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#And at first I didn't want to believe that it was him until proven but the implications were heavy towards about him
ao-xingyume1987 · 2 months
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Wouldn't do any more future lovejoy/wilbur soot inspired works, my heart and support goes out for Shelby
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floatyflowers · 2 months
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Dark Platonic! Fire Nation Royal Family x Non-bender Reader
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With Ozai:
At first he didn't accept the fact that you, his youngest child, is a non-bender, and ignored your existence.
That was until he noticed how his older brother, Iroh, spends time with you, Ozai got extremely jealous.
And decided to spend time with you, only to realize that you are his favorite child, and felt like an actual father.
Yes, you can't firebend nor do you even have the ability to protect yourself.
But why would you need to protect yourself when your father is going to be the Phoenix king of the fire nation?
Ozai will burn down the world for you.
"You, my sweet child, will grow up in the presence of a very powerful father"
With Ursa:
When Ursa found out that you couldn't bend, she became overprotective of you to the point of paranoia.
Since childhood, she refused to allow you to play with anyone except Zuko.
One time, one of her handmaidens scolded you harshly for playing outside without your mother's permission which resulted in you bursting into tears.
The next day, that handmaiden was fired and Ursa made sure that she gets no other jobs.
While thinking of escaping, she thought to take you with her.
However, Ozai has forbidden that from happening.
"When you find out the truth, promise to come find me"
With Azulon
While still alive, he made sure you had the best education and guards.
Azulon also made sure to have you believe that the fire nation is without mistakes or faults.
He tried manipulating you into believing that just your loyalty to your people is enough duty.
However, you are kind, too kind.
Yet, he Azulon didn't hate you for it even if he considered a weak trait to have in the royal family.
He also still has the flower crown you made him stored away safely so it doesn't rot.
It is rumored that the last word he muttered was your name.
With Iroh
Uncle Iroh isn't really as possessive as the other characters, but he focuses on advising you from time to time.
You enjoy drinking tea with him and gossiping about everything.
Even though, Ozai has forbidden him from speaking with you, you would sneak behind your father's back to drink tea with him.
After the loss of his son in the war, Lu Ten, Iroh felt depressed.
Yet you managed to comfort him with your cheerfulness and playful attitude.
It reminded him of his son.
"The best quality in a princess is her kindness, something which your sister clearly lacks"
With Zuko
Zuko thought you would be like Azula but you have proven him wrong.
You are kind, gentle, and nurturing just like your and his mother.
That's why Zuko always found himself by your side, being your playmate...being your protecter.
His mother told him that it's his duty to protect you from danger considering that he is your older brother.
Even though Azula has never hurt you, but Zuko was always wary of her, especially after his mother disappeared.
When Ozai challenged him to an Agni Kai, you were the first to cry out and plead with him to let Zuko off, but Ozai felt jealous of your relationship with Zuko and was determined to teach his son a lesson.
However when your brother got banished, Zuko took you with him in secret not wanting you to be left with Azula.
"I know the journey will take long but once I restore my honor we can return home together"
With Azula
Azula was extremely jealous when you were born, thinking that you will take all the attention from here.
But she realized that you deserve all the attention.
You didn't treat her like a monster, you weren't scared of her.
Instead you showed her love and called her 'big sister'
You would cling to her as a toddler, whenever there was lightning, you would secretly sneak to her room and sleep beside her.
"How can you be scared of lightning, we control it, silly"
Mai and Ty Lee saw how Azula softens whenever you are around.
And when Azula discovered that you have left with Zuko, she destroyed everything in her way and burned a few servants.
"She's mine, and only MINE"
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gotham-daydreams · 8 months
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Okay we see how Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim and Cass become Yanderes for reader what about Damian, Steph and Babs?
That question is exactly why I'm kind of debating on making a kinda "Part 2.5" sort of thing, and it would show how Tim and Damian got further roped into things like Bruce, Dick, Jason and Cass. Along with how Steph and Babs take the news of "heyyy, um. you know Y/n? yeah that one sibling of ours that's lived here for years that we've barely have like, 10 conversations with collectively? Yeah, that sibling. Uh, we just figured out they've basically been living an entire life without any of us knowing, and might've run away because we were barely involved in their life despite them making multiple attempts to have us be there. So, we kind of need your help to find them. Like. Now-"
Though honestly I'll just put the run down here, so-
Bruce kind of gave Damian the little push he needed before hopping on the train, kind of like what he did with Jason but a little different. With him finding Damian, and some questions being thrown around, before Damian just decides to help look for you.
Honestly I can imagine that Damian wasn't super serious about finding you or anything at first, and was more so just trying to help because Bruce and Dick were looking for you. Hence why he looks for Alfred first with the intention to get the search done and over with. Though, that does begin to change a little when he eventually stumbles upon your room and gets that small glimpse of all he's missed out on after having talked with Alfred.
The room itself doesn't necessarily get to Damian — not like it does with Bruce and Dick — but it's more of the contents of the room itself that get him started on the yandere path.
Honestly, how Damian and Tim begin to develop their more Yandere thoughts and feelings for the reader is through finding something in your room, leading them to find more stuff, and that eventually getting to the thought process of "i didn't know they did this... i would've liked to know about this before/share this thing with them." Which then leads to a more yandere-like mindset.
For Damian (since we're already on the topic of him), he finds that one art award that you got, and becomes curious. Eventually he finds the unfinished art pieces that Bruce had found earlier, and while he isn't impressed or anything at first, the more unfinished pieces he finds the more he kind of begins to see your potential, and that leads to his own thoughts on the matter. With him wishing he knew about how you liked to do art too, and that eventually leads to him thinking that he could've helped you refine your skill, and the both of you could've drawn or painted together.
What strengthens that mindset is when he gets his hands on a notebook that you had used to practice whatever you were struggling with, and left notes for yourself on how you could improve upon certain things as well. Maybe if Damian had known you were into art before, he could've helped you, and you both could've improved together. Refine each other's skills, and just be able to create together. Which Damian really begins to like the thought of. Especially as he sees how you improved the deeper into the notebook he gets.
So, he also sets out to find you, but with a more positive mindset and thought process.
Honestly, out of everyone, Damian is the least worried about you and your well-being. Not because he necessarily has faith in your abilities to stay alive in Gotham, while also potentially being by yourself, but rather he isn't focused on that part? Not as intensely as some of the others, anyway.
Besides, if you were to turn up dead, then he'd have the "you die, I kill you" mindset. You aren't allowed to be dead or 'missing' in his mind, and so you aren't until proven other wise — but even then he's going to need a lot of solid proof to even believe it.
Damian is just more focused on the "we have a common interest and I want to do this thing with them" part of learning that you're into art. Even if you aren't anymore, just knowing that it was something that you used to do is enough to get him jumping on the yandere train. You'll be doing art with him one way or another, and you can't do shit about it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Sure his reasoning isn't a strong, but it's enough to get him started and to go looking for you with the others when they eventually start tearing Gotham apart in hopes to find you. Damian now has a sudden need for quality time and your his main target, sorry not sorry.
Tim on the other hand just sort of, stumbled upon your room, and thanks to Dick was very quickly roped into this mess (as mentioned in "Not Here").
He actually looks through the box with all of your more personal belongs first as Dick tries to call and text you like crazy, while also trying to figure out more stuff.
The first thing he minds is an mp3 player, which, again - as mentioned in "Not Here" held very early versions of songs you were working on at the time, along with some of the very first songs you ever wrote. Which, after listening to a few of them, is immediately a big fan. Though that ends up being both his downfall and how he begins to develop his more yandere tendencies.
Like Dick, you had tried to call and message him about certain performances and such you thought he'd like, and hoped he'd attend, but to no avail. It sucks even more for Tim now because if he had just given your music a chance just a little sooner, maybe things would've been different between the two of you. Maybe you wouldn't have left.
Not to mention that, since he now really loves your music - just knowing that he's wasted so many opportunities to hear more of it, and the completed, fully fleshed out versions of some the songs on the mp3 player makes him upset. He really feels the hit of neglecting you, and that hit only lands harder when he goes through that 'List/Progress' notebook that Bruce had seen earlier in "Not Here".
A notebook which does reveal a lot about you, and how you only did so many activities because you hoped that if anyone in the family was into one of the activities/hobbies you tried, then you'd be able to bond with them over it. Though look at where that got you. Countless awards hung on your walls, with a number of accomplishments to your name - and yet not once were you able to use them for their original purpose. Not once were you able to hold a full, long conversation with any of them about any of the things you've done.
It wasn't even your fault because you tried to put in the work, Tim could really see that now, but you just weren't given the chance to actually put it to good use.
Maybe that's why he ended up helping Dick as much as he did, and maybe that's why he took the time to download some of your songs before heading out to look for you. He wanted to feel closer to you then he really was, and wanted your music to be something shared between the two of you.
Tim wants to not only get closer to you, but to hear everything you've ever made music wise. A want which he fully intends on making a reality.
Stephenie and Barbara are a bit different, however. Since, as stated in "Not Here", both of them are informed of what's going on after everyone else but Damian and Alfred absolutely loses their minds over you not being in the Manor. Though, again, both take the news a bit differently.
Between the two, Steph easily feels the worst. So her motivations and actions — like Bruce, Dick, Jason, Cass, and Tim — are more out of guilt and regret. She already doesn't like the thought of her own neglect having caused you to keep so many things to yourself that you basically hid yourself away, but the idea of her — along with everyone else — having pushed you so far away that you ran away? That... doesn't make her feel good, to say the least.
Sure, she doesn't feel as bad as Bruce or Dick - who easily feel the worst because of their respective roles in the family, and them feeling like they failed to even be a semi-present figure in your life for you to recognize them as your Father and Older Brother (to which they are correct, but aren't aware of that yet) - but it's still enough for her to try and look for you too.
Kind of like Bruce when he was looking in the Manor, Stephanie doesn't know where to start looking, and that only worsens her regret.
I guess her development comes more with time? Since the more she and the others look, not only do her feelings grow, but she also learns more about you as everyone starts sharing information over the intercoms. Things they just found out about you — like how you spent your birthdays alone with Alfred and had waited for them each year until recently, how you made music, what kind of competitions and such you've participated in, who were your teachers, how majority of what you did wasn't even for yourself - but rather a chance that one of the many activities you did try out was something anyone of them were into, so that way you could actually have a conversation with them - and more. (Which may be shown later? Not in a official post/part to the series but perhaps in a sort of side thing that shows the mayhem going on. But who knows?)
Case and point, while they are all looking for you - Steph slowly becomes more yandere for the reader the more she learns about you and how her and the other's actions impacted you. Like some of the others, she wants to make it up to you, but isn't entirely sure how she'd even go about doing that. The more aware she becomes, the harder she falls.
Barbara on the other hand, I'd say, is more lowkey as of now when it comes to her development as a yandere?
I mean, Dick, while very much panicking, basically told her it was an emergency and he really needed her on the bat computer because he had to look for you. Which, in the same breath, gave a list of locations and possible teachers you might've had in the past (you can thank Tim for trying to figure all of that out) and if she could look into it.
It's safe to say that Barbara's introduction into the whole situation was very chaotic. An emotional, worried, and panicked Dick is never a good one, so that was fun to deal with while slowly drowning in confusion.
Eventually, she got the run down and was quick to help, but like Bruce, Cass, Damian, and Jason - she was more confused at the start.
Ouf of everyone, and maybe besides Jason, Barbara has had the least amount of interaction with you - and the room for possible interactions with you for her were much smaller anyway considering that you aren't a vigilante, and never intended to be. So, it only makes sense that one of the people you've easily had the least connection with, was the person who communicated and mainly interacted with the rest of the Batfam when they're doing vigilante work.
What didn't help is that she barely even saw you at events or even holiday gatherings and such the family would have, with you being so neglected that they just... failed to even notice you missing at the time. The day she was introduced to you was when you were first adopted, and that was basically both the first and last full interaction either of you have had with each other. Other than that, she would hear small comments about you sometimes from the others, but even then it wasn't much and those soon died out as one could've guessed.
Even when she was in the Manor, she might've caught a few glimpses of you, but nothing else - so the beginning of her fall into being a yandere is definitely much slowly and lowkey when compared to the others.
I feel as if this whole situation may encourage Babs to want to get to know you better? After all, your disappearance did cause the whole family to basically start a whole manhunt just to find you, so I feel as if that would be enough to get Barbara interested at the very least. Not to mention all of the things she's hearing about you from everyone - it would be nice to try and actually meet you, not just know about you.
In other words, I feel as if Barbara may develop more as a yandere in part 3, seeing as I can see her more yandere tendencies begin to develop once she actually 'meets' you. Y'know what I mean?
So tldr; Damian becomes a yandere for the reader by finding out they're into art/have done art in the past, and now has a deep need to bond with them.
Steph becomes a yandere through her guilt and regret, and like some of the others, want to make it up to the reader.
Babs, on the other hand, hasn't exactly become a yandere just yet, but will once she 'meets' the reader and see them for herself. As of right now, she's just curious, but we'll get there in part 3.
Also, this is unrelated to the ask, but I would like to point out how pretty much everyone in the Batfam thinks you ran away rather then you just leaving. Do what you will with this information for now :]
Anyways, I hoped that answered your question, even if I got a bit rambly! If there's anything else in particular anyone else would like to know, feel free to send in an ask!
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sugarrushproductions · 3 months
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Hazbin Hotel Finale Spoilers!! You have been fucking warned!!!
Viv you wonderful troll you! I called both Adam and Pentious dying, but I didn't expect to see the latter in heaven and the former meeting his end because of Nifty!
EP 7 doesn't have much I want to talk about, though a quick thing about all the songs. The only one I truly loved was Carmila's the rest were fine and I loved all the callbacks to previous songs.
Dude, the fucking rollercoaster of emotions I felt at the end-
Rosie is great, I still say her and the cannibal's are hellborn until I'm proven otherwise
I'm scared for that deal. I hate IOU deals, Al could ask Charlie for anything.
Vaggie gets her wings back, yeah!
Carmila's shoes being her weapons was amazing!
I think that's it for EP 7.
The bar scene with Huskerdust 😍
I think we saw Husk starting to really fall for him.
Them this whole finale is just so cute, I want more!
Nifty instantly going after Angel after Charlie tells her to stab angels is just perfect.
Nifty and Al, jeez, I didn't expect to be so cute.
The little roach crown 🥺
We were all worried for nothing, Charlie is just emotional.
Also, Chaggie kiss! Now Huskerdust and I'll be set!
The V's are literally just watching them and I feel like some of their reactions
Alastor has been holding back. His fight with Adam is amazing.
And he has a mask... Did not expect that.
Seeing him curse again was amazing.
Charlie is so cute!!!
Angel and Cherri are a power duo!
Husk is so real!
So it seems Adam really did eat the apple.
Vagatha.... I love you Pentious.
"These fucking angels won't stop coming!"
"Ha!"
"Ok, I walked into that one."
That whole exchange is gold.
Lucifer Ex Machina! Yes!
I love his fight with Adam. It's so much fun!
Husk used his wings to shield the others, I'm crying!
Luci, hun, that's not how you say that..
And shut up Val!
Ok, but really, Velvette looks so cute in this.
Fat Nuggets is alive! And Keekee too! Yay!
I was sad about Pentious dying
Then surprised and happy to see him in heaven!
I actually figured he'd been the first to be redeemed. Sorry Angel.
But seriously, suck it Sera!
Speaking of heaven....
How the FUCK did Lilith get there? Why is she there? How the hell could she just abandon her family?
Also, I can't believe they fo
So many fucking questions, Season two needs to come so quickly.
The Hotel looks so cool! I can't wait see it in action.
I know I missed a lot, but God damnit this show is awesome!
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punkshort · 5 months
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look what we've become - ch.3
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Chapter Summary: Joel joins Tommy to meet the Fireflies and set up a trade agreement. They come back to Jackson with more than they expected.
Chapter Warnings: language, angst, mentions of slavery
WC: 5.4K
Series masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
A/N: a reminder this story follows a slightly different timeline. Ellie was born pre-outbreak, but she was little when it happened.
Joel couldn't believe the past day and a half really happened. The rollercoaster of emotions you put him through left him stunned and shaken, wondering how he could read everything so fucking wrong. He found himself questioning everything now, replaying conversations, wondering if you had ever alluded to your feelings about marriage and a family that maybe he misread, misconstrued. Twisted and built up in his mind to fit into his stupid fantasy. One, he acknowledged, wasn't even in the forefront of his mind until his brother brought it back up to the surface. And suddenly, he wanted it, too. Like some resentful child who saw another playing with a toy he hadn't paid attention to in months, then demanded it for himself.
But he had thought about it, well before Tommy decided to man up first. He had the ring, but he never did anything with it. Why? Deep down, had he known you wouldn't want that? Was he subconsciously protecting himself by never acting on it? Or was he truly just waiting for the right time?
Even with Tommy's news, he still hadn't come up with a plan to actually ask you to marry him. He just allowed the fantasy to play out between your legs while he continued to make up excuses as to why he was holding off. Maybe it just turned him on to have a secret. Maybe he just wanted to have you, mark you, claim you. He knew he had a bad jealous streak, but would he have let his possessiveness lead him this far off track?
No. There were real reasons why he wanted you to be his wife. You made him want to be a better man. The way you made him feel was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. You brought out sides of him that others, including himself, never knew existed. Good things. You made him believe in happiness again, after his heart had been stomped on, making him treat everyone around him so poorly, even his own family. At a time when he felt so undeserving, you made him feel like the only person in the world. Even back then, he had a hard time believing you could actually care for him, but you saw through his bullshit to the man he was underneath, and you loved him for being him.
You had this way of looking at him like he was capable of anything. And with you by his side, he felt like he really was capable of anything. He did things he never thought possible to keep you both safe, as did you. You killed for each other. Not many people can say that. That meant something. The trauma and pain you both endured for one another had to mean something more. There was no doubt you both had proven what you were willing to do for the other, so it was only natural he wanted to commit himself to you. Say the words, vow to you in front of everyone you knew and loved that he would happily devote himself to you for the rest of his life.
So why didn't you want the same?
Ages ago, when the pair of you stumbled into the hellscape that was Kansas City, his ex, Amy, had mentioned offhandedly that you were only with him for protection. At the time, he shrugged it off, knowing full well it was bullshit just to get under his skin. But now, against his better judgement, he was rethinking those words. Rolling them around in his head, wondering if there was any truth to it.
"You been real quiet," Tommy said, pulling Joel out of his misery, surprised to suddenly find his brother next to him as they made their way on horseback down the mountains. Joel shrugged, averting his gaze ahead to the three other men leading the way.
"You mad at me for puttin' you on patrol yesterday? I'm sorry, Carl got sick and I didn't have anyone else," Tommy continued.
"Nah, it's not that," Joel replied, still staring straight ahead. "Didn't sleep well, is all."
"Ah," Tommy said, a playful smile pulling across his lips. "She send you off with somethin' to remember her by?"
Joel huffed and rolled his shoulders, his anger bubbling below the surface as he thought once again about the night before.
"Not exactly," Joel responded, trying to keep the bitterness from his voice.
Tommy hummed in response but remained quiet, trying to read his brother from the corner of his eye.
"Everythin' alright at home?" he asked, unknowingly hitting the nail on the head, causing Joel to clench the muscles in his stomach, like he was bracing for a punch to the gut.
"It's fine. What's the plan for when we get to this place?" Joel asked, quickly sidestepping the subject, something that was certainly not lost on his younger brother, but Tommy allowed for the change in conversation, anyway.
"We're gonna meet up with their leader, woman named Marlene. They're lookin' mostly for weapons, but they need other stuff, too. They got lots of medicine and first aid to swap. Bill's been runnin' real low on antibiotics, considerin' how fast the town is growin'," Tommy said with a sigh, readjusting in his saddle. "Girls sent me with a list of inventory, highlighted all the stuff we have a surplus of and all the stuff we could use more of. Remind me to thank her for helpin' when we get home," he said, keeping a close eye on Joel's reaction when he referred to you.
"Sure," was all Joel said in response, refusing to let him drudge up the topic. The wound was still too fresh, and he needed time. For the first time in a long time, he had no idea what was going through your head, and it scared the shit out of him.
Was it marriage and kids in general you didn't want, or was it marriage and kids with him?
He should have asked. He should have stayed instead of storming out that night. Instead, he let his emotions get the better of him and left you all alone, likely crying until you fell asleep if your swollen eyes the next morning was any indication. When he saw you, saw the distress etched in your perfect features, he wanted to pull you into his arms and never leave for this fucking trip. And he damn near did just that, until you confirmed it was a false alarm, and his heart was torn all over again. It was then he realized he had been hoping you were pregnant with his child, and there would be no choice but to face the next challenge together. Then he would be able to prove to you that it was a good thing, that you could, in fact, do it. And so could he.
Now, instead, he wasn't even sure where you two stood. You had said you still wanted him before he left, and that gave him hope. Hope that maybe not all was lost, that you could repair the damage that was done and come out stronger in the end for it. That maybe he could, in time, prove to you that he would be a good husband, a good father.
But then, Amy's words crept up in the back of his mind since he left. Somehow, years and years later, the woman still managed to torment him, making him believe he wasn't worthy or good enough to possibly have someone like you. The same way she manipulated him into thinking he deserved to be betrayed by her when they were engaged, that he didn't give enough of himself, that she warned him she needed more and he refused.
He shouldn't have gone on this trip.
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"Alright, we're losin' daylight, let's set up camp and get an early start tomorrow," Tommy announced, much to Joel's relief. He didn't want to admit that, just a mere few weeks away from his fortieth birthday, his back and knees were aching like he was a much older man. He slid down from his saddle with an audible groan, then tied his reins around a tree trunk before giving his mare a few loving pats along the crooked white blaze that split her face.
He unbuckled his sleeping bag from the saddle and shouldered his backpack, dropping his belongings unceremoniously to the ground before he and Jake headed out with a couple hatchets to collect some firewood.
He didn't mind Jake so much anymore. He was quiet, kept to himself and, fortunately, didn't seem to harbor any resentment towards him from the time Joel put him in the infirmary for kissing you. His bad temper mixed with his jealousy nearly killed the man.
Afterwards, he thought he lost you.
You left him, asking for time to process what happened, upset that he didn't take your word for it when you promised him the kiss was a misunderstanding, that you handled it. You viewed it as distrust, he viewed it as protection. It wasn't until later that he realized he was harboring his own trauma from failing to protect you from a past sexual assault.
As he carried an armful of firewood back, he reflected on everything you had been through together. The outbreak, your parents, the time you were stabbed, the assault, the breakup, the accident that nearly killed him. Not to mention all the infected and raiders that threatened you both at every turn. Was your relationship strong enough to endure one more massive hurdle?
They were deep in the woods, the terrain favorable. The trees hid the fire well, and the vast, empty land kept infected away. Still, each man took a quick turn overnight to keep watch. It hardly mattered when Eugene gently shook his shoulder, alerting him it was his turn to watch. He can never sleep well when he's away from you, anyway.
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Joel was almost grateful when they reached the hospital late in the afternoon the next day. It was the first time in two days he was able to stop thinking about you, his mind swirling with images of your trembling lip and your tear stained cheeks. He frequently wondered what you were doing, if you told Maria or Carrie about your argument. Were you packing up your things? Would he come home to an empty house? He wasn't sure his heart could handle it again.
You said you still wanted him.
You said you loved him.
But he didn't say those things back, and he left.
Even if you were fighting, even if it was the most significant disagreement you've ever had, he still wanted you near. He could never silence that driving force inside him since the outbreak that screamed keep her safe.
When they approached the hospital, they were all searched, weapons confiscated, as expected, before being ushered inside to meet the leader of the strange group called the Fireflies.
Marlene was a taller woman, with a firm jaw and eyes that could look right through you. He could tell right away she was not to be trifled with, that she took her role seriously in this little revolution she was spearheading. Although the people they had met since arriving seemed very intense, he didn't feel threatened. And he usually had a good instinct for those things. Usually.
They were in the hospital cafeteria, the five men, Marlene, plus a few others seated around a large, circular table as Tommy and Marlene exchanged pleasantries, both parties trying to make the other more comfortable. Joel hadn't really been listening. He was scanning the room, watching the guards pace by the doors regularly, the sentries standing watch with their hands resting on their rifles as they watched the exchange from a distance.
A small group of women entered from the door behind him, heading towards the kitchen to begin food preparations. Joel's eyes glanced over the group of four, three middle aged looking women who kept their eyes pinned to the ground, and a young girl with brown hair, tied back away from her face. She didn't look to be a day over thirteen, and she was the only one who looked around the room, her eyes locking with Joel's. He stared at her, his brow slightly furrowed as he tried to assess the situation. She continued to hold his gaze as she followed the other women, and although her body language gave nothing away, Joel felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something seemed off.
"Isn't that right, Joel?" Tommy was saying, snapping his attention away from the girl, who he saw in his peripheral disappear behind a door into the kitchen.
"I'm sorry?" he replied, leaning forward and lacing his fingers together on top of the table, trying to look focused.
"I was just sayin' how we know of a few police stations in some small towns that have barely been touched. Wouldn't be much effort for us to get a group together when we get home and go ransack 'em, take just a few days to hit 'em all," Tommy said, his eyes flicking from Joel to Marlene, then back again.
Another trip. More days away from you.
"Yeah," Joel replied, nodding his head and ignoring the pit in his stomach. "It's not enough for an army, but I reckon any little bit helps."
"In the meantime, lemme show you our inventory list. See if anything jumps out at you, and we can work on gettin' those guns," said Tommy as he pulled the list out of his coat pocket and smoothing it out on the table.
Marlene reviewed the list, her dark eyes flicking over the paper quickly with a few hums here and there as she took notes.
"Looks good, but we mostly need weapons," she said, leaning back in her chair. "I could probably do with some fresh vegetables, I think everyone's getting sick of the canned shit. And shampoo. But that hardly is a match for antibiotics." Her eyes shifted back and forth between Joel and Tommy, and the corner of her mouth turned up as an idea hit her.
"I do have another offer, though," she said, leaning forward. "It's not what we discussed, but if you're willing, I could send you home with half a box of penicillin now, and the other half after."
"After... what?" Tommy asked a little hesitantly.
"I'm lacking manpower at the moment. My guys are stretched thin, we're planning a hit on the soldiers at the Boise QZ. I need you to take someone to the hospital base we have in Salt Lake City. It should only take two days to get there, and I just need you to make sure she gets there alive," Marlene said, pressing her pointer finger into the table on the last word for emphasis.
Tommy glanced at the other four men, clearly not expecting to run errands for these people in exchange for medicine. Joel could see the wheels turning in his brother's head before Tommy spoke.
"Show me the meds first," he said to Marlene, and she quickly lifted two fingers up from the table, blindly addressing someone behind her to exit and do as he asked.
"What's the catch?" Joel asked, his defenses going up.
"No catch. Just need to get her out of here and with my other group, and I don't have the time to do it myself," she said with a shrug, but Joel knew better. She was trying to act casual, but he saw her knee bouncing under the table.
He shouldn't have come on his trip.
Once Tommy laid eyes on the unopened vials of medicine, medicine Jackson could really use since Bill, the town doctor, had been rationing enough as it is, Joel knew his decision was made.
"Done," Tommy said with a nod, extending his arm to shake Marlene's hand, which she eagerly reached out to do.
"Tommy," Joel said quietly, annoyed his brother didn't run the decision by the group first.
"Give me a little bit. I'll go talk to her so you can hit the road right away. John, please give these gentleman half the box of penicillin," Marlene said as she pushed her chair back, the legs making an awful screech against the dirty, linoleum floor. "Dinner is about to be served, please help yourselves as my guests," she added over her shoulder, leaving the dining hall.
"Tommy," Joel tried again, finally pulling his brother's attention. "A word?"
He led Tommy a ways away from the table so their conversation couldn't be overheard.
"What're you thinkin'?" Joel asked him, hands on his hips. "We don't do things like this."
"I know, Joel, but we're already out here, what's the harm? It's just a few more days," he said.
"I can't do a few more days, I need to get home," Joel replied, raking his fingers through his hair anxiously.
"I'll send Jesse and Jake back to let the girls know we'll be a little longer-"
"Goddamnit, Tommy, no!" Joel said, louder than he anticipated, a few heads from the table turning to glance his way.
"Jackson needs this medicine, what the hell's gotten into you?" Tommy asked with a frown, shifting his weight as he tried to read his brother's face.
Before he could reply, Marlene reentered the room alone, motioning for the two brothers to join her back at the table.
"Ellie's working in the kitchen, once dinner is over I'll send her to change and gather her things," Marlene said.
"Not a problem," said Tommy as he sat back down.
"Is that true?" Marlene asked, her lips pressed in a thin line as she held Joel's gaze, waiting for him to answer. He took a deep breath through his nose and crossed his arms.
"Yeah, not a problem," Joel replied bitterly.
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Joel ate his meal quickly, desperate to finish this ridiculous task so he could get home. The longer he was away from you, the stronger his paranoia became. With each passing hour, he could almost feel the chasm between you growing, and he was beginning to convince himself there was no repairing the damage that was done. On both sides. Communication had never been his strong suit, but he thought he was getting better at it the past few years. Why did he go on this trip?
His eyes flicked up from his empty plate to see Marlene heading their way with the young girl he saw earlier in tow. His anger flared deep in his belly again, and he elbowed Tommy in the ribs to mutter angrily "she didn't mention it was a fuckin' kid" before Marlene could overhear.
"Ellie, these are the men I told you about. They're going to take you to Salt Lake City like we discussed," Marlene said, her hand resting on the girl's back. Joel eyed her carefully, noticing how tense her shoulders looked as she regarded the five men in front of her. His eyes drifted back to Marlene, wondering why on earth she was willing to leave this young girl with five strange men without a second thought. He decided she either was very desperate, or didn't care much for the girl.
Ellie readjusted her backpack on her shoulders and yanked on the edges of her long sleeved shirt, squaring her jaw as she stared them all down. Marlene crouched down to the girl's level and rested her hands on her shoulders.
"Remember what I told you. Listen to them, and everything will be fine," Marlene said, narrowing her eyes at Ellie. Ellie nodded, nostrils flaring before Marlene stood up to address Tommy.
"You need a map?"
"Nah, we got maps," Tommy said with a shake of his head. "This group know when we get there to give us the rest of the payment?"
"I'll radio the leader over there once you leave, let her know the deal," Marlene replied, stretching her arm out again to shake Tommy's hand.
"Alright, then," said Tommy, looking back down at Ellie and shooting her a small smile, trying to make her feel more comfortable. "You ready?"
"Yeah," she said, taking a deep breath and following Tommy out of the cafeteria.
They collected their weapons at the entrance before heading out, Ellie joining Tommy on the back of his horse. They didn't make it very far before the sun began to dip behind the trees and a quiet place was found to make camp for the night.
After getting a fire going, Tommy sat down in the dirt next to Joel, who had been leaning against a small oak tree, sipping from his flask and staring into the flames. The other three men were quietly playing a game of poker across from them, the occasional laugh or taunt floating in the air, while Ellie busied herself with a worn, paperback book further away from the rest.
"You wanna tell me what's goin' on yet?" Tommy asked, taking out his own flask.
"Nothin's goin' on," Joel replied gruffly, eyes trained on the fire.
"What's makin' you feel like you need to get home so bad?" he pressed. Joel felt that anger swelling inside him again, up his stomach and through his chest, and for a moment he wondered if Tommy knew. That maybe you told Maria and she let something slip.
"I told you, it's nothin'," he snarled, taking another sip from his flask and letting his eyes drift over to the girl. "Just wish I knew you were signin' me up to be a goddamn babysitter before comin' on this fuckin' trip."
"I can hear you, you know," Ellie said, her eyes never leaving the pages of her book.
"Good," Joel said, jutting his chin towards her, finally finding something to take his anger out on. "What's your deal, anyway?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said, sitting upright and letting her book fall to her lap, a flash of stubbornness not unlike his own reflecting in her eyes.
"Try me," Joel argued, his jaw clenching. Ellie glared at him, silence falling over the camp as everyone waited for her to speak. She opened her mouth, then thought better of it, clamping it shut and casting her eyes down. Joel scoffed, not ready to let the topic go just yet. Angry that this child was keeping him from home, from you. Angry that his brother agreed to it, like a fool.
"C'mon now, let's hear it. What makes you so fuckin' special?"
"Joel," Tommy said under his breath, a warning, reminding him to watch his language, that she was just a kid.
"Why should I bother? You're all the same, anyway! No one ever listens to me, 'cause I'm just some kid, right? No one-" she cut herself off, stopping herself before she said too much.
"Who's all the same?" Tommy asked gently, trying to coax the information out of her. She shrugged and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.
"The people Marlene hires. Dragging me all over the country like I'm... whatever," she said, stopping herself yet again.
"So this ain't the first time Marlene sent you off with a bunch of strange men?" Joel asked, the edge still in his tone but he could feel his resolve softening, somehow feeling bad for this little girl despite his own problems.
"No," was all she offered, glaring at Joel again.
"Are you in some sort of trouble, kid?" Eugene's voice asked from across the fire. The silence that followed was deafening, only the crackle from the fire filling the air. Ellie's eyes shot over to Eugene, looking him up and down, trying to keep up her steely resolve before giving up and turning her back on the group, announcing she was going to bed, and burying herself in the sleeping bag that was way too big for her.
Joel stared at the back of her head, trying to connect the dots with the context he had available to him, but he couldn't figure it out. Tommy shifted next to him, clearly lost in his own thoughts, as well. Wondering for the first time if he had gotten them all in over their heads.
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The following morning, Tommy sent Jake and Jesse back home to let everyone know they were going to be a few days late. The three remaining men and Ellie packed up their supplies early, hitting the trail as soon as possible, ready to make a dent in the long road ahead. Eugene led the way, followed by Tommy, then Joel brought up the rear, his eyes burning holes in the back of Ellie's head as she clung to Tommy's denim jacket to keep her balance on the back of his horse.
Joel chewed the inside of his cheek, still feeling bitter, about everything. You, Tommy, Ellie. All of it. Since he couldn't get to you, and Tommy already got him in too deep, he chose to direct his energy towards Ellie when they took a break midday.
"Marlene send you with any food, or are you takin' that from us, too?" Joel asked, sitting down on a fallen tree trunk with a groan.
"I have food. And what else could I have possibly taken from you?" Ellie replied curtly, sitting further down the log as she opened her pack to fish out some granola bars.
"Time," Joel snapped. "And we don't even know why we're doin' it."
"Isn't Marlene paying you guys?" she replied with a huff. Tommy's eyes toggled back and forth between Joel and Ellie, becoming exasperated with the constant bickering.
"Can you just drop it, Joel?" Tommy asked. "Who cares? It's an easy gig, and we get meds out of it."
"Oh, she's giving you meds? Wow, she must be really desperate," Ellie chimed in.
"Alright, I've had enough," Joel said, standing up to tower over the girl. "Spit it out. What're we doin' here?"
"Fine, Joel," she said, stretching out each syllable before standing up, fists clenched at her sides. The way she said his name set his teeth on edge. "You wanna know how you're helping slavers move cargo? That the answer you're looking for?"
The three men froze, clearly not expecting that. Tommy stood up now, his head swiveling between Eugene and Joel as he processed the information just dropped on them.
"Wait-" Tommy said, stretching his arm out to Ellie, but she cut him off.
"Yeah, that's right. You still think this is a pain for you?" she snapped, glaring at Joel even though Tommy was the one who spoke.
"Stop!" Joel shouted, holding his hands up in the air as silence fell over the camp. He pointed his finger to Ellie.
"You. Explain. Now."
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Joel pinched the bridge of his nose as he silently listened to Ellie tell her story. Her parents were dead. She was taken from her aunt and uncle's house at a young age, forced into slavery for the past few years: laundry, cooking, cleaning. Sometimes for twelve hours a day. Said she's been with the Fireflies a long time, that they keep moving her from base to base but she claimed she didn't know why. Joel had to wonder how much of what she was saying was the truth. There was no doubt something was happening at that hospital, but slaves? Something just didn't add up.
When she finished her story, she nervously glanced around at the men, waiting for one of them to say something. Tommy sighed and motioned to the woods.
"We need to talk about this. Privately," Tommy said, narrowing his eyes at Ellie. "You stay here."
"Fine. Not like I can make it on my own out there, anyway," she said with a snort. She picked up a stick from the ground and began drawing into the loose dirt at her feet.
"We're takin' her back, givin' back the meds, and goin' home," Joel said the moment they were out of earshot. Tommy shook his head.
"Joel-"
"This is enough, Tommy! This ain't our business. Any other option here puts the whole town at risk, puts Maria at risk, puts-" he stopped himself, biting his tongue before saying your name. He hadn't thought about you for the past half hour. A new record.
Tommy wasn't an idiot. He knew something was going on, but he couldn't focus on it, having a much bigger problem to sort out.
"She's a kid. We can't take her back, and we can't take her to Salt Lake City. It ain't right," said Tommy gently, hoping he would make his brother see through whatever was plaguing his mind and look at the bigger picture. Joel frowned and glared at the grass below his boots, clenching and unclenching his jaw as his mind struggled to wrap itself around the situation.
"Eugene?" Tommy said, turning to raise his eyebrows at the older, and suspiciously quiet, man. Eugene sighed, dropping his shoulders like he was carrying an enormous weight.
"I agree with Tommy," he said, and Joel spun on his heel, angrily pacing a few feet away to take some deep breaths.
"So, what? We take her to Jackson? We don't show people where we live for a fuckin' reason," Joel reminded them, his back still turned on the two men.
"We take her back, just a bit, til we can find where her aunt and uncle were livin', and we'll take her back home," Tommy said, the gears in his head turning as he formulated the plan on the spot. "In the meantime, we tell the Fireflies she ran off in the middle of the night. Maybe if we can get those guns to 'em, we can still keep the antibiotics."
Joel scoffed and shook his head, turning around to glare at his younger brother.
"This is stupid and risky. Lyin' to those people don't seem like a good move to me."
"Yeah, well, it's the only move we got, Joel. Otherwise, we're just as bad as them," said Tommy, his eyes drifting through the trees to make sure Ellie was still perched on the log where they left her. "I won't ask you to help take her back to her family."
"Damn right, you won't," Joel muttered, rolling his shoulders angrily. He stared off in the direction of Ellie, his jaw ticking off to the side with his hands on his hips, lost in thought.
He shouldn't have gone on this trip.
"Alright, is it settled, then? Can we hit the road, go back home?" Eugene asked, clearly tired of the bickering. Joel glared at the other two men before stomping back over to Ellie, who stood when she heard the men approaching, eyes flicking to each of their faces. Joel brushed past her to scoop up his bag from the ground and jumped back up on his horse with a grunt. At least he won't have to be away from you any longer. Not that he was sure what to even say, he just knew he needed to see you.
"C'mon, kid. We're takin' you to our town," Tommy said, motioning for her to grab her things and follow him to his horse.
"Really?" she asked excitedly, a small smile playing on her face for the first time.
"'Til we can get you back to your family, yeah," he replied, holding an arm out to help her scramble up the back of his horse.
Joel remained quiet the next day and a half, inwardly brooding about the potential blowback from taking this kid, which then morphed into nerves when he realized he was a few hours away from seeing you again.
When they arrived through the gates of Jackson, he didn't watch Ellie's eyes light up when she first saw the town, the people, the animals, kids her age playing. Maybe if he wasn't so focused on searching for your face in the small crowd that welcomed them back, then he would have seen how happy Ellie was. How, for maybe the first time in years, she felt a spark of hope. Maybe if he wasn't so focused on the ache in his chest when he didn't see you, it wouldn't have come as a surprise when Ellie snuck off the first chance she got, bobbing and weaving down the busy street, eager to see what the town had to offer.
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Tag List @nana90azevedo @ninaminaromina @untamedheart81 @taz-97 @nastiasnow @amyispxnk @plz-be-solo - lmk if I missed anyone or if you want to be removed
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gamerwoman3d · 3 months
Text
Please Be Bi-Han 🙏
🔞 An MK1 x Reader 🔞
Part 2a(i): Sub-Zero discovers F! Reader
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PART ONE HERE
🔞 Spicy/Explicit after the cut 🔞
The men split up to look for you. Liu Kang with his glowing eyes was the first to pinpoint the real path you'd taken. He slid up next to the almost imperceptible crack in the marble floor, knelt and listened. From just under the floor in your coziest panic room, he could barely hear you whisper.
"Please be Bi-Han, please," he heard you say.
He smiled to himself. To him, it was cute that you wanted Bi-Han. He found you first, sure, but the others didn't need to know that.
He looked into the shadows where he thought Sub-Zero might lurk. He gave a nod that direction, and then concealed himself nearby, intending to let Sub-Zero "find" you and lay claim. It was important to Liu Kang that you be amenable to changing your ways- getting the thing you truly wanted would make you friendlier, he believed. But he also felt a great deal of compersion as the creator of this timeline; he enjoyed seeing people get what they desire so deeply, especially when they are his friends. In short, Liu Kang would feel less excited about claiming you for himself knowing that you wanted Sub-Zero for yourself as badly as Sub-Zero wanted you. But what would excite him greatly, is the energy he would feel from the both of you uniting.
Liu Kang truly thought he was the first to find you. Until he heard your muffled shriek, barely audible over Bi-Han’s gravely laughter, which if anything sounded like a tiger tearing open a cello.
"How did he get in there," Liu wondered aloud.
Rewind a bit.
You'd snuck to the kitchen where a marble door opens in the floor. It leads down to a pretty, hidden designer wine cellar which does double as a panic room as it is well hidden. You thought the only way in or out was through the hydraulic marble trapdoor; but Sub-Zero had proven that theory wrong.
Truth was you were holding a glass of a very fine beverage you'd decided to indulge in while waiting to be "caught."
The cellar lacked seating. Seating would have been a waste of space in this vault; several of the wines in your collection were worth more per ounce than gold. But the value stored within the vault was the reason the room was constructed to be so incredibly secure.  You perched yourself atop the curve of a secured, horizontal wine barrel, feet dangling over the edge of the hoop to kick against the lid.
The thought of how his muscles moved when he ripped the steel door handle apart replayed in your mind. As the memory washed over you, you kicked your legs out straight and hummed from the sensation of anticipation these thoughts brought you. 
This was exciting. You found yourself absentmindedly humping the curve of the barrel just to put some comforting pressure on your excited cunt. Realizing it felt good, you let yourself straddle the barrel, toes dangling above the floor on either side of the lid. You pushed yourself down to press into the seam of your pants as you thought about it. You rocked yourself back and forth, trying to self-soothe the growing excitement before it boiled over.
“Please, please please be Bi-Han,” you muttered to yourself.
You swear you heard him chuckle from somewhere among the wine. You knew these men could be sneaky - they were ninjas, after all. You wondered if you'd hear them coming at all. The chuckle must have been your imagination.
You couldn't tell the red wines from the white any longer without putting the bottle up to the glow of your phone. This dark, the colors at a short distance all faded to blues and grays and blacks.
Then you saw something man-shaped in the dark. You illuminated it with your shaky phone flashlight, only to discover it was just a hoodie laid across a wine barrel at an odd angle.
“UGH. I wanted you to be Bi-Han,” you grumped.
This time the laugh was undeniably real. You didn't bother to question how he got in, you were simply shocked that the trapdoor never opened after you first shut it behind you. You turned and saw a man shape - different this time, undeniably male, large, and moving. The color of his ninja uniform faded to the same bluish gray as the other wines in the dark cellar.  You hoped this time it was really Bi-Han, but you had to brace yourself. You knew that without seeing the color of the uniform, it could be Smoke, or even Scorpion.
“Cute,” the gravelly voice said, “Cute, rich, calling my name all alone in the dark, aching for me, and all mine? Not to mention able to manipulate the global economy at a whim. I must be dreaming.” 
His voice alone had gotten you wet. You knew it was him. You wanted to run to him.
“Bi-Han!” you gasped.
He strode up to you, stopping when his hips hovered above the hoop of the barrel. He wrapped an arm around the small of your back and pulled you. His other hand went to his face to pull away his mask. You slid forward, into his arms, where he kissed you gently. Your legs wrapped around him and you squeezed, keening into the kiss.
“Nice to meet you, too,” he said.
You started to undress. You wanted to flash him. He held your shirt closed.
“Leave that on unless you want my brothers to find you naked. I can take you someplace they'll never find you. Not even Liu Kang could find you,” he purred against your neck.
He slipped the pads of three of his fingertips between the barrel and your clothed cunt.  He rubbed long firm strokes along the mound before gripping it lightly. He alternated between the stroking and the squeezing while he licked and suckled the sensitive skin of your neck. 
“I bet you're going nuts right now,” he said, “so let me ask, where did you learn my name, to call it out so sweetly?”
You felt prepared to pop. You tried to hump him dry, but his fingers on your seam held you back by the pussy.
“I know about you from… ungh oh god please… from another timeline. Mmm… yes… fuck… yes… It isn't important, Bi-Han, please fuck me,” you said.
“No. You would like that too much. I'm not going to fuck you until everything in this house is legally mine.”
“What?”
“You're gonna marry me. You're going to sign over all your assets, and I'm going to keep you, forever. You're mine. And there is not a damn thing you can do about it.”
Next Part:
Part 3a(i): Sub-Zero toys with F! Reader
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dwobbitfromtheshire · 3 months
Text
Dear Diary. . .
18+ for some smut. . .
Steve thought a lot about people's sexuality since Robin came out to him on the floor of the bathroom at Starcourt. Well, he thought about it a lot more. Before, it was only a casual thought. How could two members of the same sex do that? Not in like a hateful way but more in a curious way. How could two men have sex? He usually spent time on it, thinking about it. . .too much time thinking about it, really. That should have been his first clue, but at the time, he shook those thoughts away by telling himself that he was just being overly judgemental like his dad. Now, he was thinking about it a lot more, and he couldn't quite figure it out until Eddie Munson walked into Family Video one afternoon.
"It's fucking freezing! I can't believe Keith made us come in. I swear that I'm going to do it this time," Robin said. "I'm gonna kill him."
"You keep saying it, but then it never happens," Steve chuckled.
"There's no one even here!" Robin complained.
It was the middle of December and pretty damn cold. No one would be crazy enough to escape the warmth of their homes just to get a movie. He was quickly proven wrong, though, when the door opened and Eddie Munson walked in.
"Jesus H Christ! It's freezing in here. Do you guys have the air conditioner on in the middle of winter?" Eddie asked.
"It's broken. We couldn't fix it, and we couldn't get anyone to come out," Steve said.
"And you guys didn't just say 'fuck it' and go home?" Eddie asked.
"We can't really afford to do that," Steve said.
"Really? King Steve can't afford to take one day off? The man with his own castle or so I've heard," Eddie said, and Robin scoffed at him, scowling.
"You mean, my parents' house? Yeah, no. It's their house and like they've told me since I was six: It's their house and they just allow me to live there. They made me start paying them rent the minute I didn't get into any college, and they threatened to kick me out without all my stuff if I didn't pay up on time, so no I can't really afford to say fuck it," Steve said. "And the thing about being called King Steve are the assumptions that come with it. They assume that because I was born into money that everything that comes with it is mine. That I have it easy. You know, you can have all the money in the world but you can't pay your parents to love you. I mean, I don't know. Does it make you feel good when people call you freak?"
"Jesus. . . No," Eddie said, looking properly shamed. "Look, sorry, man. I can fix your problem for free."
"Which problem? People calling me King Steve or my parents not loving me?" Steve asked.
"Well, I can't fix those problems, but I can fix your heat," Eddie smirked. "Let me go get my tools."
He left the store, leaving Steve alone with Robin.
"He's lucky he apologized and offered to fix the heat, or otherwise I would have kicked his ass," Robin muttered, and then she paused. "Your parents are home, aren't they?"
"Yeah," Steve muttered.
"You know, my dad put bunk beds in my room like I'm a kid or something. Want to have a sleepover?" Robin asked.
"Only if I get the the top. A top for a top," Steve said with a smirk.
"Ugh. You'll get bottom and like it," Robin said. "You know, my parents love you. I think you should take up their offer and -"
She didn't get to finish her sentence because Eddie made his way into the store. He shook his toolbox at Steve.
"Lead the way, Harrington," Eddie grinned.
"I'll mind the store, although I think it's pointless. I don't think anyone else is crazy enough to come out in this weather," Robin said to Steve. "You mind him."
"Thanks," Eddie grinned cheerfully as he followed Steve into the back.
Wordlessly, Steve watched as he took off his jacket and got to work. The other man was wearing a tight red sweater. It was so tight that Steve could practically see his. . .wait, are those. . .are those nipple piercings? Steve swallowed. Why couldn't he look away? The movement of Eddie rolling up his sleeves tore his attention away from the man's nipples. There was a tattoo of a creature controlling a puppet on his forearm. He stared at it while he worked and wondered if there were any more tattoos on Eddie's body. Steve tilted his head to the side as he pictured taking off Eddie's sweater to look for more, his mind picturing Eddie's piercings. He could imagine them so clearly, and Steve could see his own hand reaching out to brush his thumb over the piercing. Suddenly, Eddie's underneath him, and Steve is reaching down to take it -
"All done!" Eddie's voice called out.
"What?!" Steve exclaimed.
He realized what he was feeling now. The familiar pull of arousal in his stomach is something that he immediately recognized. Mews being eaten by a demodog! Mews being eaten by a demodog! Yeah, that did it. Eddie was staring at him now with his big brown beautiful eyes, his plump lips looking ever so kissable. Shit.
"You okay, man?" Eddie asked. "Where did you go?"
"Oh, nothing, sometimes I just space out," Steve said, trying not to blush.
"Yeah. I do that, too. I fixed it!" Eddie exclaimed proudly. "Am I forgiven now?"
"Oh, yeah, definitely," Steve said. "Thanks."
Eddie shrugged on his jacket and shook his toolbox at him.
"I'm going to go put Bert up now," Eddie said. "And then look for a movie."
"Bert?" Steve asked.
"My toolbox. Problem?" He asked.
"No, it's cute," Steve laughed.
Eddie looked at him for a moment as if he was trying to figure him out.
"Hm. Dustin was right. You are an interesting dude," Eddie said.
They walked out of the back together, and Steve continued to watch him as he walked out.
"It's definitely warming up," Robin said. "Thank God!"
Eddie walked back in and started browsing the aisles, Steve’s eyes never leaving him. Robin unscrewed her bottle of water and started drinking.
"Yeah, I can definitely picture myself having sex with that guy," Steve said, and Robin started choking on her water. "Jesus, Robin. Are you okay?"
"Am I okay?! Are you okay? What the hell, Steve?!"
"What?"
Later that evening, after they got off of work, Steve and Robin immediately got settled up in her room. A random radio station was playing in the background. They were laying on the floor, their feet pressed against the wall, as they stared at the stars on Robin's ceiling.
"So, let me get this straight - something which we apparently both aren't - you kept trying to picture how it worked between two men, and apparently, that made you think that you were homophobic?" Robin asked.
"Pretty much," Steve said.
"Okay, you're going to have to start telling me all of your thoughts outloud so I can tell you if you're wrong or right," Robin said. "I'll do the same thing with you."
"Like we're diaries?" Steve asked.
"Exactly like we're diaries, Steven," Robin said. ". . . Diaries who give feedback."
"What if they're dirty thoughts?" Steve asked.
"I'm a fully grown lesbian. I can handle it," Robin said. "I want every single slutty detail."
"Okay," Steve said.
"For example: Dear Diary, my platonic soulmate realized he wasn't straight today. He also came out to me. I want him to know how proud I am of him and how much I love him," Robin said. "Even if he is attracted to boys."
"Dear Diary, I came out to my platonic soulmate today after finally accepting that I can be queer. . .that I could be bisexual like Bowie. I don't think I ever could have gotten to this point without learning from her. If she hadn't trusted me, then I wouldn't have been able to put so much trust and courage into accepting myself. I'm so proud of her, and I love her so goddamn much," Steve said. "Even if she is a pain in the ass."
"Aw, Steve," Robin said tearfully and took his hand, interlacing their fingers together. "You know what my favorite thing about our friendship is?"
"What?"
"We're both bitches," Robin said and they both burst into fits of giggles.
After that, Steve wished for more interactions with Eddie, but whenever he went to pick up Dustin from Hellfire, Eddie would scowl and look away whenever Steve tried to wiggle his fingers at him. Eventually, it just became awkward, so Steve stopped trying. He didn't even look at him anymore. Steve even tried approaching him in the grocery store just to ask what his problem was, but Eddie took off and ran out of the store without buying anything. Eventually, Steve realized that Eddie clearly still saw him as King Steve and wanted nothing to do with him. So Steve stopped trying, disappointed, and rejected. Instead, he tried moving on by going on dates, and eventually, Steve pushed Eddie to the back of his mind. . .then spring break rolled around. It all went to hell, and suddenly, he was fighting to save Eddie from being convicted of murders he didn't commit while also trying to stop the earth from splitting open.
Luckily, it was all a success with some injuries. Unfortunately, Eddie still needed to be hidden from the town, and Steve's house was the best place for him. He was currently resting in Steve's guest room, bandaged heavily as he was worse off than Steve but not so bad that he needed a hospital. Steve was pacing downstairs. Now was the perfect time to talk to him. He couldn't run away this time. Steve sighed and walked up the stairs. He entered the room without thinking and without knocking. Eddie froze, his unbandaged hand down his pants. He quickly pulled it out.
"I had an itch!" Eddie exclaimed.
"Uh. I can come back," Steve said.
"No, seriously! It was an itch!" Eddie exclaimed. "I was just thinking about you."
Steve’s mood changed pretty quickly. His cheeks turned pink, and he grinned. He slid carefully onto the empty space beside Eddie. He used an elbow to avoid laying on his stomach.
"Really?" Steve asked.
"How could I not? You pulled me out of hell, man," Eddie said. "I wish I could thank you properly, but I can't even get out of bed."
"You can thank me by letting me do all the work," Steve said.
"Uh, yeah, okay," Eddie said, looking at him, confusion as he started to disappear under the covers. "What are you - Oh! Oh! I think there was a misunde - OH, fuck it! It's such a good one. JESUS H CHRIST!"
There was a popping sound from under the covers as Steve peeked out from under the blankets.
"Do you want me to stop?" Steve asked.
"No! Get back down there," Eddie said and pushed his head down. "I can't believe - I, uh, thought that I hated you and I, uh, I uh, I didn't understand why I did. Oh, fuck! It's why I ran - I shouldn't have - Steve, Steve, I think I'm going to - God!"
Steve plopped down on the empty spot beside Eddie, smirking as he licked his lips.
"I didn't think I would be so good that I'd get a name change," Steve said. "God. God Harrington."
"Cocky asshole," Eddie replied. "So, what does this mean? Is that all I'm good for, or do you want more from me?"
"I think I would like to try more with you," Steve said softly.
"Me too, and once I get better, I am so returning the favor," Eddie smirked.
"There's a lot of things we're going to do when we get better," Steve said as he leaned in close to Eddie's face.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
Steve placed a soft kiss to Eddie's lips, smiling when Eddie started kissing him back. Steve pulled back.
"The first thing, though. . .I'm so making you sleep on the couch," Steve said.
"What?!" Eddie yelped. "Why?"
"Well, one, you forced the kids to choose between Lucas and Hellfire. Second, you didn't stick to the plan, and you nearly died in Dustin's arms," Steve huffed.
"But I - yeah, no, that's fair," Eddie mumbled. "I do feel bad about making them go through that. I'm going to work my ass off to make it up to them."
"I know you are," Steve said softly. "Luckily, you've got the rest of your long life to make it up to them."
"Thanks to you," Eddie said, and Steve bit his lip. "You want to tell Robin, don't you? Go ahead."
Steve went downstairs and into the kitchen. He picked up the phone, twirled the phone cord around his finger, and dialed Robin's number.
"Hello?"
"Dear Diary. . . I totally went down on this really cute guy. . .bit of an asshole. . . but he's working on it. . ."
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leupagus · 20 days
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I firmly believe Stannis is the Westerosi equivalent of the dad who hates cats, doesn't want to get a cat, makes a big deal about not liking the cat, and ends up being the cat's absolute favorite (except instead of a cat it's a huge fuckoff direwolf with boundary issues)
x
The door to the workroom opened and Ghost bounded inside, snuffling at Stannis's hands. Lady Stark, following behind, narrowed her eyes at him as she closed the door.
"You fed him something recently, didn't you?" she said. Ghost, finding nothing, gave a disapproving huff and flopped down by the fireplace.
He had, but that was besides the point. "What are the Knights of the Vale doing here?"
"Just don't give him chicken, we had a terrible problem with the henhouses when they were puppies," she said absently, and circled round to sit at her chair on the far side of the work table. "I brought them here for you."
Stannis, still standing, paused. "For me?"
"Yes, for you. I can't bend the knee, Your Grace. Not yet. But I'm not entirely useless."
"Of all the adjectives I've thought to describe you with, 'useless' has never been one of them."
She smiled at that and looked down at the papers strewn across the table. "Littlefinger — Lord Baelish," she corrected, "had plans for the North. Marrying my Aunt Lysa and becoming Lord Protector of the Vale wasn't enough for him; he wanted more."
"How much more?" Stannis asked as he took his seat again. He was already well able to guess the answer.
"Everything," she answered, a distant look in her eye that Stannis did not like. "He wanted to marry me off to the Boltons. I think the plan was for you you to come sweeping down from the Wall and either take Winterfell or kill out enough of the Bolton forces to weaken them. At which point Littlefinger could come riding to my rescue with the Knights of the Vale. He'd have a ward at the Vale who looked to him for approval, and a new Lady of Winterfell who'd be grateful to him for saving her from monsters twice over." She nodded at his moue of distaste. "Yes, well, he always did consider me one of his cyvasse pieces, to be moved around the board as needed."
Stannis had avoided Baelish at King's Landing, insofar as he could while both of them served on Robert's Small Council. But he well remembered how Baelish spoke of women, how effortlessly he used them and used them up. What damage had he inflicted on a young, friendless girl while he'd had her in his custody? No wonder Lady Stark had fled from him at the first chance of escape.
If that's what had truly happened. The story from the Riverlands was that Baelish had been killed by his own men, and there was no reason to doubt it — such a treacherous man would have succumbed to treachery sooner or later. But Lady Stark had proven herself capable of surprising things, these past months.
It didn't bear thinking of too closely. He cleared his throat. "The Vale, the North — if Baelish wanted the Iron Throne, he'd have needed more than two kingdoms at his command."
"The Riverlands probably would have been next," said Lady Stark with a frown. She pawed through the papers and pulled out a book. "I've been going through the maester accounts, such as they are, from the time my father left Winterfell until now," she said, flipping through it. "There are gaps, obviously, but Maester Wolkan's been keeping remarkably faithful records. Including copies of every raven scroll." She passed the book over to him, tapping at a particular passage. "This was sent to Roose Bolton from the Twins, only a few days before we began the siege."
"'The Blackfish traitor has stolen Riverrun from us. In the name of fellowship among the new Lord Paramounts and the victors over House Stark, we ask for your aid in catching this damned fish and roasting him on a spit.'" Stannis set the book back on the table with the peculiar urge to wipe his hands clean. "Walder Frey was always a craven. Wanting everyone else to fight his battles for him."
"He didn't even have the courage to murder my brother himself," said Lady Stark, taking back the book and closing it with a snap. "Though I've been told it was his son who murdered my mother. A great warrior family, clearly. Plus he doesn't know it's 'Lords Paramount' and not 'Lord Paramounts.'"
Stannis had seen flares of temper from Lady Stark before (on any number of occasions), but the icy rage in her voice gave him pause. Not for the first time, he considered how very merciful she had been with him, in the end. A man responsible for his own brother's murder, when she herself had lost her brother to the very basest of treachery — what might she have done to him, if he'd been anyone other than the rightful king?
Even as he wondered, he knew that his titles had not been what had stayed her hand in judgement. The Starks had never been particularly pragmatic, mostly to disastrous ends, and for all her intelligence Sansa seemed to have inherited a fair helping of the Tully pig-headedness on top of the Stark romanticism. King Stannis would have had no better luck against her judgement than Lord Stannis or Ser Stannis or even Goodman Stannis; it had been for some other reason she had spared him. He wondered when the bill would come due, and if it would ever be in his capacity to pay it.
Lady Stark had continued on. "I haven't found any record of a message sent back to the Twins, but I doubt the Boltons sent one. Lord Bolton were never much for rousing himself for anyone else's interests, even before he betrayed my family. I sent a raven to House Mallister of Seaguard; he sided with Robb during the war, and the Mallisters have always been loyal to House Tully." This time she handed over a scroll, flattened out but still curling slightly at each end.
It was only a bit longer than Walder Frey's, and about as useful. Blackfish holds fast; they have supplies within to last two years or more, and the siege set by the Freys will not last half a season. Brynden has not called the banners of the Riverlands, for Lord Tully is still hostage to the Freys. But if Lady Stark should call, Mallister will answer.
"'If Lady Stark should call,'" he repeated wryly.
"Lord Mallister bounced my mother on his knee when she was a babe, Your Grace," she said, equally wry. "All the oaths of fealty in the world can't replace the bonds of family and friendship between the northern Houses, even those not in the North itself."
"So I am beginning to understand," he said, handing the scroll back. "So the Twins are undefended at present."
"Most likely — Lord Frey is still there, but the bulk of his army will be at Riverrun." She leaned forward. "I've spoken with Lord Royce; he swears to me that Lord Arryn will bend the knee if you lead the Knights of the Vale and your own army and take the Twins. From there, you'll be able to break the Frey's siege at Riverrun — you'll have both the Vale and the Riverlands in a matter of months."
It was a fine strategy, but Stannis couldn't help but feel vaguely offended by it. "Do you mean to tell me that because you refuse to bend the knee, or promise any of your own army to my cause, you've delivered the Knights of the Vale and a promise of House Arryn's fealty as a...consolation prize?"
Lady Stark shrugged. "I suppose so," she admitted. "But a prize, nonetheless. I've only known Lord Royce since I was a guest at the Eyrie, but he seems an honorable man."
"He's an able commander, which is more to the point," Stannis contradicted absently, frowning down at the desk as he mulled it over. Two thousand men was no very great sum — but the Knights of the Vale were one of the best cavalry forces in the kingdoms, for all that they rarely strayed outside their mountains. With the Knights, Stannis's army could divide and take each half of the Twins in a pincer. It would be over nearly before it began.
"Of course, how foolish of me to consider such petty things as honor," grumbled Lady Stark.
Stannis ignored that. "Which leaves the Iron Islands to deal with. Has Lord Greyjoy sent any word?" Even the honorific stuck in his craw. Balon Greyjoy, the only other "king" to survive the war. Stannis had regretted the man's existence ever since the Greyjoy Rebellion.
Lady Stark shook her head. "Nothing. We've beaten back the last of the Ironborn holdouts, but I doubt they'll begrudge us that. My father always said the iron price never spent well. And they rightly blame the Boltons for whatever might have happened to Theon."
Which was still a mystery, so far as Stannis could tell. Theon Greyjoy had not been found among the dead at Winterfell, nor at the Dreadfort. If he'd escaped, there'd been no sightings reported. "No doubt you'll wish to execute him yourself, if he's found, but it would be better—"
"Execute Theon?" she said, her brow furrowing. "I — no. I don't wish that."
He leaned back in his seat. "You surprise me, my lady. I wouldn't have thought you squeamish after all this time." Perhaps that was his answer: she'd spared himself and Lady Brienne not out of principle but cowardice. In a way, it might be a relief: or at least it would be easier to understand.
She looked away. "Father did always say that whoever passes the sentence should swing the sword."
"That's not an answer. Your kindness does you credit, my lady, but if you show too much your people won't fear you. Which means they won't follow you, when the time comes." He'd said the same thing to her brother, more than a year ago when they'd argued over the fate of the wildlings and the drawbacks of mercy. The Lord Commander hadn't heeded the advice; was it a Stark family failing?
It must be, for Lady Stark sighed in frustration and said, "I don't want to be feared, Your Grace. And though you've failed to notice, I'm in no need of anyone following me anywhere. I'm staying—" She broke off and shook her head. "This always happens," she muttered, an odd smile tugging at her mouth.
He frowned. "What always happens?"
"This," she said, gesturing vaguely at the distance between them. "We can't go five minutes without arguing about something."
"That's not true." She sighed again and he reconsidered. "Perhaps if you didn't contradict everything I said."
"Perhaps if you had sisters, growing up," she countered. "My mother always said Arya and I were more trouble than all five of the boys put together." Her expression darkened and Stannis followed her thoughts — Theon had been one of those five boys. Raised alongside the rest of them, within these very walls.
"I thought you would want him dead," he admitted. "More than anyone else in the North."
She got to her feet and went over to the window, resting her arms on the sill as she looked out onto the courtyard. Stannis rose and joined her: down below were a dozen carts piled high with hay. All around them men and women were busy unloading the bales and stacking them up in a corner, where more workers took them away in a brisk line deeper into the Keep. Each cart was in the courtyard only a few minutes; when it was empty, the driver mounted up again and drove slowly out through the great gates, replaced by another cart yet more heavily laden. Supplies from the Northern Houses, to lay in for the oncoming winter.
"I don't want Theon dead," said Lady Stark after a long while observing in silence. He glanced over to her, but she was still looking down at the carts. "I don't want anyone dead, Stannis — there's been so much death. And more coming, if what Jon told you about the White Walkers is true."
She'd never called him by his name before; indeed she didn't seem aware she'd done it. "I believed him," he replied. "I still do. Your brother didn't seem the sort to make up stories."
"He always was honest to a fault," she said, turning to look at him at last. Her blue eyes were bright — tears, unshed. "I wish he'd come with you."
So did he, he realized. Not for his skill in battle or his perception or bravery: but only so his sister would not look so devastated at his loss. "He took an oath to the Night's Watch," he said, cursing at himself for his clumsy words even as he did so.
"I know that," she huffed. "Five minutes without arguing, is that really so difficult?"
"Evidently," he conceded, and she laughed. A watery sound, and she pressed the heels of her hand to her eyes quickly as she turned back toward the table, but laughter nonetheless.
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sirgogington · 2 months
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My Word Vomit Response on the Shelby Situation
Main Situation: Last week Wilbur Soot from Lovejoy was accused of having been abusive towards his ex girlfriend Shelby. Shelby is a live streamer and last week she did a livestream about the signs of knowing if you are in an abusive relationship. She never stated his name, but from details given people started assuming it was about Wilbur Soot. A few days later Wilbur confirmed that it was him in an apology tweet on his Twitter account. The abuse had to do with painful biting, and manipulation. 
    I want to start off by saying I do believe Shelby's story. I don't think Wilbur is innocent, but I do believe this situation isn't as black and white as people are claiming it to be. 
    Former fans after hearing the story started unfollowing Wilbur and Lovejoy and saying what a terrible man that Wilbur is, and vowing to never listen to or view any of his content ever again. He's not just a terrible man, he has to be evil too. I may be optimistic but I do think most people can change for the better if they truly want to. There are exceptions, but I truly believe that Wilbur can. The internet wants to just label him as evil and not give him any room to do that. The new thing is "guilty until proven innocent" and that's super harmful as I will go into in a different post. The way people are spreading hate in a us/them mentality is not a mature way of viewing/handling this situation and does more harm than good. Especially when it comes to death threats and doxing which have been received by both sides.
   Wilbur is someone who had a hard upbringing, and has brought up at different times his struggles with mental health. On screen or on stage you would never know this about him, because he has this mask of being confident, well spoken, and joyful. Through these details Wilbur has shared we know that touring took a lot out of him mentally and put him in a bad place, but that he was seeking therapy and is probably currently still seeing a therapist to try and get better. He's shared in the past that when he first blew up on the internet he used alcohol to cope because of how overwhelming it was that so many people were consuming his content. From Shelby's stream we also learned that his living space was dirty and unhygienic and that he would make excuses for it. The details for me paint the picture of a guy struggling badly with mental illness and having a hard time caring for himself and his home. Someone who can hardly take care of themselves should not have been in a relationship. This puts a lot on the other person.  It's different if he were stable and then then his mental health crashed in the middle of a longer relationship, but not if your too mentally ill to begin with. I do deeply feel sorry that Shelby had to experience that, as it truly shouldn't have happened. 
   I went to school for psychology and know quite a bit about different types of mental illnesses. I am by no means diagnosing Wilbur, but I do think he shows signs of someone with Boderline Personality Disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder is an emotional disregulation disorder characterized by unstable mood, behavior, and relationships. People with BPD self sabotage and will frequently end up pushing people away because they don't think they're good enough for them. (In this case maybe he wanted to act so bad so she would leave him, which is very unhealthy). People with BPD also go through depressive episodes and can act impulsively. Without therapy it is extremely hard to cope with this condition but with therapy you can make great strides in changing. I think like most mental illnesses you are aware of the fact you don't like the way you're acting you just have a hard time controlling it. For instance for me growing up with anxiety I knew most of my fears were completely irrational but that didn't stop them from overtaking my life and still feeling anxious. Wilbur has written some really deep lyrics on his new solo album Mammalian Sighing Reflex and I feel like it reflects that he doesn't like the way he is and feels guilty about those he's harmed through it. Maybe I'm giving this man too much credit, but like I said I do believe most people are capable of changing for the better. 
   Shelby stated she did the livestream as a way to help protect other victims of domestic violence and Wilbur Soot himself. He might still be dangerous to the public, it's really hard to know. I know after my own situation with being manipulated I was worried about the guy going after other younger women like he had with me. I didn't want anyone else have to be in that situation so I understand where Shelby is coming from. I also know that if the guy in my life had ever posted an apology, no matter how good it was, that I still wouldn't believe him and have a hard time forgiving him. Bold take but I think his apology was at least decent. Could it have been better, yeah, but could it have been a lot worse, also yes. In his apology he admits to being the person Shelby was talking about. He states that her feelings are valid, and that he wants people to hold him to higher accountability, and that he was sorry for any hurt he caused. Maybe he isnt, but it's hard to know. Wilbur stated in a livestream from last October 2023 that he was going to therapy the next day, because of this we can assume that Wilbur has been going to therapy at minimum since October. In that same livestream he states that he showers once a day when he's in his "big sad", and that he has rented places all over Brighton. He is at least hygienic in this regard, maybe moreso than he was before. It could be a red flag that Wilbur has lived all over Brighton due to possible evictions whether that be negligence or noise complaints from doing livestreams.
   We'll never know how other content creators truly feel about him except for the ones that made it obvious. Of course most content creators are going to jump on the bandwagon and agree that he's an evil man. If they don't then they'll lose their platform because of all the hate they'd get. I do believe some content creators will still hang out with Wilbur secretly or still even remain his friend. But we'll never know. 
   For the people who are posting different video evidences of Wilbur supposedly showing signs of being abusive in the past this is what is called confirmation bias. If you believe someone is abusive suddenly you can find details in the littlest things to confirm your thought process. A lot of the clips I've been seeing have been of normal everyday behavior or confirmed bits. I've seen people say that Wilbur must have bit down really hard to leave bruises. In some cases people bruise more easily than others. I know I have random bruises on my body from nothing. We can tell that what Wilbur did however was pretty painful due to have to use a safe word. Getting bitten usually hurts. I've been bitten by a 5 year old at work and can't imagine how it would feel to be bitten by a grown man who intentionally bit down hard.
This could be confirmation bias as well, but when looking at the lyrics in Mammalian Sighing Reflex and at the album art it seems to tell the story of a man (Wilbur) who really messed up in a relationship and is feeling the pain from that, and has a lot of regret due to knowing he was the cause of her pain. He poured so much of himself into the album it's like he's bleeding out in front of the audience with the amount of vulnerability.
Analyzing lyrics because why not, using lyrics from "Mammalian Sighing Reflex"
"I get so drunk I can barely see." If this album is related to his relationship with Shelby, which I think it probably is, then maybe he tried to cope with the relationship failing by using alcohol, or sabotaged the relationship through drinking.
"A lot of friends have left my life, escaping my tractor beam of woe" Having a mental illness can make it hard to maintain friendships. This could be because it makes you so self-focused on your problems, or that people get tired of hearing about your problems. If you constantly talk about how sad you are, some people are going to have a hard time dealing with that, or get burnt out from having to keep on cheering you up.
"Fuck my life, you cared when I was sick, no one ever gave a shit.....you fought this war one-sided and asked me what am I doing this for." These lyrics seem to speak about how in a past relationship (probably meaning with Shelby), that she cared that he was mentally ill/in a low point and wanted to help him get better. The fight to help him get better was one-sided due to Wilbur not helping to get himself better. If he would have helped her then they "could of stitched my mind together."
"Never been the one for romance, never thought that I'd get married. Never been the kind to give a shared life a second glance, selfish prose." In Shelby's livestream she talked about how her and Wilbur talked about the possibility of getting married and having kids until he backtracked and said that he wasn't that way and changed his mind.
The song "I Don't Think It Will Ever End" is how his mind seems to work in cycles. He'll be sad, because he feels sad he hides away for a bit, but then he feels silly for hiding himself so he forces himself to interact with people. But then when forcing himself to interact again he feels sad, which he says is not a good feeling when you're supposedly in a good phase. He says as self-sabotage he gets silly. Wilbur is known for telling a lot of jokes, and maybe this is a way he masks his true feelings. Also for Mammalian Sighing Reflex it says the songs were written by William Gold (his legal name) and performed by Wilbur Soot (his stage name). Wilbur is who the internet/fans see him as and William Gold is who he really is. Meaning the way we see him online is the extroverted, charismatic, likeable guy we know him as whereas William Gold is introverted, self-sabotaging, nerdy, and a deep thinker.
     The internet gives us way too much information. We're constantly bombarded with more and more information. Before the internet and even in the earlier internet days you did not have this. People were not being as closely viewed and known as they are now. You have to be careful about every little thing you say, because God forbid you say the wrong thing and get canceled. It didn't used to be this way. The only reason you'd ever know anything bad about a celebrity is if they were in the news. I think most of the media we consume whether TV shows, movies, etc. have the potential to have us supporting "bad people". It would be overwhelming to look up every single person we had ever consumed media from and sift through what are lies and what are not about each actor, singer, etc. I get that people don't want to give a platform to people doing bad things, but it's almost impossible to know and to remove every single bad person from the content you consume.  Being a celebrity in general is hard. It's easy to become addicted to drugs, and experience toxicity especially celebrities that live in Los Angeles. Most become people they regret, but some change for the better too. I'm not saying people who do serious crimes should get out of jail because they can become better people. People in jail should remain in jail for serious crimes. Time will tell what becomes of him. If more about him is released or if he's able to actually make strides in his health like he said he would. We will wait and see. I really hope he can heal and get better. Even the most unlikely ones can change their lives. You can both support Shubble and hope that Wilbur gets better.
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findafight · 1 year
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Robin doesn't think about the short sleeve button up she wears on the first day of Senior year other than that it's cute until Jamie is pulling her arm close to her face, and she realizes that if she didn't want to be the centre of attention for having a rather prominent Mark that Filled over summer, she should have worn long sleeves. Damn.
The iridescent colour it's written in shifts in the light, from purple to green to gold and has the shimmer of wet ink, glitter shifting within it impossibly. Marks are always striking, their colours more vivid and beautiful than anything manmade. Neoclassical and baroque artists came close to recreating them, but even masters' attempts always look off. Movies try, but it's still…wrong. Not quite as alive as a Mark should be.
So it's not unusual that Robin's mark carries some ethereal quality, but the placement up her right forearm and the uncanny shifting of the colours do make it…well. Noticeable.
Jamie nearly squeals at her. "Oh my god! You got a new one and Filled it over the summer? Lucky!"
"Ah. Thanks." She's not particularly fond of touch, but resists yanking her arm back. Newly Filled Marks are always cause for gossip, and her being cagey would just lead to rumours.
"So?? Who is it? How'd it happen?" Jamie leans in, wide eyed. Other kids that were milling around the band room have begun clustering.
"It's, ah. It's Steve?" Why did she make that a question? It is Steve's Mark.
"Steve? What Steve? How'd you meet? C'mon, Robin! Give us the story!"
Robin shifts, and pulls her arm away, finally. "We were coworkers at the mall, and I got it when I decided that working with him wasn't so bad, even if he is a dingus. It Filled when–during the fire."
"Oh shit." Someone says.
Jamie blinks. "It's song lyrics though." And yeah, it is. Bright and bold, in Steve's Best Cursive, is and you see me now tonight going from her wrist up towards her elbow in large cursive letters.
Robin giggles. "Yeah, uh. He was…cheering me up. Because, y'know, the fire. He got mine right after."
The band room is quiet, processing. It's not common for Marks to Fill at the same time, even when it's reciprocated. Then someone from the back of the cluster says "wait. Didn't you work with Steve Harrington this summer?"
Finally, Robin grins. "Oh yeah. We're at Family Video now, though." There's tittering. They probably don't believe her. "My Mark is on his left arm, and it says," she pauses. Sharing someone else's Mark isn't exactly polite but sharing a Mark that's yours on someone else isn't at all taboo. It's part of you, on another. So she shares "you sound like a Muppet. In the same colour ink."
The room explodes into questions and astoundment and speculation. By the time second period rolls around tomorrow, the whole school will know. Hell, there'll probably be some nosy customers at Family Video for Steve tonight. Ah, well. It wasn't a secret.
"So, you're dating him now?" Comes floating above the frantic gossiping.
Robin shakes her head. "No. No way. We're friends. It's a platonic bond." Not that Dustin–ignoring that he and Erica also have Filled Marks in the same iridescence on Steve and themselves– would let up about them being scientifically proven to be perfect for each other. Which they were. As…not dating. As friends. As best friends. As a singular blob person that is unfortunately split into two people currently. But Hawkins High Concert Band doesn't need to know that.
"Fucking stunning for a platonic Bond."
She shrugs. "Guess we're just special like that."
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ellemaru · 4 months
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Simon "Ghost" Riley General Headcanons
A/N: This is just headcanons that have popped up in my head or whatever but I'm trying my best to keep it lore accurate/based off of lore. There will be some mentions of abuse, mental health, substance abuse (alcohol and drugs) and body dysmorphia due to how his character is.
General Appearance:
Starting with appearances, I think he's 6'2-6'4 and weighs 200-230 lbs (189-195 cm and 90-104 kgs).
He has prominent muscles, but they aren't Arnold Schwarzenegger huge but still large enough to the point that most people are impressed.
He has short, blondish hair where in the winter, it darkens to a light sandy brown if he doesn't go outside.
He had more of a fair and cool undertone but after spending time in the Middle East he darkened up slightly.
Everyone he knows always debates whether his eyes are green, grey or hazel but he personally thinks they are hazel with a light blue on the edges.
His nose is slightly hooked but is also kind of crooked from the front due to it being broken a gazillion times.
General Personality:
As proven previously with the "Alone" mission, Simon is a pretty funny guy.
I feel like there's a common misconception about him that he's super serious and cold and has no emotion but that's FAAAAAALSE.
When he's not on duty I'm a firm believer he acts sassy with the others to be funny.
He obviously knows that there's a time and place for everything but he also knows when a joke or sarcastic comment is needed to lighten the mood up.
I feel like his enhanced ability to read the room kind of stems from him having to always observe and walk on eggshells with his dad in the past.
Like if he misread his mood he could've potentially gotten hurt, leading to Mama Riley defending him causing her to get hurt too but that's for another post.
Back to the humor I feel like a lot of times he's just unintentionally funny like he'll say something, and because of his delivery people laugh and he just sits there confused like "???? I didn't make a joke"
100% a workaholic with no work-life balance because who needs that when your job is your life!
Once the guy starts working, he ain't gonna stop until he says so.
Super observant, he notices the fine details so if you think you can cut corners around him? You're mistaken.
Simon is moody af but that's definitely heightened by his kinda crappy mental health.
General Family:
He hates his dad.
Did I mention he hates his father?
For sure a mama's boy but not in an "I was my son's first girlfriend" kind of way.
He looks up to his mom like crazy and still has an emotional attachment to her from when he was young due to his father being emotionally, physically, and mentally abusive to him.
Anytime he comes back from a mission, has a rough day, or just needs advice on a decision or life he ALWAYS calls Mama Riley.
She's literally his rock because he sees her as someone who is steadfast and strong who goes based on the facts and how she takes things for face value, similar to Simon. I think this also gave Simon an admiration of single mothers and women in general since he grew up with more of a perspective from his mother than his father.
He loves Tommy to bits and pieces, and they were hands down partners in crime back in their teenage years before Simon enlisted.
If you go around Manchester, you can still see some of their graffiti tags on different things.
When Tommy became a drug addict, Simon was there for him from day 1 till he finally got clean.
A/N: This isn't much but if y'all want more I can work on another that's more detailed! Requests are always open so leave some suggestions on things you want to see!
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funficwriter · 7 months
Text
A Wolf and A Snake (Wriothesley x Reader)
Letters' Interlude - 1
A/N: So these aren't official chapters per say, just an extra to the story that explores the yandere dynamic I'm trying to put forth! Also, I love listening to romantic music while writing for this 🩵 Until I finish Chapter 2, enjoy!
Synopsis: Being a noble meant that marriage was a chess game, not an affair of love. Unfortunately for the pristine Balthazar family of Fontaine, Y/N has long been enamored with love and sought it out before their priorities. After her grey, boring time of courtesy and fake niceness, she meets Duke Wriothesley, who makes her yearn for the first time in her life, and it's the same for him. Threatened by the idea of losing this first, it seems they'll stop at very little to be together...
Warnings: Obsessive yandere language, graphic details in Wriothesley's.
Tag: @yue-caelum
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From: Lady Y/N Balthazar - Balthazar Vacation Manor, Belleau Region, Fontaine
To: Duke Wriothesley of Meropide - Fortress of Meropide, Liffey Region, Fontaine
Dearest Duke,
I am not quite sure how to begin or structure my thoughts, so I hope you forgive me if this letter turns out messy. It's barely been 24 hours since our fateful meeting and I finally got some privacy. I should interest you in the fact that today's tea is Earl Grey. I'm having it right now, accompanied by a chocolate and strawberry mille-feuille. If you're ever feeling bold, I'd recommend this combination. Quite the contrast on the taste buds.
I realized that even with our cadence and how we enjoyed chatting together, there's still so much to know. How have you been doing? I'm presuming you're at the Fortress. How is life there? How do you spend your days there? Is it a lot of work? You told me a bit of the nurse. Sigewinne, if I recall correctly. Does she have a lot of patients? And what tea do you drink when you're feeling so tired and done with the world? (I'm partly asking this one for myself. Some days are like that.).
Though I must say, since Liffey is a bit far from Romaritime or the Court's region, you must have a good teleportation waypoint. Belleau is far, too, but by Focalors' name it is enjoyable. It's quiet, lush and lovely. The water is so nice to swim in too. I find that regular swimming is one of the most beautiful parts of my day. I might be heading into more dangerous territory saying this, but I believe you'd enjoy it a lot if I took you with me. If you had a day off and I showed you around, we could then swim in one of the lakes. It's so refreshing and fun, and a good break from the city.
Don't get me wrong; I love its bustle and life. But I know when we return, I'm going to have to look over these boring nobles' declarations, and meet with them more often. Speaking of which, I'm sorry to sound so forward, but... Well, are you interested in carrying this further?
I'd like to tell you something about my worldview. As you know, I read a lot, but last night I couldn't get into the 'why' due to mother's timing. As a child, I felt strangely bored with existence, maybe to a worrying point. That would explain my parents' fretting. I liked the dance and violin lessons, but there was something about my books that gave my gray life a bit of color. Unfortunately, having to come back to real life was a painful must. There were times where I thought to myself: "Is this really life? Boring, plain, and feeling wrong for watching everyone's intense reactions while I derived joy from so few things?". I didn't even want to think about my future as I become a woman. This was all before we met.
Ah, Wriothesley! I've been imagining it over and over in my head! I even stood outside in the cold and closed my eyes and pretended you were right next to me... Imagine my pain when I confronted reality, mixed with the excitement I felt remembering you! Even now, I can't stop kicking my feet as I write this. For the very first time, I was proven wrong. I was mistaken about life, and who said mistakes were bad? After years of chasing perfection, believing it was beauty and goodness... Why, I might have committed the most beautiful fault in existence!
Will you please prove me wrong again? I know I might get greedy and stick to my old worldview, just for it to happen again. But I swear, I'll be good and I'll stop. I just want to feel my entire body and soul rattling in excitement once more. And you're the only one that happens with.
Mother and Father are planning another social, soon after we return to the Court's region. My understanding says you're not often social, so if you don't want any part of it (or even, if I'm being too intense), discard this letter. I must go now, but if you're as invested as I, I will be awaiting a response. And if Celestia is kind, I will be open for more. I'll be open for anything if it's with you.
Yours truly,
Lady Y/N Balthazar
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From: Duke Wriothesley of Meropide - Fortress of Meropide, Liffey Region, Fontaine
To: Lady Y/N Balthazar - Balthazar Vacation Manor, Belleau Region, Fontaine
To my cherished Lady,
I would like to start off by expressing my most feverish thanks, for reasons beyond enumeration. You taking the time to send me this lovely letter is the least of them. It is generally good form for a Duke to answer quick when he can, but I was so overjoyed with your letter's contents, I re-read it many times to take in all the joy you graced me with. I was also very touched with your personal confiance in me, so I'm also writing to return the favor.
First off, do you know how much I yearn to hear about your day, down to the little details? You talked a good deal about Belleau. I didn't care much about that region before, but now? All I've been thinking about is those fresh waters and woods you praised so highly. The only imagination I entertained was you, holding my hand, whispering that there were no nosy gossipers or greedy parents. Just the two of us, and the lake was all ours to swim in until we couldn't.
If it makes you laugh, I thought about it so much, I almost mistakenly wrote some prisoners' region tab as Belleau. Had Sigewinne not been near, the administrative mistake would have been a pain to fix. Are you laughing? I hope for it with all my heart.
And I want to know more. I want to know whether Earl Grey is your favorite, or you're only taking it because it's been brewed at that time. I want to know which chocolate you like best. Which books you're currently reading, and why you're so interested in lycanthropes without a hint of discrimination. Will you tell me more? If we get the chance to talk with less barriers, will you enlighten me with you?
After getting to know your old worldview, I question just how alike we are. It's easy for two people to share superficial interests. But when one feels so dissected, so naked knowing about another's deeper life and secrets, you can't help but question whether Celestia really does link souls. Whether you once knew them, or whether fate can be so perfect to send such a person your way. I'm sure you felt terrified writing it. Your mailbox may be private, but who knows when your family feels nosy and reads it? You know of the risks that come with such correspondence, especially as a maiden. Despite that, you didn't throw it into the trash. You wrote it, and sent it to me, letting me know about you. You may have just intoxicated me, and now I feel like I might die if that is all I know of you.
As respect to this, I'll confide in you, only it may be a little graphic. "If you feel queasy after this, feel free to end our correspondence here."... Is what I wish I could say with full honesty, because after that night, I'm not sure whether I can really be okay with that outcome.
I used to commit crime, both petty and serious. Such was the life of an orphan at the time. Being little fish wasn't an option; You had to be the top dog or get eaten alive. I opted for the first, even if it landed me in prison later on. My convictions range quite a bit, but once I grew up, I renounced crime. Even insignificant things. I wanted to leave that behind me.
Forget the obvious stealing sweets from the kitchen. When I saw that slimy Duke Arya talking to you, touching your shoulder, acting as if he always knew you and your wedding was tomorrow, I never felt the urge to murder as much as I did that night. The reasons behind my old violent crimes felt so small next to the ugly sight in front of me. You clearly didn't want him, but he kept going, as if you'd magically change your mind and be into slimeheads like him. How dare he be the reason you were pulled apart from me? Where does he get the gall to take you, act like you're owed to him if your parents decided?
How I wanted to end his pathetic standing, laughing, breathing. How I wanted to use my vision and punch his head out into an ice block, then freezing his wrangling body so he wouldn't mess up the carpet. How I wanted to lunge at him, bite, claw and make a bloody mess out of him. What did it matter if I perpetuated half-wolf stereotypes, when he was doing this? Which would hurt him more? Only one idea stopped me: You might not react to a show of violence so well. Oh, if I traumatized you, I'd never forgive myself. Being sent back to jail would be too light a punishment for a beast like that.
Please don't worry about transport, or ask about my attendance. I'm determined to attend that social. I'm so happy you told me about this in advance; I'm going to be seeing you, in all your radiance and beauty that make the world pale. So long as that happens, all is well for now. In the meantime, I'm adding some final touches to my declaration, and eagerly waiting for our next meeting, and hopefully the time I can freely take you into my arms, kiss you and prove the both of us wrong about everything.
With all the love I can hold,
Duke Wriothesley
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shantechni · 3 months
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I noticed this a looooong time ago, but I didn't mention it and sort of kept pushing it aside as an unimportant detail. After coming across this for, like, the fifth time though, something finally strikes me as supremely odd, and it's these two simple lines Leo says in the first episode of S2.
Between the S1 finale and the S2 premiere, Splinter told his sons that he defeated the Shredder when they faced off in the hideout. Not only that, he told them they'd never see the man again because he lost his honor, but both of these statements are immediately proven to be contradictory to what actually took place, as well as to what Splinter believes about the Shredder's way of thinking.
Anyone who has watched the S1 finale, specifically the second part, knows that the fight was brought to a screeching halt when Karai ran in to stop Splinter from finishing off the Shredder. And, after seeing just how deeply influenced Karai has been to hate him, Splinter left in a hurry to avoid fighting who he now knows is his thought-to-be-dead daughter.
Now, it makes sense that Splinter didn't tell the boys Karai interrupted the fight considering she was a touchy subject, one he didn't approach all of his sons with until midway through S2 in The Manhattan Project. He was still coming to terms with the revelation himself, and his avoidance of everyone's questions tells us that he genuinely didn't want to explain why Karai believed he killed her mom. In the process, he'd have to get into the reason Shredder led Karai to believe that lie and yadda yadda.
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So, not telling them Karai was there makes sense. But why tell them the Shredder was defeated?
Something like that would be believable if he didn't imply any finality by telling them the Shredder was taken down, because he goes on to wonder outloud if their enemies were truly defeated and even reaffirms that, "The Shredder is a crafty and patient foe who bides his time." But Leo clearly says that Splinter told them they'd never see him again after he apparently lost whatever honor he had left. And we can't point fingers at any potential dialogue or writing error because they make sure the audience hears that Splinter did indeed facilitate this calm behavior of theirs.
One can wonder if he didn't truly intend to flat out lie, but rather to placate his sons by withholding a harsh truth and giving everyone the time they need to revel in their victory. However, that's another odd decision for Splinter to make since he's usually the one to remind his sons that none of their enemies will stay gone for long, the first and most notable instance of this being when they first encountered Bradford and Xever.
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Anyways, after Leo says what he says, Splinter takes offense to Raph casually adding that they'll take care of the Shredder if he does come back, and, upon realizing that his prior statement has heavily blanketed them with a false sense of security, he harshly tells his sons the month long celebrating is over.
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Honestly, even though I said sugar coating is very out of character for someone like Splinter, it's the only sensible answer for him lying to the guys. And probably himself for a minute there, too.
He knows the Shredder isn't honorable. He's traitorous, underhanded, and full of spite for those he feels wronged him. Oroku Saki is a vengeful man who has been undeniably wronged in his past, but refuses to learn from it and will shift the blame onto those undeserving. He's tenacious in the way he literally left Japan with a singular image of a Hamato clan shuriken as proof that he has another chance to kill someone he used to call his brother.
Splinter knows all of this, but he still went ahead and made the morally dubious decision to construct a perfect, short-lived world where he could tell his sons they wouldn't have to worry about the Shredder again.
And where he doesn't have to face the gravity of the changes yet to come.
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luvghostie · 1 year
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Could you do the main 4 after a fight with their s/o, and how they would make it up to them? (South Park)
╰┈➤ 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒
𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐀 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐒/𝐎.ೃ࿐
GN Reader
TW: Semi-angst, language, and aged-up characters
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When you guys fight it's usually Cartman's fault. He'll bring any sensitive topic to the surface to get back at you. Whether that be something embarrassing or traumatizing he doesn't care. If it makes you angry, that's what matters at the moment.
Whenever the fight gets out of hand the others will step in. Kyle yelling at Cartman for being a dick, Stan telling you that it'll be okay, and Kenny giving you hugs or rubbing your back. This happened at once a week maybe, twice.
After being confronted and proven wrong Cartman runs home. When he reaches his house he cries for hours on end. He cares about you, however, he also knows some things were uncalled for. He shouldn't have brought up such hurtful things. Likewise, Kyle shouldn't have jumped in.
You sometimes hang out with the rest of the group to cool down. They all give their advice and try to help. Some of the advice is awful but you still appreciate the effort. The first thing Kyle always says is, “kill the fat ass.” Of course, you won't, but what the fuck Kyle.
Cartman will sneak out of his house later to see you. When you hear him throwing little rocks at your window you let him in. He apologizes over and over again. Truth be told, he feels horrible for what he did. If you forgive him Cartman will never bring up those subjects again. He loves you a lot and fights happen in relationships.
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Kyle and you don't fight a lot. On the downside, the fights always happen because of his mom. She and you aren't on good terms. She's very open about how she thinks you aren't good enough for her son. That being said, you bump heads more than anyone.
You wish Kyle would stand up for you. Instead, he just sits back emotionless. He thinks you are good enough for him he just doesn't want to argue with his mom. He's always been a momma's boy and doesn't dare go against her word. You love him but you wish he would at least talk to her.
In the middle of a fight, you give up. It's always the same things coming from him. “What am I supposed to say?” and “she's my mom y/n I can't be fucking rude!” as soon as you try to leave he stops you. An argument with Kyle has never lasted more than twenty minutes. Either he apologizes or you do.
“Wait, y/n, I'm sorry,” Kyle said hugging you. “I'll try to talk to her.” most times you wouldn't believe what he said. Yet, he actually did speak to his mom. (with encouragement from Cartman and Stan) the next time you saw Shelia she didn't say a single word to you. Whatever Kyle did you were grateful. No words were better than being told you weren't enough.
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It takes a lot for you and Kenny to fight. Like, A LOT. Whatever pushes that last button causes you to yell at him. Perhaps, it was the fact he was okay with how badly people treated him. Maybe, it was because of how much you disliked his shitty parents. Something finally made you upset to the point it turned into a fight.
Kenny doesn't get heated until you question his love. He cares deeply for you, so hearing such things are bound to hurt. He's worked many hours to give you gifts. He's even stolen items just to see that beautiful smile on your face. “What the hell do you mean I don't love you?!” he asked still muffled.
The boys watched in silence as you argued back and forth. It was almost weird to see it happening. Cartman, Stan, and Kyle just stared at each other questioning whether or not to stop the quarrel. I mean, it's not every day that something like this occurs.
You were fixing to walk away but just as you took a step Kenny died from a flying football. It felt unreal, but it was horrible to see him dead. You witnessed this all the time but that didn't mean it was easier. It was so unexpected Cartman even let out an audible gasp.
A couple of days later Kenny showed up back up to School. You were so happy to see him that you ran to hug the boy. “Oh, Kenny, I'm so sorry for fighting with you,” you said, burying your head in his shoulder. “I missed you so much.” Kenny hugged you back feeling the same way. Now, whenever you fight (which only happens at least three times a year) you always try to end it on good terms just in case.
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Just like Kenny, it's very rare you two fight. Wendy is always the reason it does transpire. You've never liked her and she never liked you either. Stan and she used to have a thing for one another. You assume she still does based on how she acts. Sticking her nose in your relationship, flirting with your boyfriend, and even saying nasty things about you.
Stans made it very clear he doesn't like Wendy to you. You try to believe him but you still worry that maybe he's lying. Your worrying caused the fight to begin. He gets upset knowing you question his loyalty and feelings for you. A year and a half together he anticipated some trust.
Many hurtful things were said to both parties. Unlike Cartman, nothing traumatizing was brought up. Kyle will move Stan away to cool off and Kenny has you sit down. It takes a bit for you to calm down and realize your anxiety got the best of you. You go to find Stan right away and try to make amends. It feels icky knowing you should've listened to what he said.
Stan forgives you and apologizes as well. While you guys were separated he talked to Wendy. He made it obvious the feelings he once had for her were gone. It warmed your heart knowing he did that just to reassure you. As the days passed you began to trust him more and more. No one butted between you and him. If you ever get anxious again don't worry, he'll be there with open arms.
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diadorka · 6 days
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So I've noticed that, by this current point in the Hades 2 technical test, we are missing a total of 5 Olympians, four of which were in Hades and I just wanted to theorise as to where they are (under the assumption that they will be in the end game).
I'll begin with the 4 from the previous game, although the reasoning for some is rather obvious.
Athena, is a war Goddess, in the middle of a current war. We're not going to be seeing her frequently, but I'm sure that at certain points in the story that she may appear, especially with tie-ins like Odysseus and Arachne.
Similarly, Ares, also a war God, and with his domain with the heat of battle and blood lust and such, would probably be in the front lines and keeping the lines from falling back. He's busy at the moment. Although, again I feel, once you've reached a certain point in the story, that we'll see and interact with him as well.
Hermes, here we know the technical has briefly mentioned what he's doing and what his current role is. So, for him, it's a waiting game for the story to progress for further information and hopefully interaction. But no matter what, he, in some form, is already confirmed in the game.
This leaves Dionysius, who I've had the most fun theorising as to where he is, and I believe his absence is connected to Zagreus. In the first game, Dionysius and Zagreus play a prank on Orpheus and tell him that they are the same person, and he believes it and even creates music from it.
Now, we know from Demeter that Zeus created the myth that she was his sister, but that still didn't make it so. However, we don't know what human beliefs do in certain ways, and I believe that this prank may have tied Dionysius and Zagreus together in a way that's not leaving Dionysius having the best time right now. For all intents and purposes, I believe the prank connected the two in some way so that Dionysius is experiencing some form of what is going on down in the underworld and it's driving him insane, and as such, unlocking the God of madness.
This leaves the last Olympian who has been neither seen nor heard throughout the first game or the technical so far, Hera. As we currently have no information on her or how they will show her or what myths they would use, she's effectively free real estate for theories, but I do fully believe by the end of Hades 2, we will have seen all the Olympians.
There's two ways I believe this could go. In the first, I believe you will not be able to unlock Hera until you've proven yourself, Ie until you've beaten the big boss for the first time, similarly to Demeter in the first game.
The other is far more theoretical but follows the line of the Dionysius prank. Hera is not a good guy in the song that Orpheus creates from the prank and if any of my theory about what's going with Dionysius is true, then Hera may be working with Chronos.
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ckret2 · 4 months
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I don't know if anyone asked, but how do you think about the Shapeshifter? Especially in Bill's perspective you can think of.
P.S. You gotta find this comic interesting. The problem would be, how to access Shifty's Mindscape?
https://moringmark.tumblr.com/post/113688377238
So here's the story of Shifty as I see it:
A baby hatches alone on an alien planet, and is immediately seen as a wild animal and caged.
The only "parents" it's ever known keep it locked alone in the dark when they aren't around.
Even though its nature is to transform into anything it sees—and as a baby, with its mind still growing, it probably needs to be exposed to new forms for its developmental health—it's kept contained where it has very little fresh stimuli.
One of its "parents" wears a mask over his face so it can't learn what he looks like. Its other parent wants to just freeze it and leave it underground.
Even after it learns to talk and its parents know it's a sentient, intelligent being, nothing about its captivity changes.
Shifty has learned how to speak! A few words at first, but every day he’s been learning longer sentences. Increasingly, he asks “Who am I?”
It's searching for a sense of identity. It's asking for help from aliens who don't know what to tell it, and who give no indication that they want to help it find out.
It's only allowed to learn new forms from pictures in books. It knows one of its parents has several journals full of wondrous shapes it's never seen before. It's not allowed to look at them. It isn't given a good reason why. It's treated like a threat that can't be trusted with new forms—even when it's given them no reason to think it's untrustworthy.
And if it's going to be distrusted no matter what—for nothing except its born nature as a shapeshifter—why should it be trustworthy?
In desperation, it ties up its other parent (without hurting him) to fool its main parent. In return, they freeze it underground—and it's left there, abandoned and forgotten, for thirty years.
I truly believe Shifty became a monster because it was raised like a prisoner. Isolated, under-stimulated, inadequate enrichment for a child of any species; treated with academic curiosity, suspicion, and fear rather than with affection and care. Why wouldn't it have become a monster? What in its environment could have led it to become anything else?
Ford and Fiddleford weren't equipped to handle a new, living person; they treated it like an animal, and when they learned it was an intelligent being, they didn't change their treatment. As much as Ford sympathizes with "freaks," I think occasionally Ford forgets to respect the sentient ones as people—too caught up in his research to think about anything else. And I don't think Fiddleford's ever seen personhood in non-humans as anything but unnatural and a threat.
(As far as Bill is concerned—if anything, seeing how Ford interacted with Shifty may have made him underestimate just how strongly he'd fight against Bill's plans for his dimension. After all, he might not like Bill's plan, but it isn't like he really cares about anyone else in his dimension, right? Except Ford does care. He just... never really thought through what he was doing with Shifty.)
I think Shifty should be given a heartfelt apology and unleashed in Gravity Falls. Sure, it might commit murder and mayhem! But it was treated like a criminal when it was a baby who'd done nothing wrong. It deserves a second chance and a fair shot at living a free life. The humans don't have the right to keep it in indefinite cryogenic solitary confinement until it's actually proven such extreme measures are necessary.
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