i do not understand the name switching thing... where did that come from?

Mafia! Ateez reacting to you looking innocent and naïve but being manipulative and smart (8/8)

Request for @racheloveyunho : “Mafia! Ateez reacting to Y/N looking innocent and naïve but being manipulative and smart (like she uses her appearance to make people think she's a weak thing while she's not). Can you do it a bit suggestive if that's okay?” - Hope you enjoy it love! I’m sorry it took so long *cries* 

Warning/disclaimer: 18+, suggestive content, mafia themes (violence, guns, drugs etc.). I do not condone mafia lifestyle or actions, nor do I believe the members of Ateez would act like this in real life, this is purely for entertainment purposes.

Hongjoong:

You had managed to convince Hongjoong to allow you to come along for a a mission. 

You wanted to be a part of his world, in every aspect. Hongjoong disagreed, thinking you were much too innocent for this kind of lifestyle, and declined your requests. 

However, you persisted, and he figured you’d stop pestering him about it if you saw how quickly things could get intense and dangerous. 

He went over the plan with all of the men on the mission, thinking this would be a walk in the park. 

But you knew him, and you knew he wasn’t going to let you go on a mission that easily. 

You knew exactly what he was up to, and you were prepared for it. 

You were sitting with him in the van outside of the club where the mission was (it was really his friend Bangchan’s club).

Hongjoong started the mission, sending in the spy that was supposed to obtain the information needed

She was to seduce the bouncer, weasel her way into the club, and do one of two things: meet with the informant that was to tell her whereabouts of a certain crest hidden inside the massive place, or to find and steal the information herself

There was a map of the club on the two main floors, so either way, she wasn’t to leave empty handed

You watched as the girl went up and started trying to “flirt” with the bouncer, but you immediately noticed two things were off

One, this wasn’t the usual bouncer at the club, most likely a new hire, and two: you noticed a LARGE diamond ring on his finger

You held back a laugh, knowing this girl would get nowhere with him. Hongjoong even cringed at the sight

Getting bored after a couple minutes though, you slipped out of the van with a quick “I got this babe”

Before Hongjoong could stop you, you’d weaved your way through the crowd, sweeping the girl put of the way. 

Hongjoong watched as you exchanged a few words with the bouncer, being let in immediately. 

10 minutes later, you were back in the van, crest in hand along with a map to various other valued items, not a scratch on you

Hongjoong looked stunned, mouth hanging ajar

You smiled, reveling in his awestruck appearance

“We should leave, and alert the others. That anesthetic will only last about 30 minutes and we’ve got at least an hour’s drive. And,”

You took his chin in your hand, eyeing his lips,

“You should close that pretty mouth of yours before I put it to good use”

You smirked at his reaction before pressing a firm kiss to his lips

Seonghwa:

“PARK Y/N! HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET THE CITY KEYS?”

You sat in Seonghwa’s office, sipping a drink as he paced back and forth

You smirked as you saw him analyze you from head to toe, trying to put the pieces together

You had managed to find your way into a government building

And returned with the keys to the city

Seonghwa’s team had planned for months on how to do a city takeover

He had so many security measures just in case 

He had traps, 

Weapons

Men

Artillery

Extra Men

And at least 3 other organizations helping

So that he could effectively take over the city with as little resistance or blood possible

It had taken him months to map out where the city key was kept

Months to try and see how heavily guarded it was

The people of the city would bow to anyone who held the keys

And yet, here you were, coming home after your shopping trip, holding the object of his desire in the palm of your hands

No scratches, no bruises, and no police hot on your tail

“Well sweetheart, when you’re a good friend of the Mayor’s wife, who loves to gossip by the way, you learn some interesting secrets. Secrets that are enough to get you a few favors.”

You giggled at your husband’s face as it went through several emotions

First shock, then disbelief, relief, and finally, the piercing and unmistakable gaze of lust

Seonghwa picked you up bridal style from your chair, pecking your lips as he carried you upstairs

“Good deeds deserve rewards, don’t they baby?”

Yunho:

It was an early morning for you and Yunho 

You both sat in bed, Yunho filing paperwork as you worked away at your laptop

Yunho figured you were paying bills and planning for next months budget, since you were in charge of the finances in the house

He also figured you’d be shopping for new clothes or bags, since you both had bringing in more money recently

He always told you to spoil  yourself, no matter how many times you told him that just being with him was enough

(Not to mention, you had over a dozen things to delivered to you from Yunho each week, some of which you hadn’t even opened yet)

Yunho rubbed your pregnant belly, a comforting thing he’d do before asking you a question

“Honey, do you think  you could email Yeosang and see if he could hack into those databases? I could find nothing on that corporation beside what they have on the internet, and Seonghwa needs information today”

“At what time today?”

“Now would be preferable?”

You smirked “Already done babe. I hacked into it earlier this morning, I have their locations, home address, asset information, et cetera. I’ll email Seonghwa right now”

Yunho blinked, then blinked again

“I thought you were paying bills?”

You explained to him that you’d done that already, and had spent the last few hours getting around firewalls, doing research, and gathering intel

“So you’re saying you did all this, paid the bills, and ordered a new bag, all before breakfast?”

He wasn’t too caught off guard, he knew you were smart, but you had him floored this morning

You nodded, stretching before pressing send to Seonghwa

“Well I think I should go make us some food. Eggs sound okay?”

Yeosang:

Yeosang groaned in his bed, his back cracking in his attempt to shift into a more comfy position 

He rolled his eyes as he looked at the cast that covered his foot and ankle

He shook his head, sighing as he looked back up at ceiling of your shared bedroom

He was usually the tech guy, but Hongjoong had needed an extra man on the field

Mingi had gotten a shot in the shoulder and Yeosang grabbed a machine gun and ran in

He now semi-regretted thinking he could be the next Tony Montana

You heard him sigh as you brought him his lunch, smiling since you knew he was upset to be away from his precious monitors

“How’s my baby doin’? Feeling better?” You asked sweetly

Yeosang pouted, folding his arms across his chest

“Your baby is missing his wonderful desk job. Remind me why I went in the field again?”

“To save your friend’s life?”

“Remind me not to do it again.” You snickered at his miffed expression

“Well, at least you don’t have to be at work or file documents for the next few weeks.” You cheerfully announced

Yeosang snorted, rolling his eyes.

“Babe, you know Seonghwa will tell me ‘Your ankle is broken, not your hands.’ I do have work.”

He spitefully bit into his sandwich, a deep scowl on his face

You smiled coyly, pulling a paper from your drawer

“Not according to this document. I had to pull a few strings, but I scored you a few weeks off”

Yeosang quickly snatched the paper up

“Extensive trauma, slight PTSD, etc... will not be able to work- oh you’re good babe”

“Good enough for a kiss?” 

Suddenly, he wasn’t hungry for the lunch you gave him anymore

It was you on the menu

San:

San was in trouble

He’d gotten caught in “enemy” territory

Now his hands were tied as he hung from the ceiling, in a damp basement

San was cold, he was hungry, and his hair looked a mess

He knew exactly who he’d been kidnapped by

And he was less than amused by the situation

Oftentimes, high ranking members of his allies/friends liked to catch other bosses slipping

They’d fake kidnap them, rough them up a little, and then be sent on their way after a little banter, some food, and maybe a change of clothes

He was overall annoyed by how this situation turned out

He’d been on an important recon mission for intel, and this was NOT the time to be playing games

He cursed at the guards that were in the room next to him

Calling them all kinds of weird insults (it was San’s style)

“dollar store avengers”

“cock joggling thunder cunts” and

“You overgrown fucking sand pickle! Wait until I see Baekhyun and Taeyong, I’m going to knock the living shit-”

“No need for violence babe, I came to break you out.” 

San’s head whipped around so quick he nearly gave himself Whiplash (aha, i’m so funny)

Normally, they didn’t let others in on these kinds of games, so when San saw you, he thought you’d been kidnapped for real

“Let her go!” San started thrashing and kicking, amusing the guards

You rolled your eyes at him

“San, I’m not kidnapped! Baekhyun, hurry up and let him down, you ruined my shopping trip”

You glared at the slightly shorter male, making him fumble with his hands as he went to untie San

San rushed over to you, leaning his entire weight on your frame

“How’d you get in here?”

“His wife is always ordering something and showing it to the group chat. I figured today was no different, hence the uniform”

San chuckled when he finally saw that you were wearing an amazon delivery suit

“Smart girl. Let’s go home, I’m starving, and I can’t wait for my dessert”

Mingi:

Mingi was confused

He kept going over his financial books

Nothing seemed to be stolen

Everyone had been paid their fair and agreed upon amount

Some had even gotten a little extra

But what he couldn’t seem to figure out was where was all this extra money coming from?

Surely not from the weaponry sales alone?

There were many activities that went on in the behind the scenes from Mingi’s café and restaurant that were located right next to each other

He covered up the illegal with legal money made from the businesses

But how in the world did he have $500,000 extra dollars left?!

“BABE! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!”

Mingi shouted for you from where he sat in his office

You rushed in, a bat in your hands, ready to defend you home at all costs from any intruders

But the only person you found was your husband in his PJ’s with disheveled hair, and his glasses halfway off his face

“Mingi, I thought there was an emergency”

“There is! Look at this!”

He shoved the book towards you

You picked it up, scanning through all the current expenses of the month

“Seems right to me” Mingi’s jaw dropped open as he saw you slide the book back, shrugging your shoulders

“What do you mean? How can we have an extra 500 grand?!”

You gave him a sly smile

“When you know how to sweet talk sugar out of cake, the pawnshop girls can be extra nice, if you know that I mean”

You strolled out of the room, ignoring the indignant cries of your husband

“No I don’t know what you mean- hey! Come back here! Since you know how to work that mouth of yours baby, let’s see what it can do” 

Wooyoung:

Wooyoung could never say no to you

He never failed to wonder how you managed to get him to bend to your will every time

You wanted a new dress? He got it for you

You wanted a new apartment? He got it

You wanted a new hot pink car? He got it for you

Wooyoung knew you weren’t always like this

He was very lenient with you, and spoiled you

Never corrected you in the wrong

And he couldn’t stay mad at you for that long

Of course, that’s not to say you were a gold digger

You just happened to like pushing Wooyoung’s buttons

You asked for more ridiculous things out of pure boredom, not because you wanted or needed it

You had it all with Wooyoung

And yet and still, here he was trying to give you the world through physical objects

You came up with a plan that would last a week

You were both headed to an event, an annual gathering where the mafia men came to discuss business, see friends, and show off their wealth and wives

You knew he hated to be challenged in public, and you rarely, if ever, crossed that line

So when for four days in a row you embarrassed him by:

whining, 

asking for things,

and throwing all out tantrums and crying fits when you couldn’t have your way

Wooyoung finally snapped

He led you away from the pool area, gently taking you along with him to your hotel room before trapping you against the door, your back facing him. He didn’t see the way you smirked as you felt his hands roam your body

“You wanna act like a brat, fine. You’ll get treated like one. Now bend over”

Jongho:

Jongho loved to spoil you rotten

He was frugal, but whenever he could, he’d take you on a mass shopping spree

Protesting didn’t work with him

You were not too big on expensive gifts

You preferred handmade and/or cheap gifts from the store

But he was stubborn as a mule

He insisted that his “princess” have any luxuries possible

Jongho was very well off, and often spent without looking at prices, which made you extra antsy 

You came from a moderate family, and you learned how to manage money very well

So every time Jongho would take you on a shopping spree

You’d excuse yourself to the bathroom for at least an hour, claiming it to be “that darned food court food”

Which was odd because it never caused a problem for you before

Not to mention he’d see cheaper versions of things he bought you around the house, or not see what he bought at all

So Jongho decided to test you and see exactly what you were up to

This time though, instead of the mall, you were on a car lot

Jongho told you to pick whatever car you wanted or he’d choose for you

Honestly, you were okay with the cars you had at home, aka, Jongho’s cars

When you didn’t pick a car, Jongho went up to a salesman and started talking business with him

You quickly found the owner of the lot, pointing out a car, and negotiating the price down so low that when you were done, you didn’t realize that Jongho was right behind you

“You know, I can’t even be mad at you. Not only are you saving money, you make a great negotiator babe. Why don’t we break in the new car like we did for the rest when we go home, hmm?” 

a/n: sorry this took so long! i think i actually like this one! in case anyone is interested, im posting this on my wattpad now! link on pinned post. **gif credit to @lydiaas**

requester: anon “ “Wiggle your fingers. I need to make sure it’s not broken.” maybe this with john b… but it does turn out to be broken and he needs surgery?”

summary: when Rafe Cameron is bothering you, John B doesn’t hesitate to hurt himself to help you

warnings: fighting and a broken arm, both of which are not graphically detailed

word count: 1138

You loved being a Pogue, except when one specific boy Kook ruined everything. Your parents were Kooks, and everyone expected you, Y/n Y/l/n to be one too. Life simply didn't work that way. You loved hanging with your 3 best friends and your boyfriend. But those 3 dumb kooks always tried to remind you of what you were supposed to be.

This particular instance happened at the annual Bonfire. JJ, Kiara, and Pope all had something better to do, which you didn’t blame them. The bonfire was like any other party that happened all year. John B was right by your side, kissing you and returning the glare Rafe Cameron was sending his way. Everything was going fine, until of course John B had to leave and do something. Rafe made his way over. You backed up as far as you could, but they eventually caught up.

“Hello, Y/n.”

You backed up to the point where you were out of sight from everyone at the bonfire. Which meant that nobody could see Rafe, which means they also couldn't see that you needed help.

“Where's your goons this time?”

“Don’t need them. Not when I have you, the Kook Princess.”

“I’m not a Kook.”

He stepped closer, too close. “I think that the weak-ass excuse of a boyfriend manipulated you into thinking that. You're a Kook. Same as me, same as Sarah, and same as everyone who lives on Figure 8, which you legally do. I think.” He gently smiled over in your direction, lcking his lips. “you need someone to help you remember that.”

“Oh is that right Rafe?” John B asked.

Rafe charged at him, knocking him over. John B got the first punch in by the time you made it over there to help him. Rafe managed to stand up, but you kicked Rafe in the back of his knees making him collapse.

“I think it’s best if you leave now, Rafe.” You seethed.

“You know I'm right, Y/n. Just think about it!” He shouted as he ran over to his car to leave.

You scoffed before running over to John B.

“John B I'm so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault that some dumbass Kook felt the need to try and mack on you.”

You pouted. “Well, I’m still sorry.”

You leaned in and hugged him, so he leaned down for a kiss, but you felt his hand being held at an awkward angle.

“John B? Stick up your hands.” You saw him, his hand was stiff and his fingers were bent. “Did you mess up something in your hand?”

“Uh, probably.”

“Wiggle your fingers. I need to make sure it’s not broken.”

“Fuck, ow.” He tried, but ultimately couldn’t.

“We need to get you to a hospital bubs.”

“Why?”

“Since you can’t wiggle your fingers, it’s probably a break.”

You took him home first, grabbing him a shirt and an ice pack. You walked back to the car and helped him slip the shirt on, opening the door of the van for him so he could get back in.

“I’m supposed to be opening the door for you.” He pouted.

“You broke your hand for me, I think that’s enough chivalry for the night.”

After waiting for an hour, he was taken back and they x-rayed his hand while I sat and waited in the room. Eventually, he came back.

“How’d it go?”

“Great I think I aced it.”

“That’s not how it works, you know what? Good job babe.”

Right after, a man came in.

“Mr. Routledge?” He asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Hi I’m Doctor Jones,” He reached over and shook both of our hands.

“So it is indeed a break.”

“Nothing that a cast can’t fix, right doc?” John B tried to laugh but stopped when he saw the doctor didn’t look like he agreed with his statement.

“In most cases, yes. The problem with your arm,” He pulled up the X-ray and showed it to us. “Is that you’ve broken both of the bones. We'll put you in a splint for now, but you’ll need to come back in after your swelling goes down. Just fill in this paperwork and confirm that someone will pick you up, and we’ll get that scheduled for you.”

You helped him with the boring paperwork. He got his splint put on and then he was all set for the next three days when his surgery was.

“I don’t want surgery, y/n! I’m fine.” He grumbled.

“No, you’re not bubs. It’ll be okay. I’m dropping you off and then picking you up too.”

You sat in the waiting room for the last half-hour of the surgery. You had spent the time cleaning up a little so it wouldn’t be hard for John B to get around after he got home.

“Ms. Y/l/n?”

You looked up at the same doctor who went over the x-rays with you.

“Yes, I’m here for John Routledge. He had wrist surgery this morning.”

“Ah yes. The surgery went well and with no complications. If he leaves the splint on, and eventually the cast, and comes to his physical therapy after he’s done healing he should get full use of his arm again.”

“Thank you, Doctor. Am I allowed to see him?”

“Yes, he’s in room 210. It’s down the hall here on the left.” He pointed.

You nodded and took off to see John B. You honestly didn’t know what you were expecting. This was a little different than wisdom teeth removal surgery. You had absolutely no clue how he would be.

Post-surgery John B was tired. He was in the splint again as they waited for the swelling to recede after the surgery.

“Hi, Y/n.” He smiled up at you.

“How are you feeling, bubs?”

“Now that you’re here I feel perfect. Wanna know why?”

“Why?” You smiled, amused.

“Because you’re perfect. Excuse me, ma’am.”

The nurse who was writing something on his chart looked up at him, no sign of being annoyed was present on her face.

“My girlfriend is perfect, isn’t she?”

“John B!” You gently scolded. “You’re gonna embarrass me.”

“But you are and everyone needs to know that you are.” He pouted.

“Wait, shit. Don’t cry bubs. I’m sorry. Wanna go home and have ice cream?”

He nodded and you gently wiped away his tears with your thumbs. You quickly signed the discharge paperwork and then you were all set. You held the hand of his good arm as he was wheeled out of the hospital. You gently put him in the front seat and smiled over at him when you were both buckled in and ready to go.

John B was a keeper, and you were so glad to have someone like him in your life.

When I was writing my university bachelor's degree thesis (that I'm still to defend) about Penny Dreadful as a modern adaptation of Frankenstein I noticed how the original novel's homoeroticism is realized by the series in an interesting way.

In the way he is presented, it seems to me that Victor secretly desires men, but thinks that only through creating a perfect one by himself he's allowed to touch other man's skin. His endeavour to pierce the veil between life and death is an excuse, since Victor from the series grew up lonely after the death of his mother and he searches for companionship, for someone who would love him unconditionally, like his mother used to. He believes he can find such love only in a person he creates himself, brings from the dead, and who would see him as his only friend, calm and obedient. Yet his first instinct is to make a man, not a woman, and a handsome man at that.

I can imagine both Rory Kinnear and Alex Price are not everybody's cup of tea (I do find them attractive, they are quite charismatic), but the way the original Creature and Proteus are shown makes them attractive. Proteus we see through Victor's eyes, when he is tending to his body before its even reanimated, when he sketches him (a sure sign of affection) and when he teaches him how to eat in a way that becomes seductive, because of how the camera lingers on his lips and then, in a closeup, on his fingers running down his long throat, immediately bringing to mind erotic imagery. Some may argue that Victor tries to emulate the relationship between his mother and himself taking the parental role and projecting onto Proteus the role of his childhood self, and as much as it is partially true, their relationship bears these marks of hidden desire on Victor's part from the start. The image at the end of the first episode when Proteus is born shows Victor trembling, teary-eyed, looking at the body, a torn and stitched back together, but human body, of a naked man. He's afraid, but not necessarily of the man, but of finally getting what he wanted, it's a fear resulting from excitement. Then the man is touching his face tenderly and Victor, still trembling, cannot stop himself from a little smile. Their faces are softly illuminated by the orange light of the gas lamp, creating an intimate atmosphere of a warm bedroom. Victor practically gasps hearing his own name smoken by Proteus. I doubt all of it was intentional in the way I read it, but it doesn't change the fact that the final scene can be easily interpreted this way.

Then the original Creature, with the violence surrounding his return, presents him as highly masculine, smart, powerful, a direct opposite to the delicate, clueless Proteus Victor could easily form into whatever he wanted. The Creature throughout the entire series is perceived as ugly by some and easily tolerated by others, making his ugliness purely subjective, since, despite his small deformities he remains strangely alluring with his gothic qualities (black long hair, black lips, white skin, yellow eyes, proportional features) of a dark brooding gentleman. With blood on his face he becomes vampire-like (vampires always a symbol of hidden desires and 'depraved' sexuality, the Creature and Victor becoming a mirror image of Vanessa and vampire Mina, both Creature's and Mina's monstrosity an indirect result of Victor's and Vanessa's desire towards having a same-sex companion). The Creature touches Victor's face, a callback to Proteus doing it, but the Creature is not gentle, he smears blood all over Victor's face (blood in vampire narratives was always a symbol for other bodily fluids, that's why it seems so sexy, it also gained another meaning in the 80s, due to the HIV epidemic, which no filmmaker can shake off if they tried, I could discuss it more with The Lost Boys, but no time for that right now).

The dynamic between Victor and the Creature is a reversal of Victor's budding relationship with Proteus, experience winning over innocence. Victor is under another man's rule, and it terrifies him, because it would force him into a position of having to admit his attraction, whereas as the one in control he could have still easily deny it. The Creature, with all his attributes, symbolizes carnal love, he's all 'body', where Proteus was virginal, pious love (to an extent). In one of the scenes where we see Proteus he looks up into the skylight at Victor's apartment and appears angelic, as if in a halo of white light.

It's revealed Victor never had a woman, and the series wants the viewer to believe it's because of his awkwardness and passion for science that consumed him, but his dedication to creating himself male companions instead of searching for a living female one is exactly what makes him seem more queer coded.

It's clear that the lack of paternal figure results in Victor quickly becoming close with older men he encounters (Sir Malcolm, Van Helsing), but it also puts him into a position where he's constantly surrounded by men, with whom he feels more at ease, and is intimidated by women. The rivalry between him and Ethan is that of siblings, until the moment when Ethan teaches him how to shoot a gun. It might be a stretch (it is a bit of a stretch, I admit), but a gun often, especially in horror, alongside a knife, represents manhood and masculine power. Victor allows Ethan to touch him and encourages him to show off with the gun, which is a scene all too familiar from many other movies where the role of Victor is reserved for a woman and the interaction is flirtatious (can't pull examples out of thin air, but if you saw over 1400 movies like me you know I'm not lying). All this adds to the general image of Victor.

The Creature and Victor, when they are on a walk, have a very revealing conversation in which the Creature points out how quick Victor was to grow attached to his more perfect man, and Victor doesn't deny it, he admits that he did in fact feel affection towards Proteus, although the meaning of it as the scorned past partner expressing jealousy over the love he didn't get while someone else did is largely subtext. When the Creature says that he's lonely, Victor answers 'I cannot love you' (paraphrase, because I can't find the exact quote right now) and the Creature, disillusioned, mocks him, 'I do not want what you cannot give' suggesting that Victor, by making himself a meek obedient man, is selfish, cruel, manipulating, and a coward, therefore could not have loved Proteus truly. Then again, Victor cannot bring himself to love his original Creature, because he's not the ideal man he envisioned and by then the Creature being too aware of his flaws of character. The Creature/Caliban/John Clare knows that Victor is 'monstrous', not just because he's someone who desecrates dead bodies, plays God and abandons his creation, but because of his queer desire. It's important that in the case of Penny Dreadful 'monstrosity' signifies many different things, literal (being a vampire werewolf, witch, and so on), metaphorical (bad deeds, like letting your son die a horrible death, cheating, killing etc.) and wholy subjective, merely condemned by ignorant society (Sembene's blackness, Brona's sex work, Lily's want to be equal or greater than men, Vanessa's want for sexual freedom, the Creature's ugliness, Angelique being transgender and other cases), so it's NOT that much of a stretch this time.

We also have the whole problem with Lily. Victor is so attached to Lily (who takes up both Elizabeth's and creature's bride parts in the novel) because he believes that only by possessing a good woman he'll be redeemed for his 'sinful' desires, but he's foolish to think that. This belief reduces a woman to a semi-maternal, semi-virginal angelic ideal with no sexual urges or agency, like virgin Mary. Lily is a true replacement for Victor's mother, and his imagined redemption. As long as she's similar to Proteus, in that she's not sexual, and pure like an angel. Yet Lily is not a woman in that sense. She is another of Victor's creatures, so she partially also takes over the role of the original Creature from the novel, a male. She's not an ideal of a Victorian obedient wife, she has power, or tries to have it, but power in the context of patriarchal society is masculine by nature. The moment she drops her pretenses of a weak delicate wife-like girl Victor does not want her like this. He doesn't want a woman that is sexually liberated, because he doesn't like women in this way, and yet, by being similar to the first Creature (from Victor's perspective, from hers John Clare is similar to Victor-a man, I could delve into Brona's sexuality, but later, this thing is already way longer than I intended) she's 'the man' he wanted.

There is also Henry. Henry Jekyll takes the role of his namesake in the novel, Henry Clerval, Victor's closest friend, and a character most often cited to have homoerotic tension with Victor. It's true that some of the eroticism might be accidental, stemming from the prevalence of homosocial interactions in 'Frankenstein' which in turn is a result of misogynistic nature of 19th century Genevian society and in-novel universe reflecting it, but like I mentioned before, it still feeds into the queer reading of the text and translates beautifully into Jekyll and Victor being both extremely misogynistic towards Lily and their mutual homoerotic tension. In the scenes where Henry purposes his plan to Victor he practically seductively purrs it into his ear, Lily becomes merely a female buffer that allows for that interaction, a female presence which is an excuse for male closeness (here I have a couple of examples actually: Dead Ringers, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Scream (in a roundabout way, through murder) and a couple others, but that deserves its own article). I won't even mention more references to the novel, because that's a lot already.

Penny Dreadful, although I believe largely unintentionally, expands on what is already there through the changes it introduces in relation to the novel's plot. I have nothing else smart to say, I just think it's worth considering.

*I use the word 'queer', because that's the umbrella term we use in academic writing for years now and even our lgbt+ group at university is called 'queer', so don't come at me with stupid takes

There’s been a recent uptick in posts claiming that “c!Wilbur is a worse villain than c!Dream” or that he’s “more manipulative” and it’s made me think a lot about just....how villainized Wilbur is? Because while he has done bad things, I’ve seen people just making things up or projecting onto him and making him just. so much worse than he is in canon. 

Again, this is all about the characters in the Dream SMP roleplay and are not the actual people. 

Let’s go over the bad things Wilbur is accused of doing. These are arguments I have actually seen people use and defend with their whole chest. 

1. Created a nation. 2. Sell drugs. 3. Talk about rigging an election. 4. Was a dick. 5. Blew up a nation. 6. Died. 7. Manipulation. 8. Neglectful dad. 9. Child soldiers. 10. Dictator. 11. “Threw a fit” over losing. 

Let’s talk about these and break them down a little. Another disclaimer, this isn’t trying to excuse any hurt that Wilbur has caused, because his actions did cause harm, but this is trying to explain and add context to things that are often taken out of context or just wholly misinterpreted.

1. A common argument for why this makes Wilbur evil is that he “stole Dream’s land.” But like...no. L’Manberg was created on untouched land where no one was living, and had a combined area smaller than Purpled’s garden. Dream, until he declared war, didn’t even care about them making their nation. 

I’m also including in here the claim that he “turned Dream into a villain.” ....What are you talking about. Before Wilbur was even on the server, Dream was part of the disc war, where he stole Tommy’s discs, and then kept perusing them even after the initial conflict ended, including griefing Tommy’s lawn. Before war was declared, Dream and his friends kidnapped and killed Tubbo and Tommy. Dream then also declared war on a peaceful nation (Wilbur said “if they try to declare war we will just say ‘no’”). None of that was in any way forced by Wilbur. Dream made his decisions on his own. Just because someone comes in and says “hey you suck,” doesn’t mean you have to actually suck. Dream made his own decisions, and his decision was to become a villain. 

2. Potions (drugs) are an infinite resource in Minecraft and everyone uses them. This is a stupid argument. 

3. Some people act like he actually did rig the election but...he didn’t. He definitely could have! Quackity wasn’t a citizen of L’Manberg, Wilbur could have banned him from the election easily, especially since his running mate was a previous enemy of L’Manberg. But he let him run, and then he let Fundy and Schlatt run as well. The worst he did here was talk about doing something bad. Also the reason he was trying to consolidate power wasn’t just for the sake of having power. There was, at the time, a civil war going on, and Wilbur tried to stop it but no one listened to him. He wanted the power to be able to protect his citizens and stop a war. 

4. Being a dick is not evil.

5. This is by far the worst thing Wilbur did, and though it hurt a lot of people emotionally, it really wasn’t as bad as everyone says it was. Though the explosion caused property damage, it only destroyed the podium and some of the walkway. People’s actual houses- Manifoldland, Niki’s bakery- were totallu untouched. No one even died in the explosion- the worst thing that happened was Quackity being blown back, but he landed in water. (This isn’t to say that characters shouldn’t be hurt by this! Wilbur betrayed them and definitely hurt them, but people acting like the 16th was worse than Doomsday and also blaming Wilbur for Doomsday even though he was dead is weird.)

There’s also the claim that Wilbur blew it up for the sole purpose of hurting people, which is easily disproved by just...watching a Wilbur stream. Like seriously, stop trying to do analysis on Wilbur if you haven’t even watched his streams. Wilbur had multiple chances to blow everything up, but when he had the choice between blowing it up and hurting people or not hurting people and not blowing it up, he chose the latter every time. At the festival, while Tubbo was trapped on the stage, he stopped going for the button. When Tommy and Quackity were in the button room which would have exploded if he pressed it, he refused. Also I’m gonna use the Reddit post that’s confirmed canon again- Wilbur blew up L’Manberg because he saw how much power it had, and he saw how it hurt people. He tried to destroy it to save everyone from the pain and conflict caused by the nation. He didn’t think they would rebuild. 

6. This one is the one that actually makes me angry. Because guys....Wilbur’s death was a suicide. If Phil wasn’t there, Wilbur would have done it himself- he had been planning to do it himself for months, as there was originally TNT in the button room that would have killed him with the explosion. The reason it makes me angry is because suicide is an extremely serious topic. Characters and the fandom framing it as “Wilbur left or abandoned them” is an ableist take that enforces the stereotype that suicide is a “weak” option or that it’s “running away.” 

There’s also people that will villainizing him for “forcing Phil to kill him” but while I empathize with Phil and realize it was a stressful situation, Phil very much made his own decisions here too. Wilbur didn’t force Phil to kill him, he asked him a few times and then Phil did it. 

7. Again, this is not an attempt to excuse, but an attempt to explain. So first of all, people try to claim that Wilbur was manipulative from the beginning. This is false. Persuasion and making sure someone is “loyal to a cause” is not manipulation. And then Pogtopia- he’s never manipulative in Pogtopia, again, he is only persuasive. I have a longer post that goes into more detail, so definitely check that out. After he is revived, he is definitely guilt tripping Tommy in his most recent stream, but (again, not an excuse) it’s clearly from his desperation to not be alone anymore after 13 years of near constant isolation. 

I’ve also seen claims that Wilbur manipulated Techno and that Techno didn’t know they were planning on starting another government, but this is easily disproven by the fact that Wilbur said multiple times that they’re “taking back L’Manberg” and that he wants to be it’s “rightful ruler” again while Techno was in vc. What about that implies they’re not going back to the government. 

Also since this is relevant- he never manipulated Niki. He was always kind and caring with Niki, even through his mental breakdown. He wasn’t able to bring her into Pogtopia at first, but he talked to her and made sure she’d be okay there (and she said yes!), he offered his life for hers at the festival before hitting people around them and yelling at her to run, she was the first person he gave Blue to, he gave her an inspirational speech and showed her the fox that had been left for her, she was one of the few things Ghostbur remembered. He betrayed and hurt her, but it was not manipulation.

Gonna combine this with this point also but Wilbur was not in any way abusive. A lot of people in this fandom for some reason equate “unhealthy relationship” with “abuse”, especially after the exile arc. Wilbur and Tommy’s relationship, while unhealthy, was not abusive. Please learn the difference. 

Also, if you’ve ever said that “Wilbur gaslit anyone” or that Wilbur is “insane” I want you to define those terms for me right now. No looking anything up. Tell me what they mean. Do it.  

8. What about any of Wilbur and Fundy’s dynamic implies any kind of neglect. No, seriously, where did this take come from. Wilbur was canonically overbearing and he babied Fundy. While it definitely wasn’t the best relationship, it definitely wasn’t neglectful. The only times in canon we’ve seen Wilbur be separated from Fundy was when he was exiled and Fundy cheered while he was shot and killed, when Fundy disowned him in front of their enemy, and when he committed suicide. Even before his death, when they were still on rocky terms, Wilbur stepped forward to defend Fundy from Schlatt in the van. 

9. This take is irrelevant. Child soldiers don’t matter. For one, this is Minecraft. Every single person has equal opportunities. Anyone can become powerful no matter what age they are as long as they grind enough. For another thing, at the beginning part of the roleplay no one was trying to make a long serious story about war and trauma, it was just some friends fucking around and fighting each other. Wilbur also revealed that while writing the Revolution arc that he headcanoned Tommy and Tubbo to be about 20- we know these ages aren’t correct because they’ve been reffered to by their irl ages in lore- but it shows that the “these are children” plot point was added way later- no one mentions it at all in season 1. It doesn’t matter. 

10. This is directed at one person. You know who you are. 

A dictator is defined as “one holding complete autocratic control : a person with unlimited governmental power.” Wilbur didn’t have control. That’s the whole reason for the election. It literally takes one google search to prove you wrong. 

11. There’s a difference between “losing” and “being unfairly exiled by your political opponent who is now declaring himself emperor.” Wilbur was totally fine with losing. He said during the election that he was fine with Quackity winning, and when they actually did lose, though he wasn’t happy about it, he encouraged Tommy to calm down and told him “We’re citizens tonight.” He only “threw a fit” after he was thrown out of the nation he built by someone who immediately declared himself emperor. 

So in conclusion, Wilbur Soot is an antagonist, but he is villified way beyond canon and I’m getting tired of some of these takes that I see over and over again that are easily disproved by just using critical thinking skills. 

This is most of the takes I’ve seen- some I haven’t even dignified with a response because of how clear it is that someone is just lying to try and excuse someone else’s actions- but if anyone has anymore they’ve seen that they want me to talk about, my ask box is open. 

Seeing people genuinely believe c!Wilbur Soot’s trauma-dump was done simply to “manipulate” c!Ranboo to open up to him is kind of.. interesting?  Also, I believe it gives him too much credit. Yes, I do believe he has actually influenced and manipulated people, a recent example being how he got c!Tommy to join him instead of Quackity in Las Nevadas.

“Look Tommy- look at me. I’m-I’m not going to stop you man but you’re- I’ll be honest with you, you’re all I’ve got...” [Wilbur, A Deck of Cards with a Green Smile on Them]

This sentence, does in fact ring true, as Wilbur currently has no one beside him except for Tommy, but it was said to successfully influence him in order for Tommy to choose him over c!Quackity but unlike how the fandom seems to see him- no, not every single interaction he takes is “mansplain manipulate, malewife” some of it is,,, actually genuine. Shocker. Many people I’ve seen seem to place him on the same level of evil as c!Dream, or close to it. Yes, he has done fucked up things, but his fucked up things were mostly due to his paranoia and deteriorating mental health, and alongside those bad things, he has also done moderately good things not for him to “gaslight gatekeep girlboss” the people around him, but because he is a person, unlike Dream, who has been pure malice. 

His conversations with Ranboo went as follows:

Ranboo: “...And then I also think- just you know- you can- you know - I think you’re an alright person....”

Wilbur: “Why?”

[Healthy Competition, Timestamp: 35:05 - 35:15]

Wilbur immediately stops here and is genuinely surprised by the idea of someone thinking of him in a remotely positive light.   

“Can I be real with you man? I think I scare people.” [ Wilbur, Healthy Competition, Timestamp: 36:32 - 36:39 ]

The breakdown that follows this conversation was clearly not planned by c!Wilbur. This is the closest he’s ever been to actually opening up to people about his issues. 

“....I’m going to stop psychoanalysing now. Let’s- Let’s [pause] Ranboo how’d you feel about thievery?” [Wilbur, Healthy Competition] 

He immediately completely changes the subject, and moves on to different tasks after this. 

Wilbur clearly believes that he remains firmly unlovable for fair reasons, and he genuinely does want to change, as seen from his reaction to what Ranboo said about him. Up till here, i think he has no ulterior motive. I think it was a little “bonding moment” with Ranboo, a little similar to his relationship with Tommy. He did not use his breakdown as a manipulation tactic, it was quite the opposite.  I believe if he wanted to actually manipulate him, he wouldn’t have been so reluctant to start this burger van business with Ranboo beforehand either.

A conversation I had with someone was them saying it was done to find out about Ranboo’s weak spots. I believe Wilbur did not need to open himself up to do so. He already understood what the kind of person Ranboo already was. His first interaction with Ranboo shows this already. He had no need for Ranboo to do anything other than share his resources, which he already was doing. This breakdown did not exploit, or convince Ranboo- he was already, and Wilbur was well aware of this. It was unintentional, and genuine.

What he did after that, though, I think were all tests, of sorts, starting from how comfortable Ranboo would be with him stealing Las Nevadas’ cows and then getting him to break the glass and blow up part of Las Nevada’s restaurant, I think parallels how Wilbur got Tommy to bring stacks upon stacks of stone to him. He wanted to test how far they’d both go to execute his orders. And they both had the same answer - quite far.

 His idea of relationships has been severely warped, which goes back to the very beginning of L’manburg, where he’d get Tommy to call him  President even after being exiled, and wanting to be the higher ground as he and Tommy argued during A Deck of Cards with a Green Smile on them. He clearly does care, but he fundamentally always seems to have relationships where he is the higher ground. I think this stems from his own idea of him only having worth when he’s actually useful, which can be seen from his interaction with Quackity during A Deck of Cards with a Green Smile on Them.

 One thing that stood out to me was in timestamp 35:45, where he opens up his inventory and hovers his mouse over the stack of TNT. This was the foreshadowing of what was to happen at the end, where Ranboo blew up part of Las Nevadas’ restauraunt. 

At the end, the conversation was not manipulation, it was “”bonding””, paired with Wilbur’s fucked up ideas of relationships.

posting about van again . . . i had a lot of fun filling this out, if his issues with memory and the fact that true form van basically has an entirely different personality made some of them a challenge. more info under the cut! template is by @/slashesotron, blank here !

- Ageless ancient being, but if you ask Van if you meet him in the club or somewhere a little more buzzing with human activity, he’ll tell you that he’s thirty. 

- It’s not that he doesn’t remember that he’s not human, but more that the details are fuzzy the longer he stays around mortals and away from the woods and the forest. Van is very fond of mortal invention and creativity when he’s surrounded by it; and in his True Form is practically incensed by it when he’s taken his sweet conquest to his favourite place in the world and remembered just how much mortals have fucked up the world around them. At least. That’s what he’d like you to believe. 

- He doesn’t remember exactly what he does to the people who make the mistake of coming with him into the forest; he just feels wistful about being alone again. True Form Van, though, remembers everything that mortal glamour Van has done and said and won’t hesitate to use that against his victim/captive. Occasionally, Mortal Glamour Van develops an intense affection for a person, and does all that is in his power to stop them going into the forest with him . . . even if that means keeping them prisoner. 

- He’s not a killer, exactly; he prefers to . . . remind mortals just how impermanent they are, and make them suffer the way they’ve made the world around them suffer. It’s also worth noting that if he drags you with him into the fae courts, time doesn’t quite pass, and you have an eternity of torture ahead of you. Fae creatures tend to like keeping pets, and Van is highly respected by other fair folk. You’ll wish he killed you instead. 

- (In fact, his ‘propensity for Lima Syndrome’ is very much a ‘likelihood of him developing an affection for his captive and wanting to keep them as a much favoured pet. )

- Faerie weaknesses that he has include a weakness to iron (managing to chain up or restrain True Form Van with iron will rob him of a lot of strength; non-true form/mortal glamour Van will just react to it by breaking out and itching as if he’s allergic), the need to follow/obey anyone who knows and uses his full/true name (he does have a true name; it’s not included in the template because . . . well), and an inability to lie. He just has to talk in pretty words. He’s very good at manipulation in his True Form, and just kind of shy and awkward and not good at talking at all in mortal glamour. 

- Unfortunately his weaknesses come with weaknesses for you, too; if you say ‘thank you’ to him, you’re indebted for life. If you’re impolite, he’s enraged. If you tell him your full name, he can control you. In True Form he’s charismatic and almost impossible to ignore and he finds it very easy to make you dance with him or lead you into a faerie ring or give you something to eat in the fae court so you’re trapped there forever. 

- He doesn’t see what he does as ‘morally correct or morally incorrect’ - he merely sees it as something that he does. He is not ‘bound by your mortal morals’. In much the same vein, his lack of self-control is off the charts because . . . why would he need to control himself? True Form Van only comes out properly in the forest where he’s on familiar terrain and nigh-on unbetable, and mortal glamour Van is conflict-averse. 

The heist p.1 ♕ yandere!OT7

▎ 18+ ▎ pairing: yandere!bankrobbers!OT7xbankclerk!y/n ▎ genre: smut, yandere ▎ word count: 3.2k ▎ warnings: smut, yandere, death threat, guns, cursing, manipulation, possessive behaviour, oral (f receiving), fingering, mouthfucking, unprotected sex with multiple men, kidnapping, future stockholm syndrome esque themes. Original idea by @lovesexyprettythings​ , thank you for letting me write this in my own style. ♥ Seven men, one dream. To be rich, without having to work a day longer in their lives. Solution? A bank heist. They were just lucky to find a new plaything in the midst of it.

The plan was carefully perfected. Nothing could go wrong.

There were seven of them, all hungry for money and luxuries, but they were done with society and it's standards. Working wasn't an option, especially not when this seemed so easy.

Their plan was bulletproof, fault free. Ready for execution. Only four of them would be going inside of the bank, while two would be waiting in a van outside, ready for pickup.

The last one, the brain behind the entire plan, would stay behind at their safehouse, monitoring the entire heist, hacking into the systems through his computers.

''Get into position, boys. I'm temporarily disabling their power systems in 3...2...'' Namjoon's voice echoed in their in-ear communicatirs, and at the last second, the entire building goes dark, alarms disabled and electricity shut down.

The four men went in, the one in front waving for his men to follow. They kept their weapons hidden, but within reach and ready. However, they were strictly told by Namjoon to never kill, unless absolutely necessary. Some men agreed to this more than others, but orders were orders. And they could not afford to mess this up for simple thirst for blood.

They run into an obstacle, a woman standing in their way.

You.

You were a hardworking bankclerk who was seated inside of your office when the electricity was shut down. You tried to navigate towards the power office to fix the electricity, using the flashlight of your phone to see where you're going, but was abruptly stopped when you crashed your face into the chest of a man who barely moved from the force of your thud.

''A-ah, I'm sorry, I-'' You stuttered, looking up to see the face of the man, but it was covered by a mask, eyes shining red through his infrared glasses.

You were startled, trying to scream, ''mmpfh!'' But was quickly silenced as the man forcefully pinned you against the wall with his body, one hand covering your mouth.

''Shush, baby... We wouldn't want anybody to know that I'm here, do we?'' Hoseok whispered with an amused voice into your ear, his breath hot against your skin,

''Now be a good girl, and tell me what I want to hear, hm?''

You were afraid, feeling the rush of adrenaline and fear flow through your spine, but at the same time, this rush was exciting. Your day to day life was nothing but ordinary, boring, and even if this was possibly a threat to your life, you felt more alive than ever at this very moment.

Struggling, you were trying to get him off of you, shoving against his body to no avail. He was at a great advantage in both height and strength compared to you.

Hoseok's eyed your body from top to bottom as he easily held you in place, his gaze roaming your every curve that he was able to see from this angle. Licking his lips, he leaned in closer as he inhaled a deep breath, smelling the mild perfume that you always wear.

''Hobi!'' A new, younger yet stronger voice caught the attention of the man pinning you, ''We aren't here to fool around, get the fuck off of her and help us, will you?!''

''Y-yes, JK...'' Hoseok sighed, withdrawing himself from your body, apparently this JK guy had more power within this group. The sudden loss of the pressure from his body giving you an easier time to breathe.

Your eyes quickly traveled over to the other man in the room, feeling a shiver run down your spine at his intense, intimidating stare. You were unable to utter a word, scared to trigger any of these men. You swallowed tightly, the noise of your swallow a tad bit too loud in the quiet room.

What was he doing? Was he gonna kill you?

This is it.

Your couldn't control your trembling body, fear rushing through you, your eyes staring down at the floor to avoid their gazes as Jungkook stepped closer to you. Hoseok still held you in place with his strong hands.

When JK stopped in front of you, all you could look at was the combat boots he was wearing.

''You can keep a secret for us, can't you, kitten?'' Jungkook said with an amusent tone to his voice. You looked up at his face, only to notice that he'd taken off his mask, his intense eyes now looking right through you.

He was incredibly handsome, with a strong, defined jawline and dark curls framing his almost otherworldy face, making your heart skip a beat even in these circumstances.

The electricity was back, but the alarms were still off, so you could get a proper look at him. You noticed the scar on JK's cheek, a vague flaw to his almost harmless eyes, reminding you that he was anything but harmless.

You nodded at his question, another tight swallow followed. He frowned, his large, calloused hand grasped your jaw to force you to look at him properly.

''Use your words, kitten. Answer me. Can you?''

''Y-yes...'' You croak out weakly.

''Good girl.'' He chuckled darkly, a wicked amused tone to his voice. Something about his voice and dominance made your body heat up several degrees. Being at their mercy was turning you on.

Jungkook kept his grasp around your jaw as he smiled wickedly,

''Yes, what?''

You let out a shaky breath, your eyes wide and confused as they flickered between Jungkook and Hoseok, both staring at you with playful smiles. Without thinking, you just answered with the first thought that hit you,

''Y-yes, sir...?''

Jungkook lets the pads of his fingers smooth the skin of your jaw as he lets go, a satisfied smile curling on his lips,

''What a good babygirl... And they keep such a well behaved, pretty girl like you hidden in the back office,'' He paused and looked you up and down, his tongue prodding the inside of his cheek in thought, ''If you promise that you'll be a good, obedient girl I will let you live.... But if you're a bad girl,'' Another pause followed as he caressed the gun poking out of his backpocket, ''I don't mind putting a bullet straight through that pretty little skull of yours..''

Your eyes widen, stomach dropping in fear as you feel tears well up in your eyes, ''Please–''

Jungkook silences you by stepping closer again, crouching down until he's eye level with you. His wide stare was piercing through your very being, and the following smile on his face made little wrinkles appear in the corners of his eyes. He's way too beautiful,

''Shh, baby... You don't want to die, do you?''

You shake your head frantically, the tears are now escaping to roll down your cheeks, eyes pleading with him as you ramble out your words,

''Please, please, I p-promise!... Please don't kill me, I'll do anything you want, I'll be a good girl, I–''

Jungkook reaches out to swipe away your tears, hushing you,

''I knew you'd be a good girl. Now come with me.''

On wobbly legs, you follow behind Jungkook, with Hoseok following closely behind you. He leads you to the big safe of the bank.

This safe was impossible to open, only staff was able to open it.

That's where you came in handy.

You looked around, noticing the building felt empty, so you were urged to ask this question,

''What did you do to everyone else?''

''They're taken care of. Bound, but unharmed. The police hasn't been alarmed as of yet.'' He chuckled as you both walked up to the door.

You gasped when you felt Hoseok pressing his gun against your back from behind,

''Open it.''

The two men waited as you pressed in the code on the pad after scanning your fingerprints, and the door finally clicks open as a green light appears.

Jungkook pushes the door open, running inside as he puts down the bags the brought with a thud, starting to fill it up with all the money he could possibly grab.

Hoseok orders you to stand in the corner of the room where they could keep an eye on you before he does the same, helping Jungkook to fill the bags with all their upcoming riches.

''We're really doing it, JK!'' Hoseok sings out.

Jungkook remains focused at this task, ''Let's celebrate when we're actually done here.'' He looks over at you, ''Stay.''

They finish loading the bags, hiding them by the backdoor where Jimin and Taehyung will grab them and load up the back of the van.

''All done here?'' Jimin asks as he throws the bags inside of the van.

Jungkook shakes his head,

''Almost done, we will be out soon. Just one more treasure left.'' Jungkook stares at you with a smirk as he says it, glancing over at Hoseok.

Hoseok instantly knew what JK meant, a smirk on his lips as well as he licks and bites his lower lip.

Jungkook looks back at Jimin & Taehyung,

''Take the money and jewelry back to the safehouse, then come pick us up with a different car. They won't find us easily this way.''

Taehyung nods, quickly rushing over to the drivers seat, Jimin closing the backdoors before jumping into the passenger side. They drive off, and Jungkook gestures for Hoseok to follow him back inside to the safe.

To their last treasure.

You.

Jungkook & Hoseok stride in, a smirk on both of their faces.

''We have plenty of time together, kitten.'' Jungkook announces.

''And you've been looking absolutely delicious all night.'' Hoseok adds with a grin.

''N-no, dont...'' You barely get your words out, sounding weak, lifting your arms up as if to protect yourself. Jungkook smiles, grabbing your wrists to remove them from your face as he crouches in front of your sitting stature.

Jungkook leans in closer, his face barely inches from your trembling lips,

''Didn't you say that you'd do anything? Hmm? You promised...''

He almost looked disappointed, a crease between his eyebrows when he frowned, ''Good girls don't lie, do they? Are you a bad girl?''

You shook your head, ''N-no, I'm... good..''

Hoseok chuckled, catching your attention. He was still wearing his mask, but his body looked incredible from what you could see. And Jungkook was so handsome.

''Be a good girl for us and spread your legs, and let us play with you. We promise that you'll love it. What do you say?'' Hoseok's tone was playful, and convincing.

And, it's not like you had a choice. They weren't afraid to put a bullet in your brain if necessary. At least.. that's what they said.

You nodded, biting your lower lip as you stood up with Jungkook's help, your hands slowly reaching down to pull your skirt up for them.

Jungkook takes a step back to admire the view, giving quick, meaning glances to Hoseok whom quickly raises his eyebrows in their unspoken communication, licking his lips at the view of your panties and thighs being revealed.

Hoseok quickly gets rid of the mask covering his face, shoving it down into his pocket before dropping to his knees in front of you.

You silently cheer, as odd as it seems in this situation, for the fact that both of these men are absolutely drop dead gorgeous.

''She's already so wet, JK, shit–'' Hoseok announces from below as he rips your lingerie off, wasting no time in diving his tongue between your soppy folds, tasting and lapping up your juices like a starved man.

Jungkook is busy from above, standing next to you and swallowing every single one of your moans and whimpers into his own as he kisses you hungrily, his tongue forcing its way into your mouth to lick your teeth and tongue.

''Such a dirty, dirty girl... Letting herself be so easily subdued by two bankrobbers, knowing they're gonna fuck her so good, hm? Hard to resist us?'' Hoseok says as he keeps lapping at your cunt.

Jungkook smirks into the kiss from Hoseok's words.

Hoseok withdraws from your pussy to look up at the two of you, his lips and chin completely glistening with your arousal,

''Just look at this shit, JK... Her pussy is dripping, so needy for us to fuck her already.''

Jungkook stops kissing you, crouching down to take a good look at your cunt. He nods, glancing over at Hoseok before picking up his phone from his backpocket,

''Let me call Jimin & Tae over. It wouldn't be fair not to let them enjoy this as well.... But, I'll be the first one to use her.'' He smirks as he presses the phone to his ear, watching as Hoseok spreads your pussy with his thumbs.

''You guys better come over, we found a needy plaything that wants so, so much attention.'' JK hangs up, just at the same second as you were getting impatient,

''P-please, do something... I can't wait anymore..'' You whimper.

Jungkook smirks, already working on the belt of his pants, pulling them down below his hips, just enough for him to be able to pull his cock out to fuck you.

''What a needy girl we found, huh?'' Hoseok mused.

''You're absoutely right, hyung.'' Jungkook agreed, his hand smoothing up your thigh before his fingers reach your soppy cunt, pushing his fingers inside of you to gather your arousal. He pulls his fingers back out of you before you could feel any pleasure from them, using the gathered wetness to spread it over his length along with spitting on it, making sure it's properly lubed up for you.

He strokes his cock to full erection before pushing you up against the wall, one leg held up by the back of your knee and the other hanging freely, his strength enough to hold your smaller frame up.

He aligns himself with your dripping, aching pussy before pushing inside of you without warning, the burning stretch of his girth making you cry out in pain and pleasure. Your pent up need for them had you already close to cumming, whining and whimpering out 'yes' over and over as a chant as Jungkook pistons his hips into you with rigorous strength.

All the other guys had joined in to watch as Jungkook fucks you with animalistic hunger, and Jimin leans over to the other men with a snicker, ''He must have been starved of a good fuck for quite a while.''

Jungkook keeps fucking into you, low grunts and moans rolling off his lips as he finally stills his movements when he cums, releasing all of his thick, hot cum inside of you. You gasp, the feeling of his cock throbbing so fucking amazing.

Your legs were trembling, breath heavy as Jungkook beckons the others to come closer, gathering around the two of you,

''You were such a good girl for me, kitten.... But now show me how good you can be for the others as well.''

He pulls himself out of you, letting you drop down to your knees on the floor, a hot mess already. Jungkook takes a step back, hand back to stroke his cock to the scene he's about to witness.

''Show her a good fucking time, guys.'' Jungkook groans as he touches himself slowly, Taehyung joining in on simply enjoying the show with his eyes fixed on you.

You swallow tightly with a gulp, already tired but still excited for what's coming you way, your heart pounding heavily as if it's gonna beat out of your chest.

''Fuck, yes, finally!'' Jimin exclaims as he unbuckles his belt quickly, Hoseok doing the same. Hoseok swiftly forces you onto all fours on the floor, but Jimin just as quickly shoves Hoseok out of the way to claim his spot between your legs, aligning his cock with your cunt before pushing his length into you, one hand surprising you with a harsh smack.

You cry out a loud moan, the people bound in a different room probably able to hear your cries, scared and unknowing of the situation.

Jimin laughs wickedly as he thrusts his hips with precise movements, ''What a dirty slut, she loves this! She probably fucking loves the position she's in right now!''

Hoesok was impatient, instead positioning himself by your mouth as he pushes his cock against your lips, ''Suck on it, babygirl.''

You obey, taking his cock into your mouth, the momentum of Jimin's rough thrusting forcing you to take Hoseok's cock deep down your throat, your body rocking back and forth between them as they both fuck both of your holes.

''She's so bad, probably the worst out of all of us for getting off on this. She's letting us use her like a fucking toy while everyone else is trembling in fear for their lives!'' Hoseok laughs mockingly.

''And here she is, getting her holes fucked by the very robbers themselves!'' Jimin chimes in with a sadistic giggle, another harsh smack landing on your ass as he keeps fucking into you rougher, faster chasing his high.

''Are you enjoying this, kitten?'' Jungkook moans from where he's watching, seeing the way your body jiggles and bounces sinfully for them is shameless.

You close your eyes, muffled moans escaping your throat as Hoseok fucks it, wet and sloppy and he groans in pleasure.

''Maybe she's falling for us!'' Jimin mocks, his voice strained and heavy as he moans out loud when his hips stutter as he cums inside of your cunt, mixing his cum with Jungkook's.

Hoseok grabs your hair, forcing you to swallow when he cums down your throat with a guttural moan vibrating in his chest, ''F-fuckk shes so good!''

They both pulled out of you, leaving you a hot mess of cum, sweat and your own juices as you laid down on the floor with a thud. All men stood up, putting their pants back on properly and running their hands through their hair, looking as if nothing just happened.

Taehyung stared down at you, then back up at the others.

''So, what do we do with her?''

Jimin smiled, his eyes disappearing into the shapes of crescent moons, ''I like her a lot, we should bring her back for Yoongi, Namjoon & Jin to enjoy!''

Hoseok agrees, ''They would fucking love her.''

Jungkook grabs you into his arms, fixing your outfit before carrying you bridal style, ''Let's take her then, she's ours from now on.. I want to play with her more.''

They sneaked out into their civil car, driving off just in time before the cops came to the bank, and made it back to their safehouse.

Yoongi opened the door, moving away for the boys to walk inside, but his eyes widen as he sees Jungkook stride in with you in his arms.

''Who the fuck is that?'' Yoongi frowned.

Jungkook put you in their bed, and Yoongi followed the boys to watch your sleeping body.

''It's our new plaything, we brought her for you guys to try out.'' Jungkook announced.

''Yeah!'' Jimin hugged Yoongi, a smirk playing on his lips, ''Her pussy feels fucking heavenly... Let's give her a rest, then she's all yours.''

You were definitely gonna wake up to some fun.

© sombreboy 2020. Do not edit, repost or translate.

The Life and Times of TommyInnit

Summary: Tommy was born into a loving family. He dies long before he should have with no-one there to help him.

Warnings: Death, abuse, manipulation, violence

Tommy is born into a loving family. He has grandparents, an abundance of aunts and uncles, not to mention even more cousins. All of them ready to welcome the newest member of their family with affection. In the first week or two of his life, a number of his neighbours from their village make brief visits too. When he learns to walk then subsequently run, his father prepares to tell him once he's older of how he regretted letting Tommy discover his legs. Permitting his son to figure out how to control his mouth and tongue in a way that forms words is something else he will one day jokingly claim he shouldn't have done either. If the little boy isn't playing with nearby cousins or local children his age, he is making himself heard. Most of the time, he does both. Tommy is an incredibly happy toddler. It comes to an abrupt end during the late autumn he is three. Pillagers arrive and with them comes trouble. Both of Tommy's parents are good fighters. In a world like this where danger could appear from any dark corner, you somewhat have to be. But Tommy is far too young to have their skills imparted upon him through lessons in their garden like he was due to begin years from now. So his mother takes several supplies, grabs him and leaves him a relatively safe distance away. On a hill overlooking their village, he is handed an iron sword and instructed to stay safe while he waits. She tells him it will be all over by nightfall, that the weapon is only a precaution, that she loves him and will be back soon. A peck on the forehead is the last interaction they will ever have because unfortunately for everyone involved, these pillagers have developed a tactic to deal with those who are harder to suppress. His parents and their families before them have traveled far from a place known as Spawn. With no sufficient bed to rely on anymore, anyone who doesn't permanently fall to an arrow will be too far to interfere as it is. Night does come with no rescue for the three year old in sight. His parents are fine, they're still resisting the assault on the place they call home, but from the darkness mobs arise with the intent to harm any individual unfortunate to cross their path. Tommy is one such individual. He had been advised to make a hole in the dirt if worse came to worst but he has no time to do so when faced with the skeleton that will destroy the life he knew. When he respawns, he wakes an inconceivable distance from home. His parents will look, oh how they will search, but it will all be for naught. He will grow up with no real recollection of them and no awareness of how the initial realisation that he is truly gone causes them to crumble. By the time an 11 year old boy with a brown fringe long enough to potentially warrant a trim stumbles upon him, spring is starting to get underway. Tommy himself isn't quite sure how he managed to survive the winter months. There was a great deal of trespassing on people's property and eating whatever he could get his hands on though, he knows that. Yet here was this much older boy speaking gently, offering shelter and decent meals if Tommy trusted him enough to follow him back home. He risks allowing himself to take this chance. Besides, he's made himself into a child that's faster and more agile than a stranger would expect from someone his age, all for the sake of survival. If really necessary, he could escape back to this spot by the stream and find a new place where 'Wilbur' can't find nor hurt him. He tells himself as they walk that he's only going because he's being living in a state of perpetual hunger, cold and with an anxiety he can't place because it hasn't left him since he first respawned. Gaining a few hours' reprieve from that can't be an awful idea, right? The truth is that he is on the cusp of 4 (although he had no way of knowing this) and he needs someone to take care of him, he should not be responsible for his own survival at this age. So yes, he goes with Wilbur, meets the boy's winged father, gets handed a mushroom stew which he scarfs down too quickly for his stomach not to ache shortly thereafter before being directed to Wilbur's bed for the night where he cries because wow, this truly seems like luxury after months on the ground. Phil and Wilbur insist that he remains in their care. With nothing to lose, he doesn't say no. Before getting separated from his family, he had been an only child who hoped for his parents to give him a sibling. They hadn't, at least not by the time the raid happened. Wilbur, however, was the brother he had longed to have. Better yet, Wilbur was older so the responsibility of being the eldest fell on him rather than Tommy. He could be a nuisance and, so long as he didn't push his luck too much, he was allowed to get away with it for the most part. Phil wasn't always present as a father figure so that role subsequently fell on Wilbur as well. His brother shows him a cave in a cliff face that he'd made his secondary base for when the rations Phil had left ran too low to last however long this trip would go on for. By the time Tommy is perhaps 8 or so, once Phil has met Technoblade and chosen to make the piglin his travel companion, he and Wilbur visit that cave so often it is practically their new home. No, that place was home. With its small fireplace, the colourful beds by the wall and sign declaring it theirs positioned next to the exterior of the front door, it was where he felt most safe. That is why, when the time came for him to leave in order to see more of the world than the view from the windows, his heart was afflicted by a bittersweet pang at the sight of it. He loves Wilbur, would follow him anywhere by this point. So when he shows up on the SMP, talking about making drugs in a van and fighting to gain freedom from tyrannical oppressors, Tommy can't help but be his ever loyal right hand man. He is 16 and ready to go down with a fight. He's made friends, Tubbo especially, all of whom are in it together. Until Eret decides they do not believe in the revolution. While dealing with the aftermath, Tommy's mind refuses to stop reminding him he was the one to press the button in that dreadful room. Perhaps if he hadn't but no... rationally, he knows full well someone else, likely Eret themself, would have simply done it instead. But when has trauma ever been rational? Besides, it's hardly like Eret's betrayal has ended the conflict so he hasn't got the time to dwell on what could have gone differently. He is a teenager who is down a life yet refuses to let that stop him. He challenges Dream with no intention of forfeiting his second life. He does anyway. Then L'Manburg finally wins the right to be free so any sacrifices he's made to get to this point are internally deemed worth it. By now, Dream has stolen two of his lives, reduced him to a point he's been more mortal than anyone his age should be. Tommy has suffered fatal trauma to his head and later bled out following a fight. There's a pattern here to be seen yet he'd rather ignore it. Dream's backed off anyway so what threat would he be? The owner of this place can return to the guy who enjoys the company of his friends, separate from Tommy and his own circle of friends, once more. Tommy will stay out of his way for obvious reasons however, there is less reason to now. A part of him hopes it will stay that way. He senses something has begun to change with Wilbur during the elections, That said, he isn't entirely sure and waves it off as the consequences of Wilbur leading the war effort. His excuses are not permitted to remain for long. Schlatt wins, they sprint away from the home they made only for Tommy to be left with the task of carrying Wilbur's invisible temporary corpse before the duo settle in a ravine he'd discovered. Pogtopia is where things truly go to shit, he thinks. Or perhaps they'd already been going downhill but their exile accelerated it all. Techno grows an abundance of those stupid potatoes shortly after his arrival and Dream is promising stacks of TNT for the sake of obliterating the newly rebranded Manberg. Meanwhile, Wilbur has gone off the rails in a big way. Try as he might, Tommy can't seem to figure out what the right words or actions to get him stop are. So Wilbur deteriorates further into paranoid, pyromaniacal madness. When things get worse and he wishes, though god knows he would never allow himself to openly admit it to anyone else, that he'd never left that faraway cliff face. Wilbur has them trespass on the festival in Manberg with the intent of it being the nation's final hour. All that comes to pass is Tommy watching his best friend be executed for being a spy then listening as Wilbur cheers while Technoblade triumphs over him in a fight. In a messed up way, he is somewhat glad when mid November comes. They fight, win, witness Schlatt's pathetic demise, feel as though they can look to a better future, lose Wilbur as well as a huge chunk of land, protect themselves against Techno's withers and get left with the task of rebuilding their home. It's an eventful day which Tommy is happy to leave behind him. Although, he isn't quite so pleased to deal with its aftermath. It's... two or maybe three weeks, he believes, before shit hits the fan as it inevitably was due to once again do. It would seem that Dream wasn't satisfied with messing with people's lives from the sidelines anymore. He drives a wedge between Tommy and Tubbo with his threat of sky-high walls, as if the weak points in their friendship were always easily accessible for the purposes of exploitation. Then he's being led away to a far off location with only the ghost of his brother and the man who will immediately take advantage of the situation for company. Ghostbur is nice yet Tommy yearns for him to be different, for him to keep his disarmed personality while regaining the memories that would allow for them to resolve the pain Wilbur left him with. Whatever... it's not like he stays. Dream confuses his mind with all his assurances of friendship as he robs him of his right to property. When it finally ends (on his own terms but thankfully not the ones he was planning to go through with hours before), he attempts to find a new beginning with Technoblade. He should have known it would end badly. Everything always seem to do so nowadays. Even L'Manburg. Or should he call it something akin to L'Mancrater after the events of Doomsday? He's pleasantly surprised when he is granted the ability to sit on the bench by his house, Tubbo by his side, and listen to the discs he's fought to regain for so long. He'd nearly lost so much in that room far below the earth. Part of him wonders if it's a cruel prank, whether something will come later in the week to say 'ha, look at you getting your hopes up'. It... doesn't. He begins work on his hotel with the help of Sam Nook. The tasks come across as menial and he complains yet finds them oddly satisfying. Nook is building the actual thing but he's playing his part. It's going to be great once it's finished. He's recruited Jack Manifold to assist in running the place, Tubbo is safe in Snowchester, the Egg stuff is dumb but if he keeps his head down it will hopefully leave him alone for the most part. He's ready for closure and moving on from the pain that's been constantly inflicted upon him over the past several months. He believes the best starting point is visiting Dream in prison one last time. Just one quick trip then he can carry on with his life. Nobody, least of all himself, has any idea how much of a mistake this will be. The final days of his life, as oblivious to them being so as he is, are miserable. He does his best to stay strong, to defy Dream's attempts at worming his way back into Tommy's head with his verbal poison. Sam must be sick of him given how many times he screams to be let out already when the possibility of Sam being within hearing range arises. He hates it here. He doesn't want to look at the lava which acts as the main source of illumination, he wishes the cell was less confining, all he can taste is the starch from the potatoes. Perhaps the worst part is not knowing how far into the week he is. Then Sam, the bastard, announces it's been 7 days but due to the security breach still going unresolved, Tommy will have to hold on a little longer. An argument erupts between the inmates. It begins to get physical when the subject of Schlatt's resurrection book is brought up. He acts so confident that he will survive this hellhole, that he will endure it out of spite for Dream as well as sheer defiance alone. But in the end, he's crying, begging, pleading for Dream to stop. In the end, he's simply a 16 year old kid who is getting beaten to death by the man who has been abusing him for months with no-one there to conceivably rescue him in time. He remembers Wilbur once explaining to him that life wasn't fair. Not quite in a 'life sucks and then you die' kind of way. More like 'life isn't easy, especially not for people like us who were put at a disadvantage early on, but you persevere with your best effort since life isn't obligated to care... and then you die'. Life wasn't fair when pillagers raided his village, when he was forced to survive on his own, when the only adult figure in his life left a kid in his early teens to raise him, when he watched the man he considered a brother lose his way, when his best friend was executed in front of him, when another adult manipulated others so that he would be vulnerable to abuse and it certainly wasn't going to be fair when he wanted some semblance of closure from all the shit he was put through. He wishes he could be 7 again, back when he could easily wriggle his way into Wilbur's bed on the other side of their makeshift cliff home and be comforted without any resistance. As much as he hated it, he longs for that dumb piece of carpet in the corner where Wilbur would make him sit if he made too much of nuisance of himself. His brother used to tease him and bemoan his behaviour when he was sent there but if Tommy ever became genuinely upset, Wilbur would quickly cut it out and apologise. He misses the coziness of it and all the fond memories of him and his big brother growing up on their own terms since they were the only family the other truly had. He wishes he could be laughing with Tubbo and the rest of their friends. He knows he hasn't been the most present recently but for good reason. His brain is tired of figuring out whether he's alright and even when it's offered a chance for serotonin, it's hesitant. That day after they beat Dream and retrieved the discs, he'd been filled with so much euphoria. The stress of that day's events and the weird place Wilbur's disembodied voice had temporarily sent him to aside, he'd been happy. It had only been some 5 or so weeks ago that Tommy had been hopeful and looking forward to what came next. He had the BigInnit Hotel to return to. God knows how it's been faring in his absence. His best guess is that Jack has probably taken control temporarily which was good. He was going to leave, take a second to breathe then get right back into managing the hotel. There were so many things he planned to do once he got out. Pranks on guests, the ridiculous amount of overpricing he wished to get away with, the feeling of doing an MLG water bucket trick off the top floor... it was going to be a good time. Was supposed to, anyway. Despite everything, he has experienced happiness time and time again. He's had friends who cared and were willing to help him in their own ways. Sam had been on his side... he thinks. No, he's sure Sam has just been busy with all that was on his plate this week. He hopes so since he doesn't think he could stomach another realisation that he's placed his trust in the wrong person. Besides, Sam Nook was Sam's creation and why would he put the effort in to make something to assist Tommy if he didn't actually care at least a little bit? No, no, he feels Sam is genuinely good, he does. However, Sam's not coming. Even if he can hear the fight, the lava takes forever to drain and who knows where Sam was situated in this massive prison when he realised something was wrong. Even if Sam's attempting to stop this, there's not way he'll make it. Tommy wants to convince himself it's fine. It is not. If you're aware of them, there are a few spots around the human skull you can hit that will result in a fatal injury. And Dream, ever aware of what he's doing at any given moment, makes no attempt to avoid them for the final blow.

Maybe one where Ian and Barley have been kidnapped and they want to hurt Barley, but Ian offers himself in Barley's place so they take him instead? And while they're hurting Ian, Barley breaks free and has to go save him? (I know you've written a lot already, though, so if you want to you can delete this post.)

WARNING: Abusive relationship mentioned.

First off, I will never delete any requests unless it involves something that truly makes me uncomfortable. I'm recovering from some hospital time and I'm bored, so I really don't mind. If anything this is helping me go to sleep. I enjoyed writing this one, though! This AU character I've been working on for a minute for a different series I was thinking about uploading. I was thinking about a quest, but this one came a little easier for me to write. I hope you like it, but if you would like it changed, let me know!

Dammit, Barley thought, as he woke up with a splitting headache. When he tried to get up, he realized he was tied up. That woke him right up and he heard a groaning beside him. Ian.

He looked over and saw his little brother's forehead bleeding slightly. He tried to break free from the ropes, but couldn't. What the hell was going on? What happened last?

"Ian, are you okay?" he asked, but only got another groan. "I'll get us out of here, don't worry."

"I wouldn't be sure about that," a familiar voice said and Barley's blood ran cold. Drew. They broke up about a month prior because Drew wasn't just jealous and controlling, he was dangerous. He would hit Barley when they were arguing, threatened him, did anything to make him feel like Drew had dominance. Barley started to wonder if his mom and brother were safe when his boyfriend was around, and he knew he had to shut that down. He still had nightmares of Drew's hands on his neck when they were fighting one day and Barley was too drunk to defend himself. He hadn't drank since.

Drew was taller than Barley, but not quite as burly as him. Though he didn't look it, he was strong. He could easily overpower Barley when they fought. His dark hair was rare for an elf, and it was one of the things Barley found attractive at the beginning of their relationship.

He should have known this would come back and bite him in the ass.

"Drew, what are you doing?" he asked, trying to keep his cool. His ex came down from the stairs. A basement, Barley realized. They were definitely in a basement.

"I told you, you can't just leave me. You don't get to decide that," Drew snapped. He picked up his knife from the table nearby and put it to Barley's throat. He tried to hide his terror, but he knew he was probably failing.

Him and Ian had been driving in the van. He remembered a crash, but that was it. Did this guy hit them?

"What do you want?"

"For you to suffer, Barley. I tried to give you another chance, but you've tied my hands. I don't know when you thought you had any say so in us, but you didn't. You are nothing. You don't get to chose who loves you," Drew sneered.

"Leave him alone, you jerk," Ian snapped. When did he wake up?

"Ian," Barley said. He never liked Drew, another reason Barley had to end the relationship. He trusted his brother more than anyone.

"Well, well, if it isn't Ian. Truthfully, I had no idea you were in that van, too, but hey, work with what you have, right?" Drew laughs. His attention turned back to Barley, looking at him with cold, blue eyes that sent a chill down the oldest Lightfoot's spine.

Barley told himself this is how he would die.

"Now, Barley, as I was saying, you need to learn a lesson," Drew said, but before he could cut Barley, Ian's voice cut through everything.

"Leave him alone!" Barley never heard such confidence from Ian before. Drew turned away from Barley and focused his attention to his little brother.

"Wow, Ian, never expected this from you. Tell me, what is your goal here? Why should I spare him after everything he did?" Drew asked.

"Because," Ian paused, as if desperately trying to think of anything to save his brother, "because you can do whatever you planned on doing to him to me instead."

"Ian, no! Stop!" Barley ordered, but it was too late.

Drew's eyes fixated on his brother, then back at him. He saw the panic in his eyes. Anyone who knew Barley knew he loved his brother and mother more than anything in the world. He would take any physical punishment over something happening to Ian. And he wasn't in a position where he could act as the protector.

"You know, Ian, for a bright kid, you sure are stupid. But, we can have some fun," Drew said, finally. He cut Ian free, but before he could do anything, he grabbed a fistful of his hair and looked at Barley. "Enjoy your brother's screams, love."

"I'm going to kill you," Barley snapped. His fear faded away and was replaced with anger. He looked at Drew like the most disgusting thing in the world. "Leave him out of this."

"Where's the fun in that?" Drew teased, and then proceeded to drag Ian up the stairs. His brother tried his hardest not to show any sign of pain or weakness, but Barley could feel it anyway. It seemed like the moment that door shut, wherever they were filled with Ian's screams.

"Ian! Ian!" he called over and over. He felt tears pouring down his face, but he didn't care. Ian was in danger. He had taken Barley's punishment. He was paying for a stupid mistake Barley made. He never should have gotten with Drew. It was a fling that turned into something poisonous and deadly.

He continued to struggle with the ropes. He was so angry he felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins and he slammed his body against the other side, trying to break free. He would kill Drew.

He heard Ian cry out again and tell Drew to get the hell off him. He heard Drew tell Ian that he should prepare himself because he was just getting started.

Why the hell did he have to take Barley's place? The older looked around the room once more and noticed that Drew left some tools on the table. He probably planned on torturing Barley right here, but saw the opportunity to take Ian from him and knew that would be the worst punishment.

He managed to pull the table forward with his foot and then had to struggle and get a pair of scissors in his hand. It took awhile and Ian cried out more. Drew yelled from upstairs that he was worried about Ian losing blood. He heard him tell Ian to scream all he wanted, no one was around to save him.

"You're going to die alone and then I'm going to let your brother see what I've done. I'll tell him everything right before I kill him slower than I've killed you. I want him to relish your death," Drew said once Ian went quiet. Barley's heart raced faster and he managed to cut the rope. He grabbed the scissors and ran up the stairs. The door was locked, but he busted it down no problem. He saw Drew and Ian in a living room. Ian was covered in blood. His flannel had been taken off and revealed cuts along his body. His jeans were torn and soaked with red.

But Ian was alive. He still managed to set up, but Drew yanked him up and held the knife to his throat. He glared at Barley.

"I told you that you didn't get to leave me," he warned.

"Just leave Ian out of this. Let him go. I'll stay if that's what you want. We can be together again, just leave him alone," Barley said. He would stay here forever if it meant saving Ian's life. All he needed to do was get to the van. He had nectar from a healing flower there. He and Ian grabbed it a few weeks ago during a quest and agreed to save it for an emergency.

"You really are useless, huh? You're a shit son and horrible boyfriend and the one person left in this world that loves you and even admires you, you've failed to protect," Drew said. "I could kill him right now, you know that right? I could slit his throat and that would be that. He would be gone. Could you live with that?"

"You know the answer."

"Exactly. Yet I've been up here, putting a scar on his body for each time you rejected me," Drew said, running the knife along Ian's throat. He was barely awake and couldn't even look at Barley. The older felt like he could be sick. He wanted nothing more than to pull Ian out of this nightmare.

"Drew, please. Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it," Barley said. He resisted the urge to bring the scissors out of his pocket.

"You'd be willing to stay here to save him?"

"Yes."

Drew dropped Ian. His abuser for months on end, who manipulated him into doing things he didn't want to, who beat him on multiple occasions, who made him feel like he was absolutely nothing, approached him. For a moment, Barley felt paralyzed. Drew walked over and kissed Barley.

He looked over at Ian and again, his fear turned to rage. Within a moment that Barley found to be a blur, he brought the scissors out and stabbed his ex in the chest. He watched his eyes widen with horror and he collapsed. Then he ran to Ian.

His brother was barely breathing.

"Ian? Ian?" he shook his shoulder. The youngest opened his eyes and smiled at the sight of his brother physically unharmed.

"Barley, are you okay?"

"Really? You're worried about me?" Barley asked through the tears. Ian had been around him too long. He lifted him in his arms and got him outside. Drew towed the van with his old truck. He knew damn well Drew thought this plan out. He wanted to be sure no one knew the boys were missing. He got him to the edge of the van and cried in relief when he found the nectar in the jar without a scratch.

He kneeled beside Ian and forced him to drink. Then he held on to him, whispering how much he loved him, how brave he was and that everything was okay. After a few minutes, the wounds healed, but left several scars that Barley imagined would either be there for awhile or the rest of Ian's life.

"Barley?" the younger asked. Barley cried and hugged him again. "I'm so sorry, I just- I wanted you to be okay."

"You scared me, why would you do that?"

"I love you. I get you want to protect me, but I don't want anything to happen to you either. Especially that guy, I mean, I just wanted him away from you. I didn't care if that meant I got hurt."

"Ian, in all seriousness," Barley said, "never take my place like that again."

"Barley."

"No. I can handle a lot, okay? I can take pain, I'll get through it one way or another. But what I can't handle is someone taking you from me; I can't handle losing you," Barley cut in, his voice betraying him and cracking at the last part. He placed his hands on his shoulders. Both of them still had tears in their eyes. "I-I thought I lost you. I was so scared."

"I know what Drew did to you, Barley. I couldn't let that happen again. If the roles were reversed, we both know you would have done the same."

He pulled his brother into a tight hug. He placed a hand in his hair and held him close.

"All that matters is you're safe. He can't hurt you again."

Barley made himself a promise that he would never let anything hurt Ian again.

Nicknames: Laur, Laurie Aliases: Jonathan Legerdemain, Jean Nuit Apparent Age: “30″ True Age: 51 Gender: Cis Man Pronouns: He/Him Sexuality: Demiromantic Gray-Ace Birthday: January 6th Occupation: Occultist, Bookstore Owner Species: Vampire (Nightingale) Residence: The Vista Rosa neighborhood in Santa Marta, CA.

𝔸𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖

Height: 5′10 Build: Average height, has a sort of stereotypical “scrawny nerd” sort of build with a soft layer of fat/soft belly and not a lot of muscular definition. He has long arms and legs in comparison to his torso which makes him look taller than he actually is. Face Shape: Somewhere between an oval and a diamond, his facial features are fine and delicate with a long straight nose. Eye Color/Shape: Vibrant, unnaturally bright ocean-blue with cat-like slitted pupils. Large but set deep within his face with heavy, tired looking lids and deep dark circles which gives him a sort of permanent “resting bitch face”.  Hair Color/Style: Slate Gray. Laurent’s hair is mostly straight with a slight wave to it (2A) and usually worn tied into a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck. he has long, messy bangs that usually hang in his face. Skin Color/Texture: Very pale and desaturated with a distinct yellow undertone. He has soft skin but has a lot of small scars and marks on his hands from various occult work he did while he was still a mortal. Distinguishing Features: First off, Laurent is prematurely gray. He also has a number of tattoos (a tattoo of a magical circle for protection on his back, another protection sigil on his chest over the heart, has a tattoo of an open eye on the back of his neck). He also wears glasses. Posture: Very “proper” posture -- stands straight up but there’s that slight hunch to his shoulders that comes from hours bent over books and papers. He moves very purposefully and a little bit stiffly with quiet footsteps.  Voice: Soft and understated, with the remnants of a Quebecois accent. Laurent rarely raises his voice and his speech is usually curt and clipped, possibly even seeming rude or sarcastic at times. Clothing Style: Lots of blacks and blues with some cream and charcoal. He tends to wear comfortable clothing that could pass for being formal in most situations -- black slacks, button-downs over v-necks, turtleneck sweaters and cardigans. A lot of his looks vaguely recall the 1980s when it comes to sweater choice.  Notable Mannerisms: Scrunches his nose when he’s thinking deeply about something  but otherwise seems to not have a lot of particularly unique or defining mannerisms (almost purposefully so)

𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕤

Physical: Lockpicking, breaking and entering Social: What Social Skills? Basic etiquette, subterfuge/lying, manipulation Talents: Calligraphy, Poetry, Prose, getting in over his head Knowledges: Greek, Latin, French, currently learning German, Masters in Psychology, Traditional Magic, Ritual Magic, Sigilcraft, Herbalism Hobbies: Reading, Writing, Gardening, Cooking Special: Basic Nightingale abilities, some natural magical talent (mostly lost after becoming a vampire), spirit sight, minor precognition 

ℙ𝕤𝕪𝕔𝕙𝕖

Strengths: Clever, quick witted, tenacious, detail-oriented, good concentration, inquisitive, intuitive, dedicated, loyal, strong sense of internal morals Weaknesses: overly curious, stubborn, too smart for his own good, overly self-reflective, can be cold and emotionally distant, closed off from his emotions, rude, irritable, afraid of intimacy, standoffish, shy, just generally bad at people. Goals: To gather all the knowledge there is to be had, especially where it concerns the occult; to learn proper spontaneous magic Fears: Loss of knowledge, loss of control, true death, what lurks beneath santa marta (but not enough to stop researching it) Ideals/Morals:  Laurent is willing to do almost anything to gain knowledge but there are a few things that disgust him and he finds morally abhorrent -- like hurting children or murder (notably -- he sees a difference between killing and murder but also tries to avoid killing people as a general rule unless it’s in self-defense) Guiding Philosphies: Knowledge is Power Sense of Humor: Very dry and sarcastic. He’s definitely the person to deliver a sarcastic quip with a totally straight face and it leaves people wondering if he even has  a sense of humor. Overall Personality: Laurent is kind of a prickly bastard. He’s introverted and introspective and has very little interest in being around or talking to people. He can pretend to be polite very well (and expects others to behave in a similar way). He prefers things to be well-structured and mostly predictable, he has trouble dealing with sudden intense changes. He seems very distant and cold to most people -- utterly focused on his work over anything else.

𝕃𝕚𝕗𝕖

Best Memory: Worst Memory: Biggest Accomplishment: Prized Possessions: Favorite Colors: Favorite Foods: Favorite Scents: Favorite Songs: Can't Leave Home Without:

ℍ𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪

Birthplace: Suburbs of Montreal, Quebec Childhood: Growing up, Laurent’s parents were usually very busy, both having careers that demanded a lot of their attention. He and Louis were often left to sort of fend for themselves (classic latch-key kids). Being the more shy of the twins, Laurent often relied on Louis to make friends -- having few friends that he could consider his specifically. At around the age of 11, while playing at his neighbor’s house after school with Louis, their friend Alex and his younger sister Madeline, the four of them found a oujia board and did what any group of pre-teens would do: they turned out the lights and used it. Unfortunately for the twins, the house was old and the board itself connected to a rather angry spirit that would attach itself to Louis and scare the hell out of the other three children. This is what would start Laurent’s interest in the occult but it was what would happen the next summer that would cement it as an obsession... While playing in a local park, something that Laurent could neither identify or describe beyond “a writhing mass of eyes, grasping tendrils and eyes” would pluck Alex from the face of existence -- not only taking the 12 year old but erasing any sign that he had ever existed to begin with from the minds of everyone but Laurent. 

Adolescence: At thirteen, Laurent’s family moved to Santa Marta, California. Highschool was difficult for Laurent, who had started to go prematurely gray by the time he was 14 and was shy and bookish. He had to deal with a lot of bullying and it cemented his irritability. 

He did, however, thanks to the unique nature of Santa Marta (attracting the supernatural) manage to make friends with a Witch by the name of Martin. They’d also date for about a year in secret before both decided that it just wasn’t working. However, the pair of them were obsessed with the occult and the presence of the “Old Gods” which were present in constant whispers in Santa Marta. This is where Laurent got into most of the trouble he would as a teenager -- breaking into abandoned buildings looking for ghosts and signs of the supernatural as well as getting 100% illegal tattoos in dangerous settings (most notably, he had his protection sigil done by Martin in his basement along with the eye on the back of his neck).

Somehow, probably just due to luck, Laurent never actually got in legal trouble for any of the crazy shit he did as a teen but that luck wouldn’t last.

Adulthood: In his desperate search for occult knowledge, Laurent would end up crossing paths with a woman named Claudine -- a Nightingale who was also an accomplished occultist and a powerful witch in her own right. He would end up stealing several of her important research journals and end up becoming her “assistant” at the age of twenty-one (she normally would’ve killed him for it but was impressed by his dedication and natural skill). She would keep him on as an assistant, teaching him about the occult and preparing him for life in the Nightingale Court before finally turning him in 2000.

Recent: In 2010, Claudine would disappear suddenly -- leaving behind only a note about her own research into the “thing that lurks beneath the streets of this blighted metropolis” and pointing Laurent in a similar direction. During his training with Claudine, Laurent would run into mentions of the “Myriad Eyes” multiple times, especially when researching the occult history of Santa Marta... A phrase that he quickly came to associate with the thing that had taken his childhood friend.

Currently, he’s running a bookstore in Vista Rosa called “Eigengrau Books” and living in an apartment located above the store. 

ℝ𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕡𝕤

Family: Jean DeFantome (Father; deceased), Emily DeFantome (Mother), Louis DeFantome (twin brother; estranged) Lovers: Martin Schwartz (former), Camellia O’Friel (current) Friends: Isaac Nerezza (works at his bookstore), Claudine Legerdemain (Missing) Enemies: ??? Other: ???

ℝ𝕖𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕔𝕖𝕤

Income: Middle-class Residences: A two bedroom apartment above his bookstore. Vehicles: Black 2010 Ford Fiesta Van

Carrot Top- 16: The Choice

Woohoo! Finally another Carrot Top update! It’s been a weird thing trying to update and work on this while also wanting to keep up with Whumptober- so we’ll see how the rest of the month goes.

Tag list: @imagination1reality0 @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @thehopelessopus @burtlederp @whump-me-all-night-long

CW: manhandled, possessive whumper, messed up head space, restraints, dehumanization, just a lot of crappy manipulation and stuff going on.

Previous part can be found here. Masterlist is here.

- - -

“Now carrot top, who do you belong to?”

Andrew looked up at the man with confusion. What did he want from him? He couldn’t answer with the muzzle on, and his head hurt. His heart and chest still pounded from- from whatever it was that the man had done earlier, and it felt like he couldn’t quite breathe right. He still was unsure of exactly what his torment had been. All he remembered was being strapped to a chair and injected with- with something. Something bad.

His eyes pounded. He was so tired. Everything was close, too close that it made his eyes hurt. There was a permanent ache in his bones that seemed to flare up when he heard Splice ask the question once more.

“Who do you belong to?”

Andrew’s eyes met the man’s, and he fell forward, his head pressing into the man’s side. He closed his eyes as he felt a hand on the back of his neck.

Gasps and whispers of words echoed around him, but he couldn’t make any of them out. His head felt too jumbled for cohesive thought, other than the blaring, constant, “avoid pain” that flashed through his mind. 

“Good.” He heard Splice say. ”Now lie down.” Andrew slowly began to move and Splice clarified. “On your stomach.”

Without the use of his hands, Andrew fell, more than lied down on his stomach in front of the man. His hands were pulled from underneath him where they were bound, and moved until they were set above his head on the floor. You could visibly see the shaking in his chest as his body was wracked through with silent sobs.

Mickie couldn’t stop the tears that poured down her face as she watched the torment and humiliation that her brother was put through. What on earth had this man done in order for him to become this submissive? She didn’t think she ever wanted to know. 

Splice’s boot came down in between the chains that connected his wrists together, pinning Andrew to the floor. She heard a small whimper as the man’s other foot rested on the top of Andrew’s back near his shoulders.

“You see, there’s no point in taking him back with you. He clearly knows where he belongs.” Splice stated. He dug the heel of his boot in at the base of Andrew’s neck and a small squeak seemed to escape from his mouth through the muzzle. The boot moved down his back, to the center where lash marks and bruises were still sore. More pressure was added slowly, the heel of the shoe grinding into his back- until a groan broke through, followed by a strangled scream. 

That sound tore directly into Mickie’s chest. It burned through her and she tore herself forward out of the man’s grasp with strength she didn’t know she had. She launched herself at Splice’s feet, knocking him to the side and threw herself on top of her brother- shielding him with her own body.

“NO!” She cried. All eyes were on her, but she didn’t care. She wrapped her arms around Andrew’s back and around his shoulders- his shaking shoulders.  

“Don’t hurt him!” She demanded. 

Andrew flinched at the noise, and mumbled something through the mask- something confused, weak, and strangled- something that vaguely sounded like his sister’s name.

“Ohhh, well this just got interesting.” Splice stated. 

The guards gripped tighter onto the three boys as they stood struggling in their grasps.  

Mickie growled through her teeth and glared up at Splice. “I won’t let you hurt him.” 

“Oh how noble of you.” She felt the guard’s grip on her shoulders once more as the man came forward. “Unfortunately, that’s out of your control.”

“No!” She cried. She held on as best she could, but was pulled off of Andrew and dragged back towards her team as she screamed. 

“No, don’t! Let him go! Let him go!”

Strong arms wrapped around her sides, pinning her arms down as she struggled, lurching herself forward and crying out, before a hand was clamped down hard over her mouth. Tears streamed down her face as Splice grabbed Andrew by the back of his collar and pulled him up to his knees. The boy gasped, eyes wide and grasping about for something to focus on. 

They landed right on Mickey.

She stared back at him, but it seemed he didn’t recognize her. That he didn’t register that it was his sister standing in front of him.  

Splice commanded Andrew as he stared ahead, trying to get his attention. 

“Look at me.” 

Andrew didn’t move.

“Come on now carrot top, look at me.” 

Splice sighed as the boy stayed still.

“Look at me now, Andy.”

The boy flinched at the name and turned to stare up at Splice unwillingly. Mickie shook with rage as the tears welled in her eyes.

“Good.” The man stated. He pulled Andrew up to his feet and the boy’s legs trembled as if they were barely able to hold his weight. He kept a hand on the back of Andrew’s neck, keeping the boy’s face pressed against his shoulder to keep his head turned away from his friends. Splice’s attention turned to the group being held captive.

“You want him back, don’t you?”

“Of course, that’s why we’re here.” Malachai stated. 

“Hmm. Have you considered he doesn’t want to go back? That he’d rather stay here, where he belongs?”

“Of course he’d want to come back! Are you insane?” Justin shouted. “Who would rather stay here and be tortured by a psychopath, than be safe with their friends, their- their family?!”

Splice’s eyes stared straight into Justin’s. The younger boy shivered. 

“Are you willing to test that theory?” Splice asked. “You believe he’ll choose you over me?”

Mickie squirmed and wiggled as her arms were pulled tight behind her, a hand muffling the words she clearly wanted to say. Before anyone else could speak up or voice an opinion, Justin answered for the rest of them.

“Without a doubt.”

“Alright then.” Splice stated. “Here’s this. I let carrot top over here choose. If he can walk over to you, if he chooses to go- I’ll let him leave. You can take him and walk right out of here, live happily ever after, whatever.” His fingers snaked up the back of the boy’s head to grip tighter onto his hair. “If he chooses to stay- then he stays and I let my men deal with you how they see fit.”  

The group looked around at each other. And then at Andrew. His head hung limply over Splice’s shoulder, each shuddering breath that he took seemed a chore. Splice smiled and spoke up again.

“I notice you don’t have your little secret weapon with you- the Mind Reader. Hmph- pity. I can’t tell if that was a smart move, or a stupid one on your part. She coulda been a lot of help to you all right now.”

Ali. Justin thought. His girlfriend- Andrew’s bestfriend. She was sitting outside the building in their getaway van. But Splice didn’t need to know she was so close. He began to question their whole plan. If she came in with them, she could have overpowered everyone, and gotten Andrew out easily, potentially avoiding this whole mess. But if things had taken a turn for the worse and she had been captured as well, then Splice would have been practically unstoppable. There would be no hope in getting Ali, or Andrew back.

“Regretting some choices now aren’t you? Do you accept my offer?” Splice chuckled as he looked over the group. “Though then again it seems you don’t have much of a choice, do you?”

The group sighed, but nobody said a word. He was right, they didn’t have a choice.

Splice turned the poor boy back around and pushed him a bit further out in front of him so he was equal distanced from both sides. He stumbled on his feet and stared straight ahead.

Andrew had his bad hand tucked under his arm, his arm still stinging and aching from the cuts he’d received that morning. He leaned heavily on one side, favoring one leg over the other,- the after effects from his second grammar lesson with Splice. He swayed a bit and stared ahead but it was hard to make out the figures he was looking at.

They were jumbled together but as he squinted his eyes he could make out four main people in front, with other men standing behind them. One of the four was- was a girl. A girl with a long braid running down her shoulder- standing almost as tall as the other men she was with. 

It was- it was-

No-

He blinked his eyes and shook his head.

It couldn’t be- it wasn’t-

Mickie?

He took the tiniest of shuffles forward, wincing with every move of his body. He tried to look harder, to make out features and signs that were distinct enough to tell if she was actually real-

As he stepped forward again, he heard a small cough from behind him.

Without looking he knew who that was.

His shoulders shook harder and he clutched his hands tighter to his stomach. 

How could he forget.

I belong to Splice.

I am a tool to be used as he sees fit.

Here, and for forever.

Because I deserve it.

He shook the blurry images of the people in front of him out of his mind. He slowly turned around to see Splice standing in front of him with his arms folded. 

I belong to Splice.

Andrew nearly sobbed. 

He looked- disappointed. 

And if Splice was disappointed, it meant that he had done something wrong. It meant that he was bad- he’d disobeyed, and that- that he’d be punished.

Andrew wanted to cry and plead- to beg and beg, and sob and apologize. To apologize for being bad- for disappointing him- and to plead for an easy punishment.

The sobs had taken over his body before he made it the whole way back to Splice. He stumbled over his feet as he moved, turning his back on the people that he didn’t realize were his friends. He practically collapsed at the man’s feet, knees hitting the ground, folding in on himself. Splice placed a hand on the top of the boy’s head and smiled. 

“Looks like he made his decision.”

“No! Wait-” Justin cried out. He yelped as his head was thrown back and a fist landed in his gut. He coughed, trying to catch his breath as the other team members struggled- realizing what they had just lost.

Mickie squirmed and wiggled as much as she could- thrashing about, kicking and screaming- but the man holding her back was much larger and stronger than she was. The tears instead just poured down her face.

Splice lifted up the weeping figure at his feet and dragged him off down the hallway, passing him off to guards that were waiting to take him.

“So sorry your touching reunion didn’t go as planned. Oh well.” Splice called back to the team. Guards, do what you want with them- make sure they won’t be a problem again.”

Then there were two part 2

Hey, so the reaction i got from my first fic on here was insane, i appreciate everyone who liked it so i’m gonna write a part two :) so if you haven’t read part one : https://imsorrymom124.tumblr.com/post/617434984657092608/then-there-were-two

T/W: Language n stuff, drugs, panic attack, and mentions of abuse

It was almost 12 by time you woke up from your all-nighter with JJ on the beach, you were exhausted but couldn’t help but smile. You sat up and noticed your dad was at the door

“Late night last night, huh?” he said looking at his watch.

“Oh yeah, I was just uh- reading this really good book.” You say grabbing the nearest book to show you weren’t lying.

Your dad narrows his eyes in suspicion and you realize you were holding your little sister’s copy of Diary of a wimpy kid.

“I thought you were a bit more advanced than that, Y/N.” Your dad seemed amused that you were lying, you didn’t do anything that was overly bad or illegal so your parents trusted you.

“A walk down memory lane never hurt anyone!” you shout as you run to the bathroom to take a quick shower, to get the sand and thoughts of JJ off you.

~~~~~

You were eating a very late breakfast when you got a text from kie saying to get your ass in gear and come to John B’s for movie day. You had forgotten that you were supposed to watch a combination of disney and action movies with your friends (you can guess who picked which genre).

You finish your cereal and run outside to your bicycle and hop on to start riding to the house when you notice something up ahead. You hear an engine revving and you knew instantly it was Rafe. You felt your heart sink into your stomach, Rafe was the absolute last person you wanted to see right now. He pulled into your driveway and shut off the engine.

“Looking good Y/N.” He leered at you. You rolled your eyes at his attempt of flirting. You cannot believe you had dated him, he was a douchebag through and through.

“Listen Rafe, I don’t have time for this right now I have places to be.” You said while you begin to pedal away. He grabbed onto the handlebars and stepped in front of you.

“You can’t ignore me forever, you know what we had was the best thing you’re ever gonna get. I’m not a bad guy, Y/N.” He said.

“I don’t want whatever you call what we had back, Rafe. You were controlling and manipulative, you never trusted me.”

He pushed back his and angrily sighed.

“How could i trust you? You were always off with those dirty pogues!” He yelled.

“Those “dirty pogues” are my friends, and I don’t appreciate you insulting them anymore now than I did when we were together.” You said calmly.

He suddenly grabbed your wrists and got close to your face.

“You don’t know what you’re saying right now Y/N, you’re being irrational.” He whispered in your ear.

“Rafe, let go of me.” You said, barely audible, the panic and fear taking over your body.

“I don’t want to hurt you, but you’re forcing my hand.”

You pulled free of his grasp and pedalled like hell as far away from him as fast as you could.

“You can’t do this to me! You are worthless pogue trash!” Rafe yelled as you got further and further away.

~~~

You arrived at John B’s house and threw your bike away as you felt your heart race faster and faster. You put your hand on your knees and tried to steady your breathing, but your mind was running a mile a minute as Rafe’s threats and screams echoed. I just need to calm down, calm down! you thought as your eyes started to fill up with tears.

“Y/N?” you heard a familiar voice call out

Shit, JJ

You wipe your eyes and take a shaky breath.

“H-hey JJ.” You say, still trying to calm yourself down.

“What’s wrong?” He asks, his eyes filled with concern.

“It’s nothing, I was just um, chased by a big dog, nearly lost my life.” You try to joke, a weak laugh escaping your lips. JJ doesn’t seem so convinced.

“You know, you can talk to me. As much as you’re there for me, I want you to know I’m there for you too.” He said stepping closer.

You know JJ would do anything for his friends, that’s just how he was. But, if you told him Rafe had confronted you and the things he said to you... JJ would kill him.

“I know JJ, just not now.”

He seemed to understand that, he nodded his head and pulled you into a hug. Nothing felt more comforting than being in his arms. You heard the door open behind you and you both jumped apart.

“You guys gonna stand there all day or are we going to do this movie marathon?” John B yelled out from his porch.

You and JJ walked into the house and saw Pope, Kie and Sarah sitting in the living room, they all greeted you and you heard popcorn popping in the kitchen.

“Y/N, you’ve been M.I.A all morning. Where have you been?” Kiara asks.

You and JJ look at each other and you put on a smile and reply,

“Late night last night, slept in.”

JJ looks down, knowing that was true but it wasn’t the reason you were late.

Nemo begins to play on the screen and you try to take your mind off Rafe and his words.

~~~

Somewhere in the middle of Terminator, you fell asleep and didn’t realize you had let your head fall onto JJ’s shoulder. You woke up to him shaking you lightly and whispering your name.

You open your eyes and once you realize what was happening you jumped up.

“Woah, where’s the fire Y/L/N?” JJ says while laughing.

“S-sorry i just was...” You trail off as you realize how late it was. You checked your phone and saw that it was 2 a.m and you had five missed calls from your dad and two from your mom.

“Shit! Oh fuck. Fuck!” You exclaim as you try and gather your bearings.

“What’s wrong?” JJ asks.

“I’m dead, I was supposed be home two hours ago!” 

“Here, I’ll garb the keys to John B’s van and I will take you home.” He said, jumping up from the couch.

You hopped in the van and JJ came running out and got into the driver’s seat. You two drove in silence for a minute when JJ cleared his throat.

“I know it’s not my place, but I know that whatever happened today really messed you up. And, I can’t help but worry about you. So when you’re ready to tell me you can.”

He placed his hand on your thigh, which normally you would think was a move but you knew he was just trying to comfort you. You felt your eyes well up with tears as the memory of Rafe crossed your mind.

“It’s just...Rafe.” You manage to get out.

“Did he hurt you? I’ll kill him I swear to god I will-” JJ starts ranting before you interrupt.

“No, no he didn’t hurt me JJ. He just... scared me.” 

JJ looks at you with those big blue eyes and you can feel the empathy has for you. You put your hand on top of his, and manage a smile.

“I have a big blonde guard dog to keep me safe, I’m okay.”

JJ seemed to calm down after that statement, even laughed a bit. You realize he was holding your hand, your heart fluttered.

“If he ever does anything to you, I want to know so I can kick his ass. It doesn’t matter if you think I shouldn’t but I have to.” He says protectively.

You pull into your driveway and JJ shuts off the engine. Some old cassette is playing from the radio and you braced yourself for the hell you would have to face inside.

“Your parents won’t actually kill you, they will yell and stuff but they know you’re pretty much a model daughter.” JJ says to relieve some of your stress

“Being seen with me won’t help your case though.” he jokes.

“The wild JJ Maybank has been cohorting with Y/N Y/L/N? What are we going to do with her?” You mock.

He feigns hurt and you tussle his hair.

“Hey! Hands off the merchandise!” JJ says while grabbing your wrists.

You giggle and then the car goes quiet. JJ is looking at you the same way he did on the beach, and suddenly you look at his lips. He brings your hands down and starts to lean in, your heart was beating out of your chest. You can feel his breath on your lips and you are mere inches away when you hear a door slam in front of you.

“Get the hell away from my daughter!” You hear your dad yell, as you jump back from JJ in shock.

God, why? You thought as you watched your dad approach the van.

You jump out of the car and try to ease the rage that your dad is about to inflict on JJ.

“Dad, stop. We didn’t do anything, JJ is my friend!” You plead, standing between him and the van.

“I wasn’t born yesterday, I know exactly what was happening. You’re out all night and now this boy is trying to get in your pants on my own damn property!” He bellowed.

JJ stepped out of the van with his hands up like he was about to be arrested.

“I’m so sorry Mr.Y/L/N, I was just trying to get her home and this won’t happen again.”

“You’re damn right this won’t happen again, I don’t want you anywhere near her again!” Your dad yelled as he started to drag you inside.

“Dad no, you don’t understand it wasn’t his fault!” you tried to reason, but it was no use. 

You turn back and see JJ looks more crushed than you have ever seen him. And that was the last thing you saw before the door was slammed in front of your face.

Ice - Bucky Barnes x Reader Part 2

Y/N and Bucky were in a relationship way before the war. Childhood sweethearts. Y/N has a mutation in which they can produce ice and manipulate it. Y/N went into the ice with Steve 70 years ago, their powers being the reason Steve survived the cold.

A/N: I tried to write it as accurately as I could in accordance with the movie, but some of the sequence is cut down!

Part 1 Part 3

Y/N = Your Name

Warnings: Violence

this fic is gender neutral:)

——————————

70 years.

It had been 70 years since you’d breathed fresh air. 70 years since you’d seen the trees or heard the birds. When you woke up, stuff was different. Panic overcame you and the world seemed different. The room you’d woken up in could easily have been a room from a house in the 40’s. The world outside looked the same as you’d left it through the big, arched windows. The bed sheets were scratchy, and the magazines that lay beside you could have been seen on a stand in Brooklyn in 1945.

But something was different.

Was it the air? The clothes that you wore on your body were too soft. The shoes that were on your feet were too comfortable. If you’d been back home, if things were right - the shoes would’ve been heavy, almost as if you couldn’t walk.

The door creaked open and a man stepped through the door, crisp shirt with a small tie and slacks. His hair was gelled to perfection and the watch that sat on his wrist ticked soundlessly. Too modern.

‘Welcome, Y/N. I trust you slept well?’ He asked, raising an eyebrow and adjusting the curtains slightly, casting a glance out the window and watching the non-existent cars below.

Before you could reply, you heard shouting next door and a crash. You ran from your bed, but before you could get to the door - the man stopped you.

‘Please Y/N, it’s nothing. You need to stay here.’ He said as he gripped your wrist.

‘Sorry.’ You muttered. A familiar feeling overcame you and ice surrounded the man’s hands. He shouted from the cold and stumbled backwards. You flew through the door, catching a glimpse of a familiar blond head of hair flying through a wall. You chased after Steve, using ice to break doors down in attempt to catch up with him. You followed him outside, and what you saw stunned you.

You saw Steve stop and look around. Breathlessly, you reached him and tapped his shoulder.

‘Steve?’ You said, throwing quick glances to what appeared to be a dream around you.

‘Y/N!’ He seemed relieved and pulled you into an embrace. He seemed scared, which you couldn’t blame him for; you were too. He pulled away and took a step back. ‘I have so many questions.’ He said, pointing to the gleaming billboards around you.

‘Hey guys, look I’m sorry about that little show back there but I thought it would be easier to break it to you slowly.’

You both turned around and a man with an eye-patch stood before you, dressed in dark clothes.

‘Break what?’ You asked hesitantly, not really wanting to know the answer. The thought of what had happened on the train overcame your mind, making your stomach drop.

‘You’ve been asleep, Cap n’ Ice. For almost 70 years.’ He replied, moving closer to you both. Your head hurt from his words. 70 years? You thought about your life before, and what you had missed. You thought about Bucky, and how he was now long gone. A lump formed in your throat as you reached for the necklace he’d given you on your anniversary. You breathed a sigh of relief when you found the familiar blue gem dangling from the small chain.

‘You guys gonna be okay?’ The man with the eye-patch asked. A small smile touched your lips at the man’s seeming concern. You looked over at Steve, who stared at the floor.

‘Yeah, it’s just...I had a date.’ He said sadly, and your mind immediately went back to the words exchanged between him and Peggy before the ship landed in the ice. Your heart ached.

You’d both lost the people you loved.

————————-

‘Steve, trust me. There’s something about him. His eyes…they didn’t belong to a killer.’ You said quietly. Your encounter with this assassin had been brief. He was strong though; his arm was made of metal and he was an exact match for Steve in terms of fighting and ability. He caught the vibranium shield as if it were nothing. However, when you’d looked into his eyes on the top of that roof, there was something different. They looked sad, and for some reason; you felt as if this killer had a story.

‘Y/N, he tried to kill us both. He’s been tasked to kill us, and he won’t stop. There’s nothing inside that guy.’ Steve replied, anger evident in his tone. You breathed in sharply, pursing your lips and moving your fingers to the pendent around your neck. You still thought about him every day, thinking about the moments you’d had before everything went sour. The midnight meetings and the secret ice creams before school. You smiled, getting up and bidding good night to Steve.

There was something about that guy, you didn’t know what, but a scary sadness seemed to surround him.

—————————

You guys were on the run. SHIELD was corrupt, and right now - your trust was very limited. You were staying with a friend, Sam, who Steve had met on his morning runs. He insisted he was a good guy, and Natasha seemed to think so too. You didn’t quite know what to think, not yet.

***

You had cracked one person on the inside - Jasper Sitwell. Steve, in a rather unorthodox manner, had managed to get information from him regarding Alexander Pierces’s plans for SHIELD’s future. It wasn’t good.

You were in the car. You, Jasper, and Natasha in the back of the car keeping an eye on things. Steve and Sam were discussing the plans, when the roof of the car suddenly caved in and the window nearest Jasper was ripped open. A hand reached through and pulled him out, tossing him into the oncoming traffic on the other side of the road. Natasha launched herself onto Steve, attempting to shield herself from the bullets coming through the back of the car. Steve pulled the break so the person on the roof flew off and landed onto the road. You looked forward and saw who it was.

It was him. The Winter Soldier.

His metal arm dragged across the concrete and he stopped gracefully. A car behind you crashed into the back of your car, pushing you forwards. The soldier moved elegantly across the top of the car and onto the roof of the one behind you. Sam had lost all control of the car, and it was quickly being pushed into the barrier and into the traffic on the other side. You could feel it about to flip and Steve looked across at you. You knew what he was thinking, and you blasted the hinges of the door with ice, shattering them and the door flying off, taking Steve, Nat and Sam with it. You shattered the windscreen and dove through it, rolling across the road and hearing the car crash and burn behind you. You got up shakily and went to where the car door had landed. You helped them get up and turned around to face the Winter Soldier. He took a large gun from the van beside him, and began his shot at you guys. Steve pushed you and Nat away and took the blast from the bullet, his shield saving him from harm. The impact shot him backwards and onto the road below. You heard the crashes of vehicles and silently prayed he was okay.

The soldier kept shooting and you and Nat moved away quickly. You managed to freeze a few of the blasts and send them away and towards the soldier but he dodged them with ease. You guys jumped from the road, landing underneath a tunnel. You parted from Nat and went to the bus where Steve had landed. You helped civilians out from the bus and turned your attention to the assassin that was rapidly coming towards you. You fought him best you could, your hand-to-hand combat was excellent - but his was better. His metal arm got the best of the ice. You attempted to freeze his arms and disarm him but his strength shattered the ice easily, and he threw you across the street where you landed on a car. He followed you, coming to the top of the car where you’d landed. He bent down and placed his non-metal hand around your neck. He had you now, there was no escaping. He tightened his grip, and you felt your breath leaving you quickly. Before he could completely finish you, he stopped dead. His hand remained around your neck, but the pressure stopped. His eyes remained fixed on your chest where the blue gem pendant gleamed in the light. He watched it, confusion passing across his brow. You took advantage of the situation and blasted him backwards with a gale of ice. He flew away from you, his back colliding with a van near Steve. You felt exhausted as you sat up and brought a hand to your chest to feel the pendant. You turned it around in your fingers a few times, trying to figure out why the necklace caught his attention. And more importantly, why he’d stopped.

You heard a crash behind you and saw Steve and the assassin in a hand to hand with a knife. Weak as you were, you tried to help Steve fight him, but he was too good. Whilst they were fighting, you noticed Steve’s shield was nowhere to be seen. You looked across the street and saw it wedged into a concrete pillar. You ran towards it and pulled as hard you could, successfully dislodging it.

‘Steve!’ You shouted, throwing it hard in his direction. He caught it and before the soldier could plunge the knife into Steve’s chest, he hit him hard with the shield. He fell backwards and the mask fell from his face. He stood up and his hair blew back, revealing his identity.

You could have sworn the floor felt like it was falling from beneath your feet. Your whole body went cold, breath catching in your throat.

‘Bucky?’

————————-

(After CATWS movie, now set in CACW)

@imma-new-soul you requested a part 2 to this fic ages ago! I thought I’d tag you since you asked, hope you enjoy:))

Salvation

sal·va·tion /salˈvāSH(ə)n/

noun: preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss.

——————

I wanted to explore Akiharu’s character and write out why he goes to Karasuno instead of Shiratorizawa like Wakatoshi and Takehiko, also to explain why his last name is different.

This does get dark, I definitely headcanon mama Ushijima to be... a less than stellar parent when it comes to raising her sons.

——————

⚠️ TW // toxic mom, gaslighting, psychological abuse, physical abuse, divorce, Rin blames the divorce on Akiharu, discrimination (Rin only cared about Akiharu because he’s right-handed and looks more like her), and manipulation ⚠️

——————

Wakatoshi is left-handed and so is his twin brother, Takehiko.

Their father, Takashi, never saw anything wrong with being left-handed, he thought that it would be something that made them unique and something they could use to their advantage.

But for some reason their mother, Rin, hated it. Said it was unnatural. That kind of thought process was pretty common, people viewed being left-handed as a sign of bad luck or malicious intent. Some even thought it linked you with the devil.

Wakatoshi and Takehiko were 6 years old when their father pleaded with Rin to let them continue being left-handed.

Akiharu had just turned 4.

He wasn’t quite sure what was going on as he sat by his mom and listened to the conversation, so he simply shrugged it off and resumed coloring.

Wakatoshi and Takehiko are left-handed.

Akiharu is right-handed.

Akiharu had to stay inside a lot growing up, he had a weak immune system and got sick if he was outside for too long. His mom said it was because of the grass or something like that.

While his big brothers played with a volleyball outside, Rin would cuddle him, cooing as she played with his hair. She’d tell him how special he was because he was right-handed like mommy, he wasn’t freaky like his big brothers.

“Freaky?” He tilted his head in confusion, “mama, what does freaky mean?”

“It means odd or strange, something not normal.” She replied coolly.

But big brothers Wakkun and Takkun weren’t odd or strange, in fact, they seemed more than normal to him.

Rin cupped his chubby cheeks with her hands, pressing her forehead against his.

“Haru, my sweet, perfect angel,” she started. “I’m so glad you’re like mommy. not only do you look more like me than the twins do, but you use your right hand like a good boy is supposed to. You’re the perfect son. The best son. I’m so lucky to have you.”

This was normal for Akiharu. Normal for five years.

Until Rin and Takashi got divorced.

“Are you going to take the twins?” Rin asked Takashi as they started making arrangements for the divorce, he frowned and shook his head.

“No. I think the boys should all stay together.”

Wakatoshi and Takehiko were 11.

Akiharu was 9.

A few weeks had passed after that, Akiharu was at home with Rin while Wakatoshi and Takehiko were visiting their paternal grandparents.

“You’re the perfect son. The best son. I’m so lucky to have you.”

Rin told him that a lot, especially whenever his older brothers weren’t home.

When they were home, she acted cold towards him, cold and unloving. It was as if he didn’t really matter to him like she said, it hurt and he constantly wondered what he did wrong until they’d leave once more and she’d go back to cooing over and coddling him.

Akiharu was 11 when he confronted Rin.

“You’re the perfect son. The best son. I’m so lucky to have you.”

“I know you only say that because I’m right-handed, mom.”

It had stunned her at first, making her eyes go wide with shock. But she mellowed out before flashing a sickly sweet smile that made Akiharu’s stomach bubble and churn uncomfortably.

“I say it because it’s true. You’re the perfect son for me and I love you.”

“Then why don’t you say it all the time? You never tell me that when Wakatoshi and Takehiko are here.”

When did Wakkun and Takkun become Wakatoshi and Takehiko? When did he stop calling them that?

He watched her eyebrow twitch, anger flashing in her eyes as she kept her smile.

“Don’t be selfish, Haru. Besides, haven’t you wondered why Takashi didn’t take you boys?” She hummed as she inspected her nails, acting almost as if this conversation was nothing new to her.

“it’s because he only wanted the twins, my angel. He loves those two so much, so much more than he could ever love you.” Her words were laced with pure venom as she set her hands back down on the table before glancing back up at him.

He felt chills creep down his spine.

“That’s not true, mama...”

“Yes it is, why do you think he taught them everything and didn’t include you?”

His heart sank at her words, shoulders visibly sagging.

“If that man truly loved you as much as he loves the twins, he would’ve taught you right alongside them. But he didn’t. Because he doesn’t even care about you.” She stood up and walked around the table towards Akiharu, who had tears streaming down his cheeks, and curled up next to him before gently nudging his head to rest onto her chest.

“He’ll never care about you as much as I do, Haru. That’s why I always tell you how lucky I am to have you, because I know he would never tell you that.”

He believed her.

He believed her for three more years, until he finally snapped at her.

“You’re the perfect son. The best son. I’m so lucky to have you.”

“Shut up,” he growled. “Shut up, shut the fuck up! I’m sick of hearing you say that to me! You don’t mean it, you never really mean it! The only reason you say that is because I’m right-handed and because I look more like you than Wakatoshi and Takehiko do! Because I favor the Ushijima side.”

They got into a very heated argument that night and it ended with Rin slapping him hard enough to make his ears ring, make his nose bleed and send him to the floor on his back; successfully knocking the air out of his lungs.

After that, anytime Wakatoshi and Takehiko weren’t home, rather than cooing and coddling him, she would slap him around. Sometimes going far enough to yell and blame him for her divorce.

He knew logically that the divorce wasn’t his fault, but the more she screamed it in his ears the more he felt like maybe it was because of him.

Maybe if Akiharu was left-handed like the twins, his father would love him like he loves the twins.

So he teaches himself how to write with his left hand in secret, practicing at school, at friends’ houses or when Rin isn’t around to yell at him. He gets good really fast and even figured out how to write with both hands at the same time, that’s still pretty difficult for him to do though.

The following year, before the new school year started up, Akiharu filled out the paperwork for Karasuno high school with his left hand; under the name Akiharu Utsui.

Not Ushijima.

Wakatoshi asked him why he wasn’t going to Shiratorizawa. Takehiko did not. He already knew why.

Takehiko knew what Rin was doing, he even made several attempts to stop her, trying to convince her to take out her anger on him instead of his little brother.

But Rin never yielded.

and Wakatoshi never got an answer.

By now, Akiharu had made plenty of friends over the years, ones that even taught him how to play volleyball so he could play with them at recess.

Including Kira Tsukishima: a tall, hyperactive, loud mouth, blond with an equally tall, but laidback, snarky twin brother in the form of Kei Tsukishima and Kei’s shorter, shyer, freckled friend: Tadashi Yamaguchi.

Kira was the one friend that Akiharu had told everything to, and before high school could start for them, Kira had suggested something very pleasing yet very dangerous as the four friends walked home.

“Hey Akkun, if you don’t want to live with your mom anymore, why don’t you just come live with us?”

“Kira, I can’t just move in with you-“

“Well why not? I’m sure our mom would be more than happy to take you in! Right, Kei?”

“If she knew what was going on, she definitely would take you in. Might even adopt you.” Kei chittered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“Would she? That would be awesome! Akkun, you could be our brother!”

“No way! Don’t you have enough brothers already?” Akiharu teased and lightly kicked Kei’s shin, which made the blond snort.

He wasn’t exactly wrong, besides Kei, Kira also had two older brothers: Akiteru and Hikaru. Akiteru had graduated high school a couple years prior and Hikaru would be starting his third year.

and as it turns out, mama Tsukishima was more than happy to let Akiharu live with them.

So he packed all of his essential things into the Tsukishima’s van under the guise of “their house is closer to Karasuno, it’s just for three years”.

Not like Rin really cared anyways.

Kira had also managed to convince Akiharu to join the boy’s volleyball club with him, Kei, and Tadashi.

He smiled as he watched them all fill out their sports forms, Kei and Kira were arguing over the importance of school sports while Tadashi simply laughed at Kira’s flamboyant reactions.

Maybe joining this team with his friends could give him the salvation he desperately needed.

Psychological Break Down of Dutch van der Linde

First of all, allow me to say this post will contain spoilers for Red Dead Redemption I, and Red Dead redemption II. If you have not played either, or wish to avoid spoilers, please stop reading. Just in case as well, I'm going to add a content warning for mentions of abuse, mental illness, and trauma.

Second, I would like to state that from a psychological perspective, Red Dead Redemption II is truly fascinating. Not just graphically, or musically. It is a game that has, in my opinion, remastered the art of story telling. The slower pace allows time for viewers to stop, reflect, think, rather than being hustled from story line to story line. Players can absorb the events of the game with in depth immersion, losing themselves for hours in an open world platform.

This game is a psychological goldmine.

As Arthur, you roam the open world. You can lay out under the stars, cook food around a campfire, listen to the sounds of nature. It is quiet. It is free. Most importantly, it puts you in the position to understand why they member of the gang fights so hard to maintain this freedom. The city of Saint Denis is loud, the air filled with toxic fumes of the factories. Rhodes is so torn apart by its own politics, it is stuck in a perpetual war with itself. The "great" civilization everyone seems to desire is filthy, corrupt, and the van der Linde gang wants no part of it.

However, for this installment, I'd like to focus on Dutch van der Linde, the charismatic leader of the van der Linde gang. While he did many wrong things, I do not believe he is a bad guy, or even a villain. I would, however, like to present to the table the theory that he is mentally ill.

Dutch shows classic signs of a person who experienced childhood trauma, even abuse. We know he lost his father in the Civil War, an event that never truly left him. An argument could be made that he suffered from survivor's guilt, possibly even post traumatic stress disorder. Recall, these things didn't have names at the time. There was no therapist, no medication, and untreated mental illnesses can get worse. We know he didn't see eye to eye with his mother, but we don't exactly know what that entails. Men really couldn't talk about abuse, trauma, or any such things at the time because that meant they were weak. Dutch van der Linde is many things, but weak he'll never be. We have to look at his actions, his reactions, to really understand him as a character.

Dutch has two personalities. One is Dutch van der Linde, the leader, the showman. He is the conductor, the gang members are his instruments. All eyes are upon him. He surrounds himself in luxury because he dreams of a better life than the one he's been given, yes, but because he's also leading by example. In various conversations in camp, he comments that he raised Arthur to be a proper gentlemen. That is what Dutch wants, to be seen as a proper gentlemen. He has a very nice horse, a very nice tent. This has never been uncommon. On pirate ships, the Captain has the best quarters. In war, the leaders have the better tents/rations/things. So we cannot use his luxury as the sole definition of his personality. We don't know what was stolen, or if he used camp money to acquire these things.

I don't believe he is narcissistic. He doubts himself far too much to be a narcissist. This can be heard during quiet conversations, when he removes the showman's act and becomes just Dutch. He doubts himself, his choices, his actions, and the best course forward.

During my second play through I spent way more time in camp just listening and watching. If you haven't done this, I highly recommend doing so. One peculiar instance really stuck out. I followed Dutch around. He would leave his tent, talk to everyone, give encouraging words, before returning to his tent to read or write. After the Pinkertons show up and tell Arthur they only want Dutch, we see a sudden shift. He leaves the tent and stands at the edge of the cliff, and remains there for over twelve hours. (Results may very). This is the only time I've seen any member of the gang remain still (unless they had a mission). All night, into the next day, he stands at the edge of the cliff. When Arthur speaks to him, his answers are almost angry or perturbed. For the next three game days, his answers to the exact same dialogue prompts seen hopeless, forlorn.

Then, suddenly, it shifts again. He's back to walking around, talking to people. His answers sound confident again. I thought, perhaps, I'd reached the end of the animation cycle until I realized Molly was suddenly unhappy when she'd been fine before. At various moments Dutch claims he can't get a moment's peace.

We do see moments where Dutch accuses Arthur early on about doubting him, and while it could be seen as a manipulative tactic, I think it's more along the lines of he is doubting himself, and assumes Arthur does as well. He trusts Arthur, Hosea, and John too much. The idea of them doubting him plays hard on his insecurities. I honestly believe Dutch suffers from a mild form of psychosis.

We see an even bigger shift in his personality after he cracks his head in Saint Denis. Some interesting facts about brain injuries.

A man working on the railroad had a rail shoot through his brain. He managed to live, much to the surprise of everyone, but his entire personality changed. This incident helped give birth to neuroscience.

A man suffering from depression decided to end his life. He shot himself, and managed to live. He destroyed part of his brain, but it happened to be part of his brain where his depression came from (disclaimer: do not attempt)

Stroke patients often undergo a radical shift in personality depending on which section of the brain that was damaged.

We see clear evidence of the radical personality shift. If Dutch had an unknown mental disorder, a traumatic brain injury could very well have made it worse. So, you have the perfect formula for a mental breakdown, or a psychotic episode.

Childhood trauma

Worsening mental illness

High stress

Traumatic brain injury

Even in his worst moments we see little signs of lucidity that quickly become buried under the avalanche of mental mess ups.

Many argue that Dutch is bad, he's a villain. I completely disagree, and present to you this evidence to support my claims. The following contains strong SPOILERS for RDR2 and RDR1.

Sadie and John seek out Micah, and get surprised by Dutch's presence. Sadie probably became a bounty hunter shortly after Arthur's passing, and we know it took her years to track down Micah. That's with connections, working with the government, etc. Dutch lost everyone, so it probably took him years to track down Micah as well.

Given how he obsesses, we can assume he obsessively searched for him, tricking him to get closer to him and get his Blackwater money back. But if Dutch was a bad guy, truly, why didn't he shoot John?

Micah had Sadie, she was injured, couldn't fight back. Dutch could have easily taken him out right there. Instead, he shoots Micah, and leaves the money behind without a word.

We all know what happens when Dutch walks away. Something, or someone, dies. Obviously there is a lot we could break down from that lone interaction, but let's step forward.

In rdr1, John's family is taken hostage, and the only way he can see them again is to hunt down and kill the last of his gang. John doesn't want to, he wants to live out his life as a rancher. But his hand is forced, and he must now resume the life he swore he'd leave behind.

The first time John and Dutch see each other again, Dutch asks about his family. John responds he hadn't seen them in a while. We know Dutch is smart. John suddenly surrounded by lawmen trying to find him, he knows John doesn't want to be there. He even says "We all make mistakes, John, I never claimed to be a saint." Dutch is out gunned, yet he attempts to goad him into shooting him. Power play, possibly. Once again, Dutch and John have the perfect opportunity to take each other out, but they don't. Dutch shoots the girl and runs away.

Multiple times John and Dutch run into each other, each presented with the perfect opportunity to the each other. Yet neither of them take the opportunity. Both men are highly skilled gunslingers, highly trained to murder. They seem capable of murdering everyone around them, but not each other. Why?

Then we come to the final scene between Dutch and John.

Stood atop a cliff, they are once more faced with the perfect opportunity to end each other. Dutch could have shot John, and vice versa, but neither move. John shot Dutch, but it wasn't a lethal shot. Dutch could have easily healed from it. Instead, he chooses to fall to his death.

Suicide by jumping is a truly terrifying way to go, and it's a method rarely used as most suicidal people want quick and painless deaths. While it could be argued that Dutch was cornered and that was his only way out, I disagree. Dutch could have killed John and found a way to escape. There are millions of scenarios that could have happened, but didn't. He jumps. But then the question becomes, once more, why? Jumping from a cliff to their death, suicide in general, has always been a taboo subject, but it was even more taboo back in the early 1900s. A narcissist wouldn't allow for such an undignified exit, he'd want something far more grandeur to ensure he's remembered. A truly evil, or bad, man would have ended John rather than run away. It doesn't make sense. Unless, you look at it as an act of mercy.

Dutch knows he wronged John, wronged them all. He knew he messed up with Arthur, with Micah. The loss of so many of his family members probably haunted him every step of the way. I think he threw himself off the cliff as a final mercy to John so he didn't have to pull the trigger, and to give into the pain he felt he deserved for all he'd done.

I think he was sloppy because he wanted to be found. How else do you explain him disappearing for years, then popping back up? His whole philosophy has been about getting money and disappearing, yet he holes up in a fort. Even when he knows John has found him, he doesn't leave. He shows up when he wants to be found.

While I am not saying Dutch is a good man, I do not consider him to be the villain, or the evil narcissist everyone claims him to be. I think he was a sad little boy with a mental illness, who became horrifically misguided, and drove himself crazy before ending his own life.

I hope you all liked this! If you did, maybe I'll do another break down!