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#you're not letting your family think you're dead in this timeline
wayward-wren · 1 year
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okay so i can KIND OF understand why they changed the plot of Gladiators of Capua, cos a) Jonathan's Angst Arc may have been a bit heavy for live action kid's show and b) I don't think the budget could have handled the Colosseum. HOWEVER -
Jonathan's motivation is amusing to me. Dude gets kidnapped and thrown into gladiator jail and is like 'welp this is my life now ig'. His father is out here STRESSING and Jonathan's just like "i'm going to DIE here I gotta learn how to FIGHT' doesn't even consider trying to get word to his father. Not to mention Nubia and Lupus ALSO get picked up off the street and put to work like bro. Learn to say no. (I guess for those two they are in information-gathering mode so it COULD be a useful thing. But Jonathan fully goes "welp gladiator time' and it's so funny to me)
I am also kinda sad we don't see the full 'Jonathan Angst and everyone thinks he's dead' arc cos that is what got me hooked on the series in the beginning.
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pizzabox-box · 2 months
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Deep dive into the "Dead Man Walking AU"
SPOILERS AHEAD! If you haven't read the introductory comic yet I strongly advise you to read it first!
Watch out! Hurting Peppino, tomato sauce and long walls of text ahead!
This AU takes place in an alternative timeline where Fake Peppino defeats and kills real Peppino in their fight on the fourth floor. After doing so he ingests real Peppinos essence. (fancy way of saying he bit off a good chunk of Peppino) and thanks to this he‘s able to perfectly take Peppino’s form.
He also gains Peppino’s memories and an inteligence of a regular human. And only then, as memories that aren‘t his own invade his mind and a man’s last thoughts before his death echo in his head, he realizes what have he just done.
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The guilt drives him to finish what Peppino started. He climbs to the top of the tower, defeats Pizzahead and the other bosses, crumbles the tower, and takes over Peppinos restaurant. Nobody, except for him, knows what happened on the 4th floor. Question is, how long? How long can he keep this secret? How long will he be able to keep this illusion alive? How long before the consequences of his actions eat him alive?
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Thanks his newly acquired inteligence he’s able to speak properly and has complete control over his more monstrous side. Through he can still do all the things Fake Peppino is known for, if he chooses to. (like speaking the „gibberish“ language, deforming, reforming and miscellaneous frog stuff) He  knows how to make a good edible pizza but has to wear gloves while handling pizza dough to prevent a piece of him getting into it and a clone forming. (I don’t have to explain why pizza coming to life would be devastating, right?)
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As mentioned above "Peppi-NO" has real Peppino’s memories. He has reacurring nightmares based off real Peppino’s memories. Most often the war and real Peppino‘s last moments. (He has two sets of memories from before the incident, his own and real peppinos. Luckily he’s able to clearly differentiate between them. This also means that he gets to experience Peppino’s death from two points of view. Quite lovely, isn’t it? )
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He treats other characters like real Peppino would. But doesn’t feel any real connection to them. „I’m mean to the Noise, because real Peppino would be mean to the Noise“ Kind of mindset. The only exception is Noisette who was Fake Peppino’s pal before the incident. He views her as a friend but still needs to keep the act up around her.
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The best way to understand this character is to put yourself into their shoes. So...let’s do a quick thought experiment: You are you, right? Of course! It makes perfect sense. But now imagine this. You are not actually you. YOU are a clone of yourself, who managed to kill off the real you. And all of your memories are not actually your own. What would „your“ friends and family think if they found out? If they found out that the real you is dead? Hell. How would you react if you found out that your lifelong friend was actually killed by a skinwalker few months ago and the damn thing has been pretending to be them ever since?? Imagine that for a second...
Let’s not forget. This is actually Fake Peppino we’re talking about. Despite everything there’s still a silly side to him that sometimes shines throught the facade.
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To summarize this character in one sentence. He hurt Peppino and now he’s stuck in his personal hell.
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There's a lot to this character I haven't mentioned yet. Well, hopefuly I didn't forget anything important. In case you have any questions feel free to ask! I will be opening Q and A for this this character (and also the others)
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reverie-starlight · 1 year
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For the MC returns fic you wrote, it's absolutely splendid. But I was wondering if I could ask for a part two with the dateables??
AHHH okayokay i'm so sorry this took so long, I have been so busy since school ended among other things, but here it is!!! and thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed part one <3
as always, gn!MC
disclaimer: I'm not that familiar writing the side characters' personalities, this is my first time writing for them, so please bear that in mind if you think they're a bit out of character. Also, I won't be doing a part three with the undateables (as much as I adore thirteen), bc I'm only on lesson 25 of the OG game :')
warnings: fluff!! slight reverse comfort in diavolo's bc if the game won't let him have a small breakdown, then I will, but it's like so minor. he cries a bit. poor baby deserves to let his emotions out a bit. his section got looonnnggg. slight making out in simeon's? nothing explicit, but definitely lots of kissing. blood mention in barbatos' but no gore or violence. he's just coming back from the dungeons bc I love him being just slightly unhinged. barbatos' is probably the most ooc because I had such a hard time trying to write his section, plus it got just a tad suggestive.
and once again, the details of MC's return are unspecified, just because I don't want to think too hard about it right now! did they complete the task and re-forge all 7 pacts again? did they just pop back into the present randomly? who knows? not me!
MC Returning to the Present: Dateables Edition
(aka MC goes back to the future... I missed out on that pun last time hehe)
After waking up in your room, where you rightfully belong in the present timeline, and getting through your teary reunion with the brothers, you were anxious to set out and find your lover.
You couldn't even text him to let him know you were back- with a shattered screen and an apparent dead battery, your D.D.D. had seen better days. The brothers offered to text the others to let them know of your return after they were done dog piling you, but you shook your head.
"I need to go see him now," you said, feeling guilty that you wanted to leave the warmth of their company so soon after finally having your chosen family back. You made a silent promise to them that you'd spend as much one-on-one time with them as they needed after this, but you were desperate to find him and they could tell. They could see on your face that you had been through a lot and just needed the comfort only a partner could provide.
So instead of fighting to keep you there with them a bit longer, they led you to the front hall and let you go find your beloved. You'd be back after all, you told them as much.
Solomon
As soon as you opened the door to run to Purgatory Hall, you walked right into a wall shaped like the sorcerer you were looking for.
"Solomon!" You gasped out, throwing your arms around him tightly.
"MC," he sighed in relief, cradling the back of your head with his hand, other arm around your waist, holding you just as tight. "I was so worried when you were nowhere to be found in the other timeline, I rushed here to see if you were back."
You hid your face in the crook of his neck, and blinked away a tear. "I made it, I don't really know what happened, it's all a blur, but I'm back now."
"You're back, you're okay..." he pulled back a bit to scan over your figure. "You are okay, yes? No injuries? No weird physical space-time abnormalities?"
You laughed a little breathlessly and shook your head. "No, I'm okay, my love."
He smiled fondly at you before glancing behind you, making you aware of your audience. The brothers were glaring daggers at your boyfriend, and you were sure that if Solomon wasn't, well... Solomon, any other human on the receiving end of those looks would perish.
"Guys, don't. He kept me safe when I was trapped back then. He took good care of me when I needed it, I swear."
You raised an eyebrow at them when they didn't immediately stand down, but they untensed after a second and just eyed him wearily.
Solomon smiled sheepishly. "Honestly, MC, you give me too much credit, but yes, I promise I kept them from getting into potentially catastrophically worse situations."
You returned his smile and squeezed his shoulder, tearing up again. "Don't be like that, you did far more for me than you realize..."
He knew you were referring to all the nights he held you in bed as you sobbed over the possibility of never getting back home, comforting you and acting as a distraction. If he weren't there, you honestly don't know what you would have done.
He sighed again, not wanting to get you too worked up right now. You looked like you were about to drop from exhaustion. His eyes lit up and he grabbed your hand.
"MC, why don't you let me cook for you tonight? A special treat in celebration of our return." The poor guy looked so hopeful that you almost gave in.
Before realizing that you wanted to live to see another day in the present.
"Oh, Solomon, that's very sweet, but you must be exhausted after everything as well! We can just go to Ristorante Six, or get take out..." the determined look in his eyes scared you and you glanced at the brothers for help.
"Nonsense, my love, you didn't let me cook for you once when we were living in Cocytus Hall, let me return the favour." Damn his persistence.
A few of the brothers snickered at that, probably picturing you frantically trying to keep your boyfriend out of the kitchen by any means necessary. It was then that they truly realized how many obstacles you had to overcome. You gave them another pleading look and finally Lucifer took pity on you.
"Actually, Solomon, it's Satan's turn to cook tonight, and we'd prefer to spend the evening with MC, so we insist that you join us for dinner. It'll give us a chance to go over some of the more... pressing details of what happened." His tone left no room for debate, so the sorcerer nodded.
"Oh... well alright, then, thank you for having me." He looked mildly disappointed but it didn't last long after you pressed a kiss to his cheek.
You let out a small sigh and silently thanked Lucifer as you walked further into the house again. You hooked an arm through Solomon's and went to sit with everyone else in the living room, finally feeling at ease for the first time in forever.
Diavolo
The second you were out of the house, you sprinted to the castle.
Normally you would be more courteous on the castle grounds, not wanting to piss off any of the nobles and have them think negatively of the Prince for choosing an ill-mannered human as a partner, but every rule of devildom etiquette left your mind as you ran through the halls.
You smiled at some passing servants as you slowed to catch your breath, wondering where he would be at this time of day. Finally you caught the eye of a servant you had gotten to know quite well during your visits and you visibly lit up as she greeted you.
"Hello, MC, it's lovely to see you again," she curtsied and you smiled kindly at her, insisting she didn't have to. She didn't seem shocked to see you, so you assumed everyone had tried to keep your disappearance a secret.
"Hello, it's lovely to see you, too... you wouldn't happen to know where the prince is, would you?"
She hummed and thought about it for a moment. "I believe I saw his personal butler bringing tea to his office not long ago... perhaps he's still there? He's been working in there far longer than he normally would, lately."
Your heart clenched at that, and you thanked her before running in the direction of his office.
You tried the knob, but it was locked, so you knocked frantically. It took a few moments, but finally it opened and there stood Diavolo. He had a welcome expression on his face, but you could immediately tell it wasn't genuine.
Until he realized it was you, that is.
All the pent up exhaustion you could see on his face melted away and he pulled you to him immediately. "You're back."
You closed the door with a gentle kick behind you as he dragged you further into the room. He lifted you up so that you were sitting on the edge of his desk, him in between your legs. His arms tightened around your waist before his hands trailed up to your shoulders, slid up your neck and finally rested on your cheeks. He rested his forehead against yours and let out a long, shaky, relieved sigh. Like the weight on his shoulders had just been lifted.
You let your own hands tangle in his hair and closed your eyes. "I'm back."
As you held him close, you started to feel him tremble slightly. You opened your eyes in panic, and your heart broke at the sight in front of you.
The future king of the devildom was doing his absolute best to hold back his tears, clinging to your shirt, his breathing unsteady. All because of you.
Your grip in his hair turned softer and you pressed your nose against his cheek, nuzzling into him. "It's okay, my love, I'm here. You don't have to hide from me, you can let it out," you whispered softly.
He listened to your words and immediately sank into your arms further, letting out a strangled sob. The tears that dropped from his face dampened your clothes but you didn't care at all. "Let it out, I'm here now."
You continued to soothe and shush him, all the while caressing his hair and kissing wherever you could reach. You knew Diavolo felt as though he had to remain strong all of the time, and honestly if you were in his position you'd probably feel the same. But since you started dating, you had been trying your best to let him know that he didn't have to be that way around you. He could let his walls down with you and never have to worry about being thought of as less.
A knock at the door made him tense up again and you looked at him in reassurance, silently letting him know you'd take care of it. He straightened up slightly, back still turned to the door, and nodded at you. "Come in," you called out.
You peeked over his shoulder and were pleasantly surprised (though you probably shouldn't have been) to see Barbatos standing there, composed as ever. When the butler saw your head sprouting from behind Diavolo's his eyes widened slightly before returning to normal.
"Hello, MC, welcome back."
You waved. "Hi Barbatos! I missed you."
He chuckled. "I must admit I missed you too. Young master, shall I prepare your room with fresh night clothes for MC as well? It's quite late."
You glanced at him and while he had dried his tears, his eyes were still rimmed with red and his nose was running. So he just nodded and said "Yes, thank you Barbatos. Could you possibly run us a bath, please?"
"Yes, my lord." He nodded at you once more with a knowing smile and closed the door behind him.
You looked back to your boyfriend and smiled. You gently kissed him and wrapped your arms around his shoulders again. "My love, I'm so happy to be back. I missed you more than anything."
He managed a smile and helped you down from his desk. "I was so worried about you, MC, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come back."
You squeezed his hand tightly as he lead you out of the office and down the hall that lead to his personal wing of the castle. "Well you don't have to think about that anymore."
He nodded and for the first time you've seen that night, and most likely in general since you've been gone, a genuine smile took over his face and his usual playfulness returned. "Will you spend the weekend here with me, MC?"
You nodded. "Of course, I was going to ask you if I could, anyway... oh! Diavolo..." you sheepishly looked at him and pulled out your D.D.D.. "Do you think we could get me a new one sometime this weekend?"
He laughed. "Of course, my dear. Is there anything else you need? Anything at all, just say the word."
"No," you started, opening the door to his room and flopping onto his bed. "Just you."
His smile turned soft and his eyes were filled with love. "That can surely be arranged."
Simeon
You knocked desperately on the front door of Purgatory Hall, hoping to see your boyfriend's face. All you wanted was to be wrapped up in his arms right about now.
Soon enough, you heard faint footsteps from behind the door and the sound of a lock unlatching. The door opened a crack and you looked down to see a certain blonde boy's wide eyes. Your own eyes widened in surprise, as you weren't expecting Luke to be up at this hour.
"MC?!" He exclaimed, opening the door wider and throwing himself at you for a hug.
You laughed a little and kneeled down to hug him properly. "Luke! I've missed you."
You both walked further into the entry hall and he refused to let go of you after the door closed. "We were so worried about you, MC! Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"
You patted him on the head. "I'm okay, buddy, promise. I'm glad to be back in our time."
Another pair of footsteps was heard as you and Luke had your little reunion. Your heart raced in excitement, recognizing the pattern of the footfall.
"Luke? Who was at the-"
You smiled as his words cut off and he stared at you, frozen and clearly shocked by your arrival. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost. "Hi, Simeon."
Your voice brought him out of his trance.
He rushed to you and held you close. Everything about your boyfriend was gentle- his tone, his smile, his disposition... his touch normally was, too, but in this moment he held you tighter than he ever had before.
And you clung to him just as tight.
He pulled away after a minute, just taking you in- making sure you were real. His eyes turned glassy as he fought back tears. "MC... you're here. You're okay."
You nodded and felt your own eyes well up a little. "I'm okay, Simeon. I'm even better now that I'm here."
He took a shaky breath and composed himself, nodding once and turning to Luke, who was bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Simeon, let's bring them to the parlor. We have so much to catch up on. We could watch a movie- oh! We could do some late night baking..."
The two of you shared a longing look as he rambled on about all the things you could do that night. There was a silent understanding between the two of you that you wanted some alone time, so he gave you a sly smile before addressing the boy.
"I know you're not going to like what I have to say, Luke, but it's getting late."
The angel frowned immediately and crossed his arms. "But Simeon, I want to spend time with MC!"
"I know, but you were already about to go to bed before answering the door. It's best to stay on schedule so you don't ruin your sleep cycle."
"But how is this any different than when you let me stay up late during our sleepovers?"
"Well..." he had a point. "I'm sure that MC is tired right now from their trip back. Time travel must be very draining, you know."
You stifled a laugh as Simeon grasped at straws to get more alone time with you and decided to help him out when he shot you a pleading look.
"Luke, how about we wake up early tomorrow and make breakfast together? Simeon's right, I'm exhausted and I want to be wide awake when we hang out. Does that sound okay? I'll spend the night and you can wake me up as soon as you wake up."
This seemed to satisfy him and he nodded, before hugging you one last time and running up to his room with a quick "Goodnight!"
You both waited for the sound of his door closing before his lips were on yours. You sighed into the kiss and wrapped your arms around his neck. It was soft and needy and longing. Exactly what the two of you needed. Your hands tugged at his hair and his hands roamed from your waist to your hips. His touch was back to being gentle.
You stayed like that for a bit, one hand trailing down to play with the hair on the nape of his neck.
When he pulled away after a while, a little breathless, he tugged you to his bedroom and let you rummage around through the drawer of your clothes he let you have for whenever you stayed the night.
When you were both changed and laying under his covers, cuddled up as close as possible, he kissed your temple. "I missed you so much, MC..." he whispered. "I was terrified that you would be harmed."
You turned on your side to face him properly. "I'm okay, Simeon. I just missed you a lot. You were there, you know... and you were almost the same. It was so hard for me to hold back from acting how I normally would with you..." you traced a finger along the bridge of his nose and then over his cheekbones. "I had to remember that it wasn't a version of you that knows me like you do. You were so close but so far."
He caressed your cheek with his knuckles and gazed at you with a loving smile. "Well I'm here, and it's me. I'm all yours, MC. You're okay."
If he was being honest, he felt like he could breathe again. Being away from you, knowing where- when- you were and not being able to help in any way was torture. Having you back safe and sound was the biggest blessing he could ever receive.
You leaned up to kiss him again and then rested your forehead against the crook of his neck. "I love you, Simeon."
"I love you too, MC. I'm so glad you're back."
Barbatos
Once you entered the castle, you immediately asked around to find out if anyone had seen him. The first few servants had no clue, but welcomed you back to the castle with a smile. It wasn't until the fifth servant you had run into that you got an idea of where he might be.
"I believe I saw him heading down to the dungeon about an hour ago. He's been spending a lot of time there lately- when he's not tending to the prince, of course. If you wait there, he should be about done with his... ah... appointment," he said.
"Thank you!" And then you were dashing to the top of the stairs leading to the dungeon. Just as you were about to descend the staircase, a familiar figure was ascending.
You both froze and stared at each other for a good few seconds, taking in the fact that he was in his demon form, covered in blood and carrying a bag. This certainly wasn't the reunion either of you were expecting.
However that didn't matter, because as you were too excited to finally have him back, you jumped into his arms, not caring about any blood on your already trashed clothes.
"Barbatos, I've missed you so much," you sighed in the crook of his neck.
He finally seemed to register was was happening and dropped the bag, wrapping his arms around you. His tail curled around your leg as well, a seemingly unconscious act. "MC... I've missed you, too." He said, slightly breathless. It wasn't often that anyone could catch him off guard, so you smiled slightly at your achievement.
Once he regained his composure, he immediately pulled back and looked you over for any injuries he could attend to. "Are you alright, my dear? Are you hurt? When did you get back?"
You cupped his cheeks and smiled up at him. "I'm alright. I got back about an hour ago, I just woke up in my room. I wanted to see you right away after I got done with the brothers," you said, and then ran a thumb under his eye.
"I'm happy you're back." He said, bringing up the hand with the less soiled glove to rest over your own. "I feel much more at ease now that you're here."
He'd never tell you how much of an understatement that was. He felt like everything was right again. His heart had been pounding in his chest ever since you made eye contact. He'd never tell you, but he was sure that you knew.
You smiled at him teasingly. "Have you been taking your nerves out on the prisoners? Is that why you're covered in blood?"
He chuckled. "It might be. Would that be so wrong? It's an effective way to relieve stress."
You snorted as he uncoiled his tail from your leg and brought your hands down to swing in between you both as you walked. "That's fair... Barbatos, would it be too much to ask if I could stay with you tonight?"
He squeezed your hand slightly. "Not at all, I was going to insist upon it. I still have things I must tend to tonight, but I need to clean myself off first. And while I'm at it, I will get you some new clothes. Then you should see the young master to let him know you're back."
You nodded at him and clung to his arm. One thing that hadn't changed from back then was how to the point and blunt he was. It was admirable, really. He smiled a bit as you walked, feeling perfectly content for the first time in a while.
Once you were both cleaned up and dressed in fresh clothing, you headed to Diavolo's office. You weren't nearly as nervous to see him as you were your boyfriend, but nerves still bubbled in your stomach. He was a close friend, after all.
Barbatos knocked and entered, signaling for you to wait a moment. You could hear muffled speech from the other side of the door before it opened again and he ushered you in.
Diavolo's eyes lit up. "MC, welcome back! You must be so glad to be home safe. I hope you're able to rest well tonight. We'll call a meeting tomorrow with everyone so you and Solomon can explain everything in detail. For now I expect you to take it easy for tonight."
You grinned at him. "Thank you, Diavolo. I'm happy to be back." You looked at Barbatos briefly to address him in a softer tone. "Should I wait in your room or the parlor?"
He was about to respond before Diavolo cut in. "Oh, Barbatos, you're dismissed for tonight. I'm just about done here, anyway."
The butler's eyes widened. "My lord?"
"You deserve to spend this time with them, take the night off."
"...Are you sure, my lord?"
He nodded and then looked at you pointedly. It was clear he was conveying along the lines of 'get him out of here, I can't convince him on my own'.
You smiled and bowed your head at him in thanks and gently tugged your boyfriend out of the office. "Come on, my love."
Once you were back in the hallway, he looked at you. "Are you hungry? I could bake for you, it's not too late yet."
You nodded. "That would be great, thank you..." you kissed him on the cheek as you walked, laughing slightly at his still-stunned expression.
Clearly he wasn't expecting much free time tonight, but with one glance at you, he knew exactly how he wanted to spend it. "When we're done in the kitchen, I think we should turn in for the night a bit early..." he leaned in close and brushed his lips against your cheek. "Does that sound alright with you, my love?"
You shuddered and nodded, looking up at him with an expression that matched his own. "That sounds perfect."
He was so happy to have you back.
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I'm so happy to have this done!! it was genuinely so much fun to write... I'm sorry for Barb's section being so... short? and ooc? I had the hardest time figuring out how I wanted to portray him and I think I'm going to have to keep working on it cause I'm not 100% happy with it, but we'll see!
I also dug up some unrealized feelings I have for Diavolo with this fic, cause now I'm like totally head over heels for him.
all in all though, I hope you enjoyed!!
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kingmaxstatic · 2 months
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In Defense Of Lanolin, A Post About Perspective, Flaws and Development. (Part 1: The Incidents)
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Hey there everyone! It's time for another ✨Max Opinion Moment✨. Out of all of the IDW characters I think Lanolin is the character I've seen get the most hate. I'm not just talking about "I dislike this character" I'm talking I've seen posts where people act like Lanolin killed their family sort of hate.
Today I plan on defending Lanolin as a character! Talking about the main panels that caused this hatred and why I think she's... actually justified in her actions!
DISCLAIMER! This post is not meant to say "You can't DISLIKE Lanolin!". You're allowed to have your opinions of the character!
with all of that out of the way, let's talk sheep! Buckle up! Because this is a long one! (So long I might have to make a part 2)
Case #1: The Paddle Ball Incident
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One of the earliest examples (comic timeline wise) was this set of panels! I've seen people actually seethe over these panels. Now I want to explain why I, personally, understand why she's taken the paddle away from her!
Lanolin is talking about important stuff here! Tangle is ACTIVELY interrupting the conversation by playing with the paddle ball in her face. Also, as an autistic person, I personally know how distracting those noises can be!
People also seem to forget that Lanolin, a few pages earlier, looks EXHAUSTED. That is not the face of a sheep that's well rested. Of course she's going to be irritable!
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You'd be a bit of a bitch too if you were trying to talk about important stuff and someone was cutting off the conversation by fiddling with something really loud in your face! It's like if you were trying to present a school project you worked all night on and someone started playing a really loud video next to you.
Does this make Tangle a bad person? Of course not! She's energetic and gets bored easily (trust me girl, I get it.) but Lanolin isn't bad for being upset.
Case 2: The Duo Incident
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THIS is the main reason a lot of people hate Lanolin as a character. Though in the timeline it's the second panel people will point to as justification for wanting this fictional sheep dead. This is the part of the post where I talk a LOT about perspective and justification.
Get ready for a LOTTTT of panel posting to add context.
SO Let's discuss the main perspective we see, Silver and Whisper's
Silver and Whisper know something is up with Duo, hell Whisper hits the nail right on the head when she instantly assumes Duo to be Mimic! This all happens after Mimic sneakily kicks Silver and Whisper notices.
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Another event this happens is when Mimic basically leaves Silver for dead and what does he say after Lanolin asks him where silver is?
"I'm sorry I couldn't save him... the teeth... so big."
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From LANOLIN'S PERSPECTIVE, Duo is the new guy, inexperienced and doesn't know how to deal with badniks and this one was HUGE. So from HER pov Duo did his best to save Silver and just simply couldn't. Of course she doesn't know that Duo is Mimic.
So what do Whisper and Silver do after they assume there's a traitor amongst them?
"We're Going Hunting."
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Silver and Whisper don't first contact Lanolin or the others, they jump INSTANTLY to murder. The next panel we sees Silver and Whisper in in this arc is them camping in a bush, ready to shoot this Mimic.
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Once again, I need to emphasize, they DID NOT discuss this with Tangle or Lanolin. They jumped to murder. This is a rash choice on both of their ends.
I also want to point out that Lanolin acted a lil playful and friendly... before she saw Whisper coming out of the bushes with her wispon.
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It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize what Whisper is implying here. She wants to kill someone. Justified? Yes, Mimic is a horrible person who seems to only know one word, betray. But from Lanolin's perspective Duo is a newbie who's only crime was being inexperienced. She does not know Duo is Mimic.
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She even asks "The Shape-Shifter? That's a big accusation. Do you have any proof?" She isn't saying "Whisper, this guy clearly isn't mimic." She's saying "If you have proof he's mimic, show it instead of shooting this person I assume is innocent.".
and Whisper responds "We will soon."
Whisper then walks forward and proceeds to grab Lanolin's arm and move it, if you have a keen eye, you'll notice it was the arm Lanolin was using to protect Duo.
A teammate is walking towards your other seemingly innocent teammate, accusing them of being someone from their past. They're carrying a loaded weapon and move you out of the way. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what would happen next. Someone is going to get shot, someone is going to get killed.
So what do you do?
You knock the person down.
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What Lanolin does here is knock Whisper over before she does anything and attempts to reason why her. Before whisper then KICKS her legs, trying to knock her over. Thus starts a fight. I'm not gonna post the full panel because we already got the idea.
But afterwards Jewel asks "Hey let me get this straight, you tried to attack this dude based on an assumption"
And Silver is like "Yeah shit guess I was"
THEN Lanolin steps in like "Hey until you can like. think before you act you should stay away from us, kay?"
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OKAY SO, TO EMPHASIZE THIS A THIRD TIME. Silver and Whisper decided to try and kill this guy before discussing with their team. Silver is a powerhouse and a well known powerhouse at that. "Yadda Yadda great power, great responsibility." and all that.
People act like Lanolin is banning Silver from ever being in the diamond cutters ever. But she's saying "FOR NOW you can't be one of us.". Until is a word that changes a LOT here. She's also saying "That's my vote." implying she wants the others' input.
Hell this is even more emphasized when Jewel says Tangle has a say in this! Lanolin is saying "Hey, I think Silver shouldn't be around until he grows more, what do you guys think?".
I do think Lanolin has flaws here, she should've tried to give whisper a bit more benefit of the doubt here, but Whisper shouldn't of ALSO jumped to murder. They're BOTH in the wrong here.
PHEW THAT WAS A LONG ONE.
Case #3: The X-Treme Gear Incident
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This is the latest Lanolin panel that I've seen spark debate about her! Let's talk about the Diamond Cutters' roles in this arc!
They're referees! They're even called "The Restoration Refs" in issue 70! Basically, people who oversee the race to make sure everyone is playing fair and safe.
She's not doing this because she hates Sonic (okay maybe she has beef with Sonic), Amy and Tails. She's doing this because it was an active threat to everybody else and themselves!
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Hell I want to point out that in the first panel of this case, she's pointing at Sonic. Who she has witnessed first hand clearly having a disregard to the rules and safety.
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This then proceeded to almost get one of her teammates hurt.
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So Lanolin calling Sonic a "Hazard" Isn't too far off. Do I think Lanolin is being harsh here? Yeah. Hell even the comic points out she's being harsh after the first panel of this case.
People act like she swiveled around to Tails and went "You suck as an inventor" and spit on him. She's calling the gear "faulty" and "hazards". Shes literally doing her job. I need to emphasize this. Is she being rude? Yes. But she's blunt and it's apart of her character. Tangle is gonna be naive, Whisper's gonna be distant, Lanolin is gonna be blunt.
Bonus Case: The Shattered Glass Incident.
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Okay so this isn't one that I've seen people hate on Lanolin for but I... have seen the Anti-Lanolin squad be weird over this panel. Being all like "HA!! Not as perfect as she thought!" and "She's finally facing the consequences of her actions!!"
What actions?
Ah yes! Stopping Sonic from endangering more racers!
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Lanolin broke the glass, yes. She acted quickly, yes. This wasn't her scheming and being like "Heehee!! Time to put all these people in danger for some reason!!"
Let's call it what it is.
A Mistake.
Something people are allowed to make, something Lanolin is allowed to make. This isn't some sort of "her getting what's coming to her" it's her realizing she fucked up. Let her make mistakes and let them BE mistakes!
But yeah, if you've read this all the way through, thank you! I had a lot of fun making this (despite how exhausted I am of the lanolin hate train). Hopefully I'll actually make that part 2! Because that would be more so me talking about Lanolin's flaws, her role, and her backstory! Things I like to discuss (I do not like being a hater).
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crystallizsch · 4 months
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Trouble? You're only in trouble if you get caught. So don't let me catch you ~
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uhhhhh say hi to jamil and yuusha's kid jas(mine) pt 2 (also here and here are like my only two other posts of her)
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HFDDF OKAY SO - i actually had these unfinished sketches from months ago of jas as a nrc student and scarabia housewarden
this sneaky little bastard (affectionate) had never left my cranium she was just sitting idly by
im sobbing i hate jas so much (lie i love her)
jamil and yuusha still aren't supposed to have a kid so i just imagine this to be an alternate timeline for them 🤧🤧🤧
soooo info dump time ---
━━━━━━✦ scarabia housewarden nrc jas
jas has a vice-housewarden who is her childhood best friend (figuring out if i want them to be twst rajah or abu)
also thinking about if i want yuusha to be a staff member in nrc with grim or just dead during this time (why? just because)
no further info tbh, scarabia housewarden jas is just vibing
━━━━━━✦ child jas stuffs
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i'm SO indecisive about her design as a toddler/preteen lowkey 😭
she was very sweet as a toddler but somewhere along the line she just became more carefree and chaotic
jas is a mama's girl but is more alike with her father than she cares to admit
octavinelle trio and heartslabyul duo + grim are like the honorary uncles (jas's favorites are floyd, ace, and grim bc they sometimes enable her with shenanigans)
even though jas has favorite uncles, najma is the favorite favorite. i imagine she's just the cool aunt
if mama yuu is "shrimpy" then jas is a "tiger prawn" (bc rajah)
jas LOVES doing people's hair including her own; would rather do them by hand rather than by magic
jamil showed jas how to breakdance once and it became ingrained in her personality ever since
(there's probably still more about her that i'm forgetting but this is it for now)
━━━━━━✦ bonus future jamiyuu stuff because i miss them
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jamil took yuusha's last name surprise surprise (if they get married)
i imagine after nrc they'd be travelling together actually, not necessarily settling down
(i'm REALLY not 100% on them settling down and having a kid but i still love jas a lot so im so conflicted) (that's why aus exist 😔✨)
(and if hypothetically they do settle down i think yuusha being staff in nrc with grim + maybe jamil who travels for work (or being a house husband??? maybe they alternate roles) can be adorable ideas)
━━━━━━✦ (i also had this thing that i never posted about that one trope of a fankid finding themselves in nrc bc of portal/time/mirror shenanigans)
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(jamil found both of them asleep somewhere and refuses to wake them up)
also some bonus tidbits about this scenario with them:
💜: Is she a family member of yours? How'd she get here?
🐍: I have never seen that child in my life before now. And there's no way I could have missed news about a new relative of mine.
💜: You know how ridiculous it sounds if she's related to me. I'm not from here. She even looks more like you!
🐍: Jas has the same color of eyes as you. Didn't you tell me she mistook you for her mother?
💜: ...Yeah, but I don't like what you're implying.
🐍: Well, I'm not exactly happy with this either.
they're just both in denial of the implication of this child existing and neither of them is saying it out loud.
and the angst/wholesomeness(???) of jamil asking jas's full name and hearing that she has her mother's last name instead of his
eventually they grew attached (unfortunately) until somehow they send jas home to her original timeline
and then they finally have a real conversation about what all that was about
anyways thank you for reading if you've made it this far;;; end tweet
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blughxreader · 2 years
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hi! i dont think i can ever get enough of yan! platonic! Batfam 🥲 can i get a neglected reader who has successfully escaped, only to come back to gotham by some unprecedented causes a few years later? i have plans to write a fic like this and want some inspiration (and to fill the yandere batfam tag)
Platonic Yandere!Bruce, Dick, Jason with a darling who escaped and returned to Gotham
Headcanons, WC: 1,048
Notes: SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! This ask is five months old lol. I had to cut out the baby boys to finish </3 If I can come up with ideas for Damian and Tim then I'll add to it.
Bruce
The weight of Bruce’s mistakes hangs over his head every day, but his mistakes with you are by-far the heaviest.
He should have appreciated you more. He should have told you what you meant to him. Instead, he let you feel invisible. It kills him.
When you’re spotted in Gotham years later, he can hardly believe it.
He’ll drop everything and go straight to you, deploying all the boys to ensure you don’t slip away. If it’s daytime, Bruce Wayne will make a rare appearance and corner you with paparazzi, and if it’s nighttime, then Batman will swipe you off the streets before you can cry out.
He’ll forgive every outburst you give. You’re furious and he understands—he considers your anger entirely his fault so he’ll give you a lot of slack.
Bruce will drown you in gifts. Because Batman takes up so much time (and it was lack of attention that drove you away in the first place) he’ll try every means at demonstrating his love. Gifts, vacation homes, front row seats to events (with strict supervision).
This version of Bruce would keep you under 50 cameras and a body guard at all times, but he’s also very conscious of your mental health. Where he’d be able to guiltlessly lock you up forever if he hasn’t neglected you, he can’t in this timeline. Your life would be heavily supervised, but you’d also get a lot of perks.
He would make a routine with you.
Every morning, he’d eat breakfast with you, and every Friday would be a special dinner with just the two of you. His hours are valuable so it means a lot for him to carve out the time just for you.
Dick Grayson
Dick prides himself on his strong leadership and generosity. Ask anyone whose ever met Dick to describe him, and they could list pages of positive traits. So it's a wonder how you, his precious little darling, managed to be overlooked by him.
Guilt literally eats him alive. Dick begins to second-guess every interaction with you, going over all clues he might have missed. He throws himself into the investigation looking for you, investigating every single fact you've ever mentioned about yourself.
When you finally return, he's dead-set on making up for lost time.
Dick wouldn’t approve of your reasoning for leaving. You should have told him--should have insisted on being heard--instead of leaving. He feels terrible that you were neglected, but he feels worse knowing that you’d rather be thrown to the wolves than seek their help.
It's a steep learning curve for him to realize you're not the lonely child you once were, but instead a bitter, jaded young adult who confides in only themself.
Dick drowns you in attention. He tries forcing your innocence back, not accepting your refusals and anger. You're still so young, and even if the sparkling child-like hope is missing from your eyes, Dick still believes he can make things right.
Family bonding time is a must. He arranges play-time with you and Damian. He insists on Sunday movie nights. He learns how to cook new dishes with you and Alfred. He will keep you busy.
These activities are only a surface solution for a deeper problem. Fundamentally, you've changed, and Dick knows this. He has no idea how to treat you now, so he resorts to what he does know--your childhood he missed out on.
Jason Todd
Jason is particularly torn. He knows what its like to feel abandoned, yet he realized too late that he was the perpetrator.
When you are finally back in the arms of the Batfamily, Jason has no idea what role to take in your life. He sees you turning down the family when they offer love and he doesn't know if his heart could take your rejection.
Jason is stand-offish. Playing the role of "tough older brother" doesn't bode well, so he needs time to rework his philosophy on handling siblings.
Instead, he does your bidding. He would help fix whatever unprecedented reasons that led you to return to Gotham, no questions asked. If you need to pass a letter on to a friend, Jason is your guy. His regular possessive yandere tendencies are hampered by his guilt, so he'll be very lenient with you as long as it's nothing dangerous.
The fact that you escape and survived by yourself cast you into a new light in Jason’s eyes. He thinks you’re impressive, dependable, capable. He wonders how he didn’t see it sooner.
That being said—you’re his little sibling. You shouldn’t have to be so strong, and Jason wants to ensure you’ll never have another reason to protect yourself.
He hopes that over time, you'll trust him. He wants to be able to sit with you and talk about whatever is on your mind, to be able to hug you as he leaves for work, and to send you off to bed when it's late.
But right now, you need space. He'll let you heal, and he'll take whatever anger you give him. Because he knows that this is the only way you'll let him into your life again.
Bonus: Y/N
Considering Y/N was clever enough to escape the Waynes while also having the willpower to return to Gotham shows that they’re intelligent, good-hearted, and forged from steel.
They probably rank somewhere between lawful-good to chaotic-neutral. (A lawful-neutral would be infuriated by the Waynes’ underhanded tactics, and probably wouldn’t return to Gotham.)
Y/N is done yearning for attention (or, if they were originally kidnapped, done with playing nice), so they’re immune to the Batfam’s manipulation.
Upon first glance at the Batfam after all those years, they’d immediately go fight or flight. Y/N would pull every dirty trick in the book to escape, and would be as hateful as possible to kill any affection they have for them.
After being kidnapped, Y/N gets very good at playing mind games and deflecting their submission tactics. They’d be able to manipulate the household like a giant game of chess.
Y/N’s only weakness is the child inside of them that still cries for their family’s approval.
The conflict revolves around how the Batfam can extort this weakness vs. how well Y/N can stay true to their values.
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scaryspears · 3 months
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MKX's Kung Lao an essay
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Notes: I originally wrote this in youtube comment section and decided to post it here. Watch Cynical Warlock's Rewriting Kung Lao video, its super interesting.
Kung Lao seemed pretty badass in MKX, and I'm talking about the old man version that's not seen in the storymode. I first interpreted MKX version of Lao appeared more humble and secure, no longer needing to prove himself as Liu Kang's equal. He even gave me the impression that he could be a mentor figure, appearance wise, whereas Old Liu Kang didn't give me that same vibe. Also, Kung Lao has a special hat that he uses as a weapon... How does he not outshine Liu Kang?
We do see his hat origin in MK1, so we can assume that it's similar to the past timelines on why he uses it. With that being said, he's great at coming up with random weapons, and very effective ones too. In another timeline he might be a weapons specialist, maybe even a maker. He even has another version of the hat that looks like daggers have been glued onto it, which we see in the game (I think it was a variant), and that might have been his first hat before he made a perfected version.
I think if MKX had better writing, then Kung Lao could've been brought back from the dead (like Sub Zero, Scorpion & Jax) and become another mentor figure to the combat kids instead of just being another yes man revenant who obey's revenant Liu Kang.
Both Liu Kang and Kung Lao were playable in MKX, they could've at least brought one of them back. Since they made Liu Kang king of the Neatherrealm, it would have to be Kung Lao.
Just as Sub Zero has a sort of friendship with Johnny, Kung Lao could be the same, separating him from Liu Kang on who they keep close to them. Personality wise, he's less harsh and strict than Liu Kang, and is more friendly, so I can picture him and Johnny having a friendship.
He can teach the combat kids that weapons can be formed from anything, basically ensuring that no one becomes a copy paste of their parents (Cassie & Jacqui), and has something unique about them, like having knives in their shoes and doing capoeira to cut the opponent or something (idk).
Just like Johnny, he isn't treated or spoken to very nicely by Sonya and some others because they keep mistaking his current self to his past self. He doesn't like it when people do this (I certainly wouldn't), but he is mostly civil with cutting remarks every now and then. Think of it as visiting a toxic family you've been in low contact with, and they occasionally make jokes and jabs about you copying your golden child sibling, and how you'll never be like them or escape their shadow. Even though you stand up for yourself, you're still seen as being bitter and jealous.
Another reason why I think Johnny and Kung Lao have a shot at friendship is because Johnny doesn't mention Liu Kang once, or anything linked to the past, or even his personality. Kung Lao is also said to "smile too much" according to Ferra, meaning he has a tendency to smile when he's about to face off with an opponent. Remind you of someone we know?
Here's how he can be introduced: The combat kids have a mission, however, the combat kids cannot go with weapons, at least weapons that are seen. In this au Johnny is with the Wu Shi instead of the Special Forces (as seen in my Havik post), so he sends the combat kids (mainly Cassie and Jacqui) to meet Kung Lao. The combat kids find out that Kung Lao, while still maintaining his teachings, has left the Shaolin and works as a weapons maker in some random town or city in China, and lives in solitude (a metaphor for no longer seeking the validation of others). Instead of giving the weapons straight up, he tests every single one of them. He ends up letting them have the weapons of course, and watches them go on their day.
MK11 made him so cocky to the point he was a Johnny Cage clone, and Kung Lao never struck me as the cocky type during MK9. It was actually Liu Kang that came off as egotistical to me, and the fact that he rebels against Raiden kind of proves that. Liu Kang went against a literal god. There's even an ending that shows he will be corrupt if he replaced Raiden. Earthrealm's champion, ladies and gentlemen.
I never viewed Kung Lao as cocky, so his MK11 version was a complete 180, and the fact that NRS continued that into MK1 disappointed me. Kung Lao is impulsive, but not always. He is capable of being reserved and calculating. While Kung Lao is also quite ruthless, Liu Kang is the hot headed one that refuses to listen to reason at times.
People make all kinds of jokes about Kung Lao and him getting his neck snapped, when Shao Kahn went about it cowardly. I'll elaborate by saying Shao Kahn snuck up on him, it wasn't face to face. In the words of Kendrick Lamar, "when I catch flight, it's gon' be direct". Shao Kahn is Drake in this situation, sneak dissing. When people make fun of Kung Lao's neck snap they're technically meat riding Shao Kahn.
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jamiedc-they-them · 4 months
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Good People Part V - Can't Be For Nothing (Platonic)
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Summary: War. Revelations of two-hundred years ago, and of a night that won't leave your mind. A new world is seemingly born; as is a new family.
Episodes 7/8
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Note: Thank you all for following this journey! I will probably do a post mortem on it; exploring my ideas going in, what changed and such. Hope you enjoy it when that comes! I'll link it here when I write it!
"We don't have oysters in my vault," Lucy says, making you and Maximus turn around, "we have canned tuna. But, if you like oysters, I'm pretty sure you'll like canned tuna," you both don't know what to say. You both look at each other, then back at Lucy, and just nod. Maybe. Maybe not.
She chuckles, nervously. Then --
"I was supposed to marry a stranger from another vault," she blurts out.
"I thought you were meant to marry your cousin?" you question.
"Wait, what--?!"
"Well," Lucy says, correcting you on the timeline, "I was. But, I didn't really want to. I didn't feel a - connection. I guess I...I did with this one...as he - as he, uh, as he stabbed me. But, look, my point is, I don't have the best luck when it comes to strangers. But...Titus...Y/N...you are the best strangers that I have ever met. You're good people. You deserve nice things. You deserve a home, and a roof over your head. And to not have to fight anymore. And, if you wanted to, you could both come and live with us in Vault 33."
There's a look in her eyes as she looks at Maximus - Titus, the knight who isn't a knight; he'd told you before the whole thing in the vault happened. Sure, you didn't like being lied to about his identity; but, a good person was a good person - and it's a look you've seen before. Romantic love. Attraction. Even out here, it blossoms.
You never wanted that in your life. Friendships were enough for you. So, as quietly as you can, you back away. You go through the doors, letting your friends have their moment together.
It gives you a moment to process. Maximus. Why'd he be honest with you at first? Why not lie. Maybe it was getting too hard for him. Maybe he thought, one slip would be ok. He bet right, it seemed. You didn't tell anyone. Maybe you were a good person. Maybe you did deserve a second chance at life. Another sis-
"Hey," Lucy says, as she leaves with Maximus. He nods to you, you nod back.
"Are you both all square?" you ask.
She looks to Maximus, nodding with a soft smile, "yeah, we're good," she looks back to you, "you ok with a roomie in the vault?"
You look at Maximus, "he ain't so bad company, for a non-red," he snorts at your wording, "I think we'll manage."
Lucy nods, a spring in her step as she walks, leading the way, "let's go get that head, and go home, huh?"
Maximus stands next to you, "ready to go home?" he asks, looking at you.
"Yeah," you say, arms folded. You bump your arm on his, "let's go home."
You, finally, find Thaddaeus, as he sits near a radio station. You see the booby traps, but all three of you pause. Perception working in tandem.
Gunshots are next. However, luck seems to intervene. They all miss. Still, the hands go up. You're not a threat to him. You just want the head.
If anything, though, he's a threat to himself. As he backs up, an arrow goes through his neck. However...he lives still.
His reaction:
"Aw, no! Awwww!"
Then you hear it. Your pulse picks up. Your hand goes into a fist. You feel the nails break skin.
Vertibird. The Brotherhood are here. Your breath picks up.
Maximus breaks one of the heads left behind. He says things to Lucy, then to you. He looks concerned, but doesn't have time to help. He gives you a light push. Lucy takes your hand. Everything sounds underwater. The only thing you can hear is that fucking Vertibird.
You follow Lucy. She keeps a grasp on your hand. You take her gun, just in case.
You make it far away. Or, what you hope to christ constitutes too far away.
You lean against a dead tree, going down to your knees.
Lucy puts the fresh - well, not really fresh, but new - head into a bag and ties it to her belt, before kneeling down next to you. She's seen you feel. But, never to this extent.
"Ok. Ok. Okey Dokey, Luce, you can do this. You can do this. Your friend needs you. Your friend needs you," she tells herself. The old self is still there.
"Y/N?" she asks, softly, "Y/N, I need you to look at me. Focus on my voice," she says. Chet would sometimes get overworked with things. So, she had some practice. But never with someone so trapped in themselves as you.
"Are - is touch ok?" that breaks through, and you nod.
"Ok. Ok, that's - that's, uh, that's good. That’s good, Y/N,” she may be out of her depth - but you need her, and so she’d do all she could, “that’s good. Can you try to take some breaths with me?”
She takes a deep one in. You follow. She sees you now. Whatever the Brotherhood had done before, it had destroyed you.
“Do you wanna tell me what happened?” she asks.
“Just…” you take some more breaths, “just bad memories of the Brotherhood,” you chuckle, but it’s anything but a laugh, “Jesus, Luce. Whatever is in that head, it’s gonna change the world, whoever get their hands on it. You know,” you say, smiling a bit, “we could just run. You and me, huh? Just not let anyone get that fucking head.”
Despite what Lucy would leave behind, she smiles, “it’s a nice idea,” she says, “but, I need to get my dad back. I need to know why Moldaver took him. I need to put this all behind me, one way or another. That,” she stands up, and offers you a hand, “and I made you a promise. A place in my vault. Safety. This place sucks, but it sucks a lot less with someone by my side. And, I’m not leaving you. I’ll wait as long as I need to.”
You’ve seen loyalty like that before. Or had seen it. It hadn’t been followed through on. But, here was someone who you had known for two weeks, who was following through on a thing someone who you had known your entire life didn’t do. 
So, you nod. You can tell her later your full trauma. Right now, she needs you. 
You take her hand, and continue along your way. You hope Maximus is ok. And, selfishly, you hope he can buy you the time you need to get this done. 
You make it to your destination. Finally, People with guns surround you, but neither of you flinch. The doors open, and in you go. 
You walk through a garden, seeing kids running around. A community. Home. Safety. Family. Life continues on, even throughout all of this shit.
Lucy and you get to the entrance to the observatory. Lucy is let in, but you aren’t.
“No,” she says, voice firm, “they come too. They’re family. Moldaver doesn’t get this head if Y/N doesn’t come with me.”
Begrudgingly, the man lets you pass. 
You reach the doors.
“You ready?” you ask your best friend. She takes a deep breath in, and nods.
“As I’ll ever be.”
“Hey,” you say, nudging her, “I’m right here, ok? Like I said, offer still stands.”
She smiles, “I know.”
You enter the room. It’s a grand view, you’ll give it that. See almost the whole wasteland from here. 
You stay back, keeping an eye on things from afar.
“I’ve had a lot of time to think about this moment,” Lucy says to Moldaver, “you wouldn’t believe the things that went through my head. One night…I, I actually tried to stuff a grenade into the neck hole; but, I guess I thought that, really, I was gonna walk in here and…blow everybody up. But it's not really how I was raised. That, and I was stopped by that person over there,” she nudges her head to you. You give a wave, a sarcastic one as you then go back to keeping an eye on thing. So, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna keep things civil.”
Moldaver takes what she needs. It wasn’t his head after all. It was his neck. A blue, small, shining little thing that caused all this bloodshed?
She then makes Lucy an offer. One to fully learn who her father is. To fully understand how Moldaver knows him; and why she did what she did. 
Her father tries to make her not listen. He even looks to you, “you can stop this, you know. She’s your friend, protect her!” He demands.
You look at him, and a part of you wants to. You look at Lucy, she does a slight - almost unnoticeable, but not to you - shake of her head.
“It’s her choice,” you say. The man snarls at you.
Moldaver continues. She tells a story. A story about how her father had been around for a long time. 
“Part of an organisation that thought they had the answers to all the world’s problems…” she continues the story. Saying about the people he was a part of. Vault Tec.
“He never told you where he’s really from, when he’s from. He never told your mother, either…”
Lucy takes the bait. Your hand moves towards your gun. Her father may be in a cell, but he’s a dangerous man - who has been around for a long time.
Lucy is described as just like her mother: kind, loving, curious.
“Isn’t that why you came to the surface? Moldaver asks, “partly to rescue your father, but…to know why I took him.”
Lucy looks at you. She’s been read like a book.
Moldaver then looks to you, “have I seen you before?” 
You look at Moldaver, tilting your head before shaking it.
She studies you for a moment. Then, her eyes light up in realisation. They’re not cruel, though. Just realisation. That’s the only look in her eyes.
“Ah. Y/L/N, right?” she takes your frozen stance as a ‘yes’ before continuing, “I knew her.”
“...’Knew’?” you ask, throat tightening.
“Stop,” Lucy’s dad says. You don’t know why. There’s a slight ringing in your ears.
“Lucy deserves to know the truth,” Moldaver spits at the man, eyes still firmly locked on yours, “so Y/N does too. You came all this way with her, to deliver something for someone you didn’t even know. That sounds like your sister to me,” it’s not said tauntingly. It’s not said with any negative connotation. It’s just simply said. 
“You knew her?” is all you can repeat.
Moldaver nods, “I did. She thought you died out there, that night the raiders came. The night the Brotherhood made their own mess of things. She survived. Barely, but, she did survive. We took her in. She helped us anyway she could. Some sort of thanks, but also I think a punishment to herself for seemingly losing you,” you look to Lucy, who looks in concern, but also a hunger to know - to know about herself and her mother, and how her father ties into all this; a hunger to know about you, about what made you this way. 
Curious, as Moldaver said.
“She was a fighter,” Moldaver continues, “just like you are. Sure, you can shoot and hit things. But, you, no. No, you are more in battle up here,” she says, tapping her head, “now, that is a battle I can fully respect. It isn’t easy fighting a battle like that. Wanting to hurt people, and yourself,” your eyes drift, meeting the eyes of Lucy’s father. He doesn’t say anything.
“No, don’t look at him,” Moldaver says, “he doesn’t care about hurting anyone. He’d hurt his own daughter before he got hurt himself.”
“How dare –!”
“How’d she die?” you ask. The words were easier to come out than you thought. Your eyes go back to Moldaver. Your fist clenches again. You feel it pierce skin.
“I think you know,” Moldaver says, a bit of empathy slipping through.
You blink, or try to blink, the tears away, “raiders.”
She nods.
You cave inwards. You hear your heartbeat. You hear echoes of your sister’s voice. You feel everything you did on that night. The fear. The pain as a wound opened up from a knife. The relief at the Brotherhood arriving. The dread at them just cutting everything and anything down. You played dead. You remember waking up hours later, on top of the rotting pile of one of your friends who had left you for raiders. You remember looking around, not finding your sister. The panic. Then the pain. Then the rage. Then the numbness. You lost…it couldn’t have been years, could it? It could’ve been for all you knew. You just wandered. And hurt. Sometimes even got pissed on. Sometimes did the pissing. You were sometimes the victim, and sometimes the aggressive. Sometimes innocent. Sometimes guilty.
You hear the alarm, then feel someone grab your arm. Your eyes open, it’s Moldaver. She nods to the door. Your fingers are removed from your flesh. You gasp. Moldaver gives you a pat on the arm, before leaving with her people. You run to the massive hole in the building, seeing the Brotherhood arrive. You pray with everything in you that Maximus isn’t in one of the suits. You look to Lucy, then nod. You go to the door. 
As if having sixth sense, Lucy turns around and sees you heading for the door, “where are you going?!” she asks, alarmed.
You pause at the door, hand hovering just over the handle. 
“Y/N? Where are you going?”
You don’t turn to look at your friend. Instead, you shut your eyes and answer:
“I’ll buy you some time.”
“What–? What, Y/N that’s - that’s suicide!” She moves forward, grabbing your arm, making you turn to look at her.
What she sees makes her pause.
It’s the same look she gave Norm when she hid him. A protective fire. One that could be used for limitless energy just like the Cold Fusion that everyone was fighting over.
It’s then. Right then and there, she lets herself say it to herself.
Sisterly. It is sisterly, how she feels towards you. You were like Norm, someone she just accepted and would do anything for. You’re family. 
You seem to have that same realisation. Given the look in your eyes.
It is the sibling telling the other: I will sort this out. Do not come out until then. I love you.
But, instead of a camera reel burning to project the living hell being brought down upon you all. The whole world seems to be burning that fiery red instead. Burning and crumbling down all around you.
Just like with Norm, that assurance doesn't work. She grips your arm tighter.
“Please.”
You put the hand that was hovering around the door on top of hers, squeezing it.
“I’m coming back,” you promise.
“Don’t make a promise you can’t keep.”
You shake your head, “I ain’t. ‘Cause them out there, they’re fighting for power. Some, dumb thing such as that in a world that lost control years ago.”
“Then - then why are you going out those doors?” 
You smile, “I already let one sister down. I ain’t doing that again.”
With that, you pull your arm free, and open the door. You give Lucy one more nod, before shutting it behind you.
She gulps. Then she hears ringing in her ears. As all that she has learned about her mother, father, upbringing, everything, comes crashing down upon her.
You remember one of your first kills. A man was trying to kill yourself and your sister. He had knocked her out. He had punched you a few times and the world was spinning. You had spat blood onto the floor as the man moved over to your sister. With whatever strength you had left. You got up, charged him, and had him on the floor this time. You punched him a few times, before sticking your teeth into his neck. His gurgled scream didn’t mean anything to you. You just had this anger. This protective fury to you. You ripped out the piece of his throat that you had taken, spitting it out. 
Your sister was standing next to you the next moment, you both watching the man bleed out. She only reached a hand out to you. You took it. You held it for a while after. A bloodsoaked hand. But a promise to never let go. To keep going together.
Fate had other ideas. The Brotherhood had their goals. But they mistook you for raiders it seemed. Or just couldn’t see shit in those helmets of theirs when they started firing. It was only you and your sister and at that point, you didn’t mourn them much. But, that fire of knowing - or, at least, knowing as you did at the time - that your sister had been seemingly killed as well…it made you punish yourself. It made you never fully heal after fights. It made you never fully accept help.
And yet, that damn Lucy Maclean had come into your life, and given you something you never thought you’d have again:
Hope. 
You remember that hope as you fir each round - you are a decent shot, especially for someone who has no actual training with them - and hit most of your targets. You take weapons from fallen people where you could. 
A bullet hits your piece of cover. You heard footsteps. Your latest weapon had clicked ages ago. So, you wait…and wait. And then –
You dive, tackling the person to the floor. They block a punch, before you get one in and –
A bullet slams into your shoulder, sending you to the ground.
“No!” you hear a familiar voice say. You blink, adjusting to the searing pain and the daylight. It’s Maximus, with a friend of his, “they’re my friend! They’re my friend!” he says.
“Oh shit!” his friend says, dropping to one knee, dragging you out of the way. The war itself is distraction enough.
“Where’s Lucy?” Maximus asks you.
You have a hand to your shoulder. One his friend removes as they put a Stimpack into your arm. You groan at it, before answering him:
“Upstairs…with her father.”
“Is she alive?” 
“The more you piss around here, not likely,” you say.
Maximus nods. He looks to his friend, “go,” they say. He nods, and pats you on the arm and leaves. 
His friend stays with you, “I’m sorry,” they say.
You nudge your head to the door, “go. Don’t get caught out here.”
They look like they wanna stay, then realise why you’re saying that. The Brotherhood are brutal. They only let Maximus live due to loyalty. They nod, leaving too, but a few extra rounds find their way onto the floor.
Good deeds and all that, Lucy would say.
The battle seems to be dying down. And you are just plain dying. Another shot had hit you. This one closer to your chest. You had stumbled your way into the building, seeing dead Brotherhood members around you. 
You collapse, growing weaker by the moment. You hate it, having your promise be broken. But, you tried. You fought them off as best you –
“Aw, hell,” you hear a gruff voice say. A hand grabs your arm, and you are hoisted up; your arm going around someone’s shoulders, “we gotta stop meeting like this, sunshine.”
You look, and see the Ghoul who had taken you hostage.
“Ah,” he says, “don’t talk. You’re the silent one. I like that about you. Only talk when necessary,” he begins to move you to the stairs, “now, don’t worry about these ones. They’re all taken care of. But, I do need a word with Mister Maclean. And, I do think that if little Miss Lucy finds out I left you to die, she might do more than rip off my finger, this time.” 
He gets you to the room. He opens the door and goes in, leaning you against a wall. You stumble in as best you can, looking worse and worse by the second. 
“Uh-uh,” The Ghoul says when Hank Maclean looks at you, “don’t look at them. You look at me, now,” Hank complies.
You make your way over to Maximus and Lucy. Getting to the floor with at least a bit of grace. Lucy looks at you, eyes going wide.
You reach out with your hand not on your wound, and cover Lucy’s. A bloodsoaked hand. But a promise to never let go. To keep going together.
“You look out at this wasteland,” the Ghoul says, “it looks like chaos. But there’s always somebody behind the wheel.”
He knows Lucy wants to know how he knows her father. But makes an offer. You can stay here, wait for Maximus to wake up, but you won’t be spared - hell, you were by a sheer stroke of luck - or, you go with him, and meet your makers. 
“You coming?” he asks you. 
Lucy squeezes your hand. Your vision goes hazy. Time is running out. A gunshot goes off. Lucy’s mother dies.
You feel hands on your arm as you are once again lifted up. Lucy is holding you. Even now, she’s gentle. 
You realise what you are then, to each other: an anchor.
Something pulling the other ashore. Making sure they don’t get lost in the madness of this world.
You feel a jab in your side. Another fucking stimpack. Christ you hope a dependance doesn’t follow with these.
You see the Ghoul again, “one for the road.”
You nod. To your surprise, so does he.
Lucy takes your hand.
“You ok?” she asks. You nod, feeling a bit stronger.
“Okey Dokey,” she says. This time, not as bright in tone. One that isn’t entirely flat either. More of relief, a tired relief. A want for rest. But also one that tells you she understands now. This world was dark and painful. There were few light spots in it for hope.
Her hand in yours, tells you she understood your own realisation. You are a bright spot in each other’s lives. A friend to always be there.
So, off you walk together. Her father was gone, in more ways than one. He had fled like a coward. She’d almost shot him. She wanted to.
Her family was now down to two members:
Norm - her little brother. The one she’d always protect.
And you - a sibling she found out here. One that would protect her just as much as she did you.
It wasn’t much. But it was something. 
It wasn’t all for nothing, coming up here. It wasn’t all for nothing, delivering that head.
A new world was coming through. It was fighting.
Now, it was the time for monsters. 
She was just glad you weren’t one of them.
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thenightfolknetwork · 28 days
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There's a bit of a taboo amongst my genus. I mean, I can't know for sure about the whole population, but certainly in my family there are rules about what is and isn't appropriate to do when we exercise temporal fluidity. And that's for good reason--I get that. You can't just go about changing the tides of war because you feel like showing off your historical foreknowledge. Fine.
Recently, though, I've been spending a lot of my time in one particular period--just about a half-decade on the other side of 0 AD. It's been great! I'm a bit of a Classicist, and a Latinist at that, so obviously there's plenty for me to do in Rome. The food is good, the literature is fascinating, and the people--well, I've certainly met some people. Specifically, there's this one guy. He's older, for sure, but we're both adults and happy with what we have. It's hardly an exclusive relationship, so we don't get bored with stagnation, and not to brag, but his achievements are nothing to scoff at. In fact, not too long ago he put down the remnants of a veritable civil war over in Hispania. My interest in this period has been primarily academic in the past, but I feel like he and I really get each other. I know how he takes his wine and his sense of humor and how he feels about his family. I care about him.
But here's the thing: I know he dies. Soon. And quite violently. I've just gotten back to the twenty-first century recently for a family reunion, so of course "soon" is relative, but back in Rome there isn't much time left. I haven't spoken about this to my family. I know what they'd say. I should just let it happen.
Although, I mean, should I really? Not to speak ill of the dead or anything, but I know for a fact Great-Grandma Margaret wasn't as rule-abiding as my mother likes to think--it's hardly a secret where (more accurately, when) she met Great-Nana Bonny. And, plus, lots of historical scholarship on the subject says, if my Roman friend hadn't died when he had, it probably would've happened sooner or later in a similar manner anyway (his approval ratings are not so high as of late). So is it really an interference if I warn him just this once? I mean, if he dies in another incident somewhere down the line--one of which I have no previous knowledge--then, fine, he dies. This isn't about preventing his death entirely. I understand that, in many ways, he is already dead. But I feel I would be a horrible companion if I didn't at least give him a heads-up. Just a nudge, you know? It's a politically unstable time back in the BC's. The line between this temporal reality and the other is so thin, and the difference is so small. Would my "interference" be so bad?
[Note: The sender later clarified that their letter ought to read "half century on the other side of 0 AD" where it here reads "half decade".]
I'm afraid I can't give you the kind of answer you seem to be seeking here, reader. While I am perfectly happy to help you talk through you moral quandaries, I must draw the line at making your decisions for you. You, and you alone, must discern for yourself whether or not such an act aligns with your own personal, moral code.
If an outside perspective will help, I will say that I'm not sure I entirely agree with your assessment of the circumstances here. I believe I have enough historical knowledge to infer which figure in history you're speaking about, which is, in itself, a concern.
It is a fact of existence that we shape the world around us. Even the quietest, most innocuous life casts its shadow. It is a fact to be embraced and celebrated – there is simply no such thing as an insignificant life. But neither is anything served by pretending that certain figures do not cast rather longer shadows than others.
It is one thing to consider fudging a timeline or two for the sake of someone whose impact reaches no further than their own village, or even their own country. It is quite another to speak of altering the timeline of a person whose existence left ripples across the surface of a significant portion of the globe!
I also don't necessarily agree with your assessment that your interference would not change anything very dramatically. Your friend's “approval rating” may not be great, but I am not at all sure it is universally accepted among historians that either his demise nor the manner in which he met his fate were inevitable.
Finally, you must consider the old paradox faced by every time traveller at some stage or another. You are an actor in this historical period, casting a shadow of your own, and you have no more idea than anyone else how that shadow may fall.
How do you know your warning might not precipitate the event itself? Alternatively, how can you be sure your warning is not already part and parcel of our historical reality? There is just such a warning made in most of the accounts I know, after all – if I am thinking of the right person, of course.
I cannot make this decision for you, reader. I cannot tell you what the right answer is, or even reassure you that there is a right answer. All I can do is to encourage you to think carefully about the risks involved, weigh them against your own moral judgement, and make sure that, whatever your choice, it's one you can live with. At the end of the day, that's all any of us can do.
[For more creaturely advice, check out Monstrous Agonies on your podcast platform of choice, or visit monstrousproductions.org for more info]
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hrts4hanniehae · 8 months
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clutch || nine
there are written parts :)
note that the timeline or educations may not add up but just ignore it because i don't have the brain power to sync up THIRTEEN + 1 's education schedules
a/n: sorry this is short.... i rewrote this 3 times and i keep forgetting what i wrote. fml. genuinely omfg.
warnings: fat-shaming, insults, violence
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if you thought that this was the end of Chae-young's antics... you were very wrong.
"wonwoo-oppa~" x100
wonwoo had never been this annoyed in his life. during the whole event, he stuck by yn's side the whole time but chae-young wouldn't stop trying to approach him. finally...
"please leave me alone."
"sorry? wonwoo-oppa please speak up!"
"I said, leave me alone. please! it's very irritating to have you follow yn and i everywhere! leave us alone please!"
chae-young lost it.
"WHY HER? WHY YN? SHE ISN'T EVEN THAT PRETTY! SHE ONLY LOOKS DECENT NOW BECAUSE OF HER MAKEUP!"
heads turned towards them as chae-young's husband tried to pull her away.
"I have the face of a model. and i am one. why is it her? yn is fat and ugly! she was overweight at one point you know? do you really want to be with a slut like her?"
"oh so i'm a slut?" it was wonwoo's turn to hold yn back. "what about you huh? trying to seduce my boyfriend while you have a HUSBAND?"
"how else did you get people to buy your ugly paintings and "art"? i wouldn't be caught dead with those crappy paintings in my house!"
"YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU FAKE BITCH-"
yn broke free of wonwoo's grasp and slapped chae-young in the face. (much to the delight of a lot of her relatives)
"HOW DARE YOU!" chae-young of course retaliated and scratched yn across the face with her nails, drawing blood in lines across her face. she then used her heel to stomp at yn's arms.
"CHAE-YOUNG! THAT'S ENOUGH!" her husband's sudden outburst shocked everyone. "please. stop embarrassing yourself. stop embarrassing me. i think i've had enough. every day you put people around you down because you want to look better. you abuse your position as my wife and you treat me like shit. i think... i think i've had enough. you're ungrateful to everything and just spoiled."
"this isn't about you, Jaeho. this is about m-"
"it's never not about you. let's get a divorce. maybe then you'll get the attention you yearn for."
after that, yn's parents and Chae-young left, begging Jaeho to reconsider. Soon after, the rest of the family began to wrap up the event, sending congratulations to yn and wonwoo.
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"does it still hurt?"
"not much... i'm sorry about her."
"don't apologise. it isn't your fault."
"sorry for dragging you there with me. i should have just went alone."
"it's okay. stop saying sorry."
dino burst into yn's room.
"yn... there was a parcel for you. but..."
"but?"
"there was blood leaking out from it. so i opened it..."
"what was it?"
"someone sent you a box full of dead rats. there was a note."
"what? what did it say?"
"I know you're here. yn ln. you're next."
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ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
synopsis: wonwoo is a popular streamer known for his incredible gaming skills and good looks. He turned heads. but he hates the attention. he just wants to play games and earn money. one day he receives a letter. his apartment’s rent has almost doubled. no warnings at all. his current paycheck from streaming can’t shoulder those bills. he has no choice but to rent out his spare room. to who? a fresh art university graduate who has… 1. a stable job ✅ 2. talent for art and sculpting ✅ 3. many friends ❌ 4. social anxiety ✅ 5. no filter ✅ when his iconic cat logo gets copystriked, she comes to the rescue with a new logo for him. when his apartment’s walls start peeling, she fixes it. whatever he used to struggle with… the empty space... was now filled by her. so what does he *last player standing* do when her ex *enemy spotted* tries to take her back? heh. *clutch* he clutches.
inspired by wonwoo's gam3bo1 streams, falling into your smile & gogo squid (has hints of valorant)
pairing: streamer!jeon wonwoo x fem!artist!reader (ft. jeongcheol, soonhoon, junhao, seoksoo, verkwan)
genre: fluff, comfort, slowburn, comfort, pining, bestfriend!minghao
warnings: stalker ex, toxic ex, mentions of abuse, guns (game), cursing, hate comments, panic attacks
started: 28.12.23
ended: ?
taglist: join from my masterlist
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main masterlist
smau socials
previous I next
tags! @fairyofhour @megseungmin @sun-daddy-yoriichi @woozixo @euphoric-univers @christinewithluv @haowonbins @ocyeanicc @asyre @cynthiaaax13 @superhoshisvt @bangantokchy @chimmy-bts @angelarin @daisawa @writingbarnes @jeonghansshitester
@belladaises @wonwootakemyheart @wonwooz1 @luchiet @kookssecret @caratsland @peachescreamandcrumble @thepoopdokyeomtouched @isabellah29 @leah-rose03 @yandere-stories @coupshour @heesbees @hamji-hae @hyuckxtagram
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onyourowndaisymae · 1 year
Text
cool about it
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just some little drabble-esque musings about the angst of being the attendant to people who don't know you like you know them
content + warnings: angsty, some romantic coding but nothing explicitly indicating a relationship/interest, nightbringer timeline
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Once, I took your medication to know what it's like And now I have to act like I can't read your mind I ask you how you're doing and I let you lie
But we don't have to talk about it I can walk you home and practice method acting I'll pretend being with you doesn't feel like drowning Tellin' you it's nice to see how good you're doing Even though we know it isn't true
{cool about it, boygenius}
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life carries on.
the world still spins, the sun still rises, and the devildom grows busy with the hustle and bustle of demons. they laugh and cry and hug and party just as you remember they should. it's thousands of years before you're even a sprout in your own family tree, but you don't get a say in the way that time moves forward.
the demon brothers aren't how you remember them-- then again, you never met them shortly after the fall, did you? what a strange feeling, loving someone who's a stranger to you now...
mammon tries to be nonchalant as he steps in front of you again, shielding your body from the chaos of his family's antics. there's a strange sense of protectiveness he feels over you, even though he knows damn well you're a capable demon. but being around you leaves his head devoid of all reason. he craves you like flowers crave rain in early spring, like the dead of night craves the gentle kiss of dawn. he's glued to your side as you drift from room to room, fulfilling your attendant duties with care. there's just something about you that makes him need you. he needs to be your favorite, your closest demon, the one you think of first when anything happens. he wants to be be good enough to earn your approval-- if that ends with him humiliating himself just to get a smile from you, then he considers it time well spent.
levi hears your voice echo down the hallway, and it makes him flinch. is that your laughter? his ear presses against the cold wood to listen in. envy stirs in his gut, makes his tail flick impatiently against the wood as he strains to hear you. he certainly doesn't care about a normie demon like you. so what if you helped him keep snake? so what if he's jealous of how easily his brothers have made their way to your good side? you make him feel things he'd never thought he'd be able to feel. so... just hang out with him, alright? just sit near him and talk about snake and let him pretend for just a moment that you want to hang out with him as much as he does you.
beelzebub smiles at you from the kitchen counter, watching you curiously as mammon and asmo toddle after you. you gather ingredients from the fridge-- strangely colored, odd, completely native to the devildom-- and lay them out on the counter. then you carefully show that what to do with each ingredient, what they pair best with, what they're supposed to taste like when prepared correctly. his brothers watch wide-eyed, fascinated as you cook scary ingredients into delicious food. beel doesn't blame them. you feel like home. you're a warm hug, a nice meal, a shoulder to lean on as things get rough. he doesn't question his fondness towards you. you're just... special. he doesn't want to question what makes you feel so nice to be around-- he'd rather just bask in your warmth, like a child savoring the summer sun.
asmodeus' lips curl into a grin each time he bounds towards you. his words are honey, his expression the sweetest confection as he dotes on you. he eyes you with curiosity. you are a puzzle to him, a mix of familiarity and newness that has him wondering if he'd met you before in some previous life. he can't get enough of you, and yet, he doesn't know why. he wants a spot at every table next to you, an invitation to every event you attend, a reason to stick by your side as much as he wants to. you're something special to him. he doesn't exactly know why his heart races when you brush his hair off of his face or admire his nails when he shows you, but he's excited to find out.
satan knows rage very well. it's who he is, a fundamental part of his being like the color of his eyes or the barbs of his tail. yet when he's around you, his anger quiets-- once a snarling beast, he's reduced to a curious feline in your presence. what are you doing? why? he skulks behind you in the shadows to observe your daily happenings. he wants to analyze you. if he could pin you between microscope slides and study you as closely as he'd like, he would. you fascinate him. his wrath is a wildfire, destructive and all consuming... but around you, he finds himself to be a lit fireplace. always capable of danger, but content crackling beside you to keep you warm.
belphegor curls into his spot on the couch with a smile knowing you're nearby. the room just feels a little lighter when you're there to wrangle his older brothers. the fire crackles pleasantly, intermingling with your voice as you lecture one of his brothers outside the library. your footsteps sound louder, now, and he peeks one of his eyelids open to see your feet nearby. there's a few shuffling noises before he feels the pleasant weight of a blanket draped over his "sleeping" body. that's you. you're an old knitted afghan, familiar and cozy yet new all the same. he doesn't understand why he feels so comfortable around you. but he's never been one to question his blessings-- he waits until you leave to get cozy under the covers.
lucifer regards you with a chilliness that makes your teeth chatter. his eyes are hard as he watches you scurry about, dealing with his brothers' nonsense. his gaze is always piercing, his lips in a hard line to prevent them from curling into a sneer. just because he's a demon now doesn't mean that he embraces others-- especially not lower level demons like you. he doesn't trust you or your intentions. why do you feel so familiar? why do your smiles make him feel fuzzy inside, like he holds some unseen fondness for you? he doesn't know you! there's no reason he should gravitate towards you, and yet, he does. and it scares the shit out of him. so he'll keep putting walls between you and him until he understands the extent of your emotional sorcery.
your heart breaks a little more with each and every interaction. it's hard to put on an aloof persona to tend to the brothers' needs, but you do it. you do it because you love them. you plaster on a fake smile and walk through the doors of the house of lamentation with your head held high. if you stand tall enough, maybe you can avoid drowning in the memories you've made here in another life. you can act your way through each interaction, saying all the right things and being what they need at this time in their lives.
maybe, just maybe, you can help them become the demons you love so dearly in your own time-- even if that means breaking your own heart with each fake smile.
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evenmoreofadisaster · 1 month
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ok I’m not sure if you guys have thought about the movie timeline at all in context to this AU buuuuuuuut I feel like 31 on that angst prompt list would fit especially well if a certain turtle gets saved from the prison dimension… idk could just be me, feel free to ignore this ask if it’s not your vibe!!! (also as an aside I’m still getting caught up with everything but I LOVE this AU and all of the time you guys have put into it!! It’s so well constructed and I love the designs for the characters!!! It’s amazing!!!!)
Thank you! That means so much you have no idea. I'm also very happy to hear you're enjoying the AU ^_^
here's ur prompt request <3 | prompt list
--
31. "You came back for me. You actually came back for me."
[Disclaimer: since this is later in the AU, One has already received the name 'Leo']
He draws in a shaky breath, rosy eyes fluttering open to meet a bright and busy city. Is… is he dead? Titan, do dead people feel this much pain?
Leo blinks and sucks in another painful breath. All at once, his ribs, knee, and— his whole body, really— feels like it’s either broken or inflamed, like his muscles have been torn open and tossed in a blender. “Ow, ow…” he groans. 
Okay… maybe he’s not dead. He’s… actually surprised that he’s still alive. The last thing Leo remembers is the chill air of the Prison Dimension… and the pissed off alien overlord beating him to Hell. Then he blacked out. 
“Leo!” a voice screams his name. Leo blinks again, then he sees Mikey hovering over him, eyes wet with tears. “What the hell were you thinking?” he sobs. 
Leo’s chest wrenches at the grief glistening behind Mikey’s eyes. Oh. This is his fault, isn’t it? He recognizes it all too well. He’s seen it in the faces of the people he terrorized. He’s seen it in his family, more times in Mikey than anyone else, and he doesn’t understand why his youngest brother didn’t just let him die.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Leo retorts weakly. “I mean, you actually came back for me. After everything I—”
“Of course I came back for you!” Mikey yells as his splotchy markings flash orange. “You’re my brother, Leo, I don’t care what you’ve done!  You could destroy the whole planet, I’d still love you!” Mikey takes a deep breath but his tears don’t stop flowing. Leo feels a few drops on his cheeks. “Don’t you ever do anything like that again, do you understand?”
How? How can you forgive me that easily? 
Despite the doubts floating in the back of his mind, Leo smiles. “Sure thing.”
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m2jay · 1 month
Text
Soul Touch [Ford x OC]
Here's a little preview of what's in the story. Thanks to the release of "The Book of Bill" and the dating sim game "Swooning Over Stans," I think it was time for me to contribute to the Gravity Falls fandom and write a fanfic. Here's a part of it:
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◬◬Bill's POV◬◬
"A X O L O T L! My time has come to burn! I invoke the ancient power that I may return."
        To think that using the last of my powers in Stanley's mind would lead me to this. That damn con artist is really going to get it this time. As I invoked the strength I had left inside, I managed to survive within the cosmos life other deities are able to do. Banished to a realm amongst the stars, I was met with the AXOLOTL. Though soothing of a presence, it's not my style.
        I crave chaos and destruction, one that leaves me with a good laugh. Seeing the terror amongst humans is absolutely amusing, and it's fun to see how far they'll go for their own selfish desires. They live in a meaningless way. There's nothing good about the world they fight so hard to go on in. Why do they fight so hard for a life that just ultimately has so much struggle in the end? Having infinite power is where it's really at. They're all too stupid to understand.
        The party had stopped. Time was dead and meaning had no meaning. Existence was upside-down and I reigned supreme briefly. I had it all. 
        Everything was in my grasp, even ol' Fordsy too. The fact that I was outsmarted by his lesser half is an absolute embarrassment to my existence. It's not fair, and I will get him back, along with the whole damn Pines family. They will get what's coming to them once I get out.
        I've been locked away in Theraprism in Dimension #5150. It's a neutral zone that's outside of time. If I were stronger, I'd have destroyed this useless place. I'm tired of pretending to be something I'm not in order to get out of here.
        I had many crimes against reality against me. I've done memory laundering, breaking and entering the fabric of space-time, chrono-infanti-regicide, multilevel  marketing, psychic torture, the "2nd-Dimension Incident," and Weirdmageddon. Personally, I don't think this is all that bad to keep me locked up in one of the highest wellness centers of space and time.
        People don't change, not even GODS. Wanna know how to get out of a mental ward, kid? It's faking it. You tell them what they want to hear. You mask everything. Don't be your true self. Trust no one.
        My power isn't as strong as the AXOLOTL, but I still got it. I've managed to fabricate a book that will go out into the Pine's family's dimension. I call it "The Book of Bill." Pretty clever, right? It's pretty impressive if I do say so myself.
        If anything, of all gods, why am I here? Isn't there some Christian entity or something that went against the God or whatever. If anything, why not blame all my atrocities on that guy, huh? Don't a lot of people do that anyways to get away with things? I mean seriously, I'm not the embodiment of bad itself or anything. Let's blame it on that Satan guy. There's so many dimensional timelines, I can't be the ONLY BEING THIS BAD HERE! 
        I can't lose my cool completely here. Heck, not even at all. I need to keep up the façade in order to get out. That's right, and I'll be out here soon. I just know it. My all-seeing eye is still capable of looking through the abundant paths people can take. I see the last opportunity and will take it for myself. 
        Sixer, you're in for something that cannot be fixed. I'll make sure you regret not taking my hand to rule dimensions and travel across galaxies at my side. When I get my hands on you again, I will turn you back into a gold statue that'll be erected onto my record player, forever in a musical dance that spins. You'll be sorry.
        As for your good for nothing brother, there's an end for him that I am counting on. Just you wait, Stanley. Punching my eye and breaking my body in the mind space will be the last time you'll ever lay your mortal hands on me.
        I need to smear my mind blank. The SEA ANGEL of the Theraprism is here. Oh, how she's easy to manipulate. I guess it's why you can consider the gal an angel. It's a shame for her, really, because she's so easy to manipulate. The way she thinks I'm actually changing is HILARIOUS! What a shame for them for when their time comes. They'll all see.
        "Bill Cipher, good stars!" The dim-witted SEA ANGEL greeted happily.
        "Yes, good stars! Haha.." I greeted. 'Haha..'
☪︎ ・゚ ・゚·:。・゚゚・⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆・゚ ・゚·:。・゚゚・❂
Links to the fanfics will be listed here so far:
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I'll Follow Your Voice | Younger Now Than We Were Before
With the end of everything just on the horizon, not everyone takes it well. (I know the song is technically romantic but I imagined this as a montage of the Umbrellas and what's left of the Sparrows spending their last hours before and after the Kugelblitz destroys everything)
Reblogs always appreciated!
Don't Let Me Go by The Fray | Dividers by @saradika-graphics
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That's it. They aren't doing anything and the universe will come to a shuddering and unremarkable end.
Five makes his way back to the kitchen to get another big bowl of cereal and wander around until he figures out what the hell he saw last night.
He's about three spoonfuls in when he feels his chest get tight and his lungs burn. He's been around long enough to know the pain isn't his and he starts to worry.
He blinks to the next floor up, pretty sure that that's where his twin went after their vote.
It doesn't take long until he stumbles across her on the floor, her knees pulled to her chest.
"Margalo?" He sets his bowl on the floor and kneels next to her, "Are you okay? What happened?"
"I-I ran out of yarn!" She sobs.
His face contorts in confusion, glancing over at the, now, extremely long, multicolored scarf she'd worked on continuously since they'd arrived in this timeline next to her.
"I think it's big enough now. don't you?" He tries to joke, but it doesn't help, and he sighs, "What's really going on?"
"I... I-I don't-"
"Don't what?"
Her chest heaves as she shakes her head and grabs his arms, " I can't-"
"Can't?"
"C-can't breathe."
"This is a panic attack?" He asks, holding her wrists tighter, "Okay... You're gonna be okay. Just take a breath."
"I-I-I can't!"
"Yes, you can," He insists, "Hey, just look at me, focus on me, okay?"
She nods and he leads her in a few deep breaths until she's calmed down enough to talk.
"That's it, now what's going on?" He asks.
"I... " She chews her bottom lip as tears well up in her eyes again, "I don't wanna die."
"Oh."
That's all he can think to say, oh.
He knows no one is truly happy with what's happening or their plan to deal with it, but seeing her like this is different.
"I don't wanna die, and I ran out of yarn, so now I don't have anything to keep my mind off it and I just-," She buries her face in her hands as she sobs, "Five, I'm scared."
"Hey," He sits next to her and wraps his arm round her shoulders, pulling her into half hug, "I can't promise you it's gonna be okay, but I can promise that whatever happens we'll face it together, as a family."
She turns to cry against his shoulder, and he hugs her properly.
Then he says something he'd never admit to anyone else, not even their other siblings.
"I'm scared too."
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With Luther dead, all signs pointing to the guardian, and the kugelblitz right on their asses, what's left of the the Umbrella and Sparrow academies quickly file into the reflective hallway behind the plinko machine.
Margalo is frozen in the shock of it all, but Five doesn't let her fall behind.
"Come on," He grabs her arm and part of the scarf she's wrapped around her neck more than a few times, dragging her with him.
They're only about ten feet in when she looks back and sees Reginald blocking their brother's way.
"Klaus!" She calls and Five tugs harder when she tries to go back.
"We have to keep moving!"
"But Klaus-"
"He's right behind us- Margalo wait!" He shouts when she pulls away and starts back.
Blue energy flickers around her and he reaches out to grab her again, fingers catching in the end of the scarf just as she blinks out of sight.
She's suddenly back in the suite, the walls being torn apart as Klaus gives up on the door.
She doesn't hesitate to grab him, stomach sinking when she can't blink them back.
"What did you do?" Klaus asks, grabbing her shoulders, "W-why would you come back for me?"
"I wasn't going to let you die!"
"So now we're both gonna die? Margs, this isn't the brightest plan!"
"I panicked!"
They stare at each other for half a second before breaking into tearful laughs. She cups his cheek with a scared smile, "Like I'd ever let you die alone."
A pained gasp is ripped from her lungs as the universe tears her apart.
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Five watches in horror as the scarf falls into his hands.
"Margalo?" He looks up to the door, Reginald trying to push him further down the passage, but he fights him, screaming out his sister's name and reaching for the closed door, "Margalo!"
A few feet more and his body goes limp as he feels a sudden pain and then... then nothing. Their connection is gone and the emptiness he felt all those years in the apocalypse washes over him.
Everyone is confused when Klaus and Margalo don't come through the other side.
"Five?" He barely feels Victor's hand on his shoulder.
"She was right behind me," He squeezes the scarf and glares up at Reginald, and growls through clenched teeth, "What did you do?"
"Nothing! Your brother didn't make it through the door and it seems your sister went back to get him," The old man says, "I'm sorry, it seems they're gone."
As the rest of them explore the lobby of Hotel Oblivion, Five steps away.
Not again. This can't be happening again, not after everything he's done to save them.
Most of his family is there, still within reach, but he feels so alone.
He grips the scarf harder, breath shuddering and tears pricking his eyes.
His back slides down the wall, similarly to how he found her during her panic attack, he hides his face in his twins handiwork, all he has left of her, and he cries.
He cries like he hasn't in years.
He finally made it back to his family, and within a month he's lost them again.
His breathing goes ragged when he thinks back to the feeling of her slipping away and his chest tightens.
"It's not fair," He sniffles. His tear have already soaked a patch of orange and green yarn, "I just wanted my family back! I didn't want to be alone anymore!"
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He doesn't feel like he'd been put through a freeze dryer anymore as he and the others step out of the elevator.
He turns around when someone gasps and he sees Luther, a normal looking Luther, step out followed closely by-
"Margalo," He breathes, and before he can stop himself, he's blinked in front of her, and thrown his arms around her in a tight hug. A hug she returns, just as tight and just as reluctant to let go.
It's not long until the others wrap themselves around them, Sloan and Ben included, all of the just glad to be alive
To still have each other, even after the end of everything
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hauntedwizardmoment · 2 months
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OKAY so: 2, 10, 11, 14, for any oc(s) you wish, but also, assuming you're taking asks about 'em, for jace's former party from blood and turpentine fic series bc I am legitimately obsessed with them and think about them daily
HIII oh my god this got so long i am so sorry but i got carried away:
2. What's something about your OC that people wouldn't expect just from looking at them?
Peregrine: he’s a theater kid! he wanted to be a bard soooo bad or at least multiclass a la Fabian but due to the [gestures at his neuroses around his masculinity] he never did. i think in terms of levels, he ended up a level 20 fighter until he did some paladin training as an adult that put him at like, a 17/3 split between fighter/paladin. in a kinder timeline he’d be doing community theater and taxes with jace. in blood and turpentine. well no spoilers for what im currently writing but it’s not that.   
Dagbert: out of everyone in the group hes the one thats into musicals unironically. and not even good musicals. like picture this massive goliath that’s taller than porter and just as broad, i think i have him as like 7 ft 1, and he just fucking loves Cats. he’s obsessed with fantasy andrew lloyd webber. has a jellicle-sona. 
Ysvelde: she’s somehow got even less of a solid grasp of her identity than jace does. part of it is that she’s an actress, part of it is that she’s never really lived for anything besides the approval of other people (first her mom, then her adventuring party). she has no idea who she is without the approval of others. if you put her in a room alone she’d start climbing the walls instead of sitting alone with her own thoughts. girl who is constantly experiencing The Dread but she covers it up with a winning smile + really cool artsy makeup. 
Aurora: [dan howell voice] one time she had a MESSY night out in [bastion city], kissed a GIRL, and SMOKED A CIGARETTE. no but seriously she has a secret wild side that she rarely lets out, especially as she gets more and more into fundamentalism and what she believes is sol’s true word, the very early beginnings of the harvestmen cult. during their first year adventuring, shes the one that suggested matching tramp stamps while they were all wasted. 
Invidia: she’s a romantic. she really does want her friends to find love. she’s at aurora and peregrine’s wedding as a bridesmaid, and when she realizes that jace and porter are serious about each other, she’s genuinely happy for him. underneath all the cattiness and jokes she’s so glad that everything “worked out” (woman who does not know jace is a dead man walking)
10. What's an AU that would be interesting to explore with your OC?
not to keep talking about this but my infidelity fic which is an au of blood and turpentine? i have so many dramatic scenes from it that i rotate in my head. when peregrine finds out that jace got promoted to vice principal and starts a huge fight about it. dagbert’s father’s funeral. invidia and ysvelde’s falling out. when peregrine finds out about jace’s affair and subsequently gets murdered by porter. aurora’s creepy midsommar-ass family hosting everyone for fantasy easter. 
11. What is your OC's weapon of choice? Have they ever actually used it?
Peregrine: a lance!! by the time he’s a full-time adventurer i’m sure it’s a magical weapon too, probably has like a +2 or something. hes definitely used it before love a martial class. 
Dagbert: his battle axe, absolutely has used it. he’s definitely got a magic weapon too, i think i call out in love’s never meant much to me that it has magic runes on it so yeah let’s call it the same level of magical as perry’s lance
Ysvelde: so she’s a college of eloquence bard and a fiend pact warlock, so i think she probably has a shortsword as a backup weapon but honestly that eldritch blast cantrip is getting her through most of her fights juuuust fine. 
Aurora: circle of life cleric, definitely has a crossbow that she’s used a couple times in a panic early on but she’s more a healer than anything. i picture her spiritual weapon (the cleric spell) as a scythe. 
Invidia: she’s a circle of the moon druid so i think she’d have a pair of broad claws that do some sick slashing damage, plus obviously her wild shape forms, and her animal companion (a wolf but for funsies ive flavored it as a husky named luna and she loves her so much, she treats her like a child, has little bows to put in her fur, etc. luna is fantasy instagram famous)
14. How does your OC want to be seen by other characters?
ohhhh this is sosososo juicy 
Peregrine: the true driving force in his life is to be seen as a protector, as a provider, as a good fighter and a good man. he will Freak Out if he perceives anything as getting in the way of that. especially if its his own actions that make him look weak or immoral in any way, i.e. sleeping with jace when he and aurora are on a break. 
Dagbert: truly. genuinely. from the bottom of his heart. he could not give less of a shit. he wants to be known as a goddamn professional, unlike the rest of these people, apparently. he’s out here trying to earn a fucking paycheck meanwhile everyone else in his party is ensnared in insane psychosexual drama. he’s angling to get a raise to buy out his ailing father’s construction business from him and let the man retire and this clownshow of a party is fucking it up for him.
Ysvelde: she’s not real unless youre clapping and cheering for her if you dont clap and cheer for her she’ll die. she lives and dies on the approval of an audience. she’s a star. but like for real she needs validation constantly, it doesnt matter where it comes from or how she gets it, she just needs to know that she’s getting a good grade in existing, something normal to want and possible to achieve. 
Aurora: her main thing is being right. she’s a cleric, she receives the divine word from sol, she’s his hand upon the world and she’ll spread his light to the darkest corners of spyre and consecrate it for him, make the world holy. she has her convictions and is firm in them, and she wants everyone to see her as a source of good and truth, both in battle and in spirituality. i think after a certain point she couldnt care less what her party thinks of her, she’s mainly looking for the approval of higher-ups in the church of sol to further solidify herself as a priestess and help shape the vision and direction of the church. 
Invidia: her and aurora butt heads a lot because she also is very into being correct, but in a way that is entirely divorced from divinity. instead, she wants other people to see her as observant to a scary degree. she wants you to know that she sees what you do, knows your habits inside and out, all your secrets, and is taking notes and filing them away for blackmail purposes. and when you slip up she WILL brag about predicting your downfall to your face. it’s why she and jace are the ivy-and-oisin of their party, they both love gossip and reveling in the misery of people they dont like. 
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omtua22 · 2 months
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Through Time and Lies
Thank you @mangoshorthand for helping develop this idea. This is a little dabble of an alternate version of the Umbrella Academy Season 4. This is my first time writing anything like this, so sorry if it's bad. I just hated what really happened between Five and Lila in the actual season.
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The acrid stench of ash and decay hung heavy in the air, a constant reminder of the wasteland I'd called home for the past six years. My fingers tightened around the worn grip of my shotgun as I surveyed the desolate landscape, always on guard for any threat. That's when I saw them—two figures materializing out of thin air, one of them stumbling and clearly injured.
My blood ran cold as I recognized the face of the man. It was... me. An older, more haggard version, but undeniably me. Before I could process this mindfuck of a situation, instinct took over. I raised my gun and fired without hesitation, the crack of the shot echoing across the barren terrain.
The other me crumpled to the ground, a look of shock frozen on his face. The woman accompanying him—dark-haired, wild-eyed—let out a strangled cry and dropped to her knees beside him.
"Five! No, no, no!" she wailed, cradling his head in her lap. Her eyes, filled with tears and desperation, snapped up to meet mine. "Please," she begged, "don't shoot, you trigger happy little squit. You don't understand—"
I cut her off, my voice cold and steady. "I understand perfectly. You brought another version of me here, and now he's dead. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put a bullet in your head too."
The woman—Lila, she'd called herself earlier—took a shaky breath. "Because I can help you see your family again. To get out of this hellhole."
I scoffed. "And why the fuck should I believe anything you say?"
"Because I know things," she insisted. "Things only you would know. I was Diego's wife in another timeline. I knew you—the other you. And damn, it would just be your luck you'd die at your own hand."
I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You think dropping Diego's name is gonna make me trust you? Try again, sweetheart."
Lila's eyes narrowed, a hint of her own fire showing through the grief. "Fine. You want proof? Dolores."
The name hit me like a punch to the gut. Dolores. My companion, my confidante, the only thing keeping me sane in this godforsaken wasteland. How the hell could she know about Dolores?
I lowered the gun slightly, but kept it trained on her. "Talk," I growled.
Lila's story poured out in a frantic, disjointed mess. Time travel, the Commission, apocalypses—plural. My family, all grown up, with their own lives and problems. It was too much to take in, too fantastical to believe. And yet... the proof was lying dead at my feet.
"So let me get this straight," I interrupted, my head spinning. "You want me to pretend to be him?" I gestured to the corpse with my gun. "To what, save the fucking world?"
Lila nodded, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "It's the only way. Please, Five. I know it's asking a lot, but—"
I cut her off with a bitter laugh. "Asking a lot? You're asking me to lie to my family, to pretend to be someone I'm not. To step into the shoes of a man who's apparently fucked up time itself multiple times over."
"But you'll get to see them again," Lila pressed. "Isn't that worth it?"
I fell silent, considering. Six years of isolation, of wondering if I'd ever see another living soul again, let alone my siblings. The chance to go back, to be with them... It was everything I'd dreamed of. Even if they hated me—well, the other me.
"Fuck it," I muttered, holstering my gun. "I'm in. But if this goes sideways, I'm putting a bullet in you first. Got it?"
Lila nodded, relief washing over her face. "Deal."
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, adjusting the tie of the perfectly tailored suit Lila had procured for me. It felt strange, constricting after years of scavenged clothes and whatever I could cobble together.
"You're fucking crazy, you know that?" I muttered to myself, running a hand through my hair.
Lila appeared in the doorway behind me, her arms crossed. "Crazy got us this far, didn't it?" she smirked.
I turned to face her, my eyes narrowing. "This plan of yours is insane. You realize that, right? There's no way in hell they're going to buy this."
She shrugged, that infuriating smugness still plastered across her face. "They will if you sell it. Come on, Five. Don't tell me you're chickening out now. Don't you want to see your family again?"
I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to snap at her. Of course I wanted to see them. It was all I'd thought about for six fucking years. But this? This felt wrong.
"They're going to hate me," I muttered. "Or, well, hate who they think I am."
Lila's expression softened slightly. "Maybe. But isn't it worth it? To see them again, even if they don't know it's really you?"
I turned back to the mirror, straightening my jacket. She was right, damn her. I'd endure anything to see my siblings again, even their hatred.
"Let's get this shitshow on the road," I growled, pushing past her and out of the room.
The reunion was... intense, to say the least. Seeing them all grown up, changed in ways I couldn't have imagined, it was almost too much. Luther, no longer the awkward, bumbling kid I remembered, but a leader. Diego, still a hothead, but with a newfound respect that caught me off guard. Allison, confident and powerful in ways that went beyond her rumors.
And Viktor. Jesus Christ, Viktor. The quiet, timid kid I'd left behind was gone, replaced by someone strong, assured, with powers that made my spatial jumps look like child's play. I couldn't have been prouder if I tried.
They all looked at me with a mix of wariness and resentment, clearly expecting the worst. It stung, but I swallowed it down. This wasn't about me. It was about them.
"Well," I drawled, falling into the persona Lila had coached me on, "looks like the gang's all here. Ready to save the world... again?"
Diego scoffed. "Oh, now you want to work as a team? That's rich coming from you, Five."
I bit back the urge to defend myself, to explain that I wasn't who they thought I was. Instead, I just smirked. "What can I say? I'm full of surprises."
As we delved into the latest apocalyptic threat—because of-fucking-course there was another one—I found myself marveling at how they'd all grown. Their abilities, their teamwork, it was beyond anything I could have imagined.
When Viktor unleashed his powers, nearly leveling a building to stop a group of Commission agents, I couldn't help but grin. "Holy shit, V," I muttered under my breath. "You've come a long way from violin practice."
"What was that?" Allison asked, eyeing me suspiciously.
I schooled my features back into a neutral expression. "Nothing. Just thinking we might actually pull this off for once."
As the days wore on, the lies became harder to maintain. Every time they referenced some shared experience I knew nothing about, every bitter comment about past mistakes I hadn't made, it was like a knife twisting in my gut.
But then I'd see Luther take charge of a situation with a confidence he'd never had as a kid. Or watch Diego and Allison move in perfect sync, covering each other's backs without a word. Or catch Viktor's small, proud smile after mastering a new aspect of his powers.
And I knew, deep in my bones, that it was worth it. Every lie, every moment of self-doubt, every flash of hatred in their eyes—it was all worth it to see them like this. To know that somehow, despite everything, they'd all become the heroes I always knew they could be.
One night, as we regrouped after a particularly harrowing battle, Lila and I blinked up to the roof and just sat there. I did this when I was a kid too. Blinked to the top of the Academy to escape dad.
The guilt was written all over Lila's face.
"They don't know," she whispered, her eyes darting to where the others were gathered. "They still think you're him."
I nodded, a small, sad smile tugging at my lips. "I know. And it's okay. Let them think that."
Lila frowned. "But... don't you want them to know the truth? That you're not the one who—"
"Who fucked everything up?" I finished for her. "Who dragged them through time and space, who got them stuck in the wrong timeline over and over?" I shook my head. "No. If this is what it takes for me to see them like this—strong, united, better than we ever were as kids—then I'll take it. I'll be the villain in their story if it means I get to see them shine."
Lila's eyes filled with a mix of admiration and pity. "You really love them, don't you?"
I snorted. "They're my family. Of course I fucking love them. Even if they hate me."
As we turned back to join the others, I caught sight of Viktor laughing at something Allison had said, his whole face lit up with joy. And in that moment, I knew I'd made the right choice.
They might never know the truth. They might always see me as the asshole who ruined their lives. But I got to see them like this—happy, powerful, united. And that? That was worth everything.
Even if it meant being hated.
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