some Jason fans think that woman is a saint when she used Jason just as much as everyone else, if not worse in many ways and is no better than many of Batman's other Rogues). However, despite this betrayal Jason still tries to save Sheila in the end showing that despite what DC want us to think nowadays about Jason as Robin, he was good at heart, he died a hero, trying to save a woman who sold him out and watched as he was beaten bloody with a crowbar. This is integral of Jason's character, it shows that he was more than the cautionary tale that Batman and modern DC want to turn him into. He was a hero.

Also easily the worst part about the change in the New52 is it makes Jason's entire life the product of some scheme by the Joker. I hate that. Not everything in comic books needs to be some massive conspiracy. Sometimes things can just happen coincidentally. Jason was not the only orphan (or in this case fake orphan since Catherine was not dead in this scenario) on the streets, Batman could have stumbled across any of them, the fact he takes Jason in is entirely because of actions Jason chose to take, no one manipulated Jason into stealing the Batmobiles tyres.

For people who don't know basically in New52 Sheila was replaced with Catherine. Catherine was originally Jason's step mother in Post Crisis Canon but was changed here to be his biological mother. In original canon Jason's father was killed by Two-Face and Catherine died of an "illness" speculated to either be a drug overdose or some form of cancer that she took drugs to try and dull the pain. Regardless Jason ends up orphaned on the streets and then found by Batman when he steals the wheels off the Batmobile to try and sell them for money. Then Jason finds out Catherine is not his real mother and goes searching for Sheila and finds her in Ethiopia where she's working with the Joker (admittedly unwillingly but she's being blackmailed due to her stealing charity funds so honestly I don't feel bad for her in that situation) and Jason tells her he's Robin and can help her with the Joker and instead of taking him up on that offer she sells him out to the Joker.

In New52 the Joker meets Jason pre death of his parents and orchestrates everything. Willis Todd's death, he fakes Catherine's death to leave Jason "orphaned" so that he'll be taken in by Batman and made into Robin, he then threatens Jason by revealing Catherine is alive and that's how he gets Jason to the warehouse where he beats and kills him.

I just hate that. I hate the idea that the Joker basically controlled every part of Jason's life even BEFORE he killed him. Newer DC writers seem obsessed with Jason being a puppet to the Joker due to him being Red Hood, constantly tied to the clown rather than acknowledging Jason taking the name Red Hood is his way of regaining some agency in his own life by taking from the man who took from him. But to a degree I can understand thinking post resurrection Jason is in a way controlled by the Joker, his existence affects Jason. Having the young boy who thought being Robin made him magic also just turn out to be one of the Jokers sick pet projects is just callous, cruel and ultimately adds nothing substantial to Jason's character arc. It was poor writing and I'm thankful for the most part more modern comics seem to have tried to distance themselves from this god awful retcon and that fans seem to have never accepted it as canon to begin with.

The New52 Outlaws run had its moments but I'll he honestly I'm not a huge fan of Lobdell's storylines, overall characterisation wise i think he normally nailed Jason decently well but some of those plots were.... just not good. This is absolutely, 100% one of the worst ones.

#princess answers asks #dc comics blogging #batman comics blogging #jasom red hood todd

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bunnygirl678 · 1 year ago

Text

20 questions for fic writers

i felt like doing one of these lmao

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

30! Which most of them are for Nameless lmao

2. What's your total A03 word count?

304.751, about to go up again lol, probably another 80k in this month, 268,863 have been in 2023, lol. I spent a large portion of time not writing, but after my breakup this year I've started writing frequently again.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now really just pokemon, if something else comes to me I'll write it, I'm working on a dragon ball z fic, but I don't touch it a ton.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

This is sad for me cause they all suck. I wrote them late high school early college, and they're all based on the Avengers movies (although one i think may have been the comics) it's a huge fandom, and I've had them up for 10 years so (god it's been that long already???) All of my good marvel 616 fics are missing, buried in a discord that I don't have access to anymore and word docs from a computer long since recycled

But in order, I feel Salem, Astronaut, Almost Honest, Wicked Games, The Whole World Was Moving But I was Standing Still (God what was with my names then lol)

Please don't read them haha

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! Sometimes I miss them, but I try to respond when I see them, even a few weeks/months later. I really appreciate comments, and I feel like I've made some friends through them, or at least they comment on stuff I write, and I can reference my other fics to them lol, though they can totally make friends on here or discord, happy to talk to anyone. I've had people tell me I inspired them to write which is seriously the highest honor.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

ummmm prolly the one where Tony dies after Steve cheats on him, I think that one is 616 based, but don't quote me, or go read it, the writing is...undeveloped, I think at that point I just started writing them, my characterizations weren't great, they got better but none of that is available lol

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Ummmmm maybe Ode to my Soulmate? I can't do sad endings for the most part, my philosophy is real life sucks so I always try to make happy endings, Frank Left has a nice ending, that one gets almost no love, but I adore it.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I'm not good enough/big enough to get hate, lmao. Smaller fandom now, i think there might be some negative comments on the marvel ones but I haven't read those in yearsss.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I'm trying, Oral Fixation is my most recent published, but I'm working on one where Green gives Red a blowie in his Neo Champ uniform from masters, i've been writing that since the neochampion uniforms came out months ago ahha. I'm not great at smut, but I'm practicing, fun fact I learned how to give a bj through fanfics, and used to get compliments all the time in my younger sluttier years lol (Pre-kid haha)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Not anymore, I used to do 101 dalmatian crossovers lol, i doubt any are published, maybe on fanfic.net but i don't even remember my username haven't touched that since like 2011, i used to do x-men crossovers where various characters would have mutant powers, but i doubt those are published either.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so? I'm probably too small to get that kind of notice. I always welcome people to steal my aus and write their own fic with it (not copy paste my stuff, but write out the au the way they come up with with their own words)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I doubt it, but anyone can, I might end up translating one or two when I finally start learning a new language, or maybe improve my output on spanish (i can read it but not write/speak/listen well lmao)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yeah but this was high school and I don't think we ever posted them, again might be on fanfic.net, but like I don't even remember my username

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I don't have a favorite, maybe reguri, or 616!stony which i don't read much anymore but will always hold a place in my heart, my oldest ship is probably rougexgambit

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Blood Bank- but only because there is no ending, I'm going to continue that thing for the rest of my life, (at least quarterly updates lol although working on a new chapter now), there's also a reguri one that i wrote like 10k words on after i first started writing again, but it sucks ass, I don't love the plot to rewrite, I've written a lot more better stuff for them

16. What are your writing strengths?

I feel like I do pretty well with hints/twists. Certain characters I'm really good at writing, feel like I've gotten really good at world building, and coming up with off the wall aus. IDK i'm not good at pointing out my strengths.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Everything not listed above? Lol. No, probably missing edits and not noticing them until I'm reading the fic months later, I'm getting better at pacing and general flow, sometimes I overdo it on dialog, and leave out movement. Smut too, but i'm working on everything, the key is to just keep writing, also too many fics going at once,

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I typically don't do it unless I know the language, I'll just put it in english and say they said it in whatever lang. So like for Kalos I just say they're speaking Kalosian lol

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I used to tell stories with 101 dalmatians, but the first I ever actually wrote was from Stargate SG-1, I was like 10ish, I didn't post it, it's long since been trashed, but I was obsessed with Carter/O'neil and wanted them to adopt Cassie (i think that was her name, it's been years since I watched that show), first published is probably x-men i remember writing phoenix's force fics and posting on fanfic, might have done a ginnyxdraco for harry potter. These would be on my old fanfic.net or possibly livejournal, i don't remember,

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I write all my fics for myself, so i really love them all, and go back and reread them often lol

Unfinished, Under the Alolan Sun and Blood Bank, those are my passion projects, I have fun writing them,

finished, either The Most Expansive Collection of Champion Red Merch in All of Kanto (probably one of my least angsty lol) or How to Beat Champion Red at Something (my silly little ficlet about Red being a picky eater, i just giggle when i reread it)

Ode to My Soulmate is also up there.

#bunny writes #this was fun #i like to pretend it's a panel and i'm being interviewed

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shytastemakerthing · 2 years ago

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Hi, I saw that matchups are open and I would like to ask for an OC matchup for TWST pls? Here's the link. Thanks so much

A/N: Thank you so much for your request! I absolutely love your character and I had quite a bit of ideas to work with on this one😊!

I match you with.........

Idia Shroud

• Okay, I saw in the like that your character enjoys comics, video games, anime, fantasy, and sweet, and we exploded from there! (I can relate personally to this one xD)

• First and foremost, we all know this man's personality, we know he avoids people and interaction at every possible cost, this means that you're the one that made the first move, along with the help of everyone's favorite little brother, Ortho.

• There could be a variety of ways this started out. Either his tablet overheard you speaking of the latest anime series that you're into or talking about wanting to get a. Ew game that had just come out, or you could have even met him during the ti e he attends the Board Games club with Azul.

• Speaking of Azul, he is certainly supportive of the both of you. Idia coming (very slightly) out of his shell with this relationship. Azul sees it, the twins see it, everyone sees it, Idia is a simp. If Azul needs something, you go to Idia, and boom, done (within reason, of course).

• Due to his introverted nature and overall distaste of being out of his room and *barf*, socializing with the normies, your dates will, pretty much most of the time, will comsit of binge gaming or binge watching anime within the safety and confines of his room with a variety of snacks on hand.

• Now, if you're lucky, and you can manage to make this work out for the both of you, you may be able to talk him into a date outside of his room. But it would have to be late where the chances of him running into literally everyone is pretty nonexistent.

• I can totally see the two of you bouncing off of each other when it comes to talking about your passion and hobbies. Late night talks about the game you guys had been playing or laughing at the stupidity of the characters in the anine you just watched, coming up with so many better plot ideas.

• You, aide from Ortho, are the only other person he would ever let, willingly, touch his hair. Physical touch is not at all his strong suit. Even holding hands makes both his face and hair erupt into various shapes of pink. He finds it relaxing. You're both in his bed, he's laying in your lap while playing one of his hand held games as your fingers gently comb through the fiery locks. Go for the hair around his scalp, give him a small massage there, and the man had ascended right then and there. He's no longer living and is certain he's gone to heaven, or the Twisted Wonderland equivalent of it.

• in the event that you end a binge rather late into the night, you're spending the night in his dorm. If you insist on wearing anything of his for makeshift pajamas, two things happen. One, he combusts right then and there, and Two, okay, we known this man also dies have himself a bit if an ego and seeing you in something that is his own, it's like you declaring to the world that you're dating him and everyone else should back away. Now, once laying down, you're asleep before he is (we know bird brain works us to the bone and Ramshackle isn't in the best condition for us to sleep in). Despite the chill of the room, the softness of the mattress and then the warmth that comes from both him and the blanket, and you're out like a light. He tends to watch you sleeping (in a non creepy way), and wonders how did this disgusting Otaku of a man manage to pull himself a UR+ there girlfriend?

• Overall, you love him and he loves you with every piece of himself. He doesn't care whay anyone else says, his going to keep going on this route until he unlocks the good ending.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #twst #twst imagines #disney twisted wonderland #idia shroud x reader #twst idia shroud #idia shroud #idia x reader #twisted wonderland idia #twst idia #idia x yuu #matchups

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bumblepony · 1 year ago

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Here's my first entry in the Bad Things Happen Bingo "Ransom Note" hope everyone likes it. @badthingshappenbingo

Joel knows something’s not right the moment he walks into their shitty ass apartment. He drops the bag of food he’s carrying into the chair by the door and scans the room.

“Tess?” there’s no response. Then he sees the note pinned to the wall over the couch by a hunting knife. He can’t help but scoff when he sees it. Who the fuck pins notes to the wall with knives nowadays. It's fucking ridiculous. He strides to the couch and rips the message from the wall.

It reads, “You and your bitch have stepped on one too many toes, and now it's time to pay up. If you want to see her alive again, come to the docks tonight at midnight, alone, with all of the pills from your last run. If you don’t come, she dies. If you bring anyone else, she dies.” Then it’s signed, Robert.

Of course, it’s Robert. He always had a flare for the fucking dramatic. The docks at midnight? Joel sucks his teeth with disgust. Roberts, a goddamn idiot, the docks are too open. There’s no way he’s got enough men to defend it properly. What is he thinking? And at midnight, that’s when FEDRA’s the most active. He would be better off having the meet-up just before dawn. By then, the assholes are ready to be home in their beds. They wouldn't give a fuck about some exchange at the docks, a small bribe, and they’d happily turn a blind eye. But to have it at midnight means he woulda had to pay a pretty penny to get them to fuck off.

But all of this is in Joel’s favor, and he’s not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. This fucker has Tess, and that just won’t do. Joel yanks the dagger from the wall and smiles, thinking about how he’s going to make sure to give it back to Robert later. For now, he goes to their stash and pulls out the pills from the last run and his and Tess’s guns. He stuffs it all in his bag and shrugs it onto his shoulder.

It's time to call in the calvary.

--------

Robert stands at the end of one of the piers, a goon on either side of him. He’s twirling a cane in his hands and has a stupid smirk on his face. He looks absurd like he’s trying to be some sort of kingpin in a comic book. Joel just keeps his face neutral as he stares him down, one hand holding the bag of pills in front of him.

“Here’s half of the pills. The rest are hidden. I’ll give you the location when you show me, Tess.” Joel throws the bag so it’s halfway down the pier. Robert nods, and one of his guys gets it and brings it back to him. He opens the bag so Robert can see inside. Once satisfied, he nods again, and the guy steps back to where he was.

“Joel, I gotta tell you I'm surprised at how easy this was. For years, you have had everyone in this zone shaking in their boots, and in the end, your attachment to each other took you down.” Robert smirks and smacks his cane into his hand. “All I needed to do was wait until you were separated and Tess was easy prey.”

“I very much doubt that if that shinner you have is an indication. Both of your goons look a little worse for wear as well.” Joel says, giving Robert a wide grin, all teeth, no warmth. “Now, where the fuck is Tess?”

Robert flushes red and grips his cane hard. Joel realizes now he might actually need the cane. When he looks at his ankle, he sees it's wrapped in a brace. Joel feels a surge of warmth when he thinks about Tess giving as good as she got.

“Fine,” Robert says and twirls his cane in the air. Joel can see movement in a building to the left of them through a window, and suddenly, the door is being yanked open, and two men come forward with suspending a hogtied and gagged Tess between them. Joel grinds his teeth when he sees the state of her. Only one of her eyes is open the other is swollen shut. Her lips are split and puffy. Her jaw is red and distended on one side. One of the fuckers must have punched her. Her neck is wobbly when she lifts her head, but Joel can see the heat burning in the hazel depths of her one good eye. She must have been sleeping when they came to take her because all she’s got on is a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. Her skin is raw and abraded where the rope rests. She also has bruising all over her bare arms and legs. Joel can barely see from the haze of red that clouds his vision.

“Where are the rest of the pills?” Robert demands. Joel turns slowly to look at him, and something of the fury coming from Joel like heat waves must have finally penetrated Robert’s tough guy act because he flinches back. “Please?”

Joel locks his eyes on him as his voice comes out slow, smooth, and oh so calm, “Look what you fuckin did to her, Robert. Look what you fucking did.”

Robert finally seems to realize what shit he’s in because he steps back closer to his guys, but it’s too late because they're not there anymore. Robert turns and watches in horror as they’re pulled into the depths of the dark water. Red mingles with the bubbles of their last breath as they disappear. Two shots ring through the air, and Robert turns again to see the two guys holding Tess fall dead to the ground. She falls as well, but it’s not too far, and the bodies of the two men do a fair job of breaking it.

Robert turns again and nearly falls into the water like his men but is saved by Joel’s crushing hand on his arm. Robert hadn't even seen him move. He’s seen Joel tear people apart, beat them black and blue, and turn their bones into dust, but he’s never seen this part of him. For a man as solid and imposing as Joel is, he’s also fast, so fucking fast and quiet when he needs to be. Joel tries to keep that part of his abilities well hidden to use for moments like this.

He’s right up in Robert's face. He reaches for the cane and rips it out of his hand. Two more shots ring out, dropping the two guys rushing out of a building to the right, fucking morons didn’t even check to rooftops before they came out. Joel doesn't even flinch, but Robert does. Two figures dressed in tight-fitting black clothing welding wicked-looking knives slither out of the water, dripping wet and smiling. One is pale and petite with brown hair done in a single braid down her back. She’s got bright brown sparkling eyes and a scar bisecting her right eyebrow. Joel smiles at her and says, “Great job, Kiddo.” he turns to the other girl, who’s taller than the first. Her hair is done in small tight braids and held back by a bandana at the crown of her head. Her skin is a deep chocolate color, and her smile is wide and mischievous. “You too, Riley. I knew I could count on you.”

He looks to Ellie, his hand still tight on the trembling Robert, and says, “Can you two get Tess set to rights? I have to have a conversation with my friend here.” The teenage girls nod and make their way over to Tess at a fast clip.

“It’s all clear, Joel. He had two more guys stationed in the buildin’ behind ya, but I took care of them.” Joel turns to see Tommy trotting up, snipper riffle in hand.

“Ok, thank ya, Tommy. Now you should clear out those shots are goin’ to have FEDRA on our ass in no time. Can you make sure the girls get Tess home safe?” Joel's gripe on Robert has not slackened, and he can hear the man starting to whimper.

“No problem, big brother. But I think the lady has somethin’ she wants to say first.” Joel looks up and sees Tess, now freed from her bonds, making her way stiffly over to the two men.

She stops and leans against Joel, standing on her toes to kiss his lips fiercely. Joel can taste blood where her lips are split, but he wraps his one free arm around her waist and kisses her back just as fiercely. Eventually, she lets him go, falling back to the flat of her feet and holds her hands out. Joel knows what she’s asking for.

“Tommy, can ya take the girls back to the apartment? I got some canned fruit cocktail for them this afternoon.” Joel asks Tommy as he hands Tess the cane and lets go of Robert's arm.

“You got it,” Tommy says, and he can hear Ellie’s “Fuck yeah” and Riley's laugh as they jog away.

He turns back to Robert and Tess. Tess stands before a frozen Robert. Piss is trickling down his pant leg and pooling at his feet. Tess raises the cane above her head, bringing it down with a guttural roar.

---------

It's only a matter of minutes before Tess and Joel roll Robert's bloody and mangled body, now weighed down with bricks in his pockets, into the water. Tess stands with a groan, and Joel moves quickly to take her weight against his side.

“Tessa.. I was afraid I was gonna lose ya,” Joel says, his voice soft. He holds her gently, worried that he’ll hurt her.

“I’m ok, Tex, I promise,” Tess says, pressing her forehead to his. They hold each other, needing to know the other is safe and whole. Finally, Tess pulls away and says. “Now, let’s go home. I want some of that fucking fruit cocktail. The girls better not have eaten it all by the time we get back.” Joel laughs and hefts the bag of pills onto his back while wrapping his other arm around Tess’s waist. Without looking back, they make their way home.

#tlou #tlou fanfiction #ao3 #joel #tess #bad things happen bingo #Tess is Hurt #Joel Saves Ellie and Riley at the Mall Before they're bit #Now Tess & Joel & Ellie & Riley are a big happy smuggling family in the QZ #Joel Is a Badass Planner #Riley #Tommy

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