#masky’s penmenship | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

maskyartist · 5 months

Text

@mirrow-hamato and @warning-heckmouth both have violently infected me with brainworms after seeing their posts on Clay being the one in the Diamond instead of Floyd so may I offer y’all fine Clay lovin folks-

A lil bit of my own personal Crystal Clear Clay AU :)

Under the cut don’t wanna make it long but yeah lil ficlet under the cut cause this concept has me insane bonkers crazy! And if I can’t draw it may as well write it

The room was dark and quiet. The air, cold and empty, as lifeless as the little creature trapped in its cage feels in this moment. Then again, is it new? To feel so much smaller? So much weaker?

Clay curls up in the silence of the recording booth, tail tucked neatly under his head as he stares at his reflection in the crystalline wall of his Diamond prison.

How long has it been? Since he’s been stolen away from the Putt Putts? How long has he been syphoned of his essence, of his talent? How long has he had to deal with the constant existence that was Velvet and Veneer? And Crimp, too, he supposes.

He really doesn’t like Velvet. Then again, she doesn’t like him, either. They were aiming for Floyd. Clay may not know much beyond the walls of the Putt Putt Greens, but he knows his brothers. Remembers them well enough. He knew Floyd would always strive for bigger and better things. He thrived under the spotlight, it shouldn’t surprise him that’s who the twins wanted. Floyd would’ve made a great solo career…

They didn’t get John Dory, the leader with a voice that could truly project across entire stadiums, no microphone required.

They didn’t get Spruce, the confidence, the posture, the heartthrob personality that must be carrying him now. He was such a charmer.

They didn’t get Floyd, who’s already incredible enough for reasons stated earlier.

Even Bitty B…sweet little Branch. The voice of an angel, that’s what he had. He would rather die then let his babiest brother get hurt like this, but he knows.

Anyone is better then Clay.

“Which one was he again…? The stupid one or something?” Veneer asks, mostly to his sister as he looks Clay over in his newly obtained prison.

“The uh…the fun one.” Clay murmured. “I’m the fun one.”

“Since when?” Velvet plucked the capsule from Veneer’s hands to glare at him. Clay was never tough. He just presses further into the Diamond walls. She rolls her eyes and looks at her brother. “This is why I don’t let you do important tasks! We were supposed to get a talented one, not some run down side-show!”

Veneer pouts at his sister, crossing his arms. “He’s still part of Brozone! Maybe he’s got some talent left?”

“There better be! That’s the only reason we needed one of them, and this one better be worth it!” Velvet huffs. “Hopefully, we’ll find some actual talent on the way home.”

He’s not stupid. Probably one of the smartest out of his brothers, at this point. He knew from the moment the band became popular he was no one’s favorite. Always the other brother. Always the yellow one. People never knew his name. Just his title. He never got much fanmail, or cheers, or anything, really. He was just…

The funny one. And now he’s not even that anymore.

Even more humiliating, Clay was no one without that title. No one without the band. No one without his brothers. He wanted to find people who respected him, took him seriously, and now…

A sigh. Clay stares at the purple walls of his prison and can only do one thing.

Accept defeat, and wait for whatever happens next-

*clatter! clang!*

-…maybe the AC’s acting up. Doesn’t change that Clay can only give up hope and-

*BAM!*

“MR. CLAY!”

-“Viva?!”

Jolting to his feet, Clay races to the very front of his prison, paws presses to the Diamond wall as he watches Viva land with surprising accuracy. If he wasn’t so amazed, he’d give her 10 across the board. What a landing, ladies and gentlemen, what a landing, indeed.

Feeling Viva’s paws press to his, the warmth radiating through the thick crystal walls, makes Clay relax with a happy smile. He didn’t think seeing a familiar face would feel so good.

“You still have my braid?” Viva asks, causing Clay to smile brighter. She loves braiding peoples hair, and Clay was her favorite subject, since his tends to stick in strange places.

Just before he was stolen away, Viva managed to put a small braid in his hair while he was asleep. Took him all day to figure out it was there. Now…

He shrugs. “Looks too nice to get rid of now, dontcha think?” He runs a paw through the braid. A few strands stick out here and there, but he can fix it. He will fix it. He can’t lose this piece of her.

Turning to the task at hand, Clay gazed at Viva. “What’re you doing here? How did you even find me?” He has to ask, because there’s no way. There’s no possible way-

Viva gives him a nervous smile. “Well, after you got taken, I might’ve spent some time alone…thinking…”

Clay’s heart aches. He didn’t want to scare Viva. He promised to always be there for her. Be by her side. Never leave like the people she had before. They were family, forever and always. And yet…

With a shake of her head, the cheeriness returns full force. “I couldn’t leave you out here to dry! So, I followed the footsteps, and after a bit of sneaking and searching, BAM!” A powerful karate slice in the air. Viva flashes Clay a broad grin, all fangs and fake confidence. “I found you!”

Clay can’t help but be stunned.

“You left the village…to find me?” Clay whispers, utterly astonished at the idea. Why would she? Just for him? “But, aren’t you scared?”

“Oh, terrified!”

Same ol’ Viva, it seems…

She presses harder on the Crystal, determination clear on her face. “But it’s like we always say. No Troll left behind. Not again.”

With that, Clay watches as Viva backs up to reach into her hair, pulling out two large sticky hands. Holding the leads like whips, she tosses both atop the bottle and steadies her footing. Then, the bottle begins to tip. Back and forth, back and forth. Clay is wobbled here and there, only catching up to her plan on his second hit into a wall. She’s trying to…unscrew the top? With the sticky hands, it seems. Clay would have more hope, but…

“Viva-!” Ouch, now he’s on the floor again. And thrown against a wall. And on the floor. Wall. Floor. Wall again, or is this meant to be the floor?

“VIVA, STOP!”

The Diamond stops with a clatter, Clay finally sitting up with steadiness again. Oof, he thinks he might hurl… The container has been tipped to its side, and Viva clearly hasn’t heeded his advice, as she now uses the sticky hands as grips for her paws to dig and attempt to twist the top off.

“Hold on!” She struggles, voice hitched as she tries her hardest. It’s like with the tunnel, watching her bloody her paws trying to dig through rubble and debris for just a chance to find them all again. “I can do it! I can! I’ll get you home, a-and we’ll all be safe again.”

“Viva…”

“We’ll fortify the defenses! You’re super good at that! Maybe a thicker door?”

“Viva.”

“More turf, too, could definitely use more turf. Is it a bad idea to pull our pods underground-?”

“Viva!”

Finally, she stops, staring at Clay who stares right back. He wants to hold her face. He wants to wipe her panicked tears and swear up and down it’ll all be okay.

Instead, all he can do is lay his paws on the wall, and feel her warmth as she moves from sticky hand to Diamond. Just to indulge him… She’s too selfless sometimes.

“This case…” A shake of his head. “It’s made of Diamond. Enchanted Diamond. There’s one thing can shatter Enchanted Diamond.”

“Ah-hah!” Viva grins. “I’ll find a Diamond breaking Hammer and come back-!”

“No, Viva, the perfect family harmony!” Clay stomps his foot. “It’s gotta be the perfect family harmony. That’s the only magic we Trolls have that’s strong enough to shatter Diamond.”

“Oh…” Tail wrapped around her leg, Viva gives Clay a furrowed brow. “And that means…”

“I’d need my brothers.” Clay finishes. The utter hopelessness on his face makes Viva wilt herself. She knows about his brothers. He wasn’t exactly shy about it, the many years after his return to the pod, the escape from the Burgens, they had time to connect and grow close. Viva knows as much about Clay as he knows about her.

She knows how bad it was for Clay. How awful he’d feel. How forgotten he’d feel. To know it’s going to take those same brothers to save him…she must know it’d be impossible. Viva is idealistic, she’s not stupid. Not by a long stop.

He’d feel guilty, but…he can’t feel much of anything as realization crashes into him like a speeding train. “My brothers…who are so scattered, we never even sent letters…”

The brothers who must’ve fully, and completely, forgotten him by now.

“Mr. Clay, please, this can’t be the only way!”

“It is, Viva.” He admits quietly. “This is it. If I could tell you where they were, I would, but I can’t.” Clay chokes out. Because why wouldn’t he? Why can’t it hurt, knowing just how forgotten he is? Why didn’t he ever try and find them? He’s so stupid, so, so, stupid-

Just then, before Viva can say anything, the doorknob clicks open, and Clay slams his paws against the Diamond to get her attention faster then the opening door could. “You have to go. Now!”

“But, Clay-!”

“GO!” Clay demands, nearly rattling the bottle as he pushes against the Diamond, trying to push Viva towards an exit. “If they trap you too, we’re helpless!”

“Clay…”

The chatter is getting closer. Clay stares Viva right in the eye.

“Viva, you are the smartest, strongest Troll I have ever met, and I’m so proud to call you my Queen.” Putt Putt needed a ruler, after all. “So please, do this for your people… They can’t be left without a ruler.”

With a disgruntled face, a moment of hesitation, Viva grabs her sticky hands and yanks them off the Diamond casing, flinging them to the air duct above the table.

“I’LL COME BACK FOR YOU!” She swears. “I’LL FIND A WAY TO SAVE YOU! WHATEVER IT TAKES! NO TROLL LEFT BEHIND!”

Her voice fades as she tucks into the air duct, right as-

“Alright, who’s ready to start recording!”

“Ugh, Crimp! You’re already being annoying and we just got here!”

“Go be a pest somewhere else.”

-Clay sighs in relief as Velvet, Veneer, and Crimp pile into the room just as Viva manages to slip away.

Now to just make it though the day. Something that is much, much harder then it sounds.

At least it’s easy to allow that throbbing pain of having the literal talent sucked out of him to fade away when he’s lost in thought, thinking of Viva, reciting his favorite books by heart in his head…

Yet, he’s not even safe in his mind. Not when he knows the truth.

“I’LL FIND A WAY TO SAVE YOU! WHATEVER IT TAKES!”

It’d take a damn miracle to get his brothers together for long enough to practice, let alone save him from this.

“NO TROLL LEFT BEHIND!”

Then why did he leave them behind? Why was he so selfish? Why was he so stupid? And why is he still stupid, hoping they’ll magically appear, just as Viva promised?

Clay simply takes to using the reflection in his Diamond prison as a mirror to adjust his braid. Viva was the one to put it in just before his Trollnapping, after all.

At least he has one good family to hold onto…

Makes it hard to know he’ll be leaving them behind, too.

He’s such a terrible brother…no wonder he’s forgotten.

#masky’s penmenship #ficlet #Drabble #trolls #trolls dreamworks #brozone #trolls clay #Clay trolls #trolls Viva #Viva trolls #how do u tag these lil shits????

75 notes · View notes