#which one won out again

[deityoftherain]

the bloodhound's fool - Unhealthy LimL!Scottishbeans Canon Divergent Fanfic

Rating: Teen

Relationship: M/M

Archive Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Status: Completed Oneshot

Word Count: 1,812

Summary: Scott is still on his green life while most of the server is not, resulting in him running for his life. He can only run for so long, however, and Joel is a rather persistent foe...

Full fanfic underneath the cut! Please reblog, leave kudos on the AO3 fic slash notes/likes here on Tumblr, comment either place, and etc if you enjoy the story :D

"It doesn't have to be this way, Joel!" Scott called over his shoulder as he weaved through the trees and tried his best to avoid the blasts of crossbow fireworks. Joel had always taken a liking to those, even though they often didn’t work well for him. He was nothing if not persistent, a quality Scott found himself admiring from time to time. Now was not one of those times.

"Yes it does, Scott!" Joel insisted, voice both distant and far too close for comfort. "You're still green! You need to die, and I need more time!”

Another firework went off, only narrowly missing Scott, but the force of the blast threw his body into a tree. Scott tossed his arms up to protect himself, his arms gaining red indents that show off the indents of the tree.

Fuck, that hurt. Scott hissed through gritted teeth, doing his best to ignore the pain as he pushed off from the tree. He stumbled the first few steps as he tried to regain his bearings before continuing to run. There wasn't time for him to stop and take a break. He just had to keep moving.

Scott didn’t even have to look at his communicator to know his hearts were low. He could feel the strain in his body as the heart regeneration worked to repair his body. If he wanted even a slight chance, he needed more fuel.

With a silent command, Scott opened his inventory and grabbed the first piece of food he could find, not bothering to look for more than a few seconds. It wasn’t like he had time to take his time, or to be picky. He just needed something.

Scott’s limbs screamed and pleaded for rest, but Scott knew that he wouldn’t be able to get back up once he stopped. He needed to keep up his momentum; he needed to keep moving! He could rest once his time dipped below sixteen hours, making him a yellow life. Maybe then will the others get off his trail.

The clock embedded into their very beings, counting down the seconds with a faint tick, tick, tick that only seemed to grow louder the further he ran. It pounded against his skull and left only dread in his gut. It couldn’t be much longer now, could it?

Tick…

Scott sniffed back the tears welling in his eyes, blurring his vision. He couldn’t afford to lose his senses right now. Any minor mistake or disadvantage he had to shoulder could be the very reason he doesn’t make it out alive. 

Please, stars above, find favor in me once again. Help me.

It was a selfish prayer, and an unlikely one. Only a fool would ask for mercy, knowing that each and every one of their fates was to die. Limited Life wasn’t called a “death game” for shits and giggles, after all. Still, the plea was prayed, coming into existence by a desperate man’s self-preservation.

Tick…

Unfortunately for Scott, self-preservation has never been his strong suit. One may claim that to be a strength, praising him for his loyalty, dedication, and team-minded attitude, but that was only part of the story. Those things were true, yes, but Scott always cared far too deeply for those he came to love, even those who were destined to betray him. 

Tick…

Scott’s body was a tool, a weapon, something to be used for the benefit of others. It didn’t matter how. It didn’t matter if he gave himself to them willingly, as an offer or as a sacrifice. It didn’t matter if they betrayed him. It didn’t matter if they stabbed him in the back and shattered his trust. At the end of the day, the outcome was the same. Scott’s body was theirs. It had always been theirs.

BOOM

One of Joel's projectiles finally managed to hit him, using his back like a bull's eye. The force of the explosive knocked him off balance, Scott stumbling forward a strangled step or two before ultimately face planting on the ground. Dirt streaked his body, and it didn’t take a genius to know that the bruising would be grotesque. A small part of Scott that was still concerned about how he presented himself to the world hoped that he looked better than how he felt.

The hearts Scott had managed to regenerate were gone as soon as they appeared, used to mend his battered body. At this point, Scott just wanted to quit and let Joel take an hour from him. Just let Joel have what he wanted so badly, triggering a respawn that would take away Scott’s current suffering. Maybe then he would be allowed time to breathe, time to exist without fleeing. Was working this hard to prevent the inevitable worth saving some of the already mere hours they were allowed? With his death, and then Tango’s, they could have Yellow Peace.

Yellow Peace that would soon turn into Red War, into the murder of those they cared for.

Scott staggered to his feet, one hand cradling his back as his vision shifted and morphed. It was disorienting, and it felt like he had stared directly at the sun while on a boat sailing choppy waters. Scott’s ears rang something fierce, blocking out Joel's cheers and the ticking that had previously haunted him. 

Fuck me. Scott thought bitterly, a sour taste on his tongue. The adrenaline that had kept him going slipped away, leaving him hypersensitive to every wound, bruise, and strain. Scott’s body ached, throbbed, screamed…

Joel finally caught up to him, approaching like a bloodhound cornering their prey. A smirk grew wide on Joel’s face, his eyes gleaming with his manic bloodlust as they often did in this environment. Joel used his inventory to switch out his crossbow for a diamond sword. "You can't run now, Scott!"

Scott leaned against a nearby oak tree, using it to support him. His chest shuttered, trying to keep air circulating through his lungs. Hair stuck to his face and tears involuntarily trailed down his cheeks, yet he smiled. "Kill me, Joel."

The eagerness Joel exhibited dimmed for a moment as confusion furrowed his brow. "What? Why aren't you fighting back? I don’t need you to go soft, Scott! I don’t need your bloody pity!”

"I have fought," Scott breathed out, voice barely above a whisper, "and I’m not going soft on you, nor is this pity. You’re a formidable threat, and you won my life fair and square. I don't want to run any longer. Take it, Joel. Take me, Joel. Murder me. Please."

Debate creased Joel's face as he crept closer, still on guard. "What blummin' game are you playing?"

"No game," Scott promised, eyes fluttering closed as he braced himself for Joel's blade. "Just letting you take what you want. Take me, Joel. I’m yours."

The edge of Joel's sword rested against Scott's neck, applying just enough pressure to break the first layer of skin, but not enough to separate his head from his body. Joel's other hand held Scott against the tree, pinning him with enough force that Scott couldn’t move even if he wanted to. 

“I’m yours,” Scott repeated, breathy and rumbley. His heart thumped in his chest, but he wasn’t sure if it was from all the running or from being pinned by an attractive man. Scott kept his eyes closed, refusing to give Joel the satisfaction of watching the light drain from his eyes. With how eager Joel had been, Scott had expected the death to be swift, but it wasn’t.

Scott wasn’t sure how long it had been when he opened his eyes again, but when he did, he found Joel staring intently at him, as if he were studying Scott’s face. Why hadn't he been granted the mercy of a respawn yet?. At this point in time, Joel murdering Scott was beneficial to them both, so Scott didn’t understand why he was taking his time.

Joel's breath was warm on his face as he stood much closer than Scott was used to with him. Joel normally liked to keep his distance, though Scott never really knew why. The best he could guess, Joel held some sort of grudge against him that he refused to forget. A pity, really. Scott would have liked to team with him once upon a time. Who knows? Perhaps they could have worked well together. 

Scott’s lips parted slightly, hungry for the man who hated him with every fiber of his being. More blood bubbled around the blade still against his neck, reminding him this wasn’t some sort of sexy fantasy. To cover his shame, Scott darted his tongue out to wet his lips before inquiring, "What are you waiting f-?"

Before Scott could finish what he was saying, Joel's lips were on his. The kiss was hot and starving, almost like Joel was trying to eat his lips over kiss him. Joel's teeth were sharp, breaking the fragile skin of his dehydrated lips. He hadn’t had time to hydrate with all the “fearing for his life” he’s been doing. Despite its roughness, Scott melted into it, into Joel, returning the kiss just as fiercely. It was harsh (even causing his lower lip to bleed) but brief, Joel pulling away far too fast.

"I hate you," Joel claimed sharply, like he hadn’t been the one to initiate, but Scott just laughed airily. He had accepted Joel's unconventional displays of affection fighting against his bloodlust long ago. There was no point fighting it, and making the others think he had truly lost his mind. Joel would not acknowledge this kiss, just as he had ignored the ones in past. Scott was Joel’s dirty little secret, his guilty pleasure, and Scott was too entangled in his web to escape.

"I know, Joel." Scott ran his tongue against his pierced lips, the taste of his own blood mixing with their spit. Bittersweet affection towards the other man spun around like a tornado within him. It was toxic, ill-advised, and harmful, but Scott longed for another kiss, another touch, another anything, but his wish was unlikely to be granted. These were the cons of loving someone who refused to love him back. "I hope the time is worth it."

Joel curled his lip into a snarl before letting it relax. His hold on Scott loosened for only a moment before he tightened it again. "I'll make it quick."

And quick he did make it. Scott almost didn't process his words before the sword pierced his throat and the shuddering agony of a respawn pushed his soul from his body. The pain his body suffered was gone in a moment, only leaving a phantom lingering of Joel's touch and blade behind, but nothing could fix the pain he carried in his very soul… the pain of loving Joel.

[lotus-pear]

"feels like we could go on for forever this way.." (x)

[shannonsketches]

Why is the anime so weird, it's not even the same series dude?? It's like,

Anime:

GOKU: I have a great idea to bring peace to the universe, and my leadership and compassion alone will unite us all. I have No Flaws and am A True Relatable Everyman :)

VEGETA: NO! I AM THE BEST AND I WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS UNTIL I AM RECOGNIZED AS SUCH!!!!

Manga:

GOKU: Vegeta what's cornmeal made of? I know it's what the corn eats, but what's it made of? VEGETA: Hey Kakarot let's play the quiet game until one of us dies.

[batsplat]

following on from this. not to always bring marc into everything (sorry marc) but if assen 2015 had happened against jorge, valentino would have very likely pulled something similar again imo. rather than what he actually did, which is approach marc almost immediately for a nice normal friendly handshake and backing off during the podium celebrations. should be noted that during laguna seca '08, valentino was very much committed to yapping at casey on the podium with the world's biggest smuggest grin on his face

partly that disparity is because jorge not marc was the direct title rival, partly it's because valentino was treating marc with kid gloves right until the second that he wasn't, which marc was seemingly entirely oblivious to. if anyone other than marc had said what he said in that presser, had then continued on with similar rhetoric during sachsenring, valentino would quite likely have gone nuclear. he's done it over less than that. his fondness for marc made him continue to exhibit uncharacteristic restraint... except that fondness unfortunately is what left valentino feeling so very betrayed when (to his eyes) marc could not leave well enough alone

[sinnettini]

lorenzo sonego serves, winston-salem open 2024

photos by grant halverson

[sysig]

Coming in to play! (Patreon)

[nyan-bynary]

I'm gonna have to wait out a few weeks to be able to complain about jjk's ending bc rn half the ppl are bashing everyone who expected more as ppl who just wanted gojo back

[rabbithaver]

every so often i will see a post from a leftist on this website that is so egregiously ableist that i remember that like. oh yeah the userbase of leftists on this website is violently anti-disabled people and will jump at any chance to demonize any of us for any reason. i just forget that fact because i'm extremely dedicated to curating my space

i'm paraphrasing here but i saw a post that said, "every time i see an American [disabled person] mention being scared about the election because they're afraid of losing their benefits i have to laugh. anybody who wants blood-soaked money from the US government deserves to starve" which. like. goodness that's a lot to unpack. i think we should burn the whole suitcase instead !

[emdotcom]

My brain is so full of Bees about Post-Shift 2.

It's a fan game that was delayed for 4 years -- by the time it released, fnaf fangames as a whole were not as popular as they had been, & most people in the scene had forgotten about Post-Shift 1, so not a lot of people heard about it/played it.

Worse still is the people who did talk about the game. Pretty unanimously, the consensus was this: this game is the craziest, most insane fnaf fangame. It's overly difficult with mechanics that have no rhyme or reason to them & tutorials that are wordy, unhelpful, & sometimes actively mislead the player, meaning you need to comb through a lot of text only to be misinformed. It's not as infamous as some other fangames, but it definitely was talked about very poorly.

In general, I think most of these criticisms were blown up out of proportion, but I can't really disagree with most people's problems -- it is difficult & wordy, & rather hard to understand. I think, however, that the game is still 1. Really fun, 2. Not a bad game at all, &, most importantly, 3. Is a free fucking game that was clearly a passion project. Most damn fangames never get off the fucking ground when made in groups because the creators will never make a red cent off the thing -- this game was made by one dude for 4 years & delivered to people for free. It didn't ask anything of you except to accept it as a difficult game & to not go in with wild expectations. The dev just wanted to make a game that was rough, but he also wanted to make a game that felt unique & was fun. & It is fun, too, is the damn thing.

[st4rstudent]

winn and doe is so real, i love random little ships like this, platonic or romantic

random ships make the world go around if you think about it

[blitheringbongus]

Can't believe Scar saw a rapidly approaching, dishevled mumbo and went "he's so cute." I need to run unorthodox experiments on them.

IKR SAME OMG

They’re literally perfect for each other <- delusional

But seriously they have so much lore together in my silly brain and the few interactions they do have (WHICH HAS BEEN INCREASING A LOT LATELY MAY I ADD) has been FUELING the fire rapidly and gods gods GODS do I have many thoughts about them

[musical-chick-13]

UGH Why do so many songs I want to sing require a huge amount of charisma to pull off.

[sonknuxadow]

how did sonic superstars get nominated for best family game at the game awards while sonic frontiers, an infinitely better sonic game, got nothing this year or last year aside from the players voice nomination .... also they nominated mario and a few other games for like 500 different categories while only one category had a sonic related thing AND they let genshin impact back in AGAIN........ do you think the game awards are specifically designed to torture sonic fans . whatever sonic frontiers game of the year to ME.

[adore-gregor]

ugh there it goes

[scenegraph]

a memoria chip appears!  ...but i’ll poast the ao3 stuff after errands, for now you have to guess what They’re Having A Relaxing Lie-Down In the Void means