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ch4nb4ng · 2 years

Text

Stress relief

Pairing: afab!reader x Chan

Word count: 4.5k

Genre: friends to lovers

Warnings: Kissing, mentions of gentalia, handjob, tit job (?), praise, creampie

Note: idk if anyone is actually going to read this because I haven't posted in like 10 months so yeah but rusty but genuinely enjoy writing this so much

Summary: You were a great student, and Chan was struggling, bad. This is what happened when you tried to reduce his stress by 'studying.'

Time was nothing but a mindless construct for you and the many young individuals that attended college. Prestigious or not, it was deep into the second semester of your second year, and if you had to look at one more textbook about a specification type of referencing, you were going to explode.

Being a psychology major was something you had worked toward for a long time. Having a job that nurtured people back to optimal health and wellbeing was something that always felt nice on the tip of your tongue. Nice to tell people, nice to give to people. That didn’t mean it did not come with its challenges. Researching, literature reviews, group assignments… It was hard and enduring work.

It was helpful that by the end of the first year you had discovered others on the same greuling yet rewarding path. Having a decent support system was essential, especially when traveling to the other side of the world to study. The 4 boys and two girls, who would be named Felix, Changbin, Hyunjin, Chan, Mina and Lia would be the be all and end all for you. Crying together, partying together, doing everything together. Traveling to South Korea was difficult at first. Adapting to the culture and language, so having them by your side got you to where you were today. Life is stressful currently, but then again, things could be worse.

“Okay class, this is the last class for the semester, so if you have any questions, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

You listened eagerly, wanting to pick up on any tips or tricks necessary to ace the exam. Cognitive psychology was a piece of cake to you, so this exam was in the bag. The others… not as much. Changbin and Felix were pretty good, thanks to Lia helping them every other day, and Mina only liked to study alone, got too distracted by the lot of you which to be fair, isn’t hard. You were a loud group. Most of the time you studied on your own as well, the occasional time with Felix if he was bored or needed to catch up on notes from readings (and by catching up on notes, basically just stealing yours). But most of your time was spent with Chan. He was good, but always needed a little bit of extra help. He was kind of whisked into psychology, not really sure what he wanted to do. Therefore, Chan had little to no background before coming into the degree.

“Ms, is Piaget theory required for this exam?”

“Tsk, yes Chan,” she replied, much disdain to her tone, “have you not been listening to anything for the past 6 weeks?”

Tiny giggles permeated through the room after the professor's sarcastic response. It made your skin crawl, and not in a good way. It was quite rude if anything. Chan laughed it off as well. He was the type to just laugh things off, but you could tell on his face that he was nothing but serious when asking his question. His ears began to turn red, sinking into his chair simultaneously.

Luckily the bell rang, and you had never seen someone zoom out of a classroom as fast as Chan did. You chase after him, wanting to make sure he was okay and not feeling completely humiliated. It felt like a marathon, you were very much out of breath by the time you caught up to him. Slapping a hand on his shoulder, he turned around, the unintentional force causing him to face you.

“Jesus christ Chan,” you stumbled, completely out of breath, “why did you have to run so fast?”

You looked, a weak chuckle coming from his lips, a single tear simultaneously dripping out of the corner of his eyes. Your smile faded, beginning to feel really bad for your poor friend.

“Sorry Y/n,” he whispered, wiping it away quickly with the sleeve of his hoodie, “you’ve caught me at a bad time.”

You motioned to the bench next to you, sitting next to him as you rubbed his back in circular motions. Chan was such an intelligent individual, it made you feel sorrow when he doubted himself, and this was one of those moments.

“Oh Chan don’t even worry about that,” you cooed, “she’s been rude all semester, definitely had a stick up her ass or something because I have no idea what her problem is.”

That made him giggle, turning to you and grabbing your hand as a silent thank you.

“Yeah you're right aha. I’m really struggling with the cognitive stuff though, and I have no idea how I’m going to do this exam.”

The other, who moved at a normal, not heart attack inducing pace, finally caught up to the two of you,lips pouted and solemn as they noticed Chan was having a down moment.

“Aw Chan it’s ok,” Felix hummed, giving him a bright smile, “we will all help you, promise.”

“Yeah,” Changbin chimed in, “let’s have a study session at Chan’s, tomorrow, 3pm good for everyone?”

Everyone nodded in agreement, you and Chan following behind the rest. He grabbed your wrist, making you stop in your tracks, “Y/n, could you come an hour earlier? Just so I don’t sound like a complete idiot? Also, they’re kind of hard to keep up with. I like the way you explain things.”

You’d be lying if you said the skin on your arm was burning up. He didn’t know, too innocent to realize, but his praise had an effect on you, one too many times. You would like nothing more than to take care of him, in all the ways anyone could imagine. Wash his clothes, feed him an insurmountable quantity of food. Was his hair in the shower, lather his body in soap and just, well, you know. The chiseled state of his body was no secret. The many beach trips accounted for that. Chan was a very good looking man, one of the first things you noticed when Felix introduced you to his friends. However, it was something that you suppressed deep down. A romance was the last thing you needed.

Your cheeks follow a similar temperature. The thought almost made you dizzy. You blinked a couple of times, coming back to your senses and not trying to look out of the ordinary.

“Uh yes,” you shrieked, the attempt to act normal utterly dismissed, “of course. Anything to help you out.”

You continued to walk together, a million thoughts running through your mind as you attempted to keep them subtle, failing to rope them in and keep them at a minimal level.

To describe you as nervous was an understatement. Your hairbrush ran through your hair in a frustrating manner. You felt stupid, ridiculous even. If you had a dollar for every time you went to Chan’s dorm, you would be a millionaire, why did this time feel different? Looking at yourself in the mirror, you sighed, putting the last touches of your makeup before grabbing your keys and walking across campus, heading to your ‘friends’ door.

A gentle couple of knocks was all it took for you to be greeted by your handsome friend. His hair was swept back, forehead showing. His outfit was casual, black hoodie, black tracksuit pants. It was nothing different to what he usually wore, but he looked ten times hotter than usual.

“Y/n,” he groaned, “thank god you’re here.”

He dragged you inside, closing the door behind you. He began to pace back and forth, biting on his fingernails simultaneously.

“Chan slow down, what’s wrong?”

“I opened the textbook, and I can’t stop freaking out. Y/n I’m so stressed, why are you not pacing with me?”

“Because,” you laughed, gripping his forearms stopping him in his tracks, “by the end of the day, you will understand Piaget, and every other theory we need before the exam, okay?”

You were close, eyes piercing as you gave him a loss of reassurance. You weren’t sure if it was your mind playing tricks on you, but it felt like Chan was moving closer. His eyes began to bore into yours, holy fuck he was hot.

You broke away, not wanting to misinterpret anything. Taking a seat on his couch, you picked up his textbook, scanning and analyzing what he was trying to understand. Chan sat right next to you, thigh distractingly touching yours as you attempted to read. You could feel his gaze over his shoulder. The smell of his cologne flowing into your nostrils, becoming intoxicating. Your frustration began to increase. You knew that you were being unreasonable, but it was like he was trying to seduce you. You were already out of your mind, and nothing in the slightest of being sexual had occurred.

“Chan, I can hear your breathing down my neck.”

“Oh,” he moved away, “sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“Are you sure?”

“What?”

You put the textbook down, turning your body to face him. The look of concern on his face, like the one you were met with when you opened the door had not disappeared. A look of disapproval now on yours.

“Can you please talk to me?”

“What do you want to know?”

“What exactly is stressing you out?”

A large sigh escaped his lips,

“I just feel like I’m failing. I had to convince my parents to live here instead of Australia, and I just feel like I’m not living up to what they expected.”

Your heart sank at his words. You sat there for two minutes of silence. You weren't sure what you could say that would be perfect and what he needed to hear, but it didn’t mean you wouldn’t attempt to.

“Chan I-”

“And I have other needs as well.”

At first you were confused, completely unsure of what he referred to. Your mind was ticking once again, rummaging to what he referred to. But when it came to your mind, your eyes widened, mouth dropping before you spoke.

“Oh, I get what you mean.”

“Yeah.”

Another couple of minutes of silence passed as you looked around, refusing to make eye contact with each other. An idea popped into your mind, but it was way too inappropriate to ask. You wanted to help him so badly though, a proposition if you will. It was such a fine line to cross. It really was inappropriate, but the innocent look on his face was triggering something in you, sparking your innermost fantasies and desires.

You don’t know what took over or what in your right mind possessed you to do what you did next, but time moved and all of a sudden you were on top of Chan, arms wrapped around his neck as you looked down at him, like a predator hunting his prey.

“You know, I can help you if you want?”

A large gulp was evident as it paced down his throat. He wasn’t sure what to say, him now analyzing if he himself was being too inappropriate to take you upon your proposition. His hands spread across your rear, gently nudging you forward. He was in unfamiliar territory, not sure how to proceed.

“Did you mean with studying or, you know, my needs?”

The look you gave him was priceless. It was amazing how genuinely oblivious Chan was sometimes. You got up from his lap, saying nothing and walking towards his room. He followed, closing the door behind him, even though nobody else was home.

“Sit on the bed.”

He did as he was told, legs spread wide at the edge. He always sat like this, and it turned you on, every single time. Chan, without knowing it, just looked so cocky, so arrogant, and fuck, did you used to like arrogant men. The ironic thing was that he was the complete opposite. Smart, kind, generous and warm to others. He was probably the only guy that you met that had all the qualities you looked for.

But that was irrelevant now. This moment wasn’t about how likable he was, it was about how hot he was. You took two steps closer, lifting your arms above your head and discarding your shirt. You could hear the audible gasp that escaped his lips, stunned by the way your chest looked. You did not assume that this would happen, therefore the reason why you had no bra on. You stood there, chest inline with his face as he watched you with so much intent. The way he was taking you in, drinking you up like a crisp, refreshing beverage. Chan, not a complete virgin, had little experience. He was a hard worker, never giving into his temptations. If anything, it kind of explained why he was so intense ¾ of the time. Nevertheless, it made your insides throb the way he gazes at you like you were the most beautiful woman on earth.

“If you don’t want this, talk now.”

You waited for what felt like 5 hours, but was really thirty seconds before he shook his head, vigorously. The notion made you smirk. His eyes remained wide, focusing nothing but the curve of your boobs. He went to lift his shirt, thinking it would be the right thing to do seeing as you were half naked yourself. But you said no,grabbing his wrists and placing them on your own zipper. His fingers gently shadowed yours, the sound of the zip the only noise filling the room. Stepping out of them quickly, simultaneously pulling your underwear off as well, another gasp escaped his lips. You were now fully nude, him fully clothed. There was something sick to you about getting off at the fact he was fully dressed and you were the opposite.

“Like what you see?”

“Mhm,” he gulped once more, “really, really beautiful.”

Your heart skipped a beat at his words, but that wasn’t the time for this. Dropping to your knees, your fingers began to fiddle with the drawstring of his own bottoms. It did take long, seeing as Chan liked to wear very baggy clothes. They came off in one swift motion, spreading his legs even farther apart so you could fit right in. He was already extremely hard, the sight of your tits getting even near his cock made him twitch. Looking up at him, his chest was visibly tense, like he was holding in a large breath.

It wasn’t until your hand gripped the base of his length, and you started pumping, was when his chest fell deeply, almost concave in. His facial expression still looked tense, however, you could tell it wasn’t a look of agony, it was quite the opposite. A small whine escaped from his lips when you added another hand, adding more friction to his cock and you began to pump him a little faster.

“Shit,” he mumbled under his breath, too embarrassed to allow you to hear his satisfaction. The muscles in his legs and arms were much looser than they were prior, and the fact that you were only using hands was absolutely blowing your mind. Your arousal was increasing. Seeing how pathetic and easy it was to turn Chan on.

“Is that good Chan?”

“Yes,” he breathed, barely able to get his words out, “that feels so good, fuck Y/n.”

The breathy tone of your name sent a shiver down your spine. It had been a while since someone made you feel like that. You felt like he needed to be rewarded. You maneuvered your body closer, but taking his hands off of his length, placing them on either sides of your chest as you took him in, watching his length slide in the crevice of your tits. Chan jumped out of his seat, jaw slack and dropping to the floor as he watched his extremely hard cock disappear in between your cleavage. Eyes remained on him, your core was throbbing harder, watching his face contour, eyebrows strongly furrowed; he was enjoying every single second of it. Your chest moved with anticipation, tongue sticking out to reach the slit of his tip every time it reached the peak of your cleavage.

“You’re so cute,” you smile, “you’re so pathetic you know, have you ever done this before?”

“No,” he moaned, hands already gripping his bed sheets forcefully, “you’re right, I’m so pathetic.”

“Oh you like that? You like when I take control?”

“Yes.”

“You’re such a good boy,” you coo, picking up your pace, “taking my tits so well aren’t you?” His head rolled back, eyes closed but looking like he was looking at the ceiling. It was almost as enjoyable for you as it was for him. The textures and ridges of your cock not going unnoticed. He felt amazing, and your mouth began to salivate because if he felt that good in between your tits, he would feel 10 times better inside of you. Chan came back to life, head snapping back into motion as he looked down at you, so much innocence yet corruption filled his being. You moved away, hearing the sound of disappointment come from Chan’s lips as you stood up.

Lifting a hand, you pushed him by the chest, laying him flat before crawling on top of him. Still sitting up, you hovered over intertwining your fingers with his and you lined yourself up with his cock. A sudden pang of doubt creeped into your mind. Was this the right thing to do? Did you feel the need to do this to satisfy your own wants and needs?

“Are you ready for this?”

He said nothing, only nodding because he knew that if he tried to speak, it would come out as a voice breaking murmur. Placing your hand on his shoulder, straightening your back, allowing yourself to sit on top of him. A small moan escaped your lips as your clit landed on his cock. That was fortunate. A hiss escaped him. Chan had been super patient until this point, it kind of made you feel guilty for making him wait. But another part of you kind of loved this almost sick power you had over him. He was so complicit, not doing anything and letting you take control. It felt rare, because most of your previous partners needed to have control.

“Do you mind if I do everything myself?”

His eyes never left yours, biting down on his bottom lip as he shook his head, eagerly waiting for you to get on with it. You lifted your hips once more, taking the hand that was intertwined and bringing it to the base of his length. A moan in unison, one of relief and gratification as he effortlessly slid into you. Chan was a decently hung man, but it didn’t matter anyways. You were already so wet and so turned on that fucking him would be a piece of cake.

“Fuck,” he cursed, eyes glued to your tits as the had a light bounce. You began to gently rock, not wanting to overwhelm him at a rapid rate. This was supposed to be relaxing for him, and it was, feeling his cock already twitching inside of you.

“You’re not going to cum are you?”

You leaned forward, pressing your lips softly against his. The electricity was great, moving with so much attention yet sensuality you slipped your tongue inside his mouth. A soft groan vibrated from his mouth the longer you kissed him. Breaking the kiss, he looked up at you, keen to answer your question

“No,” you whined, unsure what to do with his hands, “sorry I’m just so excited.”

“You’re excited?”

“Yes,” he replied looking back up at you, “I can lie and say I haven’t thought about this before?”

A mischievous gasp left your mouth at his words. The combination of him thinking about fucking you and actually fucking you was causing your body to heat up. The temperature in the room increased and the tension felt even thicker than before. You kept a slow pace at first, hands on his shoulders in your attempt to remain balanced. It truly was adorable at how into you he truly was in this moment.

“We can do this as many times as you want now baby,” you cooed, “this is only the beginning if you want it to be.”

You picked up speed a little not wanting to go too fast, but needing just enough friction and gratification to work towards your high. Chan was so immersed in you that his hands barely lingered across your hips. It had come to your attention that maybe he genuinely needed some assistance. It was clear that even though the agreement was that his stress relief was in the palm of your hands, it was important to him that for you, it was equally enjoyable.

“You know you can touch me,” you whispered, giving his palms a gentle nudge upwards. It didn’t take much, almost like his hands were in, or on, their most natural position; your tits. A gentle moan escaped your lips at the contrasting ice cold temperature of his fingertips lingering on your nipples. The long string of moans and gasps from Chan was becoming anything but adorable. Each noise he made aroused you even more. The gentle massage of his hands was delightful. It wasn’t the first time you had thought about this. Especially when you were frustrated, stressed, or having a dry spell, the physicality of Chan was always a lingering cognition. Always there to coax you through your sexual frustration. If anything, this became stress relief for the both of you. Chan because he was stressed out because he needed to pass the exam, and yourself because now you didn’t have to suppress the surplus of fantasies and desires that stayed awake in your mind.

“Mmm, how are you doing Chan?”

“So good,” he growled, “I don’t know if I can last much longer.”

A small giggle escaped your lips. Keeping your composure, but really you were grateful because you could feel the pit in the depth of your lower abdomen. Your orgasm was coming, and there was nothing you could do about it. Although you did all the work, his cock was hitting you in the exact spot you needed. The slapping of your ass against his groin was getting louder, and you rhythm faster yet a little erratic, the intensity of him starting to overwhelm you.

“Y/n, wait,” he paused, making you stop in your tracks, “I don’t want to cum in you.”

A pout puffed from your lips at his words.

“You don’t?”

“Well,” Chan gulped, “I would, but I didn’t think-”

Instead of letting him finish, your index finger was across his lips, completely shushing him.

“You shouldn’t assume things about me Mr. Bang.”

You picked your hips up again, leaning back on his knees he bucked your hips, rapidly feeling the strokes of Chan’s cock. You wanted him to cum, you wanted him to cum so badly. The way you were dying to see the face he made when he came, how he looked at you was your soul volition in this very moment.

“Are you gonna cum?”

“Fuck, Y/n please,” he moaned, his loudest noise yet.

He nodded, jaw slack open as you rode him like your life depended on it. His cock was twitching at a rapid rate, hipe gently bucking into yours as he felt his high coming.

“Would you like to cum in me?”

He nodded once more.

“Cum in me Chan, cum in me, come one baby, you can do it.”

Chan mouthing ‘fuck’ one more time, before completely blowing his load inside of you. His jaw cracked, distressed gasp strangling his throat as he grabbed your hips, controlling your speed as you milked him dry, your orgasm waving over you simultaneously.

“Oh my god,” you moaned, knowing Chan was guiding you through it, but at this point, you didn't even care. It felt too good to discipline him for not letting you do everything. You stood up, a sharp groan coming from you as you felt his seed drip out.

“Fuck, what if-”

“Don’t worry,” you interrupted once more, “I’m on the pill.”

A sigh of relief disappeared from his chest.

You lied down next to him, trying to catch your breath as he turned to look at you.

“How do you feel?”

“Y/n that was amazing?”

You chuckled at his admiration, turning to him and seeing the sweat condensate across his forehead. Wow, did you make him work up a sweat.

“Still stressed out?”

“Far from it.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, hope I wasn’t too overpowering or anything.”

“Absolutely not,” he scoffed, “it was really fucking hot actually.”

Fuck. You kissed him again, really enjoying the validation of your feminine power over him. It was a nice moment, that was until you heard a knock on the door. Fuck. The two of you were so immersed in what you were doing, that you completely forgot about the study session with the others.

“Shit, uh, just put your clothes on, I’ll stall them.”

You nodded, quickly redressing yourself and heading to the bathroom. You cleaned yourself up, looking at the mirror and shit, did you kinda look like a mess. A pang of embarrassment hit your chest. How on earth were you supposed to just hang out with your friends, and act like you didn’t just fuck one of them. Nevertheless, there was no time to think about it, fixing your hair as much as you could before opening the door, and returning to the lounge where the others smirked at you when you walked in.

“Hey guys,” you smiled, choosing to ignore them, “what’s going on?”

“What are you already doing here?”

The two of you gave each other a quick look, praying to the lords that you came up with the same explanation.

“Oh me? I only got here like 5 minutes before you guys.”

“Oh you did,” Felix chimed in, sarcastically placing a hand on his chin, like a detective, “and Chan, why do you look almost sweaty?”

“Uh me, well I just had a shower before you guys got here. Then Y/n knocked about 10 minutes later.”

You shrugged, nervously chuckling and just praying they were taking this.

“Fuck Y/n, please,” Changbin whined, mocking Chan. Your eyes grew wide.

“Yeah come on baby, cum in me cum in me,” Felix added, making everyone burst into laughter. Your face was as red as a bunch of tomatoes. They heard everything. Fuck, this was embarrassing.

“You guys don’t have to lie, you know. We saw this coming from a mile away.”

“You did?” The two of you asked in unison, making the rest of them laugh again.

“I mean yeah,” Felix shrugged, “I’m sure this is what all the ‘extra studying’ was for.”

“No dude,” Chan began to yell, even you giggling at him now getting defensive, “I do need help! I’m terrible at this!”

“Is he y/n?”

“Terrible at psych? A little,” you paused, sitting down next to Felix on Chan’s couch, “sex? Absolutely not.”

#bang chan #bangchan smut #chan smut #bang chan smut #stray kids smut #stray kids imagine #stray kids scenario #bang chan scenario #bang chan imagine #chan scenario #chan imagine #ch4nb4ng #bangchan x reader #chan x reader

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frownyalfred · 2 months

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20 Questions for Writers

I was tagged by @lurkinglurkerwholurks

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 146! It would be a larger number if I hadn't deleted all of my Supernatural fics back in the day. There were at least 30 of those, maybe more...

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

913,163 - I'm hoping to hit a million soon!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Batman, Superman, Justice League, Star Wars, Marvel

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Take Care of Business Everybody Wants You It Was Always You a sky of honey Anything Like Me

5. Do you respond to comments?

Not anymore :/ I have a really hard time keeping up with writing if I'm responding to comments. I hope my readers understand.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm. Probably lonely town? Dick is getting de-fibbed in the alley by Bruce, and it's not clear if he's going to survive or not.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

here as I am is hilarious if you're into jealous!Clark. otherwise the weight (salmon ladder fic) always gets me.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yep. Mostly on borderline, but on other fics too. I love how, as I've gotten better at writing, it's changed from "wow this sucks, your writing is awful" to "you suck because you chose to have [character] do this." Luckily I think most of the hate filters over here to Tumblr, where I can happily block and forget. These days, I mostly get people commenting about how I'm wrong about something. Wrong about something I researched and triple checked before posting...

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yep! All of them, I think? At least, I haven't balked at much yet. I'm not really into the excrement related ones, so I think that would be one of my no-go's.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yep! bloodletting (Mandalorian/Star Wars and DC Crossover) and a few Marvel/DC crossovers.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yep, a few times. What I'm more pissed about is all of my textposts being monetized over on TikTok and IG. I could be making bank off of those, considering the reach. And several of them are basically mini-fics.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Tons. Check them out here. There's also some podfics and related works there.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really. I've made attempts but I'm really bad at it. I tend to write spur of the moment and follow my gut on where the conversation/action goes. Planning out a fic with a partner would do them a disservice, I think.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I really love Superbat, but Codywan is right up there with it. Something about Cody being a loyal BAMF soldier and long-suffering big brother gets me.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

My vampire AU. Not because I don't want to continue but I cannot decipher my notes as to what should happen next.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm very quick, I can type up a full draft in a few hours. I like natural, snappy dialogue and I think I'm good at it. I don't shy away from weird or uncomfortable situations. I'm comfortable with writing a lot of sex/etc.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I write too quickly, sometimes I get ahead of my plot. My dialogue and descriptions can sometimes be a little too bare, or I overcorrect and become too flowery. My fics take on the tone of whatever I'm thinking about at that time.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

If you're confident in your language abilities, go for it. If you're just plugging it into google translate, consider why you're doing that first. Is the addition of this new language actually something someone would say in that moment? Or are we just using it to signal to the audience that they speak another language? Is there a way to show this without telling? That being said, I love using Mando'a in my Star Wars fic, and I've studied it for a while now to be able to do so.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Supernatural

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Probably borderline or a sky of honey. Both took a ton out of me and I'm proud they're whole and standing on their own right now.

---

I'll tag anyone who wants to play! Go wild.

#ask game #fic game #writing #fic #myfic #theresurrectionist

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midwesternvibes · 6 months

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This one is currently winning on my little motivation poll so here we go

SEPERATED LEO AU!!! (because we don't have enough of those already lol)

Link to original post

So, I wanna talk more about how they all refound each other (link to how they met here)

Just to recap, Big Mama has Mikey, Draxum has Raph, and Splinter has Donnie. Big Mama's in her Nexus Hotel, Draxum is in NYC with a cloaking broach, and Splinter's in the ever iconic sewers.

Big Mama is actually a very kind mother to Mikey! She loves her little baby, and especially loves how he has her beloved Lou's smile. She spoils him to death and lets them express himself however she'd like. (If you haven't picked up on it yet, Mikey is genderfluid in this au and generally presents as a feminine man) Mikey absolutely adores skirts and zip-up hoodies, and usually wears a very bright suit top with a big orange ball gown skirt to formal events that Big Mama matches at Mikey's whims (I cannot draw for the life of me so if anyone is willing to draw this for me I will work out some kind of trade with you if you'd like 🙏)

But yeah, Big Mama does not let her fight in the Nexus, and has even toned down the brutality of the Nexus due to Mikey's pleading. There aren't any more lethal fights and she rarely makes binding, lifelong contracts because it made her baby upset to see all the sad and scared people.

They are a very cute duo and both genuinely love each other very much

Then there's Draxum amd Raph! Draxum luckily snagged two cloaking broaches before his lab exploded and slapped them on both him and his 2 year old son before heading up to the surface. The two of them then got a apartment in the.....*shuddder*........human world. Draxum tries to hide them in mostly secret, only leaving the house for groceries and necessities, but eventually realizes that poor Raphie is very lonely.

This is made so much worse when he meets the little girl downstairs and wants so desperately to follow her to school after their playdates.........Draxum finally caves.

With the help of Mr. and Mrs. O'Neil, he enrolls Raphie in the same Kindergarden as April and lets him finally go to school after years of homeschooling. Raphie struggles with the transition a bit, but eventually he gets the hang of it and thrives! Draxum encourages him to join as many clubs as he can (without getting overwhelmed of course) and is his biggest fan.

Once Draxum is able to settle down, he's actually a huge soccer mom and goes to all of Raphie's events, he gets totally embarrassed sometimes. Draxum and the O'Neils are really good friends and try to have dinner at least once a week

But once again, a very happy family! They struggle to show it sometimes, but they truly love each other and only want what's best for each other

Then we have Donnie and Splinter! Splinter was mutated with the DNA from his pet rat that he picked up on his travels with Big Mama and Draxum to get the turtles, and he was only able to grab Donnie and retreat to the sewers before Draxum's while lab collapsed. He, along with the other two, belive his partners and other children to be dead, so he never goes searching for them. Instead, he raises his son in the sewers on his own, foraging for all that they need just like in canon.

However, their sewer home is PREEEEEEEETY nice, since Donnie doesn't really doesn't have anything better to do other than make their home as nice as possible. He's has all major appliances working since he was 6 and only makes improvements from there. He also has his little pet project, but Splinter doesn't know about that yet!!!!

Speaking of Splinter, he varies pretty dramatically from canon. He's a lot less depressed because he had a much better experience with the yokai world and doesn't feel nearly as ashamed to BE a yokai (or yokai-adjacent) and keeps himself in much better shape, helping him with the dysmorphia that he does have. Overall, Splinter's doing pretty well, and he's a pretty attentive parent overall!

He was able to access some of his funds from his Lou Jitsu days and pays for Donnie to go to online school, and by the time Donnie meets up with the rest of his family at 11, he's halfway through high school work and has plans to go on to college so that he can start building up his tech empire by the time he's 18

But yeah, yet again, a overall happy parent/child relationship!

(Then there's Leo. All the angst had to go somewhere, right???)

Moving on! Now, the adults all lived separately with each of their respective kid, but when Raphie was about 8, he got really sick. Like, really really sick. Draxum went to as many human doctors that he could trust, but none of them were able to figure out what was wrong with his baby. He finally musters up the courage to go down to the Hidden City, and finds out that Raphie has Mystic Overload Syndrome. While he's running around trying to find stuff to help his little boy (he's so affectionate guys), Raphie sneaks out! He starts running around the Hidden City unbroached, and he feels truly seen for the first time in his life.

While running around, he literally runs into another turtle yokai, one who's dressed in expensive orange clothes...........

This post got REALLY long, so stay tuned for more! Next post will probably be how Draxum and Big Mama finally met, and then how Splinter and Donnie come into play!

(Don't worry about Leo this isn't about him he's fine)

First // Previous // Next

(Also stay tuned for the name reveal of the AU!

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ryanguzmansource · 2 months

Text

Full Transcript (8.4.24)

(already posted on RGS here)

M: Recording? Everybody recording?

R: Everybody's recording.

M: Everybody tuned in? We just filmed half the episode and forgot that we weren't recording.

R: No, that was great.

M: Yeah, and that's my time. Man, yo, what up gang? Welcome to the L&L Podcast, where we sit down with a dope individual, get a lecture, learn a little bit about their life, then we get in the lab and create something dope, which is gonna come at a later day, because me and this guest got a real special one that's gonna take some time, so be patient. I promise it's gonna be worth it. In the meantime, there's gonna be a special aspect, a special section of this interview. It's gonna be for Patreon only. It's gonna be Fan Questions and a little mini lab that I haven't told him about yet, because it's gonna be a surprise slash side mission, but yeah, so we're gonna get there, patreon.com/lnlpod.

Join the university right now, it's only $5, and you can get the BTS and the creatives and all the episodes a day early, and for the other seven episodes as well. So this episode is the season one finale.

Yeah, I'm so hyped that y'all made it this far. Season One has been a road. So yeah, you know, we wanna keep doing more and more and more, and we're in a new space. This is the Feybl [pronounced Fable] House, first episode that we gonna do here, and this is gonna be our new home for a while, and it ain't cheap, so all my brands out there, if you wanna sponsor the boy, that'd be great.

[INTRO MUSIC]

M: All right, we're here today with somebody super dope. I've known him for a while now, maybe six years or so through a mutual friend, and since day one that we've met, he's let me into his life and into his home, and he's been a big supporter of me and everything I've been doing these last six years and vice versa and some quick flowers. Multi-talented in so many different facets of art, and we're gonna try to get into all of them in some way, shape or form today. My boy, Ryan Guzman. What's cracking, my boy?

R: What's up, bro? Thanks for having me, man.

M: I appreciate that.

R: I appreciate you.

M: Yeah, you're my dog. You're my dog. I just jumped into it. I wasn't gonna start it this way, but when you told me where you were earlier today, you had a fitting for a season eight for 9-1-1. What kind of weird shit they got you wearing?

R: Nothing weird yet. I mean, I feel like it's more clothes this season than last. The last season, I felt like half naked half the whole season. Nah, I mean, the character's been established now. We kind of know what to expect with the vibe, and now it's just kind of falling back in the old rhythm. And the only thing different now is where the character's head's at and where he's going.

M: Got you. I mean, the majority of what you wear is the firefighter fit anyway.

R: Yeah, a lot of plaid, a lot of cowboy shit.

M: It's legit, though, like the firefighter fits. They're like legit firefighter shit.

R: To an extent. Yeah, there's certain times where we're wearing the actual gear and we'll have to take out the lining because if we're in, say, for instance, 112 degree weather, we got to stay in that shit for like hours. I can cuss?

M: Yeah.

R: All right. We got to stay in that shit for like 12 hours, 14 hours. So we're not trying to do that. So luckily, the wardrobe department helps us out.

M: Because that shit be heavy as hell, bro.

R: I mean, full gear, that's like 50, 60 pounds.

M: See, no, I'm good.

R: Yeah.

M: I'm good. That's why you get paid the big bucks, bro.

R: Yeah.

M: That's dope, man. Okay. Can we talk about where you just came from? With Rosario [Dawson]?

R: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We can talk about that.

M: Cool. Yeah. He just got back from filming over the weekend. It was quick weekend shoot, like in and out?

R: It was full week. Yeah. And how it happened actually was kind of crazy. Like my boy Lamont, shout out to him, he's the writer on the movie, and they had already been filming. So they're like 10, 12 days in. He hit me up and he's like, hey, so this character that we've been writing, like we don't have anybody for him. They have somebody in mind and then Rosario has another person in mind, but we're not sure if they're going to work out with the scheduling and everything. So I'm like, all right, send me the script. Sends me the script.

M: You was plan B, dog?

R: I was plan C, but-

M: I'll take it.

R: Oh man, after I read that thing—cause I'm not thinking nothing like that—I'm like, you know what? I read that. I'm like, all right, now I'm gonna kill this.

M: Okay.

R: Yeah, I want this. And it's a smaller role, it's what I've been looking for, I'm not looking for, like, the lead role right now.

M: Word.

R: I'm looking for something really textured, really, like, fun to do, and this is everything it was. So, like, I get the thing, I hit Lamont back, I'm like yo, whoever you're thinking about, you can tell me. I'ma—I'ma beat them. I need to get—I need this.

M: I need names. Who were they?

R: Yeah. So I can't remember the first person, but the other person was Wilmer Valderama, and that's a close friend to Rosario.

M: Okay.

R: So I almost hit Wilmer, cause I know Wilmer, and I was like, bro, step out. [laughs] But everything worked out the way it should be. So I sent Lamont, you know, my fight background. I sent him me shooting and stuff cause it's an action flick.

M: I was going to say fight background. So your character, you whooping on somebody?

R: Yeah, we get down. So me and Rosario, she's doing like a John Wick kind of thing.

M: Oh.

R: Yeah.

M: So she's the John Wick?

R: She's the John Wick.

M: Let's go.

R: Yeah. I'm the partner.

M: Okay. Good guy partner.

R: Good guy partner.

[INDISTINGUISHABLE]

M: Alright.

R: Either way, though, like the whole thing was just from day one, like, as soon as I get on set, she was the coolest person in the fucking world.

M: Tight. First time working with her?

R: First time working. We have mutual friends. Like I said, Wilmer, we know Wilmer. Another girl named Pantera Sarah. Shout out to her too. But there's so many like individuals that we know, we never crossed paths.

M: Sure.

R: And I heard from all of them, like, when you get to see her, you're going to understand why so many people love her. And I can understand.

M: Quick.

R: I was on a FaceTime with my kids and my mom, and she pops in right behind, and she just like naturally flows into the conversation. She's like, give me a hug kind of thing. And she's like, you know..

M: Those are the kind of people you want to work with, man. Like, there's so many people out there, they can turn such a positive environment and opportunity into just like, yo, get me out of here.

R: I've worked with them.

M: I know.

R: Yeah, I've worked with some idols of mine and I'm like, never meet your idols. idols of mine and I'm like, okay...

M: Never meet your idols, man. That's what they say.

R: Learning experience, yeah.

M: You don't have to say names. Do you have any stories that pop in your head, like when you think of working with people like that, you're like, yo, there's one time, there's one person that was like this.

R: Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

M: You don't have to say names.

R: It's a learning experience. As soon as you find out certain people you thought would be, like, really, really talented in one aspect, and you hear that they're using a little ear thing, or they don't even know about the script. I heard one of my idols say, I hope—the movie that I was doing with—goes straight to the trash. I was like, I'm doing a movie with you. Yeah. Like what? Like how do you—? Come to find out it was just for a paycheck. So I'm like, okay. So those kind of things are defeating. But then you work with Rosario Dawson. You work with certain individuals like Angela Bassett.

M: Like, yeah.

R: My God. They give you this new sense of energy, this new like, like, this is why I do this, you know?

M: I was going to save this question for the private one because we already flown in it and you can plead the fifth, bro. But there was another podcast interview from a homie of mine called the No Chaser Podcast. Shout out No Chaser. And he brought on an ex of yours who mentioned that there was an ex of hers who that person worked on a movie where that actress forced him to pretend to be single and went public and faked a relationship for press for the movie.

R: Yeah.

M: Some legitimacy behind that?

R: To fake to be single? Nah, there was no faking to be single, but it did seem like I-I don't know, because I was going everywhere with, we're talking about Jennifer Lopez, right?

M: We are, yeah.

R: I was going everywhere with Jennifer Lopez and, like, rumors get spread and that's kind of what it was. And I'm kind of new to the whole, like, fame thing and at that point, so I done Step Up and stuff, that's a certain fame, but Jennifer Lopez is on a different level. So I wasn't used to everybody being in my business and asking crazy outlandish questions. Seeing me by her side, I'm thinking it's all promotional for the movie, and then it turned into this other thing.

M: Well, I mean, when she's like, you think it's promotion and she's like, yeah, promotion and just slips you one of these or leans in a little bit too close and is like, hey, I'm going to head out. You need to leave with me. Like, just walk me to my car, but don't tell people why. Just let's go.

R: Like, it was nothing like that. It was like, yeah, because had it been like that. She's a vet.

M: She knows what to do.

R: She knows what she's doing. But I, at the time, didn't, and I was just going with the flow pretty much. And I had, yeah, at that point in time, I had a girlfriend. Everything was on the up and up. I told her, you know, everything that was going down and everything. And I think she had been talking to Casper at that point.

M: Jen.

R: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they were on and off and on.

M: That's how I met Jen was through Casper.

R: Relationship kind of thing, yeah. So everything was exactly what it should have been. And again, I'm thinking, I killed this shit on the movie. So I'm like, I want people to see this. So you're asking me to do promotion with you? Yes.

M: Let's go.

R: Let's do it. I'm going to do everything I possibly can. Oh, you want to bring me on a whatever show? I'm there.

M: Yeah.

R: So I'm saying yes to everything. Yeah. So it can be perceived as something else. But to be honest, I never had that interest as crazy as it sounds. I don't know if a lot of people have been like, I'm not that, I'm not that. And if you really know me, then you understand that I'm not that. But yeah, and when I got that, that peek into her lifestyle, it's even more the fact that I don't want to be famous.

M: Yeah.

R: And I don't want all of that, that comes with her and everything. So I'll be a friend of hers.

M: Sure.

R: I'll support her from this side.

M: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the first time I met Jen, I was in her house. I didn't even know it was her house. Casper had a, we were doing something with Ian Eastwood for Tyga, and we were rehearsing at this place, and Casper was like, yo, just do rehearsal at my house. So I show up to Casper's house, and it's in Calabasas. I need a freaking password to get into the neighborhood. All this other shit. I'm like, yo, what is happening? And I pulled to this house. I was like, there's no way a dancer lives here, bro. You got to have like 46-

R: That's the one with the theater room in it, right? Big old theater room.

M: In the studio? Or in the house?

R: In the house.

M: I didn't get to view the whole house. There was like three wings. There was like three wings. I only went where the dance studio slash gym was.

R: I know what you're talking about. It had a big-ass gym and had a boxing bag.

M: Big old gym, boxing. Yeah, a whole set up, bro. And I walk in that joint, and I'm just like, there's no way you live here, bro. So I was like, I don't know whose house this is, but whatever. And then we rehearsing, and Casper's on the call, and he's like, yo, Jen's on her way home. She wants to come in and watch. And everybody's like, oh, no pressure, all that stuff. And I was like, I don't know who the fuck Jen is. Who's Jen?

R: Yeah.

M: Like, there's a million Jens in the world.

R: Ms. Lopez herself.

M: Yeah. And she just got off of work. At the time, I think she was a guest judge on American Idol or something like that. So she comes in, dolled up, heels, whatever, looking like she just got off the fucking national TV show. And then she just walks in, takes her heels off, sits down, wipes her butt, and shakes my hand. And I was just like, well, there go that hand.

R: You haven't washed it since?

M: I mean, I run it under water. Nah, that was a while ago. That was back in, I don't know, 2013, 2014. It's been a while. But I just, yeah, I had no idea this was her crib. And then it clicked, I was like, oh, okay, yeah. All right, Casper, you went, really? How? How do you do that? How do you pull that? Are y'all like Britney and Kevin Fed? Like, K-Fed? Is that what's going on? And they're like, yeah, pretty much. I'm like, all right, this ain't gonna last. This ain't gonna last very long. And it didn't. Shout out to Casper.

R: Yo, that's a crazy shout out right there. That's a crazy shout out.

M: Well, honestly, man, I don't like, I got respect for Casper, everything that he's done. That job, I got through Ian. So like, I don't, you know, credit Casper for like putting me in that situation. I do remember working with Casper one extra time, and he showed up to set as a creative director in rain boots, basketball shorts, and like a peacoat, and that was his fit of choice for the day. So I was like, okay, huh, that's interesting. Yeah. Yeah. And at that point, I was like, you lost me, bro. Like, you lost me. I don't know what's happening now. No disrespect, though. Like, you're talented, you're cool, like, we cool. But as a person who was your friend for like two hours, we got to talk about that fit. And that's just public help. So working with Jen on the show or in the film was good. It was a good experience.

R: I had a great time.

M: Well, I mean, yeah, we all saw the movie. We saw.

R: Yeah, it was intense on many, many levels.

M: You were like, I need another take. I got to run that back. I can do better.

R: The whole thing was crazy. I was, I mean, obviously, it's Jennifer Lopez. I'm a no name person from Step Up series, which I don't think anybody saw at that time.

M: Yeah.

R: Come to find out later on, it's like one of my bigger movies.

M: Big community.

R: Yeah. Yeah. Shout out to everybody that supported me and all the dancers out there. You know that. So I'm thinking coming in to this thing, like I got to work a trillion times harder as if I just started Step Up. Like I'm not a dancer, I'm not an actor, so I got to work a trillion times harder to get this role. Same thing with Boy Next Door. This girl is established, she's had plenty of things. I'm talking to Selena. So like I need to step up my game in all aspects.

M: No pun intended.

R: And I literally felt every single day the pressure of like, how do I still give her all her glory and shine to make her look good, but also stand out?

M: That's a nice balance. That's a hard balance.

R: Yeah, because you don't want to try and outshine somebody.

M: It's hard to do.

R: Yeah, I mean, but people try and do that and it backfires on them.

M: You look thirsty. Yeah, it looks real bad.

R: It looks really bad. Nobody wants to work with you or anything. So I like—there's a level of respect that you always want to have, and I always gave her that level of respect. It was kind of reciprocated and I think it was an open environment that we created together. So it lent itself to just what it is now and why people enjoy it. And yeah, there's campiness to the movie, which I think again makes it an enjoyable film. If everything was supposed to be serious and everything was supposed to be like—

I was just on a radio show talking about how my character gives her a first edition book that should have never been given to her. And like, there's no way, like unless I robbed the Vatican, I would never have been able to give her this book. So, you know, there is some like level of levity to the whole film. But the whole fact that we were able to work cohesively and play off each other so well and it be kind of nice and comfortable, which was partly because of her as well.

M: Yeah.

R: Yeah, you know, I didn't feel anything crazy and it felt like natural.

M: That's good. That's good. Honestly, man, like, and this is also speaking from slight experience, but there's actors and actresses out there that you got to catch them in certain stages of their life to have those type of experiences with them. I feel like if you would have booked this movie with her maybe two years ago, you probably would have had a completely different experience.

R: Yes, I would have.

M: You know, based on where you are in life but also the things that she's gone through.

R: Yeah, I've heard the other stuff. Yeah, and like I can't relate to be honest.

M: That's great. So, okay. So have you been asked about that specific scene with her before?

R: Too many times.

M: Yeah, kind of like how that came about.

R: Came with a lot of Jen and a lot of Rob, which is the director.

M: Yeah.

R: Those two individuals came with the whole scene. I stayed quiet. I didn't do nothing.

M: You're like, just tell me where you want me.

R: I was like, what? You want me to do what? And with what? What? Okay. Let me wrap my head around this because…

M: Is this your first sex scene?

R: That was my first sex scene.

M: Like in your career? I mean…

R: Yeah, yeah, that was. Yeah.

M: That's scary.

R: Yeah.

M: To have your first sex scene with Jen, bro? Like, she's already a sex icon.

R: All these different things. And like, bro, I got nervous at one point in time in the middle of filming. I think it was like our first or second take. And I was supposed to pick her up and I grabbed her. And I was so nervous.

M: Is this okay?

R: Nah, I grabbed her and I accidentally put too much behind it. And I threw her ass into the roof. Like, she hit her head into the roof. And I was like, oh my God. I'm like, I just damaged the like, the lead of the film.

M: Am I fired?

R: Yeah, I'm thinking like, I'm blushing and everything. I'm like, I'm freaking out.

M: I'll get my stuff.

R: Exactly. They already found out. Casper's about to swoop in and take the ball. But it's one of the things, like the whole time, I'm trying to stay calm and copacetic and just be like, alright, where do you need me? What do you need me to do? And I don't want to make it a weird, it's already weird to be doing a sex scene amongst like, in general, you know, seven, eight people.

M: Yeah.

R: And a bunch of, you look up, a bunch of dudes are just sitting there like this. [stares]

M: Like, all right, look.

R: Yeah.

M: Go get a snack, man.

R: It's not as sexy as everybody thinks it is, no matter who you're doing it with.

M: Right. It's still awkward.

R: It's still very awkward.

M: See, I could, man, like—the first time, I mean, once you've done a couple, okay, your first one ever being with Jen, I'm questioning, can I ask, can I, is this like consent? You know what I mean?

R: Yeah. I mean, luckily again, she was the one controlling everything and I think that's how it should be in the sex scenes where, you know, females are just like, you know, I'll give you my two cents on where I feel like the character is coming from.That being said, like, tell me what you're comfortable with, because I will not, I don't want to step over the boundaries or anything like that. So, and she was, and she is that kind of person. She's very directional. So she knows which direction she wants to go to. And Rob, you know—this is another thing, like nobody would understand how awkward this situation was. As much as it looks sexy, we're trying to sell that sexiness and intimacy.

Picture this: me, Rob is right here. He's like, alright, you're gonna lower your hand. Okay, then you're gonna go to her neck. So, it's not like…

M: You got a grown man whispering in your ear while you're trying to touch on Jennifer Lopez.

R: I got a grown man telling me how to make love to this woman.

M: I know what I'm doing, Rob.

R: Yeah. So, it's not what it seems. And the whole fact that people resonated with that and that scene kind of went so much. It's like, we did our job then.

M: Yeah.

R: Because you don't feel a person right next to me talking to me like this.

M: And honestly, and you telling me that like, your real mindset was like… The first thing that it went to was, I feel like this is what the character needs, as opposed to, Mikey is about to touch Jennifer, not my character is about to touch her character.

R: Yeah, not gonna go that way.

M: You know what I mean? So to have that switch is like, that's hard to do, brother.

R: For me, it's not, to be honest. And I think maybe also being in a relationship at the same time, like, I did feel weird, because I mean, yes, we're actors and we're doing what we're told to do. But in my personal life, I'm giving my everything to this girl.

M: Sure.

R: You know, and you know me, I happen to be very devout when it comes to being respectful to my women that I'm with, and I don't want to cross any of those boundaries. So I'm forced to cross this boundary in this film. Yeah. So I'm like, alright, I got to make this more businesslike. And I know a lot of men out there, you know, a lot of friends out there would come to me and be like, nah, bro, if I was in this situation...

M: But you're not.

R: That's why you didn't get the job.

M: But you're not.

R: And that's why you probably wouldn't be in it. So like, you know, I have to get the respect to who I'm working with.

M: Is there any role out there that you feel uncomfortable with? Are you like down for whatever? Are you one of those actors that's like…

R: No, I got my boundaries.

M: You got your boundaries? Good, good, good.

R: Yeah. And I don't think I'll ever, you know, really explain my boundaries.

M: Voice those, yeah. That's for you.

R: Yeah. It'll just be like, no, I don't want to do that.

M: Got you.

R: I'm gonna stay over here.

M: Got you. Is it more situations or like characters in general?

R: All the above. It depends on what I'm resonating with or not resonating with. Because I want the character now, at this point in my life, I need the character to resonate in truth.

M: Yeah.

R: You know, even if it's a comedy or not, right, you know, I'm trying to up my acting as much as I can every single year.

M: I feel you.

R: So if I can't be truthful in it, then I don't feel like I'm doing it justice.

M: Yeah. I mean, as an aspiring actor, I know, you know, I've been like taking classes. I'm not like anywhere near what you got going on. But you know that it's a goal one day and I'm working towards it. You know, you already start the picture in your mind, your dream goals, but then like your dream roles. But you also start the picture like—because I'm so new and you feel like you want to say yes to everything because you don't have anything on your resume yet. Like if a major motion picture, John Wick 7, whatever, I don't even know what number they're on now, hits me up and we're like, yo, we want you to play a role and be a significant part of the film. It's really hard to say no to something like that, but they're like, you have to play a racist who says the n word 46 times. I have trouble living with myself being that character. You know what I mean?

R: You have every right to at the same time. Like you don't—just because it's Quentin Tarantino doesn't mean you have to do it.

M: I know.

R: But it is Quentin Tarantino. So a lot of people will be like, all right, well, I got the pass now. You know?

M: Yeah.

R: I got the culture pass like...

M: Yeah, it's for the arts, for the films, for you know.

R: And if it is meant, it's all about how you interpret it. And so anybody that does do certain things that I probably wouldn't do, there's nothing against any of that. And they found their way through that, and you know, it probably came out with an incredible, you know, performance.

M: Yeah.

R: What was the BlacKkKlansman? That? Yeah. Like, so you see certain people do certain things on that. You're like, oh, I don't know if I could do that.

M: I probably couldn't do it.

R: So, you know, all power to them, and we're all storytelling at the same time. So there's an understanding and a kind of like acknowledgement that this is for an art and this is for the story itself, this has no representation on your personal life.

M: Yeah.

R: But again, it's the interpretation of the artist.

M: Also, though, with that, it is not a personal, like, indication on who you are as a person. But when it's your first project and you blow up from it, a lot of people recognize you as that. Somebody who's already established, who have done 10, 20 different roles at this point, you know, Johnny Depp comes out with a movie tomorrow where he's super racist. No one's gonna look at him as the racist guy in the street. They're like, he's playing a role.

R: Exactly.

M: But if you've never seen me before in your life and now every time you see me, you just think of, oh, he's the one that was…

R: Oh, he's that guy that did that.

M: He's that guy from the—You hate me no matter what. Even though you know it's a role.

R: Yeah.

M: You know what I mean?

R: That's gonna be the nature of the business, man.

M: You said that a little too believable, man. You said that a little too believable.

R: But literally, that's how it's gonna be for the rest of your acting career, man. People are gonna resonate with a certain character from your career, and they'll always see you as that character. When I go out, nowadays, I'm either Sean from Step Up—

M: Or you Eddie

R: Or I'm Eddie from 911. I'm not Ryan. And I gotta understand that. So the way I break the barrier down is, when you come up to me as a fan of the show or a fan of the character, I come up back to you and I'm like, hey, so what's your name? Tell me something about you. And that kind of breaks this whole, like, you know, actor barrier that allows it a little bit more ease, and then you get to see Ryan rather than Eddie. But that's something that you'll come upon, like John Wick 7 comes through and you have to be this crazy person over here and that somebody sees you as that person for the next couple years.

M: It's the nature.

R: That's the nature. You gotta learn how to navigate.

M: You got to be the guy who slept with JLo for a couple of years though. That was who people saw you as.

R: Yeah, that was crazy. Yeah, I mean, that's on so many levels.

M: I'll do that. I'll take that.

R: You could tell the type of fan because it was Step Up and Boy Next Door at that time. And certain fans show up and I'm like, oh, Step Up from the jump. Step Up. Alright. And then the other person be like, looking at me a little differently, alright. I know what scene you're thinking of.

M: Well, let's pick up with Step Up. That audition process, because you weren't a dancer before. And I'm pretty sure out of all, was it like four or five, five films, five Step Ups?

R: Now there's five.

M: Five, yeah. Out of all five step ups, I'm pretty sure Rob Hoffman was the only one who was a dancer prior as far as lead roles go. You get a, you get a call from your agent saying there's an audition for a role. Can you dance? Or I guess the audition process of Step Up specifically, because as a dancer, we know what our audition is like as dancers for a step up film. But like as an actor role, like walking through that a little bit.

R: Yeah. So I just got my manager like two, three months prior.

M: That's a good manager.

R: Yeah, man. I stayed with him this whole time. Like shout out to Tim Taylor. Yeah. I hear from another individual they're going out for the bad guy in Step Up. Like the guy that's trying to take down all the people that are trying to do these flash mobs.

M: He's so mean. He just looked like it.

R: I hear this and I'm like, bro, alright, I need to try, at least try, you know. I've seen the first Step Up. I really liked it. I love dancing. Even though I'm not a professional dancer, they would have like little sessions, little battles and stuff in Sacramento. And I remember I throw myself in the middle of the circle.

M: Got a big community over there.

R: Yeah, I love it. It's like a Bay Area influence, but we're not the Bay. So it's like, you know, we're the capital. We have our own little vibe too. So I would love to be in those like little situations. I'm like, alright, I know I have rhythm. I know I can dance. I'm not on that level, but I'm competitive. So just throw me in there real quick as like one of the side characters. And then my manager hits me back that same day. He's like, alright, you got an audition for the lead role. No, I said side character. I don't know if you heard me. And he goes, no, no, no, you're not a side character. You're a leading man. Like, so you're going to go out for the leading man. Again, for him to have that kind of vision for me, like that set my career path. I read it. I called a friend of mine. We went over the audition. I did my best version of Channing Tatum.

M: Which is what? Which is what?

R: I can't even tell you right now, because I like-

M: Let's see it, let's give me your Channing.

R: It was a version of Step Up 1, you know, like endearing, but kind of like got the street wisdom to it, and like I can move, and I got that little like, I don't know, the charisma was there and everything.

M: Well, he was a stripper before, so that kind of helps.

R: He was a stripper. Yeah, I wasn't a stripper. So he had all that in his bag, but for me it's...

M: There's still time. Magic Mike 5.

R: I'm gonna follow this man's career the whole time.

M: Why not?

R: Yeah, so I went in there, I did my thing and then, bro, that was the longest audition process I've ever had in my entire life. It was four or five acting auditions and then four or five dance auditions on top. So I remember doing the first audition hearing right away that I'm gonna get a call back. I'm flipping. So I'm like, okay. And the next audition was a dance audition. I'm like, I didn't know that. Okay, we gotta go there. So I'm on YouTube trying to figure out like, what's the new move out there? Like, how do I even get into this choreo thing?

M: I was gonna say, you gotta learn choreo or they want you to freestyle?

R: I didn't know, but I was gonna prepare both.

M: Regardless, yeah

R: And mind you, I showed up not prepared because like, you can only prepare so much in the night. So, or even a week. And I come in and come to find out I'm going to Jamal Sims, like, leading choreographer out there. And he's still doing, killing things right now. And he's teaching the choreographed session to Chris Brown's song. I can't remember what song it was, but—and then Don Draco Johnson was helping out as well.

M: Yeah, Draco.

R: And man, after a certain amount of time, like, you know what, I'm just going to be, again, competitive. I come from, you know, sports. I come from fighting. I'm going to just try outwork them. I know I don't have the talent they do, so I might as well just outwork these motherfuckers. So, like, that's what I did, and I think it kind of showed. And later on, we got paired up. I think it was four of us, Misha. Gabriel was up for the role of the main guy. And then I remember the last audition, they brought us all in, and they kind of just paired us up as duos. And they were trying to find the best friend kind of dynamic, and they found me.

M: He ended up being the best friend, right?

R: He ended up being the best friend, yeah. And it was his first acting role, my first acting role. Obviously had dance experience with MJ and everything. So I was leaning heavily on these people. Then I got the role, and then honestly that changed my life. And I met my family, my Step Up family to this day.

M: Yeah.

R: You know what I call my family. So Draco, Twitch, Marvelous, Bianca Brewett and Tony Bellissimo, all these individuals I still keep in contact with.

M: Y'all had a good squad, man.

R: Yeah, man.

M: For those films. And what I'll say too, and this is something that I told one of my last guests, my boy Terrence. You know Terrence Green? Ex-dancer who's one of the characters in the Step Up TV show, The High Water.

R: I met him through Marvelous, actually. Yeah. He sings and dances, right? Or no, he raps.

M: Raps, Yeah. So we were talking about his audition a little bit. And what I told him, when it comes to auditioning for a role like that, you're looking for an actor who can dance, not a dancer who can act, because acting is harder than dancing. And you wouldn't think it is, but it is. And like you can clearly out dance me.

R: Can you sell the role?

M: 80% of the movie is conversation. And then 20% of it is dance. So if you can't hold a conversation, if you can't deliver a line like that, even as good as the dancing is, it's not going to matter. You know what I mean? If you're a good enough dancer, but people are going to want to hear you talk more, then we can shadow the dancing, put you in your best limelight in these moments and then let the professional dancers around you carry the dance aspect of it. You know what I mean?

R: 100%.

M: So acting comes first, and then what you need me to do as the character when it comes to physicality, as long as, like you said, you have the will to be competitive and to learn and adapt quick and learn quick, and I have to be told things twice and you're willing to work at it. Those things can happen a lot quicker for you than, hey, you have to go learn how to deliver a line. That takes time to build a character and learn that, you know what I mean?

R: Yeah, I wanted my best just to, I think that that's the key to success in anything, to be honest. Stay open to people that are way more knowledgeable about whatever you're trying to get into, and I just happen to be blessed to be around some of the greatest dancers of all time.

M: Facts.

R: And again, shout out to my brother.

M: Thank you, man, I appreciate that. That's love, man.

R: So, it's like, yeah, man, I've had a great opportunity to be surrounded by some incredible individuals, and my success is partly because of them. So, yeah.

M: You know, you're on 9-1-1, what, nine months of the year, right? And then when you're off, you go shoot a movie real quick in a week, and so you're always trying to stay working. Do you find time to go watch film? Like, do you watch movies? Do you go watch, you go to the theater?

R: All the time. Yeah, I try to. Yeah, because I mean, I feel like I'm just starting, to be honest. I didn't call my, I've said this in so many other interviews. I didn't call myself an actor for the longest time, just because I felt like so many other people were more talented than me. And again, I was going off the basis, like I'm just gonna outwork you. And to this day, I've only had one acting lesson, like one acting class.

So I'm not pulling from the stereotypical thing or what most actors would come from, that background. So I'm like, this is gonna be degrading to hear, this man comes out of nowhere, doesn't want class, and gets all these jobs.

M: With some Will Smith shit.

R: Yeah, I can't do that to these individuals, these artists. So let me just shut up about my stuff and do my thing. And it wasn't until a couple years ago, my boy Kenny Choi, who's on 9-1-1, straightened me out and gave me some wise words. And he's since then been my voice of reason in this whole acting game. And has handed me books that I've been reading and learning. So, yes, it's been a process. So like, I always stay open to new movies, to new act—like Austin Butler is killing things right now. Shia LaBeouf has always been on his game.

M: Directing game, you say.

R: Just in general, like these individual artists have this captivating, you know, sense of who they are as an actor, that when you see them on a big screen, their minimal movement allows you to be like, engaged. Oh my God.

M: For sure.

R: So that's what you really want to study is like, you know, how do I encapsulate that in my own way? And then how can I continue to build each time? What I love, like an actor like Robert Downey Jr. who's had a successful career since he was young, and he's still getting better. Like, he does roles now that we've never seen him do. And just like, how you still kind of outdoing yourself, that's the type of artist I want to be.

M: Just continue to build and try to find new ways to adapt and bring on new characters. So with that, so going back to you watching film, movie of the year.

R: Movie of the year...

M: And there's a right answer, don't fuck this up.

R: Movie of the year, I don't know if I have a movie of the year.

M: I watch this movie every day, Cause of Zo, but continue.

R: Cause of Zo?

M: Yeah.

R: Oh man, so you're going kid movie? No?

M: You would think.

R: Damn, um...I loved Everything Everywhere All at Once. To be honest, it was so outlandish, it was crazy.

M: That last year too though?

R: That was last year too. So this year?

M: Yeah. I mean, I mean,

R: I don't know.

M: It's already July.

R: Yeah. To be honest, I don't know. Nothing, nothing pops into my mind.

M: Dang, you heard it here first. Ryan thinks every movie that came out this year is trash.

R: I've been more in the TV shows, to be honest.

M: Okay, so which TV show?

R: The Bear.

M: The Bear?

R: The Bear is incredible.

M: Okay.

R: Yeah. Have you seen it?

M: Nah, I saw Cocaine Bear. That was crazy.

R: Nah, not that one. The Bear is on the second season or third season.

M: Okay.

R: Third? Yeah. And just the cinematography alone is top tier, but the acting itself is incredible.

M: I'm gonna peep it up.

R: Yeah, Shogun was amazing. I don't know if you've seen that one.

M: Which one?

R: Shogun.

M: Shogun. Okay. Nah, I haven't seen it. I know what it is, though.

R: Shogun is incredible. But those kind of like… I think a lot of what we thought was back in the day, I'm talking about like you, you know, the movie star or TV star, they blended this now with the whole streaming services. So we're seeing a lot of movie stars go into television.

M: Yeah.

R: They're telling what they couldn't do in two-hour movie or three-hour movie into a full-length series, and that's why I kind of lead more towards the series.

M: No, I feel like that's a lot of people's goals right now, because first off, when people like—I couldn't tell you their actor names right now, but when the three leads in Big Bang Theory started banging out a million dollars an episode, and then you go for 15 seasons of 15 to 20 episodes per season, like that's… Yeah, let's do that.

You know what I mean? Let's do that. I could see why being a lead in a TV series that pushes the, you know, Grey's Anatomy of the world and like all of those people who just keep banging out seasons and then you forget the show even exists, but there's enough fans out there to make season 36 for no reason because there's still money coming in.

Like that's the ultimate goal in longevity in this kind of… You know what I mean? As far as finances go anyway, and like being able to hold a character with so much value for so long.

R: Yeah, that's why I have so much gratitude towards 9-1-1.

M: Being Eddie, yeah.

R: Yeah, man. I mean, we're on our eighth season and we're kind of a dying breed, to be honest, as a procedural. There's not too much of procedural is out right now that are successful and making the numbers that we are. So again, to the crew and the cast that create this show, it's just like we've been on cloud nine. And I feel like most of us now that have been here for the long haul have depth now in that gratitude.

So, yeah, to your point, yeah, man, and like having longevity is everything you need. And then having the ability to kind of like step outside and do a movie every now and then. You know, Angela Bassett, bro, like, I'm working with one of the top actresses in the world. And then I get to go play some other actress-Rosario Dawson. I'm literally living in my dream. And it's a pinch me moment all the time. So, yeah.

M: All right. So my favorite movie of the year.

R: What was it?

M: And I want you to find a way to be a part of the third one. Somehow, someway, Godzilla x Kong: New Empire.

R: That was it?

M: Did you see it?

R: I saw Godzilla Minus One, which was incredible.

M: Yes, but not bro. Kong, Godzilla, some epic shit. First of all, one of my favorite like movie. Maybe I just like Gorillas, bro. Maybe I see what it is because I love the Planet of the Apes series.

R: Oh, that was a good one too, yeah.

M: You know what I mean? I mean, they just dropped a new one that was OK. I think it's because of the lack of the Caesar character not being in this one. Maybe just kind of threw me a little bit. But the other three, I just love that shit, right? But Kong x Godzilla from…And I watched a lot of BTS and how they wrote it and what they wanted to do with it. They made Godzilla thinner, more agile, diving in the shit, doing the most. Kong got a gray beard because he's getting old, bro.

R: So the aesthetics got you.

M: Yeah, the way they're building it and the connection between it, but then the way they got the action of them teaming up and fighting the other shit was bugged. The characters behind it, the way they—I don't know, bro. I'm gonna send you a BTS video. And I had you tap in because I think you could find it on Amazon Prime. That's where I watch it. But Zo asked for it every day, every single day. And I bought him the toys and he just got some toys he watches and he does the thing. But I'm super into it. I fucking loved it.

R: I'll check it out just because you said.

M: You're welcome. You're welcome.

R: Alright. Yeah, but the Godzilla Minus One was nice.

M: It was. It was.

R: It brought you back to the actual like rendition, first rendition.

M: Yeah, where it's less about Godzilla and it's more about the character.

R: Them being scared of this massive ass lizard walking around killing people. Yeah.

M: Yeah. Could you imagine like some real life shit having titans in this world? Even if like you're not by it, but you know that they're there.

R: No amount of martial arts, no amount of, like, weaponry can help you.

M: There's nothing.

R: No, you just got to sit back and watch this thing.

M: Find a bunker.

R: Yeah, bro. I'm digging a big asshole in the earth.

M: Huge.

R: Yeah. And I'm putting my family and friends in it.

M: 100%.

R: Yeah. That sounds bad, but I'm going to make a bunker.

M: Yeah. I'm going to get a hole and put my friends in it. Yeah. [talking to someone off camera] I'm going have you grab that. Can you grab that for me, bro? That paper and that metal thing.

Okay. So me and Ryan are about to do something a little fun, but at the same time, I'm going to ask him some fan questions. So this segment of the show is going to be on Patreon. So go to patreon.com/lnlpod to see the extended version and catch this part of the show. Go right now.

[PATREON Q&A. APPROX 15 MINUTES]

R: [talking about the film The Present and the advice costar Isla Fisher gave him.] You know, I thought it was funny and I thought it was, you know, really quality stuff. So it showed me that like, yeah, what she's saying is correct. I need to believe in myself a little bit more. Even having a 14-year successful career, I think people should understand that I didn't feel that for the longest time. I did not believe in myself and I felt like I was always again, trying to outwork the individual. Since I put in so much work already, I kind of need to sit back and realize and let it sit in and take advantage of it and shout out to her and many other individuals that allow me to kind of reflect on that.

M: Bro, like people, 14 years is a lot. And I know we compare ourselves to those we look up to and we go, they've been successful for 40 years. They've done this, that, and third. Until I'm that, I ain't shit, which ain't true because you got to remember that that's the 1% of the industry. To have that kind of success. You know what I mean? Having a 14-year career, where you have multiple projects, people would dream to do one of them and never get the chance to do. Their entire resume is extras on set for things.

R: Yeah.

M: You know what I mean? Or just praying, like, I hope they give me one line, so I can say I acted in this movie.

R: Yeah.

M: You know what I mean?

R: Yeah.

M: So like, from going from Step Up to Boy Next Door to 9-1-1 and everything in between, and even some of the smaller stuff you've done and the bigger stuff you've done, these are all things that you gotta be proud of, man.

R: I got you, thank you.

M: You gotta be proud of, because one is leaf-frogging you to the next, you know what I mean? And you don't have to feel like it's a fresh start every single time, because you know that what got you there is the past and everything that you presented yourself in before.

R: Yeah.

M: You know what I mean?

R: Yeah. Thank you for that. I take that. And again, when I do get stuff like this now, I try to take it a little differently than I would before. I mean, beforehand, I probably would have been like, oh, thank you so much, you know that. And I still not think that way. But right now, I'm really allowing that to marinate the individual, so I appreciate what you say. Thank you.

M: Yeah, no, fuck it. I mean, you got to respect yourself enough to be like—know that there's so much more I can do and so much more room to grow. And that's the exciting part. But I'm not going to pretend like I ain't done shit in my life either. I'm not going to pretend like my resume is not something about, you know what I mean? Like I've done some cool shit. And I feel you, and same with dance, man. Like there's, when someone books me on a job or as a choreographer or brings me out to a country to teach. And sometimes I sit there and I get like…

R: Imposter syndrome?

M: Imposter syndrome, where I'm just like, man, do I even deserve to be on this lineup with these other hitters? And I'm like, yeah, because they wouldn't have asked me to be here, bro.

R: Yes, you do.

M: They wouldn't have asked me to do this if like I wasn't. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like they spent all this money on me to bring me out to this country to do all this with all these people. Like they see me in line with these people for a reason. Why the fuck don't I? You know what I mean? So like, I hear you. But then you got to remind yourself.

R: Sometimes it takes somebody else outside to really acknowledge that and then you to hear that. Because I remember when I first met you, I'd already known about your dancing. I've seen plenty of videos. And I don't know if you remember when I came up to you. I was like, bro, I'm a huge fan.

M: Yeah.

R: Yeah.

M: Yeah.I introduced myself and you're like, I know who you are. I was like, pssst.

R: Like, nah, bro, I know exactly what you are in. Like, it shows, like, you know, like to get to where you are in your dance, and it takes years upon years, but also you have to find your own little niche, your own little style, and you did. And that style has resonated with so many other individuals. So again, giving you your flowers back, it's just like, yeah, man, I would like to recognize what you offer to this whole artistic spectrum in the dance community.

M: Yo, thank you, man. That's fucking love, man. I really appreciate that kind of shit. You don't hear it too much and you get in your head a lot. But from one friend to another, man, if you need that reminder, man, you call me.

R: I appreciate that, bro.

M: You call me.

R: That's what we need to show more of, man. You know, like, man, helping each other out, you know. A lot of us, I feel like, and I've spoken on this on plenty of other platforms. It's just like we got toughen up. And to an extent, yeah, I get that. You know, you do have to be tough as a man.

M: Time and place.

R: And time and place. But like you also have to have your brothers to to open up to it, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because we all got here as a community. No one got here by themselves. So, yeah, you know-

M: And we gonna stay there as a community.

R: Exactly. The stronger your community, the stronger you'll be.

M: All the most successful dancers, actors in the world, people you look up to, all have teams that have been together since the jump. You know what I mean?

R: All right, let me see this.

M: All right, all right, all right. So before we reveal these, we're back from the Patreon. All right, we back in the episode. We're going to wrap this up here. What we did on Patreon is we got a sketchbook and he drew me and I drew him while we did some fan questions. So we're going to reveal these pictures as the last little segment before we head out.

Before we show these pictures, I just want to give a quick sign off. Everybody, please join the Patreon and enjoy that. Spotify, Apple Podcast, please give a five-star review and check out the other seven episodes and keep an eye out for Season Two that's coming.

If you're on YouTube, like, subscribe, all of that, comment, share with your mom and your grandmama, all them peoples. Spread the word. We want to make Season Two even bigger and better and keep bringing y'all quality. Keep an eye out for The Lab between me and Ryan because it is a special project, but it is a big project. It's gonna take some time. He's back filming 9-1-1, so it might take some time.

We're gonna write some things together. We're not gonna tell you the idea because we don't want none of y'all biting it because we know how y'all get. But it's a pretty good concept. It's a really good idea. It's gonna be a short film that involves comedy, acting and dancing. And we've already been chopping it up about it.

So keep an eye out for that, but it's gonna take some time. Be patient. But the more Patreon members, the more money that comes in, the bigger the budget is gonna be, and the better we can make the project. So please show love. We appreciate it. Ryan, anything you want to say before we head out?

R: Man, all love to you and all love to this, that you cultivated yourself, man, and everybody that watches this. I hope you are thriving in all the dreams that you choose to give your energy to.

M: Thank you, man. All right. Enough of that talk, man. All right. Me first, you first?

R: I go first.

M: You go first? Yeah, yeah, all right, all right, all right. Damn! Alright, you get close up, get close up. Yeah.

R: Yeah, mine was a quick sketch, so I couldn't put too much detail to it.

M: Just a quick little whatever, man. Oh, shit.

R: Yeah, yeah.

M: Yeah, you kept it small. I should have made mine smaller. Probably would have been cleaner.

R: Yeah.

M: Yeah. I'm keeping that. Don't throw it out. And you got to keep this one, too. It's better to go in the fridge.

R: I put it in my refrigerator, yeah.

M: Bro, so when Mateo [Ryan's son] asked who drew that, he knows, what's up, Uncle Mikey rocked this, all right?

R: Hey, you captured my facial hair. In the… In my little swoop. Am I swooping right now? Yeah, you got my swoop.

M: I caught the swoop.

R: Yeah, the mic looks like a mic.

M: Yeah, you know, it's mic-ish.

R: I appreciate your effort.

M: Yeah. Oh, come on, it's not that bad.

R: Why I look like Joe Campbell?

M: I made the head a little long. Your head is not this long. I didn't have an eraser.

R: Yeah, me neither, bro.

M: No, whatever. All right, well, I'm going to let you keep this. Yeah, you can put it.

R: Let me sign this for you, too.

M: Yeah, yeah, sign that. Sign that. You know, I have a picture in my bathroom. It's a lion. It's a drawn lion from 98. It's beautiful. My uncle did it. Yeah. He was an artist back in the day and like used to draw a lot of shit and he framed it and gave it to me. His name is Matthew DellaVella.

R: Okay.

M: He signed it "M. DellaVella"

R: M. DellaVella. So technically you're an artist.

M: I've been taking full credit for that painting and that drawing since I was a child.

R: Clearly, you made that painting.

M: People go into my bathroom when they use it, when they visit and they go, yo, that's, I saw, and you drew that? Yeah, man, like it's a long time ago. I don't really do that anymore, but it was fun back in the day.

R: So I need to get a frame for this, to be honest.

M: Yeah, you should, man. This is cold. This is, man, my mic is better.

R: Yeah, your mic is better.

M: Well, I did a mic stand, so I got the arm.

R: You got the arm for sure.

M: Yeah, yeah.

R: Yeah.

M: Yeah, no, this is quite lovely. This is quite lovely, Ryan. Thank you.

R: I appreciate that, bro.

M: Thank you my boy. Love you bro.

#8.4.24 #august 2024 #ryan guzman #transcribed #🎙#🎥

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robin-the-enby · 18 days

Note

Hello!! Could I request some sweeney todd x reader heavy fluff please? thanks!

Marked by an angel

Pairing: Sweeney Todd x gn!reader

Smmary: A chance meeting of two strange people on Fleet street. What started just as part of your job lead you to finding a new friend and perhaps...a lover.

Warnings: hints of murder (it's Sweeney, c'mon), unfair boss/employee dynamic, description of getting robbed and bruises (1 blackeye)

A/N: After what felt like an eternity, I am back! I am so glad I finished this. I was dealing with mental issues, financial struggles, work and uni so I had no time and time or energy to do anything. But I am very happy to post this! Maybe it's not as fluffy as you wanted and for that I am sorry, but I feel like it is as true to the character as possible :) I'll gladly hear your feedback on this piece and all likes, but especially reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated! Also, if you'd like to hear some bonus stuff about this oneshot, feel free to shoot me a message!

There are many men in the world. And yet you can't say you've ever met anyone the likes of Mr. Todd.

The quiet barber from Fleet street. With his pale complexion, white streaked hair and dark eyes that held the depths of the ocean that surrounds Britain. He had captured your attention the very first time you made an appointment with him for your boss. The recommendations for his shop floated around your part of town and all the gentlemen could not seem to praise his skills enough.

Your boss had ordered you to find him a new barber, since his old one was ripping him off on money. Not that you blamed the poor bloke, times were tough, prices high and it wasn't like your boss couldn't spare a few pounds, especially since he liked to have his hair and beard trimmed once a month. Luckily, you managed to talk him out of getting the authorities involved, knowing that if the man was to be jailed, it would take a massive toll on his family.

Your job as an errand person, a sort of secretary, was simple enough in theory. You followed your boss around, a businessman dealing in produce from a few farms that he owned in the countryside. All you had to do was carry a notepad and a pencil with you to scribble down tasks that had to be managed and appointments that had to be made or dealt with. But in reality your legs were probably stronger than most people's, with how many steps you walked every day. Even though it wasn't in your job description, you did everything your boss didn't want to, went everywhere he wasn't exactly needed. You swore that the lazy bastard would have you walking to the latrine instead of him, if it were possible.

That was one of the reasons you liked the visits to the barber's, because you got to just sit on a chair by the window for an hour at least, quietly listening to the conversation made between your boss and the man grooming him, only occasionally having to scribble down one thing or another. But ever since your boss started to frequent Mr. Todd's shop, the rest wasn't the only reason accompanying your boss there was enjoyable or you.

Mr. Todd was an enigma. Mostly silent during work and outside of it, you learnt to appreciate the sound of his voice and to study his body language, little quirks that gave off pieces of his personality. The way his eyes flitted around, scanning the face of his customer for any imperfections that needed to be dealt with. His hands were steady, working seemingly without relying on his eyes or even brain, with a level of discipline you haven't seen before in your life. And from time to time, his eyes would flick up to meet yours, for a fraction of a second, before falling back down to your boss, lounging on Mr. Todd's intricate chair. You wondered why it had to be so intricate, compared to other barbers you've seen in your career, but you didn't question it, just as you never questioned the way the man's eyes would inevitably get stuck on your boss' neck every once in a while for some reason that had yet to reveal itself to you.

Maybe it was morbid curiosity or some other strange pull that made you want to find out just what was the cause of the deep emotion swirling behind Sweeney's eyes. The kind of pull that made sure the mysterious barber did not leave your mind for longer than a few hours. So you started to come around to the meat pie shop right under Mr. Todd's. The shop owner, Mrs. Lovett, was a sweet and terribly lonely woman, whose meat pies were, also, quickly gaining popularity around its part of town, and it didn't take long for her to take a shine to you as soon as she recognised you as one of her regulars.

While making a new friend wasn't your primary goal when you started hanging around the pie shop, you didn't mind how Mrs. Lovett warmed up to you. She was a sweet and funny woman, in her own way, and you soon recognised she was also dealing with romantic feelings towards Mr. Todd, as she confided in you one day. These feelings were unreciprocated, as far as you knew, although Sweeney visited the shop every night, coming down to fetch his dinner, for free of course. He usually came around after closing his own shop, sometimes even later, when even Mrs. Lovett closed down for the night. He would walk past you two sharing a glass of wine and exchanged a quiet and smooth, although cold 'good evening', before taking a pie and disappearing upstairs again.

But the longer you kept visiting Mrs. Lovett, the more Sweeney started to notice you. Once in a blue moon he would share a glass of wine with you both as you would more or less listen to Minnie ramble about this and that. After some time, one night, when Sweeney was upstairs and you were spending an evening at the pie shop, Mrs. Lovett told you cheekily that Mr. Todd asked about you, how you and her met and why you were around so much. Despite her mischievous smile you felt as if he was wary of your presence here, which puzzled you, but it did not deter you from wanting to get to know the man more.

In the end, it was him who made the first move, and you didn't even realise until much later. One time, when you were accompanying your boss for his monthly trim, Sweeney suggested that he should come around more often, at least every two weeks, because it would do wonders for his hair and beard health. It was evident your boss had no idea whether that was true or not, so he looked at you for confirmation. You shared a look with the barber, through which you tried to communicate to him that if he was planning to swindle your boss, it would be on your head, but something in those dark eyes of his made you trust him, so you confirmed to your boss that yes, coming to the barber more often would not only be beneficial to his hair, but it would also be good for appearances.

From that point on you got closer with the barber much faster than you could even register. One night, as you were sitting at the table in the pie shop across Minnie, nursing your second glass of wine and venting out frustration from your job, Sweeney came down to get his dinner. Before he left though, he stopped in the door to the kitchen, where the pies were made, and stared at you for a while, gaze calculating, but not as cold as you were used to. With the alcohol flowing through your veins you called him out on it, to which he simply replied "Your hair. It would do good with a trimming." before turning around on his heel and walking out. Mrs. Lovett cursed his lack of etiquette and assured you that you looked fine, although getting a trim wouldn't be a bad idea. She knew that given what your job was, you didn't have much time left to treat yourself.

The next time you accompanied your boss to his barber appointment yet again, Sweeney brought up the subject as your boss left you to pay. "Have you thought about my offer?" You blinked up at him, not knowing for a second what he meant, before his eyes shifted to your hair and you understood what he was implying. Feeling the heat rising to your cheeks, you tried to keep your cool as you asked, just to be sure "You meant that you would trim my hair?" You didn't want your voice to come out as unsure and surprised as it did, but if Sweeney noticed it, and something told you he did, the barber didn't mention it or let it show. He only smirked the slightest bit, making you wonder later if you didn't just imagine it, and replied "Well, at this point I would be offended if the first person you tasked with such a job wasn't me. Or do you deem my skills inadequate?" he raised his brow as he jokingly asked, knowing well what your answer would be. Feeling as hot as a boiled potato, you quickly settled the date of your appointment before you were out the door, so that your boss wouldn't scold you for dilly dallying.

When the day of your appointment came, you felt strangely nervous, your legs slightly shaking as you walked up the stairs to Sweeney's dark shop. For some reason, you couldn't shake the feeling of cattle being herded to a butcher. You chalked it up to your crush making you nervous, but that feeling only intensified when Sweeney positioned the barber chair you had sat on, so that you were half laying down. And yet when he tended to your locks, his touch was soft, quick and precise, never wandering where it didn't need to and leaving as soon as he was done in one area, moving swiftly to another. What came as a surprise to you was that he made small talk with you the entire time you were in that chair. Maybe it was because he sensed your nerves, but maybe not, you really couldn't tell. He asked you where you came from, why were you in London of all places, he even asked about your job and your family. The last topic he brushed upon quickly, which made you suspect it was a tough subject for him, an information you filed away safely in your brain to mull over later.

The last thing he told you when you were done and admiring yourself in the mirror he provided was to not tell Mrs. Lovett who cut your hair. You nodded softly and made your way home, feeling like a brand new person. Although the next time you set foot in the pie shop, Minnie's first question was "Did Mr. Todd cut your hair? It looks wonderful, darling!" You didn't confirm nor deny her rhetoric question, only smiling a bit bashfully before Mrs. Lovett insisted on opening 'the good wine' for the occasion. You didn't mention the fact that he refused to take payment for the service...

And as if that wasn't enough embarrassment in the short amount of time, this night at Minnie's pie shop turned out to have gone on much longer than any other one. Mrs. Lovett insisted you stay a bit longer any time you brought up going home for the night. Her reasoning being that since you finally did something for yourself after what must've been quite a long time in her opinion, you deserved to treat yourself some more, because when would an opportunity like this arise again?

And so you stayed seated in the dimly lit pie shop that smelled of baked meat, the likes of which you have never smelled before, and a mixture of herbs that reminded you of a memory long buried in your mind.

The conversation flowed freely and as the alcohol made its rounds through your bloodstream, your tongue became looser, as well as did Minnie's. She told you how her attempts at wooing Mr. Todd were progressing, or rather, were stagnating, with the man ignoring any and every romantic gesture or hint made towards him by his friend. That brought you to joining her in her admiring words for the handsome barber, leading to many laughs and jokes. Maybe it was because of her tipsy state, but you were surprised Mrs. Lovett took your admission of your crush on her upstairs neighbour better than you expected.

Your conversation then moved elsewhere and you were both so engrossed in it that neither of you heard the quiet footsteps leading to the shop. Sweeney's brows rose a little as he opened the door to a peculiar sight. The two people he had allowed closer to himself than anyone else since his return to London were sitting huddled at a table, which wouldn't have been that unusual, if it wasn't for the nearly empty bottle of old and undoubtedly strong wine. Both of your glasses were somewhat filled, the precious liquid spilled here and there in small amounts on the table. If Sweeney wasn't such a gentleman, despite his cold and often ruthless heart, he would say you were drunk. And not just a little bit.

Announcing his presence with a gruff cough, both your and Mrs. Lovett's heads snapped around to face him and he fought the small smirk that grew on his face at the sight. "Mr. Todd! We haven't even noticed you were here!" Minnie quickly addressed him with her signature friendliness. You stayed silent, instead opting to just admire the way Mr. Todd looked in the dim lighting in the shop. You felt you were seeing him completely differently than the other nights you spent there. His eyes reflected the light, making them look even more mysterious and alluring than usual and his normally pale face seemed more livelier. You would have spoken up, offered him some wine, but suddenly, being brought out so suddenly from your conversation with Minnie, your tongue felt big in your mouth, the weight of lead and you just did not have the energy to move it. Or open your mouth for that matter. Somewhere in the back of your mind crossed a thought that maybe you have had a bit too much to drink.

"It is quite late, I am surprised to catch you awake." Mr. Todd pointed out in a neutral tone, despite the playful mirth he was feeling. "Oh but the same could be said about you, Mr. Todd." Mrs. Lovett retaliated cheekily "Besides, we have a good reason to drink into the night! It is my friend's birthday, after all." she announced with an air of pride. You blinked at her a few times, not knowing where she had gotten that information from, because you were pretty sure today was not your birthday at all. Perhaps Minnie has forgotten the reason you were celebrating altogether and her drunken mind just made up a reason on the spot. As you were pondering when actually was your birthday, Mr. Todd spoke up again "Is that so? Well in that case-" and in a few strides he was at yours and Mrs. Lovett's table. He grabbed her half full glass of wine and before you could start wondering if it wasn't half empty, he raised it, grabbing your hand. "Happy birthday." he smiled slightly while you stood up, because you were being congratulated and you didn't want to appear rude, even though there wasn't actually a reason to congratulate you. Mr. Todd downed his, previously Minnie's, glass in one gulp before setting it down again.

Turning to Mrs. Lovett, he addressed her "I need to discuss something with you." he then turned his attention towards you "But it seems there is a more pressing matter at hand." he smirked as he gave you a once over. You felt your cheeks flush, knowing he was right. Standing up was the last straw before your alcohol fueled downfall. You were barely standing, your body swaying side to side slightly to keep itself balanced. Mrs. Lovett studied you for a while as well, before standing, with only a slightly lesser difficulty than you. "Oh I'm so sorry, dear, it seems that I have gone overboard with the drinks." she apologised and you couldn't help but smile softly at her sad tone. "'S alright, Minnie. 'M not mad." you shook your head with a small smile "I best be off though..." mumbling to yourself, you bid your friend a goodnight, not really paying attention to Sweeney, assuming he was waiting for you to leave so that he could discuss whatever it was with his neighbour.

Stumbling away from the table, you were surprised when a hand gripped your upper arm, supporting your weight and grounding your otherwise spinning world. Tracing the arm the hand was attached to with your eyes, you found Sweeney's already looking at your face. You said nothing, in the case that he only supported you in your struggle to weave through the tables in the shop, but as he continued to lead you out of the old building, Mrs. Lovett having gone in the back already, you were confused by this act of chivalry. Not that you took Mr. Todd for a brute, you just didn't expect such a gesture aimed at...yourself. The fact that this was also the first time he has touched you in any way while not necessarily needing so, unlike when he gave you your haircut, did not help your inebriated mind from running wild with conspiracies.

The crisp night air helped clear your head a little bit and you gulped it greedily with deep breaths when you walked out, arm in hand, with the barber. He stood, patiently, right next to you, his secure, but not tight grip on your arm never faltering. If he noticed how you took your sweet time collecting yourself, he didn't mention it, his eyes instead trained on the silver moon hanging in the sky like a lamp, blurred slightly by the infamous London fog. When he sensed you move more into the street, however, he tugged you back towards him slightly, as if he could not let you stray far.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his tone devoid of emotion and yet his eyes shone in a particular way that you couldn't exactly put a finger on in your state. The smirk that once rested on his handsome face was gone and you were perhaps more confused than before. "Home?" you half answered, half asked, unsure of what was the problem. Mr. Todd shook his head sternly "I cannot send you home alone at this time of day and retain a sound mind." he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. You couldn't help but laugh at his statement. Where were you supposed to sleep then? Inside the shop? Sliding your arm out of his grip, you grabbed your stomach, your laughter gaining in volume, making you double over. "Oh, you're funny, Mr. Todd!" you wheezed, not caring the man you were addressing was looking at your drunken self with a completely neutral expression, not understanding in the slightest what was so funny "I have to go home! Where else would you have me spend the night?" you asked when you caught your breath, your laughter simmering down into tired giggles. Drunk laughing was hard, but really fun at the same time, you thought.

Sweeney reached out to take your arm again, turning you around to face the stairs like a puppet and started leading you to his home. "You can spend the night upstairs. If I sent you home, alone, you're sure to get robbed...or worse." his voice was cold and harsh and yet you had the sense this sudden change of tone was not due to anything you said. Not taking any chances, just in case, you kept your mouth shut and let him lead you up the stairs while you could feel your face heat up. It felt awfully wrong to just...invade his space like that. If there's one thing you learned about Sweeney, and let's be honest, there weren't many to choose from, it was that he was a very private person. At the same time, he invited you here. If he didn't want you in his space, he could've just let you stay downstairs with Minnie, she would take good enough care of you without a doubt. But what did all this mean?

You said nothing else as you let the barber move you along, much like a puppet, while trying to focus on every confusing thought and feeling that ran through your head. But your energy was quickly dwindling and you couldn't help but to succumb to sleep as soon as our head hit the pillow.

Regaining consciousness again was...unpleasant, to say the least. The first thing you registered was rain. Not very unusual for London though. The next thing was a piercing headache, that threatened to split your skull in two. Groaning, you flipped over in bed. That's when you noticed the smell. This didn't smell like your sheets... Slowly, but surely, the events of the previous night came back to you, even the less than appropriate ending of it. Blinking open your eyes, you let yourself get adjusted to the lighting of the room, before taking a look around. You were, in fact, in Mr. Todd's small abode and you were very probably in his bed too. You could feel heat creeping up your neck as you registered the all too familiar objects of the barber shop, now from a brand new perspective. There was the barber chair, as ominous as ever, the normal chair to the side, where you usually sat, now occupied by the master of the house.

Polishing and sharpening his blades, Sweeney sat by the window, seemingly uninterested and unbothered by basically a stranger waking up in his bed. His unwavering focus was only on his blades, a focus so intense it would send shivers down your spine, if you weren't so engrossed in your own embarrassment. Only when you began to sit up, your arms threatening to give out underneath you, did the barber tear his gaze away from his tools. You tried to get up to your feet as quickly as you could, manners all but forgotten, your only desire was to get out and never return to Mr. Todd's barber shop or Mrs. Lovett's meat pie establishment ever again. But your knees were wobbly and you felt in your body like a newborn fawn, so your quick escape proved to be harder than you thought.

Sweeney looked at you inquisitively and it seemed like he wanted to say something, but you beat him to it, the thought of anything he could and probably would have said making bile rise in your throat. Fighting the nausea, you pushed yourself off the bed and lightly stumbled before standing in front of the barber. "I am so sorry for what transpired yesterday, Mr. Todd." you apologised first and foremost after clearing your throat "You should not have had to witness any of that." looking awkwardly to the side, you continued "However I am very grateful for everything you have done for me yesterday." And with those last words, you bee lined it for the door, only briefly noticing the 'closed' sign on the door that should have been turned around probably hours ago. It wasn't until you were in the middle of the journey home that you realised you didn't even know what time it was, nor did you at least have the decency to make up the bed after you have slept in it. Which brought forth a question...Where did Mr. Todd sleep? There didn't seem to be another sleeping area nor any kind of furniture suitable for such activity in his living/working quarters. You weren't sure what made you blush more, the possibility that you shared a bed or the possibility that he stayed awake somewhere in the same space as you were the whole night. Both seemed strangely...intimate.

For the next few weeks, you avoided Fleet street like the plague. Luckily for you, your boss wasn't in need of a trim anytime soon, even though you did convince him to visit the barber's more than he did previously. But whenever you thought about the mysterious gentleman residing above the pie shop, hot embarrassment flowed through your body like lightning. And so you didn't remind your boss to upkeep his appearance and as usual, the big oaf wouldn't think of such thing himself. He had money, so what if he looked a bit disheveled? Everybody was saving up on everything they could, the rich and poor alike.

Mrs. Lovett was especially vocal about your absence. She worried that she really did offend you or did you wrong somehow during that a bit too wild night. Whenever Sweeney would appear in the shop to fetch his meal, she would bombard him with questions, if he had any news of you, your whereabouts, your wellbeing, or whether your boss' appointment was coming up anytime soon. She regretted now never asking for your address, with how much she'd come to like you in the time you've spent together. You brought a normalcy to her life that she's dreamed of oh so much.

And while Sweeney wasn't pretty much vocal at all towards your sudden absence, when he closed down for the day and looked out of his window, overlooking the grey London sky and dark and gloomy rooftops, he wondered where you could possibly be. What were you doing? Were you alright?

You had came into the vengeful barber's life unexpectedly and while at first Minnie's obsession with you irritated him, making his goals, his work, that much more dangerous, he couldn't help but notice your good nature. Not only towards his neighbour, even though with how strange the woman could be it was surprising in itself, but towards him, even towards your boss. It wasn't that you were naive, no, he could see in your eyes that you knew exactly how cruel and unjust this world was, and yet you still chose to be kind. Despite all the hardships he knew you were dealt by destiny, no, by other people, the biggest monsters on this earth, you still remained with your heart open to others. And he admired that. Your presence on Fleet street was like a beacon of clean light in the constant grey fog, when he sometimes glanced at the street below him and you happened to be there, he always recognized you, as if you shone more brightly than others.

The lonely man spent many a night pondering on what was it that made you occupy his mind so much, what made you so special. He still loved his wife, and his daughter, wherever she may be, that much he knew. But sometimes...sometimes when he looked at you, your face, as you were laughing with Mrs. Lovett about this or that, he could see her smile. And it was so reassuring, as if Lucy herself was sending her mark upon you, signaling to him that you were someone he needed to protect. And when he came to terms with this revelation, he swore to himself that that was exactly what he was going to do.

So of course it was no problem for him to let you spend a night in his bed. He found your drunken antics and your embarrassment the next morning quite endearing. If you would've paid more attention to him and your surroundings that morning, you would've noticed the small smirk on his face as he watched you clumsily apologize, even though he saw no reason for it. And you would've noticed the two cups of coffee, along with some painkillers standing prepared on the table near the bed. But Sweeney didn't think his actions would've driven you away from him and Mrs. Lovett like that. He knew there was nothing that he could do except wait for you to come back, although he didn't like the idea of something happening to you without him knowing it, being able to prevent it. And he didn't even want to think about the scenario that you would never be back. He saw the way you looked at him, studied him, the confusion in your eyes from the way he behaved so often and now he wanted nothing more than to tell you everything and sort things out. Even if he wasn't sure how exactly to do that. Benjamin was good with words, but Sweeney? Sweeney was all about action, because unlike Benjamin, Sweeney Todd knew just how little weight words could hold in the world.

It didn't take long for you to start missing Fleet street, with your two favourite residents, Mrs. Lovett and Mr. Todd. You contemplated when should you pay them a visit and how you would explain your avoidance of them, until after one night, when that became irrelevant.

It happened in the evening. You were let go from work for the day and while you were on your way home, thinking mostly about whether you had any leftovers from yesterday or if you had to cook dinner from scratch and not paying much attention to your surroundings, when you were jumped. Two men, none of which you knew, cornered you against a wall of a building along which you were walking, asking for some money. You, not wanting any more trouble than necessary, pulled out your pouch, where you kept all the change you needed, but it wasn't enough for whatever they were planning. With two figures towering at least a good head above from you, demanding you do what they say, you didn't dare look them directly in their faces, so you knew little of what they looked like. But they smelled awful and faintly of fish. When they asked to show them what more you had in your bag, yo asked them to leave you be, that you've already given them everything important you had on you. That proved to be a mistake, since one of them grabbed you roughly by the arms from behind, while the other ripped your bag from your hands and turned it upside down. You struggled to get away from the bastard's bruising grip and started calling out for help, which was another mistake. The guy that was going through your things, most of which were only daily necessities, such as your keys and whatnot, suddenly sprung up and hit you in the face, gruffly telling you to shut up, if you valued your life. It was at that point you noticed his voice was slightly slurred.

Luckily, an officer must've been patrolling nearby, or someone must've taken pity on you and called him over, it wasn't that late in the evening after all, because as soon as you heard the distinct sound of a bobby whistle, the first guy let you go while the second one hastily grabbed your notebook and both of them booked it down the street, weaving through the city's intricate alleyways. The officer quickly asked what happened and told you to stay put while he chased after them. But it wasn't even five minutes before he was back, informing you that he lost them and he asked you to accompany him to the police station to give a statement on what happened and they would see what could be done.

The next day, you showed up to work with a nasty looking black eye, without your notebook or a single penny. The police officers told you that with the limited description you provided they weren't sure how much could be done. After telling your boss what happened, he surprisingly took the matter quite seriously. Not only did you write down ever single appointment he needed to attend to in your notebook, but some quite serious and important information, codes to safes, finance tracking, different information having to do with sales and so on. He asked what police station you went to yesterday and said he would get in touch with the officers, since it wasn't impossible that the attack wasn't planned ahead and the notebook was exactly what someone was after. You didn't need or want to know anything more than that. Your boss also gave you two weeks off, to let your eye heal, commenting how it would seem weird if you accompanied him looking like that and he didn't need any more rumors being spread about him, like physically abusing his personnel. He gave you your money back, saying it was going from your next paycheck until the police got your original money back, plus some more to buy a new notebook. As incompetent as he could sometimes be, he was still a businessman, and even though his motivation for these choices was questionable, you were still glad he made them.

As soon as you were outside again, your legs immediately took you in the direction of Fleet street. Still quite shaken up after the incident, the thing you needed the most at that moment was a friend and something told you Minnie would not turn you down.

And you were not mistaken. As you took a step inside the pie shop, Mrs. Lovett's arms were around you, her worried and apologetic rambling reaching your ears as soon as they got used to the buzz of the busy establishment. As soon as the woman pulled away from you, her relieved expression turned to one of shock as she carefully cradled your cheek where the bruise was, asking "What in god's name happened?" Immediately she brought you to the back of the shop and fetched the cleanest rag, which was then promptly soaked in cold water, so that you could relieve some of the ache of the black eye. And she had you remain there until closing, spending her time between serving customers and preparing pies chatting with you. She informed you that she wasn't mad about your sudden disappearance, that she was just very worried and then she promptly asked you your address "In case you want to pull something on me like that again." she reasoned with a cheeky smile.

After Minnie closed down in the evening, you both could sit uninterrupted in the main area, with the businesswoman cleaning up here and there and re-wetting your rag. Anytime you tried to offer her help as a thank you, she would just sternly order you to sit back down and not even think about work, since you've been given 'a sick leave'. Just as she was done with cleaning and was about to head out to get rid of the dirty water, a person you were still dreading to meet walked into the room. You immediately knew who it was by the way Mrs. Lovett's eyes brightened, her face blooming into one of sweet happiness as she cooed out a greeting "Oh, Mr. Todd! Look who decided to join us today! Poor thing got mugged yesterday, can you believe it?" she shook her head, carrying her bucket out the door "So nice of you to join us, there are some pies hidden in the oven in the back for you!" she called behind her as the door clicked close after her.

There was nothing for you to do but turn around, your face heating up again, only praying Mr. Todd wouldn't pay attention to it. But to your slight surprise, he only stared intently at the black eye adorning your face, like a joke of a monocle the more posh men liked to wear when out and about. With a few quick strides, the barber was next to you, his hand under your chin, tipping your head upwards, so he could assess your wound better under the light. His face was contorted into a frown, but his eyes were nothing but gentle as he murmured "Who did this to you?" His voice was ice cold, but somehow you knew you didn't need to be scared. "I don't know." you whispered "The police are after them now." You both said nothing as you only continued to study each other.

When the sound of a door being opened could be heard, Sweeney gently let go of your chin and took a step back from you, but not quite leaving your side. Mrs. Lovett trotted happily back into the room, taking the seat across from you and looking up at her neighbour, she patted the chair beside hers. Not waiting for him to comply, which was good, because Sweeney did not move an inch from where he stood, she asked you, her expression concerned "Darling, do you think it'll be okay for you to walk home alone at this hour?"

Looking out of the window, you saw the street was getting dark. It would not take much more time for night to completely settle over the city. You felt so safe and comfortable, that you completely forgot about the passage of time. Surely there will be little to no people out at this hour. And those who will be outside roaming the streets are definitely not the kind of people you want to associate yourself with. And while you had no problem walking on the bring of darkness alone before, after yesterday's events, you couldn't help the cold shiver that ran down your back at the thought of the many alleyways you'd have to pass before getting home.

Seeing your hesitance, Mrs. Lovett placed her hand softly on yours "It's alright, love. You can stay here for the night! I'm sure there's plenty of room for one more person in the house." her smile was so reassuring, you couldn't help your own taking over your face. But you shook your head "As much as I appreciate your offer, I have to go home. The officers might need me for more questionings, it's best I don't stay out of the house too long." you explained with a small smile and got up from your chair. Surprisingly, it was Sweeney who spoke next "I'll walk you home. If you wouldn't mind, that is." he offered, his eyes flickering between your face and the table during the latter part. "Oh, Mr. Todd! Such a gentleman!" Minnie squealed adoringly, standing up as well "Trust me, love, with Mr. Todd, you're in good hands." something about the way she looked at the barber when she said that made you feel strange, but you had no reason not to believe her or the quiet man standing beside you. So you nodded and looked towards the window again "Best we head off though, I wouldn't want you to have to return when it's completely dark." you muttered, more to yourself and then looked at your companion for confirmation. The dangerous glint you caught flashing through his eyes made you shiver again, but you ignored it.

After hugging Mrs. Lovett goodbye, you were on your way. The first few minutes passed in complete silence, you had no idea what to say and Mr. Todd wasn't one for many words. Sighing, you decide to be the one to break the ice "I...I'm sorry, once again, Mr. Todd. For running out on you like that. You've done so much for me and I repaid you horribly." your gaze was set on the stone path as you apologised. For a while, the barber said nothing, which did not help your nerves at all. "Sweeney." That was the only thing he said. You whipped your head around to look at him, your mouth hanging agape in confusion. "I'm sorry?" Sweeney then looked at you, a single chuckle escaping his chest through his smirking lips. In the dim night lights of the London street, he looked possibly more attractive than ever before. "My name. I feel like we don't have to keep up such formalities, since you've spent a night in my bed already."

You couldn't look him in the eyes anymore, your face heating up. "You make it sound like something much more serious." you pouted. He chuckled again. This was the most you've heard him talk or just express himself in any way since you've known him. "And it wasn't? I don't let just anyone into my bed, you know." It was clear as day he was enjoying this. But his words held an underlying meaning, one which was much more deeper than the lighthearted teasing. Sweeney slowed into a stop and you followed suit beside him. The last street lamp was now behind him, leaving his face covered mostly in shadows. And yet you could see his eyes, vulnerable in a way he probably hasn't been in a long, long time, you could feel his intense gaze on your face, studying your every small reaction. "What are you saying?" you breathed out, your heart in your throat. Sweeney took a step closer "What I'm saying is that you've grown to be quite important to me. After that night..." he stopped, searching for the right words to continue "I realised many things. And I've realised...that I want to keep you close. To protect you. To know you and to allow myself to be known by you. If you'll let me, that is." and he slowly reached for your hand, holding it in both of his oh so gently. "Do you deem me worthy of knowing your heart? Your soul?"

You could feel your breath hitch in your throat as you were overwhelmed by sudden conflicting emotions. But the one that stood out from all of them was... "As long as you'll deem me worthy of knowing yours." you replied in almost a whisper. And with those words, that one sentence, it was as if the tension in the air disappeared all at once. Sweeney stood beside you once more, this time offering you his arm to take and after you've linked your arm through his, he continued to escort you home. Not just as an acquaintance, not as a friend...but perhaps not yet as a lover. But there was time for all of that. Right now, there was the chilly London night air, you and him. And you could figure out the details, such as breaking the news to Minnie, or discovering why exactly there was a trapdoor behind the barber chair, some other time. Tonight was just for you.

#oneshot #sweeney todd #sweeney todd x reader #sweeney todd the demon barber of fleet street #johnny depp characters #johnny depp #sweeney todd x you #fluff #long fanfic #possibly ooc #hopefully not though

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softcitrus2345 · 7 months

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I just found this acc and I find it sooo comforting… I’ve struggled with accepting this kink for a long time and you are so kind and helpful in your responses that it helps a lot ! I do have a question though - I’ve always wanted to post my chonky art but I’m scared of being recognised on my artstyle alone… do you change any part of your artstyle when posting or do you just put it out there and hope for the best?

AWW ;;0;; It's so nice knowing my rambles have done some good and have been helpful to you in some way!!!

As for the art style thing, I don't change anything about my style or characters when I post them here, which is a bit risky, I know, but honestly, if people go out of their way to find me here when I haven't said a peep about it on my main acc with all my other art mutuals (not on Tumblr so don't go lookin' XDD) then it's none of their business what I do on my silly little kink account >:[ I do get nervous about being discovered here by people I know outside of this space, but I don't think it's worth changing my art style that I've worked so hard to develop over my whole life just for the chance it might reduce the risk I post the same ocs I do on my main account on here, same names and everything, and luckily I haven't had anyone find me here yet, but that's because I made sure to do everything I could beforehand to prevent my mutuals from finding this account (again, the block button is your best friend in this case)

I wish people were generally more accepting and neutral about this kind of art, so we wouldn't always have to worry like this about sharing the things that we like, it's not fair so many people (myself included) feel forced to hide their interests out of fear of alienation or shame from others We all deserve to just have our own cozy little spaces where we can share our ideas and interact with each other, I wish you the best with your art, I hope you can feel comfortable sharing it one day! But please don't force yourself to bend over backwards to make your style unrecognizable, you deserve to create and draw in whichever style you prefer!! Have a wonderful rest of your day, Poppet, I'm cheering you on!!

#softcitrus asks #softcitrus rambles #niche blog #weight gain #art talk

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icedragonlizard · 6 months

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"Hope Within The Darkness" information: Blade's dynamics with the Kirby cast

Here's the link for the AU to give it a read if you've yet to do so before reading this post.

When the Dark Matter Swordsman (aka 'Blade', the alias he adopts) comes back, how does he interact with Kirby and all of his friends?

Let's find out!

I said in the AU's synopsis that I'd gladly answer if someone asked in my inbox about his dynamics with the other, but I haven't gotten that LOL. It's okay though. I've chosen to do it myself because I feel like it.

Going over how he interacts with Kirby, all dream friends, and Elfilin.

Kirby: As Kirby never holds grudges, this is an easy friendship that Blade successfully makes at the start. Kirby is happy to show Blade around throughout Popstar and some other planets. He's seen how a lot of people are uneasy and hesitant to accept Blade, which makes him feel bad... as he understand their concerns, but he's willing to see the best in this dark swordsman. He's been doing his part well in helping out. Blade appreciates Kirby. As many other people are less willing to be his friend, he's grateful that Kirby immediately accepted him in open arms.

King Dedede: Dedede is incredibly uncomfortable and distrustful of Blade. This is, of course, because of the PTSD he's had of being possessed by dark matter many times. Old wounds were reopened for Dedede when Blade came back, and it's made him paranoid about another dark matter invasion incoming and getting possessed another time. This paranoia has made him feel the need to berate Blade. Luckily, Blade has no desire to invade or possess again, but it doesn't help that he's standoffish and combative when given negative attention (because he perceives it as a threat), which has resulted in strife between him and Dedede a few times. Eventually, regulations have been made as Blade is not allowed near Dedede's castle. Blade has miserably failed to make a friendship with Dedede.

Bandana Waddle Dee: Being among Dedede's very loyal servants, Bandee is also very distrustful of Blade. He can't fathom the idea of Dedede getting possessed by dark matter again! It terrified him when the king had his stomach grow an eyeball and turn into a set of jaws back in the day. Blade has no intention to do that again after he's returned, but that doesn't stop Bandee from completely having his guard up around him. That they've had arguments (because Blade feels threatened by negative attention) doesn't help matters much either. This is another friendship that Blade fails to make.

Meta Knight: Meta Knight wasn't possessed by dark matter back in the day, allowing him to be a lot more lenient than Dedede at giving Blade a second chance. But friendship still doesn't come easy here. Considering Meta Knight is close friends with Dedede and was let in on details about the king's PTSD of dark matter, he's still very cautious of Blade. Sword duels have occurred between these two, although that's just because Meta Knight enjoys fighting instead of having any serious beef with Blade. Blade however misinterprets the fights as Meta Knight disliking/hating him. Friendship isn't necessarily impossible here if given enough time, but Blade hasn't succeeded at it just yet.

The Animal Friends: They were all nervous and uncomfortable of Blade at first. At first, they feared the idea of another dark matter invasion right around the corner, and then their fear shifted to worrying about Gooey. Since the animal friends are close to Gooey, they were afraid that Blade was eventually going to hurt him while watching them interact. But that's never happened, and Blade actually being protective of Gooey more than anything has eased their concerns a lot. Kine, Nago and especially Coo are still rather cautious (even if it's optimistic caution) while Rick, ChuChu and Pitch have came around to start getting along with Blade decently well, meaning that he's successfully made friendships with those three. It took quite some time for them to become his friends, though.

Gooey: Gooey, just like Kirby, is another easy friendship that Blade makes at the start since he's incapable of holding any sort of grudge. They've bonded over solidarity of being dark matter spawns that are free to do whatever they want after leaving their evil clan. Blade has designated himself as a big brother to Gooey and is fiercely protective of him. He'll wreck anyone that hurts Gooey. However, many people are scared about Blade's friendship with Gooey, worrying he'll hurt the little guy. He never will. He's been in arguments with others about this. After proving how much he cares about Gooey, people have decided to let them be buddies, with some being reluctant about it since they still can't shake off their distrust. Nevertheless, Gooey loves Blade as it's given him hope and joy that there's more dark matter that can be good than just himself.

Adeleine: Adeleine is scared of Blade. She's a victim of dark matter possession just like Dedede is, making Blade effectively unable to make a friendship with her. She doesn't ever berate him, though, as she rather just hides behind her paintings or someone else at the sight of him. Blade tried to become friends as he meant no harm, but Kirby and others have convinced him to just let Adeleine be, considering her past baggage with dark matter and how bad of an idea it'd be to open that up further for her. Understanding, Blade just lets her be.

Ribbon: Ribbon has her guard up when Blade is around. She's not as fearful as Adeleine, but she still firmly keeps her distance around this guy. It made her a bit worried about the idea of another dark matter invasion happening, but it does give her comfort to see Kirby being friends with Blade as she knows that he can easily keep him in check. She's still uncomfortable with letting Blade anywhere near Ripple Star, though. Kirby agrees to make sure he stays away from there. This is another friendship that Blade doesn't succeed in making.

Marx: Blade is not a fan of Marx. He tried to become friends with him at first, until he then decided against it when he began finding Marx to be insufferable. Marx has tried to "make Blade worse" so to speak, and let me tell you that Blade has stabbed him at least once because of it. Marx is a chaos enjoyer; he's entertained by watching the tense interactions that many other people have with Blade, and so he's deliberately added fuel to the fire in some of those instances. That's pissed Blade off. Doesn't help that Marx also sarcastically asks him if he's gonna possess people again. Blade thinks that he's aggravating.

Dark Meta Knight: Blade has actually succeeded in becoming friends with DMK! It took a while for this friendship to happen, though. They're both standoffish and easily triggered to be aggressive, and they had some strife at first. But they've eventually come together over solidarity of being dark shady sword-fighters. When DMK remembered that his master Dark Mind originated from dark matter, that made him warm up to Blade. These two like to sword duel, as it's an enriching activity for the both of them. DMK doesn't have many friends, as he's not that good at making them, so Blade deserves some credit for becoming a new friend for him. A win for them both!

Daroach: This is rather complicated. There are moments where they can get along alright, but there are also moments where it's rather tense. When some people helped build Blade a home somewhere in Dream Land, Daroach began stealing from it on occasion. Because of that, Blade has been hesitant to consider him a friend as it pisses him off to be robbed. He's stabbed Daroach over a robbery one time. Daroach on the other hand appears to have no beef with Blade, and there are occasions where he's able to get some chuckles out of him by cracking dumb jokes. It's not hugely heated here, but they aren't necessarily a real friendship. They could be if Daroach stopped stealing from Blade's home, but he's shown no indication of that.

Magolor: The third friend that Blade makes after Kirby and Gooey, and an extremely helpful friend at that. Magolor was initially wary until he learned that Blade just wants to make friends, but hasn't been very good at it. He knows what it's like to try to make friends and get declined, so he's been able to empathize with Blade's frustration at times. Magolor has helped him out a lot, including helping change Blade's personality to be better at making friends. He's taught him the concept of apologizing (Blade didn't know about that beforehand LOL) and helps him understand that even after apologizing, forgiveness from everybody is not exactly possible, but still don't give up on the quest of making all the friends you can. Magolor helped introduce Blade to some of the other ex-villain dream friends in hopes of giving him new friends. A bonus that he teaches him how to cause fun mild mischief! Blade appreciates Magolor a ton. He looks up to him. This is Blade's favorite out of the dream friends aside from Gooey.

Taranza: They became friends as they formed a little "We possessed Dedede!" club. It makes it amusingly ironic for Dedede to treat the two so differently; he quickly forgave Taranza but is still very uncomfortable around Blade. It's because the dark matter possessions traumatized him a lot more by comparison, including that they happened earlier. But all the same, Taranza still doesn't judge Blade for it, especially when knowing that the guy wants to do better and wants to make friends, as he's glad to be one of them. He's showed him around in Floralia. Admittedly, there was a moment when Taranza was upset upon learning that Morpho Knight brought this guy back... he thought it was unfair that Sectonia couldn't be brought back too, but he's not mad at Blade and is happy for him.

Susie: This may be a bit unexpected, but they've become friends! Susie was highly curious upon learning Blade's return, as it interested her to learn that this was another positive dark matter spawn that's different from Gooey. It actually didn't take too long for them to become friends when they met, as Susie compliments Blade for looking super cool and he's appreciative of the positive attention. At one point, after Susie has shown interest in learning more about dark matter, Blade lets her in on details of the rest of the dark matter clan, and how he used to be a part of it but was given the chance to escape because of how it mistreated him. That revelation shocked her. Susie is how Blade learns about modern technology, and he's attempted to use some gadgets she made... with various results.

The Mage Sisters: When they learned about what this guy originated from, it made them all giddy to meet him. Blade has managed to become friends with them! Flamberge is the one he likes the most by virtue of having a sword like him, as they will sometimes sword-duel with each other for enrichment. Zan Partizanne has him learn about calling other people nicknames. Francisca is the one that Blade least interacts with, but they're still friends. All three of the mage sisters have enchanted his sword with elements (just like the element system in Star Allies) to allow him to do various things. Blade thinks they're a good bunch, and he gets along with Hyness as well.

Elfilin: Elfilin was initially very scared of Blade. He's generally rather neurotic, but he also thought the guy was bad because he watched the distrust that others have for him, and it didn't really help matters when he learned that Blade used to be apart of the evil dark matter clan that Gooey was never apart of. After learning that Blade is no longer evil and isn't attempting another invasion, Elfilin's opinion eases just a little bit. But he's still intimidated by how standoffish and aggressive Blade is, so he continues to keep a distance. Sadly this is a friendship that Blade does not succeed at making.

That's basically it!

It looks like Blade has had greater luck with ex-villain dream friends then he did with ones that weren't ever villains to begin with. Many of the characters that appeared in the DMT (except Gooey and some of the animal friends) weren't really in the bag for Blade to become friends with for reasons that may be self-explanatory enough.

Thanks for reading if you did, haha.

#kirby #dark matter kirby #dark matter swordsman #dark matter blade #king dedede #meta knight #bandana waddle dee #gooey #gooey kirby #rick kine and coo #marx #marx kirby #adeleine #ribbon kirby #dark meta knight #daroach #magolor #taranza #susie haltmann

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pearlypairings · 2 months

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Yesterday was the one year anniversary of posting the first chapter of there is a light that never goes out!

I can't believe how nervous I was to post a fic about anything other than hellcheer 😅 (the first ch was actually posted anon😜). Luckily Losty helped me be more confident about writing rarepairs and I'm so grateful for her guidance!

TIAL is actually my favorite fic that I've written (its sequel Let the Light In is coming along nicely, too~) because of how full and fun the characters were while forming the story! I loved seeing jonathan and chrissy in a different light from canon/fanon, and in a universe, where it made sense for them to find each other more similar than different.

I've met so many people in the st fandom because of my photocheer fic & seen some gorgeous art and fic snippets and had so many nice interactions with other writers and readers. Sooooo grateful!!

Thank you for everyone whose read and commented and gushed with me over TIAL and the jonathanxchrissy universe over the past year💖 you made writing fun again!

In case you haven't read it yet :

#fic anniversary #there is a light that never goes out #photocheer #cheerbyers #jonathan byers #chrissy cunningham #jonathan x chrissy #thank you for reading and commenting and being delightful for the past year!

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agaypanic · 11 months

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Benny saves reader from a zombie

When The Dead Rise (Benny Weir X Reader)

Masterlist

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Summary: Ethan has to take his little sister trick or treating, so of course he invites all of his friends to keep him company. Splitting up from your friends to spend time with your boyfriend ends up giving you some scares.

A/N: SO MANY THINGS TO SAY!!! 1, sorry for not posting a story in over 2 weeks, i discovered character ai messaging and became addicted to talking to josh hutcherson’s (i love that man, im so glad hes been getting more attention again, im so sad that he has a gf and is like 10+ years older than me) mike schmidt from fnaf (lowkey wondering if i should try making character chats, i think itd be fun lol). 2, thank you for 1.1k followers!!! It truly means a lot to me! 3, I still have a good handful of requests and i don’t know when they’ll all be finished, so if you’ve sent in a request that i haven't gotten to yet, im so sorry lol. 4, this feels kinda half-assed but enjoy this halloween fic even tho its fuckin november lmao

***

“Ethan, hurry up!” Benny yelled up the stairs to his best friend, who was in his room getting ready. “If we wait any longer, all the good candy’s gonna be gone!”

“Calm down, Bens.” You laughed. “We’re big kids; we can buy our own candy.”

“It’s not the same.” He whined, letting you pull him towards you by the lapels of his suit jacket. You fixed his poorly tied tie and smoothed out the fabric of his outfit. Benny wanted to be a magician this year, saying it fit perfectly. He even somehow roped you into dressing up as a magician’s assistant.

Before you could reply, there was a knock at the door. Unsure of whether it was a trick-or-treater or one of your friends, you grabbed the bowl of candy near the front entrance and opened the door. But the sight before you made you jump, some pieces of candy flying out of the bowl.

“Trick or treat!” Rory snickered behind an ugly zombie mask. It looked like the mask had been melted and worn out.

“Couldn’t you have just dressed up as a vampire?” You asked, letting Rory into the house and closing the door. “You know, with you being a vampire and all.”

“Too easy.” Rory shrugged, taking off the mask. “Besides, scaring the crap out of you is worth wearing the mask.” He grinned, and you smacked his shoulder with an eye roll.

Hearing footsteps come thundering down the stairs, you all turned around. Jane came down in a princess costume while Ethan was close behind in one of his regular outfits. You all booed him and his wardrobe.

“Boring!”

“Didn’t even try.”

“Where’s your Halloween spirit, man?”

“Guys, give me a break, okay?” Ethan sighed. It was clear he didn’t really want to go out tonight. Wanting him to at least try to get into the spirit of the holiday, you grabbed a pack of fake vampire fangs from the trick-or-treating bowl.

“Here, you can be the vampire. Now let’s go, or Jane won’t get any candy.” Hearing this, Jane raced out the door, the rest of you hot on her tail.

***

It was late at night when you all decided to stop trick or treating. Jane’s candy bag was practically bursting at the seams, and she was worn out to the point where Rory had to start carrying her. He only did it because, due to being a vampire, he was the only one strong enough to haul her around, and she promised to give him some of her candy.

“Wanna split?” Benny leaned down to whisper to you, the two of you slowing down and gradually being separated from your friends. Deciding that they probably wouldn’t mind your absence, you nodded. Benny grinned and squeezed your hand that he had been holding the entire evening before pulling you in the direction of his house.

As the two of you walked down the street, a chill ran up your spine. An October night in Canada probably wasn’t the best time to wear a costume that had a good amount of skin, but when you put the costume on, you had decided that it would be a problem for future you.

Future you was less than pleased.

Luckily, being the amazing and thoughtful boyfriend he was, Benny took off his magician’s cape and tied it around you. He must’ve enchanted it, because you were immediately warmed by the fabric. You clung onto his arm, not missing the proud smile he had when he looked down at you wearing something of his.

“Oh, gosh.” You murmured, slowing to a stop. Benny stumbled, looking around in confusion. Before he could ask what was wrong, you pointed to what awaited you just a few yards ahead.

If you knew that the Whitechapel cemetery would be on your route to Benny’s house, you would’ve gone another way. But here you were, looking at the fog-covered, fenced-up plot of land in front of you, the path that went through it looking less than inviting. Given you and your friends’ track records with supernatural and dead things, you were weary of spooky things, such as a cemetery at night. Tonight being Halloween didn’t help much.

“Come on, N/n, it’s okay.” Benny cooed, pulling you along. “Nothing’s gonna happen, I promise.”

“How can you be so sure?” You asked, squeezing his arm.

“I’ll protect you, babe.”

“Oh, great, so we’re both dead.” You half-joked, and Benny gave you a fake offended look.

“Rude.” You got to the fence, and you paused again. Benny looked back and sighed; it was as if he could read your mind before you protested. “Going through the cemetery instead of around is the quickest way home, Y/n. We’ll speedwalk.”

After a deep breath, you nodded, and you both ventured through the graveyard. You clung to Benny as if your life depended on it. For all you knew, it did. The aura surrounding you as you walked spooked Benny a bit, but he did his best to put on a brave face for you.

Before you knew it, you were almost at the other side of the cemetery. Relief filled you as the fog faded just enough to show you the exit.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” You say, a pep in your step now. But for some reason, Benny pulled on his cape that was around your shoulders. You looked back in confusion.

It wasn’t Benny, you realized. Because he was standing next to you, not behind you.

Behind you was a hideous, groaning creature that looked like it had been decaying for years. You wouldn’t have been surprised if it had crawled out of one of the graves you and Benny walked by.

“Zombie!” You shouted, making Benny jump. You tried to run, but the creature’s decaying hand had a death grip on the cape you were wearing, the opposing forces almost choking you.

Benny grabbed the string that tied the cape around you and somehow ripped it apart. It was probably the sudden adrenaline that gave him the strength to do that and then pick you up when you were finally free. Tossing you over his shoulder, Benny ran out of the graveyard while you both freaked out about what you saw.

Over your squeals and shouts, you didn’t hear the laughing that came from the place you were fleeing from. The zombie dropped the cape and ripped off its face, revealing a cackling Rory. But his laughs were suddenly cut short when he heard a rustle in a nearby bush. Realizing that being alone in the cemetery was becoming too creepy for him, Rory sped away.

When you reached Benny’s house and called your friends, you told them all about the terrifying encounter you and Benny had with the dead. During your storytelling, you didn’t notice Rory having a slight grin on his face the entire time.

#agaypanic #benny weir #benny weir x reader #my babysitter's a vampire #my babysitter's a vampire x reader

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theskeleton117 · 3 months

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HELLO THERE

You know the drill soooooo

TELL ME THE PLOT AND CHARACTERS RELATIONSHIPS ABOUT YOUR AU

Please

-alz, i am expanding

Ok so this'll be one long post lmao. I'll be combining every post and Discord message about the main storyline of the fic I've already sent into one for this

Ok so let's start with some important info about the fic. So first of all, I'm gonna explain how Lamb regeneration works, since it's an important piece of worlbuilding that comes up many times

Basically, when a lamb is dying, they begin to go through this process that allowes them to cheat death, but their body and personality change, though leaving their memories intact. If you've ever watched Doctor Who, it's almost the same thing as the regeneration in that. There are ways to kill lambs without having them regenerate, but I haven't written exactly how just yet, so just note whenever lambs are killed during the mass execution, they're doing something specific to kill them

Also, one last thing about the lambs, when they actually do die, they typically don't get afterlives. What I mean by this is their soul lingers outside their body for a sec as it slowly fades away. This causes some issues with the actual Lamb's revival

And now here's how demigods work. Demigods usually are formed when someone without a crown experiences extreme emotion. Usually this only works with people who have been around gods incredibly often

Now, on with the characters that I need to mention

So the fic actually starts off in the pre-game. Let's start by establishing the relationship between the 2 most important bishops in this fic. I would put the other bishops, but this post needs something to shorten it lmao

Narinder and Shamura are kinda like the main two we follow in the pre-game. Despite how often Narinder recklessly goes against Shamura’s orders when he doesn't agree with them, Narinder seems to be basically Shamura’s favorite, though they'd never tell the other bishops that. Narinder was the first bishop other than Shamura, so it does make some sense that Shamura favors Narinder

Now, onto the plot. We actually start off by seeing Shamura finding the other bishops. One of their parents had been the former god of war, and since both their parents died, they inherited the crown for theirself. After some...issues with the old gods I'd rather save for another post, Shamura decided they need to seek out new gods to replace some of the dead ones, and they especially needed to find a god of death fast, since the world practically falls the hell apart without one. Luckily, they find one fast. Narinder had been abandoned by his parents at a young age because of his possession of the red crown, which they were basically sworn enemies of, and they thought Narinder having it for just a second made him basically Satan in their eyes. So anyways, this how Shamura found him, and now they decided that since he does have the crown, and it's incredibly difficult to pry away the crown from someone it's already bonded to, as well as not wanted to just leave an abandoned kid outside, they decided to let him stay there at their temple and train him. Years later, when they're both a bit older and more experienced, they got a letter from some wealthy family down in Anchordeep. The letter was about how the parents in this family recently discovered that their son, Kallamar, had found the Blue Crown, and how they were willing to pay to let him be trained by Shamura in how to use it, and to meet them in Anchordeep if they're interested in the offer. Of course, Shamura and Narinder both head off to Anchordeep, where they met with the family, negotiated on the price, which consisted of Shamura trying to highball them as hard as possible because at this point despite also being born into wealth, running their cult was still a bit pricy. They settled on a price eventually and Shamura, Narinder, and Kallamar head back to the temple and Shamura begins to train Kallamar, Narinder occasionally helping with it too since he learned a lot of the stuff. Once again time jump a few years (btw all these time jumps would be a little less jarring in the actual fic likely lmao) and Shamura, Narinder, and Kallamar where on a crusade in Anura. Kallamar decided to take a bit too close of a look at some of the mushrooms, even taking samples for later study, and because of this, he was suddenly suddenly attacked by someone. It was clear whoever it was happened to be an amazing fighter, likely one of the frogs due to the fact that this was frog territory, but Kallamar wasn't really paying attention to his attacker, instead panicking to have them not kill him. Shamura and Narinder hear the commotion and check to see what's happening. Turns out Kallamar was being beat the hell up by a young frog girl (The frogs in this fic are trained in combat from an incredibly young age, including the women, as the frogs are practically bred for combat, having only other species do the other jobs for them)

Narinder couldn't help but laugh at Kallamar for getting beat up by a child, right up until said child tried to beat him up, doing a decent enough job of it. After watching all this, Shamura noticed that said child was wearing the yellow crown. Shamura decided to challenge the child to fight them next, and despite having wrecked the other two, halfly because of their lack of expectation, she lost to Shamura, who then asked about her crown. They talked for a moment and she told Shamura that her name was Heket, and Shamura offered to train her to use the crown better, as well as better combat training since she mostly was banking off of nobody expecting her to be this good. She went off to ask her parents first st the local frog encampment, and since the frogs are really big into combat, they said agreed to someone as skilled as Shamura training Heket in a heartbeat. This time there's less of a time gap here, but jump maybe a few months and one day Shamura just finds this bagworm kid with the green crown, just kinda there at the cult. They attempted to find any sort of parent, but after a search, they just decided to take this kid in without asking anyone since there was nobody to ask. The kid didn't actually know his own name, so he was just given the name Leshy by Shamura and it stuck

Alright, so that's the bishop's origins, now for some extra info before we move on from this abridged description of the pre-game. At some point, Shamura gave Narinder an apprentice in the hopes that it would make Narinder choose the less reckless options in most situations due to having someone less experienced there. What actually ended up happening is Narinder made them reckless too. This apprentice was a lamb named Osiris, usually referred to as Si by Narinder and others. They would later go on to be the Lamb we see in the main game. By this point, Narinder also had a small group formed of himself, Ratau, and Forneus. Lamb wasn't immediately welcomed into the group by Narinder, but Narinder quickly warmed up to them, later developing into some romantic feelings towards them. Ratau and Forneus, however, were immediately welcoming, as opposed to Narinder who took time for that

Now, eventually, Narinder decided to experiment with resurrection, which was a big mistake. Shamura had experience with what revival could do, and warned Narinder that what he was doing was wrong, but Narinder wanted to continue experimenting with it. Eventually things heated up in such a way where Narinder made an entire undead army and splitting off from the bishops. Narinder, however, figured out why Shamura warned him, but deemed it too far now to go back, though in reality, Shamura would've likely forgiven him. See, when someone is revived over and over again in such a way that they fully and completely die (A way around this is found for the Lamb later, but in this I mean complete death and revival) parts of their soul start to chip off, and they eventually become mindless murder machines who just do what they're told and have no personality, and at some point, don't even have a soul of their own, usually having to be soulbound to someone else to stay alive (soulbinding basically keeps them alive until the person they're bound to dies), eventually, Narinder is chained up in his realm, and the bishops put in the command to execute the lambs as there had been a prophecy that they would free Narinder. Now, the lambs in my foc aren't just gonna die off without a fight. The only problem is a good portion of them died rather quickly as not a moment before, they had all trusted the Old Faith. For a good amount of time, they had fended off the Old Faith, but then the witnesses came in. The witnesses were a set of 4 soldiers, one soulbound to each bishop, that had originally been people that Narinder revived over and over again, but had now been taken by the bishops. These witnesses ruthlessly executed a majority of the lambs right there. Osiris didn't take this all too well. They had been present to fight the entire time and couldn't bear to watch this happen. Once a majority of the lambs were dead, they couldn't keep their anger in. There's a pretty good reason I described what a demigod was at the start of this, and that's because Osiris did in fact form demigod powers in this moment, powerful enough to basically throw the witnesses out of the lamb kingdom. Sadly, by this time, it was already too late and there were only a small few lambs left. Over time, every lamb in hiding had been caught eventually, Osiris even having brought the fight to the Old Faith when getting caught

Now, the Red Crown had been passed through a few vessels at this point, Forneus being the first, then Ratau, but now it was Osiris' turn...sorta. Their revival had been a little messy, causing most of their memories to be a blur and they don't remember much, not even Narinder, and not even their own name, which leads them to now go by just Lamb. They also act completely differently, since they also kinda regenerated in a way, now not having their memories to base how they act on. Narinder knew this, leading to him never trying to reference their previous encounters unless they ask, leading to the first death of NariLamb in my fic

Skipping through a lot of the main game here since I'd like to save the details for the actual fic on this since y'all already know the plot here, Lamb at some point goes to this Old Faith town in disguise, with like a mask and hood and shit, which sounds odd but I guess is normal there, since they needed to get resources that they couldn't find anywhere else. While they were there, there was this festival going on, and they stopped by it to grab a drink because they totally needed a drink after dealing with their followers, since they hadn't been used to that yet, and he basically ended up talking to and making friends with this cat named Ruri (The one from the Mashed short lmao) and every time he stopped by that town, they met with Ruri and eventually he started to develop feelings for her. Eventually, he ends up having a masked assassin trying to kill him, and eventually he knocks of their mask, and realizes that it was Ruri, however Ruri didn't know this was Lamb she'd been talking to all this time. After some talk, Ruri switched sides and joined Lamb's cult, later on becoming his spouse. Again skipping a bit because I wanna spoil as little of the main game and post game as possible, but after Lamb defeated the Bishops and took them into his cult, he also ended up with kinda a slow burn with Heket (Lamb and Ruri are polu btw). And then after the slow burn, Ruri and Heket met since Lamb was introducing Heket to her since y'know, Heket should know his other spouse and vice versa, and Heket and Ruri were a lot less slow of a burn with each other, the burn happened significantly faster

Anyways, that's all for now, I might explain more at some point, but these are the basics so far

#cotl #cult of the lamb #narinder #cotl lamb #bishop narinder #bishop shamura #bishop heket #bishop leshy #bishop kallamar #my au #Red Moon AU

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