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dc41896 · 3 years

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The Whole Time?!

Pairing: Jake JensenxBlack Reader

⚠️: Maybe a tiny bit of technical angst (🤷🏽‍♀️ lol), fluff💕

“P-Pooch?,” you stammer unable to fathom that your supposedly dead brother was standing in front of you and his wife who was about to give birth to their son in any minute.

“Hey peanut,” he smiles stepping further in the hospital room. “I’d hug you, but I’m w-,”

You didn’t even let him finish before immediately wrapping your arms around his neck and burying your face in his shoulder. Good thing he was already wet from the rain, your tears would just be a welcomed addition.

“Wait. D-Does that mean-”

“Hey babe,” the all too familiar voice speaks making more silent tears fall as you lift your head. Just as soaked as Pooch, he nervously smiles removing his hat to reveal his spiked frosted tips. He pretty much looked the same as you last saw him. Toned arms and chest shielded by his dripping jacket along with your personal favorite, his black circular frames bringing even more attention to those crystal baby blues.

There were plenty of times you thought about what you’d do if granted this moment. Cry, scream, maybe jump into his arms clinging onto him like a koala on a tree. Possibly all three even. Now, finally being granted your wish after all these months, there was one main thing on your mind.

“Wow,” he smiles as you slowly move closer to each other. “I didn’t think it was possible, but somehow you’ve gotten more beautiful.” Just as the words left his mouth, the back of your hand connecting with his abdomen in the hardest hit you could muster nearly knocks the wind out of him as he keeled forward.

“And apparently stronger too..,” he coughs.

“How could you?!”

“I didn’t do it on purpose! We had to so we could go after the guy who set us up. And why didn’t you hit Pooch?! He was in it too.”

“He’s got one coming after my nephew safely enters the world, right now though it’s your turn,” you glare before smacking him again.

“Told you she had a strong backhand,” Pooch states quickly closing the room door before his sister decided to direct her rage at him.

The rest of the team merely watch in entertainment as your hits move to his shoulders and biceps until Jensen can grab your wrists pinning them by your sides.

“I’m sorry for putting you through all that, but it’s not like I completely left! I could still see you.”

You tilt your head in confusion ready to ask what he was talking about, until seeing Clay nervously scratch the back of his neck as he and Cougar shift their gaze clues you in on what he meant.

“SERIOUSLY JAKE?!”

“Wha-? I-,”

“Did you really think that would make me feel better?!”

“...Honestly at this point I’m afraid to answer.”

Annoyed groan falling from your lips, you tried to escape his grasp, but his larger hands slightly tightening their grip on yours, along with him following your every movement, keep you in place. “When we go home I can explain everything.”

“Will you? Or are you just gonna lie some more?”

“I promise I’ll tell everything,” he whispers, leaving a chaste kiss on your temple before flashing one of his ‘please don’t stay mad at me forever because I love you’ smiles. So far, it’d gotten him out of any argument you had. Including this one.

Darn those good looks of his.

“Fine,” you reply as you cross your arms, leaving him to find a seat in the nearby waiting room.

“Any tips here Colonel?,” Jake sighs.

“I’m probably not the one you’d want relationship advice from.”

Another heavy sigh leaves his lips as he follows your path down the hall to sit next to you. That is if you’d let him.

“Okay, is anybody else stuck on the fact that Jensen actually has a girlfriend?,” Aisha states breaking the momentary silence and making both men chuckle.

———

It’s the happiest he’s ever been to walk into his small, outdated apartment. Things weren’t exactly the same as he left it with your few new decorations and pieces of furniture trying to make the place a bit of your own, but of course he didn’t mind. It actually warmed his heart that although he was “gone” you still chose to stay, sticking by his side when you easily could’ve moved on with your life.

“Jeez, the faucet always drip that loud?,” he lightly chuckles shedding his coat and placing it on the small hanger by the door.

“It started a bit after you left,” you sigh kicking off your shoes. “Think it’s loud now, it’s even louder when you’re just sitting here alone.”

Following you to the bedroom feeling like a dog with its tail between his legs, he sits at the foot of the bed looking down at his hands as you move about the bathroom getting yourself ready for bed. Your words were like the sharpest sting as his mind vividly showed an image of you just sitting in this apartment with nothing but thoughts of loosing your brother and boyfriend along with the hum of the AC. He knew for the sake of their mission, and the team, he couldn’t say anything, but it still didn’t take away his guilt of what you went through mentally and emotionally.

“I tried to write you.”

“What, your computer go down and you couldn’t watch me anymore?,” you counter over your shoulder before rinsing the soap from your face.

“That was only once okay? I was watching my niece’s soccer game and then I thought about what you were doing and kinda sorta hacked your office’s cameras, which yes I know was wrong. Speaking of, they really should update their software, a fifth grader could easily hack into it just guessing the password,” he answers making you roll your eyes with a chuckle.

“And who’s Tom?”

“Tom?”

“Yea. Curly brown haired guy, cubicle across from yours. Big head you can see a mile away.”

“I’m sorry are you somehow trying to turn things on me when you’re the one that’s supposed to be explaining why I’ve thought you were dead this whole time?,” you ask wiping the remaining moisturizer from your hands before crossing them in front of your chest as you step closer to the now nervous looking man.

“N-no, of course not! But I mean since he’s been mentioned...”

“He’s just this guy at work that apparently likes me and asked me out but I said no, because a small part of me kept hoping that you’d miraculously come back. Happy?”

“I-uh...y-yes?”

Sighing, you sit beside him tucking your bare legs under you and taking his hand in yours to trace the lines on his palm. You never knew how or why you started, but it was something you occasionally did while you two were talking or just lying next to him enjoying each other’s company. It brought a smile and giddy feeling to Jensen, just as it did to you.

“Listen, I’m sorry I’m giving you a hard time, I know you didn’t have a choice, and understand. Selfishly though, I just missed you so much and wish I could’ve known. It definitely would’ve saved some sleepless nights and tears.”

With his other hand, his thumb and index finger gently grab your chin guiding you to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry for everything I put you through having you think I was dead. The second we threw our tags in that fire you and my family were all I could think about. Like I said I wanted to write and give you some sign that I wasn’t gone, but I could never figure out how to start. Plus Clay threatened to cut off little Jensen if I did send anything back home once he found out, which only made it tougher.”

“Yea we wouldn’t want that,” you softly laugh following a short sniffle you were trying to hold back. You really were done with crying, having done so since you got that devastating call so long ago, and just wished your tear ducts would shrivel up already. “Sorry, I thought I was done with the tears.”

“Shh, don’t be.” Leaning forward, his soft as clouds lips meet the single salty droplet in the middle of you cheek erasing its presence before moving to yours in quite possibly the most delicate, tender kiss you’ve ever experienced. Any other time, you’d probably call it painfully slow, trying to take the lead to move things along. But as you both sat there taking everything in from each other’s scents to the feel of how one’s lips and mouth felt on the other, you couldn’t feel more connected.

Just barely pulling away, his swollen lips rest centimeters above yours ready to take them again as soon as he caught his breath.

“I don’t know if I should be embarrassed at myself or amazed at whatever powers you have,” he starts, a light chuckle escaping him. “But I think you just made me-,”

“Jensen!,” you laugh, playfully smacking his shoulder. “Way to ruin a romantic mood.”

“If it’s romance you want, say no more,” he smiles taking your hand in his and placing it on his chest as he clears his throat. To the best of his ability, he begins singing the opening lines to your couple’s song, as Jake proclaimed it, instantly making you fall back on the bed in laughter.

“You actin' kinda shady, ain't callin' me baby, why the sudden change. Say my name, say my name!”

“This is definitely not a couple’s song,” you laugh feeling his forearms rest on either side of your head and chest vibrate from his laughing.

“I’ll admit lyrically wise..yes, you’re right. But it’s still ours which makes it special.”

You’d never forget that day in the grocery store trying to find a pint of your favorite ice cream as the song played overhead. Without really looking, you thought you were on the freezing aisle by yourself and began singing along as you gently bobbed your head. Suddenly hearing a voice singing the background vocals made you slightly jump turning to see the taller man in a grey sweatshirt, blue and white basketball shorts, and sneakers holding up his hands.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I-It’s Destiny’s Child, I couldn’t resist.”

“It’s okay, and I mean who can?,” you respond, both softly laughing before shyly looking back at your respective sections to get your frozen desserts.

“Soo...you like ice cream?,” he asks interrupting the momentary silence.

“Yea, um my favorite’s moose tracks,” you answer briefly holding up your pint with a smile.

“You know who has a good moose tracks? Bennie & Bailey’s downtown. They make it from scratch and I don’t know what all they put in it, but it’s amazing.”

“Oh, okay thanks. I don’t think I’ve ever been there.”

“Well you should definitely go one day. I mean if you want,” he nervously chuckles.

“Will do,” you smile. “Only if you’ll take me though?”

At first, being met with his shocked, speechless expression made your newfound confidence falter thinking you might’ve been too bold with the cute stranger, whom you hadn’t even asked if he was single or not. However seeing his eyes shine bright and adorable smile grace his pink lips, your excitement returned as he moved closer handing you his phone.

Years later, the rest is history as you lie in bed with the man you were sure was the love of your life.

“Hey what’s going on in there?,” he asks brushing his fingertips across your forehead noticing you become quiet. Lightly scratching his goatee, you feel your eyes start to water again causing you to blink a few times trying to keep them at bay.

“I just don’t want you to leave again,” you whisper, moving your fingers to card through his chestnut and blonde mixed strands.

“I’m not going anywhere unless you ask me too.”

Taglist: @fumbling-fanfics @honeydulcewrites @honeychicana @lady-olive-oil @themyscxiras @lovelymari4 @melinda-january @maxcullen @literaturefeen @damnitaa @curlyhairclub @plokyu23 @fullofmelaninsarcasmandepression @nunubug99 @felicity-x0 @ellixthea @jojolu @jnk-812 @brwn-sgr @captainsamwlsn @wildfirecracker @nina-sj @iammyownlover @chaneajoyyy @scoop93535 @secretmysteriousperson

If anybody wants to be tagged, has asked to be tagged but don’t see your name, only want to be tagged for certain people I write for (can be found in masterlist), or no longer wish to be tagged just let me know🤓!

#jakexblackreader #jakexwoc #jakexreader #jake jensen #the losers movie #chrisxwoc #chrisxblackreader #chrisxreader #chris evans

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slowly-writing · 4 years

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More Than Okay

Natasha Romanoff x Teen!Reader

Word count: 1.8K

Requested by anons:

- Can I request a Nat x kid!reader where the kid was in foster care and She just recently went to live with Natasha. And it’s taking her a while to warm up but eventually starts calling Nat, mom? Thank you.

- ooh can I request a nat x (adopted)daughter reader where the reader is the kid of a couple that was killed off by a villain because of their powers. avengers and reader don’t know she has powers mostly because they’ve never shown. they finally find out when said villain comes back for reader by attacking avengers and her powers burst out of her unexpectedly and she saves them all?? thinking something of a mix between Wanda’s and Thor’s powers. thank you, love your writing so much!!

- Nat's daughter telling her she doesn't wanna be a shield agent/superhero.

Your parents didn’t work for the avengers but they were avenger-adjacent. They worked with them on multiple occasions. Your parents had powers and they fought to keep the city safe as best they could. They just hid their identities and stayed out of the public eye as much as possible while doing it. They had a child after all, and their main priority was keeping you safe. Unfortunately no secret ever stays hidden forever.

You remember that night vividly. You had woken up in the middle of the night, your throat was so dry that it was hard to breathe. You quietly made your way downstairs to the kitchen, not wanting to wake your parents, but what you saw still haunts you to this day. There were dozens of men in masks fighting with your parents. The walls were broken and crumbling around you, you feared the entire house would collapse soon.

“Y/n, run!” Your father screamed. You hesitated for a split second, wanting to stay to help but you knew there was nothing you could do. They were the ones with powers and they were clearly losing. If their last wish was to keep you safe you’d grant them that, no matter how much you’d rather stay with them and share their fate.

You ran, forgoing about the door and slipping through a crack in the wall. You looked over your shoulder, relieved to see that nobody was following you. Instead you saw a sword pierce your mother’s chest. To this day you could still hear her cries of pain, but she didn’t look scared. She had simply nodded to you, a clear side she wanted you to keep going. So you did, until you got to the one place you knew was safe.

xxxxx

When you arrived at the avengers compound hours later you were exhausted and you knew you looked awful. The sun was starting to rise, showing the tear tracks cutting through the blood and dirt from various falls, your still bare feet cut and bruised, and your pajamas torn in various places. Steve was the first to see you, as he was up first for an early run. He didn’t say anything, simply brought you inside and led you to the common room. He walked off as you sat on the couch, glancing around the room you’d only seen a handful of times when visiting with your parents. You felt tears well up in your eyes again at the thought of them. You stared down at your hands in your lap, not wanting to see the room full of memories.

When Steve returns he has a first aid kit and Natasha in tow. She knows you the best out of any of the avengers, having been close with your parents.

“Hey, do you wanna talk about what happened?” Natasha's voice is soft and comforting which gives you the courage to look up, as soon as she sees the tears she knows whatever happened was nothing good. You shake your head and she pulls you into her arms. “That’s alright. We don’t have to talk right now. Is it okay if Steve and I clean you up? You’ve got some pretty nasty cuts,” she waits for your nod before motioning for Steve to pass her the first aid kit.

xxxxx

That had been over a year ago and things were still rocky. Tony has given you a room in the compound and that’s where you spent most of your time. While all the avengers cared for you, and you for them, you rarely opened up to them. The events that happened were the worst memories you had, and you didn’t want to share the most painful parts of your life with people who were practically strangers. You’d send a small smile in Peter’s direction at school and sit in on movie nights, but heart to hearts were unheard of amongst the majority of the team. You were content to be the quiet girl nobody truly knew. Well nobody aside from Natasha. You had a few conversations with her and you’ve unpacked the whole event with your therapist, but nobody else knows the details of what happened that night, and you planned to keep it that way.

“Hey y/n, wanna go shopping with us?” Clint asks you as you walk through the kitchen after school.

“No thank you,” your response is quiet and he nods, having expected as much. He always makes an effort though.

“Alright, have a good afternoon.” With that he leaves the kitchen and you head towards the living room. Bruce and Tony are on a mission and Steve always joins Clint to go grocery shopping, it’s the only way to make sure we have more than junk food. That only leaves you and Natasha in the compound so you don’t feel the need to hide.

You sit on the floor by the coffee table, pulling out your homework with a sigh. You’re debating if you want to get your chemistry over with or get some work done on your creative writing story when you hear Natasha entering the room.

“How was school?” Her voice comforts you. It’s calming. Drastically different from the bickering and teasing the boys normally throw around.

“It was fine,” you say simply, turning around to face her as she sits on the couch behind you. Anyone else would’ve taken your short response as a sign that you didn’t want to be talking to them, that’s probably why Natasha was the only one you talked to. While Steve was technically your legal guardian you only had brief interactions with him. They never told you for sure, but you’re pretty sure the only reason it wasn’t Natasha was because she’s in America on sketchy terms and some of her missions prior to her days as an avenger could probably be classified as treason. It was best to keep her out of the mandatory background check that came with fostering a kid. You didn’t need anybody else digging into her past.

“Still dreading that chemistry homework I see,” you follow her gaze to where your textbook is pushed away and you laugh a bit.

“It’s so hard. And I don’t need it anyways! I want to be an English teacher. I don’t need to know chemistry,” you tell her and it’s her turn to laugh and place an arm around your shoulder as you flop on the couch next to her.

“You’re right, you don’t need it to teach English. But you do need it to graduate high school so you have to do it eventually. If you need help Tony will be home tomorrow, and I think Peter is coming over tonight to do some training. He’d be more than happy to help and it’d be good for you to talk to him. Remember what Dr. Tan said-“

“I need to have more interactions with people my own age. I know,” you cut her off, “But how am I even supposed to start that conversation? ‘Hi I’m Y/n- oh you already know that?-oh because I’m Stingray and Rogue’s daughter and their identities got leaked after their murder, right. Yeah I’m super sad they died too.’ Sounds like a delightful conversation to have.”

“I know it’s hard y/n, but Peter is a good place to start. He’s plenty different too and he’s not going to judge you for it,” Natasha’s argument makes sense but before you can respond you hear a crash from the kitchen and you’re grateful for the distraction.

“Is Clint back already?” You ask, pulling away from Natasha and walking towards the kitchen. You freeze in the doorway, seeing the people that have haunted your nightmares for over a year now.

“Y/n? Is everything okay?” Natasha calls but before she gets to you the closest figure charges. You duck out of the way and Natasha takes him out. She starts fighting the men but she’s beyond outnumbered. You’re frantically looking around for somebody to help, but it’s just the two of you. When you look back you see a man charging her with a sword, just like last year.

“Mom, look out!” you scream as you flail your arm in the attacker’s direction. Before Natasha can try to dodge him he’s thrown back and he’s seizing. You glance at your hands seeing a mist sparking with electricity surrounding your fingers. You don’t have time to overthink it as all the intruders’ attention turns to you. You zero in on the closest one and send a pulse of electricity in his direction. You repeat the process until they’re all on the floor. At that moment shield agents and the rest of the team come flooding in, FRIDAY having notified them of the break in.

“Holy shit,” Clint says and you look between him and your hands, eyes wide in fear.

“Did you do that?” Steve asks and you swallow hard before nodding. “You could be a good addition to the team.”

“You really could. Pulse you’re a legacy, what with your parents and everything,” an agent says and your breathing starts to speed up. Everything's happening so fast. There’s too much and you’re starting to spiral. You’re about to run when Natasha steps in front of you.

“Let’s go somewhere a bit more quiet, okay?” she offers and you nod, desperate for an escape. You both walk in silence until you’re in your room and sitting next to each other on the bed. “Did you know you could do that?”

“No! I swear I didn’t. I would’ve told you, I promise I-”

“Hey,” Natasha cuts off your rambling, placing a calming hand on your shoulder. “I’m not mad. I just want us to get on the same page. We need to figure out what this means and start training you.”

“I don’t want to be an agent,” you say bluntly. “I’m sorry. I know I should want to help people. It's the right thing to do, it’s what my parents would want me to do but I just can’t”

“That’s fine. You don't owe anyone anything and if you don’t want to use your powers then that’s okay. We do need to do some training though. Just to make sure you’re in control of them, but we don’t have to tell anyone outside of the team if you don’t want to,” Natasha promises and you nod, throwing yourself into her arms as you sigh in relief.

“Thank you,” you whisper and you feel her sigh this time.

“There’s one more thing. You called me mom in there. I know that was all probably really mentally draining and I have no idea what kind of memories it triggered. I know it was an accident but-” it’s your turn to cut her off.

“It wasn’t an accident. I know you’re not legally my mom, but you’re the one who stepped up. I don’t even want to think about what would’ve happened to me if you weren’t there. I get it if it’s not okay with you, but I think of you as my mom,” you explain, wringing your hands as you wait for her response.

“It’s more than okay with me,” Natasha tells you, placing a hand over yours.

Tag List: @rvgrsbrns @rororo06 @prizmix-and-friends @worlds-in-words @im-salt-but-not-salty @5aftermidnight @riotmaximoff

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aggressive-positivity-network · 3 years

Note

mercs and nightly rituals? 👀

Those are the kind of off-the-wall asks I live for!

Spy:

The Frenchman has a very strict retiring routine.

It might have been because of his meticulous nature, or maybe because of his time at the academy, but he had almost a sixth sense for his bedtime as a result.

No one was really sure why he was so strict about it.

He has left in the middle of card games, arguments, and chats just because it “time for him to sleep.”

After a bit of prodding from Engineer - whom Spy trusts more than any of the other mercs - he reveals that the spy school he went to had alarmed halls that activated at a certain time. A few students had even died as a result. The habit had come from a place of pure terror.

Engineer is slowly trying to break the habit. Spy can now wait ten minutes after his usual time.

Spy puts his pajamas neatly on his bed, which he makes each morning, and turns on the fan so that his pillow can cool while he’s getting ready.

He makes sure all of his disguises are in the right place, takes off his mask and puts it on his coat hanger, brushes his teeth for two minutes exactly (again, an academy habit), and then changes completely into his pajamas.

Finally, he flips the switch next to his bed to activate his alarm system.

Spy goes to bed, sleeping on his back, and barely moving until morning.

And Scout learned the hard way that Spy keeps his butterfly knife in a makeshift pocket carved into the mattress.

Scout:

Can and will just konk out wherever possible.

He’s fallen asleep in Engineer’s workshop, outside, in his doorway, on the floor, against the wall...dude has even fallen asleep in the middle of hitting someone with his bat (NyQuil coma).

He will sleep anywhere, usually not his own bed.

His sleep schedule is also all out of whack, which is why he drinks so many Bonks.

He doesn’t have ADHD - his bloodstream is just pure caffeine and sleepy giggles.

If you get close enough to him, you can actually see dark circles under his eyes. He tells everyone they’re bruises.

“This...uh...Soldier punched me in the face! Yeah, that’s it!”

Boston boy, I love you, but please take a nap.

Take two. God dangit.

He very rarely changes into pajamas, he just strips and jumps in bed. He always brushes his teeth, though - he takes special care of his teeth.

Scout says their his “bread and butter.”

He also literally jumps in bed because he has a fear of somebody reaching out from under the bed and grabbing him if he gets in bed too slow.

Sometimes he even takes a running start.

He’s broken several bedframes that way.

Heavy:

Heavy has the standard fare: putting on his pajamas, brushing his teeth, and washing his face.

When he gets in bed, though, he picks up a book he got at the nearby library and starts to read it.

He has these small reading glasses that barely stay on his nose.

This is mostly to help him read and speak English, so he occasionally reads sentences that he doesn’t understand out loud.

He also has a legal pad next to his bed, which he uses to write down any words he doesn’t understand.

In the morning, he usually goes to Miss Pauling or Medic and asks what certain words mean.

He is currently at a middle-school reading level, and his favorite novel by far is The Giver.

He even bought the Russian audiobook so he could better understand the message.

He’s also a big fan of To Kill A Mockingbird, but he had an incident where Miss Pauling had to explain why their word for black person was so hurtful and why it should never be used.

Heavy didn’t understand at first, so Miss Pauling had to relate them to Russian slurs. Heavy understood really quickly after that.

His copy now has all the slurs blacked out in ink.

“What if Demo reads? I need to...disappear them.”

Sniper:

He almost always practices his shot before he goes to bed.

It helps him relieve all the daily stress.

You can tell if Sniper is having trouble sleeping because of the gunshots.

“‘Old on, mate, one more round.”

One time, after being ghosted for a date, he stayed up shooting until six in the morning.

The only reason he stopped was because he had tears in his eyes and couldn’t see the target anymore.

He ended up just sitting on the floor and cleaning his gun while trying to not get tears on the muzzle.

No one knew what had happened, but they did notice that Sniper stabbed his enemies a little harder and more violently that afternoon. He even broke a Scout’s spine because he walked on the body after withdrawing the knife.

Do. Not. Anger. The. Aussie.

Demo:

Demo drinks so often and so much that he usually doesn’t sleep during the night.

This has scared his teammates on multiple occasions, since you can’t exactly see uniform color in the dark.

He has been shot and/or trapped on multiple occasions, especially by Spy, who is a very light sleeper.

It got to a point where he now has to wear fluorescent bands so that people know he isn’t an enemy.

He also has a “sleeping eyepatch” that’s made out of the same cloth as his pajamas.

It has blue stripes and a little black X in the middle.

Engineer:

He tends to turn his light on and off many times before actually going to sleep.

Engineer also does this with his lamp, and if anybody ever walks by his room and asks why, he says that he needs to turn it off and on until it “feels right.”

He also checks every alarm system before he goes to bed.

And if there is a single update, virus, or false alarm, he has to get up and fix it.

He also tends to get very anxious at night, especially if he’s overtired or recovering from an injury.

If he and Scout are up at the same time (Scout gets nighttime anxiety as well) they make each other hot chocolate and watch MythBusters.

Engineer likes the explanations, Scout likes the explosions.

They either fall asleep on the couch or wait until Spy comes and makes his complaint known.

Since Spy’s so quiet, he has been known to move Scout, cloak as Engineer, and then scare the living daylights out of the Texan when he wakes up.

Engineer more than gets him back come next day’s battle, though.

Soldier:

Soldier has his own room on the other side of the base

And there is certainly a reason.

He fights with his pillow until he goes to sleep, making all sorts of ungodly noises.

At first the mercs thought Soldier was having some overzealous “private time”.

One night they walked in on him to find a triumphant Soldier body slamming his pillow.

He even drew Hitler’s face on it with a Sharpie.

I mean, he could be into that.

Honestly, no one knows.

Pyro:

As stated in a previous post, Pyro catches fireflies to use as a nightlight in order to go to sleep.

However, while the sun is still setting, Pyro winds down by sorting their shell and trash collection.

She sorts by color, then shape, then material.

If there are any new additions, he cleans them and put them in their own drawer.

They have a little plastic dresser they keep everything in.

Their favorite additions are pieces of broken glass from beer and whiskey bottles, bonus points if they are tinted a cool color.

They also have these sheets with a bunch of sheep and cows in nighcaps.

If they are feeling scared or overtired, however, they sleep in a unicorn sleeping bag surrounded by beanie babies she has collected over the years.

Fun fact: they sleep with their mask off, and for that reason, they usually sleep with a pillow on their head and their comforter on top of that to hide their face.

If they are in their sleeping bag, they zip it as far as they can upwards without struggling for air.

Medic:

You think you have a bad sleep schedule?

Hah! How cute.

He will run on energy serum and cocaine for an entire week, then disappear into his room for a few days.

And yet he always makes it to battle.

Some think he may have a clone, some think he has the ability to see the future. Neither would surprise anyone.

When he does sleep, though, he is fully clothed and usually holding either an organ or his bonesaw.

He has lost many specimens that way.

Archimedes usually wakes him up if he falls asleep at his desk, as Medic trained him to do. However, this doesn’t work very well if his head is down on his desk because of a mental breakdown. But hey, you can’t win them all.

Heavy has slowly been trying to change Medic’s sleep schedule. He’ll offer him tea around nine, or ask if he wants to go for a walk at eight. He’s trying to link relaxation with night.

It’s been working so far, but there’s only so much you can do.

Ms. Pauling:

What’s sleep?

@uprisist

#tf2 #tf2 demoman #tf2 miss pauling #tf2 engineer #tf2 medic #tf2 pyro #tf2 heavy #tf2 spy #tf2 scout #tf2 ask blog #tf2 headcanon #tf2 headcanons

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game-boy-pocket · 3 years

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Well, now that they're all finally out... my feelings on each of the new Smash Bros characters is this.

Inkling was inevitable. But that doesn't mean I wasn't thrilled to see them. Splatoon is a great new IP, though I personally worry about how similar the games seem to be 3 main entries in, but that's nothing to do with Smash. Fun to play but hard to learn. A- ( the minus is for no Octo alt ).

Ridley felt like he should have been inevitable, but was fighting against some pretty strong biases. But he finally made it and i'm very happy. I do think he could have been a tad bit bigger though. Even if they had to slow him down a bit. A

Simon very happy with this character, and honestly surprised he didn't get in sooner. Castlevania may not be as strongly associated with Nintendo as it used to be, but it's one of the first games that come to mind when you think of the NES as well as the SNES. He was in a TV show with Megaman and Pit for goodness sake. And I enjoy using him. A- ( minus is only for no chronicles alt )

Richter was a cool addition, if there was one other Belmnot to be added, i'm glad it's him... but I am more of a Simon guy. Side note, I wish they took the echo fighter character a little further. It seemed like branding clones as echo fighters is all it took to make people more accepting of the idea, only for them to just stop short of three or four new ones, and not even include super obvious ones like Shadow the Hedgehog or Blood Falcon. Anyway A- ( minus is for no symphony of the night alt )

King K. Rool being revealed was one of my top five Smash moments. Donkey Kong is not a neglected Nintendo franchise. But it has undergone some changes that long time fans don't care for, including the removal of the main antagonist, this guy, who has a gigantic personality. He's a very fun character and it's so good to see him come back ( pls appear in the next DK game pls pls pls ) He also happens to be very fun to play as. A++

Isabelle is where Smash reveals kind of started to lose me a bit. Animal crossing is a big series and all but I really felt like the one villager is all the game really needed to properly represent the entire series. You don't need a lot for Animal crossing. And the fact that Isabelle was a relatively new character, who seemingly snatched the role of series mascot from Tom Nook, well it kind of rubbed me a little wrong. She seemed unnecesary... but she is actually more fun to play as than villager, and she's cute. So I don't totally hate her. B

Incineroar was a poor way to end the base game lineup for me. Pokemon just isn't a very respectible series anymore in my eyes and Sun/Moon was the first game in the series that I found too boring to finish. Pokemon just doesn't excite me, and with each new announcement, I'm becoming actively disgusted by it. I would have loved a wrestler character in the game, but the fact that it had to be a pokemon kind sullied it for me. Yeah, I just can't pretend to like this inclusion even if it is a huge Nintendo IP. C-

Dark Samus is a character I am kind of indifferent too. I didn't think we needed her, but I think she's a cool addition to the game. A bit of a waste to make her an echo though, her abilities are very different from Samus in the games if I remember right, I honestly don't remember much of Metroid Prime besides the first one. Still, she's cool. B+

Daisy is an oddball for me. I know she is in Super Mario Land, but her main identity comes from the Mario Spinoff games, and I just don't play those games. They don't appeal to me. I like Mario platformers. And to me, if a character is in spinoffs almost exclusively, they don't count as core Mario cast members. And frankly it's a little odd to me that she's plucking turnips and summoning Toads. The citizens of Sarasaland are not Toads. And she wasn't in Mario 2... but she's not hurting anything I guess so B+, needed "Hi i'm Daisy" taunt.

Chrom is a Fire Emblem Lord alright. He's also an echo. So I don't care. C

Piranha Plant honestly felt like a little bit of an insult to me. I've always hated when Mario games start featuring low level mooks without names as playable characters in the Mario spinoffs while ignoring the likes of Wart, Tatanga, E. Gadd, or th extended DK/Wario cast or RPG characters. It's part of why I don't care about Mario spinoffs. That being said... it is, at the very least, extremely fun to play as. B-

Joker may very well be the most out of place character in this series. He's certainly one of them. Maybe I would feel different if I played Persona, but I don't. So to me he's like the worst thing they added to this game. D-

Hero felt like he should have been in Smash Bros before cloud did. Dragon Quest may not be as popular in the west as it should be. But it's definitely the most important and influential JRPG to the history of video games... that being said, I wish the DQ3 hero was the default costume. I really enjoy playing as him. A+

Banjo and Kazooie finally getting in is without a doubt my favorite moment in Smash History. Not even Sonic got me as hyped as they did. I wish there was a way to make younger fans see this character the way us old timers do without seeming like we're trying to force them to like him, but it is what it is. I love these guys and they're my most played character. A+++

Terry is a character i'm not familiar with. He just kind of looks like a bootleg Ken to me. I think they could have picked a better SNK rep. Metal Slug would have been nice, shooters are sorely under represented in Smash. Do we have anybody besides Samus representing shooters? And she barely qualifies. C

Byleth is a Fire Emblem Lord alright. But you know what, they're honestly the only FE character that feels like they're representing the gameplay of Fire Emblem particularly well while the others were just kind of generic sword slingers... that being said... was this the best way to end fighter pass 1? B-

Minmin was not a character on my Radar. I thought it would have been Springman or no Arms character at all... I am just happy ARMS made it in at all... but really, it should have been base game content. If only to support the new IP. A-

Steve was a character I was opposed to at first. I saw him as a rival to Banjo. And I also saw Minecraft as a dumb zoomer game. A joke. But people made compelling arguments for the importance of minecraft, how successful it is, I actually downloaded Minecraft on my Switch, played it, had a relaxing time, I still play it, and I was actually able to play with my friends who don't own Nintendo consoles. It has cross play. The cross play is really what won me over as it being really cool to have in Smash, as it really brought me together with friends. Steve is tough to use, but great fun, as long as it's against a computer. I can't fight humans for shit, hah. A- ( the minus is for that cursed short enderman alt )

Sephiroth rubbed me the wrong way. Another Final Fantasy character wouldn't have been so bad, but did it have to be another FFVI character??? Couldn't it have been something from before FF made the jump to total steampunk/sci-fi to better represent the series roots? He's fun to use but idk, I just take no joy in him... at least we got more FF music I guess. C-

Pyra/Mythra is a character I have zero opinion on. B ( for booba )

Kazuya is not a character i'm familiar with, and if there had to be another fighting game character, one from Namco, I feel like Soul Calibur should have been it. Bring the Link crossover back around. It seems Tekken has no presence on Nintendo as well... but whatever. I have no strong feelings. He's fun to combo with but I suck as him. B-

Sora makes me sad. I don't dislike Sora. He has a fun design. I like the idea of Kingdom Hearts... I just think the story of those games is very weird and dumb and confusing, so the games themselves are kind of overrated. I really think people only like it for the pretty character models and intricate costumes. I thought people liked it for the Disney stuff but I'm suprised to hear most KH fans seem to want more FF stuff and less Disney stuff??? The only thing that makes the game unique??? Should be dialed back??? That being said... I don't like Disney. It is an evil company. And Disney getting in bed with Nintendo makes me very anxious. D

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subtlereferencetomyinterests · 4 years

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No Other Version of Me

Ao3, MasterPost

Relationships: Moceit!

This ain’t a songfic, but the title is taken from ‘Jackie & Wilson’ by Hozier because. I wanted it to be.

Warnings: Very mild body horror related to excessive shape-shifting, Fwoggy Patton (he’s got frog features), insecurity, hurt/comfort, one (1) smooch, crying.

Word Count: 2,100

Janus was not nosy. Really, he’d only intended to return Patton’s electric blanket (he’d asked to borrow it on a particularly cold day in The Mindscape, and he definitely didn’t hold onto it for longer than necessary just because it smelled like Patton). Then, he would be on his way. Therefore, it was completely incidental that he’d heard a frustrated cry from Morality’s room before entering. And of course, the only reason that Janus continued to peer through the slightly ajar doorway- rather than just walking in- was so that he could assess the situation properly. To be safe.

The situation was this: Patton was hunched in front of the mirror above his dresser, shaking from head to toe. He was just visible in the reflection, revealing what seemed to be the issue.

Patton’s hands were oversized, webbed, and bright green. That same shade of citrus seemed to be overtaking his face, spanning across his eyes and nose and down his neck.

On the subject of his eyes; absolutely enormous, with oblong and dilated pupils surrounded by muck-brown irises. Oh, and they were also steadily filling up with tears, which was probably a more pressing issue.

Janus could have- and probably should have- just walked away and pretended he hadn’t seen anything. He almost did, turning to leave only to hear an absolutely heart-breaking wail from the room behind him. He sighed, spinning on his heel again and gently shouldering the door open.

“Good evening.”

The emotional trait startled at that, and when he flipped around he had changed- no webbed hands, no green splotches, just a shiny faux face. Janus clicked the door closed behind him; evidently this would be a sensitive issue.

“Oh- hey Janus! Can I help you with something?”

He had always hated Morality’s fake smile. Before they’d grown close, Deceit despised how it was another symbol of his repression. Now he hated it for how it paled in comparison to Patton’s genuine beam.

Janus held up the fluffy blanket still folded in his arms and then tossed it onto the bed.

“I was just dropping by to return your blanket. While I’m here, though, would you tell me why you’re doing that?”

Patton looked much like a deer caught in headlights, panic flashing across his masked face. He forced a laugh.

“Doing what?”

The literal embodiment of lies raised his eyebrow and patiently waited for Patton to own up. He didn’t, the stubborn little thing.

“The shapeshifting,” Janus pressed, “It can’t be comfortable to keep that up all day. I would know, I do it the most out of any of us,” with that, he extended his additional arms. He actually didn’t hide them much nowadays, what with being accepted and all, but they’d been getting in the way of chores (and also, it added some drama to the point he was making). Regardless, he hoped that Patton would understand what he was trying to convey- I know how you feel. You can trust me now, remember?

The moral side kept his hands held to his chest and his eyes downcast, blinking very quickly. The skin around his arms and face was taught and plasticky, like that of a mannequin. The disturbing signs of over-shifted forms.

“I know it’s been too long, Jan, I do- but this isn't a bunch of extra arms, or anything cool like that. It’s…” his hushed speech trailed off. Janus stepped closer and reached out. Patton let him hold his hands, trembling.

“Oh, come now, it can’t be worse than this,” Deceit gestured to the left side of his face, a clear joke. It backfired- Morality looked even more dismayed, muttering something that wasn’t quite audible. Janus squeezed his hands.

“Please. Show me.”

Patton seemed almost ready to argue as they met eyes, but the fight fell from him almost instantly. A dull teal shimmer passed over his face and neck, continuing to run down his arms. What was left from the transformation were watery, frog-like eyes behind his glasses and soft hands with pudgy fingers. The tips of those fingers were much wider than humans, not to mention nail-less. Up close, various lime-colored splotches were visible scattered about his skin in seemingly random places.

He was stunning.

And he was crying.

“No matter what I do,” Patton whispered, “It won’t go away. I’ve tried everything, Janus.”

“Why on earth would you want to get rid of this?”

Patton jerked his hands back to his chest and pulled away, bumping into his dresser.

“Look at me! I look like a monster! Why wouldn’t I want to get rid of it?”

Janus scoffed at the notion as if it were the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard, though his heart ached at the fresh tears that slipped down Patton’s face. He didn’t hesitate so much as a moment, sliding off his glove. His left glove.

“I am looking, can’t you see?” he let the article drop to the floor, reaching out a candy-apple colored claw to take Patton’s hand in his once more, “You’re absolutely beautiful, in this or any other form.”

Morality’s breath hitched as Deceit twined their fingers together, watching him cautiously. The moral side was quiet, save for staggered breathing, only for a moment.

“You don’t mean that.”

Janus cupped the side of his face with an unoccupied hand, gently dragging the gloved thumb beneath Patton’s eye to dry some of his tears.

“I’m not lying. Not about this, and not to you. I mean it,” I mean it so much more than you could possibly know.

Patton seemed to search his expression, gauging the sincerity. Janus met the gaze without falter. That was what most people forgot about lying- it’s the eyes, you can always see it in the eyes.

Patton leaned into him.

“You really do mean it, huh?”

“Of course I do,” the dishonest trait tried to ignore the heat that spread across his face when Morality smiled at him, tiny and genuine.

“You’re really pretty, too,” he murmured, “At least, I think so.”

The human side of Janus’ face was flaming. He tilted his head to the side and cleared his throat- this wasn’t about him. He would not relent to the thrumming in his heart and the fuzz in his mind, for he needed to focus on comforting his friend. Friend. Frieeeends. That was what they were, just in case he had forgotten.

“Thank you, Patton.”

He was met with a small giggle, and then they were hugging. Patton wrapped his arms around Janus’ torso and pressed his face against the side of the snake’s neck, and oh, that felt illegally wonderful. When he spoke, it rumbled against the lying side’s scales.

“Thank you. I don’t know if I’ll ever be used to this,” he held up a froggy hand, “It still seems like a punishment for what I did, one that I probably deserve. But if you still like m- it… then it doesn’t feel so bad.”

That pricked Janus’ ears. Patton saying he deserved any sort of ‘punishment’, like it was the most obvious and fair thing in the world, it struck something in him. Something deep and familiar and painful.

“Why do you think you deserve it?”

Patton hid his face further, his breath warm against Deceit’s skin.

“I did kinda freak out and turn into a giant monster… actions should have consequences.”

“So the emotional distress, the Roman fiasco, me showing up, those weren’t ‘consequences’? Consequences that don’t involve permanently changing your self-image?”

“But was it enough? Didn’t I get off a little too easily?”

Janus tossed his head back with a high-pitched laugh, which probably didn’t help the situation much- but the irony! The irony!

“I’m sorry, dear, but you saying that to me, well, it didn’t catch me off-guard at all,” he fixed his remaining arms around Patton comfortingly as the cackles subsided.

“What are you talking about, Jan?” Morality pulled his head back, melancholy replaced with confusion.

“Look at us,” Janus said gleefully, “Just a few months ago I couldn’t get within five feet of you without you acting like I was going to murder you.”

Patton winced at Deceit’s less-than-comforting phrasing.

“Let me reiterate: you thought that because I wanted you to. It was my intention to be threatening, and the blame for that lies with me. And after all of that, you forgave me almost immediately. You can’t extend the same courtesy to yourself?”

“But that’s different!”

“Is it? Explain it to me.”

“It just is when it’s somebody else.”

“Exactly! We’ve found the problem. Your self-imposed rules are much stricter on yourself than on anybody else. That doesn’t sound very fair, does it?”

“I-” Patton looked almost argumentative, but just as before, it evaporated into exhaustion, “I don’t know. Maybe. But I’m not in charge of other people, and I am in charge of me.”

“That you are. And you’ve just been so easy on yourself. Plus you totally haven’t been improving, and it’s not like that counts more than anything else.”

Patton blinked, taking his time to unscramble the backwards talk. He hummed in thought.

“Even if I still don’t love this new- uh- ‘new look’, I think… Maybe I needed to hear that?” he admitted, a sheepish smile returning. Patton kept himself so very near in their hug that it was becoming dizzying, but Janus had to stay focused.

“Perhaps I can help with that, too.”

He felt a thrill chase up his spine when Morality tipped his head to the side inquisitively.

“Really?”

“I believe so. I have no idea what it’s like looking abnormal, after all. So if you ever feel particularly bad about your, ah, amphibian appearance, then you know where to find me. I’ll be sure to remind you just what you are,” Deceit loosened his grip and leaned back just the tiniest bit, readying himself to make the final point.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re worthy of love,” he was just parroting the moral trait’s words back to him, it carried no connotations nor significance. It was a callback at most. Janus tried to hammer that into his head, even when Patton looked at him so shocked and adoringly and he felt that it was beginning to mean so much more. The meaning twisted around the more he prolonged the embrace, the more he stared into those wide watery eyes, the more he wanted it to twist.

“Oh,” Patton murmured. He curled his fingers in the fabric of Janus’ capelet, “Oh, Janus.”

They were so close, their faces just inches apart. And he was leaning closer, closer, almost touching. Janus’ breath hitched when Patton stopped short, watching him carefully and... expectantly?

Janus realized that Morality would never close the gap between them, not in this kind of sensitive state. Janus also knew that, should he not do it himself, Patton wouldn’t bring it up again, for fear of seeming pushy. As terrifying the thought of kissing the object of his affections was, there was something much more horrible about the thought of not doing it. So, no reason to overthink it, he supposed.

Janus tipped his head up and connected their lips.

Patton kissed back eagerly, leaning down to accommodate their height difference. He was sweet, and warm, a gentle pressure against Deceit. He smiled, letting his hand rest at the small of Janus’ back. They moved together slowly, easily, as though this was something they were already practiced at. It was a second nature.

When they finally broke apart, Patton glanced down at his arms. He giggled a little, pressing his forehead to Janus’.

“Looks like the kiss didn’t turn me human.”

Janus, who was trying very hard to have coherent thoughts at the moment, shook his head. It took a few seconds of breathy and very embarrassing squeaking sounds before he managed to say actual words.

“Humanity is overrated, Darling,” which would have been a very smooth and dramatic thing to say, if only he wasn’t clutching to Patton for dear life and burning at the ears.

“If you say so,” the moral side pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose.

“Hhaghhh,” Janus responded eloquently, shoving his flushed face into Patton’s shoulder. The trait laughed, a lilting sound right against Janus’ ear. It was intoxicating.

“You are just too adorable, Jan.”

“This was a horrible mistake. I never should have returned that blanket and I hate you.”

“I can let go of you, if you want?”

“Not in a million years.”

Patton laughed at him again. Whatever, it was so worth it.

@shrimp-crockpot

#my writing #fanfiction #fanfic #sanders sides #ts #moceit #janus #patton #ts janus #ts patton #sanders sides fanfiction #ts fanfic #tw frog

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anxiouslyfred · 4 years

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Embodying Movies

for @dukexietyweek‘s prompt of Movie Night. My brain mixed up prompts when getting ideas but somehow still found one which works.

Summary: When they were kids Virgil and Remus would pick movies that the other sides embodied and yell everything annoying they did when watching the films. After their argument Virgil misses the tradition until Remus comes up with a way to bring it back

Warnings: none that I can think of

/\/\/\/\/\

When Thomas was ten his sides all knew who was light and who had to stay hidden and they were comfortable like that. They could still have their own parties separately, even movie nights between friends.

“I can’t decide which is Deceit. The witch literally turning into a dragon or the royals who have literally lied constantly through all the years, to their daughter and their kingdom all for nothing.” Anxiety snickered, throwing some popcorn at the screen.

“Snake-face is just the entire movie. The characters are either entirely pretentious or complete fools with no inbetween, just like him.” Dark Creativity insisted, nudging their shoulders together.

Anxiety nodded, easily taking to the idea. “Did you hear him today? Can’t tell the truth about that, or do this cause it’ll make people ostritch us.”

“Sounds ridiculous. How do you ostrich anyone? Do you bury people upside down?” Creativity grinned, happily carrying on the growing rant between them.

/\/\

“Intru! You will not believe just how much of a freaking Alladin your brother is! Gah!” Anxiety had started finding himself dragged into being known recently and usually came back with something to complain about. The dismissive suggested there should be more evening plans than Deceit and Intrusive Creativity just listening to him retelling whatever had happened.

Deceit was already standing to leave when Anxiety actually reached their living space. “I would be riveted to hear of your evening but there’s a chill out here so I’ll have to hear it some other time.” He decided, appearing to ignore the awkward freezing Anxiety did upon realising Creativity wasn’t alone, as well as the imidiate relaxing when he turned to leave.

Movie nights when either of the pair spoke like that were only for them.

“Come Ooonnnnn Creeper! Are we making Aladdin his film from now on?” Creativity whined, already waving the video of it around.

“All pretenses and posturing to be better than you are, definitely Princey.” Anxiety nodded, throwing himself down to cuddle him, already beginning the rant as the film started to play.

There wasn’t a side they’d met that they couldn’t find a film they were the embodiment of, and Anxiety and Creativity loved raging at the films when the sides wouldn’t listen.

/\/\

No movie night had happened in ages now, and Virgil missed them. Of course once he’d muttered it while half asleep and hanging out with Roman and had to hide the pout when a family movie night was suddenly arranged for the next day. It just wasn’t what he and Remus meant when they said the words.

Then again there wasn’t a Virgil and Remus, or an Anxiety and Dark Creativity or any form of them at the moment. Not since their argument.

Sitting ranting out all his ills to a film substitute sounded like the perfect release of an evening though, just not without his old friend. It had always gotten their grievances out, shared without anyone trying to find a solution or middle ground.

He wanted to watch Pirates of the Carribean and just rant and yell for a bit with Remus sat either throwing in his twopence or listening. Then again Remus would be lost over who the film was given Virgil had at some point decided Remus was Pirates of the Caribean. He could only assume that a film had been allocated to him as well. It wouldn’t be like Creativity to leave anybody out of ideas like their films especially ones which grew up with them.

“Hey Emo the Vigilant! Want a movie night? I’ve got The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe just waiting to be yelled at!” Remus somersaulted onto his bed out of nowhere while Virgil was still lost in thought.

He’d jumped into a crouch, hissing and glaring at the sudden movement and noise before the offer actually sunk in. “You want to yell at what I’m assuming to be Film Me, while watching it with me?”

“Yep, cause everything we say to the films we get to ignore after they finish playing and it’ll get those ones to stop spiralling before they reach Tom-a-ding-dong!” If Remus nodded any harder it was easy to believe his head would fall off.

“Great, if you get to watch film me and yell then I get to do the same to film you.” He demanded, using his hoodie pockets to pull it further forwards. He wasn’t sure listening to Remus yelling about the things he didn’t like about him or was annoyed over was sensible since he was Anxiety, but then again he could work past once he knew it.

Remus was on his hands and knees then, leaning so their faces could barely get any closer. “What film am I? Come on, I’ve told you so you gotta tell me!”

“Pirates of the Caribean. Yours goes first since you suggested it.” Virgil shoved him away, already heading off to the living space among the dark sides.

By the time they were half way through one film they had broken into giggles at the complaints being said. It was hard to complain for prolonged periods without any additions or interactions of the other person and Virgil was resolute about not accidentally feeding the self deprecating thoughts in his head.

Of course the same happened when it was Virgil’s turn to watch a film. Although Remus did chime up with his own annoyances at himself, they just made everything seem even more absurd.

“And he made me actually want to tell Thomas where I freaking grew up in his mind! Like how obnoxious is that!” Virgil insisted, throwing the last of his popcorn at the screen. After everything else he didn’t think that one was big. Really it had been building for a while and Remus had just been the last piece to knock it over.

Remus stopped cackling at it though. “Better I got you to say it than someone else saying it for you. With all the turmoil letting me come to the front someone was bound to say something sooner rather than later.” He muttered, shaking his head for a moment. Then it was over and he was throwing a cushion at the screen, “He’s a dork who made things more palatable instead of worse. Why change nipples to teeth when there are much more interesting things it could’ve been swapped to.”

“I love the chaotic prat though. Missed this yell fest like a hole in the head!” Virgil threw out, having heard the serious moment but knowing that commenting on it was beyond their movie nights unspoken rules.

The film ended with them both throwing out stupid nicknames at the screen, mainly talking nonsense beyond them.

“Let’s do this next week and see who annoys us most to decide what we watch.” Virgil suggested, reluctant to let the movie nights go so long without happening again.

“As sure as Davy Jones will rise.” Remus declared, sinking away with a wave.

They were kids when the idea of a person being a film first came to them, but now it’s a tradition neither will let them lose.

#platonicdukexietyweek2020 #platonic dukexiety #remus sanders #virgil sanders #roman mention #janus mention #movie nights

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fallen-hero · 4 years

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LET’S TALK PACING

Let's talk pacing, because it's a nebulous thing that I think deserves to be talked about more. BUT in order to talk about pacing, we need to talk about structure.

Writing a book is a thing. Most people who start out writing one, never finishes. They get stuck halfway, or they get a better idea, or they run out of steam, and even if they do finish it, they take one look at it and realizes it is not what they wanted and despair.

I get that. I really do. Most of the things that people write are short stories. Why? Because they are short, fast, fun little snippets. They might be a fanfiction filling out an established story, or just a scene that got stuck in your head, or even a carefully structured piece meant for publishing. It's still short. It's in the name. So you write it, check the grammar, maybe send it off to a beta, make sure that the language is good, and that you get across what you want to. Then you're done, publish and move on. The majority of time is spent actually writing, and most of the editing is done on the fly.

Why? Because it is short enough that you can keep everything in mind. It's a song, not an album.

This is what many people try to do with books, treating each chapter as a short story. Write, fix, edit, next chapter. Books... doesn't work that way.

One of my favorite illustrations of this is an author I am following on twitter (V.E Schwab, the structure of Vicious is -chef's kiss-) posting a picture of her and her editor trying to fix her latest (at the time) book before the deadline. The picture was of the floor filled with yellow papers detailing what happened in the scenes, and they kept moving around scenes to find the flow of the book. Because with a book, writing 'the end' is not the end, that is just the beginning. Because only when you've got the text down can you start making sense of the flow. Do you need to add scenes? Remove them? Move them around? These are the parts that are impossible to fix on the fly, because you don't know until you've got the end. It's too big. Too complex. It changes too much from what you've originally planned.

This is why I am so adamant about not fixing grammar or bothering having nice writing until the alpha is done. I don't know if the scenes will stay. I don't know if they need to be rewritten. I can't know.

In Rebirth, the scene where you steal the Rat-King was in a different place, and a lot more simple and dry. It was the part playtesters skipped through to get to the good stuff. I had to move it, rewrite it, add a lot of scenes to it just to make it fit better into the narrative and be fun. I have already done one round of changes to Retribution because I knew they were needed (moving chapters around, adjusting the timeline) but I can't look at it until I'm at the end,

If there is ONE advice I have to ANYBODY out there writing a book is to FINISH it before you start to edit it. Don't go back. Don't fix things. DON'T REWRITE THE START. JUST DON'T. Not until it's done. Otherwise it's wasted work. Take notes, but don't write it.

Just finish the damn book first.

It's taken me a lot of courage letting other people see my unfinished work. It's harder than I pretend, because I'm a perfectionist, but I also know that the end result will be the better for it. So I will suck it up. The biggest issue is that I can fix coding errors, but I CANNOT go and fix the pacing. Not yet. It will just sit there and annoy me, and I have to try to ignore it. It's not easy.

And here we come to the BIG problem with pacing.

PACING IN A BLOODY CHOICESCRIPT GAME.

It is a nightmare. In a book you have control. Here, the more choices you give people, the less control you have over the pacing.

Let's take a simple book. A is for Action, I is for Interaction, and R is for Romance.

A - I - A - I - A - R - A is a common pacing. A mix of action/plot and character interaction ending in a romance and a climax. No, not that kind of climax, get your mind out of the gutter.

In Rebirth I had a pacing like this, because the Interactions were separate, Ortega for the hero side and the past, Mortum for the villain side and the future. No complications. Simple. Easy to pace. And then we started to add love interests.

A - I - A - Ia/Ib/Ic/Id - A - Ra/Rb/Rc/Rd - A

Not that much more complicated. More alternative scenes, sure, but still straightforward as games go. Talk to person A or B. A lot of games that locks in your romance does this, choose the same interaction to build romance points, enough and you'll get the payoff at the end.

But some of those scenes were so nice, and would also work if you are friends. And I wanted a platonic playtrough as well. It's just that well, the friendship scenes are already there, and you can care about more than one person so why not be able to romance one and be friends with the other?

A - Ia -Ic - A - Ia - Ic - A - Ra - A

And all of a sudden those action/plot scenes are a lot further apart.

But some of those interaction scenes were cool, and kind of plot related things were revealed so maybe everyone should have those not to miss out on content, right? And that also helps with not having to choose one out of five options and feel shut out from the cool things in there for no good reason. In real life, people have time to do more things, right? Not to mention that you need more interactions to do more groundwork for the romance, which some people want to happen right now, and other people draw it out.

A - I - Ib - Ia - A - Ia - I - Ib - A - Ra - A

By now our plot/action A scenes are getting further and further apart... and all of a sudden someone says, well, there's a lot of talking and not much action in this game? Because we can have one playthrough that is:

A - I - Ib - Ia - Ic - A - Ia - I - Ib - A - Ia - Ra - A

because they talk to/wants to romance everyone, while another playthrough is:

A - I - A - I - A - R - A

because they are playing a depressed loner who would rather skip at least two of those I scenes because that would be in character.

And these are the things I'll have to sit and balance. Because there is no canon playtrough. Because some people will want to talk to everyone, and I have to make the decision if I should let them, and risk them complaining that the game is slow and too talky, but if I don't, they might complain that they get cut off from content for no good reason because realistically in the game they would have time.

And on the other hand I have to decide if I should allow people to skip content because it would be in character, and risk players missing out on content, information and maybe even think it was a short and boring game if they only played it once. I made the Lady Argent mind dive optional in Rebirth, and I think it was the right call. I did not make the Ortega argument in the park optional because I wanted that interaction there, though it was against character for some mc's to meet up.

These are the things I have to juggle, in addition to the pacing.

I am taking a big risk with Retribution, but I've allowed myself the possibility of failure, rather than taking control. I am giving the players/readers more variation/control and choices than I had planned. It's going to be very hard getting a decent pacing at the end, for all the varying playthroughs. But I'm gonna try.

We'll see if I'll manage to pull it off.

#process #ChoiceScript

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formerprincess · 5 years

Text

A tale written with fangs and claws || Chapter 53

Chapters: 53/? Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt Characters: Liam Dunbar, Theo Raeken, Mason Hewitt, Corey Bryant, Nolan (Teen Wolf) Additional Tags: Alpha Liam Dunbar, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, Dunbar Pack, Bisexual Liam Dunbar, Werewolf Theo Raeken, Alpha Theo Raeken, Canon-Typical Violence, Smut, Mates, Liam and Theo are mates, Top Theo Raeken, Bottom Theo Raeken, Top Liam, Bottom Liam Dunbar Series: Part 1 of Morning Dew Pack

Liam feels sad at their current situation and is in desperate need of some good news. And then a mysterious letter arrives...

_____________________________________________________________

Liam was having a headache. He had sat down at the dining table to get some reading done for his classes and he finished a large part but now his eyes were burning, too tired from the small font and the bright color of his highlighter. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. When a can of Coke was placed next to him, he jumped. “You look like you’re about to pass out. I’ve never seen you so pale,” Brett explained his action. “Drink.” Liam blinked against the dots dancing in front of his eyes from rubbing them too hard and opened the can to take a sip. “Just having a headache,” he murmured once he swallowed. “You’re all at sea, don’t even try to deny it. Sleeping on that couch is killing you.” Brett pulled a chair towards him and straddled it reversed. He braced his arms on the backrest and watched Liam. “The couch is not the problem. It’s just a bit much lately.” Liam was trying to take Mason’s words to heart and be more open about how he felt and such. “Don’t tell me. It fucking sucks. I’d love to be alone with Nolan for a little while so we can sort out if we are together or not but we just don’t have the opportunity when we’re home. We both don’t want to do it somewhere else, it’s a private matter.” "I feel you, Brett, I feel you.” Liam yawned and sipped his Coke. Brett narrowed his eyes. “You’re still looking pale as fuck. Theo kills me if you faint right now. Go and lay down.” “I am fine,” Liam affirmed. “Just tired. The Coke needs a few moments to work but it will help.” He drank another sip.

His phone beeped and he grabbed it to check the message he received. Lana had sent him a picture of Landon and Zack smiling brightly in the camera, arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders. Since the two boys met they had become best friends and were inseparable. It was great to see Landon having a great best friend by his side and be the happy child he should be. The young Alpha smiled and turned the phone to show Brett the picture. Brett smiled as well. He was just as glad his cousin and his aunt were happy and didn’t live in an oppressive pack anymore. "I’m happy I didn’t bring him back to Seattle. To think where a child would sleep currently, what a nightmare,” Liam muttered and placed his phone on the table again. “Everything happens for a reason. At the lake, he is happy at least. Although he keeps asking when we move again and he can come to visit me.” “You miss him, hm?” Brett put his chin on his arms and studied Liam. Liam hummed. “Yeah.”

He leaned his head against his chair and sipped his Coke again. His head still hurt. From the look Brett was giving him, he seemingly still looked as if he was about to pass out. “I’m fine,” he growled. Brett just scoffed. Theo came home at that moment, alongside Sadie and Maya, and Brett pointed at Liam. “Great timing, now you can make sure your boyfriend is not falling off his chair.” “Why would he fall off his chair?” Theo questioned and put his bag down. Maya glanced at Liam. “Jeez, you’re white as a wall, what’s up with you?” “I am fine!” Liam hated the scrutinizing looks from his Betas. “It’s just a headache. I already have something to drink.” He raised his can. Theo came over and gently grabbed Liam’s chin. “She’s right, you are pale. Sure it’s just a headache?” “Yeah. Why do you worry?” “Because you are the love of my life,” Theo replied and kissed Liam softly. It was a really sweet gesture and it gave Liam a kick to know they could have those little moments despite the chaos their life currently was. “I love you too,” he muttered against Theo’s lips. The older smiled. “I know,” he answered and nudged Liam’s nose with his.

****** The referee ended the game and Liam pulled off his helmet, let it dangle from his fingers. A curse fell from his lips and he huffed loudly. They had lost. Despite being positive and having faith in his team, the other team had been better and beat them fair and square. It sucked. “Chin, up, Liam! It was a good game,” Rod called over to his captain. Liam scoffed. “We were not good enough,” he stated heatedly. “No, hey, you did very well, the others were simply better today. Doesn’t mean you were not good.” “It’s just...” Liam ran a hand through his sweaty hair and looked at his lacrosse coach. “I really hoped we would have this one in the bag, you know? Something positive as a sign life’s on it’s way up again. But I guess karma just hates my ass or something.” “I can tell you are frustrated but don’t give up hope, okay? Good things happen to good people.” Rod gave him a friendly pat on the back. “At this point, I’m in the need for a miracle. But miracles only happen in Hollywood movies and internet stories. My life is neither a movie nor a fanfiction, so I can’t really hope on a miracle.” Liam made a face. “I wouldn’t say that. Good things happen to those who deserve it and I would testify you’re one of those people.” “Hm.” Liam stubbornly shook his head. He really could not believe this anymore. “That’s some Disney crap right there and I’m everything but a Disney Prince.” “I wouldn’t say that. You’re my Disney Prince.” Theo had appeared next to Liam. The young Alpha glared at him. “Stop making fun of me!” “I’m not making fun of you. Just trying to make you feel better.” He pulled Liam in a hug. “Sorry that you lost.” Liam grumbled but briefly hugged Theo back. It wasn’t his boyfriend’s fault that yet another thing failed. “I need to hit the showers. See you in a bit.”

He stepped back and made his way to the locker room. On his way, he slung his arms around Sadie’s and Caden’s shoulders. Both looked as done as Liam felt. “Losing sucks!” Sadie complained loudly. “Tell me about it.” Caden was just as frustrated and disappointed as the other two. “I was so confident we would win this time. I don’t know what happened.” “Fate hates me and I was on the field with you, that’s what happened,” Liam grumbled with a stormy look on his face. Sadie stopped walking and pushed her palm against his chest. “Okay, first of all, you are a great guy, I can’t see how anyone would hate you. Second of all, if fate hates anybody, it’s all of us because we all played.” Liam just gave her a tired look. “Leave it, Sads, I’m really not in the mood for another pep talk.” And he just dragged Caden in the locker room with him, Sadie’s indignant huff behind him ignored.

****** “Am I feeling sorry for myself?” Liam asked. He sat on the ground and leaned against the wall of Isaac’s apartment outside on the balcony. “Yeah,” Isaac agreed and took a sip from his beer. He sat next to Liam and had his legs stretched out in front of him. “But that is allowed. Your currently not the luckiest guy.” “I feel like I should do more, you know?” Liam sipped on his own beer. It was just slightly laced with wolfsbane, nearly not enough to get him drunk but it was more the sentiment. “To help my pack gain money and find a new home.” “What else do you want to do? Liam, you are doing everything you can. It is freaking hard to go on when you hit rock bottom, take it from someone who knows that more than well, and sometimes the only success you have is not giving up. You’re not giving up. That’s what matters.” “I’m still unemployed and my boyfriend works his ass off in a sleazy Diner.” Isaac sighed and pointed his bottle at Liam. “You know when things go south? When one of you starts turning tricks. Theo’s job is not good, we both agree on that one, but he’s also not seeling his ass. Neither are you or any of your Betas. And you’re all alive. As someone from Beacon Hills, that should put you in a positive mood.” “Oh, so the newest standard for how bad things are is prostitution? That’s constructive, Zac.” He sipped his beer again and ignored the look Isaac gave him. “Look, Liam, you asked if you feel sorry for yourself. Yes, you all do. It is actually important that you do. Because this is grief and grief has several stages. It’s not always caused by someone dying but by traumatic experiences. Only if you grief properly, you can heal. So, feel sorry for yourself, but then pick yourself up when time’s right and tackle life.” “I am drinking beer in the middle of the day. I’m not sure if this counts as picking myself up.” But it had been one of those days, one of the worst. He had lost an argument in class, had gotten in a discussion with one of his Professors, spilled coffee over himself, and had gotten yet another decline from a job he had applied to. Isaac had taken one look at Liam when the younger dragged himself back to the apartment and fell on the couch before he had offered the beer to Liam. “Hm, some days this is allowed.” Isaac drank again. He swallowed and was quiet for a while. “When I was in France, I felt lost. Not only because I had never been to France before but because of everything that happened. It was never real grief though, always simmering underneath. I thought that was how it would be. I wasn’t and I’m still not overly good with feelings so it kind of worked for me. And then one day it hit me. I woke up and I couldn’t go on. Getting out of bed was hard. How I managed it in the end, I had no idea. All I could think about was Allison, the remaining pack in Beacon Hills, how it would never be the same, how I would never see her again. It crashed over me like an avalanche and there was nothing I could do about it. I hit rock bottom. That night, I got so fucking drunk, I have no idea what happened. The last thing I know was that I grabbed my bottle of I think it was wolfsbane-vodka and staggered through the streets bawling my eyes out. Next morning I woke up in a park. I was reeking like a tavern, my clothes were dirty, and my head hurt, but despite all this, I felt better. Not because of the alcohol but because for one night, I let go and allowed myself to break down. It took a while longer after that but I continuously got better.”

Liam tilted his face towards the sun and closed his eyes. “Basically, your advice is to get wasted and cry my eyes out before sleeping in a park.” Isaac sighed deeply. “Seriously, comments like that make me see that you’re Theo’s boyfriend. Same cynicism.” “Well, his cynicism as you called it, is one of the things I felt drawn to.” Liam snickered. “That and his abs. And his ass. And his spirit. How great he was in fights. How he managed to get under my skin. Did I already mention his ass?” Liam sighed internally. Speaking of all the qualities his boyfriend possessed reminded him how long it was since Theo and he had been alone for a while. A shame. The twenty-year-old sighed and got to his feet. “I will go for a run now. And then I’ll take a shower, preferably a cold one. Mason and Maya declared themselves in charge for dinner tonight.” “As long as Theo doesn’t bring what he calls food from his workplace again, I’m fine with everything.” “It’s funny how everybody hates their food and they still make money with it.” Liam snickered when he slipped inside the apartment to change into workout clothes. He really hoped his run would help him feel a little bit better about himself.

Turned out, the run didn’t really help to lift Liam’s spirits but when he returned back to the apartment he found Theo sitting in one of the leather seats in the entrance hall. “Hey,” the older greeted when he spotted Liam. “Hey. What are you doing down here?” Liam asked curiously. Theo shrugged. “Needed to get out of the apartment for a while. Gotten a little crowded.” Oh, how Liam could understand that. “We really need a new place to stay.” “We do,” Theo agreed and held out a chocolate bar for Liam. “Here, got this for you.” “Why does everybody feel the need to give me food or drinks recently? Do I look like I need feeding?” “It’s with coconut. You like coconut and chocolate makes people happy. Is not much but maybe it helps you a little bit.” “Aw.” Liam doubted it would help but Theo had tried and therefore, Liam leaned down and kissed his mate. “I love you.” “I love you too. Are you going to the apartment?” “Yeah, I need a shower.” Liam avoided sniffing at himself, what he already smelled was enough. Theo got to his feet and slung his arm around Liam’s shoulders. “I’ll accompany you.” “If you’d rather stay down here, it’s fine, you know?” “No, I had a little break, that’s enough. I love the pack, is not like I want to avoid them.”

The couple stepped into an elevator and Theo pressed the button for Isaac's floor. His other arm stayed around Liam’s shoulders and his thumb stroked the naked skin on Liam’s shoulder. Liam dressed in a tank top helped him immensely with that. “I got another negative answer for a job,” Liam filled his mate in while they rode the elevator up. “They really don’t know what they’re missing. Their loss. You will find a job where people appreciate you and want to work with you. Meanwhile, we all appreciate you, Alpha.” “Thanks, T.” Liam pecked Theo’s cheek and wrapped his arms around the older man’s waist. “You know this means a lot to me, yeah? That you always support me and try to make me feel better.” “Well, doesn’t take a mindreader to see you’re not happy. Can’t blame you and I want to help you. What happened wasn’t your fault, Liam.” “I know that.” Liam squeezed Theo shortly then he let him go and pushed his hands in the pockets of his running shorts. “I’m just so fucking pissed. The hyenas destroyed our home and now they’re gone. If they had come to fight at least, I could have ripped them apart, but I was left with nothing. Fucking cowards.” “I’m pretty sure every single member of this pack, even Tim and Corey, are ready to rip those bastards apart. If they ever step foot in Seattle again, they’re history.” There laid the problem. The cowardy shifters had run away after they caused havoc with no intention to fight the pack. Liam didn’t think they would ever come back to Seattle.

They arrived at their floor and made their way to the apartment. Once they stepped in, both Alphas were happily greeted by most of their pack. “Hey, guys.” Liam waved at his Betas. “I need a shower. Mase, Maya, after that, I can help you with dinner.” “Na, we’re fine. Take a shower and just relax or do your homework or whatever it is you want to do. We got it covered,” Mason called after him while Liam grabbed his spare clothes and then disappeared in the bathroom. It was an actual miracle how so many people could live together and yet have such a clean bathroom. Then again, no matter how chaotic some of the pack members were, no one wanted a dirty bathroom so they all had an unspoken agreement to keep it clean. That and the kitchen, also that was more Liam’s rule than anything else. Theo found it highly amusing that Liam always kept the kitchen clean but was hopelessly chaotic when it came to everything else. Liam always defended himself in saying being chaotic wasn’t the same as being dirty. It was one of those talks where they both said the same thing but with different words and Theo got his amusement out of it by pretending he was not understanding what Liam was expressing. He was an asshole and Liam loved every part of him and would never let him go.

Liam stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower. He only used a little bit of the warm water and used mostly cold water. Somehow Liam liked cold showers, especially during the summer. Mason once had the misfortune to use the shower after Liam and had shrieked at the temperature of the water when he just turned it on. Corey had doubled over with laughter when his husband literally jumped out of the shower and yelled profanities in Liam’s direction. It had been funny but then again proved how used they all had gotten to the house. The Alpha couple had their own bathroom and Theo was used to Liam’s cold showers. Now that they all had to share one bathroom, problems were bound to arise. Even though Liam was quite proud of how his pack handled them and that there were not many fights involving the bathroom use.

Liam finished his shower lost in thoughts. He knew Isaac had no problem with them staying here but they could not live like that much longer. And maybe Nolan’s mom was right and they had to accept living together was not an option at the moment. Maybe they got lucky and could get dorm rooms in close vicinity.

He got dressed and then dried his hair with a towel before he exited the bathroom again and made his way into the kitchen. Most of the pack was gathered there and currently wrapped in a discussion. Isaac was currently speaking. “Of course, there will be insurance but since Mike brought the house with his parent’s money, the insurance money will go to his parents as well. We already covered that. I can’t think of any way you will get access to that money, especially since Mike’s bank account is still frozen by his parents.” “But can’t we like lie or something?” Corey inquired. Theo snorted. “I’m pretty sure that would be insurance fraud. Technically, Mike’s parents bought the house. It’s only fair in terms of law they get the insurance money.” “You care about law and Mike’s parents getting what’s fair?” Mason could not believe his ears. Theo shrugged. “I can scam people but insurance fraud is not my strength. Besides, what is this? Ocean’s Eleven? Are you already planning a heist?” Liam cut in before Mason could even start to delve into that fantasy. “We are not getting money by any criminal action. Also, not by prostitution.” His Betas stared at him dumbfounded. “When was prostitution ever on the table?” Maya asked hesitantly. “I mean,” Sadie played with the tips of her ponytail. “People surely would pay money for you, Liam, but when was this considered?” Theo flashed his eyes. “It wasn’t! That’s not even on the table! Like ever!” “Yeah, that’s what I said.” Liam gently reached out and ran his fingers over Theo’s hand.”Calm down.” “Sorry but my wolf goes crazy just even imagining somebody else touching my mate like that. No! Nope! Not going there!” He vehemently shook his head.

There was a knock on the door and Ever waved her hand to telekinetically open it. Caden strolled in, followed by Lori and Brett. All three were happily greeted by everyone else. Even though some of the Betas slept at Caden’s dorm room, it was nice to have everyone gather at Isaac’s apartment and be together for a few hours per day. Lori carried the mail she had gotten from the house and sorted through it while he stepped into the kitchen. “Most is just flyers and ads but there is one letter for you, Liam. Looks important.” She handed the cream-colored envelope over and Liam frowned. He didn’t expect any letters and he surely did not expect such expensive looking letters. There was a blue logo with silver writing on the left upper corner of the envelope. “Ebstein and McArvey? Sounds like lawyers. No idea who they are.” Mike looked up from his phone. “They are lawyers. High-profile ones. My parents’ company used to work with them.” Liam visibly paled at that and Theo gave him a sharp look. “What did you do that requires a lawyer?” He asked suspiciously. Liam shook his head. “I didn’t do anything!” He glanced at Mason. “What we did at the junkyard was legal, right?” “Of course it was,” Mason hurried to confirm. He paused, then he added: “Also, those guys won’t hire a lawyer, they would send somebody.” Corey sighed. “That was the most unsettling sentence you said in a long time.” He shook his head when Mason glared at him. “Way to go, baby, way to go.”

Liam meanwhile opened the letter with shaking hands. He had done nothing wrong, why would a lawyer write a letter to him? He had tried to be good so badly, had done his best to not turn into the Liam he once was, the one destroying things in his rage, and now such a letter. It scared the shit out of him and his heart beat furiously against his ribcage. What if he was getting sued? How was he supposed to handle this financially? Inside the envelope was a letter written on the same paper as the envelope itself and with the law firm’s logo right on top of the page. “Do you want one of us to read it?” Ever offered empathetically when she saw how bad Liam was shaking. Brett reached out and put a hand on Liam’s shoulder, gave it a squeeze. “No, it’s fine. I’ll just read it aloud.” Liam grimaced. He felt like he was going to throw up at any moment. He took a shaky breath and unfolded the letter completely. Then he began to read:

“Dear Mr. Dunbar,

we are contacting you on behalf of one of our clients. Our client tasked us with organizing a meeting between him and you in our office here in Washington D.C. to discuss some business matters. Please understand that for now, we will honor our client’s privacy and you can only contact us but be assured all correspondence will be forwarded to the client.

Accommodation and travel costs will be taken care of; if you confirm the meeting a train ticket and a booking confirmation for a hotel will be sent to you immediately.

Since this is a business meeting and you haven’t reached the age of twenty-one yet, we also invited your mother Ilona to the meeting. Her hotel and travel costs will also be taken care of.

To confirm the meeting, please send me an email with your phone number in case of any questions. For further questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,

Cordelia Apscort Personal Assistant George Ebstein [email protected]”

Then came the date when the meeting should take place, her phone number, and the address. Liam blinked. What? “That is a trap! I know a trap when I see one!” Sadie pointed at the letter. “Surely, those hyenas are behind that. They want to lure you in and then attack! It has to be a trap!” “Why does it have to?” Maya asked. “The law firm exists, it could also be legit. I don’t think those cowards would go such lengths to lure Liam out of town.” “Liam, do you know anybody who could work with this law firm?” Isaac questioned. Liam shrugged his shoulders. “I’m drawing a blank here. I also don’t know what business anyone could talk about with me. Theo’s majoring in business, not me. But it also doesn’t feel like a trap to me. I’m confused. That doesn’t make any sense.”

It sparked a vivid argument between the whole pack about the letter and what it could mean, if it was a scheme to hurt Liam, what he should do about it. “Can I say something?” Mike suddenly questioned. Liam glanced at him and gave a curt nod. “Those lawyers are great at what they do and they are expensive as hell. Their clients are rich, companies making millions per year, CEOS, stockbrokers, you get the idea. I don’t think those hyenas are rich enough to actually get these lawyers to set up a trap. Even if they had the money, I don’t think the law firm would put their reputation on the line like that. It doesn’t make sense to me.” “I hear what you’re saying and I concede it is logical but I also don’t know anybody rich enough to hire them. I just don’t. So either this is a trap or somebody is actually suing me for something.” Liam put his elbows on the counter and buried his face in his hands. “Maybe I’m going to jail.” “If you were going to jail the police would have shown up here. Also, there would have been a trial. You’re not going to jail.” Bless Theo and his logical mind.

Liam peeked between his fingers. Then he pushed himself up. “Where’s my phone?” “On the table.” Tim hurried over to the dining table and gathered the device before bringing it to Liam. “What are you doing?” “Calling my mom. They invited her too, after all,” Liam explained and dialed Ilona’s number. It took five rings and she picked up. “Liam, sweetie, I was about to call you.” “Is it because of the letter from those lawyers.” Liam was not even asking. He didn’t have to. “Yes. What is going on, baby?” “I have absolutely no idea. I got this letter today and it makes absolutely no sense to me. I hoped you could help me figure it out.” “Sorry, Liam, I’m afraid I can’t help you with this. They mention a business meeting but I have no idea what this could entail.” “Huh.” Liam worried his lower lip. So far, they knew absolutely nothing and it was hard making a decision. Sure, he was curious, but he had also paid for curiosity in the past and it had made him wary. “Only one way to find it out, I guess.” “You’re actually considering this?” Ilona and Theo asked at the same time. Theo was shocked, Ilona merely surprised. “Yeah, I mean, what else can I do? To find out what this is about, I have to travel to D.C. and attend the meeting.” Theo raised both shoulders. “Okay, I’m coming with you then.” “No, you’re staying here,” Liam stated. Instantly their mating bond tensed and Theo got a stormy look on his face. “The fuck I’m staying.” Liam ignored his boyfriend for now. “Mom, what do you think?” “I think given what you’re usually against it is risky. But I will also be the first person to support you and accompany you to a real business meeting. It could go both ways, but I will be there, baby.” “Great. I will call you later, okay? For now, I have to settle this because Dore looks seconds away from sending me to Eichen House. Love you.” He hung up and returned Theo’s stormy glare with a raised eyebrow of his own. “What?” “If you believe I’m letting you travel to D.C. alone, then yes, you belong to Eichen House.” Theo snapped. “I’m totally on Theo’s side this time,” Mason declared.

Liam pushed away from the counter and wandered into the living room area. He turned around again to face his pack. “It could be a trap aimed at making us split up. If one part of the pack comes with me, the hyenas could attack the other part staying here. You’re stronger if you all stay together.” “And if they attack you?” Nolan questioned. “I’m the Alpha, that is a risk I have to take.” He saw how absolutely not okay his friends were with this and hurried to explain his reasons. “Look, you are right, I could walk right into a trap and a potentially deadly fight. But it could also leave my pack in danger if we split. I’m the Alpha and maybe because of the Alpha spark, those thoughts pop into my head. I can’t shake them. Try to see things from my perspective, okay? How am I supposed to decide who comes with me? Do I take the strongest Betas and leave the others behind? This is not me rating you, you all have your strengths and weaknesses, but what am I supposed to do? Do I take Sadie and Mike, the strongest ones? Do I take Ever who can cast spells and make everything go up in flames or do I let her stay in Seattle for protection and defense? Do I take Theo, so if something happens this pack has no Alpha anymore? I’m aware you all are confident and can survive on your own, this is not what this is about. And then, of course, is always the possibility of this being really just a business meeting.I’m sure the lawyers will love me walking in there accompanied by a hunter carrying several weapons with him.” All his reasoning proved popular with his friends and they nodded hesitantly. “But can’t you at least call some from the lake? Not to accompany you but to be around when shit hist the fan? Backup? You and your mom all alone in D.C. make me anxious,” Theo pleaded. It was strange to see and hear him do so but Liam got it. Still, he wasn’t sure if he should. "I don’t want to put them in danger.” “I swear to god, Liam Emerson!” Theo threw his hands up in frustration. “Maybe you should talk about this later, when your emotions are not running so high and everything has settled a little bit,” Caden suddenly suggested. “And, this could always be something entirely normal. A business opportunity. Maybe a sponsor. Liam, didn’t you say yourself you needed a miracle?” “Miracles don’t happen in real life, Caden.” Liam scrunched his nose.

****** In the end, Liam had confirmed the meeting and traveled to D.C. on his own. He would meet Ilona at the hotel and they would spend a pleasant evening, grab a bite to eat and then talk some before they would have the meeting the other day. If he was honest, Liam was anxious. He still suspected to get sued but for the life of him could not recall something he did recently that was worthy of suing him for.

His farewell to his Betas had been kind of hard. It was strange to leave them, even for one night. Theo had hugged Liam especially tight and didn't let go for a while. “Please, come home to me,” he had whispered in his Alpha’s ear and Liam had hugged him tighter. They had kissed after that and then Liam had to go on the train. The whole ride he had spent running his fingers over the bracelet around his wrist or play with his pendant. He would return to Seattle tomorrow, it was plain ridiculous to act like that and yet Liam could not help himself. The last couple of weeks had been an emotional rollercoaster and their situation was still not getting better. And now he was on a way to a mysterious meeting. What happened to his normal werwolf college life from a year ago?

When he arrived at the hotel in D.C. Liam was surprised by how nice yet humble it looked. He had expected a luxurious hotel, given the law firm’s reputation, and he would have felt way out of place. But this one was a nice white building and the hotel colors were white and dark blue. Upon entering a friendly receptionist beamed at Liam and kindly asked for his name. While she searched on her computer, the young Alpha looked around. White marble floors and dark blue walls, a little seating area with grey armchairs and a round table. He liked it. “There you go, your room is 523 on the fifth floor. Just take the elevator and then to the right.” She handed him his key card and Liam smiled gratefully. “Thank you. Uhm, did my mother already check-in? Ilona Geyer?” She checked with her computer. “She did indeed. Her room is 516 on the same floor as yours. Enjoy your stay.” With a small nod and a wave, Liam grabbed his bag and then ventured for the elevator. He only wanted to put his bag in his room, shoot the pack a quick text and some pictures of the room, and then go visit his mother. He had missed her and needed to see her.

The elevator didn’t take long and soon enough Liam found himself in front of his room. It occurred to him how he spent more times in hotels in the last year than in any other year before. Huh, how about that? But there was not much he could do about it and the aspect of sleeping in a real bed again, excited him. Sure, not sleeping next to Theo would be awful but he would manage this for one night if it meant a real mattress and not a couch. “Oh, this is pretty,” escaped him when he unlocked the door and stepped in. Dark blue carpet and walls, highlighted with some white and stone gray. His way into the room led him past the little bathroom, completely kept in white and just with blue towels, and then right in front of the bed. Two chairs stood in front of the window, a highly polished desk, and the kingsize bed held the same colors as the company logo. Liam pulled out his phone and filmed a 360 of the room before he sent the video to his Betas alongside a small message. Soon enough his phone dinged with messages where his family gushed how pretty this room was. With a smile, Liam pocketed his phone again, grabbed his keycard and then made his way towards his mother’s room.

Ilona opened after the second knock. It took her one look at her son and her warm smiled turned sad. “Oh my baby, the last weeks have been hard for you, hm?” She could always see right through him and with his mother in front of him, Liam broke down. He stepped closer and hugged her while he burrowed his face against her shoulder and began to cry. He had been shaken so badly by almost getting killed, becoming homeless, and with his mother around he could finally let loose. Ilona embraced him after she tossed the door shut. Her hands ran over his back. “It’s okay, baby, I know how tiring always being strong can be. Let it all out. I’m here.” She held him and never wavered, gave her son the shoulder to cry on he needed. Yes, his pack had been there, but they all had to work through the trauma of their house exploding, so Liam had kept back. He was the Alpha, even if he promised Mason to be more open. More open and completely open were two different things.

It took a while until Liam calmed down and pulled away. He wiped his eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s just, I now understand what you’ve been through after the divorce and what you did for me. I can never repay you that” “Liam.” She stroked his hair. “Never say sorry for crying and showing your feelings. It makes part of who you are, you don’t have to hide. And what I did back then was something I should have done years earlier. But I did it and I did what I had to do for my family, just like you did what you had to do for your family. You don’t have to repay me anything, just seeing the man you are today, is reward enough.” They settled in the chairs in front of the window. Liam inhaled and exhaled deeply. “It just feels like nothing is going my way right now. I can’t get a job and I don’t know why. Theo is helping me but he is also driving me crazy. The others have days when they are just hopeless because we have no money. I don’t know what to do.” “Are you and Theo fighting?” “No. We did that too but he is doing his best he can to make me feel better. He just has this job in this dirty Diner and it makes me cringe every time I think about it. We rarely talk about this topic cause when we do, we fight.” “You don’t want him working there?” “It’s in a bad neighborhood. He can heal faster but I don’t want to have him around drug deals and robberies.” “And you have told him that?” Ilona nodded. “He is stubborn. No matter what I say, he will continue working there.” Ilona smiled softly. “Maybe that is his way of taking care of you. He’s putting himself in danger so you don’t have to. It’s is debatable if this is a good way but maybe you can see it from his perspective?” Liam groaned. “I’d rather have him somewhere safe,” he sulked. Ilona reached over and patted his hand. “I know you two will find a compromise you both can love with and not fight about.” “Hm, maybe this business meeting turns out real and I get a good opportunity. Who knows?” “Still no idea what this could be about?” Ilona frowned. Liam shook his head. “Your father and I racked our brains but we could not come up with anything. “ “Guess we have to wait until tomorrow to know for sure. Hey, mom, if things go south tomorrow, just know I will get you out, okay? Nothing will happen to you.” His mother took Liam’s hand in hers. “I have no doubt in you wanting to protect me. But I need you to know I can take care of myself. It is my job to protect you.” “But I have the claws and the fangs,” Liam argued back. “And I am a mother protecting her son. You don’t know what we can do in those situations. Don’t test me, sweetie.” Liam chuckled. His mom was as crazy as him because she was absolutely sincere about what she was saying. He got that from her.

“Now, come on, let’s grab something to eat. I’m paying. You keep your money together so don’t even start arguing with your mother, Liam.”

****** The hotel bed was comfy but Liam could not fall asleep. He missed the warm body of his mate next to him, the way Theo’s arms wrapped around him, he missed Theo’heartbeat lulling him to sleep and he missed running his fingers through Theo’s hair. It simply wasn’t the same when the older was not around and now they were miles apart.

His phone chimed with an incoming text and Liam reached over to grab it. Theo had messaged him asking if he was still awake and just after Liam replied that yes, he was awake, his phone light up with an upcoming video chat. He accepted and Theo smiled at him. “Hey, baby.” “Hey.” Liam propped himself up on his pillow and waved softly. “Can’t sleep either?” “No, you’re missing.” Theo sat outside on the balcony, the apartment behind him dark. The other seemed to be already sleeping. “I miss you too.” Liam didn’t know how he could express how much he did. “Did you have a nice evening with your mom?” “Yeah, we found a great seafood restaurant, she paid. Would not even let me pay the dessert. Stubborn woman.” “Pot, kettle, you know?” Theo smirked. Then he suddenly turned solemn. “Hey, I know we had our difficulties lately. The situation isn’t easy by any means and I know you don’t like my workplace. I didn’t make things easier for you, even though I certainly tried to. Do you think we could mend that went you get back home? Maybe go on a date or just spend more time together without arguing? I really miss that with you.” Theo had perfectly summarized the feelings Liam had too and he smiled sadly. “I feel the same way. Yes, I’d love to implement date night again. It will be good for both of us. And Theo?” “Hm?” “I know you’re trying. I’m trying too.” His mate smiled lovingly at him. “I know you do. Lee, I cannot tell you enough how much I love you. You are wonderful and I will do everything I can to fight for us and make you smile again.” “I love you so much. Just stay with me and we will find a way to make it all work and be happy again. I just could never be happy without you.” The look Theo gave him was full of love and promise. They would make it work. “If someone can, then we, Lee.” “Yeah.” They just smiled at each other before Theo yawned. “Sorry.” “Nah, it’s okay. It’s late, you should go to sleep. I know you have an early shift tomorrow morning.” “You know my schedule better than I do.” “Yeah, because I need to know when to send the guardian angel watching over you.” “Aww.” Theo scrunched his nose. “Sap.” “Go to sleep, asshole.” Liam grinned and flipped the camera off. Theo blew him a kiss and Liam rolled his eyes but then blew a kiss on his own. “And now it’s getting corny and I’m saying bye now.” They probably hung up simultaneously and Liam put the phone on the nightstand before he snuggled in bed once more.

****** Liam was surprised that it was possible but his anxiety over this meeting had doubled in the morning and now increased tenfold. His mom and he had arrived at the office and the receptionist had led them into a conference room before she told them to wait. And now they sat here and waited for the inevitable. He was far too nervous to look around and take everything, too busy to play with his fingers and not vibrate out of his chair because he was shaking so hard. Ilona squeezed his leg in silent support and gave him a soft smile but that didn’t help.

And then the door opened and two men stepped in. One wore a tailored dark blue suit and held himself incredible straight, the other wore jeans and a sports jacket over a simple shirt. The one in the suit looked in his mid-fifties, the other man was a bit younger than Ilona. Both greeted Liam and his mother with a handshake. “Thank you so much for coming, Mr. Dunbar. Mrs. Geyer, thank you for also accepting the invite. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Chadwick Aurel, this is my lawyer Mr. Ebstein,” the younger man introduced himself and suit guy who nodded with a smile. “Nice to meet you. Uhm, could you call me Liam? Mr. Dunbar doesn’t sound like me at all.” Liam didn’t want to feel any more uncomfortable than he already was. “Sure, no problem. Liam, it is. Please, have a seat and let us talk. I am sure you’re curious about why you were invited here.” “Curious is an understatement,” Liam confessed when he sat down again. Chadwick laughed. “I guess we better get to the point then.”

He sat next to Liam and turned his chair so they were face to face. Mr. Ebstein had grabbed his briefcase and opened it to pull out a notepad and a pen. He gave Mr. Aurel a nod and then the man continued: “Liam, this is actually about your grandfather but since the man died it now comes to you. Do you know my company Aurel Tech?” Liam shook his head and Ilona did too. “Aurel Tech is a large company operating internationally, founded by my father decades ago. My father and your grandfather were friends in college, back then when my father just had this idea of his own company. He had the dream and he worked forward to it but he was missing the money to fulfill his dream. It was your grandfather who helped him out and lent him the missing amount. It wasn’t too much around this time but my father was a humble man and he appreciated every penny. He was so overwhelmed by your grandfather’s gesture he promised he would pay your grandfather back after he made his own money with his own company. Your grandfather was a remarkable man himself and he replied that he knew his friend would pay him back but should first and foremost focus on his success.” Chadwick smiled softly. “My father was also stubborn and when he owed someone something, he was serious about it. To make sure the debt was not forgotten, he marked your grandfather down with 3 percent shares of certain parts of this company.”

“This is all nice,” Ilona said softly, “But why is this important for Liam? His grandfather was an amazing man, yes, but why is this so important right now?” “The company grew over the years and gained more and more reputation and clients. We cover several fields in the technology world today which we are very proud of. My father retired and I took over ten years ago. The reason why we invited you here now is that in his will Liam’s grandfather made Liam sole heir to his belongings and his money. Our company recently accepted a merge from one of our branches and another company. The shares your grandfather held were also affected by it. That means the money from the fusion would originally belong to your grandfather but since he is dead and you’re the heir, it’s your money now.” “We talked to your grandfather’s lawyer and he confirmed with his passing, you inherited the hold on that 3 percent,” Mr. Ebstein chimed in. “It’s even written down in the documents that your grandfather and Mr. Aurel Sr. had made. It’s all perfectly legal.” “Hold up. I didn’t do anything and yet I get money because my grandfather was a nice man?” Liam summed it up and he still could not really believe it. The lawyer’s thin lip twitched in a smile. “That’s how the economy works.” “Okay.” Liam raised both eyebrows. He had never really liked economics in school. “How much are we talking about? Hundred dollars?” Mr. Aurel and Mr. Ebstein laughed wholeheartedly. “The amount we’re talking about is 7.2 million dollars.” Liam felt his mother grab his arm tightly. “How much??” Mother and son asked at the same time, completely shocked by this total. “No, no, that can’t be right. There has to be a mistake. Are you sure you didn’t forget a decimal place or something?” Liam could not believe it. “Young man, the company has the best accountants. No way is there a mistake,” Mr. Ebstein chortled. “Still, this can’t be right.” Liam shook his head. “You can’t give me millions of dollars.” Chadwick braced his arms on his knees and leaned forward. “Liam, I can understand this is a surprise but it’s just the money you deserve. My father had the highest opinion about your grandfather and I met him when I was younger. He talked about you, you know? Said how proud he was of you. What your grandfather did in college helped my father build a life, a fortune. He never got the chance to pay his friend back because your grandfather died years ago and my father last year but this is exactly what both would have wanted.” He smiled warmly. “We’ll give you time to talk about this with your mother. We invited you here, Mrs. Geyer, because Liam is not twenty-one yet. We would need your signature that he is allowed to accept the money.” “Sure, yeah.” Ilona nodded and gently rubbed Liam’s back while the lawyer and CEO left the room.

Liam hung his head and ran both hands down his face. “This is insane!” Ilona still tried to calm her son. “It is but, baby, aren’t you a little bit proud?” “Proud? Proud??” Liam jumped to his feet and stared at his mother like she had grown a second head. “Are you insane? I don’t deserve this money!” He began pacing back and forth on one side of the table. “I can’t have 7 million dollars in my bank account. I..No, just no! I don’t deserve to have this much money.” “Why not?” Ilona questioned and straightened a wrinkle in her dress. “I am a boy from a small town in California, I am a college student living in Seattle. How exactly am I fit for such an absurd amount of money?” Ilona stood up and walked over to her son. Liam was busy freaking out and pacing back and forth. He only had to stop when his mother put both hands on his biceps and gave him an open look. “Liam. You and your pack are homeless. You are homeless because some people decided they didn’t like their stand in the world and had to destroy your home. You had people trying to kill you, simply for who you are and your place in this world. You saw your friends dying and yes, they came back, but you saw what you saw. You had somebody hurt you when you were the most defenseless, a child. You’re saying you don’t deserve this money because you did not do manual labor every single day? It is right, you didn’t do manual labor but, baby, you worked for it. And if this is life’s way of paying you back, I cannot think of anybody more deserving than you.” Ilona’s voice was calm but firm.

Liam could still not be convinced. “Other people have it worse than me and they don’t get this kind of compensation.” “Other people don’t have Theo either.” “What does that have to do with anything?” “It is a perfect example. You cannot always compare what you have and what others don’t have. Other people don’t have Theo but that doesn’t stop you from being happy with him. If you would want everybody to have what you have, you would need to share Theo with everyone and I’m sure you won’t like that.” Liam shook his head. “But Theo is not 7.2 million dollars. What am I supposed to do with this money? How can you trust me to be responsible for it?” Ilona laughed and shook her head. “Another reason you deserve this money is that you’re so adamant you don’t deserve it. Sweetie, I raised you. I raised a humble, responsible young man. You’re not a little kid running loose in the candy store with 20 dollars to spare. I know you can have this money transferred to you and you would buy some things right now but even if I called you in a year, you would still have some of it saved. The same in two years. Three years. For your kids, if you ever want to have any.” “But don’t you think this is unreal? Things like this only happen in Hollywood movies.” Liam was skeptical. “This is probably just a dream and I will wake up and we go here and I will get sued.” “Liam Emerson, stop that! Those things sometimes happen in real life. There is this family that one the lottery thrice. The guy who held shares on Facebook and became rich overnight. The internet loves story like this and while a lot is fake, some people get insanely lucky. You deserve to be one of them and if your grandfather was here right now, he would tell you the same. He always said you’ll get everything he owns. This is his legacy, Liam. You said he was your guardian angel once and maybe your guardian angel saw how much you were struggling and sent you this. I certainly know nobody better for that money than you and I will be gladly put my signature on the line so you can claim it.”

She smiled and reached up to wipe Liam’s tears away. He had not noticed he had been crying and now he let out a watery laugh. “This is insane. I always said miracles don’t happen.” He glanced at the sky. “Grandpa, you really pulled a number here.” His mother had known exactly what to say to make Liam realize what he could do with the money. it was a lot and made his head spin but he was homeless and he and his pack needed money. Maybe this was a miracle. Ilona laughed and hugged her son, kissed his cheek. “He would be so proud of you. I certainly am. But, honey, listen, we don't have to tell anybody about this. I mean, your father will ask what this meeting was about, so will your pack, but it is your decision who knows.” He snickered. “You can tell dad, it’s okay. I will tell the pack, of course. This is huge, I cannot hide it. But nobody else. Certainly not my aunts and uncles.” “God no.” Ilona grimaced and shook her head. “Only the people you trust.”

They hugged again and the door opened. Chadwick peeked inside. “Have you come to a decision?” Liam moved away from his mother and nodded happily. “Yeah. I’ll accept the money.” “Wonderful.” Chadwick clapped his hands once. “We will contact your bank to inform them the transaction is correctly and soon you will find the money in your account. Mr. Ebstein’s assistant already got the papers next door, you just need to sign. Would you like a glass of champagne to celebrate? Just one, I know you’re not twenty-one yet.” “No champagne, thanks,” Liam declined. He was about to follow Chadwick when he suddenly got an idea. “How long will it take for the money to be transferred?” The CEO gave him an amused and somewhat curious look. “Is there already something you’re planning to buy?” “Yes.” Liam nodded. “There is something I need to buy immediately.” “We will try to get the money transferred as fast as possible but that shouldn’t be a problem.” “Okay, good. Thanks.” And for the first time in weeks, Liam could smile without much trouble.

_____________________________________________________________

Liam's becoming self-aware, how about that? I have to admit, it was interesting to write the usual so optimistic Alpha puppy as hopeless and somber. It was certainly a change. The pack deserved some good news. That certainly was something, huh? I admit I am anxious about what you will say about this chapter. Took my sweet time with that because I had to find another job and all the stress blocked my creativity but today felt like a good day to finish the chapter. But I'm always anxious at uploading a chapter after a break. I hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think. Have a great day! ♥

#A tale written with fangs and claws #thiam #My writing #Morning Dew Pack series #alpha!liam

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thesportssoundoff · 5 years

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“No but seriously, he has one eye” The Brawl For All Combatants Ordered Out!

So a few weeks ago, I presented you with a beginning outline of what I'm aiming to do here. A chance to take a long look at the Brawl For All; a concept so insiduous that I imagine even Vince McMahon has aimed to bury it in the deepest recesses of his mind. The first time out we looked at its genesis, the concepts and the back stories beyond the concepts:

http://thesportssoundoff.tumblr.com/post/183395306465/what-happens-when-you-take-a-bad-idea-and-make-it

NOW let's take a long look at who participated, who didn't participate and the fallacy behind the entire project IF rumors are to be believed.

A Hot Take To Lead Us Off

This is something I long theorized but a long look at the people involved in the Brawl For All confirmed it for me. So by and large, the Brawl For All was a stupid dumb concept. Agreed, right? Well what if it could've worked elsewhere? Now again the rules are dumb, the genesis behind it was dumb, everything about it from stem to stern is full of stupidity. Allow me to argue that it COULD have worked; just not in the WWF. When you see the roster the WWF was working with here, it's not going to blow you away on paper and we obviously have a mighty fine idea of how the execution went. What about a different Brawl For All roster? Saaay (in 1998 when this happened):

Rick or Scott Steiner- Decorated All American wrestlers for the University of Michigan Scott Norton- Legitimate tough guy bad ass professional arm wrestler, former bodyguard of Prince Jerry Flynn- Taekwando practitioner, former mixed martial artist Earnest Miller- Three time karate champion Glacier- Professional karate man dude prior to pro wrestling Brian Knobbs/Jerry Saggs- The JBL's of WCW in more ways than one seemingly Meng- All time legendary tough guy and bar room savage Barbarian- Genuine tough guy El Dandy- Jam Up Guy Serious Professional All Around Good Man

Plus the other litany of guys who were noted shooters or tough guys on the undercard. Let's also be fair and note that the South was a touch more receptive to the UFC at this point in time than say the East Coast as well. Perhaps it could've worked with a better roster and perhaps WCW, with its glut of shooters and tough guys respected in the industry, would've been better suited for a Brawl For All.

Or maybe it's just a stupid fucking idea with no merit. That too.

So who DIDN'T participate?

Well let's start with the very beginning and work our way back. Let's talk about some of the guys who just opted NOT to participate. For starters, the big stars were obviously not going to partake in this. Right off the jump you have to assume Undertaker, Austin, DX, The Rock, Kane, Mankind, Vader and the like are not going to be participating. This was about giving a bunch of guys they kind of didn't give a shit about something to do so that meant no sacrificing top stars. It was filler programming and obviously everybody doing important shit was busy doing important shit. Also of note was that the WWF did not want originally the likes of Dan Severn, Steve Blackman and Ken Shamrock in it. Ken apparently wasn't interested and made the argument that it didn't benefit him given the fact that he was a genuine UFC star still to take a pit stop in pro wrestling. At the same time, Dan Severn was asked not to participate at first and then had to be coerced into taking a spot when injuries happened. The same goes for Steve Blackman who was signed up after a few drop outs occurred, primarily due to the promise of Blackman being allowed to throw kicks in the tournament. The dropouts are hard to pinpoint but Tiger Ali Singh is one of the more notorious ones per Bob Holly. I've also read around that Ahmed Johnson was at one point supposed to be in it but I've never been able to confirm that (or remember the shoot interview that it was mentioned in). The point is that on its face, the Brawl For All was going to be a shoot fighting tournament without the two genuine proven shoot fighters in case you're curious about the true idea behind it.

Also as an MMA fan, I can't help but notice the # of "I was a last minute addition" stories these guys have. Lord knows that has to be a common thing said by guys like Sean Shelby and Mick Maynerd to get some of these fights done. I'd imagine that "We need a guy and you're going to help us out!" sweet talk happens to this day. My immediate thought is that they were either a) having a tough time filling spots in the Brawl For All and started telling people they were in need of last minute additions or b) most of these guys regret doing it and figure saying they were last minute replacements helps take the edge off.

So who WAS in?

We got sixteen names so buckle up and pour a drink or two.

8-Ball- Ron Harris aka 1/2 of The Blu Brothers aka Vince Russo's Creative Control. Vince Russo has never been a master of subtlety and so I suppose it's no surprise that one of his top angles was "Gang Warz" pitting an all white stable (The DOA) vs an all Puerto Rican tag team (Los Boricuas) vs a mostly all black tag team (the Nation Of Domination). Needless to say, Vince Russo makes it hard to defend him sometimes. To my knowledge neither Ron nor brother Don have any sort of proven fighting experience and the less said about them (and their tattoos), the better off we'll be. Ron (and Don) were rumored to have threatened Shawn Michaels on their last night in the WWF in the 90s, a rumor that seems to be corroborated by at least a few folks.

Steve Blackman- Most of the dudes who talk about the Brawl For All admit that this guy probably wins it all things being equal. Blackman had a legit karate background with some muay thai and amateur wrestling mixed in. Besides Blackman somehow overcame being bedridden for two years with malaria to become a legitimate pro wrestler so needless to say if it's a "Who wants it more?" shoot type deal, he's going to cover the grit and grind department well. Blackman is also rumored to have once taken down The Big Show and held him down until Show begged him to let him up which is akin to Bob Backlund apparently getting the Iron Sheik down and sitting on him until he either lost interest or was asked to let him up. Steve Blackman is by all intents and purposes a badass.

Bradshaw- Apparently the inspiration behind this atrocity depending upon who you ask. Bradshaw's reputation is marred now with incidents of bullying (real or fabricated), pro wrasslin' racism (goosestepping in Germany to get heat, some other old school heel shenanigans) and borderline dangerous behavior like blindsiding the Blue Meanie and beating the shit out of him when Meanie thought it was a working brawl. At this point though, none of that is really widespread and Bradshaw is just a fake Stan Hansen who looks tough and stiffs the hell out of people. He's about to eventually turn into a mute member of the Undertaker's industry before he comes a heel mercenary for hire before they turn into FUN beer drinking cigar smoking mercenaries for hire before turning into a Wall Street rich Texan chasing Mexicans "at the border" to get heat for a feud with Eddie Guerrero. I suppose you cant say Bradshaw didn't earn it at least.

Brakkus- Wooof. Brakkus was a massive German bodybuilder who apparently didn't quite understand that the Brawl For All wasn't worked. The WWF had big plans for Brakkus (if they send you to Memphis to work for Lawler in the USWA, it probably means they had a long term vision for him) but he sucked and no matter where they sent him, he continued to suck. He was bad in Memphis, was bad in ECW and ultimately this feels like an attempt to just do something with him. Again though, how good you are as a pro wrestler doesn't matter in the Brawl For All. It was about legit fighting----and Brakkus apparently according to Savio Vega had no idea he was in a real fight. Keep that in mind.

Mark Canterbury- I have NO idea why Henry O. Godwinn is listed on wikipedia by his real name but fuck it, here he is! So full blindspot up front, I LOVED Henry O' Godwinn as a kid. He carried around a slop bucket, poured what looked like puke on people, wrestled in overalls which helped him stand out and it sort of gets lost in the fact that he was given a dumb gimmick (In the mid 90s, it felt like the WWE was acknowledging how big of a slide it was in because every human being had a side hustle) that Godwinn could absolutely work. Here's Godwinn vs Bret Hart in a killer match btw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9vihPkNmLM. This was before Vince Russo and company turned them from a fun midcard act into a gross-ish play on Vince McMahon's distaste for southerners. Oh and also! Henry Godwin PROBABLY is doing this with a still kinda broken neck. He broke it in 1997, was told to take three months or more off (Godwinn gives numbers ranging from ten weeks to sixteen weeks) and he just showed back up in less than two months to work through it. Keep that in mind.

Droz- A tragic story all in all which we'll get to eventually. Droz at this point is basically coming out of a dead angle with the LOD where he was written in storyline to be feeding drugs (and whatever else) to Road Warrior Hawk in an attempt to take his place in the Legion Of Doom. If it sounds awful it's because it was and while MAYBE a good writer can make that work, we're talking about the WWF in 1998 trying to soap opera a drug pusher/drug abuse victim angle. It ultimately ended with Droz shoving Road Warrior Hawk off the titantron while Hawk was attempting to commit suicide. Again, it's as bad as you'd believe. Droz had a college football background but that's about it unless I missed some boxing or kickboxing background.

The Godfather- By all accounts the Godfather is a badass. He was hip to MMA before the UFC really caught on, was a freakishly devoted bodybuilder and he just looks like the sort of guy who would take very little shit from anybody. The Godfather is about to become THE Godfather as he's transitioning from Kama Mustafa and the Nation Of Domination's actually good muscle enforcer (Mark Henry is bad around this time and would continue to be such until about 2009 or so) but at this point I'd imagine the writing is on the wall for most of the NOD guys that the Rock is about to leave them in the dust and this group is going to theoretically die a death. The Godfather is about to take a seriously big turn but FIRST, the Brawl For All!

Bart Gunn- At this point, Bart Gunn is doing nothing. Basically nothing. One could even say less than nothing. Bart Gunn is in The New Midnight Express, an angle that Vince Russo has claimed was apparently a way to shut up Jim Cornette and prove to him that old style wrestling couldn't work in 1998. Bart Gunn was apart of the Smoking Gunns and according to him, he had toughman contest experience. Apparently Bart Gunn got brought into the Brawl For All because Kevin Kelly had seen him wear out big guys in Tampa and per Billy Gunn, Bart was the sort of dude who could wipe out a bar room full of people if need be. That said it's not like Bart had any boxing experience or what have you.

Hawk- Another noted tough dude and one of pro wrestling's weirdest mysteries. Every old school dude be it Kevin Sullivan, Jim Cornette or Paul Heyman raves about Hawk as a talent and claims he could've been a major marquee attraction as a singles wrestler. Kevin Sullivan in particular claims that had he had the opportunity to work with Hawk and freshen him up as a singles wrestler, he could've been an Undertaker-esque attraction who drew money across multiple character iterations. Hawk is coming off his personal demons storyline which I mentioned before that sucked. At this point, he and Animal have broken down and are in serious need of repairs from a physical and character standpoint.

Bob Holly- Bradshaw and Bob Holly in the same tournament and somehow they didn't face off? In 2019, I imagine people would be rooting for a double KO (although Bob's image has softened with fans since leaving the WWE) but at this point Bob Holly is just trying to figure shit out in his career. He's teaming with Bart Gunn in the New Midnight Express after sputtering out (HA HA) as a race car driver. Bob Holly is another dude who by in large is just known as a tough guy with a bit of a bully streak tendency behind that reputation. Owner of the wrestling world famous "YOU GOT TWENTY FOUR HOURS TO LEARN HOW TO FIGHT, BITCH!" threat to Rene Dupree before he kicked the shit out of him over parking tickets.

Marc Mero- The story of Marc Mero is a rough one with a happy ending. Marc Mero was really over in WCW as Johnny B. Badd, a Little Richard knock off with a Badd Blaster that shot confetti. Johnny B. Badd was so over that Vince paid him big money to be Johnny B. Badd----only for someone to smarten him up that Johnny B. Badd was a WCW trademark so he had paid for a guy who was trained from jump to do ONE role his whole career. Marc Mero was pretty over and underrated as a wrestler (I SWEAR BY THIS) before his knees gave in. Making matters worse for him was that his wife, Rena, was the women's face of the Attitude Era as Sable. According to Jim Cornette, Marc Mero was trying to be a good husband and help get his super over wife even MORE over---so he took a powerbomb from her on TV. Mero's future big money opponent was Stone Cold who happened to be watching the show at the time from home. Apparently Austin called up Vince McMahon and immediately asked who he would be working with on next week's Raw since he wasn't going to do any business with Mero after eating a powerbomb on TV from his wife. I don't know if this was before or after the Brawl For All though so take that for what it's worth. Either way, Mero is doing a boxing gimmick now (he is apparently a reputable legit golden gloves champion) and so it makes sense he'd be in the Brawl For All.

Pierre- This is a real shootfight tournament. Actual punches are being thrown and takedowns are implemented. This is, again, a legitimate shoot fight----and so of course one of the dudes involved in the shoot fight is missing an eye. Quebeccer Pierre/Pierre Carl Oulette/Jon Pierre Lefitte is missing an eye and was competing in a shoot tournament WITH one eye. We're not talking Michael Bisping fighting with a damaged eye for years on end, we're talking about an actual lack of an eye. This happened, people. We'll talk more about Pierre (and his amazing story in 2019) but right now in 1998, he's JAG who is bouncing between WCW and WWF looking for something to do. He's also at this point known as the guy who refused to put Kevin Nash over in 1995 despite Nash being the face of the company. PCO is the original Bret Hart, refusing to job in Canada.

Scorpio- I gotta admit I have no idea what Scorpio is doing here. I bet he doesn't know either if we're being truthful. Scorpio is one of those guys who was ahead of his time but seemed incapable of staying on the right path (whatever that means in wrestling) to get what he was due. He had come into the WWF in 1997 as Flash Funk and so I imagine Flash Funk was over and he's just killing time until the Job Squad angle. Scorpio is apparently a legit tough guy (or madman depending on who you ask) and held a 1-0 unofficial record over Hawk after he beat the shit out of him in WCW.

Dan Severn- Dan Severn was told he wouldn't even be allowed to participate and then was told the day OF the taping that he was needed to take a spot. Severn is not too far removed from being a UFC everything (champion, tournament winner etc etc) and so he's for the most part a prospective favorite. That's probably why he wasn't asked to compete at first I'd imagine since the plan was PERHAPS to get somebody else over. Another rumor is that Severn is such a boring plain dude with a boring plain style (Severn admits his plan was to never throw a punch and just grapple people) that if he had won, there would've been no payoff in it.

Savio Vega- I have NO idea if Savio Vegas has a professional sports background or what the deal was. Apparently Savio Vegas asked to be in it and was also the unofficial official matchmaker (he drew the names out of a hat) and he's Puerto Rican so he's got my rooting interest right away. I think Los Boricuas at this point were in full swing and Savio was obviously the head of said stable. Gang Warz was dumb as hell.

Steve Williams- And we reach the FINAL name. "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. Steve Williams was a former football player at the University of Oklahoma and one of the more decorated wrestlers in Oklahoma history. He had carved out a niche in Japan by this point after establishing himself as a star in Mid South with the occasional stop off in the NWA/Jim Crockett Promotions/various regional feds and start ups. Williams didn't have any official fighting background but he was a crazy good wrestler and by all accounts a ridiculous bad ass. Jim Cornette tells stories of Dr. Death fighting fans and laying bodies to waste with little to no effort. He was also extremely popular with people in the WWF office, namely Jim Ross and Jim Cornette. Bruce Prichard doesn't QUITE say that the WWF thought Dr. Death would win the Brawl For All but he does a damn good enough impression of Jim Ross advocating for Steve Williams that I have to believe it. Vince Russo has spoken in the past about Steve Williams being Jim Ross' "boy" and how this was basically his way of seeing whether Jim Ross was right. Bob Holly has said that they were already doing vignettes with Barry Switzer and interviews as if Dr. Death won the Brawl For All. Dr. Death claims that the Triple H push of 1999 was the one Vince had promised him before the Brawl For All.

All of this brings me to my final point.....

Dr. Death was never going to be a big star in the WWF

I truly hate to speak ill of the dead and I'm trying hard no to either. Let's just speak from a more realistic pragmatic grounded stance. The kind of talent that was getting over in 1999 falls into three distinct categories. The first were talkers, guys and gals who could rap so to speak and had tremendous presence. Promo guys could carry the day and even IF you gave Dr. Death a Jim Ross to do the talking for him, let's not forget that by 1998 at this point in July there's basically just one manager actually doing anything as a talker and that's Paul Bearer. "Dr. Death" Steve Williams was not a talker and even if he was, he's certainly not the kind of talker who would fit in Vince McMahon's WWF. The second were guys who were big with "the look" according to Vince McMahon. Pull up a picture of every top star in 1998 for the WWF and then slide Dr. Death in there and ask if he fits the mold. He's unique for sure and there's the Mick Foley outlier----but imagine how long it took Mick Foley to be seen as legitimate by Vince McMahon. Even if Dr. Death is the definition of a Jim Ross style Hoss, he looks woefully out of date by 1998 standards. He in many ways, like a lot of guys who frequently toured Japan and basically were behind on the times, looked like he had been left in 1988. Lastly there were the gimmick guys; the Undertaker, Kane, The Rock, DX, Austin etc etc. Dr. Death's gimmick was that he was an ass kicker which is great but AGAIN we are to believe every human being in the WWF at this time is an ass kicker. Maybe Vince and company would've found a way to get something out of him but the chances are that Dr. Death would've never been a big star. Could he have feuded with Stone Cold? Surely! A big money draw? A multi million dollar hit? I just don't see it. Can't imagine it. Also let's be fair here, how toned down would his style have been for the WWF at the time as well? Is he going to suplex Steve Austin around after Stone Cold broke his neck? I'm not quite buying that either.

So there's your sixteen. You got a few amateur wrestlers ten years beyond their competitive days, a boxer or two, a toughman contest guy, a few dudes who dabbled in kickboxing and a man with legitimately one eye. You've got the guy who the company thinks SHOULD win it. So who won the fuckin' thing? How did they win it?

That's for next time.

#WWF #WWE #Brawl For All #Scorpio #Dr. Death #Steve Williams #Bart Gunn #Bob Holly

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