#she’s a survivor of abuse on many fronts | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thebottomfromhell · 2 months

Note

this one is just for the demon children, in reverse au. Let's imagine a scenario where they were found, still babies, by the demon reader who, whether out of curiosity or another reason, decided to raise them. It could be something short about them growing up with their demon father or the kids' impressions of what it's like to have a father who isn't human.

Adding to this is another scenario where a hashira (canonical, if you want to give names) finds the child with the demon and tries or even manages to kill the father and take the child with him. What would our three children's feelings be about this and what would they do?

Sorry for being so long, but your blog excites me

It's ok, I like these long texts at requests, to people to share their ideas and explain them. This looks more than a divergence than Reverse AU, but hey! It's 100% welcome here. I love to see everyone's concepts.

Reverse AU (with divergence) Demon Kids (as humans) having Male Demon Reader as a Father figure since young + Reader facing a non-character Hashira

Warnings: Implied child neglect and abuse, Implied child prostitution, Cannibalism, Attempted kidnapping, Angst, Implied non-character death, Reader's death (explicit),

Daki (ft. Gyutaro):

The boy (Gyutaro) holds his sister (Ume/Daki) close to him, she is barely a toddler, yet he must heat her up outside on the snow. Their mother doesn't like them in the house when it's winter. She doesn't mind them any other station, since she goes out to try and get clients and drugs, but in winter she stays inside, and she hates them. Still, three years old... he is still amazed of how much she is growing, and at the same time, worrying she isn't growing up enough. She neesd more food, better food, she also needs a warm place to stay, and many other things he never had. At his 16 years he works for it, collecting debts, but he can't leave her alone in this cold. What if she dies?

Then he notices a figure, a male adult before him, eyes glowing in the dark. He holds his sister tighter as you get on your knees in front of him. "You both smell like frozen meat, do you think you will survive the winter outside?" The boy ignores you, they can, they have to, his sister can't die like this, and that means he must also live to take care of her. "You look very weak, even if your smell says otherwise. You think she won't die with you? Such a pretty child doesn't deserve such a fate." He knows it. She is pretty, she is worth the world, unlike him, but that is more reason to keep her alive. "Ne..... ne... And what would you have me doing?" He can barely speak up, but he does. "Our mother won't let us in."

You took a look on the little girl. You know well this place, here she will grow up into nothing more than a shell that sells itself for the sake of food, add power if things go well enough. She is beautiful, you can tell even at this young age, she would definetely be able the find someone to buy her services the second she turns legal at 13 years old. And for that same reason you know she has no place in here, nothing worth the little treasure she is. She could be a lot more, a lot of children in this place could, but you have a better feeling by this one. Even now, as she grips tightly her only source of warmth, you see she is a survivor, someone determined. She takes it from the boy helping her, you guess, but unlike her, he is alreasy tainted by this place. You might have come earlier, but that would mean facing the Kizuki that lives nearby. "I can take her away, to somewhere safe. Somewhere she will have a better future than as a prostitute."

To his credit, the boy seems to consider it. He looks very distressed, not knowing what to do with the cub in his arms. "Can... I follow from behind? I promise I won't be a bother. I won't talk and stay behind, you won't even have to look at me. But... I need to take care of her... that way you won't have to...." He talks rushed, but shy, not knowing what to do. It's, a bit sad, so willing to do whatever gives her the life she deserves but unable to let her go, to thw point he is willing to become nothing but an accesorie in her life. You don't comment on it, while weak he does look old enough to live by his own. "What is her name?" Is all you ask, and he looks at one specific direction, probably his mother's house, for some seconds before answering. "She doesn't have one." Now that is weird, even demons have names. Even uou have a name of your own. "And what is your name?" Same reaction, but he seems less ashamed of the answer. "I also don't have one... people just call me different names... insults that... are for me. But she deserves a better name."

You end up taking both, mostly doting on the girl that you ended naming Daki, something with a potential to live on. While on the boy, he is sixteen, old enough to choose what he wants to be called, and you tell him so, waiting for him to come up with a name and tell it to you. He ends up choosing Gyutaro. A very ugly name, but you guess Daki isn't much better. In the end, Gyutaro is a lot more helpful than you expected. He is able to make up with few as you stay in caves, using snimal skin and your victim's possesion to build something, besides always having a campfire onn. You teach them how to write and read, and in the end it's Gyutaro who ends up feeding her and making sure she is healthy, always staying behind when you play with her, watching. You don't know how to apporach him, you never did, considering he was 16 when you found them, now he is fully an adult, even if he never became healthier or bigger, no matter how much he ate or rested, but he is stronger. He even decided to ho back to the district and take the job as debt collector again, comming every once in a while with money and gifts for Daki.

You make your mind on turning him too, once once the girl becomes an adult and you can turn her. The boy, now a man, is so strong he could easily become a Kizuki if he tried. Right now she is 13, and is playing outside at the sun, while you watch her over the shadow, using a little river nearby to entertain herself by splashing and collecting rocks. "Otou-chan, look! I found pretty rocks. Can you save them for me as I look for more? I want to give these ones to onii-chan, the next one is for you, I promise!" Such a beautiful child. "Of course, my little princess." But of course, the second she is some steps into the sun, you see someone moving fast into your direction, making you move back into the cave. "OTOU-CHAN!" She screams in fear, sound reaching you as the blade starts to pierce through your neck smoothly, too smoothly. Is this a Hashira? Your neck is almost completely cut by the time the slayer moves because out of reflex when the girl threw a rock at him, then only to keep grabbing things to try and stop them. You see the human trying to talk to her, tell her to run away, as she screams "NO! GET AWAY FROM HIM! I'M TELLING YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM MY OTOU-CHAN!"

You manage to get the scent of Gyutaro not so far. "DAKI! GO OUTSIDE! GO GET YOUR BROTHER!" It was a mistake to tell her that, you wanted to be safe, but the second she was out in the sun again and began to scream for Gyutaro, the Hashira cut your neck effortlessly, attacking you from behind before you could realize where he is. Everything because you were paying attention to the girl. The cut in the neck hurt, then, you began the desintegrate from thin air. It doesn't really hurt, but it fills you with despair, specially as you see the slayer go to Daki and grab his wrist. "What the- LET ME GO! LET ME GO RIGHT NOW! ONII-CHAN! OTOU-CHAN! HELP!" You hear her crying, slowly realizing in the middle of evevrything why you are not going to save her, still shouting for you as her beautiful voice breaks ans her eyes shed tears, still struggling against the man as she pulls her amr and hits him.

But... then there is a sense of calm, because suddenly, with a kanna on his hand, Gyutaro is behind the slayer. "Oi, oi, oi...." he says before stabbing the heart of the slayer before he could react. "What are you doing to my sister, ne?" At least she will be safe, and that is the only thing that matters right now. "OTOU-CHAN! OTOU-CHAN! NO! DON'T LEAVE! DON'T DIE! I WON'T FORGIVE YOU! I WON'T!" But there is nothing you can do about it. You look at your cub, wanting to smile but already being without a mouth, just sheding some last tears with her as... everything becomes a numbing black.

Kaigaku:

Kaigaku never met his parents, he was an orphan for as long as he remembers. You, on the other hand, don't remember having a child ever, but that doesn't mean you never did, with your memory loss. Most demons under Oyakata-sama do remember their past, you have no idea why you are different, but it has never stopped you from anything you wanted to do. You are able to run free, to eat, to make, to control... and yet, when you see a child in front of an orphanage, sitting alone in the dark, there is a nostalgic feeling growing inside you. Did you ever find another child like this? Were you a child like this? It's impossible to know now. But you are aware, this child is lonely... and afraid. He wants to survive, to live, he has determination. A fire- no. A thunder in his eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you, little one." How old is he? How did human age work again? You don't even remember that. For you, he could be 2 the same way he could be 12. But he is young, young enough that his legs are too short, his face and body are chubby and lacks defines muscles. "What is your name?" You try again as he doesn't answer, doesn't move. "Kai.... Kaigaku...." he says softly, voice almost girlish as it hasn't reach enough levels of testosterone to sound like anything else. You look at him and you feel so much warmth and value from such small body. "Nice to meet you, Kaigaku. I would like to be your friend." Something in the boy's eyes lights up at that last word. "Will you be my friend?" And that was all you needed to take him with you.

You... do make mistakes. Like feeding him with raw flesh sometimes... it took you a while to realize he won't get used to it. You could always transform him, but you would rather wait until he is an adult for that. To let him live his childhood fully, without being tainted by thirst. You also realize fast he can't be out in the cold... and that he needs to drink heated up water as any other also makes him sick, and that his moods swings depending on if he is hungry or cold or sleepy, because he needs to sleep a lot more than you thought he would. Well... this IS harder than you expected. "We will live here from now on, Kaigaku." You say as you bring him to a warm, cozy home out in the middle of nowhere within the trees and definetely did nor belong to your last dinner...

But the boy is happy here, happier than ever. You start learning how to cook with books, realizing you have to also teach the boy to write and read. It's a bit hard... everything. But you see him grow up and smile everyday, and even form a temper. "To-san! To-san! Look! I killed a boar by myself!" And he also grows up too fast. He is definetely a teen now, an age he can already be considered an adult but... he is still your little one, that small and puffy kid you found alone in the dark. That is an image you will never forget. "Very well done, kid."

And then it hit's you, literally. A thunder breathing technique, no doubt, there is no other way it coukd have reached you fo fast before you even realized someone was there. The blad cut half of your neck as you grab it to avoid being decapitated. "To-san!" You hear your boy, your cub scream for you, and you have no idea what to do. Specially when you see the golden button in the jacket of the uniform. It's a Hashira! You have no chance against one. The only reason you are alive right now if because the slayer stopped his speed and strenght, probably to not risk hitting Kaigaku. It seems that same thing has saved you, because Kaigaku tries to get in between the affair, screaming at the slayer, who tries to take him away and explain the situation while he is attacked by the boy with a knife and keeping you at bay by cutting your limbs whenever you get close.

You are afraid he might loose his patience and defend himself against the cub, but also, the more you look at him the more you think. You don't want to die, you can't, not know, not when you are the only person in this boy's life. If you die, he will end up all alone in this cruel world. He doesn't deserve to be like that again, sitting in the dark, cold, alone and afraid. You can't let that happen again, but how can you face a Hashira? What might be ebough to deal with one? "To-san, run! I will distract him! I will see you back home!" "Don't do anything foolish! Kaigaku, stop!" You also lunge at the slayer to prevent anything to happen, making sure to cover your neck with your arm, the cub gets to scratch the face of the sword user before being sent away by a strong push, flying to the side as you jump to catch him. The boy is unconscious, and you have to let him fall on the ground amto evade another slice on the neck, barely making it again.

You just... care too much for this boy to leave him. Even if he isn't yours by blood... by blood. That... that might be it. You see the scratch on the slayer's face, it still bleeds a little.... it might work, you loose nothing trying. You must try. When the human is close again, you rip off your arm. It hurts, a lot, but it bleeds directly into the Hashira's face. Usually demons don't rely in hurting themselves, but you are desperate. You need to save Kaigaku. The blood in his eyes blinds him for a while, enough for you to throw your arm at him, grab the boy and run. The transformation should start soon, and if you are lucky, the slayer will kill himself before it even begins the second he realizes demon blood touched an open wound.

You barely make it home before sunrise, but you do, not managing to close the door, but still hidding in a shadow. Your arm hasn't regenerated fully yet, and Kaigaku is still asleep. You let him wake up by his own. "To....-san?" You soothe him with your good arm. "Don't worry, kiddo. We are fine. We made it. All thanks to you." He really has a thunder inside him. He seems to calm down, only to cry his emotions out as you comfort him the best you can. Paises, pats, hugs, everything you can do right now. It's fine, it will be.

Zohakuten (ft. Clones):

"YOU DID WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU?! I SHOULD KILL YOU FOR IT! YOU PROMISED HIS MOTHER YOU WOULDN'T THROW HIM OUT!" When Hayato (Urogi, 13 years old) and Kazuo (Aizetsu, 12 years old) overheard Toshirō (Sekido, 17 years old) and their father arguing, they ran to the street, where Zohakuten (who the fuck names their child "Hatred"?) was thrown, a four year old thrown into the streets. It seems that is what the two eldest are fighting about, since it happened when all of them were away, even now Masami (Karaku, 15 years old, the only one who already goes by that name in the streets) is still at work, so they can't rely on him while searching. Did he ran away? Was he taken? Have they failed their youngest brother already? Attacked by an animal? It's already dark, who knows what happened, and they don't exactly live in a safe area. Then in one turn, they see you, picking him up as he sleeps in your arms.

"HEY! HANDS OFF! THAT'S OUR LITTLE BROTHER! GIVE US ZOHAKUTEN!" Screams Hayato as Kazuo grabs him, sensing something wrong about you. Your eyes glow... why are your eyes glowing? "Hayato, one of us should look for Toshirō or Masami." You were about to answer when you have to move fast to evade a blade in your neck. A slayer? You jump towards a ceiling to look at that person better, still holding the child that grips you tightly in dreams. Such a precious and unprotected cub. From an open window from an inn a another human, similar to the other too, shows his face, clearly sweaty, covering himself with a sheet, smelling like arousal. "HEY, BASTARD! COME BACK HERE! YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY ME! I DIDN'T TAKE ALL YOUR SHIT UP MY ASS SO You-..." He shuts up when gazing the other two. "Hayato? Kazuo? What are you- Where are Toshirō and Zohakuten?!" He smells afraid now.

Thankfully, it was a weak slayer, slightly drunk, definetely tipsy. Easy to kill once in his blind spot by a hit in the neck. The two first humans paralyze at that while the green-eyed runs, already dressed. You were going to leave in the silence, but the third one arrives. "Wait! Wait! Don't take him!" He blocks your path, annoying you slightly. "I know what you are, you... he won't taste that good. I... I can offer a lot more. I can serve show and dinner... willingly! Amuse you for as long as you need then you can just eat my flesh, but please let him down... I am good at-" "Silence." He does obey you, even if he looks as if he is about to cry or laugh, probably both, but he still doesn't move or relax, looking at the cub in your hands. A few seconds pass as the blue-eyed human speaks, hugging the gold-eyed one's arm. "Please. Just give him back. We were just looking for him. It was our father the one who threw him out. We want him back. We will take care of him, just... don't hurt him or Masami. Our onii-san is working on the matter, it won't happen again, we promise."

Then there is suddenly a scent of blood nearby in the area that wasn't there, big amounts, full of alcohol. "Blood and alcohol nearby." All of them seem to pale as the cub stears, you rock him in your arms in an attemp of calming him down. "Please... Toshirō... we.... I'll do anything. Toshirō is important to Zohakuten." You both spend the time in silence, until you settle for a compromise."I won't hurt the cub. I carry him to his home with you." They can't trust him with you, nor you can trust him with them. But still, it's acceptable enough, even if the Masami one takes the slayer's sword with him. When you arribe to the house, too small, dirty, smells like alcohol all over, you find a red-eyed version of these humans besides a corpse, being badly hurt himself. "Toshirō! Toshirō, what happened?!" The Toshirō one is panting, grabbing his wound in the stomach, before talking. "He is dead, we must leave before anyone else finds out."

You just grab the cub when everything happens. You all end up in a house of your victims or caves, moving together, since nobody can do anything about it. Zohakuten is stubborn and attatched to each one of you, as you are the one who take care of him most of the time, he starts calling you "papa". They changed their names to emotions, except Karaku... he said he was already recognized by that in some places and he wanted to keep working, so he would keep it that way. The others also begin to work, but Karaku dis keep the sword. You wonder if he would joing the slayer corps if it wasn't because he is afraid you will hurt Zohakuten. "Papa! Papa! Let's play!" You wouldn't, not this beautiful boy. Between all of you, it's easy to keep him happy and give him everything he needs, specially when all of them reach adulthood. "Papa, can we go out and see the stars? I really can't sleep."

You were never able to tell him no, that was something that for once, you shouldn't have done. You went out alone while the others were asleep, and suddenly... you need to cover the boy as you are attacked by a sword. You remember the night you took the boy in your arms by the first time, this slayer is muchas faster and stronger. Is he a Hashira? Probably. This means this time you are fucked. Also, a difference from that time is that Zohakuten is awake, so he screams. Both the afraid voice and the cut are painful, as you move to try and let him on the floor to face the slayer. A bit of your blood feel on the cub's face, what if the slayer attacks him thinking there is a risk of transformation?

"Kid, you need to run back home! Go back to your brothers!" You say without taking your eyes off the Hashira, who doesn't take them off you in exchange. "Go!" You urge him as the slayer ruches over you the second your skin begins to heal, making you grab his wrist while you duck. "NO! I WON'T LEAVE YOU TO THIS BULLY! THIS VILLAIN!" As endearing as that is, it's not the time for that. He needs to get out of here. "I can handdle it for now. Look for the others so they can help!" Ypu lie, there is no way you can survive against a Hashira by your own enough time for a 12 year old human to go all the way home and back. But you have a priority. "Listen to your papa, go get help!" After some seconds of silence, "ok...." he runs away, you can only hear his steps.

He will probably cry and curse you, he does have a bad vocabulary, courtesy of you and Sekido. Sekido will probably lead the process of moving on without you, he could feel Karaku thought of you as a threat, only keeping you around because he felt little of a choice, not liking or trusting you, having Aizetsu and Urogi around you all the time. Had you listened to him and brought one of them with you, you might have survived. But no, you are beheaded easily and left for death, but you did manage to run away on the opposite direction to hive Zohakuten time to get home. Urogi and Aizetsu will at least remain comforting the little guy, and Karaku will, as always, keep working.

Your heart aches as you die alone in the dark, wishing to have been able to comfort the cub one last time, or at least say goodbye. But it's over, and at least he will never be alone as long as he has his brothers, hence, you beg they never become slayers. Never.

44 notes · View notes

cinnamongorll · 6 months

Text

a fragile line - chapter 6

read on ao3 (111k words) | previous chapter | next chapter | masterlist

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female OC

Tags: extreme slow burn, age gap, older man/younger woman, protective joel, jealous joel, hurt/comfort, pov third person, mutual pining, angst, sexual tension, friends to lovers, canon-typical violence, feral joel, parental abuse.

Fic synopsis: three years ago, Juliet escaped her father's religious survivor camp, ending up in the Boston QZ. Juliet created a life for herself in Boston, desperate to forget the trauma of her upbringing. One day, Juliet arrives home to find a mysterious letter which forces her to return to her home town. Juliet can't travel the harsh post-apocalyptic landscape alone, so she enlists the help of the grumpy and, at times, frightening man she works alongside: Joel Miller.

Word count: 2.6k

Chapter 6: 'Hearing Damage'

“Get down.”

Joel’s heavy hand pushed against Juliet’s uninjured shoulder, forcing her to the ground, sheltered behind an eroded vehicle cloaked in rotten branches and thick moss. He was crouched next to her, his hand wrapped tight around his gun, finger hovering over the trigger.

Juliet did the same, her gun now thankfully back in her possession. Juliet thought back to earlier that morning when Joel had silently handed it to her, the glare from his dark eyes reflecting the memory of the bullet hole she had left in the soldier’s head.

She gripped it tighter now, her hands sweating.

Joel lifted his head to peer through the car’s clouded glass, careful to keep his gun from knocking against the rusted metal. Juliet stayed down, both to avoid Joel’s agitation and the attention of the infected currently stumbling across the road in front of them.

They crouched there for at least ten minutes until Joel was sure the infected was out of sight, now hidden behind the collapsed building to their right. Neither of them would dare shoot a lonely infected, not wanting to chance the sound of the shot alerting other infected to their presence. So they sat, waiting for it to pass on its own while scanning their surroundings for others.

Juliet understood it was a necessary practice but her legs burned from her ankles to her thighs, her bad shoulder now incredibly stiff. A quiet groan left her mouth as she pushed herself up. Joel’s head whipped towards her at the sound. The pressure of his gaze was lethal until it dropped to her shoulder and his eyes softened slightly. Juliet looked away, stretching her good arm.

They started walking again, their steps quiet as they weaved around the piles of cars that littered the road. Juliet was too young to remember when they would clog the streets with traffic and fumes instead of just decaying glass and metal. Cars, vans, trucks were all part of the architecture of the world now. Their presence as permanent and enduring as the weeds and vines growing around them.

They headed towards the museum, Joel had told her that morning that they would exit the city that way. His commanding tone had left no room for any arguments from Juliet or a chance to offer her own suggestions. Not that she had many, though, her entrance into Boston three years ago was a dark blemish on her memory she was desperate to remove. Juliet had just nodded, performing the continued act of obedience that would get her back to her old community.

The light from the sun bounced off the broken windows on the crumbling buildings around them. Juliet turned slightly to avoid the glare and her eyes hovered over Joel’s side profile, the soft yellow glow from the sun was intertwined through the thick strands of his brown hair. It made him appear younger, less worn.

“Do you come this way a lot?” Juliet asked, the question erupting from the butterflies in her stomach.

Joel turned his head to face her and then back to the road ahead, his feet continuing their rigorous stride. “I guess,” he finally replied.

So much for a conversation starter, she thought.

“How often?” Juliet probed.

Joel’s head turned quicker this time, the irritation unmistakeable on his face.

“Often,” he deadpanned, staring straight ahead again.

Juliet rolled her eyes, speeding up to match Joel’s steps.

Okayyyyy.

…………………………………..

The sun beat down as they continued their walk to the museum. Juliet’s head was spinning from constantly looking over her shoulder. Thankfully no other infected tried to join them on their journey. The streets were eerily quiet, the only sounds that travelled in the air were birds squawking and buildings settling. She was confused, Juliet had heard from the more recent members of the QZ that the open city was entirely overrun with infected, too dangerous to even attempt to pass through in years. An egregious exaggeration, apparently.

When they finally reached the museum Juliet was stunned. She had never seen it in the daylight before, never noticed how beautiful it was in a strange, twisted way. The building was infected with cordyceps, the twisted vines plagued every red brick and white trimming. Juliet should be disgusted, horrified even, by the staggering display of the infection that destroyed her world. But she couldn’t help but be intrigued by the fungus and its fascinating patterns.

A sharp cracking sound pulled Juliet from her perverse curiosity. Joel was bent low over a dried out husk of cordyceps as he smashed the bottom of his gun into it. Juliet’s head turned, searching for any sign of infected who might hear them. The area looked clear, and Joel didn’t seem to care about the repeated crushing sound he made.

“What are you doing?” Juliet hissed.

“It’s bone dry,” Joel asserted, not taking his eyes off the decay at his feet.

“Do you think there’s any infected in there?” Juliet asked, her pulse starting to pound.

“Shouldn’t be,” Joel replied, then he stood up and kicked the dust covering the ground with his boot. “This should mean they’re all dead in there.”

“Should?” Juliet questioned, her voice higher than usual.

Joel didn’t answer, no reassuring words uttered. He just met her glare then swung his backpack off his shoulder and reached his hand inside.

“You got a torch?” He asked as he pulled out his own, smacking it a few times on his palm to get it working.

“Yeah,” Juliet said as she did the same. Her gun and her torch now firmly gripped in her hands, her shoulder straining as she moved them on top of each other, ready to face whatever lurked inside the decrepit building.

The door to the museum was cracked open slightly and a thick inky darkness poured out. Juliet steadied herself, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, then she turned back to Joel who was glancing at her shoulder. Juliet looked down and noticed the stain of blood which had soaked through her bandage and smeared her already disgusting jacket. Not a good sign. The ache increased at the sight.

“It’s fine,” she murmured, then stepped forward, ready to enter the museum.

A hand stopped her, stretching across her front, holding her back. Juliet turned to face Joel’s hulking figure now almost pressed to her side. His features tense.

“From this point forward, we are silent” he began, his voice a low whisper. “Not quiet,” he continued, then paused with one sharp shake of his head. “Silent.”

Juliet was struck by the severity of his gaze, his words deadly serious. She looked up at him and nodded. If following Joel’s rules would get her back to Ethan, she would agree to anything he said. He held her eyes for a moment before he looked away, blinking fast.

Joel took the first steps into the building, the creak of the door hinges reverberated a ghostly echo around the bottom floor of the museum. Juliet cringed at the sound as she followed Joel close behind. He moved with practised precision, stepping around the lifeless cordyceps, his boots barely touching the ground with the pace of his stride. The glow from his torch ricocheted off the walls, sweeping every inch of the room.

Juliet knew that he was looking for clickers, the silence was suffocating but she could hear no sign of the familiar ticking noise. Thank god, Juliet did not want another encounter with those monsters, she had barely survived the last time.

A few minutes later they were climbing the large staircase up to the first floor, Juliet held her breath every time she had to step over another vein of fungus. Joel stared straight ahead, trusting that Juliet was following. His steps faltered, though, when a piercing groan of splintering wood and whining metal rang out in the stillness. Particles of debris began to fall above their heads, the dust settling in the ashy brown strands of Joel’s hair. He turned sharply, his eyes meeting Juliet’s before he mouthed ‘ run’.

More plaster rained down on them as their steps pounded up the remaining stairs, not caring about the sound they made, it was swallowed by the crumbling structure as it thundered down. When they reached the first floor everything went silent. Juliet’s breaths left her mouth in ragged gasps as they both turned to look at the destruction behind them. The entire staircase was gone, now piled in a cloud of dust on the level below.

Alarm covered Joel’s face, his torch panned the whole first floor in frantic movements. Juliet could see the window they were attempting to reach across the room, the light from outside offering a slight reprieve from the aching darkness of the bottom floor. Juliet met Joel’s eyes then looked towards the window, ready to make a run for it. She stopped when he held out his hand, her torch illuminated his clenched jaw. ‘No’ he said with the look in his almost black eyes, then he raised his finger to his ear, urging her to listen.

It was at that moment that Juliet picked up the soft tick, tick, tick in the distance. She couldn’t make out what direction it was coming from, but the wet, strangled sound was getting closer.

Juliet raised her gun in front of her, a cold focus seized her mind. Survival mode descended on her body, her limbs tightened, ready to fight. Terror choked every silent breath released from her tight lips.

Joel began to move backwards, behind a glass display cabinet as he titled his head upwards, the motion a sharp command to follow him. When they were both pressed against the clouded glass, Joel turned to face her and raised his finger to his lips, his hand steady without a single tremble. Juliet leaned her head back against the cold glass and squeezed her eyes shut. She held her breath as she listened for the sound of clickers behind the darkness of her eyelids. A minute later, her eyes flew open at the echo of another click from the opposite direction of the last. Fuck. There were two of them.

A second later, her body jumped in a hard flinch as the first clicker rounded the corner, its open skull turned in their direction. Juliet knew it didn’t have eyes but she swore the clicker was staring right at them. She shifted slightly, attempting to position her body in a more defensive stance. The clicker’s head lifted when her boot accidentally scuffed against the hardwood floor. Juliet’s mouth fell open. Then the clicker moved.

It released a deafening squawk and stumbled towards Juliet’s frozen body, its movements irregular and hurried. Before it could reach her, Joel stepped forward, grabbing the creature by its festering arms and pushing it back towards the wall opposite them. The side of Joel’s gun was pressed against its oozing face but he couldn’t angle it to get a good shot, his hands desperately pushing at the clicker’s body to keep its rotten teeth from meeting his flesh.

Juliet moved, terror electrifying the action as she raised her gun, took her aim and pulled the trigger. Three shots one after another, her aim never missing her target. The force reverberated up her arm and into the wound on her shoulder, a pained gasp leaving her lips. She dropped her hand as Joel stumbled back, the dead clicker now slumped against his chest.

“Shit,” she choked out. “Are you okay?”

Juliet raised her hand up to Joel’s back, attempting to turn him around to check for any bites, but he flinched and shrugged off her grip.

“I’m fine,” he seethed as he turned around, now staring down at Juliet. His eyes traced down her arm to the gun in her hand, surprise blazed on his face. “Thanks,” he murmured, then looked away.

Another click rang out in the dark room, the sound of Joel’s struggle and Juliet’s gunshot had alerted the other clicker. Juliet whipped her head around, searching for the window in the distance. They had to get out, now.

“Go,” Joel breathed, and they ran.

Their steps pounded against the ground in the previously silent room as they moved around various artefacts and display cases. The other clicker was gaining on them, its limbs flailing at odd angles when Juliet dared to sneak a glance behind her. They were both breathing heavy, Joel’s gasps coming out fast and rough.

They turned another corner and Juliet's torso was met with hard stone. The blow knocked her down, her gun slipped from her fingers and slid across the floor. The stone pillar she had run into lay beside her in a crumpled heap.

Joel’s steps came to an abrupt stop as he turned and ran back to her. The clicker was faster, though. Its grey fingers gripped her calves and pulled her along the floor under its legs. Juliet used the momentum to flip herself over, now facing the split open skull just inches from her face. She released a strangled scream as her hands pushed against the clicker’s body. It was unbearable, the fear that pulsed through her. She couldn’t think, couldn’t strategise some way to get this clicker off of her, she just pushed and pushed.

She kept struggling until cold, oozing black liquid splattered her face and neck and the weight of the clicker fell onto her. Juliet was utterly frozen, her body locked up as the clicker was pushed to the side, rolling onto the floor. She opened her eyes to find Joel standing over her, his red face covered in a sheen of sweat.

Juliet sat up and vomited on the ground next to his boots.

The clicker lay next to her, a blade now plunged into what was left of its skull. Joel made a face and bent down to pull his knife from its head. Then he hovered a hand in front of Juliet to pull her off the ground. The room spun when she stood and her body began to tilt, unable to stop herself from tipping over. Strong hands caught her before she could fall. Joel gripped her elbows as his gaze scanned the exposed skin of her neck and the front of her t-shirt, searching for any scratches or bites which would mean the end of their journey together. Once he was satisfied that she was clean, he let her go but kept his hands lingering around her arms in case she stumbled again.

“You alright?” he asked, his voice rough.

It took Juliet a few seconds to respond, her mind still trapped under that clicker’s body. That was close, too close. Shock coursed through her as the adrenaline drained from her bloodstream. That could have been it, she could have died right there on that stained hardwood floor. What would have become of Ethan? What suffering would her father inflict on him if she never returned?

Joel had saved her life, just as she saved his only minutes earlier. His eyes bore into her now, waiting for her response. Juliet stared back, gratitude shining in the depths of her gaze. She held his stare as she nodded, then bent to the floor and lifted her gun. Joel gave her one last searching look, examining her still form for any other injuries, then he turned towards the window now only steps away.

A renewed energy crackled between them as Juliet followed, the delicate edge of what felt like mutual trust beginning to forge in their prolonged stares.

#joel miller x female oc #joel miller x original character #joel miller x reader #joel miller x oc #joel miller hbo #joel miller fanfic #joel miller angst #joel miller #joel miller fic #ao3 fanfic #Spotify #joel tlou #pedro pascal

73 notes · View notes

neuroticboyfriend · 1 year

Text

massive trigger warning for abuse/suicide on this one, but for anyone who thinks psych wards are about protecting people:

1. my friend was trying to choke herself. i begged the staff to help her, and they said she was only looking for attention. minutes later, they call a code, wrangled her to the ground, and forcibly sedated her.

2. a girl was upset because she couldnt call her dad past a certain time. she started screaming, and crying, messing up the front desk. 8 security guards took her down. they broke her arm and sprained her wrist.

3. i came back to my unit in shambles because the staff on hand did nothing to stop a fight. i had to remedy the situation myself. things like this happened often.

4. i was having a trauma meltdown during "quiet time." the youngest patient tried to comfort me, and staff told her to stop and go back to her room because i was "a big girl who can handle herself." i was an out trans guy. the staff member didnt speak to me at all.

5. they separate roommates if they become friends. but they put me and my friend together for the sole purpose of putting us on constant observation together. we had zero privacy, even in the bathroom (which they took the door off of). at state, if you're on C.O, they take away your clothes, possessions, and "privileges."

6. im a CSA survivor. i was forced to regularly occupy the same space as a rapist, no matter how many flashbacks it caused me. they even roomed him next to me.

7. i am intersex. at state, doctors forced me onto an anti-androgen. i refused at first; they labeled me noncompliant, extended my stay, and took away my "privileges" (ex: snacks, going outside, doing fun activities, socializing).

8. they left my friend in a padded room strapped to a table for hours. they then let her off the table and left her in the padded room overnight. she had to wait hours in the morning to be let out.

9. at state, kids have to choose between being forcibly injected with a sedative, or being locked in a padded room if deemed "necessary." your parents have to sign away most of their parental rights, and if they want to sign you out, they need to go to court. for months. the state owns you.

we were all children. none of what i said is a "bad apples" situation. things like this happened every. single. day. it happened at multiple hospitals. these places are made to control mentally ill and other marginalized people. they exist to abuse us into conformity, take away our autonomy, and keep us away from polite society. psych wards should not exist.

400 notes · View notes

thoughtfullyrainynightmare · 1 year

Note

Hiii I saw your requests open

Can I ask for nozel with an s/o who's been in a past abusive relationship and one day has a bad fight with nozel because he's been really busy and neglecting their relationship and she wanted to confront him and he raised his voice and s/o flinches as their trauma resurfaces and she thinks he would hit her?

Hurt/comfort fic pls

Hello! ^^

Oh hurt-comfort my beloved. Hmm... Let's see. I do hope that the comfort was fluffy enough, since I tried to make it as credible as possible. But there is comfort at the end.

Pairing: Nozel x gn!reader

Fanfic type: Oneshot

Genre: hurt-comfort

Length: ~1.6k

Warnings: Referenced/implied former abusive relationship (thus reader is a survivor of domestic/in relationship violence), descriptions of trauma responses, a verbal fight/argument between reader and Nozel, this is only one potential depiction of experiences with this type of a past, if this theme/topic makes you uncomfortable please refrain from reading, Nozel apologizes for having raised his voice at the end and comforts reader

Nozel was a busy man. And you understood that. You respected it. Because it wasn’t that he was busy merely out of his own doing, since his work dependent a lot on the works and schedules of many others. So, you didn’t feel that you could rightfully blame him entirely of being away so much.

But… that being said, since you were together, shouldn’t he make some time in his schedule for you too? It wasn’t that you were asking for much either. Just a little bit of attention here and there, not having to spend the majority of his day with you, because that was impossible. And you did need your own space too, so it wasn’t about that. It was just… wanting to feel appreciated.

You had already experienced one relationship where you hadn’t… been… appreciated… but instead objectified and… Quite frankly, you didn’t want to even think about those times. They were a part of your past yes, and there was no un-doing of it, but it was… still painful to remember. And it would be painful to remember for years to come.

It had also taken such a long time for you to open up to Nozel because of it. Because you were afraid of letting someone like that into your life again, and his public demeanour hadn’t really helped. But. In the end he had shown what kind of a person he was deep inside, which had ended up being the total opposite of your ex. Which is why you had dared to let him close, and which was why you were now, brave enough to contemplate on bringing this up, the lack of affection and attention, to Nozel.

You trusted him to … not necessarily be happy about it, because it wasn’t a nice topic of discussion, but you trusted him enough to talk to him about it. That you could talk to him about it.

It still didn’t mean that you wanted to bring it up. You didn’t want to fight about it. But… things weren’t going to get better just by waiting. You had learned that the hard way too.

So. There you were. Standing outside of his office door, taking a deep breath, and made up your mind. You’d need to talk about it.

And so you knocked on the door, hearing him welcoming you in.

“Is something wrong?” The question caught you off guard a little bit. Because you would have expected him to at least greet you, but then again, he was in work mode, hunched over the table, eyes glued onto the stacks upon stacks of papers in front of him. So, it was… understandable. But you would have wished him to at least greet you properly.

“Actually… there is,” you admitted, closing the door behind you.

He lifted his gaze to you with a quirked eyebrow, as if not having expected that reply, despite asking the question.

“I’d like to talk about something,” you continued, already feeling your heart racing, because you were doing something you had never done before. Raising an issue with your spouse, and it made you feel nauseous, uneasy, perhaps even scared. Even if you did trust him. But the feelings and learned behaviours wouldn’t go away just with the knowledge. It would take time for them to diminish, and hopefully, with enough time, to vanish entirely.

“And that would be…?” He leaned back in his chair with a puzzled look on his face that was laced with a hint of worry, but more so with apprehension.

“I would-, I don’t feel like there’s enough affection in our relationship,” it sounded clumsy, and was not untrue, but you didn’t really like the way it came out either.

“Not enough affection?” He repeated, to make sure, but it sounded almost like he was questioning the statement.

“Yeah, like I don’t feel like… you’re investing a lot of time in ‘us’, and we don’t spend a lot of time together and I’d just like to feel… cared for,” that was better, but still not quite how you wanted to say it either.

“I don’t have a lot of time to spend on anything aside of work,” he told her.

“And I know that,” you agreed. “But still I wished that you would show me that you care.”

“I can’t be there with you around the clock.”

“I’m not asking for that,” your tone grew more insisting, more demanding, because frustration gnawed at you. He wasn’t hearing what you were saying. “I’m asking you to put some effort into us.”

“I am putting effort!” He snapped.

You flinched.

Took a step back. Put your arms in front of yourself. As if to shield yourself from a hit.

The room was quiet.

A pause.

Your eyes were to the side, and your heart was racing. You could feel your body trembling. And your breathing was growing more rapid as there was a sound of blood rushing through your ears.

But still, you heard him calling out your name, and as you lowered your arms to look at him, you saw… his expression.

He looked terrified.

He looked like you, probably, looked like.

Which was… strange, because he shouldn’t be, out of the two of you, the one to look like that.

But he did. He looked horrified. As he realized what he had done. And how you reacted, thinking that he would do something like that. Because he wouldn’t.

Sure, he had lost his temper. He had snapped, and raised his voice, but he would never do something… like that. He would never hurt you. He would never mean to hurt you in any way.

It was a look of genuine guilt, remorse and pain that you saw in his eyes.

“I’m sorry…” he said, with a whisper. It sounded foreign, coming from him; the apology. But the fact that it sounded foreign, didn’t make it sound any less sincere.

His lips stayed parted, but no more words came out. Instead, his head swayed from side to side, as if he was shaking it. Trying to scold himself in his own defeat. And as he did, as he scolded himself, he got up and circled around the table close to where you were standing.

“May I…?” He asked, holding out his arms, just a little bit, but he did, as you just stood there, trying to calm your still trembling body while cursing at the involuntary response.

It might have been involuntary, but it didn’t mean that you liked it.

But still you nodded to him. Because he was trying. You could see that he was trying.

And the steps that he took, while coming closer to wrap you into his embrace, were slow and hesitant, as if he was still asking if he could. His embrace was tight and secure, but still felt like the kind from which you could pull away from. If you wanted to. He wouldn’t force you to stay, or go. He was trying to reflect you, as much as possible. To go by your terms.

But most importantly, he was being there for you.

“I… know you’re busy,” you said after a brief moment, while sinking into his embrace as the trembling diminished with each passing second. “But I… want to feel like… a part of your life. I want you to be a part of my life…”

He nodded, without a word. But it felt like he was finally listening what you were saying.

“And I… I just… miss you…” that was it. That was what you had wanted to convey to him. That you missed him. You wanted to feel close to him, and that you mattered. But most importantly, you missed him.

“I miss you too,” he admitted, again with a whisper, but you knew that it’d take a while for him to talk about his feelings with anything more than a whisper.

It’d take time for the both of you, to open up more, and out-grow previously learned habits and behaviours. But you’d do so together.

“You matter,” he continued. “You matter the most to me, and I’ll… try to make more room for you. It’ll take some time for me to move things around in my calendar since it’s a hectic season, but it’s-“

“It’s not really about the amount of time,” you interjected his whispering ramble. “It’s that… when we are together, I want you to be present more,” you replied, and it surprised even you a little bit. But that was the thing. You knew that he couldn’t just take time off, because the kingdom dependent on him. But what little time he had with you, you wanted to feel like he was putting effort into it. “Like… when I come in through the door, maybe greet me. Leave a note here and there and… I wouldn’t be opposed to some flowers like… every two weeks or something… I just want to know that you’re thinking about me.”

“You’re all that I think about.”

“Then I just want to see it.”

Neither of you had answers of how would your best relationship look like. What was your shared loved language? It wasn’t something that you could definitely say, not at this time, at least. But little by little you’d grow to know it. What mattered right now, is that you both wanted to get there. You both wanted to learn to love each other, and you both cared about each other. Because mistakes happen, in every relationship, but the real, true, genuine relationships always have care in them. And you did.

Now it was just about learning to show it in a way that the other would understand.

#nozel silva x reader #nozel x reader #black clover fanfiction #black clover oneshot #black clover x reader

180 notes · View notes

dipstar1489 · 2 months

Text

Gotham Villains Headcanons

Got a couple of warnings. I won’t go into detail about the triggering topics, but best to get them out of the way now: references to death (specifically murder), mention of abuse, and a reference to cancer.

The Gotham villains are only famous in Gotham, so whenever a tourist questions why a circus clown is the greatest villain, you can bet that Joker would personally go after you and make it clear his a force not to reckon with.

Most of the villains have a bit of a friendly rivalry with the Bat Family. Like, both sides would ABSOLUTELY destroy the other, but if one side would come to battle while obviously severely injured or isn’t in the mindset to fight, the other would call it quits and wait to battle them till side one gets better. Joker used to have this relationship with Batman up till Joker mercilessly damaging the Robins some time before he killed Jason.

Joker can be actually funny and he crimes would be hilarious if not the circumstances.

Riddler and Joker meet at a puzzle competition before they became evil and the Joker won by cheating hence Riddler’s hatred for Joker.

Joker’s first and most consistent crime he commits is identity fraud and even he doesn’t remember his true name. The only thing that’s consistent is that he ran away from home, but the circumstances are always shifting.

Penguin, Riddler and Bane work together. Penguin is the owner of the club, Riddler rigs the games and Bane is the bouncer. Bane is also Penguin and Riddler’s third wheel.

Penguin hates Catwoman because of she’s a cat lady. No other reason.

Penguin will always close his business for a week while he mourns the extinction of a bird.

Penguin would 100% buy Elton John’s bird outfit if given the chance. Riddler poked fun at him for wanting such a ridiculous costume, until Penguin brought out the spandex, to which shut Riddler up quickly.

Penguin has been referred to as Mary Poppins way too many times and he owns it.

Never hurt or insult a bird in front of Penguin or you’ll be his number one target. Doesn’t matter if it’s a rubber duck, he’ll go after you.

Most villains are an activist and will actively defend their cause. Poison Ivy with nature, Harley and Two-Face with abuse survivors, Penguin for birds conservation, Catwoman with animal shelters (cats are just her specialty), Mr. Freeze with ending cancer and global warming, and Riddler with mental health.

Two-Face and Catwoman would occasionally play with kittens together in their free time.

Harley Quinn as bat family’s personal therapist with the family using their hero names. For example, first name Night and last name Wing.

Harley is basically the villains’ therapist as well and overcharges her clients if they personally offend her whether it be murder or killing one of Ivy’s plants. The only person Harley will outright refuse her service to is Joker and that’s because she knows what that asshole can do.

Jason sees Harley and Ivy as aunts if they become allies and he will call them in when Bruce disagrees with him, resulting in a chaotic coparenting system of “Well everyone’s gonna blow out someone’s brains eventually,” “Not when we’re trying to order a chicken sandwich Harley!”

39 notes · View notes

mauesartetc · 9 months

Note

I've observed that some HB fans with trauma feel so attached to the characters and the show that they defend every writing decision and take any criticism as a personal attack. I can understand relating to and feeling sympathy for a character because of personal experiences, but Helluva Boss is a terrible media for emotionally vulnerable teenagers and young adults to uncritically consume.

It just pisses me off that so many people will praise HB for representing abuse with Stolas and Stella, yet ignore the unhealthy relationship dynamics, abusive behaviors portrayed in a positive light and bad writing in general.

Real talk: Speaking as an emotional abuse survivor myself, it pisses me off to no end that Helluva Boss has failed to represent this subject with any sensitivity or subtlety.

It's important to remember that abusers are often charming and charismatic, and they exhibit positive traits (at least early on) that make the other person want to salvage the relationship.

What the hell are Stella's positive traits? In what little screentime she's had thus far, she's been elitist, rude, destructive, pouty, murderous, sadistic, and a little stupid (failing to consider that if Stolas died, Octavia would inherit all his wealth and leave her with nothing). While there's evidence to support the claim that she acted like she was in love early on in her marriage (she's smiling in the Loo Loo Land photo, sleeps in the same bed as Stolas in a flashback and has stated she used to pretend to want to fuck him), there's nothing to suggest her personality was ever anything but odious. Even when Stolas first sees her photo as a child, it portrays an awful little brat.

It's pretty clear Stolas has never had any reason to love her, so why does he stay?

He says it's because he wants Octavia to have "a normal life", aka a two-parent household. But how exactly does that benefit her when those parents are constantly fighting? You might think "Well, that's a lot of parents' excuse for not getting divorced, but that doesn't mean it's right", but the show never challenges his stance on this. There's never a moment when he realizes, "Oh shit, maybe my definition of 'normal' is actually hurting my daughter". He only declares he wants a divorce after his first tryst with Blitzo and on the balcony when he tells Stella he "can't do this anymore". He's doing it entirely for his benefit, not because it would improve Octavia's life.

(And because the writers blatantly favor Stolas and everything he says, I have to wonder if they actually believe the standard nuclear family represents a "normal"- implied in this case to be good and desirable - life by default, regardless of how miserable everyone in the family is. On the off-chance that is indeed the case, as someone who lost a parent at a young age: Fuck all the way off with that, show.)

Also, we're not lead to believe divorce was never an option at any point. If a royal in this world gets divorced, what are the consequences? Would Stolas lose his title? Would he be executed? The whole point of this marriage was to have a kid, so literally what was stopping them from splitting up after she was born (other than the bullshit "normal life" excuse)? Why can't Stolas just visit Octavia? Why does he have to live with her? Plenty of kids with divorced parents still get quality time with both of them. The solution was right there all along, but Stolas felt the need to wait until his daughter was seventeen to split with his wife? For some reason?? The writers try to pass it off as some noble sacrifice he's making, but in reality, he's just being a dumbass.

Okay, so maybe he's just afraid to leave, like many abused people are. I'll have to call bullshit on that, since he never even tried to keep his affair a secret. He's openly flirted with Blitzo in public (at Loo Loo Land and the Harvest Moon Festival, in front of dozens of witnesses) and met Blitzo at a couples-only nightclub, where they sat in plain view of everyone else there. Couldn't even bother using your powers to disguise yourself, bud? Or does that only work when it's convenient to the plot? If Stolas were the least bit threatened by Stella or what the Goetia family would think, he wouldn't be this bloody obvious. While it's possible this is a self-sabotage sort of thing, the show has never given us evidence that Stolas has those kinds of tendencies.

In short, Stella's a hamfisted, stereotypical portrayal of an abuser, and Stolas just doesn't come off like the abuse affects him at all (or at least not until the episode where it needs to for plot reasons). Obviously not all abusers or abuse survivors in real life will fit into the same mold, but there's straight-up zero logic to these characters' behavior. I've mentioned this very astute video before, but here's one quote that perfectly sums up how poorly this show handles character motivations:

There's a... character consistency issue that results from having these characters exist only to dispense abuse. Their actions stop adding up... [Stella's] thing is that she wants to be away from Stolas... Why does she repeatedly show up to the house just when Stolas is around to torment him? This behavior is quite strange. She does not like him. She does not want to be around him... We're to assume that Stella wants to feel mad, wants to feel bad, and that's what she wants to do with her life.

This isn't how real people act. And of course fictional characters aren't real people and any sense of agency they have is just an illusion at the end of the day. But ideally they should feel real to the audience.

I now fully understand why I was leery of these writers potentially exploring a character's addiction. It's because they've shown they can't be trusted to give serious subject matter the care and weight it deserves.

#helluva boss #helluva critical #writing #helluva stolas #helluva stella #ask #chinesegal

69 notes · View notes

stranger-rants · 10 months

Note

What I find interesting in all of the “Billy is worse than Henry Creel” discourse is that there is a widely-loved character who was groomed by Henry, abused by Brenner, isolated (albeit with good intentions) by Hopper, and shows more violent tendencies than Billy ever did: Eleven.

Eleven is a violent character who uses her power - power nobody else has - to exert her will. She forces a boy to piss himself in front of his classmates. She attacks Lucas for arguing with Mike. She attacks a man in the dead of winter, knocks him unconscious, and steals his clothing - possibly killing him if he doesn’t wake up before freezing to death. She tries to lash out at Angela with her powers, and later beats her face in with a roller skate. She even ripped Max’s skateboard from under her just for being near Mike. Hell, one of the very first things we see her do is break a doctor’s neck when they try to force her into solitary confinement.

All of these things are trauma responses. Bullying, raised voices, loss of control, desperation for survival - all of these things trigger aggression in Eleven just as Neil’s abuse and isolation trigger it in Billy. They’re both teenagers with a history of abuse and little to no support system. They’re both “bad” abuse survivors (except Billy didn’t even survive). So why are people so critical of Billy, but not Eleven? Is it her age, her gender, or the fact that her violence is mostly fantastical in nature?

Eleven is such an interesting character, but people are too busy infantilizing her to really think deeply about her trauma. She has a lot of empathy, but she’s also been groomed to use violence as a means to solve her problems. No one is teaching her how to cope with these new situations around her. Any time she does something wrong, she’s punished or she’s yelled at. She’s left feeling angry and ashamed and she’s got few healthy outlets for that. She has all of these complicated emotions inside of her, and that’s how she is able to relate to Billy. It’s also how she’s easily manipulated by others into doing what they want her to do - Papa, Henry, …even her own friends who she’s seeking approval, but it’s through her friends that she’s assigned as a “good survivor” who has “righteous” rage because the people she hurt “deserved” it, and it’s for that reason that so many people don’t want to have an open and honest discussion about what trauma can do to children, especially making them violent.

#asks

75 notes · View notes

steampunkforever · 8 months

Text

Practical Magic is a vibes film. The plot is fluffy, meandering, and has no sense of pace, yet the film doesn't compensate for the disorganization with deep character studies, instead choosing to marinate in the vibes.

Let me set the movie up for you: in an east coast town a family of witches descended from the survivor of a salem-core hanging lives socially ostracized in part due to a curse leveled on them by said witch who cast a spell of protection on her bloodline that any man who truly loved one of them would be doomed to die. This causes the main characters (played by Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock) to lose their parents (mother died of a broken heart after their father died) and live with their eccentric witchy aunts. As a young girl Bullock's character casts a spell on herself ensuring that her true love will maintain a set of impossible characteristics, therefore protecting her from ever meeting someone. Kidman grows up and avoids the curse by keeping a revolving door of lovers while Bullock meets a man anyway, falls in love, has two children with him before he dies. Kidman meets a man so strong he can avoid the curse (heavily implied to be a vampire) but he turns out to be abusive so she and Bullock end up having to poison him and hide the body in their front yard, avoiding both his ghost and the special investigator trying to track him down, who appears to have all the characteristics of Bullock's true love spell.

And then the movie starts.

It isn't a long movie! Even so, this wandering movie on a family of sanitized 90s occulty "whimsigoth" witches feels longer simply because of the vibes. You're not here for the plot (the main action of the film lasts an hour at best), you're here for the soft late 90s film grain, for the music, and for the vibes.

Yet unlike Slacker or any number of Terrence Malick vibes films, Practical Magic seems almost unaware of its status as a vibes movie. There are no lingering shots of birdlife while you ponder witchiness and womanhood, just a meandering plot that pauses for an extended "midnight margaritas" sequence. This movie should suck, but it doesn't, instead existing as a cult favorite 90s sleeper and source of ever so many tumblr gifsets of Nicole Kidman dressed as a witch.

#filmposting #practical magic #film #nicole kidman #sandra bullock

45 notes · View notes

rwby-encrusted-blog · 10 months

Text

Hey, can we talk about how Weiss is the luckiest Member of RWBYJNPR?

Just real Quick?

Like no one should compare traumas, it's not a competition. But. like.

Weiss has suffered the least of them all? But was somehow also the worst of them in the beginning?

Because She had

Abusive father

absent, alcoholic mother

threat of being attacked because of her name

Has a scar over one eye, doesn't show signs of impairment

And then she got better as a person and personally suffered

Forced 'home' by evil father

getting kidnapped

getting stabbed with a spear

...

Home literally falls into the water

Watched her team fall into the void.

Ever After shenaningans?

That's it.

That's all her own personal suffering, and for a lot of that she had friends and family, like Klein or Winter, or RWBY! She even left WHitley alone when she was young, clinging to winter!

Compared to;

Ruby

Mom presumed dead

Dad was depressed

uncle was alcoholic

Raised mostly by sister

entered into a combat school early (This one IS negative for her)

Jumped into and active cannon

hunted for her eyes

watched a friend die in front of her. Like. Four times, even if one was a mouse and the other was an illusion

Watched Yang Take a hit and Fall into the coid, assumed she was dead.

a friend that came back to life died to another friend

feels the weight of the world is on her shoulders

LITERALLY ATTEMPTED SUICIDE

Yang

abandoned by mother

step mom presumed dead

father was horribly depressed

uncle was an alcolholic

had to raise sister

lost arm

abandoned by partner and sister.

Had to kill to survive

Self sacrificial tendencies.

Watched Sister she had raised attempt to Commit suicide

so yeah she's got abandonment issues

Blake

Is a minority, suffers from peoples racism.

Abusive, genocidal ex-boyfriend

Said Ex attempted to murder her and Yang, forcing them to kill him instead.

More Racism

Watched the woman she loved sacrifice herself.

AND JNPR

Jaune

His parents actively kept him from pursuing his dream

Criminally negligent, literally didn't know the basics of Hunting

Given Terrible romantic advice by dad

bullied, blackmailed, beat down on.

constantly belittled and denied by his crush (I don't blame weiss for saying no, but it still hurt him)

First person to believe in him Kissed him, Didn't believe in him, ran off to her death.

Suffered severe imposter syndrome and survivors guilt, along with depression and suicidal thoughts

never felt good enough

Nearly got Weiss killed because of Cinder

Took anger out on oscar, Regretted it

Nearly got his team killed because they agreed with his plan to steal an airship

Neo beat up his team! Stole the Relic of Knowledge!

Watched so many of his Friends fall into the Void

had to assist in a Friend's suicide

Family Sword (And therefore legacy) Broke

LEFT BEHIND BY WINTER, WHO COULD HAVE VERY EASILY SAVED HIM.

Lost in a Goddamn fairytale world for a decade or two, alone. on a beach. ALONE.

Drank poison because that's what the story said to do. Couldn't even fucking die right.

The Paper pleasers. Just everything with the paper pleasers

His friends, once reunited with him, thought he had gone insane (He kinda had lost it, but really who wouldn't have?) and They didn't believe him. That hurt.

Pyrrha and Penny Illusion by NeoCat

Damn Jaune really is the Spider-man of RWBY, isn't he. His story is fucking sorrowful.

Pyrrha

Put on a pedestal above her Peers, very lonely

Object of affection focused on someone else

Given a nonchoice to protect people.

Fucking Died. Has remained dead. haunts the narrative.

Ren

parents died

lived on the road most of his life

His power is literally emotional repression

only had Nora

Lost his new family in the Void.

Nora

presumably never had a dad

abandoned by Mother

Lived on the road

only had Ren

That Shock-Force-Field thing in Atlas, left with permanent scarring.

Family Fell into the Void.

So, like. Can Weiss spread the wealth a little bit? In terms of luck?

The rest of them could probably really use it.

OF COURSE

None of this is to say Weiss Hasn't Suffered, she really has suffered in her own ways.

But like.

Not as much as any one other individual in her group.

#rwby #jaune arc #ruby rose #yang xiao long #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #nora valkyrie #pyrrha nikos #lie ren #rwby meta

59 notes · View notes

blackbutlerfandomnerddomain · 8 months

Text

RANDOM DEATH NOTE HEADCANONS I WANT TO SHARE THANKS TO ME WANTING TO EXSPAND MY AU:

LIGHT:

Has survivor syndrome. What's that? Survivor syndrome, also known as survivor's guilt, is the response of a person when they believe they have done something wrong by surviving a traumatic event when others did not, often feeling self-guilt. This can be from being Kira or set before Kira, like an incident from his youth that he forever lingers with. This mixed with his "where's the justice" mind set only adds fuel to the fire of the war in his mind

Favorite food isn't apples as many would assume/joke about

The poor boy didn't really think of his sexual orientation until collage, didn't have the means or needs to and it wasn't only until he dated Misa and began to hang out with L he started to think on it more

In my AU Ryuk and Rem didn't give Light and Misa the Death Notes again and L, Light, Misa, etc didn't die, so this technically takes place the amnesia arc which I argue is a favorite okay?! Still doesn't mean Light gets dreams of him as Kira and isn't aware he was.

MISA:

Got really into the Gothic look after her parents' death where someone was a jerk and said a "joke" when she was still wearing black while she was still grieving

Didn't really fall in love with L right away (obviously) but she did care for him in a way that showed she cared

Loves bubble baths

Like Light she still has dreams of Rem and often find herself crying over the waking of her dreams as if someone killed her loved one in front of her

And like Light she knows after Rem confronted her she was the second Kira and feels terrible about it

Has a beautiful singing voice

After a lot her and Kiyomi kind of became friends, she honestly feels as if Kiyomi reminds her of someone she knew before (ie rem)

Dude, this man was aware he liked both for a loooooonnng ass time, since Wammy actually

He knows Light and Misa were Kira, I mean he subspecies it since day one but to actually be right honestly hurt him.. He didn't want to be right in this case. So, he swore not to say a word since they're no longer Kira and 2nd Kira

Loves baths more than Misa

His family died in an domestic abuse murder suicide and he wandered out the house alone in which an officer found him and discovered his family's death, since then he's been emotionally isolated

Is autistic just doesn't get meds

Has lots of stim toys and objects he uses a lot when he thinks hard or under/overstimulated

Loves hot cocoa with marshmallows and whipped cream

Watari was basically his father after the many years they've known each other, doing the most of a father like role than others, helping the boy when needed, etc. And while L doesn't show emotions he generally is greatful and sees Watari as his father figure, even having him his best man and father-of-the-groom for his wedding

MISALIGHTL:

As mentioned with L when I said "wedding", the three didn't really want a huge public wedding since that would exposed L's identity and it would be a headache to deal with so they had a secret small ceremony with friends and some family with Watari being L's father-of-the-groom, Sayu as Light's Best Lady, and Kiyomi was Misa's maid of Honor. They each wore a mix of white and black with some red elements thrown in there for many reasons but mostly cause L said they looked good so yeah

Their wedding cake was similar to these two:

They all live in an apartment together, similar as to the building they were all stuck in, and have their own rooms/studies for work while Misa keeps working as a model and actress and both L and Light kept working as detectives until Light decided to leave being a detective after so many nightmares of cases and being Kira and decided to be a true crime/mystery novel writer

One day while they were chilling, pre-marriage them btw, L decided he's going to visit Wammy to get any plans of who his next "L" would be if he died and they came along with him. There they were able to meet Near, Mello, and Matt. The three kids hung out with them during their stay back in Japan to see who is perfect for the next role. Weeks pass and all three are doing really well and it didn't really sink in until later that L is actually doing this to see if he wants kids. Well, Misa and Light like the idea and they ended up adopting Mello as their son in which he admittedly cried

They go on date nights three times a week, one for each pair with their trio dates mostly being at home

After a few years of marriage they had two kids of their own in which Mello likes the role of older brother

NEAR:

Like L, Near is autistic (I believe that's canon and people hate it??)

Is nonbinary. I'm sorry I honestly can't see this baby as cis at all!

Owns lots of pants, shirts, skirts, dresses, tights, boots, heels, flat shoes, socks that'll work with him with any gender dysphoria and day

Primally goes by Near since that sounded right

Suffer from night terrors which is how his spark of studying happened cause that distracted them

Demi-Sexual bean!

Got adopted by Kiyomi and gets spoiled rotten

MELLO:

Choco-holic what else is new

Suffered an eating disorder which was quickly helped fixed with Matt and his new family

Mentioned above with L, Light, and Misa adopting him, he adores his family gratefully and it's not just cause L chose him out of everyone

Him and Near still have a rather strong rivalry but it's healthy now and also more so childish thanks to their adopted families

Likes his Uncle Matsuda a lot (Matsuda ends up marrying Sayu in this)

Is kind of that kid in school who knows shit and will market the crap out of soda and candies to the kids who have money and parents who won't allow sugar in his household

Often gets caught sneaking out to see Matt and sometimes (a lot) Near by his parents

Is Pan and always knew it

MATT:

Got adopted by Stephen and Teru in this AU

Still is obsessed with video games and eats candy cigarettes until he's legal to smoke if he wants to

Is straight besties with Mello and Near

Has so much gaming stuff it's unreal

Loves the rain

MATT X MELLO X NEAR:

Got together sometime after Near was adopted with Matt and Mello being a thing first and Near joined after

They're both protective of Near

And then Near would shock everyone with a thrown of a textbook to the face if someone says something bad about either of them

Misa is overly supportive of this relationship, Kiyomi loves to tease Near often, and the many times Teru and Stephen would interrupt calls with them to tease is too much

35 notes · View notes

sparkliingdust · 10 months

Text

Really took everything in my soul to not run out of my workplace today to go outside and breathe and not to panic because of Depp vs Amber documentary showing up on Netflix today. It's one thing for the trial to have aired last year, and yes, people can still go online and see the unconscionable attacks against Amber on YouTube and social media. But for Netflix to make it a permanent apart of their collection as a "documentary" with no experts making a case of anything for Amber, to basically let viewers at home take part in reliving the trial and getting their jollies thinking he was the abused party as the judge and jury all over again- is extremely triggering for survivors of abuse like myself. All we are told and shown is that no matter what we say, who we talk to, the amount of evidence we have, is not enough to be believed when it should be. There's no amount of words to put into how we struggle with not gaslighting ourselves about the abuse we endured because that's what our abusers taught us to do, let alone move about in the world where one of the strongest and what-should've-been clearest displays of abuse is met with more gaslighting on every social media platform, every google search, every comment section who dare says Depp is the victim - he is not. And for him to sit back, relax, doodle, eat gummy bears in a room full of his fans, and the world humiliating Amber, is so triggering to the amount of times my abuser would treat me and my family like shit behind closed doors and then pretend he was the nicest caring person in front of anyone else. There are so many signs of genuine PTSD I recognized in Amber giving her testimony. The bravery she had to sit on her own in a room full of fans, knowing almost everyone online supporedt him and stood outside the courtroom like it was a tailgating event, is unimaginable.

This should have not been regarded as a national pastime to go viral and hold onto nostalgia for a monster. I'm really begging everyone - look to survivors of abuse/assault for what is going with this trial and similar situations such as Megan Thee Stallion and FKA Twigs, and not watch this documentary. Please do not give Netflix the views or interest. Let it tank. Let it fail. Let them know that it's not wanted. Because this should not be wanted.

#amber heard #anti johnny depp #tw: abuse #depp vs heard

48 notes · View notes

sahtherat · 9 months

Text

OK. This is a translation of our joint work with my bestie @imnotherewoup and me.

Here's a "regularly" updated list of One Piece characters' traumas with a slightly more realistic eye.

The => correspond to the consequences of the traumas we've identified in the manga (irl, there would be many more).

Don't hesitate to let me know if there are any mistakes or things to add.

TRIGGER WARNING (these are traumas after all) take care of yourself ❤️🤙🏻

Luffy

- No parent or parental figure

- Beaten by grandfather + constant pressure Marine

- Living with bandits / slums

- Law of the jungle = survive early, hard and alone (with 10-year-old brothers)

- Daily near-death experiences

- Kidnapped and beaten by bandits as a child ×2 (tortured the 2nd time)

- His idol sacrifices himself for him and loses his arm

- Fake death of his brother

- Death of his other brother

- Death of his brother (really this time) in front of his eyes to save him

- Poisoned ×2

- Shooter on hormones

- Assaulted by drug-craving children

- Starved himself

- The loss of Merry

- Deported by Kuma = government figure

- Witnessing his buddies' traumas

- Responsibility of being captain + having to fight his buddies

=> PTSD

=> Fear of being alone

=> Survivor syndrome

=> Feelings of guilt

=> Fear of losing loved ones

=> Depressive episode

=> Self-arm

=> Nightmares

=> Survigilance

=> Little consideration of the hazard itself

Ace

- No parent = Death

- Father figure demonized by strangers + daddy issues

- Being beaten by adoptive grandfather + constant pressure Marine

- Living with brigands / slums

- The law of the jungle = survive early and hard and alone (with best buddy his own age)

- Death of best friend

- Near-death experience (fires, etc.)

- Taking care of a kid / taking responsibility early on

=> Self-esteem XXXS

=> Suicidal thoughts

=> Survivor syndrome

=> Spend his life finding a reason to be in the place to be

=> All symptoms of depression

Sabo

- Abusive parents : confinement, manipulation, devaluation = no family

- Runaway

- Police violence

- Living with brigands / slums

- Law of the jungle = survive early, hard and alone (with best buddy his own age)

- Near-death experience (assassination attempt)

- Amnesia overcome

- Death of best friend

=> Traumatic amnesia

=> Feelings of guilt

=> Survivor syndrome

=> Anti-system / Anarchist

Nami

- Murder of her adoptive mother in front of her eyes to save her = no parents

- Slavery

- Threat from the village

- Life of hardship / poverty

- Pressure to succeed

- Life of solitude

- Deported by Kuma = government figure

- Witnessing her friends' traumas

=> Racism

=> Materialism + theft

=> Self-mutilation

Zoro

=> Desire to control everything -> Manipulative

- No parents / parental figure / apparently lives alone as a child

- Death of best friend / rival

- Daily near-death experiences (Mihawk, Kuma, Albert etc)

- Deported by kuma = government figure

- Self-arm

- Witnessing his buddies' traumas

=> Impossible grief because he has to fulfill his friend's dream

=> Alcoholism (?)

=> High sense of sacrifice

=> *a bit crazy*

Usopp

- Mother dies in front of him of illness

- Abandonment of father (he still went to fetch milk* with his buddy shanks)

*I don't know if this expression exists in English, but in French it means abandoning wife and child for no particular reason.

- Threatened by pirate

- Losing the Merry

- Fighting his best buddy

- Deported by kuma = government figure

- Witnessing his buddies' traumas

=> No parental figure

=> Feeling of illegitimacy / low self-esteem

=> Anxiety (and unfortunately he's the only one)

=> Lying to keep control

=> Survivor syndrome

Sanji

- Bullied / abused / mistreated / sequestered by his entire family

- Except his mother, but she died of illness

- Genetically changed

- Runaway

- Shaky father figure

- Fighting his captain

- Starvation

- Electrocuted

- Arranged marriage + manipulating + threatening father figure

- 2 years on the run from transvestites (yes, I know I'm tired of it)

- Heartbreak (by Viola)

- Near-death experiences

- Deported by Kuma = government figure

- Witnessing his buddies' traumas

=> Smoking (like all the time)

=> Giving himself away in the kitchen

=> Obsession with women

=> High sense of sacrifice

TonyTony Chopper

- Non-consensual transition

- Rejected by everyone = Discrimination and marginalization ++

- Doping

- Getting beaten

- Death of his mentor (among others) due to his fault

- Pressure to succeed at work

- Life as a doctor = hard to fail

- Haggling

- Attacked by needy children

- Deported by Kuma = government figure

- Witnessing his buddies' traumas

=> Guilt

=> Isolation

Nico Robin

- Only survivor of his people's genocide = no family or friends

- Left with her aunt who hated her and treated her like a slave

- Lonely childhood

- Harassed by government

- Wrongly sentenced to death

- Rejected by everyone

- Manipulated

- Exploited

- Near-death experiences (Aokiji, Ener, Crocodile etc )

- Deported by Kuma = government figure

- Witnessing his buddies' traumas

=> Desire to die

=> Self-esteem as a skill only = objectifying herself

=> Does not project into the future / into social relationships

=> Survivor syndrome

Franky

- Abandoned by his parents

- Mentor gets beaten in front of + death sentence (among others) because of him

- Hit a train

- Family break-up (adoptive)

- Arrested by government

- Near-death experiences

- Deported by Kuma = government figure

- Witnessing his buddies' traumas

=> Self-mutilation

=> Guilt

Brook

- Loss of his entire crew + witnessing their death

- Solitude for 50 years

- Stealing your shadow

- Get blown up by the guy with your shadow

- Loss of humanity/body

- Deported by Kuma = government figure

- Witnessing his buddies' traumas

- Sequestered by Satanists

- Exploited by music industry

- Sequestered by Big Mom

=> Talking to himself / alone all the time

=> Forced and repetitive humor

=> Guilt

=> Depression

=> Survivor Syndrome

Vivi

- Fighting alone in a criminal organization

- Under tension for months/years

- Threat from her country + her people killed

- Father killed by government

- Servant almost dies to save country

- Fake death of her other servant / buddy

=> Pressure / mental burden of ensuring the country's survival and her role as princess alone

Trafalgar Law

- Epidemic in his village + Genocide

- All his family + loved ones die = loneliness as sole survivor

- Hiding under corpses

- Being exploited

- Sick + rejected by doctors

- Father figure killed in front of his eyes to save him = solitude v2

- Shot by his former boss

- Beaten / Tortured / Near Death Experiences (a classic after all)

=> Desire for terrorism

=> Survivor syndrome

=> Working for a criminal organization

=> Looking for a way to die

=> Large-scale project to destroy his former boss

Shirahoshi

- Mother's murder in front of her eyes

- Isolation for half her life

- Child sexualization

- Stalker trying to kill her for years

- First date ends in battlefield

- Family beaten in front of her eyes

=> Childish behavior

=> Generalized anxiety/social anxiety

=> Sexual harassment trivialized

Yamato

- Sequestered all his life by his father

- Lived in prison

- Exploited by father

- No real parental figure

- His only friend is dead

- His idol is dead, killed by his father

- Child of a criminal who ravages a country

=> No social skills

=> Seeks to create a separate identity

#one piece #monkey d. luffy #portgas d ace #vinsmoke sanji #sabo #nami #nico robin #trauma #roronoa zoro #usopp #nefertari vivi #yamato #shirahoshi #trafalgar law

43 notes · View notes

poisonousquinzel · 1 year

Text

Listen, I'd have less of an issue with Elseworlds concepts for Harley in live action if we'd EVER gotten an accurate showing of her origin story, the manipulation that runs throughout every second of every session they had together and the sheer and graphic brutality of the abuse she's endured at his hands, but we haven't.

And I doubt we're going to.

Regardless if you want to face it or not, the live action films reach a much larger audience than the animated shows or movies or comics. They're popular, but these live action films have a chance to bring in a Huge outside audience and that's apparent with Harley's surge in popularity after Suicide Squad.

And right now, every version of her origin that's been shown in live action is either a watered down little montage with heavy censoring that can (and Did) leave audiences with a horrifically skewed perspective on the actuality of their relationship, or is reported to be a completely changed and altered dynamic where she's not even a fucking psychiatrist at Arkham, she's a fellow patient.

Like, an important aspect of Harley's origin and the entirely of her character as a domestic abuse survivor is that it's showing that no matter who you are, no matter how much you think "I wouldn't fall for that, I'm smarter than that", or believe that you'd easily pick up the red flags, or that you're trained to see these things so it couldn't happen to you-

That's just not always true. You can still fall victim to these types of people.

Anyone can fall victim to an abusive, manipulative mastermind.

"You little fool. The Joker doesn't love anything except himself.

Wake Up, Harleen.

He had you pegged for a hired help the second you walked into Arkham."

"That's not... No... No!

He told me things, secret things he never told anyone!"

"Was it his line about the abusive father? Or the one about the runaway mom? He's gained a lot of sympathy with that one."

"Stop It! You're making me confused!"

"What was it he told that one parole officer? Oh yes, "there was only one time I ever saw dad really happy, he took me to the ice show when I was 7."

"Circus... He said it was the circus."

"He's got a million of them, Harley."

/ also I think it's important to point out based on Batman's "You and the Joker?" reaction that, despite her relationship with Joker being near the 7 year mark in this episode, he did not Know this "thing" with them was anything more than the standard henchmen/henchwoman type relationship most rogues have with their goons.

And the minute he does, he tries to get through to her. He tries to get through to Harleen. And then in the end, when he's almost got it, she's almost convinced and seeing the truth, he calls her Harley. He calls her by the name she's going by now, not the woman he believes to be trapped inside, but the one in front of him who's crying while her world is crumbling before her eyes.

It does not matter how trained you are, or how prepared you believe yourself to be, it can happen to Anyone. And it's No One's fault except the abuser for the actions the abuser takes.

But you can be the smartest person in the room and still be abused.

However, now, instead, we've got yet another film that's going to completely miss the mark and make a mockery of her journey. And instead of it being a first Live Action appearance for her and many others and whatnot like Suicide Squad was, this film is different.

This is a sequel to a film that's already got a fan base full of apologists for him. A fan base full of incels who have taken him on as their icon, as their role model, and we all fucking know it.

However they portray her character in this is going to stick with people and a lot of those folks are going to happily believe and treat this as if it's the true reality for her origin. No matter what other medias say, this is the accurate one. This is the one that's finally just allowing them to be together and not toxic. This is the one that's "not butchering his character so she can be the victim", he just gets to be his goofy little self and isn't changed so her story can exist.

And the only other live action movie that these people will or have watched that's got her character is Suicide Squad, as it's apparent so many of them clearly do not care about the 3 decades worth of evidence showing their actual relationship.

Cause facing the fact that that crusty ass disgusting man Is, and Has Been, a domestic abuser would make their constant woobification of him all the more difficult.

And why would they do that when they could just keep pretending he's not the fucking problem.

#tw abuse mention #tw clown boy #mentioned #harley quinn #harleen quinzel #dc comics #batman #bruce wayne #that scene from btas lives rent free in my head #from the voice acting to the dialogue to the little 'clev'a?!' 'brilliant' moment ❤️

104 notes · View notes

ellewritesandrants · 2 years

Text

Billy gets a decent Family AU

Joyce knows when she sees Billy what’s going on and she doesn’t dare stop for a moment before calling Hopper to come right down to Melvald’s to help the poor boy out. This is pre-first day because Billy still has a few bruises so he quickly buys a few things like concealer, bandages, first aid stuff and all of that and Joyce knows intimately why he would need that. She stalls while Billy is at the counter, asking if he needs anything and asking him how Hawkins has welcomed him. Hopper arrives just after Joyce tells him that she knows he wasn’t in a fight because I’ve had those bruises before. Joyce convinces him to come to backroom with her and Jim and she gets him to show her everything. Billy’s ribs were still wrapped from the beatdown going to Hawkins and there was a lot of purpling happening in his thighs, back and ribs. Hopper was horrified that he didn’t think to even consider it but it had taken Joyce barely a minute to see the signs.

They deal with Neil Hargrove and they give Billy the option to stay with Susan and Max or to recover first with Joyce or Hopper. He decides to stay with Susan and Max if only for Max. Neil is arrested in front of Susan and Max and when Max sees Billy again, wrapped up in Mrs. Byer’s blanket and actually looking 16 for the first time in a long time, all she can do is hug him and apologize for not noticing things sooner. Susan follows it up with a promise to do better and they soon find a nice little rhythm. It becomes the talk of the town how the Neil Hargrove was arrested for child abuse and how his son has born the majority of it all. He’d walked in, stared at by most of the kids until Jonathan ended up making the crowds stop staring at him because he’d been there once.

Billy doesn’t bother with the king of the school bullshit because as a child abuse survivor he doesn’t want to call any more unwanted attention onto him. Girls sympathize for him and find him attractive while most of the boys just stare at him from far away. Johnathan actually ends up being his best friend and they share a lot of music between them. Johnathan also introduces Billy to Steve and Nancy. Nancy and Billy immediately become study buddies once they realize that they’re in the same classes and Nancy was more than willing to glare at all of the people staring at her new friend. Steve kind of took Billy under his wing in the basketball department, telling him to try out once he’s healed since the team needs some fresh blood. Max is immediately welcomed by Will who had been encouraged by Mrs. Byers to check in on the kids and see how they were. The rest of the Party accepted her with open arms except for Mike who was still bitter about El.

The rest of the events still happen with Steve and Nancy breaking up but Nancy and Jonathan don’t sleep with each other out of respect for Steve and because Johnathan doesn’t want to end up like Lonnie who was abusive and a cheat. They end up getting together with Steve’s blessing though. Throughout everything, Joyce constantly keeps in contact with Billy and Hopper feels bad about misjudging Billy so he checks in a lot too. When he finds Billy injured by a demodog after protecting Steve and the kids, he goes equally ballistic. Since Billy has a good support system, he feels free to be more vulnerable and open with everything. He eventually opens up to Joyce about the abuse he endured at his father’s hands after Johnathan invites him over for dinner a few too many times. Hopper ends up taking care of more than a few misdemeanors where some kids tried to bully Billy and Johnathan. Will had seen it going down and he radioed Hopper since he knew that while Billy could defend himself very well, he didn’t need to anymore.

Billy fixes his relationship with Max, skateboarding with her again and helping her with hair, nails and makeup that she knows Susan doesn’t have time to show her. He also comes out to Susan who admits to having known he was gay and doesn’t care about it because he’s family to her and Max. She used to be homophobic but then, she saw the atrocities Neil did because of it and she couldn’t condone it. It didn’t matter who he loved because she still loved him. Billy steps up at home and finally takes over in the kitchen because he’s always loved cooking but his father told him it was a woman’s job. He was banned ever since Susan came into their lives. Susan encouraged Billy to cook and even learns from him whenever she has the time. He’s a really good cook and he takes over grocery shopping and cooking in order to lighten the load from Susan. She really appreciates it. Max also loves it because Billy’s cooking is at least 10x better than her mom’s and she loves using Billy’s baked goods as bribes for her friends or as extra income since he stress bakes but calorie counts so he doesn’t know what to do with the excess. Joyce is absolutely enthusiastic whenever Billy offers to help in the kitchen because he’s a better cook than she is and she loves learning from him.

The housewives still attempt to watch Billy when he takes up the lifeguard position but he feels comfortable enough to tell Susan and Joyce about it who shame the women so badly that they apologize to Billy for their actions. When Hopper finds out, he’s pissed enough to want to take the women into custody but Joyce and Susan tell him that they’d already handled it. This is the blurb I posted here.

Billy also becomes very close to Will and El. Billy becomes Will’s gay mentor of sorts and they have this inside joke of calling each other William. Billy protects Will from all of his old bullies and makes sure to praise the kid for his art. Billy and El also bond over bad fathers but she eventually becomes like a second little sister. Max and El are very close too from the start. El doesn’t feel ostracized when she realizes that Max is Billy’s sister and they end up bonding over a lot of girl stuff. They usually invite Will and Billy with them whenever they’re doing activities because Billy’s good at protecting them while also helping them figure out if something was cute or not. Eventually, Robin joins the group but Nancy is still up for debate, especially after she and Johnathan break up.

Steve and Billy become a really good pair on the court and they eventually get scouted for sports scholarships. Billy also helps Steve in studying once Nancy and Steve break up. Even though Steve is a whole year above Billy, he has no problem helping Steve and even managed to get his grade point average up from a B- to A- which made Steve’s parents very happy for the first time in a while. Billy is universally loved and doted upon by all of the parents because he’s polite and loves to help out around the houses whenever he can. The Sinclairs love him because he teaches Lucas with basketball and he supports Erica’s dreams of becoming a scientist. Mrs. Henderson trades recipes with him and she loves when he visits since her pets love him. The Wheelers avoid him because of what happened but strangely enough, little Holly Wheeler prefers Billy as her babysitter and not Steve.

Billy becomes the second babysitter of the gang and he happens to be one more loved by the parents than the kids. The kids prefer Steve since he gives them junk food and allows them to do their own thing while Billy usually cooks a healthy meal for them and forces them to do their homework which he checks over before allowing them to go wild and have fun. Surprisingly, none of them find out that Billy knows how to play D&D until he gives a throwaway comment when passing out snacks during one of their campaigns. He mentions something about needing to roll a 13 if they wanted to have a chance of surviving and that basically catapults him into their favorite spot, making Steve feel very jealous.

Dustin loves debating Sci-Fi and mystery thrillers with Billy and since Billy’s very academically inclined, all of the nerds come to him for help on their homework on the rare occasions they need it. They also managed to rope him into DMing a campaign after he reveals he used to DM back in California when he was younger. It was one of the best ones they’d had and no one could complain. He helps Will come up with his campaigns whenever Will asks for help. Steve feels like he was replaced because he was the original babysitter but Billy loves spending time with Steve and he actually lowkey has a crush on Steve so he does it all to impress Steve.

During S3, Billy doesn’t end up getting possessed since he has no reason at all to go Brimborn. Instead, it’s one of the police officers and Jim quickly cottons on to one of his men being possessed so he, Joyce and El team up to get the situation fixed before it escalates. Thankfully, there were no casualties and it was resolved pretty quickly. Dustin still finds out about the Russians so, Steve, Billy and Robin are there with Erica and Dustin. They manage to avoid getting caught, drugged and tortured by the Russians since Billy’s smart and decides to actually tell Hopper about the Russians before they do anything. They manage to prepare before going down the elevator so somehow they managed to get the blueprints and get out. They get the blueprints to Hopper who calls in military reinforcements because Russians and the kids all stay out of the ensuing chaos, minus El who had to come with them to close the gate. It’s resolved without too much damage but the mall was still closed down since Russians had invaded it. Hopper gets out alive and no one of importance dies. The Byers don’t move to California because there was no reason to since Hopper was alive. They instead moved to a bigger house and made sure Billy could share with Johnathan and Max with El.

It gets even worse the next year because Steve graduates and decides to take a gap year so he and all of his friends can start Uni together. He hears secondhand how the kids decide to join the Hellfire club, headed by Eddie and how the kids all like him. They manage to con Billy into occasionally joining in but he’s usually busy with Basketball at that time with Lucas who made the team. Eddie and Billy apparently become good friends since Billy’s tutoring Eddie so he can finally graduate.

Love Triangle Time! Billy notices the hanky and alerts Eddie that he’s queer. Eddie wants to pursue Billy. Billy still likes Steve but he’s kind of losing hope about it and Eddie is very persistent but still a gentleman about it. Steve is jealous of Eddie for spending so much time with his best friend but once he gets to know Eddie a bit more, they bond better. Each one thinks that something is definitely happening between the other two but because Steve and Billy are emotionally constipated and Eddie isn’t as bad, he’s the one who confronts them about it and they eventually decide to throuple.

Vecna and everything still happens but with Billy alive, Eddie didn’t die and they managed to kill him properly with Billy there to change the fate of a lot of things. He ends up partnered with Chrissy during his first year in Hawkins for a project and he notices her ED, slowly helping her overcome it with his food which Chrissy can never refuse. He also notices Patrick’s bruises and he gets Hopper to resolve it too long before Vecna starts his ritual. Billy’s pretty smart and they manage to overpower Vecna together and come out of the other side, scarred but otherwise alive.

398 notes · View notes