#Fuck you Fox XD

[sweetness-pop]

Today is one of my best days to go to the cinema! I highly recommend seeing Alien Romulus! Great movie while being gross and sick lol! I saw this in Cinemark XD! Glad to be a new fan of the Alien franchise! Even re-watched Alien (1979) & Aliens (1986, & special edition for the first time) last night to keep me extremely hyped up! Plus, Alien Earth coming to Hulu in 2025! Alien Romulus is my first Alien movie to watch on the big screen! 🖤💚🔥👽💯😍🌟

[victorluvsalice]

Valicer (Mostly) Not-Incorrect Quotes, Sleepytime Edition

Victor: Whenever Alice, Smiler, and I sleep in the same bed together, Alice and Smiler always insist that I sleep in the middle, between them. 

Victor: [smiling and hugging himself] It’s really quite sweet, honestly. It makes me feel very loved.

[smash cut to:]

Alice: If we let him sleep on the side he steals all of the covers.

Smiler: ALL of them.

Alice: Even if he’s little spoon, somehow.

Smiler: The man has never known warmth and he’s determined to make it all our problems.

--

Victor & Alice: [dozing in bed around 8 AMish]

Smiler: [bouncing in and throwing open the curtains to let in the sunlight] Good moooooorning~! Wakey wakey!

Alice: [groaning and hiding under the covers] No. No wake.

Victor: [squinting and covering his eyes] Smiler, come on, it’s way too early for this.

Smiler: [leaning over him and giving him a tickle through the covers] You’re missing prime breakfast time! Come on, up and at ‘em, we’ll make pancakes.

Alice: [still under the covers] Not enough cake for me to be tempted.

Smiler: They don’t have to be healthy pancakes. [tickles Victor again] Come on, I know you actually slept last night, so no excuses.

Victor: [swatting Smiler’s hand, or at least trying to] Oh God, why do I let you fuck me?

Smiler: [pauses as they reach to uncover Alice, staring at Victor]

Alice: [pokes her head out] Did -- did you just actually say the --

Victor: [realizing he just gave them ammunition to tease him about what it takes for him to say “fuck,” scrambling out of bed] Pancakes, right, let me just use the toilet --

--

Smiler: [wakes up in the middle of the night, smiles as they see Victor with his arms wrapped around them]

Smiler: [realizes they actually have to use the bathroom and goes to get up]

Victor: Mmmmm. . . [tightens his grip without waking up]

Smiler: [frustrated noise, attempts to wriggle free]

Victor: [whines and snuggles in closer]

Smiler: [freezes, not actually wanting to wake Victor]

Victor: [mumbles, then settles in again with his head on Smiler’s lap]

Alice: [stirs on the other side of the bed, peeks up over Victor to see what’s going on]

Smiler: [well and truly trapped] help

--

Victor, Alice, & Smiler: [all cuddled up in bed together, just on the verge of falling asleep]

[prrrrrfft]

Alice: . . .anyone want to own up to that?

Victor & Smiler: No.

--

(And now for one that, while not really “incorrect,” does have a distinct inspiration -- the very first “Foxes In Love” comic)

Alice: [stirs awake and sits up]

Alice: [turns to look at Victor, still sleeping, snuggled between her and Smiler]

Alice: [extremely fond look, runs her fingers through Victor’s hair, getting a happy noise]

Smiler: [wakes up and props themselves up on an elbow]

Smiler: [gazes at the sleeping Victor as well]

Smiler: [glances up and shares a warm smile with Alice]

Smiler: . . . [leans down and licks Victor’s ear]

Victor: [jolts awake both from the lick and Alice cracking up laughing]

[foxpriestss-moved]

angery little son scaramouche who hates his parent’s sassy fox girlfriend who doesnt give a fuck about him is actually THE funniest dynamic thank you

[popironrye]

The Lost Boys

Leisure Headcanons

💋 David 💋

Is a skilled fire arm shooter. (Loves the cowboy aesthetic)

Has his own gun hidden in the cave.

Doesn't get the chance too often, but will ride a horse when the chance arises.

Likes wood carving. Mostly non specific whittling into basic shapes or animals. It helps him relax.

Movie nut! When the boys go the Max's store to fool around, David makes sure to tuck a movie or two that catches his eye in his coat. Tends to watch them alone, all the questions from Paul would just grate on his nerves too much.

I imagine David would be like REALLY good at origami for no particular reason. He doesn't even try, just once the boys do it just because and he's just the best at it.

I don't know if vampires can emerge in water in the lost boys lore, but if they can David loves to swim. Chilling in water clears his mind.

💀 Dwayne 💀

Skater boi! Does a lot of sick tricks, but when you can levitate it's less impressive. XD

Doesn't care for guns, but likes archery. Hammers his own arrow heads. Dwayne and David like to pick a spot in the woods to shoot make shift targets.

A real book worm. Will spend a lot of time just silently reading for hours.

Takes up knitting from time to time. He prefers hand knitted blankets and throws rather then the store ones.

Likes to make jewelry. Made his own necklace.

Enjoys all types of puzzles. Cross word, jigsaw, and brain teasers.

Can sew and offers to sew up holes made in all the clothes the boys decide not to get new ones.

🌿 Paul 🌿

Can play the guitar.

Also likes to sing, and is pretty good at it. Wanted to start a band, but the other boys weren't up for it.

Has the biggest music collection and is always hogging the tabletop/cassette/cd player.

Amateur photography. Just likes to take photos randomly. Some are really artsy.

Got really into tie dye for a while. Although he might have just been high.

When he wants to relax, Paul really likes to stargaze. Laying outside the cave looking at the sky and hearing the waves of the ocean just makes him feel at peace.

When David isn't using the tv monitor, Paul enjoys quite a few video games. He also likes to take on the arcade and carnival games at the boardwalk.

🪶 Marko 🪶

Aside from pigeons, Marko will try to domesticate a number of animals to the cave, including stray dogs, cats, deer, badgers, squirrel, foxes, bats, and even a black bear once.

He in fact did NOT domesticate a black bear, but he did wrestle one.

He does his own patchwork on his jacket.

Like David, he likes to sculpt into wood, but he usually carves patterns and landscapes into more grand pieces.

He's also a skilled painter. Mostly he'll paint murals on sections of the cave David says is ok for him to paint on.

He collects sea shells on the beach.

He'll style the others hair. Especially David who he'll cut and dye in the way he likes best.

🔥Pack Activities🔥

Dart throwing. The bigger the target the better. David and Dwyane are very competitive at this one specifically.

Rollerblading. Put wheels on shoes, what more can you want?

Listening to music. The boys have very wide music tastes and sometimes they cross over and they all like the same stuff. They take turns around the player of their choice to just smoke, drink, and listen to the sounds of the music plays.

Card games. Specifically poker when they're all together. They make things more interesting when they make bets.

And of course motocycle cruising and board walk loitering.

Something that always strikes me with vampires in fiction and indeed with any immortal creature with the high and emotional intelligence of humans. IMMORTALITY IS FUCKING BORING!

I mean, think about it. Imagine you're given all the free time in the world with very little responsibility with no fear of getting sick or tired allowed to do pretty much whatever you want. What would you do? Cause I would go stir crazy. So I came up with these dumb little head canons on how I image the boys specifically would pass the time in their little vampire lives that doesn't revolve around murdering and feeding off of people.

Of course cruising on their bikes come to mind. And there's a couple in the movie we get to see like Dwayne's skateboarding and Marko's fondness for pigeons but I wanted to throw more possibilities out there. :3

[adastra121]

Touchstarved Vere x Reader headcanons:

Vere eventually learns your heartbeat to the point where he can easily recognize it in a crowded room. He can pick up on slight changes, hear when you’re feeling happy, nervous, angry, etc.

Really, he can listen for changes in anyone’s heartbeat (it comes in handy for parsing out whether someone's lying) but as you two grow closer, he finds himself subconsciously tuning in on yours whenever you’re together. Wherever you are.

In the crowded Amaryllis District, in the raucous Wet Wick. When you two are alone and everything’s quiet save for the light scratching of his charcoal on paper, he finds himself just…listening to the soft rhythm of your heart.

He focuses on your heartbeat on bad days when he feels more easily overstimulated by the endless racket around him.

The sound of your heart beating becomes comforting to him. Grounding.

Vere also grows familiar with your scent, the way it changes ever so subtly with your emotions. When he smells the sour scent of your fear, that’s his cue to be on guard. Whatever instilled that fear in you will find no mercy from his fangs.

Also this means he 100% knows when you’re having horny thoughts about him.

"Oh? Really, darling? Now?" His teasing comment comes out of nowhere as you get lost in thought. It takes you a moment to realize what he's talking about but when you do…well, I guess it depends on how shameless you are. XD

He gets almost unbearably smug about it, lips pulled into a sultry smile, eyes shamelessly roving over your body, dropping unsubtle innuendoes no matter where you two are — actually, the whole thing is rather unsubtle. You might get a dirty look from Mhin.

He has a sensitive nose, so he can get headaches from very strong scents. He is quietly touched if you make efforts to avoid any scents that are too overwhelming for him, like changing your soaps and perfumes to something he can better tolerate or even foregoing it whenever you decide to spend a day together.

Vere knows what your blood smells like. It's intoxicating to him (this bitch has a blood kink, I just know it) and makes for some fun in the bedroom if you're into that sort of thing but on the flip side…

It's fucking terrifying when he's on a Soulless hunt and he catches it.

The sharp scent of your blood.

And he's made to instill fear in the living, but as soon as he smells it — the scent of your spilled blood, too fresh and too close to where he is tracking down Soulless — for the first time in centuries…Vere freezes during a hunt.

His fear doesn't paralyze him for long. He is a hunter, after all. He kills the Soulless he is ordered to with a frantic and desperate kind of viciousness — he doesn't even toy with his prey as he usually does, he is messy and violent, a living, breathing massacre with the singular goal of finding you.

The scent of blood and gore clings to him and still, yours is sharper than the rest, because all of his senses, every part of him, just instinctively hones in on you, automatically seeking you out as naturally as breathing.

You're fine, by the way. You're alive. You just got a little nicked, but with Kuras's help, you're looking at a speedy recovery. And Vere, begrudgingly, does feel the slightest bit of gratitude toward the doctor for it.

Vere doesn't tell you how relieved he is (the most honest man you'll meet if you don't listen to a word he says). But he does get more affectionate than usual. You have more cuddle sessions with his face just buried in your neck, his whole tail wrapped around you like another hug. You're not really sure why he stays like that for several minutes at a time. You figure it's a fox thing. Or maybe a uniquely Vere thing.

(Vere likes your neck, you're very warm and your scent is stronger there. It's comforting. And he can feel and hear your pulse underneath him, it's soothing to him.)

[l0vergirlatheart]

Idk if ur requests are open, but hear me out XD. A creator!reader who descends on Teyvat meets all the Archons and such. Then up and leaves by changing their appearance in order to explore their creation and how it has changed. Every once in a while Creator will make themselves obvious by performing acts only the Creator could. Once they are found out they just up and leave again only to resurface after another Divine act. TLDR: Creator playing cat and mouse with Teyvat

oh my GOD creator is just TORTURING then atp

small ramble because i still have massive writers block [cries] also ignore how late this is pls ok mwamwa thnx

c.w // yan. chars

song : Best Friend - Rex Orange County

SAGAU INCOMING : YAN CHARS.

okay so you decided 'hey man, what if i wasn't worshipped the moment i stepped outside'

so you just said fuck it and shifted

(it's been a while since you've done so, it kind of felt weird and hurt a tiny bit)

walking around teyvat in an odd, different form. completely different hair, height, clothes, you get the gist

the only things you couldnt change however were three things:

your blood (still gold, but you didn't plan on bleeding infront of anyone)

your aura (still comforting, caring, and even alluring)

your voice (why? zero clue.)

escaping the throne room you've oh so sadly been bound to!! having fun while doing it!!

(the only real reason you managed to escape is bc you managed to get the archons out and actually tend to their nations, as per your request order)

messing around while escaping fr!! people passing by wondering why this random person they've never seen is (not very) sneakily running away from the creator's palace/temple

but eventually shrugging it off, albeit reluctantly

messing around in mondstat, playing with the npc children more than you could usually, giving them the time of their life!!

this is where you use your first creator powers >:3

some poor kid scraped his knee real hard on the bridge, let's say timmie (hes so sweet he just wants to defend his birds pls b nice to him!!)

you, being the belovent god you are, use your divine powers to heal him

whether you do it with the hc of having to use your own gold blood or just having special healing powers only creator has, you do it

however, your dumbass mind hadn't thought of the fact that Venti may have been watching this

new outlander person with a mysterious aura

and now he quickly learns its you :0!!

the archons had no clue you could shapeshift!! why wasnt this in the ancient scrolls??? did they just lose the ones that mentioned it???

venti immediately finds some weird wind way to tell the other archons

fucking loud mouth

speaking of which, ei is freaking. out.

she came back to just check on you in your throne room and youre just.

not there??

panics, almost goes to zhongli before she gets venti's message and calms down slightly

atp you've realize you've outed yourself

so after making sure timmie is find you quickly run off into the forest before venti can come after you and smother you (both physically and with questions)

forest reached, new mission : new form needed

this basically keeps happening, and it's a needed breath of fresh air for you

running to liyue looking like a normal person until you magically form a special medicine that was unheard of from your hand for an elder, sickly lady

running from liyue to sumeru and shifting into!! an animal!! a fox!! cat!! tiger!! dog!! bird!! any of the sort!!

only getting outed from sumeru after you accidentally spoke while in animal form and having to go over to inazuma as an unknown, traveling sailor!!

getting outed after that for your extremely familiar aura and voice (inazuma people are scarily observant towards strangers) and eventually getting shoved escorted back to your palace/temple

funny stories to tell

however, the archons wont be leaving your room for quite a while..

oh well, who says you don't have other stunts to pull?

[the-fab-fox]

Lmao. Okay so this Twst!AU with @mellosdrawings is so fucking fun and lovely. (Y'all will probably see it some day but Mello is doing so much art—all the art with this and other au's and all da best shit posts—so no idea when the AU will get posted but...

Originally this lil guy, (art by @mellosdrawings)

[Quick OC Intro: Finley "Finn" Tod, 2nd Year Scarabia student, FTM Trans, he/him, fox beastman (cause I'm a fox furry so naturally I had to make him a fox beastman). Actually ray of sunshine who sometimes has cloudy days and is far too self-conscious and needs more confidence because he's actually super amazing and compassionate but to him he's just... him and not anything special unlike his bestie Yuu and their friends. Would give the shirt off his back if someone needed it and always has a kind word for everyone—except Crowley, though he does try to give him the benefit of the doubt but unfortunately the man proves time and time again to be highly incompetent so it's really hard. Plus he's so demanding of Yuu and that makes Finn very upset on Yuu's behalf. But that's a rant for later.]

Was only going to get one boyfriend during the AU. (It's Trey cause he's so in love with Trey it hurts. And Trey loves him back but they are so dumb with love the both of them.)

But anyway. So Mello made a list of all the other ships in the AU and I realized that all of them are ot3's and I was like.

Aww. Finn deserves another boyf too. But who...

Only one character came to mind. XD

Jade. Haha.

Poor Finn. (But also lucky Finn.)

Jade is the one who helps push them together (along with Yuu and the others) because once they are together he just manages to somehow merge his way into their relationship and it's so gradual and slow even Trey doesn't realize it's happened until they are all suddenly dating each other. XD [this is subject to change because Mello has my confidence and free creative liberty on how they get together, so the way Trey/Finn/Jade happens might change.]

Gah I love my OC so much and I love their relationship so much. So fun. But don't let Finn tell you otherwise. He definitely deserves two loving and attentive partners who do everything in their power to make certain Finn knows he's deserving of their love and affections.

Also he's got dark purple hair but his ears and tail are that of a red/orange fox. And ocean blue eyes like me. :D

Similar to my Twitch mascot:

He loves head pats. Especially from his partners, his bestie, and those he looks up to (i.e. Leona, Vil, Jamil if he was willing, Idia if he was willing, Rook, and Riddle. Malleus too.) If you give him head pats this will be him:

Anyway all this to say if you wanna ask me any questions about my OC or their relationship or anything, feel free to shoot me an ask. I'll be confering with Mello on some of them to not give away plot and such but will be so happy to answer what I can.

And if you wanna send in headpats for him, he'll be so pleased. Lol.

If anyone is interested in a full character bio/info sheet of him id be happy to get one written and posted. Just let me know.

But yes, please! My askbox is open! Send in everything you've got! (Pretty please? Don't make me beg. I'll cry.)

[cindersnows]

typing styles in my headcanon

TSC: The quick brown fox jumps over the dog lmao XD

starts sentences with caps usually due to autocaps, doesn't use ending punctuation very much unless excited or asking a question, but uses lots of emoticons! tends to contract words and uses lots of abbreviations, inconsistently uses apostrophes ("I don't think Im ready"), tends to use ellipses in place of commas "Guys... We had homework"), emphasizes words by talking in all caps, uses tone indicators inconsistently

YELLOW: The quick brown fox jumps over the dog, haha.

"Type like a human /lh." uses proper punctuation and capitalisation, doesn't contract words very much, doesn't use emoticons unless to look ominous ("Watch out, Green :)"), generally has more of a sophisticated vocabulary, grammar police, uses tone indicators consistently, only swears when flustered or frustrated

RED: OMG OMG. the quick brown fox jumps over the dog

"bark like a dog. ur below me moron" generally types in all lowercase except when excited or yelling, ends clauses with a full stop instead of a comma or a connector ("guys. there's a BUG. in the garden!!"), overuses all punctuation tbh, lots of abbreviations especially omg and lmfao, uses kaomojis and "owo" ">w<" instead of classic emoticons, uses u and ur instead of you, your and you're

BLUE: the quikc brown fox jumsps over the doggg XP

queen of typos especially when drunk or sad, overuses emoticons to indicate the tone of the message, uses u and ur instead of you, your and you're, shortens basically everything she says ("n then i was liek girllll ur 2 stressed chill out 4 oncee!!!! r u insane m8"), drags out words and syllables a lot when typing, self proclaimed keysmash connoisseur

GREEN: pfffttt, the quick brown fox jumps over the dog.

frequently uses onomatopeia ("pffft, hahaha, BOOM, lalalalala."), generally always uses punctuation, but capitalisation depends on who he's talking to and how desperate he is to impress them (better grammar = more desperate), drags out words sometimes when calm or upset, doesn't really use emoticons other than :/, fairly sophisticated vocabulary but very informal language ("i am trapped in some sort of fucking kafkaesque nightmare"), says chat

PURPLE: the quick brown fox jumps over the dog

dry ass texter tbh, all lowercase except when emphasizing something ("i Did Not hit her i did not"), doesn't usually contract words, rarely uses punctuation except for the occasional full stop, sometimes uses abbreviations but not often, frequently goes "uhhh" "mmmm" "hmmmm" and uses filler words often, picked up saying "chat" from green, whether he's joking or not is between him and god

MANGO: The quick brown fox jumps over the dog.

proper capitalisation and punctuation, takes 2-3 business days to respond, very ominous messages ("Goodbye Purple, make sure to watch your back." <- "chat wtf is he talking about im shaking hes so ominous"), always contracts when possible, never abbreviates

DARK: the quick 8rown fox jumps over the dog

replaces his "b"s with "8"s as well as any syllables pronounced as eight ("she 8, cmon m8") much to purple tsc and yellow's horror, sometimes uses apostrophes but sometimes doesn't, talks in lowercase usually but yells a lot, lots of abbrevi8ions i mean abbreviations, swears every other message, if he doesn't reply within 2 minutes he's in a fight, sometimes uses emoticons

CHOSEN: It jumps

texts dry as the desert, very short messages, will take an hour to respond and it will not be worth the wait, dark usually elabor8es on their behalf, capitalises and has proper grammar solely due to autocorrect, also frequently the victim of autocorrect ("What the duck I mean duck I mean fuck"), no ending punctuation

VICTIM: The quick brown fox jumps over the dog— ah fuck it i dont fieel like typing liek a normal person rn im drunk off my ass

two modes: "The public's opinion of me is very important." <- types like mango or yellow, and "dudeee idgaf abt any of them i coudl literally launch a nuke rn n kill them all but i dont bc freedom will get upset" <- typing without any effort whatsoever, extremely informal, typos galore, drags out words and uses lots of abbreviations

bonus (too lazy to give explanations, or still figuring them out):

PALEO: The quick brown fox jumps over the dog (just imitates the typing of whoever she's talking to)

HAZARD: i am not doing that (uses aac to type, still getting advice on this one)

BALLISTA: GUYSSS HOLY SHITT!!!!!! THE QUICK BROWN FOX IS JUMPING OVER THE FUCKING DOGGGGG (caps spam)

STRIKER: The rapid mahogany fox leaps over the dog. (showoff smh)

FREEDOM: The quick brown fox jumps over the dog (fairly normal, no ending punctuation)

HANGMAN: the uhhh,,,,,,, the quick brown fox jumps over the dog im pretty sure (extremely uncertain)

TYPHOON: THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE DOG :P (all caps, constantly)

[egg-emperor]

Gray haired Eggman edits! AKA if Eggman looked closer to his most heavily implied age range of late 50s-60+ instead of the way he delayed the graying process somehow or must pluck/dye it

This is my favorite for the shading of the stache. Also the expression suits the grumpy old man vibe lol

Original art here

This one is also great for the fighting pose, he's still got it in him no matter how old he gets hehe

Original art here

Original art here

Imagine he's leaning forward slightly like that and squinting behind his glasses because his eyesight is getting even worse XD

(He was shaded with various colors of his palette for this year's art, so I replaced all the shading using his regular stache color with the white too!) Original art here

Again, this man is still a power type character and still can and will fuck you up!

Original art here

Original art here

Original art here

Original art here

I experimented with the shades in each based on whatever I felt went best for the shading and palettes but these two have to be my fav

I really like the snowy white with some subtle silver in there that works as shading too. he looks so good and handsome hajshkhfskjhdg a real silver fox or as I like to call him, a polar bear 🥰💜💕

Started with some Sonic Channel art but will definitely make more!

[sleep-deprived-scissors]

Fuck it, candy corn & fish dividers

You can call me Dusty or Bean!!

I am a alterhuman! I like to watch TV, play video games, read, write and I love drawing. I have a big sweet tooth and I get the zoomies a lot :3 I probably have ~AuDHD~

I am queer

I am pronounfluid and don’t mind any pronouns! (i like she/they/him/it tho :>)

Im therian, otherhearted, otherlink, and otherkin! (im one big alterhuman mess lol XD)

Full list of all my kin types:

(DNI doesnt really apply outside of my pf all that much but I will block on sight if you are on the list and actively being bigoted or smt)

Last updated: Fri, Sept 13, 11:02 pm, 2024

[romana-after-dark]

The Wrong Way: Chapter 10 (Finale and true ending)

Dark!Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Tommy Miller x reader

Masterlist

Spotify playlist

Summery: You are sold to Joel to clear up some of your fathers' debts, and he takes you back to his house where him, Tommy, and high ranking members of his raiding trope stay. Joel is mean, cruel, and hash, but had small moments of softness that confuse you in your venerable state. Over time, you get to know him and Tommy, and see different sides of each, and both are hiding secrets. Was it possible to fall in love under these circumstances? Or was that just another way Joel was fucking with you?

Aka: my mom sold me to One Direction

WARNINGS FOR FULL FIC, NOT CHAPTER BY CHAPTER UNLESS SOMETHING NEW IS ADDED AFTER MASTER WARNING LIST: DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT!!!! Fic contains graphic depictions of sexual assault, rape, molestation, dubcon/non con. Blow Jobs, PIV sex, lose of virginity, sex trafficking, past incest, death/people dying everywhere, Stockholm syndrome, falling for your rapist, victim blaming, torcher, branding, physical abuse, rape (not Joel), somno, dub con on tommy? idk he's not really into it but feels like he has to, self-harm/depression/suicidal thoughts (not a lot) but fair warning, major age gaps, love triangle, pregnancy/birth, threats of abortion, major character death, mentions of potential csa/child abuse but does not even come close to happening, forced pregnancy, forced housewife shit, breeding, breeding kink?!?!

UUUUHHH ya'll i put the warnings there so uh you can't blame me for what I've done.

Before anything i gotta say the "id do anything for you, you amost killed me, that was for you" bit is curtesy of me and @the-fox-den messing around so credits to them XD

I cannot appreciate y'all readership more. I cried writing this on and off not only bc the content but that it's over. full emotions at the end!

Enjoy! (this is not enjoyable.)

***************

“Hey honey.” Tommy’s voice was groggy and sweet in the late morning. “You up already?”

You shuffled your body back, closer to where Tommy lay, warm and inviting… you missed him. You missed him so much. “Yeah just thinking…”

Nestling his face into your face, Tommy holds you tighter, a protective hand over your belly. “What about?” When you didn’t answer, he knew what you were thinking of. “Ah… you miss him, don’t you?” There wasn’t judgment in his voice, just the soft understanding that Tommy always gave, a grace that showed he knew what Joel had done to your mind.

Nevertheless, you tear up, embarrassed at your own weakness for the man who had nearly killed you and your baby. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me… he had me so messed up and twisted… I didn’t know which way was up half the time… I felt like I was living in a haze…” You begin to cry, letting the frustrations out.

“Hey, hey now it’s alright. He’s good at that… he’s good at jumbl’n you up enough you can’t see straight… and he’s got that look… something in his eyes when his attention is focused on you… just makes you want to make him happy… I know what you mean… Did he hurt you a lot since I left?”

“No” You shake your head. “That was the strange part… It was… it was good… especially after he found out I was pregnant… It was… it was good, actually. I thought he changed… He didn’t… but I had a lot of freedom, I could do pretty much anything with Lorenzo watching me.” You chuckle a little bit, thinking of your friend. “At first I don’t think he was thrilled to be on babysitting duty, but when he realized he could drink and smoke all day I think he liked it a lot more.”

The smile in his voice was evident. “I’m glad you had a friend after I left, honey.” He brushed hair out of your face. “I saw… I saw Joel a few months back… he said you and Lorenzo had gotten close.”

“Yeah” But the tears came again.

“Hey, hey what’s wrong?”

“I never said good bye” You cry. “Lorenzo… everything happened so fast and I didn’t get to say goodbye and now I don’t know if he’s even gonna live.”

Tommy coaxed you to turn over and face him, his face beautiful in the rising orange sun kissing his skin and complimenting his dark hair. “Honey, listen, Maria is gonna make sure he’s taken care of. He’s gonna be okay and once he’s rested up, I’m sure he’ll come to Boston, or at least get word out if he’s got other plans.” Tommy didn’t actually know any such thing but he wanted to comfort you.

“He’s coming to Boston” You assure. “He promised me… and him and Zach are a couple, actually.”

His face was one of confusion, then realization. He chuckled. “Love really just… finds a way, huh?”

When you look into his eyes… you can’t help but agree. “Yeah, it does…” He face was so close to you, it’d been so long since he’d held you… even before he left, you two had grown distant, Joel successfully putting a edge between you two, and you hadn’t spend the time with him you used to, angry and upset with him for reasons that didn't make sense… but that was how badly Joel had messed up your sense of direction. And yet, none of that mattered when Tommy was in trouble. You’d put yourself between Joel’s gun and Tommy, and if you weren’t pregnant you’d do it again. Tommy was always there for you, as much as he could be… he was manipulated by Joel, just like you were, but still he tried… and here he was, sleeping on a cold hard floor with you because he uprooted his entire life with Maria… for you.

The kiss was sudden, you pressing your lips to his and for a sweet, lingering moment he kissed back, chest rising as he breathed through nose, savoring you before pulling back whispering your name. 

“I love you…” You confess, eyes closed and foreheads pressed together.

“Honey, you don’t… you don’t have to feel or do anything just because I’m here-”

“I love you.” More assertive this time. He thinks you feel like you have to, like there's pressure… but you never felt that with Tommy. Tommy wasn’t Joel. Tommy was kind and patient, Tommy was loving and gentle and good… Tommy was the one you loved.

Tommy reached out, caressing your hair. “I love you too, honey, I’m sorry I had to leave you” the words just began spilling out from him, tumbling out Tommy’s mouth like a desperate plea for absolution for sins he never willingly committed. “I’m sorry I never stopped him, I’m sorry I didn’t do more, I’m sorry I left you alone in all that-”

You cut him off with another kiss, needier and lonely, clamoring for a connection. “It’s okay, Tommy. It’s okay. I’m okay now, everything will be okay.” And it would be. You were with Tommy now, and Tommy would keep you safe. You hands wander, trailing down his back as you continued to kiss him, feeling him, getting to know the curves and dips and muscles of him for the first time. Your hands move to undo his pants, but he stops you.

“We don’t- honey you’ve had a traumatic week”

“Tommy, I want you…” You whine, and you did. You did, so fucking bad. You missed Joel, you missed Tommy, your head was swirling with guilt and fear and a deep, deep down ache of loneliness that you didn’t know how to fill other than skin on skin. It was all you really knew. Nearly everyone you had cared about, save for Zach, and Lorenzo showed their love with touch. Even June did, although it wasn’t sexual. Tommy always held you when you cried, sat up in his lap with arms wrapped around you as he did now. “I want you Tommy, please?” You whine. You couldn’t deny that the pregnancy hormones worsened things, making you incredibly needy. “I need you, Tommy”

Tommy sighed. He knows he shouldn’t. The week you’ve had, the year you've had, hell, the entire life you had groomed you into submitting your body to men for money, shelter, affection. This is what you knew. Then there was Maria, his girlfriend who he lived with, with whom he swore fidelity too, who had seen this poor, young traumatized her and willingly let him go because she trusted him… That was the other thing, you were still so young… Tommy had made the comment to Joel that if Sarah had lived, he she would be older than this girl in his arms was now… That should’ve made Joel disgusted… shouldn’t it disgust Tommy too? But Tommy was weak, he knew he was weak… and he loved her, didn’t he? This wasn’t a lust filled rape, this wasn’t him taking advantage of her youth and naivety, they were in love, and she needed him. 

“Yeah baby, I’ll take care of you.” Tommy allowed you to undo his pants while he quickly undid your flannel. In the daylight and as he pulled it and the dress over your shoulders, he could see the full extent of your injuries. Where your collar hid, there was a mixture of purple and green bruising around your neck and throat, accentuated by red from the rope burn, and yet the hardest to stomach was your chest. A large black bruise formed on your chest from the repeated punching. “Oh honey… you’re lucky he didn’t break a rib.”

“I don’t wanna talk about him.” You grumble, beginning to shimmy him out of his pants. “Just want you, Tommy. I want you the right way, like we never got the chance to, the way Joel took from us.”

“The right way” He kissed you, lips full of love, offering protection and solace in the distortion. He wastes no time  pulling your underwear down and slipping a hand to cup your sex, immediately giving you the pleasure he swore he could your first time together, but you had refused. He felt so good, firm and assured in his movements between your legs, but soft and caring, making you feel special in his touch.

You spit in your hand and begin to jerk his cock as you both laid there, your giant belly getting in the way. “Usually wetter, the last month things have been… different” A bit embarrassed, you mutter into his shoulder. You were turned on, very much so, but your lower body didn’t seem to get the message. Joel never seemed to care much. You got wet eventually, especially after cumming, but the in between usually hurt.

“That’s normal.” Tommy assured. “Pregnancy hormones. But I’ll make sure you’re real wet, baby, get on your back.” Doing as you were told, you roll over, Tommy slithering his way down you and pressing affectionate kisses over your swollen stomach. “So beautiful…”

He ate you like a man starved, like a past meal on death row, desperate and savoring every last taste. Joel always felt good, so, so, good, but there was an electricity here, all the built up tension between you two, like a rubber band finally snapping and he couldn’t get enough. Tommy worshiped at the shrine of you, adoration in the prayer on his lips, his arms wrapped around your legs as you grew closer so you couldn’t wiggle away, he needed every second, every inch, every taste, every sound reclaimed for him. It was a conquest, a crusade, a burning need as he licked into your folds, pleasure and fire and love building in your core, fingers opening up to prepare you to take him, fucking into you and god, you were moaning for him.

“Tommy! Tommy please make me cum, please, I’ll make you feel so good, I’ll do anything you want, just-”

“Lay there and take it, princess, that’s all you gotta do.” His head dived back between your legs and eagerly devoured, lips latching on your swollen mound, sucking noisily, soaking your as promised. Two fingers turned into three, and while his lips sucked his tongue flicked at your clit, causing your legs to shake. You entangle your fingers in his long, dark locks, having grown longer since you’ve seen him last and yank him towards you. You didn’t need to guide him, you didn’t need his tongue deeper inside you; he knew what he was doing. What you needed was something to grip onto as your world shattered around you. Tommy was always who you reached for. Everything you needed, Tommy did his best to provide, and when you were terrified, as Joel dragged you away to kill you, all you wanted was your Tommy. You screamed his name as you did now. Gushing cum on his face, you yank at his hair and fuck his face while you ride out your orgasm on his still moving mouth.

Vaguely, you register him kissing his way up your body, laying around you as he couldn’t lay on top, Tommy kissed you back to life, finding his soft eyes staring at you as you open your own… 

“You still want me?” He asks, a rough but caring hand stroking your face.

“More than anything.”

He was careful, he always was with you, treating you like a fragile porcelain doll, but you promised him you could take it and he sped up, fucking you, really fucking you the way you had wanted for months after you grew comfortable in that house. He knelt before you knees on the hard floor but showed no signs of pain as his hips snapped into you, your moans growing louder.

“Tommy!” You call out for him, ecstasy building inside you like the sweat on his forehead.

“Right here honey, I’m right here.” He rubbed your knee that he had braced himself on. “Neve gonna leave you again, I promise.”

“You- you promise?” Looking up at him from this angle… he looked god-like. Tan and strong, but handsome and kind… you wanted him forever, you wanted only him and for him to have only you. He filled you up over and over and over, your hips canting up to meet him.

“Promise, princess. I’ll never leave you, ever. You’re mine.”

His.

“I’m yours” You whine for him, on the precipice of your climax, you just needed…

“And I’m yours. Now, I need you to come, and when you do, I want you to scream my name, okay? Can you do that for me, beautiful girl?” His hand was on your hip, large and rough and covering Joel’s initially branded on you.

You’re panting heavily, so, so close when he sets a brutal pace, spilling you over. 

Tommy thinks this is the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard. All the times you called for him when you needed him, when Joel was done, when you were hungry or needed to use the bathroom or just were lonely, none of it compared to this…

You scream for him, crying out loudly as he continues to thrust into you, talking you through it like he had the panic attack that had overtaken you when you gave him your virginity.

“Just like that, honey, good girl.” He coo’s, ever letting up on your sensitive cunt. “So pretty coming on my cock, love when you scream my name… there you go, pretty little thing…”

Tommy was right. He made you scream his name louder than Joel’s.

When he came inside you, claiming you as his in a primal, animalistic sense, the cold began to settle on the sheen of sweat between you, and Tommy pulled a blanket over you. A little rest before heading out.

“Did you mean what you said?” You ask.

He didn't need clarification. Tommy knew you well enough. “Yeah, I did. I’m gonna stay with you, honey.”

“What about Maria?”

A fair question, but Tommy sighed nonetheless. “I’ll send word I won't’ be come’n back… I think… I think she knew, she knew before I ever did.”

When the two of you set out on the road again, you wanted to walk for a while. All the riding the last day made you sore and you just walked to stretch your legs, aching joints and pregnant body needing movement. You and Tommy talked, really talked about the future, what it would look like in Boston, wherever it is exactly Lorenzo and Zach had for you… Someone Tess knew? A couple who had been a ‘doomsday prepper’ before… You wouldn’t live on their farm, but in a house nearby. Somewhere fairly safe for you and your baby, and Lorenzo, Zach and Tommy to protect it… Tommy confirmed what you had secretly hoped but could never ask. He’d be your baby's father, he’d raise them with you, loving it as his own.

“Well ain’t that sweet.” You freeze in place when you hear Joel’s voice, the older brother stepping into sight from a tree, gun pointed at you and Tommy. “Fucked my wife, stealing my daughter,” he looks at Tommy. “I can’t believe you’d sink this low, Tommy.”

The irony of who was sinking low was lost on Joel, Tommy was aware. There was no point fighting it. One hand held the reigns of the horse, his right was in the air as yours were. “Joel, c’mon, I know damn well you aren’t going to hurt either one of us so just let-” He was cut off by his own scream, falling against the horse and gripping his upper arm.

“TOMMY!” You scream for him, rushing to his side before Joel shouts to get away. You want to help Tommy… but you had a duty to your child, a duty you knew Tommy would understand. You cried, looking him over. He was still standing, clearly in pain, but blood shooting out of his arm. Nothing vital.

Joel only looked at you. “That’s right, scream his name, little one. Always his name, isn’t it?” Joel stepped forward, ignoring Tommy’s anguished plea’s for him to stay away from you; Joel’s sights were on you and you alone. Nothing else existed, not even his bleeding baby brother. “Sceam’n for him when you think I’m hurting you, when you think I’ve been cruel, when you want his company because I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH”

You barely registered your own tears, the trembling in your stance, knowing there was nothing you could do.

“That’s how I found you, heard you screaming my own fucking brothers name like a whore in that cabin while pregnant with my daughter!”

Shaking your head, you take a weak step back. “Joel, please, I was scared. I was so scared, you tried to kill me-”

“Is that what you think that was?” A cruel, mocking laugh escaped him in his mania before turning to Tommy. “Is that what she told you, Thomas? ‘Oh Tommy!’” His voice was light and girlish as he mimicked you. “‘Oh Tommy, Joel’s so mean to me!’ Well that ain’t the truth. She’s a cheating whore, and she needs to do better for Sarah, so I’m trying to teach her.” 

Out of the corner of your eyes, you can see the visible confusion on Tommy’s face turn into shock and horror. “Sarah? Jesus Joel! Is that what all this is? You’re trying to recreate Sarah? Or is it the picket fence two parent household you never got with her?” 

“Don’t talk about her!” Joel screamed at the younger man, his attention turning to Tommy, and you watched for your chance.

“SARAH IS DEAD! SHE’S DEAD AND SHE’S NOT COMING BACK!” His next words… Tommy didn’t mean, not one single bit, he witnessed himself how much Joel tried to save his child, the little girl who was the entire world to him… But he needed Joel’s attention on him, he needed to be the focus of Joel’s anger. “SARAH IS DEAD AND IT’S YOUR FAULT!”

You take a step back.

“SHUT UP!” Another scream from Joel.

“MY NIECE IS DEAD BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T LOVE HER ENOUGH TO TRY HARDER-”

“SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH!”

But Tommy already moved, Joel’s teary eyes and blinding anger slowing his perception and Tommy moved the barrel of the gun away from him and you before Joel took the shot.

“RUN!”

And you did. You didn’t know where to, but you ran for your life, for your babies. Hearing a gun go off again, you stop briefly wondering if you just heard either the man you loved or the father of your child die… but there was no time to mourn or think, you needed to go. 8 months pregnant, you do everything you can to keep running, but you are stopped by a blinding pain in your stomach, causing you to scream before you can even stop yourself.

When it fades, you open your eyes to see an infected.

There was no time for pain.

Contractions going again, you prayed for another round of braxton-hicks and not actual labor, you prayed Tommy was alive, you prayed the infected behind you couldn’t move fast due to one thing or another… but you couldn’t stop to look. The adrenalynn did most of the work, as did sheer willpower. You didn’t think you could power through running so fast and so long if it was just you, but the mother instinct to protect this baby went above everything. Like a blessing, you see the cabin you had stayed at and took off towards it, infected at your heels, horrific noises that you shall surely hear the rest of your life should you survive this letting you know there was no time to even wince at a particularly sharp contraction. They were not spaced… and if Lorenzo was right, and if this wasn’t braxton-hicks…. You were going to give birth in this cabin.

The slam of the door behind you did not save you, as soon you found yourself sitting in an empty room with a chair propped against the door as the infected tried to get in, your switchblade gripped in your hands, as the baby tried to come out.

You can’t help but scream in pain; the infected already knew where you were, it was only a matter of time until it came in and you had to be face to face with it for the first time. You’d seen them from afar of course, but you had never been close; someone always protected you, Zach, Lorenzo, Tommy, Joel… you’re whole life you had depended on men to save you from other men and a litany of evils in this world and none of them had been able to stop this. No one stepped in between you and your dad, no one stepped in between you and Joel, and no one would step between you and this abomination… 

But you’d try your damndest to step between your baby and whatever might harm them, and if that meant facing this infected, you’d do it.

When it burst in, you don’t bother hiding our scream; they looked horrific and the sounds were just as bad, but god, the smell was nauseating to your pregnant senses. None of that compared to the genuine fear as you fought for your life and for this baby. The creature was right in your face as you stabbed him, the jackknife now successfully ending two threats to you; the infected and Nick.

The moment you have to breath is gone when you hear the cry of your baby on the floor. You had given birth to a baby girl, just as Joel wanted, alone, with a bite on your leg.

You were infected, and this baby would grow up without a mom and with a psychopath rapist and murder for a dad. Tommy was surely dead, and even if Joel found you in the cabin she’d grow up with Joel. You didn’t believe he’d sexually abuse her, but physically? She’d be lucky if she made it to 10, not the mention the other men around her…

There was no time to cry or to smile, you couldn’t rejoice in the birth of this little girl or cry at the circumstances, you thought back to what Maura instructed you, Joel, and Lorenzo to do in the event you gave birth without her. Using that knife, you cut the cord and tie it.

Had you given birth before the bite? Was she infect? Had all your efforts to protect this innocent been useless? You once again kick yourself for not leaving with Zach any of the times he offered…She’d suffer because of you, if she lived at all. 

As your daughter screams, you scream too, loud and anguished and nameless. You didn’t cry for Tommy, for Zach, for Joel, for Lorenzo or June or anyone that had ever shown they wanted to help… no, you just screamed, because there was no other option.

Tommy had seen you run and tried to follow you, tried to call to you, but you either couldn’t hear him or could defier his voice from Joel who was currently crippled with a shot leg… Tommy couldn’t bring himself to kill Joel… he couldn’t. No matter how much of a big game he talked, Joel was still his big brother, and despite the telling signs of aging and the obvious way Joel was no longer Joel behind those eyes… They were still he eyes, and as Joel looked up at Tommy pointing the gun down on him, Tommy couldn’t fire. He couldn’t fire at the man who had saved his life countless times, the father of his niece, the father of the baby he had swore to raise as his own, and despite the way Joel had clearly lost his mind, lost all sense of reality… Tommy couldn’t kill his brother because yes, that was still his brother.

When he found you, it didn’t take long to figure out what happened, with the baby in your arms and the infected on the ground… your bite was clear and prominent.

“Oh honey… no…” Tommy dropped the gun on the floor and likewise dropped to his knees as he walked to you and the child. A little girl… 

“Tommy, please, please take her. If you don’t want her, take her to Zach and Lorenzo, just please take her-”

“I’ll take her, I’ll raise her, I swear.” Maria and him had talked about kids before… would she want this? Tommy couldn’t stop looking you over, he couldn’t process that you had been bit… this wasn’t a rattlesnake bite, there wasn’t a way to get the venom out… it was over. “I’m sorry.” He cried, tears flowing over before he registered they were coming. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you, I’m sorry-”

“Tommy” You stop him, tears matching his. “Tommy, it's okay. Just protect her, okay? That’s what matters now, her.” Everything hurt, and you could swear there was something already changing in you, but maybe it was in your head.

Heavy boots clomping on the floor. “Get away from her.” Joel spoke, his voice low and dark, despite being unarmed. You notice his limp and the blood… Tommy hadn’t shot Joel to kill… and had greatly underestimated what Joel would do to get to you, including walking on a shot leg.

Tommy didn’t even turn around, still holding you and his, yes his baby, because there was no way in hell Joel was walking out with her. “She’s infected, Joel.”

Joel didn’t reply, and you looked up at him over Tommy’s shoulder, confirming it. You nudge Tommy to move, revealing his daughter. You speak before Tommy does. “I cut the cord before I was bit.” Your eyes dart to Tommy. “Before.” You lied, and you knew it was dangerous… but you needed your daughter to have a fighting chance.

Joel shook his head. “No, no we’ll get you help, theres gotta be-”

Grabbing his gun, Tommy turned around. “THERE’S NO HELP, JOEL!” He shouts. “This is your fault! This is all your fault and you can’t fix it!” His steps were long and quick, pinning an unarmed Joel to the wall gun to his head. Tommy was shaking, but you didn’t need to aim to shoot point blank. “I’ll fucking kill you for what you did to them.”

For once, you believed it. 

And it seems Joel did too. “That’s my daughter, Tommy. Yuh ain’t take’n her.” But Joel’s voice was weak, small… 

“Yes he is, Joel.” You speak from the floor. “He’s taking her, and one of you needs to kill me.”

Both of Miller brother turn to you at that, anguish and pain in Tommy’s eyes. “I… I can’t do that… I can’t… Honey, no…” You knew how badly he was hurting right now… but you didn’t want Joel dead, and someone needed to do it. You didn’t know how long you had.

“I know, Tommy. I know.” You smile sympathetically at your lover, and beckon him towards you. Tommy gives Joel a warning look, but takes the pistol off his brother and comes to you. “I know. I know you can’t and that’s okay. You take he, that’s what you need to do for me, okay?” Looking down at the crying baby in your arms you give her a kiss and whisper that you love her before pushing her into Tommy’s welcoming arms. “I know you feel guilty…” Reaching up to touch his face one last time, you smile as he leans into your touch. “Sweet, sweet boy… you have nothing to be ashamed of, you’ve always done right by me. But if you feel you need absolution, this is your chance.”

Tommy looked at the little girl in his arms… she was so small, so fragile… but he would protect her, he would do right by her the way he couldn’t do to you. She was his baptism, his new life, a fresh start. He was a father now. “I will” He looked at you again.

“Her name is Ellie” Fimly, you spoke it into truth. “It’s not Dorthy, it’s not Dolly, its Ellie.” Looking up at Joel, the hurt clear on his face at the erasure of what he wanted to give her, you offer a small mercy, the middle name he agreed on, named after the singer he liked so much, and your friend back home. “Ellie June.”

Tommy nodded. “Ellie June, it’s beautiful.” He touched his forehead to you softly and you slipped your hand to touch Ellie’s little toes. This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home, this little piggy had roast beef, this little piggy had none, and this little piggy cried wee, wee, wee… “I’ll never forget you, and I’ll make sure she knows about you, okay? She’s gonna know who you are.”

“Zach… please, get word to Zach somehow, tell him he’s an uncle.”

“I will, I swear.”

“And Lorenzo, Lorenzo said he’d be the godfather. Please thank him for everything he’s done for me.” You sob thinking about your best friend.

“I will, I’ll tell him.”

“And Zach, please tell him I love him so much, and thank him for being my big brother.”

“They both love you, hermosa, I know they do.” He stroked your hair with his free hand.

“Tommy, one more thing?”

“Anything”

“June, please, can you find her? Tell her I loved her, she’s Ellie godmother in spirit.”

“Abslutly, is there anyone else? I’ll do it.”

You shake your head, tears flying as you do. “No, those three… they are all I know- wait, Maura and Jack, Jack risked everything to help me escape, and Maura with my pregnancy” You chuckle a bit. “Who knew dying had so many many loose ends to tie up” You hadn’t realized… you had grown a small community. It had taken a village to keep you and your baby alive.

He smiled. “I’ll tell them all, honey, I promise, especially Zach.” Tommy had an older brother too, and a;thought his had turn into a monster, he understood the love of a protective brother, and would not be who he is without Joel in their childhood and youth.

You whisper a thank you, before sealing his promises with a tearful kiss. When Tommy pulled away, you knew it was time…

“Goodbye Ellie, mommy loves you.”

Then, it was just you and Joel. 

“I never wanted this, little one.” He spoke, voice filled with sincerity and pain. “I know you think I hate you, that I want you to hurt-”

“I don’t think that Joel.” You deny his accusation, but you are honest. For once, you can be honest. “I think you’re a broken man who doesn’t know how to love, but I don’t think you hate me, and I don’t know you never wanted any of this.”

“I loved you! Everything I did was for you!”

“You almost killed me-”

“THAT WAS FOR YOU!” He screamed at you, but it wasn’t rage or fury, it was wretched and broken and him. A heart broken father who had lost his daughter, and is now about to lose his wife, and if Tommy can help it, his brother and baby.

Closing your eyes, you move on. “You can’t have her, Joel.”

He steps closer, boots loud against the creaking floor. “Tommy ain’t taking my daughter, I ain’t losing her.”

A dry laugh. “I’m not sure you ever loved Ellie-”

“Her names not Ellie, it’s Dolly-”

“You loved Sarah, and Ellie was a replacement. What if we had a boy, Joel? C’mon. Let her be, let them go.” Couldn’t he give you this? A deathbed wish to save your baby… 

“No.” But you could tell he was wavering. “That’s my daughter.”

“What’s your plan then? You don’t have day care. The only raiders you could have trusted with her are Tommy and Lorenzo and they are gone. You can’t do it alone… You’ve seen those men gang rape women, you think they won’t rape Ellie?”

“Stop calling her that.”

“You think they won’t beat her, touch her? Even if they don’t, is she suppossed to grow up around violence and rape? You gotta think this through, Joel! There’s no day care, no PTO, you’re two top men just left you, you can’t keep her safe! You can’t protect her, she’s gonna die like-”

“Fine!”

There's a long, shocked silence between the two of you, the gravity of what he’s agreed to give up… You weren’t sure if you believed in god, and if you did, whose god it was… you weren’t sure you believed in an afterlife, or anything of the sort. But if you did… you could be convinced that Sarah’s spirit touched Joel, breaking through his obsession, his mental illness, the delusions he had… to keep her little sister safe. 

“I’ll… she can go with Tommy.” Heartbroken, Joel acquiesced, then knelt in front of your exhausted body. “I know you don’ think I loved you, but… just know I cared, okay? I just-”

“I believe you.” You took in his scent once more. “For what it’s worth, I think maybe we loved each other in our own sick way… It was always gonna end like this… ” You push the jackknife into his hands.

“Where did you get this?” Joel referenced the knife with wooden encasing. 

“Nick’s skeleton.”

Joel couldn’t help but smile “Brave girl” He kissed you, and you allowed it, wanting to taste him just one more time. 

Knife in grip, you taking rough hand and bring it to your throat, tucked under your chin just beneath where your wet faces pressed together, foreheads and noses and lips melding into one as he could consume your soul, bring you into him forever.

“I love you, little one. Always have.”

“And I loved you, Joel.”

“What’s that song you like?”

“Red River Valley”

“Yeah, that’s the one. How did that last line start?”

You smile, eyes closed, and start singing it. “Come and sit by my side if you love me…”

Joel joined in the pair of you singing together. “Do not hasten to bid me adieu, but remember the the red river valley” You’re voice choked up so bad on the last word, you couldn’t finish it.

You think back to the night Ellie was conceived, the night Tommy left, they way Joel fucked you, words uttering into life the possession he had over you. It was foolish to think you could be free of him in this life. That pain? The pain is mine. Your cries are mine, your cunt is mine. And if you bleed?

Joel sang the last line for you, voice as soft as a whisper.. “And the cowboy who loved you so true.”

His lips pressed a final kiss and you felt the sharp pain and oozing liquid leaving you, your gasps and cries of pain stifled by his mouth. Eventually, the warmth of the blood enveloped you into darkness, and the agony of this life you were subjected to since childhood ended.

If you bleed? Your blood is mine.

Joel inhaled your last breath into his, sucking in the evidence of your life with his lips attached to yours until his head grew dizzy from lack of oxygen. Your blood was cooling on his body.

Joel limped out of the room, covered in her blood, only to find Tommy rocking a baby in one arm and a gun aimed at Joel with the other, tears streaming down his face.

“You killed her.” Tommy stated the obvious.

Not even bothering to raise his hands, Joel replied. “The infected killed her, Tom-”

“No.” The low tone of voice warned of something serious, and Joel pondered if Tommy was capable of actually killing him. “You did this. All of this. This last year you beat and tortured and raped her and made her think this was love. Calling her your wife, Joel?” Tommy shook his head in disgust. “I didn’t think you were capable of this, even after everything.”

Joel glowered his eyes at Tommy, not happy to have this talk again. “I didn’t see you ever stop’n me, Tommy.”

“No.” Tommy’s answer was candid. “That’s my cross to bare. And she-” he needed down to the sleeping baby in his arms. “She’s my vindication, and I’m gonna do right by her.”

Joel held out his hands, causing Tommy to step back. “Give me my daughter, Tommy.”

Worry crossed his face. “You promised-”

“I just wanna say goodbye” It was rare Joel spoke like this… so quiet, so soft… But Tommy didn’t trust him. “No, you-you’ll hurt her.”

The way Joel looked in Tommy’s eyes was earnest… so much hurt and sadness Tommy felt like he was actually looking at his brother again… “I’d never hurt my daughter.”

Tommy believed him. “Gun to your head the whole time. You try to take her away, I shoot you.”

“Okay.”

He was right, the gun was pressed to his head as Joel said his goodbye. “I love you. No matter what anyone tells you, I love you, and I loved your mom. She’s up in heaven watching out for you, she’s there with your big sister, your grandparents, everyone. They love you, just like I do, just like Tommy does. I’m gonna protect you still, okay? Jackson is under my protection, nothing bad’s gonna happen to you or your family.” Joel will protect his daughter with his life, and that means protecting those who care for her. Tommy, Maria, all of Jackson. As long as she's taken care of they are safe. “I love you, baby girl.”

Hesitantly, Joel handed Ellie back to Tommy, her new daddy, and he felt like he was letting go of a peace of himself. Nother brother bothered hiding the tears.

“I never want to see your face again, Joel. Do not come near me or my child ever again.”

Joel wanted to argue, to say it was his daughter, and he could take her whenever he wanted… But she was right. Ellie was better off with Tommy. Tommy could provide a stable home, with a mom and a dad, a community to make friends, school, church, and most importantly, safety. Tommy was younger, he could keep up with a child, fight off what he needed to… Tommy was a good uncle to Sarah… he’d be a good dad to her.

“Tommy, wait” But Tommy kept walking. “Wait!”

“SHHH!” Tommy whipped around, whispering harshly. “You’ll wake her!” 

As if Joel didn’t raise a whole child himself. “Just… here.” Joel cleaned of the knife and handed it to a nervous Tommy. “For her.”

Tommy glared at the gift. “You want me to give her the knife you killed her mother with?”

“She killed the infected with it, and that’s what I killed Nick with… I used it to ortect her, and she used to to protect… Ellie.” Joel said her name outloud now. “You don’t have to tell her about me just… I want her to have something, please?”

Tommy stared at Joel for several moments. He hated Joel… but he’d always live him. Joel raised him most of his life, and they raised Sarah together. Joel was his brother, always, and the reason his now-daughter existed. “I’ll tell her about Sarah. I’ll… She’ll know she has a sister.” A fresh tear escaped, Tommy wiped it with the sleeve of the arm holding the knife as he sniffled at the mention of his precious niece he loved so much. “I dunno how I’m gonna explain the rest, but she’ll know she had a sister.” A deep breath. “And she’ll have her knife, so no matter what… you both with be protecting her, okay?”

Joel nodded.

“But you can’t go after the others. Zach, Lorenzo, Jack, Maura, got it? They are gonna suffer enough. With this news, just… leave them be.”

Joel agreed, then explained his horse is out front, a quick ride back to Jackson. Joel would walk back on his wounded leg. “Thank you, Tommy. I love you. I’m always gonna love you, even if you hate me.”

Turning on a heel, Tommy walked away, carrying little Ellie, taking off his scarf to wrap around her in the cool weather. It wasn’t anything too cold, the sun was out and shining at least, and no wind. Tommy was dead set and determined to walk away, to never speak to his brother again… but he stopped. He didn’t look back, but he spoke, quiet but just loud enough for Joel to hear. “I love you too, hermano.”

With that, Joel watched the only two things left in this life that he loved, walk away.

***********

Joel at the end, what Tommy see’s as Joel exits the room after murdering little one

Art my @melodymakesart

Continue the story 16 years latter with Ghost of You, Ellie’s journey in finding out the truth

Wow. WOW. I cannot thank you guys all enough for how much support i've gotten on this series. Biggest thank you's to the-fox-den, dinsbaby, foggymoonbanana, primos world, Fen, my dear maura, miraclesabound, not a unique snowflake blog and koshkaj for always leaving such nice comments! (everyones comments are appriacted and loved i just see these guys do it every single chapter without fail.)

also thanks to everyone who reached out about the bomb threat. we are all doing much better now.

I love you al so much and cannot ever express how much the reaction to this series has touched me.

That's right, the baby is Ellie.

I do want to say, that in this series, since reader isn't Anna, this means Ellie can look like anything, no matter the race. It just matters she's ellie and she's immune. Little one isn't a great reader, she's largely oc but i wanted to keep things as inclusive as i could instead of an OC

and i did say major character death ;-; good bye little one. You deserved better.

THOUGHTS?!?!?! shout out to spadesjade on ao3 who correctly guess that little one dies and tommy and maria raise the baby!

Remember, there's still the alt ending! This one will be a bittersweet, happier ish ending.

As always, if you hate both endings, my fics are open for you to write your own version of the end or use this universe in anyway. And if you'd like, i'll add it to the masterlist for additional reading!!!

In the mean time, come read Dirty Little Secret, my dark!joel one shot

LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

Remember, reblogs spread the work, comments motivate!!!!

@my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @howaboutcastiel @tidlewav3 @bunnnyy-dummy @slutfortimotheechalamet @foggymoonbanana@dinsbaby @miraclesabound @jenna-ortega @primosworld@marclovers @threeheadedlamb @secretwriterpp @the-fox-den

@bitchyglitterfox @0bsessedwithfictionalcharacters @alloftheboysivelovedbefore @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog @lunar-ghoulie @pedritosdarling @dreamonseems @alwaysdjarin @amoramorquetepintas @milla-frenchy

[slashingdisneypasta]

Foxy Coltrane x AFAB!Reader x Carlos Perro || Smutshot

Plot: Your crazy boyfriend Foxy helps you fulfil your M/F/M threesome fantasy.

Warnings: porn with miniscule plot. lack of much context, sorry 😅 XD threesome smut. voyeurism/exhibitionism. age difference/daddy themes. cumming inside. unedited filth; i wrote this distracted.

Tagging: @slxsherwriter

You're breathing heavily, squeezing Foxy's familiar cock inside you with one of your legs wrapped over his hip, the feeling of being filled and his thrusts- sending you into nirvana.

Plus there's the nerves. Because Carlos, the cute motel runner you and Foxy clocked as soon as you arrived, is just behind you; his belt hanging out of the loops and his jeans fallen a little down his bony hips, and his cock half-hard rubbing against your ass.

"Hh... Please,... please... " You plead, breathily, pressing your forehead into Foxy's chest and your ass back into Carlos' pelvis, needy and desperate to have with two hot older men. The soft worn fabric of Foxy's old t-shirt makes it all the better- you love him. You love him for letting you have this, what you wanted as soon as you saw Carlos.

For wanting it too.

Your boyfriend is so cool.

"Hey man, you gonna take that ass; or not?" Foxy drawls, talking to Carlos with a shit-eating grin on his face. "You want to, man, I'm telling you." Fox gives a shallow thrust, rolling his hips lewdly upwards into your dripping throbbing cunt making you needier and arch your hips back into him. He sighs, still with that devastatingly handsome, grin on his face- though relaxed, now. "... good shit... "

"Yeahh, I am, I am! Trust you-me. It's just that it's been a minute since I had me a pretty thing like this- lemme savour it a sec, huh?"

"Heh. Go ahead."

"Mm-mm... Tell you what- sharin' ain't really Carlos' favourite thing, eh? How 'bout you finish up and I'll take her for a ride second." Carlos leans around your face and gives you a slow kiss on the cheek, rubbing your sides. "... how's that sound, pretty thing?"

Please.

Moaning, you lift your head up from Foxy's chest and peer at him. "'S that okay??"

"Yeah, baby, that's okay with me." Foxy would give you anything.

Turning your head to the side, you give Carlos a meek nod. "Sound good, sweetheart?" He asks in a sweet tone, a smirk on his face.

"Mhm... "

He squeezes your waist with his hands, comforting. "Okay good. Now I'll just sit back and enjoy the show then, huh doll? Carlos'll be hangin' right back here."

"Okay!... " Then you turn back to Foxy, and a listless gleeful grin literally slipping across your face. "You gonna fuck me now??"

"Hell yeah!"

~

Foxy made sure that Carlos had a nice view of you the entire time he fucked you, laying you down on the motel bed so your head hangs off the edge of the mattress, making you dizzy with the feeling of him pounding you. With every thrust into your tight, aching cunt you see Carlos pump his own dick through half-lidded eyes; him sitting across from the bed in on a rough-looking stool. The sight of the handsome bearded older man watching Fox's strong cock ruin you and ooze precum over it makes you arch your back and topple over the edge faster then you usually would. "Fuck- fuck- fuck!- "

Foxy chuckles gentle and shakes his head, before digging his fingers into the mattress on either side of your head and plunges himself as deep into you as he can- before cumming there.

You give a little smirk, feeling the substance fill you up. Because yeah, Fox's cool about sharing- but he wants people to know who really owns your ass. You think that's kinda cute.

~

After Foxy slips out of you, gives you a kiss, and zips up his jeans again before he makes the swap with Carlos. Then Carlos is straddling you; you give him a teasing, challenging look.

"Aww, lookit you, babygirl! Lookin' up at me like that... waitin' for more cock. You're greedy, huh?? Was'nt yer boyfriend enough for you??"

Foxy gives a gentle chuckle from behind you. "I'll give, man- she's hard work. Sometimes gotta fuck her all night so she stops squealin'."

"Welll, Carlos' happy to help~ "

You tilt your head back off the edge of the bed again to peak at Foxy, share a cheeky grin with him. You both think Carlos' is adorable, in an awkward and silly kind of way. Foxy gives you a wink.

"Great. Wake me up when she's done." He tells the man now gliding the head of his cock experimentally along your lower lips, making you tingle; waking your heat arousal back up again. After giving Foxy an even cheekier, scrunched-up look, you return your attention back to Carlos; scooting down the bed a little so your head isn't falling on such an achy angle anymore and wrapping your legs around your handsome new lover's hips.

"Ooookay, here goes." Carlos pushes his nice cock deeply into you, so Foxy's cum oozes around him and out of you which is vulgar and, a little gross, but s o hot to you. He gives a great sigh, his shoulders relaxing and eyes closing to feel such a hot, wet, tight thing wrapped around him once again. It looks like it has been a while, like he said.

Slowly he starts rolling his hips into you, giving you stooping, squelching strokes; fucking you slow and dirty.

It takes you a little longer to reach your peak this time but that doesn't mean that every thrust did not feel amazing on your clit. You finally cum when you trace your fingers up his chest and guide him down to press a kiss on your mouth. He kisses you open mouthed and needy, taking everything he can from you while he has you. When you moan, squeezing your leg around his hips and cumming apart under him Carlos starts fucking you harder, faster, until he suddenly bursts and paints your insides white again.

+Bonus:

"... Damn, that was a good show." Foxy pipes up, his voice husky with lust, smirking at Carlos when he looks up catching his breath. "Maybe I wanna fuck you now, man." The thought sends a thrill through your exhausted body. You look up excitedly at Carlos, gripping his shirt pleadingly.

"Heh, look man, I have been known to uh, taste from the other table, heh. S' you just let me know."

"I'm lettin' you know now."

"Okay then."

[rachelsshowerthoughts]

I had the most hilarious Aware AU thoughts:

OK, so everything leading up to Origins is the same as discussed.

When Adrien stops to help Fu he's almost caught but Chloe was waiting outside & jumped in when Nathalie showed up and made a sufficient enough spectacle that Sabrina could grab Adrien and they bolt into the school.

Argument over seats ensues, Adrien & Nino making tentative friends.

Kagami is probably around but maybe not in this class. Gabriel is irritated but also figures that an Akuma attack is a good reason to force Adrien out of going to school & keeps Nathalie waiting. So he can't even head out to the arcade across the street.

This is all a big red flag to Nino when he hears & sees that yes, Adrien's bodyguard & his fathers assistant have basically parked outside the school to obsessively watch them all day.

Stuff happens, Ivan becomes an Akuma & in the chaos Adrien, Chloe & maybe Sabrina, grudgingly agree to go to the Agreste Mansion cos it is at least very heavily fortified. Minor argument with Nathalie but time is dead bodies with a giant rock monster around.

Anyway this means Adrien has company when he finds Plagg.

Fortunately the Kwami of Destruction is all in favor of teenage rebellion "Fuck yeah, stick it to the old people!" & has no issue ignoring that Chloe knows Adrien's identity, though they do work to cover it up a little bit when needed.

But, but, but, here's the fun part.

Chloe also becomes Chat Noir.

Not all the time but when its impractical for Adrien to do it she dons the ring. Both already having many aesthetic commonalities and a familiarity with each others personalities, the way the Glamour works & mild physical form changes when transforming and... No one notices, not even Fu!

Also both flirt with Ladybug, a lot.

This also helps keep a bit of a divide going once Fu is discovered, because Adrien shares details on the book with at least her, or potentially the entire "Shitty parents club". & this leads to knowing about Fu earlier and a more contentious relationship.

IE, he wants to take Plagg back, Plagg does not want to go back, they do not want Plagg to go back & they have enough information to make Fu's entire operation very fucking difficult.

Also the book may be found or stolen earlier.

Like Bubbler is a great time/excuse to trash the mansion for funsies ya know?

Obviously Marinette is not a fan of this whole... Everything, even if she doesn't get all the details or learn IDs, she respects authority figures and seniors, & though she might not want to lose Chat she doesn't think turning it into a contest of wills is the "Right" way to fix things.

Also I think Kagami might be Marinette's first pick for an extra ally which might happen sooner as Fu would want someone else more in line with his thinking on side.

This isn't a dig at Alya, but in Aware Marinette as technically known Kagami longer. Sees her as very respectful & dutiful, and has 100% seen her bravely try to throw down with Akuma to keep people safe.

Meanwhile the bee, or perhaps snake or tiger can still end up lost XD

Chat: Me, knowing the location of the Miraculous no one told me was missing? Its less likely than you think! Also Chat: Hey, new hero, we should definitely 100% accept this person & not question their identity!

One big difference between Fu & the other shitty adults, is that he's much more like Roger. IE, he is trying to do the right thing, genuinely does not want to bring anyone pain. He is just intensely paranoid & overly cautious tot he point where it can become harmful.

So, first of all, this is hilarious to me. Yes, absolutely, all of this.

second, I see your "Kagami is chosen by Marinette first", and raise you "As a body double". Like, I think part of why Alya gets picked to be the Fox was proximity - the Akuma was her little sisters, it was the middle of the night, she's already aware of the situation, Marinette trusts her and needs a teammate, boom, Alya gets to be the Fox. However, for Kagami, you're right, she does know her longer here, so probably trusts her more. So, I suggest learning about the "Cat Siblings" (this is Marinette's best guess, if she doesn’t have their identities, that the Chat Noir duo are siblings) gives Marinette ideas. Like, yes, Fu is clearly against it, but part of Marinette probably thinks "dammit, that’s such a good system, though!". How many times has she been screwed over because she had to be Ladybug, and completely fucked up her schedule? There being TWO people to be Cat Noir, while not ideal, is still better for Cat Noir in general. Not that Marinette would EVER do something like that, once the Guardian makes his stance clear! Oh no, absolutely not!

Which, uh, doesn’t mean she hasn’t THOUGHT about someone else to let borrow the earrings in an emergency, OR that she hasn’t thought about Kagami specifically, OR that she hasn’t quietly discussed it with Tikki (in hypotheticals) what to do if she's taken out! So (my best guess for what happens) when Marinette comes down with a particularly nasty flu, and can't even stand up without feeling dizzy, she actually doesn’t think that long before calling up Kagami, like, "uh, hey, weird question, do you think you could take over being Ladybug for me? I can taste colours, and not in the fun way."

Of course, Kagami does it, and because she's VERY different from Marinette (personality-wise) while the public is fooled thanks to the Glamour, Cat Noir is "uh, excuse me? Who are you???", and Kagami has to awkwardly explain that your regularly scheduled Ladybug currently has a fever of one hundred and four, and can't really leave the bathroom right now, so she's filling in. After it’s all over, she quickly leaves to give Marinette the earrings back (maybe drop off some medicine?), and Cat Noir(e) is left feeling, like, "ha, maybe the old man will get off our backs now, Ladybug clearly agrees with us!"

Which. Uh. Yeah, no, that doesn’t really happen. Maybe Ladybug's just better at explaining it, (or Fu is just a little prejudiced against the Cat in particular, I imagine the Order weren’t Plagg’s biggest fans, Fu probably internalized a lot of their shit), but he's . . . not OKAY with Ladybug sharing her ID and position with another person, but much more understanding. If Marinette was really that sick, then going out as Ladybug would have been seriously detrimental to both her and the fight against Hawk Moth. And there NEEDS to be a Ladybug in every fight, to purify the Akuma. Yes, Fu would rather she hadn’t done it, but it was clearly the right decision at the time, so Fu will trust Marinette on this. He still doesn’t recommend doing it too often, but a back up Ladybug is clearly a good idea.

Well, this means that Back Up Cat is good too, right? Nope! Still salty about them, still thinks one of them should knock it off, still thinks he should take the Miraculous back!

Yeah, you can imagine how this is going down with the Cat Noir(e) Duo. ESPECIALLY because this is the Aware Kids. It’s every instance of favouritism, of "unexceptional", of "not good enough". Congrats Fu, you just got knocked into "Adults we DO NOT trust"! You already had a foothold, now you get a proper seat!

On the flip side, I see this as where Marinette starts questioning Fu a little more. Because for all her black and white mentality, all her naïveté, the double-standard is GLARING. She's spent the past few months watching the battle of Wills that is Cat Noir(e) Vs Fu. She was expecting a HELL of a talking to once she wasn't throwing up her stomach. Instead, she gets mild disappointment at the SITUATION, general understanding, and even gets COMMENDED for her reasoning and quick reaction to the situation. Which makes her go "waitwait,wait, wait, hold the FUCK up", because what? What the HELL? Why is it ok if SHE does the thing that Fu's been railing against, but not Cat Noir(e)? Good grief, shouldn’t it have been a worse decision? The Cat Noir(e) Duo at least started at roughly the same time. They've been training and getting better alongside her. Now that Marinette's no longer fever-fogged, she's thinking it honestly would have made more sense to have Tikki take the earrings, and go find one of the duo to be a replacement Ladybug. They would have at least had some idea what they were doing! But no, instead she sent a friend, who had barely any idea, to do the job. And that's . . . . fine? What? And DON'T say it’s cause Ladybug needs to be there to purify the Akuma, Marinette knows she NEEDS back up! If anything, the Cat Noir(e) Duo was always kind of a comfort to her, cause she knew she was always likely to have SOMEONE there to support her. Fu so clearly showing favouritism is a hit to Marinette's view of all authority figures being kind and reasonable, making her start questioning him a bit more. Which, ya know, is probably needed.

On Fu himself, yes, he is very much like Roger. I'm not sure on how the particulars work out, since we have no idea what Roger's home life was like as a kid, but I've been operating under the adage "nothing exists in a vacuum". Roger didn’t spring forth fully formed with his opinions on "serving the public (toxic)", he had to learn that somewhere. Someone taught him those views, which he's passing onto Sabrina. And we SEE, at least partially, Fu getting taught his paranoia - if not from the Order itself, from the incident that took the Order away, which Fu probably feels a lot of guilt for. Which, as far as I can tell, he's managing by doubling down on the few teachings he had. Don’t give out IDs. Always put the Miraculous back in the box, don’t let them out. Don’t let the Kwami know any secrets.

Unfortunately, much like Roger, I feel like Fu also needs to see his stubbornness blow up in his face before he realizes he's fucking up.

[tobiasdrake]

Days of Future Past opens with a hell of a fight scene, debuting the Foxverse's official take on the Sentinels. This was a shocking battle to kick things off with.

Largely because the Sentinels aren't... really... Sentinels? XD They're basically Adaptoids from the Avengers comics, moreso than Sentinels. They were going for Nimrod, I think, but they landed at Super-Adaptoid.

The main ability Fox's Sentinels have is superpower mimicry. Whatever the Avengers X-Men throw at them, they can absorb and acquire the ability to do it themselves. This is conveyed excellently through a quick exchange with Colossus.

Colossus goes in for a left hook, but the Sentinel catches his fist. First, it twists his hand painfully aside, demonstrating for the audience how strong these things are.

But then we watch its scale-plates flutter and change to a metallic sheen matching Colossus's own metal exoskeleton. After catching his punch, the Not Adaptoid steals his powers for itself.

Visually, their design takes after Nimrod. Nimrod is also adaptable, but these Sentinels are a lot weaker than Nimrod on account of the fact that his adaptation doesn't require him to copy powers. He can just decide to be invulnerable to whatever your powers are. What a dick.

They dialed down his powerset to make a more interesting fight and that's how we ended up accidentally stepping on the Super-Adaptoid's toes. Because copy/pasting mutant powers at each other is a lot cooler and makes for a more interesting fight than just becoming invincible whenever you want.

Colossus is the setup. He introduces this ability that the Sentinels have, for the sake of this next exchange that follows.

God, this is just so well-paced. This other Sentinel closes in on Sunspot, forcing itself through his flames. To resist his power, it encases itself in ice armor. Now that Colossus's exchange has informed us the Sentinels steal powers, the natural question is where it got that ability.

A question immediately answered by this cut.

To another frozen Sentinel, this one losing a fight with Iceman. The Sentinels are networked - which is a Nimrod ability - and this one transmitted Bobby's cryokinetic abilities over to the other.

And the other repays it in kind.

The Sentinels turn Sunspot and Iceman's abilities against each other to push through and overcome.

Fucking. Brutal.

This fight has one job: To demonstrate that the Sentinels are unstoppable killing machines that the X-Men could never hope to defeat. The world is doomed and we're forced to resort to time travel because there can be no hope of actually winning fights like this.

With that in mind, it would be easy to just have one Sentinel march in as an invincible monster that shrugs off all attacks. But I like the direction they took here. It allows the Sentinels to not only demonstrate power, but tactical problem-solving and teamwork.

They aren't just strong. They're as smart as they are strong and they have numbers and they work cohesively as a team. There are no weaknesses here to exploit.

And this fight pulls no punches in shattering hope, either. One of those guys fighting up there is Bobby "Iceman" Drake, who was a significant character in the original X-Men trilogy. He got in love triangles with the other girls at his school and had a falling-out nemesis rivalry with his bro Pyro.

They want you thinking about that. There's this moment where Bobby passes Kitty Pryde and they just. They give each other this look. This silent look of mutual concern.

They want you thinking about the original trilogy. Thinking about the friendship these characters shared the last time we saw either of them.

AND NOW HE'S DEAD

HE'S FUCKING DEAD

They just casually killed off the love triangle dreamboat! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IS SAFE.

The one person who actually manages to outfight the Sentinels is Blink, who can throw pop-up portals wherever she wants.

She is so fucking cool. But even she can't hold up forever against the relentlessness of these things. This fight is so imaginative.

She shows up near the end of the fight to rescue Warpath, whose superpower is stabbing things really hard with knives so you know he was fucked from the get-go.

This Sentinel hurls him across the room and moves in for the kill.

Then, out of goddamn nowhere, Blink is there with the portal parry.

That should buy her enough time to get Warpath up and get to safety. But these things are fucking smart. Once again demonstrating their tactical cleverness, rather than try to close the distance, the Sentinel sacrifices its own arm to stab Blink through her own closing portal.

It's perfectly shot, too. It doesn't cheat with camera tricks. The Sentinel remains fully onscreen for the entire duration of this action. If you're watching the Sentinel, you can see this all play out.

But Blink and Warpath are in center-frame and, emotionally, you're more likely to be focused on them and what they're doing anyway. There's a strong chance that you, like Blink, will get lulled into a false sense of security by the temporarily disoriented Sentinel up until the moment this happens.

God, this first fight scene is so fucking good.

And then they rip off the Destroyer from Thor while they're at it. XD

Shooting eye-lasers is completely normal for Sentinels but peeling back faceplates to reveal an empty head full of laser cannon is 100% the Destroyer.

This fight had one job: Demonstrate, without having to tell us in words, that these things are unstoppable even by fictional "He can't be beaten OH YOU BEAT HIM" standards.

It succeeds to an incredible degree. By the end of this fight, I fully believe that these things were the doom of mutantkind.

Of course, the film can get away with killing all these characters because it Reset Buttons the entire fight via time travel. Kitty gets the last word on this fight.

That fucking transition as the camera rotates around and the future fades out of existence revealing an untouched, ordinary room.

This opening scene is art. This might be the best fight scene that the X-Men filmography has had up to this point.

[starlit-hopes-and-dreams]

Chapter 22 ~ There's no me without you

Hidden Depths

Previous ~ Masterlist ~ Next

Also on ao3

Genre: Fantasy whump

CWs: just put an angst stamp on this piece already. Not much else. Resh is still confused and unsure what’s real. 

WC: 2929

Taglist: @dont-touch-my-soup, @kixngiggles

In which things are not what they seem

AN: So uh. Hi? *waves uncertainly*

I was trying to finish this story before posting anymore, but uh, it's been almost a year. So. *throws a chapter out* I have four more after this, so I'll resume my friday posting schedule for those. After which, we are nearing the end, folks. I just gotta figure out what that looks like XD

Carr

The bandit leader stalked down the hall, further into the interior of the cabin. Carr followed, mostly because Demex’s arm around her shoulders left her no choice. Every step away from Resh felt wrong, painful. She should be there with him. But she couldn’t do that, not yet. 

Focus, she told herself. 

They stopped outside another door. Lox withdrew a key–from an interior pocket, Carr noted–and unlocked it. Nothing but a dark pit greeted them until the bandit leader lit a lamp, illuminating a small, sparsely furnished space. Which was where they left Carr as Lox took Demex aside–for more questioning, she assumed. The door closed behind them. 

No lock clicked, but she was as trapped in there as if it had. She shuddered. 

Focus. 

Her gaze swept the room, taking stock. There was nowhere for her to sit unless she wanted to take the chair behind the crudely carved desk that was this barren chamber’s only decoration. Voices murmured from behind the door. She moved closer but was unable to make out the words, so she took to pacing instead.

She needed to think, to plan. This was as ill-advised an operation as she’d ever undertaken, every move dependent on the actions and reactions of complete unknowns. She was too emotionally invested and she knew it, but it was a risk she needed to take. If only she could concentrate. 

But the skirt swishing around her legs felt wrong. The bodice of her dress was too damned tight. The sheath on her thigh was too light without the weight of her blade. Her fingers twitched over her leg before she jerked them away to pull at her neckline. 

What was her angle here? She was a little wary about what was involved in Demex taking responsibility for her. Was she to live with him? Do more than live with him? Beads of sweat formed on her brow at the idea. 

For Resh. It was the thought that had gotten her through everything up until this point. How far was she willing to take that, though? 

If she was willing to die for him, then surely she could get through living with, and gods forbid, possibly fucking this bandit who’d stuck his neck out for her. Carr wiped her damp palms on her skirt. It wouldn’t be forever. Just until reinforcements arrived. Or until she got tired of waiting and snuck Resh out with her. 

The door opened almost silently behind her, and she spun, her left hand clenching the fabric of the dress over her empty thigh sheath. 

The corner of Lox’s mouth crooked up. “You look nervous, girl.” 

Carr’s lips set in a thin line. She almost crossed her arms over her chest but, at the last minute, clasped her hands at her waist. More ladylike and all. She thought.  

The bandit leader’s smile grew, and he crossed the room, perching on the edge of the desk rather than taking a seat in the chair behind it. 

“So,” he drawled, withdrawing a small blade from his hip and using it to pick beneath his fingernails. “You have Demex wrapped around your little finger, it seems.” 

Her eyes snapped up from the knife to meet his, her mouth parting on a denial that didn’t make it past her lips. 

“Don’t bother denyin’ it, girl. You were caught on the edge of my fucking camp, chased down like a fox caught with chicken feathers pasted to its snout. What I want to know is, how’d you find us, and what’s it you’re lookin’ for?” 

“I stumbled upon you, is all,” Carr said, crossing her arms over her chest after all. “Saw the women, thought it would be safe enough t’ ask them for aid. Didn’t take much with me when I ran.” 

“Ran from what?” Lox asked, sounding bored as he peered at his nails. He began to shave the edges of one, the pieces littering the desk in little flakes of white. 

Carr wrinkled her nose. “Father arranged a match I didn’t much care for.” 

“Mmhmm.” Lox glanced up for a moment before returning to his grooming. “Not sure I believe that.” 

Silence, aside from the little ticking sounds the knife made against his nails, stretched out. Carr squeezed her arms, fighting the urge to fidget, which would just look like a sign of guilt. He hadn’t asked a question. There was nothing to say. 

The bandit leader switched hands, using the knife as expertly with his left as he had with his right. Which was just great. Not that she had expected any different, but she was at a serious disadvantage with this guy. 

She would give a lot to get out of this godsdamned dress and have a blade in her palm right now. 

She would give a lot to get in that room down the hall, to check on Resh. But she couldn’t let on that she knew him, now could she. Carr stared at the floor, lost in thought while she waited on the bandit leader’s whim. Supposing she was allowed to stay, how could she get to him without raising suspicion? 

Sensing more than seeing the movement as Lox stood, Carr took a step back, purposely widening her eyes when she looked up at the bandit leader. Hopefully, he didn’t notice her first glance went to his blade, noting the tension in his arm, rather than his face. 

Lox snorted. “Surprised you survived long enough to find us, even. Assumin’ you want to stay here?” 

“I’d appreciate whatever aid you’re willin’ t’ give,” she said carefully, hunching her shoulders. 

“Don’t give aid out for free. Nor do I allow strangers knowledge of my camp. Only thing saving you right now is Demex’s protection. Fuckin’ fool that he is.” Lox stroked a newly manicured hand over his short beard, his eyes nothing more than cold chips of ice as he looked her over. 

Shit, this man was as ruthless as a pack leader in the city. 

“But. If you accept his protection, you can stay. Providin’ you prove yourself. You’ll be put to work like any other member of this community.”  

Community. That he referred to it as such said a lot about his intentions for his people, no matter how intimidating he made things sound. Still, she wanted it said plain.  

“What does his protection mean, exactly?” 

“Until it’s been determined you can be trusted, you are attached to his ass. You sleep in his tent. You eat when he eats. You go where he goes, you stay where he tells you. If you don’t…” 

She swallowed, fingers digging into her arms hard enough to bruise. “If I don’t?” 

A thud was her only answer, the tip of his knife burying itself deep in the scarred surface of the desk. 

Well, that explained that. Carr supposed if she refused that would also be her fate. She swallowed and tipped her chin to Lox. 

So be it. 

~~~

“I’m a light sleeper,” Demex warned, the words slightly muffled as he pulled his shirt off, leaving him bare-chested. He tossed it in a basket by the entrance of his surprisingly spacious canvas tent, then grabbed a cloth before walking over to the wash basin. “Just so’s you don’t get any ideas about nighttime wanderings.” 

Carr made a noncommittal noise, turning away when he untied his pants, her cheeks flushing. There was one pallet in this godsdamned tent, so it was pretty obvious where he expected her to sleep. She sincerely hoped he planned on putting some clothes back on, though. 

One of the women had donated a worn cotton shift, which was all she was wearing after her own hasty ablutions had been attended to. She fisted her hand in the fabric. Her dress had been taken away, and she could only hope she would be given something else to wear in the morning. 

First, she had to get through this night. 

“Well? You coming?” 

She started, not having realized the splashing noises had stopped. “Depends on if you’re naked or not,” she said through clenched teeth. 

Demex chuckled. “I put pants on. But I’ll gladly remove them if that’s an issue.” 

Scowling, Carr spun, then swiped an overly long piece of hair from her face. 

He laughed even harder. “Not an issue, I’m guessin’. Ah well.” Patting the pallet, he said, “C’mon. Got an early morning.” 

Stiffly, Carr took the required few steps to reach the corner where the pallet lay. She had to step over Demex to get to her spot; apparently, she needed to be wedged between his body and the canvas wall of the tent despite his claims of sleeping lightly. 

Her whole body was screaming at her as she sat. She pulled her legs up to her chest under the shift. Trapped, and with some random man with unknown intentions. She might be willing to entertain certain scenarios to stay close to Resh, but she didn’t have to fucking like them. 

“Relax,” Demex said, the playfulness dropping from his tone. “Not in the habit of forcin’ myself on the unwilling. You’re safe enough with me. If you change your mind, though…” 

The look on her face must’ve been answer enough because he cleared his throat rather than finish that thought. 

“Lay down,” is all he said before pulling up the covers and blowing out the lantern. 

Darkness descended like a shroud.

Carr lay on her back, barely breathing as she waited for Demex to reach for her, to prove his pretty words only lasted as long as the light. It was so dark there was hardly any point to keeping her eyes open, but they wouldn’t close. Neither would her heart slow, or her hands stop clutching the blanket so hard her bones creaked in protest. 

But eventually, his breathing settled into the rhythm of sleep. All without him laying one finger on her. Amazing. 

Carr let time slip by, measured by the chirp of the night bugs and the rustle of the wind through the trees. Demex began snoring, then snuffled before rolling onto his side, judging by the angle of the blanket. Slowly, Carr released her death grip on the fabric, pushing it off her until it no longer lay between her and escape. 

When Demex didn’t react, she carefully sat up. She was going to see just how lightly this man slept. 

By the time she was done wriggling off the pallet, her skin was sticky with sweat, and Demex was still sound asleep. Not so lightly after all, it seemed. Good. 

Getting out of the tent was child’s play. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, so the moon gave her plenty of light to navigate by. She easily made her way back to the large cabin where she’d seen Resh, avoiding the two guards patrolling the camp. 

That was where her luck ended. 

Voices raised from inside the cabin, and she pressed herself against the wall, cursing the white fabric of the shift she wore. Some of the shutters were open; had they seen her?  

“Damnit, hold him still!” one of the voices ordered, the tone muffled as though they were in an interior room. 

Carr inched along the wall of the cabin, keeping an eye out for guards as she tried to pinpoint the voice’s location. 

Someone coughed, the sound of it wet and violent, and she shuddered. 

“Kid’s fuckin’ determined to be as difficult as possible,” another voice grunted. Lox’s voice. 

Fuck, were they with Resh? Of all the rotten timing… Carr ground her teeth. They’d leave him eventually. They had to. In the meantime, she needed a way inside. 

Along the same wall, she found an open shutter and hesitantly peered inside. With Lox and the other person she’d glimpsed earlier with Resh, this was probably the best opportunity to gain entrance. Then she’d hide, wait for them to leave him, and slip in after them. 

With any luck, no one else would be in residence, and Demex wouldn’t wake up and miss her before she returned to his side. She would’ve prayed if she’d thought the gods would listen to her, but she didn’t. Instead, she swung over the sill into what appeared to be a kitchen. Fuck. 

A door slammed closed, followed by muttering that got closer and closer. 

Fuck fuck fuck. She’d had to choose the window into the most visited area of any dwelling. Her eyes lit on a table, nestled into a dark corner the moonlight didn’t quite reach. She ducked underneath it right as the person walked into the room, still grumbling. 

They poured liquid into a cup, closed and latched the shutters, and shuffled back out in short order. Thankfully so, because Carr was fairly sure she hadn’t breathed the entire time they were there. 

She wasn’t sure how long she crouched under the table in the dark, but eventually, one set of footsteps left Resh’s room and didn’t go back in. Then a second. Another door closed somewhere in the cabin. 

By the time she dared crawl out, her legs were half asleep. She took the time to massage feeling back into them, needing to be able to feel for creaky floorboards, then crept down the hall. 

She was horribly exposed standing out there, so she wasted no time pulling a pin from her hair to pick the lock on the door. She didn’t really care what they thought about it being open in the morning, if they even noticed. 

They had been kind enough not to leave him in the dark. The lantern burned low but steady on a small bedside table, which meant she should be able to read his lips. 

Resh didn’t appear to be asleep, but he didn’t look at her when she approached, either. Her chest ached as she noted the tear tracks on his face, the hollow look in his eyes, and the stained bandage wrapping his upper torso. Abrasions circled his wrists, like he’d been tied down at some point, but she was relieved that wasn’t the case now. She wasn’t sure she could’ve left him that way, and she would be the first person suspected of helping him.     

“Resh,” she whispered, sitting on the bed beside him. When he didn’t respond, she reached out to cup his cheek, whispering his name again. 

To her horror, his chest heaved, like he was crying, and more tears leaked from his eyes to verify that fact. He shook his head, avoiding her touch, his lips moving even while his gaze remained trained on the ceiling. 

Not real. She’s dead. Not real. 

Over and over, he said it between heart-wrenching sobs. 

“No, Resh, no!” Carr leaned over him, taking his face between both hands and forcing him to look at her. “I’m here, I’m real.” 

Of course, the bandits had assumed she and Orla had died in the crash, despite the lack of bodies. Or maybe they just hadn’t bothered to search too hard. Resh must’ve heard, oh gods… 

“I’m not dead,” she whispered harshly, “and neither is Orla.” 

Hands wrapped around her wrists, tugging, but there was no real strength in their grip. Carr refused to release him. “Resh, look at me.” 

He was looking, but not really. More like staring right through her. 

She made a menacing sound low in her throat. “Look at me.” 

Glassy eyes focused at last, and then… Carr? 

Her name on his lips was the best thing she’d seen in days. “Yes, yes, it’s me.” He made to shake his head again, but she stopped him. “I’m here, and I’m real.” 

He looked so defeated and hopeless as he stared at her, and it broke her heart. Feels real but… can’t… trust. 

“I promise I’m real.” Her breath hitched, and she reached up to brush a curl that was sticking to his face away. “You’re so hot. Do you have a fever?” 

He started crying again, his lips moving, but the words were too disjointed for her to make much sense of. The ones she did catch sent chills down her spine. 

Can’t trust can’t trust can’t… killed them. Can’t tell… Prince, not Prince. No. Nonono. But if not… gods, it hurts. Worse, so much worse. Please no. 

He didn’t know where he was, she realized. Couldn’t ground himself. It didn’t take a genius to imagine his sleepless nights while traveling had to do with his ordeal, but she hadn’t realized how lost he could become in them. 

And lost he was. Between the fever, the pain, and the uncertainty, he clearly didn’t know which way was up. 

He needed her–but she couldn’t stay much longer. She could tell him she was real until she was blue in the face, but as soon as she left, he’d doubt. 

Fucking shit. 

~~~

Leaving Resh in that room was one of the hardest things she’d ever done. 

Somehow, she made it back to Demex’s tent unseen, but he stirred when she shimmied back in under the blanket. 

“Where you goin’?” he mumbled sleepily, slipping an arm around her waist. 

Carr stiffened as he pulled her back against his chest, hurriedly wiping the tears from her cheeks.

“R’lax,” Demex said, nestling his face into her hair. 

Yeah, right. Relax. That was so not happening. But she wouldn’t get a stronger alibi than this man thinking he’d cuddled with her all night. 

She forced some of the tension from her muscles and closed her aching eyes. If this was all that was required, she should be grateful. 

For Resh.  

Next

[highfantasy-soul]

Things I LOVED from NATLA Episode 5 - Spirited Away

Katara creating a water version of the earth disks!

Small moment, but Sokka and Aang don't jump until Katara is there and grabs their hands to lead them off in the jump onto Appa

Love that Momo's the one who picks up the acorn to give to Katara - he's so cute!

Katara calling on Gran Gran's teachings <3

"Seeds for the future, not past mistakes" - bringing back up the themes around needing to let go of past guilt so you can step into the future

Big brother Sokka 😭😭😭😭

Pipenpadalopsikopolis!!!

Zuko is such a sassy dick to Lt. Jee XD but like, kinda deserved atm as a girl with ice is kinda, really, something that should raise some flags.

But damn, Jee's face - it makes the next episode all the more satisfying

"Water the most promising seed" ooooohhhhh

"Not self-serving flattery and coy whipers" oooohhh BBUUUURRRNNNNNN

Though it burns all the more as we know that children want the approval of their mentors/parents and it's unlikely Azula has ever gotten that organically, so she feels the need to prompt it.

tHiN pLaCeS????? Sorry, Bruce from Dungeons of Drakkenheim has just primed me to fear that phrase and what it will bring.

Jumpscare where I really thought Sokka had just been yoinked into the Spirit World by that tree branch XD

Aang and Sokka bickering because Sokka can't stop talking and Aang is trying to concentrate - love the group dynamic here

Sokka's little "sshhhhhhh" in the back

Katara practicing her forms!!!

Blue Aang!!

Sokka being absolutely not here for a Spirit World journey and Katara quickly accepting it and just enjoying the ride

"When have I ever caused trouble?" 🙄 "When indeed." 😐

The most AWKWARD and NOT SLICK questioning by Zuko 😩 failing to smoothly slide the money pouch over the counter, just…he's SOOO BAD at being 'nonchalant'! He wants to just scream at you and demand you obey his orders, damn it!!!

Just Dallas' whole performance here - so fucking funny

Pirate mention! Canyon guide!! Stopped the volcano from erupting!!!

All those side quests get nice little mentions <3

Iroh's little run as he chases after Zuko throwing his tantrum 😭

JUUUUUUNNNNEEEEEEE!!!!! NYYYYYLLAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

Omg perfect. So perfect. Perfection. Gorgeously perfect. Did I mention perfect?

Zuko and Iroh's little slap fight XD

June noticing Iroh is cute 🙌

And Zuko's disgust at that 😂

Love Aang always mentioning Gyatzo and all he taught Aang - and Katara really wanting to soak in the knowledge

I like that they brought the entire Gaang into the spirit world here so we could have a natural in-road to deep character work

WON SHI TOOOOONNNNNNNNNGGGG!!!

Nice birdie!!!!

Also great touch with only Aang being able to understand him here, humans just can't

Pretty eye shot!!

Azula's blue fire!!!!!

Really like the choice to let us see her progression to the blue flame - more character development is always a good thing in my book

"Everyone knows you're perfect" "That's not good enough" - smash cut to Zuko

SOOOOO GOOOODDD - seeding her fear that if she doesn't prove herself adequately, her father will treat her like he did Zuko

Showing not telling, people! This is what that means!!!

Zuzu!! Being disgusted - love it

Love Iroh trying to seed his lessons in with pai sho anecdotes

I'm sorry, this scene is hilarious and I cannot unsee it being Iroh trying to prep Zuko for the news that he and June are a thing XD "I know it's unexpected, and she's much younger, but open up your mind to new ideas! There's much you (I) can learn from a dommy mommy."

Again, reinforcing that Zuko has a strong sense of right and wrong - right now, that's leading him down the path of following the Fire Nation's rules, but that very same integrity will be what makes him change sides

Ugh, Iroh's lessons wrapped in pai sho terminology are soooo gooooddd

Creeeeeepy spirit world!!

HEEEIIIII BBAAAIIIII!!!

Who's a cutie patootie panda bear?? YOU ARE!!!!

Oh no, Sokka!!! He went flying.

Suspicious 3-tailed fox!

Her talk about pain right here is so poignant not only for this storyline, but the future one with the ocean spirit

"Do you always make jokes when you don't want to talk about something?" - cutting right to the heart of a lot of Sokka's humor as a coping mechanism

Just… everything with Katara's spirit vision

Her getting to see her mom again and hug her, the women joking around about braiding and Kya encouraging Katara with her waterbending

The absolute gut-wrenching horror as Katara knows what's about to happen, the viewer knows what's about to happen, but the helplessness you feel as you have to watch it play out

Katara trying to save her mom but not being strong enough - it's so well done and we see why the trauma is so very deep when it comes to her and waterbending

Omg Koh's introduction was sooooo terrifying

The sounds, the way he senses despair - it's everything I love about the spirit world

Hakoda!!! DX

Bato!!!!!

I like how we're getting to see that Sokka's feelings of inadequacy as a leader and warrior aren't unfounded - he DID struggle, it didn’t come naturally

I don't blame Hakoda in this moment - he knows the war is coming and he's going to have to leave Sokka in charge - he knows it's not fair - he knows it's an impossible situation, and he's desperately trying to exert some control over the uncontrollable

It makes sense that he'd want Sokka to be magically perfect, that way he could feel marginally better about abandoning him and the village - it's not like he has a choice to stay, everyone is in impossible situations and wishing your kid could be the perfect leader when you know it's going to be forced on them anyways is totally rational

Love that Aang immediately clocks the vision as not real

Despite wanting nothing more than to go see his home and people again, he's a master of the spiritual side of his nature - he knows how to rein it in.

It hurts all the more when we get to Gyatzo and there's the initial distrust - completely founded

Koh's lair!!!

Creepy centipede boiii

Love their chat and I like to think that Aang's past lives subtly let him know not to show emotions with Koh

The whole situation around Koh's face that opens and closes - thanks, I hate it.

It's well done. And I hate it. Please get it away from me. I do not like. Please, kill it with fire. Thank you.

But Gyatzo!!! He waited for Aang for 100 years!!!!!!!!!

I'm gonna say it again - everything with Gyatzo is pure gold. I'm so glad they expanded more with him being Aang's first mentor, even after his death

Gyatzo trying to relieve Aang of his guilt over not being there for the fire nation attack ): It's something Aang really needed to hear and I'm glad it was someone who was present who told him that, not someone just trying to make him not feel as sad.

Aang leaving Appa and Momo in charge of watching over Katara and Sokka!!! So sweet

Gyatzo's monologue is great - how sometimes it feels like we'll always be alone, the only thing keeping you company is your own pain

It ties into every single character of the series and it's such a great through line - they're all suffering in different ways. They NEED people (even Azula) 

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]