#AND Q KILLS SCHLATT AND LEAVES??

[boygirlctommy]

god i love tommys vod from oct 17th its so fucking good ive watched it at least 4 times

#my post #LIKEEEEE. starts off tommys gonna assassinate some people #then he just sits there and eavesdrops on q and schlatts ENTIRE arguement #AND Q KILLS SCHLATT AND LEAVES?? #then tommy recruits him!! and they go to pogtopia and fuck around for a bit #then wilbur shows them the button room and its like. instantly they have to physically hold him back from pressing it and everyones screami #and then they calm down and spend 15 minutes arguing about plan ass plan 1 plan bomb and plan 2. #and then theyre all just like welp ^_^ see u tomorrow and you feel like youve aged 15 yrs but you check the time and it hasnt been 1.5 hour #incredible i love it so much #everytime i go to watch a vod from that era im like ohohoho lets watch a new one lets see one i ahvent watched before!! #and then i always click on this one. ITS MY FAVORITE I CANT HELP IT #anyways i drew three pages of shit from this stream

[irrealisms]

my dsmp fic recs masterpost

this one's long so i'm putting it under a cut! includes a lot of fandom favorites/ones you probably already know, but i tried to include some more niche ones as well. check the reblogs for more, i couldn't fit them all in one post without tumblr getting mad at me

Author recommendations (not my friends; go read everything they wrote):

Goldenrayofsunshine

shrugofgod

odaigahara

penink

hoorayy

Zannolin

the_g_m

chrysalizzm

Author recommendations (me and people I know):

sesquidpedalian @erstwhilesparrow

WheelCoveredInEyes @blocksgame

short_tandem_repeats

consumptive_sphinx @regicidal-optimism

monsterloot @aliveburs

cryptofhoney (korethekiller) @honeyblockm

nocturne_csharpm @qwilbur

75hearts (ME! YOU ARE HERE!)

Fangame recommendations:

Good Luck, Minutes Man! by @andhyssops : visual novel about NLM-era c!ranboo. has multiple endings, great art, soundtrack, characterization, etc.

Good Morning, Gogy by @andhyssops : visual novel about c!george. again, gorgeous art, great characterization. i almost don't want to say too much about this one because so much of it is a spoiler!

Doomsday Sim by @bwobgames : doomsday platformer, tommy is the player character, buggy but pretty.

Virtual Ghostbur by @bwobgames : ghostbur tamagotchi!

Character Pattern by @bwobgames : bullet hell with various mcyts (c and cc), tommy is the player character, stupid hard but very pretty

Tommygotchi by @bwobgames : tommy tamagotchi!

Silver Dollar by @honeyblockm : president schlatt is dead. murder mystery twine game

Fic recs (people I don't know well):

devil town by hoorayy : haven’t read this one but i’ve had it recommended too many times to not include. small town horror au. 100k

aftermath by sparxwrites : dream is recovering from the prison. tommy visits him. they have a conversation. neither torture apologist nor abuse apologist! 2k

what i love and what i've lost by Treis : dream & sapnap, dream recovery/redemption/post-prison. 20k

in memoriam by hoorayy : wilbur and sapnap have a conversation. 2k

little women by chrysalizzm : women on the dsmp character study. 1k

dissonance by shrugofgod : tubbo character study!!!!! one of the best tubbo fics imo. snowchester-era. 16k

six foot deep bottom line by shrugofgod : tubbo & q conversation, cookie outpost era. 2k

How to Sex Vol. 4-58 by Goldenrayofsunshine : epistolary fic, tommy pov, canon divergent from the disc finale (punz doesn’t arrive). probably my favorite fic in the fandom. 1k

Chicken Strategy by Goldenrayofsunshine : sam-centric, lots of q also, au where q set off the prison TNT. 20k

The Roman Archives by Goldenrayofsunshine : “Tubbo dies during the disc war finale and uses his time in purgatory to unlock all the secrets of the universe.” 4.5k

Make It Right by Goldenrayofsunshine : Captain Sparklez is tubbo’s dad, crashes the disc finale. my #1 clingyduo fluffy h/c Comfort Food. 2k

Raccooniverse (zombie crossover) series by Goldenrayofsunshine : crossover with the walking dead; doesn’t require any knowledge of the walking dead. tommy-centric, follows canon very approximately for the first two seasons and a bit beyond. 162k and still going, although you can just read the completed parts.

Neon Sunrise by Goldenrayofsunshine : wilbur & quackity, LN-era. 14k

draw up your sword (leave your days ashore) by Odaigahara : puffy joins the server by coming ashore at logstedshire, defends tommy. another comfort food fluffy h/c. 11k

snapshots by sparxwrites : schlatt/q relationship study. very good but mind the content warnings. 6k

the dead don’t dream by penink : what if dream killed tommy and then revived him again and then killed him and then revived him again— (crimeboys whump w a happy ending) 226k

Mafia AU by penink : mafia AU; based on Vibes rather than a specific time period but has Lots Content and Good Characterization. 219k and still going, although you can just read the completed parts.

Fairweather and Foxhole Friends by penink : manburg q & tubbo. 2k

Jubilee Line Satisfaction Survey by penink : wilbur centric, some crimeboys. wilbur in the afterlife! very very good. does fun things with the format--it's a uquiz, not an ao3 fic. another competitor for my favorite fanwork from this fandom.

call this world home by Sixteenthdays, stygiomedusa (grainjew) : another dream post-prison recovery/redemption; in this one, he’s metaphysically trapped in the arctic commune. 43k

l’esprit de l’escalier by eldritchIdeologist : revivebur oneshot. 3k

cause most of us are bitter over someone by honeyblock : niki & wilbur confrontation and reconciliation. (tommy’s there too.) 19k

orphan’s path (series) by aenor_llelo, Alderous, Anarchy-Schmanarchy (Murder_Schmurder), BattleBlaze, ConcoctionsFromHell, Falrisesi, fluxphage, izziel_galaxy, Otakuforlife19, Rocket999 : starts out as a phil&techno backstory. becomes a retelling of the entire server. massively multi-pov, very good characterization, very long. has many Takes i disagree with but also a lot of good stuff. get a text replacer “Lagos” -> “Dream”. 700K and still going, although you can just read the completed parts.

tune by small_lizard : karlnapity relationships study. 4k

applaud, my friends, the comedy is over! by small_lizard : oneshot focused on niki’s birthday party. <1k

it only gets much worse by hoorayy : another q & wilbur, LN-era. 2k

good reasons to freeze to death by hoorayy : tubbo-centric, post-s3 finale (mourning ranboo). 3k

pay it forward by comradeboyhalo : the l’sandburg fic. foolish centric; badlands post-egg healing arc in which they all move onto his house. very canon-typical tone; silly and crack-y but with genuine feeling. 5k

treatise on sin and vice by the_g_m : quackity and tommy and their relationship w religion (scriptfic). 7k

plate of primes by chrysalizzm : poem about tommy. <1k

hunger by Anonymous : probably the only E-rated fic i’m including. wilbur/quackity, LN-era, wilbur provokes quackity into hurting him by pretending to be dream, it’s . fic of all time. 11k

i'm not calling you a liar by Anonymous : jk i lied. also E-rated, wilbur/quackity, LN-era. by the same author as the previous rec, similarly dead dove. lives in my brain forever. 13k

the ckarl mpreg fic by the_g_m : karl doesn’t actually get pregnant in this one. they just want him to. karlnapity, script format, crack treated seriously. 2k

sink secluded by angeloncewas : niki and wilbur, pogtopia. <1k

best laid plans by zannolin : some gentle h/c for revivebur with ranboo and tommy. a bit of a comfort food but in a good way, at least for me. 5k

said the rabbit to the badger by zannolin : crimeboys talk about exile. inconsolable differences fixit. 3k

i can’t stand your taste in my mouth by orphan_account : a really intense but also very good pogtopia-era wilbur character/relationship study. 5k

where to find a silver lining (as the mercury keeps rising) by angelsdemonsducks : cwilbur eggpocalypse fic! 10k

the sea is rising by chrysalizzm : desolation avatar purpled. <1k but the series is longer

Blood Games by ghostdrinkssoda : q centric hurt-no-comfort that has some karlnapity but also engages with q as a bad person. 7k

where lies the strangling fruit by katsidhe : prison arc angst/whump. pretty heavy; mind the tags. sam & q & dream. 34k, unfinished

agatha by headlikeahole : wilbur's suicide note. collage/digital art. <1k

Tier X̅ by Pegasister60 : purpled's limbo is an empty bedwars map. 2k

one last lie for old times' sake by curseworm, VenetaPsi : wilbur tries to apologize to quackity before killing himself. quackity isn't having it. 18k

#fic rec #fic recs #dsmp #mcyt #might make another post of these for ones i don't really remember but nonetheless trust to be good #therapists dni #any british ants in the chat? #long post

[mellorphic]

In Defence of c!Niki - a Four Part Analysis of Every Arc

People who didn’t watch C!Niki see, in the fandom, a big sister type character with girlboss energy who wants to kill a child. Niki isn’t that. She has a well-written narrative which focusses a lot on her relationships with others. Here is me breaking it down!

PART ONE: c!Niki’s Early Days

PART TWO: c!Niki’s Rebellion (you are here)

PART THREE: c!Niki’s Disillusionment

PART FOUR: c!Niki’s Healing

Unfortunately Niki’s pov of Election Day is one of the vods we no longer have and I’m devastated because I think it’s so important. When Schlatt was exiling Wilbur and Tommy, Niki was the first one to protest. While everyone else was stunned, making shocked remarks, or joining Schlatt’s side and going to attack Wilbur and Tommy, Niki shouted at him. Others laughed or were just silent. But not Niki. Never Niki.

And this becomes a running theme for her character, the only one willing to stand up against Schlatt out in the open. Of course, Tubbo and Fundy were going against him too, but they did so from the shadows. From the get go, Niki was different. She stood up for her country and remained loyal to it and to Wilbur like she promised she would.

These were her messages to Tubbo while he was taking up the role of Schlatt’s VP. Of course, we know he wasn’t actually on his side, but Niki didn’t know that. He did not answer her first few.

Because of this, Niki felt alone, not knowing who to trust. And this was the first time that had happened to her on this server, because she had always known who was on what side. Suddenly Niki couldn’t rely on her innate empathy anymore, because being kind wasn’t going to bring her friends back, and she couldn’t understand anyone’s motives because everyone was deliberately hiding them. She was desperate for an ally, and this was the first time she didn’t feel at home in L’Manberg.

This is something that needs to be kept in mind, that Niki had been feeling lonely this early on. A lot of people look at her doomsday arc and think it was a sudden change of heart with no build up or reasoning. But the seeds of that breakdown had been planted as early on as Election Day.

Still, she stayed loyal. She kicked up a fuss, refused to do as she was told, knowing the consequences. She refused to tear down the walls. She screamed that Schlatt had no right to do what he was doing. She yelled at Fundy as he tore down her flag. She would later get taxed, imprisoned, and chased down out of the nation. But she didn’t back down regardless.

S: I’m dying of hunger

N: you shouldn’t have betrayed the only baker in this-

S: oh my god, can you be quiet?

Q: Niki! Niki! You know how to bake, would you like to bake for us?

N: Not for you.

<Eret laughs>

N: Not for this government

J: that’s quite the catering gig you’re turning down, but..

Q: yeah- listen! Listen! We are very hungry people, we are very hungry people

N: I hope you starve.

This is a turning point for Niki, as she abandoned her bakery after this. She did not bake again for a very, very long time.

Her only allies were Eret - who couldn’t do much as they weren’t a citizen and many people didn’t trust her. And HBomb - who helped her gather resources for her resistance but ultimately operated in the shadows. It was support, and her gratefulness for those two characters is proven time and time again after this, but it wasn’t that much. And it had little weight compared to all the betrayals she was soon to face.

One of those betrayals was Fundy. Niki would later be told he didn’t mean any of this, but I don’t think she was ever able to get over it. Partly because there were some things he genuinely meant, when he said them.

F: Schlatt has risen on top of everything.

N: he will fall. He-

F: why resist?

N: because he is not the-

<Schlatt joins the game>

N: oh my god..

F: my leader! My leader!

N: I think I need to leave. Because today is tax day and I don’t- I’m not going to pay the taxes.

F: im about to refurnish the flag, Niki!

N: no you will not! Fundy, leave the flag alone, you already destroyed everything! What do you want more?! What do you want more?!

F: what I want? Is total domination

N: i trusted you.. I trusted you, I thought we would bring peace! […] we worked so hard for the independence of this nation, and you just-

F: Oh, independence you keep!

N: theres no independence with a tyrannist!

Niki felt Fundy had lied to her and later said she was glad that Coconut2020 hadn’t won, if this was what Fundy did with power.

Within the same conversation, this.

N: Wilbur is your father!

F: Wilbur ridiculed me. Wilbur patronised me for years.

N: he just wanted to keep you safe!

F: Wilbur.. was a powerless fool.

N: don’t you dare say that!

I hate to be a broken record, but she kept her promise, didn’t she?

Speaking of Wilbur,

W: we’re in too much of a hot position right now to take in everyone from every sort of- like- person we need into our new, sort of, cave.. so you’re gonna have to hold out in Manberg a little bit longer, is that okay?

N: .. of course.. I will. Take- take care, Wil..

W: thank you.

She sat in silence for a few seconds after that. Now, Wilbur was not abandoning Niki here. He was trying to keep himself, Pogtopia, and Niki safe. But what is she supposed to do, after believing he’d get her out of there? Niki had been feeling abandoned and lost and alone and betrayed, the fact that he couldn’t help was rubbing salt in the wound of everything else that had happened in Manberg already.

After, she moved out of Manberg into Tommy’s holiday home where she found Henry.

N: im not gonna be that lonely.. Henry- I will do everything to protect you, okay? We have each other. We’re- I don’t know who is on our side Henry, I don’t know who is on our side right now, but- <laughs as Henry turns> don’t turn away from me! Tommy is fine. Tommy is okay. And you will get back- get back with him. Soon. Very soon. Okay, Henry? <Henry looks around> I know you’re looking for him! I wish I could lead you to him and I wish I could show you, but we have to- we have to stay here for now. We have to stay here for now. You and me. We’re strong, okay? We’re strong.

It’s obvious Niki is trying to reassure herself. She telling this cow everything she desperately needs to hear in that moment. ‘I will do everything to protect you’ is something she wants someone to tell her. And ‘you will get back with him very soon’, which is what she wants to happen. And of course, ‘we’re strong’. It sparked a new hope into her. A new life. She felt safer.

This is when Niki wrote Dear Friend, and if it is wanted I can write a full analysis of that, but the main thing is that it was a cry for help. Niki was beginning to get incredibly burned out being the only one continuing to fight, having no idea what else she could do, and terrified for her life in the place she used to feel safest in. I wish we knew who ‘Dear Friend’ was. If anyone has theories I’d love to hear them.

She was scared, she felt alone. This marked the beginning of Niki’s darkest point in her life, and it marked the beginning of her losing herself.

#dream smp #niki nihachu #c!niki analysis #c!niki #dsmp #nihachu analysis #manberg #manberg vs pogtopia #pogtopia arc #orphic talks #in defenceof c!niki

[anachronistic-falsehood]

cellbit dsmp.... could be a saving grace or a living nightmare depending on when he joined

like early l'manberg? saving grace. He's got the paranoia that cWilbur had yet to earn, I genuinely think there's a good chance he would have been able to spot Eret going turncoat. And it wouldn't have hurt to have a guy who could actually fight in this faction (cccellbit's pvp abilities aren't that noteable but qcellbit is a renowned killer so we can pretend). Maybe things would have turned out differently. Maybe the Final Control Room would spare some lives, leaving Wilbur or Fundy or Tommy or Tubbo with one extra

But if he joined during elections era? More complicated. Just looking at how he was during the QSMP elections, I think he might have been a SWAG supporter? Non-zero chance that he would have been cQuackity's vice president, which is funny to me. Also, based on how he tried to handle the Federation I think that when/if Schlatt won he would stay in L'Manburg and try to spy, leading to a Manburgian cabinet like

Tubbo 🤝 Fundy 🤝 Cellbit: I Sure Hope They Don't Realize I'm The Only Spy Here

If he joined when Pogtopia v. Manburg was already in full swing, I think he would have gone for Pogtopia. cWilbur spends the whole time thinking he's an assassin hired to kill him and is just waiting for that knife to the neck. Never happens, though. He's on board with the Kill Schlatt cause, if not Wilbur being in charge- not personal, but he wouldn't want himself to be in charge either, and he has objections to Wilbur on similar grounds. Which probably makes things just that bit more stressful and worse, in the long run

For the life of me I can't figure out how he'd feel about the Butcher Army stuff

Would have supported cQ eating Schlatt's heart 100%. In general I think he and cQuackity would vibe, no matter where he appears on the timeline. If he joined before November 16th he'd understand the weight of Q eating Schlatt's heart and be tactful about it, but if he joined after he'd be like. A fellow enjoyer of cannibalism! What are the odds! And just assume that they had a shared hobby, not knowing that was a one-time thing

Could have quite the time getting possessed by The Egg

There's no way that he has a good reaction to the prison torture stuff, no matter what happens. Actually really interested about what he'd think of it, being on the one hand someone who suffered in the prison system, and on the other hand considering how he reacted to BBH capturing Ron. Non-zero chance he could get onboard and involved. Just depends on when he joins and how much he knows about the guy

I think Las Nevadas would unsettle him and if he joined as late as s3 I think he wouldn't go for any of the factions. Might put that paranormal research to use and go against The Egg

And also if he'd been there during ho16 he would have gotten a folding chair or something to put on that pressure plate. Bam. No Ranboos were harmed in this pyschocompetitive rivalry

OH this is an older ask but i am rotating it in my mind on loop rn. i am THINKING about this. ik i talked about cellbit being around for lmanberg but i like to imagine he would have joined around the time ranboo and puffy did, right after nov 16. he never knew wilbur as he was and met ghostbur a handful of times, which would make him meeting revivebur later on sooo much more interesting. he would be so standoffish with this guy. like oh you're the guy i keep getting compared to. nice to finally met you. so i heard you blew yourself the fuck up and destroyed your country and made your father kill you. what was that about huh. and wilbur would HATE him he would detest this man. you know how when two people are so similar but just different enough that they clash horribly??? that's them. they go about things the same way but have very different things that they want to do so they disagree on everything and are equally stubborn about it. they would drive everyone around them INSANE.

and if we're keeping cellbit's backstory the same as q!cellbit's then he's already got a history with bbh, so he might be tempted to join the badlands. he would LOVE the egg arc omggg he would go crazy for that shit. he would be obsessed. since cc!cellbit wanted to be a villain when he joined the qsmp (and got distracted by Gay Roleplay) i think he would love to act the part of an egg infected villain :3 i like to think the egg would be able to sense his bloodlust and try to manipulate him into helping it. and i think he would for a bit!! whether he's actually infected or just pretending so he can gather information and betray them later, idk, but he'd certainly play a part in the eggpire somehow, that's for sure. he'd fit right in with them :3

HOWEVER i do think that after the red banquet, or even during it, he would denounce or betray the eggpire (which would be insane, imagine hannah betraying the pro-omlette team and then cellbit immediately going HA YOU THOUGHT!! and betraying the eggpire, the plot twist would be crazy) and i think he would join the syndicate right after. he'd be sooo good in the syndicate i am so serious. cellbit himself is kinda friends with ranboo and they click so well so i think they would have a great time roleplaying together!!! imagine him escaping to the end with the rest of the syndicate +kristin AAAAAA syndicate cellbit...... save me syndicate cellbit

and i would LOVE to hear the insane homoerotic way wilbur would write him into hitting on 16. you KNOW cellbit would be involved in las nevadas/the burger van arc somehow. we'd have a three way homoerotic psychocompetetive rivalry going on. idk what he would even do to get involved but you just know he would involve himself somehow. i think quackity and wilbur would fight over him a little bit and cellbit would be a little shit and tell them he'd join the country/faction of whichever of them could give him the best offer in terms of riches or weapons or other benefits or whatever and then he'd leave them to fight. he loves stirring shit up <3 but i think he would get involved because he'd be friends with ranboo and wants to make sure they're doing okay. the syndicate sticks together!!!! i do think he'd ultimately get more involved with las nevadas as cquackity's vice bc i think cq would offer him a chance to torture cdream in prison and cellbit would be like. absolutely vibrating with excitement. he would accept immediately. when cq is tired he sends cellbit in his place and cdream DREADS those days, bc at least quackity is methodical and clean with his torture. cellbit just goes absolutely ham and gets very close to killing him multiple times. oh cellbit would have such a blast beating the shit out of dream <3

#qsmp #dsmp #dream smp #this concept is everything to me.......

[lasnevadaslaborunion]

Okay since we're all like 90% sure the green boi (not that one, the other one) is coming back for the Las Nevadas finale, I'm thinking about what c!Dream's revenge against c!Quackity is going to look like, and I've got a few scenarios in mind :)

The most predictable outcome is that c!Dream orchestrates Las Nevadas's destruction and takes at least one of c!Quackity's lives. Probably not both lives, given that he only killed c!Sam once and I doubt that cc!Q would end his character's story on such a downer note given how he set up a healing arc post-LN4, but I wouldn't be surprised if c!Dream wanted c!Q gone for good.

The most nightmarish option, and the one that I theorized based on the description of c!Dream's lore video and his dialogue with c!Foolish, is that he's going to put c!Quackity in a resurrection/death loop. Make him suffer, and further the cause of science? Yeah! Bonus points if c!Schlatt comes into the picture and starts dishing out more nightmare fuel

The saddest option is that somebody else gets caught in the crossfire and loses their life. Maybe c!Foolish loses yet another life somehow. Or maybe it's somebody c!Quackity and c!Dream both care about. c!Sapnap, perhaps. Or c!George. Let's break both of these bastards.

But I think the cruelest option to inflict on c!Quackity might not take much at all. He's no longer a threat, he's at c!Dream's mercy, he could very easily die, and he... doesn't. Let him live with the failure. Let him live with the helplessness. Let him live with the understanding that despite everything he worked for, he is insignificant, not even worth the effort to take revenge on. Torture is one thing, death is another... but leaving c!Quackity to be forgotten? That, I believe, would shake him deeply.

...

The funniest option is that c!Dream sets up a Torture 101 class because c!Q was just that bad at it

#dsmp #c!quackity #c!dream #tw torture #analysis #theory

[peninkwrites]

Lines Drawn in Sand & Concrete - Ch 9 of ?

Tubbo deals with an especially pushy door-to-door preacher and Quackity deals with his paranoia being right.

[CW: violence, guns, threats of violence/murder. Referenced abuse]

crossposted to ao3

Ch 1

Ch 8

Ch 10

Mafia AU

~ Tubbo & Quackity ~

Tubbo can’t remember how old he was when he first saw someone die.  He’d been young.  He remembers a lot of deaths, but they blur.  He can’t pin down what the first one was.  To Schlatt’s credit, however miniscule that is, Tubbo wasn’t meant to see dead bodies that young.  Tubbo was curious and went looking where he wasn’t supposed to or sometimes people tried to kill Schlatt and got killed instead and Tubbo happened to be there.  And not to Schlatt’s credit, Tubbo did get drawn into things deliberately far too young.  He’s been counting blood money since he was nine years old.  That had been his first job in the family business.  First, counting blood money under the sharp supervision of his father, and then a few years later going to collect from businesses that didn’t need actively bullied into coughing up.  That has been his life for as long as he can remember.  He never actually had a childhood.  So he assumed adjusting to adulthood would be easier.  Not that he imagined a life free of fear or burden, but he thought he knew what that weight would feel like.  Maybe he did know, but knowing the responsibility and the risks didn’t prepare him for how lonely it would be.

He’s thought about running.  He’s thought about running since he was little, but he knows better now.  If he were to leave, that means more harm caused by the people he let run wild.  His loved ones would get hurt and he wouldn’t get to repair the damage Schlatt did.  Maybe Tubbo doesn’t know how to exist without a fight.  He doesn’t think he could leave this city until it burned to ash in front of him.  And of course there’s the fact that the only person he would want to run away with, who would be willing to run away with him, well.  He and Tommy aren’t talking anymore.  He’s not entirely alone.  He still has Jack, and that matters, but Tubbo needs to keep his distance, even from him.  They live together now, they share a modest flat on the East side, but that doesn’t stop Tubbo from keeping his cards close to his chest.  His breakdowns merely remain quiet.  He’d wanted to live with Tommy.  That wasn’t an option.

Tubbo is so fucking lonely, and he has no idea who he can tell that to.

Maybe his isolation is self-inflicted, but it’s not like there’s no precedent for it.  If he keeps people close, he cannot keep them safe.  If he could get rid of Jack at this point he would, but the man literally refuses to leave him.

Eventually that was going to hurt them.

Initially, it had just been a meeting with Fundy.  That is, until Tubbo saw something on the news.

“Mayor Hedge ends prohibition after 26 years, stating: ‘It never really worked, though.  This way we can regulate it.  A… a buddy of mine, it was the drinking that killed him.  I’m doing this for him.’  This decision raises serious questions about Mayor Hedge’s chances for reelection”

That had both annoyed Tubbo and made him burst out laughing, but it wasn’t until Fundy spoke that awful pieces fell into place.

“Do you see this bullshit?  He’s talking about fucking Schlatt,” Tubbo scoffed.  “It was the drinking that killed him?  I didn’t realize a birthday boy with a .44 was the drinking.”

“Oh, yeah,” Fundy laughed, more focused on the paperwork he had been going over with Tubbo, explaining to him in detail just how screwed he is.  “I can’t believe Quackity got him to break that easy, but that’s Big Q for you, right?”

“What d’you mean?”

“Oh, that was all Quackity,” Fundy nodded to the TV.  “He told me about it.  Crazy shit, man.  Guess it makes sense, the guy wants to run his casino… sorta above board.”

“Quackity ended the prohibition?”

“I mean, technically the mayor did, but yeah, pretty much.”

Tubbo’s mild irritation fades into something more sour.  Quackity of all people knows how dangerous a drunk can be.  Tubbo didn’t let the bitterness settle, he and Fundy had more important things to focus on, but when he met with Jack later that day, it was the first thing on his mind.

“The prohibition is ending, so, we’ll no longer be able to use ferrying booze to speakeasies as a source of income.  No clue what Puffy is going to do,” Tubbo was itching to talk about the thing that was actually bothering him, but that wasn’t allowed.  By his own rules, he shouldn't get vulnerable like that.

“Yeah, well, to be fair, we weren’t making much there, just transporting to like, Niki’s place and two others,” Jack points out.  He notices Tubbo’s solemn look.  “What?  What is it, man?”

“Quackity is responsible for that whole deal.”

“What?”

“The prohibition ending.”

Jack doesn’t follow.  “Oh.  Uh, good for him, then.”

“D’you think he thought it through when–?”

There’s a knock at the door.  Jack and Tubbo stare at each other.

This house isn’t a known location.  It is nothing of significance, merely a safe place to meet with the others and to keep talking shop away from their little apartment.  It’s derelict, in a bad neighborhood, and usually unoccupied.

“From your look, I’d say we’re not expecting anyone?” Jack says wearily.

Tubbo shakes his head.  “Look through the door.”

Jack nods, going up beside the door, one hand on his gun as he looks through it.

“Some big dickhead in a suit.  Not one of ours.  Should we clear out?” Jack asks.

Tubbo frowns, going to see for himself, jumping when there’s another sharp knock.  Still, Tubbo looks.  A man stares around the street, looking calm but impatient.  He looks directly at the door, and speaks, words muffled but audible through the wood.

“I’d open up, Mr. Underscore.  We know you’re in there.  And I don’t suggest slipping out the back.”

Tubbo steps back, dread only growing.  They know his name.   Jack stares back with equal terror, but he doesn’t dare voice it aloud.  He’s gotten his gun out.  He treads lightly through the house, leaving Tubbo alone for just a second, returning quickly.

“Two guys on the back porch.  And I bet the guy out front isn’t alone either.”

���Fuck.”  Tubbo is thinking fast.  He knows there are people after him, and while it’s unnerving that they had asked for him by his name instead of Schlatt’s, it’s not impossible.  He did announce himself at the funeral.  Dead men can’t pay, so if he opens that door, they probably won’t kill them.  Probably.  “Fuck!” Tubbo says far too loudly.  “Okay, okay, Jack, you stay behind the door, and I’ll open it–”

“Open it?!”

“Yes, open it!  You think these types of people aren’t above breaking doors down?!” He snaps.  “They’re coming in whether we like it or not, so I would prefer if it was with you hidden and with a gun.”

Jack can’t argue with that, despite it being clear he wants to, so he does as Tubbo asked and presses himself against the wall behind the door, gun at the ready.

“When I nod, you step out and level your gun with the first man you see, got it?” Tubbo says quietly.

“Got it, Boss,” Jack gives him a smirk.

Tubbo takes a deep breath.  He opens the door.

“Can I help you, gentlemen?” Tubbo says coolly.  He can feel his heart beating in his ears.

The man before him is big, yes, far bigger than him or Jack, but that’s not where the threat lies.  It’s in the calm of him, the polite smile, and the nod of the head, leaving the glares and intimidation for the two men who are with him, having lurked just out of sight of the doorhole.

“I hope so,” the man says.  “Mind if we come in?”

“I’d like to know why you’re here first, if that’s alright with you.”  Tubbo doesn’t step back, keeping his words amicable, but his stony expression nothing but.

“Hm,” the man tilts his head, seemingly mulling something over.  “You don’t know me, do you?”

Tubbo doesn’t know how to answer that.  The man steps forward, as if to brush past him into the house, but Tubbo doesn’t move.  The man pauses, taking half a step back as he considers this stubborn teenager in front of him.  The man leans in closer, close enough that Tubbo can smell his aftershave.  Tubbo still refuses to yield.  The man speaks softly, a polite whisper as if not to embarrass him.  “I’m playing along, I’m acting nice, Mr. Underscore.  Tubbo.  I think it’s in your best interest to play along too, okay?”

Tubbo calculates.  Then, he takes a step back.  “Please, do come in,” he says with that same mild-mannered facade.

The man crosses the threshold.  “Thank you.”  He scans the derelict living room.  “Where’s your friend?”

“Having a lie down, so I’d prefer if we kept it quiet, so as not to wake him,” Tubbo replies immediately.

The man laughs softly, looking at Tubbo with wry amusement.  “You… you really don’t know me.  You’re acting like you have an ounce of control here.  That’s…” he considers his words thoughtfully, “dangerous.”

“I think you might be underestimating me,” Tubbo doesn’t blink, staring the man down.  He nods.

Jack steps out from behind the door, gun leveled with the man at the front of the group.  Tubbo reaches into his own holster.  That’s as far as they get.

The man behind the ringleader tackles Jack to the ground, the gun goes off, bullet landing in drywall instead of the man’s skull and before Tubbo can draw his own gun the man has stepped forward, grabbed his wrist, twisted his arm back, and pulled the gun from his jacket.  In a matter of seconds, Jack is now pinned to the floor, a gun pressed to the back of his head, and Tubbo is pressed against a wall.  Tubbo finally feels that terror fully.  His sense of control had always been an illusion, but it is another loss to have it shattered so easily.  He’s back to being a helpless little boy at the mercy of men much stronger than him.

The man tuts him, but to Tubbo’s surprise, he lets go, stepping back.  Tubbo turns around, shaken and disarmed but doing his best not to show it.  He doesn’t look at Jack.  Silence.  Everyone in the room waiting to see what this man will do.  He makes them wait.

Finally, he speaks.  “You don’t know me, do you?”  He’s smiling with the kind of patronizing benevolence Tubbo associates with lazy social workers.  Tubbo doesn’t say a word, so the man continues, circling the room at a leisurely pace, sparing Jack a glance before returning his focus to Tubbo.  “I remember when you were just a little guy.” He holds his fingers close together, as if at one point Tubbo were nothing more than an ant.  “Your father and I, we knew each other a long time.  Over ten years now, and, well, it’s not a complicated relationship.  He owed us.  Meaning, you owe us.  You met some of my… associates a few months back.  Ring any bells?”

Tubbo is silent, staring daggers at the floor.

“You can answer.  I mean,” a laugh.  “Don’t tell me you’ve just been fucking around with no clue.  I thought I was being nice when I sent you a reminder, a nonviolent one, might I add.”

Tubbo doesn’t want to deign this pathetic man with a reply.  He knows that’s dangerous.  Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Jack.  He can see the gun pressed to the back of his head as he lies flat on his stomach, a man keeping him on the ground.  He doesn’t know if Jack is looking at him.  He doesn’t want to see.

“Hm,” the man sounds perhaps intrigued, not even annoyed that Tubbo dare not respond.  “Regardless, you know now.  And I’ve been patient.  Even as your father tested me I extended some of that patience to you.  You’ve had two months.”

“My father left behind a lot of messes to clean up, which one are you?” Tubbo asks, looking back up at this stranger, staring him down.

“Oh, me?” The man puts a hand to his chest, as if flattered.  “I’m just a lowly messenger.  Your father’s account manager, of a kind.  We’ve been in business together a long time.  I saw you once, maybe twice over the years, took inventory, y’know.  We usually met outside the house, so it’s okay that you don’t remember me.”

“I’m looking for a name, sir, an affiliation if you will,” Tubbo says snippily.  Better than considering the meaning of took inventory.  At some point when Tubbo was small, this man had seen him, and delegated him to the role of leverage.  Tubbo knew his father endangered his life on the regular, it’s different to have that information handed to him in such a procedural way.

The man laughs again, delighted by this boy’s audacity.  “Hm.  I’m sure you’ve heard of Twitch, haven’t you?”

Tubbo frowns, thrown for a loop.  “What, like the Church?”

“Sure, if you like,” the man nods amicably.  “Like the Church, like the banks, like the property management, I mean, food industry, manufacturing, the casinos, the unions, the booze smuggling, you name it, we’ve got our blood sweat and tears in it, isn’t that right, boys?” He gives a knowing look to his accompanying muscle, and they look amused.  “You… you know us from the Church, huh?  You could say I’m a missionary, then.  Spreading our message.”

Tubbo tries not to get lost in what all that information means.  He deigns never to tell Tommy one of the few things he had faith in is as filthy as the rest of this city.  Not that it matters.  He wouldn’t have the chance to tell Tommy anyway.  “And, Mr. Missionary, this call is about the money my dead father owed, correct?  That you now think you have the right to collect from me?” Tubbo says scornfully.

The man stops his pacing, less amused now, stepping up to Tubbo, who doesn’t step back.  “Yeah.  Yeah, I do.  Even your moronic father knew to fear us.  And I really don’t think you should be taking this lightly.”

Tubbo stares him down.  His arm still hurts from where the man had grabbed him.  He smiles.  “What’re you gonna do, kill me?”

The man doesn’t look surprised nor thrown off.  He just looks at Tubbo like something to be butchered and Tubbo hates that he reminds him of his father.  He gives Tubbo a once over, voice soft and calm.  “Something like that.”  He steps back, glancing at Jack once more like he’s a rather interesting rug instead of a hostage.  “A lot of your father’s boys are dead.  Although I’m sure you’re aware of that.”

“Yes, oddly enough, I am.”

“What about…” The man snaps his fingers.  “HQ?  You know, we’re not too happy with him either.  Casinos, that’s our business, but fine, we’ll… we’ll have a little pity, the guy’s partner just died.”

Tubbo feels the panic sharpen in his chest.  This man knows too much.  Maybe Schlatt’s boys talked, but why about Quackity?  No one outside Schlatt’s circle was supposed to know the details of their relationship.  “What about him?  Quackity– Quackity HQ was his lawyer, actually.”

The man laughs.  “Dunno if your old man slacked on teaching you the birds and the bees, but those two weren’t talking lawsuits, I’ll tell you that.”  The man watches Tubbo carefully, calculating something.  “You could always ask your buddy over there for some money from his whole operation.”

“We’re not buddies,” Tubbo scoffs.  “Does it seem like I was on good terms with my father?  Let alone his lawyer?”

The man sighs.  He adjusts the rings on his fingers and Tubbo steps back because he recognizes such a motion, but he’s still not prepared when the man’s fist nails him in the jaw.

“Tubbo!” Jack shouts from the floor, struggling frantically, forced to stop by the barrel of the gun dug in further to his skull.

Tubbo hits the wall, and almost keeps himself off the ground even as he stumbles, if not for the man knocking his feet out from under him.  Tubbo hits the ground, catching himself with his hands and tries to get up.  He has to get up.  The man kicks him sharply in the ribs, Tubbo gasps, breathless.  He has to get up.

“Leave him alone you stupid fucking bastard!” Jack shouts, still struggling despite the weighted threat of a bullet.

Finally, all of this done methodically, emotionlessly, he grabs Tubbo by the hair and slams his head against the wall, not hard enough to knock him out, but certainly enough to get Tubbo’s attention.  Then, the bastard has the audacity to offer Tubbo, dazed, a hand off the ground.

Tubbo struggles to get his bearings.  His lip is bleeding.  He stares at the offered hand unsteadily before spitting at the man’s feet, clawing at the wall behind him to stand on his own.

“I would prefer if you didn’t play games with me, kid,” the man sounds so scolding.  “And don’t straight up lie.  It won’t go well for you.  You need to understand that if you don’t cough up and cough up soon, we’re going to take away everything that you love.”  The man towers over him, and Tubbo, bloody lip and ringing skull, refuses to flinch.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Tubbo snarls, glaring up at him.  The audacity of this man to make assumptions based on outdated information.  Quackity had rejected him first, whatever lies in the past has no bearing on now.  It can’t.  “I killed my own father, and you think an attachment to his lawyer is going to faze me?  At all?  It’s downright pathetic, really.  So why’re you acting like I’m trying to play with the big boys unprepared when you clearly don’t know your mark as well as you think you do?”

The man considers this with the same maddening neutrality.  “Huh.”  A pause.  “Kill baldie.”

“Wait, no, please!” Tubbo screams and lunges for the man behind Jack, but someone grabs Tubbo by the arms and holds him back even as Tubbo struggles fiercely.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Jack says, voice high and frantic, eyes closed and head turned, the gun digging into his ear.

Jack is still alive simply because the ringleader raised his hand.

The man is still watching Tubbo so carefully.  He raises his eyebrows.  “You look a little fazed, kid.”

Tubbo doesn’t say a word, staring at Jack, lump in his throat, he tries to keep his expression blank even as he knows it’s too late for them, the damage is done.

“That’s what I fucking thought.”  The man nods, and the goon holding Tubbo lets go.  Tubbo takes one step toward Jack and the so-called missionary places one hand against his chest, stopping him.  “You know, little bit of advice,” he says softly.  “Before you make a bluff, make sure there isn’t a big fucking weakpoint in the middle of the room.  You’re not cutthroat where it counts, are you, kid?” he glances at Jack again.  “We’re reasonable people.  I won’t ask for all the money by the end of the month, but if you don’t make a fucking dent,” the man tuts him and finally steps back, one wave of the hand, and the man poised to kill Jack gets off of him.  “Well, just don’t forget what we know.  Maybe you and HQ had a falling out, maybe you didn’t.  We’ll find out whoever it is you still want alive, like baldie over there, and we’ll decide if they get to keep breathing or not.  Or, maybe you decide! Eh? All it’ll take is 40 grand.  Let’s say… 10 by the end of the month.”  The missionary gives Tubbo one last once over, smiling.  “Good luck, Mr. Underscore.”

The front door closes.

“Jack?!  Jack, are you alright?” Tubbo scrambles to his friend’s side, giving him a hand off the ground.

“Me?  Are you?” Jack nods to Tubbo’s face.  He knows it’s going to leave a nasty bruise.  “Oh shit, you’re bleeding,” Jack stands on his tiptoes to look at the blood matting Tubbo’s hair.  “He really got you.  Fuck, man.”

“I’m fine.”

Jack gives him a look.  “Either I look at it, or I call in Ponk.”

“You… you don’t need to drag Ponk out here for… for a little blood,” Tubbo says exasperatedly.

“Good!  Now sit down,” Jack all but pushes him into a chair, going into the bathroom and pulling out a first aid kit from under the sink.

“When the fuck did you put that there-?”

“A while ago, now look down,” Jack says irritably.

Tubbo hisses as the pain sharpens, Jack dabbing at the blood carefully.  “That fucking hurts.”

“Yeah, probably ‘cause you almost got your head bashed in,” Jack points out.  “Talk.  It’ll distract you.  Like…” Jack holds him steady when he puts the anti-infectant onto the wound, Tubbo biting his knuckles.  “What’s the plan, Boss?”

Tubbo cannot say I don’t know.  That’s not an option for him anymore.  But he thinks the answer he does have is worse.  “We make ourselves Quackity’s problem.”

Jack frowns.  “You’re… you’re serious?”

“Obviously,” Tubbo shuts his eyes tightly as Jack closes the wound with butterfly stitches.  “Two birds with one stone, Jack.  Everything has said Quackity is dangerous to us right now.  If people keep on acting like Quackity was my fucking mother, it’s gonna get us both killed.  And… and if I don’t turn up some cash soon, that’s gonna get us all killed too.”

“And… the answer is to go fuck around at Las Nevadas instead of maybe… I dunno, working with Quackity to figure some shit out?” Jack asks doubtfully.

“Quackity isn’t interested in figuring shit out with me,” Tubbo says coolly.  “The sooner we make sure the rest of the world knows that too, it will be better for both of us.”

Jack is almost startled.  This is the most Tubbo has talked about something personal in weeks.  “Do you… do you wanna talk about it?”

Tubbo turns to look at him sharply, looking almost offended.  He doesn’t even bother replying.  “We have work to do, Jack.  Come on.”

~

The prohibition was repealed in a day.  Quackity isn’t entirely sure how, but Connor comes through when he needs to.  So, now along with preparing his card dealers, bouncers, and hosts, he has to track down a bartender.  Additionally, another petty comfort in his nerves, he’s hired Purpled to work the place opening night, just a little insurance in case anything else goes wrong.  They’re in the final stretch.  Five days until the opening night.

Getting the shit beaten out of him by someone he had once considered an ally wasn’t exactly a highlight of the week.  He also doesn’t know what to make of his newest staff member holding a gun to his father to protect them.  Even worse, when afterwards Sapnap was clearly holding back tears.  Quackity hadn’t known what to do with that.  He also hadn’t known what to do with Karl being the one to comfort him.

Regardless, that’s yesterday’s news, even if he’s still dealing with the consequences of it.  His head of security is back on crutches and Quackity is supposed to not strain himself considering he has a cracked rib.  Quackity is going through nothing but strain.  Most of the bartenders in the city aren’t confident enough to come work above board just yet, and at this rate Quackity is going to end up tending the bar himself.

Knowing Karl is safe is his one consolation.  Sapnap is clearly committed, and has been protecting Karl with rapt attention.  Karl says the guy is adorably awkward at Kinoko Bookstore, hovering and watching every customer like he’s expecting one of them to show up with a bomb instead of a book request.  As to whether or not Sapnap Halo is still a fucking pig, the jury’s not out yet.  As long as the guy stays away from their business, they should do just fine.  Although, Quackity is quite proud to say, Las Nevadas is entirely above board.  Now that alcohol is legal, there isn’t a shred of probable cause in the building.  Excluding the guns.  License to carry or not, there are limits.  That’s what secret drawers and hidden cabinets are for, right?

Outside of the personal side of things, on the business side of things, they’re going well.  They’re going to plan, and that makes Quackity even more nervous.  There’s always cracks, and things always break eventually.  Usually poised to crush him beneath the rubble.

Still, he keeps building.  He has the counter turned into the bar it was always meant to be, and even if he can’t find a bartender just yet, it’s easy to get in touch with Puffy to get ahold of some booze.  Not yet a fully stocked bar, but somewhere close.  Quackity is pretty sure he’s going to be one of the first upstanding businesses to serve alcohol in this new post-prohibition era.  Something to be proud of, he thinks.

It has to be perfect.  It has to be impressive.  And it definitely has to be worth it.

Quackity has put too much of himself on the line to get this to work for him.  If it fails, he thinks he might do something drastic.

Quackity has felt something inside of him slowly rising to a fever pitch all month.  The closer they get to the grand opening, the worse it gets.  It’s beyond nerves, beyond anxiety even.  It inches closer and closer toward paranoia.  Something is going to ruin this for him.

He just hadn’t expected it to be Tubbo.

~

Tubbo lurks outside Las Nevadas with Jack and half a dozen men he trusts about as far as he can spit.  He doesn’t want to do this.  He’s going to anyway.

Tubbo stares intently through the glass.  He can see Foolish.  He can see Quackity.  There’s no sign of Sam or any other hired gun.  “Ground rules, boys.  We are going to do as little damage as possible.”

“Why?”

“Because our end goal is for this to be an investment.  I highly suggest you don’t damage my investment, are we clear?”  Tubbo waits for some acknowledgement, an irritable nod.  “I’ll be generous.  You can each break one thing, but keep away from the especially expensive-looking machines and the stuff behind the bar.  I suggest breaking a barstool, or perhaps a card table.”

“Lucky us,” the man says dryly.

“Go home,” Tubbo says icily.  “Children don’t get to participate, so until you can act your age, I suggest you fuck off.”

The man glances at him, scowling.  They’re used to it by now.  They undermine Tubbo, they’re forced to leave, or they get shot.  Typically non-fatally, but it isn’t exactly pleasant.  Not to mention, getting shot non-fatally usually leads to a more radical retort, and that tends to lead to a more deadly shot.  The man leaves.

That’s one less person to intimidate with, but that’s far preferable to a loose cannon getting carried away and doing some serious damage.  Tubbo is being cautious, not out of guilt, but out of practicality.  He cannot be guilty for this.  If anything, he’s living up to Quackity’s expectations.  This was why he left, wasn’t it?  He saw the bits of Schlatt bleeding through as Tubbo took his place?

“If anyone gets hurt, I’ll fucking break you, do you understand me?” Tubbo says sharply to the remaining men.  “I will break every bone in your body and then I’ll end the job with a bullet.  We damage property, not people.”

No one here respects him.  Tubbo can only pray their selfish self-preservation will be enough to keep them in line.  Tubbo needs this to work.  He needs to back up his words with not just blood, but money as well.

Tubbo looks over at Jack.  If he had his way, Jack wouldn’t be here.  At the same time, he doesn’t think he can do this without him.  He wants to ask Jack if he’s ready, but he cannot show that type of caring in present company, so instead he walks across the street and enters the casino.

Quackity looks up the moment the door opens, and he knows exactly what’s happening.  He’s seen it often enough from the other side of things.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Quackity hops over the bar, almost wiping out as his cracked rib protests sharply, but he’s on a mission.  That is, to put himself between these fucking morons and his casino.  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!”

Tubbo’s prepared spiel of warning is stopped sharply as he sees Quackity’s bruised face, the thin cuts not yet scabbed over on his hands.  “What happened?”

Quackity too stops in his tracks, staring at Tubbo’s bruised jaw.  He can see where the rings made indents in his skin.  “Me?  What the fuck happened to you?”

Both of them frozen with the same thought, the same confusion, not at the bruises on the other’s face, but at the source.  He’s dead, so, how did this happen?

Both of their roles are briefly forgotten, staring at their injuries, baffled and even openly concerned, but it’s shattered soon enough.  Literally shattered, as one of Tubbo’s goons shatters the row of clean glasses on top of the bar.  At least he didn’t touch the alcohol.

“What the fuck?!” Quackity snarls, turning on a man twice his size.  Foolish, wide-eyed, grabs onto his boss’s arm, holding him back.

“Um, maybe better not, Quackity,” Foolish says, voice slightly higher as he knows everyone in the room is definitely armed.

So Quackity turns on a target more his size.  “You’ve lost your fucking  mind!” He shoves Tubbo back.

Tubbo ignores the dig.  “I have given you time to think, Quackity.  And now we have to get down to business.  If you don’t… accept my help, my protection, I will ensure Las Nevadas’ opening… well, let’s just say I’ll make sure it goes off with a bang,” Tubbo says with a mild, polite smile.

“Do you want me to call Sam?” Foolish asks.

Quackity doesn’t turn his gaze away from Tubbo, but replies nonetheless.  “What the fuck is Sam gonna do?  Call the cops?  Tubbo will be long gone by the time they get here and I don’t need them nosing around either.”

“So… so what do we do?” Foolish jumps when one of the tables he’d picked up a few days ago is flipped.

Quackity says nothing.  He does not flinch when one of his brand new card tables is smashed by a sledge hammer.

Tubbo keeps one eye on his men, but he returns his focus to Quackity.  “Yeah, Big Q.  What are you gonna do?”

Quackity feels the familiar, sour taste of humiliation rise up like bile in the back of his throat.  None of this is new.  It’s some bastard so terrified of seeming weak, he breaks what little belongs to Quackity to feel better.  Quackity isn’t able to put a stop to it, he isn’t allowed.  He’s supposed to stand there, and be docile, and maybe he’ll be rewarded with keeping the wreckage.  And of course, of fucking course, the man responsible this time around shares the same blood as the last.

“What the fuck happened to you?  Huh?  What, did the power already go to your head?  Still, this is fucking low.  Especially for you,” Quackity spits bitterly.

“This is low?” Tubbo tilts his head, assessing Quackity.  “Well, I’d hate to hear your thoughts on my plans for the grand opening.”

Quackity steps up until he and Tubbo are nose to nose.  “I fucking dare you, Tubbo,” his tone softens into something more dangerous.  “Just go ahead and try to ruin this for me, and I will fucking destroy you.”

Tubbo doesn’t step back, instead, he raises an eyebrow, scanning the room and the damage done, deeming it sufficient.  Quackity realizes with a twist of strange unease, that Tubbo is taller than him.  He doesn’t know when that happened.  Tubbo has spent so much time trying to make himself smaller, maybe he’s been like this for a while and Quackity just never saw it.  Quackity steps back.

Tubbo doesn’t engage with Quackity’s threat, proceeding as matter-of-factly as possible.  “I will give you until the opening to back down, to agree to give us a cut.  And in exchange, we’ll offer protection.  I mean that, not just protection from, well, us, but from everything, from the Badlands, from the other casinos, from all of it.”

“Why the fuck would they be a problem for me?”  Quackity is wary.  There’s no reason for Tubbo to know about the Badlands visit, not unless there’s a mole, and considering the company he keeps, that’s not unlikely.

Tubbo shrugs.  “I think it’s a safe assumption, at least enough to be worried.  I want to protect you, Quackity.  From all of it.  I hope you’ll let me.”

“You’ve lost your fucking mind.  You know who you sound like, don’t you?”

Tubbo briefly looks impacted in some way, a flash of hurt and anger he’s quick to bury.  “Don’t you dare say it, Big Q–”

“You sound like Schlatt,” Quackity spits viciously.

Tubbo buries the urge to shout at him, to sound weak and hurt, instead he proceeds with icy composure.  “Interesting from the man building the most predatory business in the city, hm?  He was the one preying on innocent people and taking their money, and what exactly is it you’re doing?  You know what kind of harm this could do–”

“No, no you don’t get to make that fucking comparison, it’s nothing like what he did–”

“You ended the prohibition, Quackity!” Tubbo shouts at him, sharp and almost shrill; for once there’s that hint of childishness that should be there for someone so young.  Quackity falls silent.  Tubbo continues, voice trembling, clinging to an ounce of calm.  “You ended it.  The Mayor did, whatever, you made that happen, Big Q.  I know you did.  And I know it hasn’t exactly been contained in this city before now, but I dunno, maybe it never brought you any comfort knowing if Sch–” Tubbo stops when his voice breaks, mouth a thin line.  He drums his fingers on the desk.  “Knowing that even if they couldn’t get him for anything else, sometimes it was nice.  Thinking he could’ve spent a night in jail for drinking on a bad night.  And you know he’s not the only man like that in this city.  I fucking guarantee you made someone’s life harder.”  Silence.  Quackity doesn’t say a word, he can tell Tubbo has more to say, and there’s something in the past eight years that despite everything means Quackity will let him say his piece uninterrupted.  Tubbo does.  “You were stuck there too, I know, but that was my home my whole life.  It’s different.  And I know we can’t blame everything that man was on the alcoholism, but–” Tubbo sighs heavily.  “I dunno, maybe I thought the prohibition was one thing this city had done right.”  Tubbo’s anger returns.  “I thought you of all people might understand that, and not forsake it for your profit margins.”

Quackity hadn’t expected that.  He doesn’t know how to protest it in good conscience, despite the damage Tubbo has done.

Tubbo straightens his tie, loosening it slightly.  He takes a deep breath.  “You have until the opening to get back to me, otherwise, there won’t be an opening, understood?”  Quackity doesn’t reply.  Tubbo understands.  “Alright.  We’re done here.  Lads?” Tubbo nods them back to the door.  He gives Jack another nod, indicating he wants him to leave too.  Tubbo knows Jack will want to have words with him about all this.  He’s not looking forward to it.  Tubbo waits, hands in his pockets, for the others to exit, watching Quackity with a carefully shielded expression.  For a moment, it’s just the two of them, Foolish mumbling something about getting a broom for the glass and Jack having left with the group.

Tubbo turns to leave.

“Hey,” Quackity grabs onto Tubbo’s arm, stopping him from leaving, staring Tubbo down with a promise weighted with blood, “if I go down, you go down with me, got it?”

Tubbo stares back, calculating and still too calm.  He replies, easily, as if this is exactly what he expected.  “Yeah.  Thought so.”  Tubbo pulls free from his hold on his arm and leaves him.

Quackity doesn’t know what to do with that.  So he can only assess the damage, and decide what lengths he will take to protect what remains.  He's not proud of it, but maybe Bad's visit has him a little inspired.  If Schlatt taught him one thing, nothing quite as effective as a hostage.

#my writing #mafia au #writer's block has been fucking me up!!! #but cabinet duo angst! here we go! #cabinetduo

[comfymoth]

you NEED to tell us anout the selkie q + schlatt lore i am so interested in those two ,, schlatt has qs selkie seal skin so that means he's trapped with him and Oughhhhfhhghhhhghhz zzz Need more lore PLS!!!!!

i feel like i'm going to have to put this under a readmore because i just KNOW i'm gonna ramble, but selkie q and human schlatt is a dynamic that can just be sooo. wow. horrific!

see, all quackity wants to do is explore the mainland, and that's how he meets schlatt initially! he's too close to the shore, and maybe he runs into a net, maybe he just gets caught sneaking around like a dork, but either way-- schlatt's the first human to find him. and he's the first human that quackity's ever met! of course q's heard all the staries, all the warnings, and he starts off baring his teeth, but... schlatt seems to just find it funny. and quackity kind of likes his jokes, and his flattery, and before he knows it he's admitting all his little-mermaid-ass dreams of being where the people are out loud. and schlatt agrees to show him!

so, that's their deal, for a little while. every day, quackity meets up with schlatt at the beach, and schlatt plays tour guide for him on land. he also teaches q how to blend in while he's up there, shows him what humans eat, how they act, how they dress-- after all, he can't just walk around in that coat. why not borrow schlatt's clothes instead? he can leave the coat in his closet. and of course, that's the concession quackity's the most hesitant to make, insisting at first on keeping it on him at all times, but-- schlatt's a nice guy. right? they've been meeting like this for a while, and he's never been anything but trustworthy. if he wanted his coat, he would have taken it already, surely. so... eventually. quackity gives in. decides to just, hang it up in schlatt's closet while they spend the day out. and at the end of the day, sure enough-- he gets it back!

they keep up this arrangement for a while, until quackity's spending days, weeks, months at a time with schlatt, just hanging around his house. and it's fun! he's having fun, he swears, but there are... occasional fights. small ones. turns out schlatt drinks more than he thought. he's moodier, when quackity's observing him for these long stretches of time. and maybe it's one of these days, when the tensions are a bit higher, and nerves wearing a bit thinner, that quackity decides he's just going out for a quick swim, just to clear his head-- only to find his coat isn't in the closet. and that fight is probably the only part of this au i ever pictured fully clearly, maybe one day i'll actually write it down, but point is that's when it goes to hell. that's when quackity realizes he's fucked.

it takes a while longer to really reach this point, but with a bit of convincing from an old friend, wilbur, quackity will eventually decide he has one way out of here. if he can't steal his coat back without getting caught, then he's just going to have to kill his husband.

#selkie au #i had. this thought. also. that when quackity starts leaving his coat in schlatt's house #there is a little part of him that almost likes the idea of it being there. he kind of likes the marriage symbol #as long as he still gets to take it back at the end of the day! #so when it gets to that fight. when he realizes schlatt fully intends to keep it and he's actually trapped #i think part of him just feels so fucking humiliated

[dreamologisth2o]

Dsmp AU where Dream is just 3 kids (gods) in a trench coat.

DreamXD is the head, the defacto leader of their little group, and decides most of what “Dream”’s personality or goals are like. He’s the oldest of the three and will claim he’s also the smartest. He tends to flip flop on taking this whole “Dream” thing seriously or just deciding to fuck around.

Drista is the arms. She’s the first to point out when there going off script or out of character but also the first one to incite all the chaos. As the most gremlin child of them all, she’s also the youngest, and has occasionally taken over as the head.

NotDream123 is the legs. They are the middle child, and have only ever taken over as the head a couple of times. He tends to be the mediator between the two, and often follows along one fo the others’ plans. As a result, she’s never formed a “real” personality and now greatly regrets it. He is also, unfortunately, the most committed to the bit.

During the disc finale, each time “Dream” died one of the kids died in his place. And everytime it happened Dream would get shorter by 2 feet as a result. The first one was XD, the second one was Drista. ND123 ends up having to build extra long stilts and fake glove hands to keep up appearances. It is very scuffed.

After dying and losing their mortal form, XD and Drista left to do their own thing, leaving ND123 alone and in charge of “Dream”. He is decidedly pissed.

Ranboo is the only one who knows Dream is just three kids in a trench coat. And that’s because he’s often mistaken as four kids in a trench coat and figured it out. The kids bribed Ranboo into silence with silk touch hands.

Schlatt also knew. He found out by seeing what was under Dream’s cloak, and decided he was too drunk to deal with this.

Everyone else is distressingly oblivious to Dream’s whole deal.

During the prison arc, ND123 accidentally kills Tommy with her fake hands. Which the other two found hilarious.

When Q comes in to torture “Dream”, he picks Dream up and ND123 comes tumbling out of the clothing in a thud.

ND123 calls Ranboo for help. Ranboo claims custody over ND123 and wins the court case breaks them out.

ND123 is then dropped off at Techno’s place as an impromptu babysitter. They give him a juice box.

ND123 proceeds to beg Ranboo for help in piloting the “Dream” body/character. “Dream” is now 2 feet taller than he was before, and everyone on the server thinks he’s a shapeshifter.

Techno realizes he almost got bested by three kids in a trench coat.

.....NOT EVEN CLOSE

XD originally wanted to name their persona “Nightmare”. It was vetoed for being too edgy.

XD, Drista, and ND123 had a three day planning session trying to flesh out “Dream” and their response to Wilbur’s L’Manberg revolution. XD tends to go off script when people piss him off tho.

All three are scarily competent fighters, together as Dream or separate as their own person.

#Trenchcoat AU #Three Gods in a Trenchcoat AU #crack taken seriously AU #c!Dream is three kids in a Trenchcoat #the three kids are three gods in the body of kids #dsmp AU #c!Dream #DreamXD #Drista #NotDream123

[bonesandthebees]

Then it’s narrative parallels time. [And of course, there was the Prince, who had spent his entire life being told he was next in line for the throne.] This one is obvious. It’s Niki. She was the original heir until Phil came with the alternative plan. She’s going to feel betrayed if (when) someone else gets chosen. And depending on how Wilbur reacts, aka what he might be forced to do by his father, she’s going to feel the most betrayed by him out of everyone.

Quackity could be similar, thinking he was also meant for / promised the throne. [But to protest this his younger brother—the next in line for the throne—chose to join him in his exile.] If Tomys gets picked (and Q did not somehow get excuted by then, though my money is on Schlatt) Q will join Niki in her anger and her efforts against this decision.

[But others in the Chamber tried to put forward their own chosen successors, or even themselves for the throne.”] We already saw this in action in the meeting. Hannah supports Niki, Schlatt has an alliance with Q (for both their benifits, but definitely for his own gain too because he does not like the other 2 options). And Phil will most likely end up in support of Tomys (again for his/Wilbur’s gain).

Then there’s the obvious mix between canon pogtopia and Stars!crimeboys. With the brother’s in the backstory. Extra spice for killing his younger brother.

What gets me more though, is this interactions: [“What do you think?” / Wilbur realized he’d always gone off the theories written in the historical texts. He’d never tried putting himself in the Prince’s shoes] 1. Tomys already looks up to Wilbur and values his opinion, he wants to know what he thinks because the Prince’s actions confuse him and he trust’ Wilbur’s judgement and opinion.

2. Wilbur has never thought about this for himself, he’s been going off of the text, off of what he’s been taught. It says a lot about how Phil raised him, perfectly obedient but unable to really think for himself. A lot of the time he thinks about what his father would want him to do, always busy with what is expected and what he’s been taught rather than what he wants. As Goose anon pointed out, there’s few moment’s he doesn’t but it does happen a lot more when with Tomys. As it does now, because the boy asked.

And then there’s his actual opinion. It shows that Wilbur is highly aware of the games and highly distrustful / paranoid. It’s, again, how he was raised. He knows the game, been aware of it his entire life, but he’s only recently learnt how far it really goes and already started to have the seeds of paranoia planted in his brain. And so he sees the paranoia and distrust behind it all. How it would be hard to move on. How even if he still trusted his brother he might have taught it kinder to take him down with him than leave him betrayed, he knows how much betrayal stings.

This conversation also shows Tomys’ loyalty and how much he values it. He doesn’t understand with the Prince betrayed his younger brother. He stayed loyal ‘till the end. He didn’t deserve it. And Tomys is young and doesn’t quite understand the games. (Also, realistically speaking, a lot of this is probably twist by history, so there’s no way to know).

(3/3?)

-🌲

tbh I thought most people were going to be too distracted by the references to pogtopia to realize niki was the closest parallel to the prince of l'mannes (though I had faith in you spruce) so good on you guys I'm proud of you all

in my head, back in the L'mannes days the chamber of nobles was a hugeeee court that could vote on measures the ruling monarch could or couldn't take, although the monarch had the final say. there were upwards of 75 nobles during this era, meaning that there were a lot of different opinions flying around at all times. after the fall of L'mannes, one of the things the younger brother did following the death of his older brother was get rid of the chamber of nobles and replace it with a much smaller council that we see in present day Pandorinne. also, while there are still a lot of nobles, there aren't 75+ anymore. but even with these measures, we still see comparisons to the original chamber of nobles and what's going on with the council right now. the more things change the more they stay the same.

also, spruce, I think you misread that bit in the L'mannes story. the older brother stabbed himself through the heart, not his younger brother. he didn't kill his younger brother, just himself (and whoever was caught in the fires he set when he set the town ablaze). the younger brother then proceeded to take the crown and established the new capital in Pandorinne. it's totally fair though that line was a bit confusing. I couldn't figure out how to word it better so that's on me

tommy wants wilbur's take!! he looks up to wilbur already for guidance and wants him to explain what he thinks of the story to him because he's confused!! the big brotherfication happening already lol

it's not that phil didn't want wilbur to think for himself. quite the opposite in fact, he wants wilbur to be better than he is. he wants wilbur to be as sharp as can be. but he's gone about it the wrong way. wilbur gets so focused on trying to give his father the 'right' answer he doesn't really know how to think for himself, he's just thinking of what phil wants him to get out of those lessons

and what has he gotten out of his lessons? paranoia. not wanting to be the 'loser'. it's better to be the betrayer than the betrayed.

#ask #spruce anon #rose ch 6

[tntblrconfessions]

Babble anon here

New au

Concept: some kind of weird magic Kingdom place with weird magic nobility. Wilbur is the son of a high ranking noble [which Phil is a bit of a bitch in this one fair warning] and sneaks out at night to visit Las Nevadas, a casino. Quackity is the owner of LN and he n wilbur have a lighthearted rivalry over wilbur causing trouble in the casino. Phil finds out that Wil has been sneaking out and forbids him from leaving their property. Q thinks Wil abandoned him like the others, and Wilbur is depressed. Q eventually reunites, and they talk about it. This leads to Q convincing Phil to stop Being Such A Bitch and then he takes wilbur and rides off into the sunset

Tidbits:

Phil's big bitchy problem is that he was betrayed at some point because he was too trusting and so taught his family to avoid telling things and accidentally made his son suppress his emotions and resent him.

Q used to be married into nobility [schlatt], but he gave it up because he hated it. He uses it to get into a royal ball to talk to Wilbur

At the ball, he bribes the band into playing something more dramatic and then asks Wilbur for a dance in front of everyone. Then they dance and Phil sees how happy Wil is with Q

Fearing for the worst, phil questions Q and Q spills that he killed schlatt. Then he proceeds to yell at Phil for being a bitch before cutting himself off for fear of being executed

He calls Phil a "puffy feathered son of a fuck" and it makes wilbur chuckle

Phil reflects and becomes better and then Wil and Q become those annoying lovers that are always making out, much to Tommy's dismay

Anyways, this was all based on the song "Looking at me" by Sabrina Carpenter

😳😳

#confessions #tntduo #tnt duo #c!quackbur #quackbur

[sparksnevadas]

ueueueue quackcicle, pumpkin duo, and tntduo /nf

ooooo quackity centric hm? (also hi valentine!)

ill be honest! I basically only ship quackity with slimecicle. so this one is the most filled up one:

I project on these two so hard. blind loyalty that becomes loyalty given with a full understanding of who they are. I love them so much. Also I half marked "concept is more appealing than execution" and "aesthetic is impeccable" because it ranges so so much, and unfortunately i see a lot of quackcicle work that baby-fies slime like... too much? and make that his only character trait besides loving q (who also occasionally gets simplified to being a hurt, violent man on occasion), which... ah, not my thing i guess. and then i see incredible, heart wrenching art that just kills me on the spot /pos. so kinda halfsie halfsie on that! Also c Slime is my blorbo and he's nonbinary (he/they) <3

Pumpkin duo:

I think pumpkin duo is really intriguing in concept! I haven't read many fics for them and i don't really intend to. I think schlatt was a bad pair to Q, but also cared for him, and showed that care moostly through trying to get Q to leave him, intentionally or forcefully. I think q genuinely loved and was loyal to Schlatt, even if they both knew was a sinking ship. He lived for moments where schlatt let his guard down and loved him back with a clear ease and softness that would never last into the morning light.

Also, never letting go of the fact that Q ate his ex's heart at his funeral. fucking incredible, i love that for him.

TNT duo:

I don't hate the ship... but it also doesn't appeal to me. I think at most there's a fun rivalry there and they both enjoy flirting, which could delve into FWB, especially when they worked together. Actually, in my fic (Square Peg), I did briefly have TNT duo interact, i think i wrote it pretty well. Okay yeah here let me copy/paste:

“I think we all know that you and I have a… deep connection, Big Q,” Wilbur said, breaking Quackity out of his thoughts. “No matter who comes and goes out of our lives, all of us who lived through all of that… we’re connected in a way no one else can truly understand.”

Quackity hated how much he agreed with the statement. The experience of the old factions, Pogtopia, L’manburg, and Manburg were nothing he could ever truly forget or leave behind, even with his new roots in the country he was building. Quackity forced himself to shrug again, not wanting to give Wilbur the satisfaction of his agreement. “Yeah, it’s called hatred.”

Wilbur blew an amused snort out his nose. “I don’t hate you Big Q.” He paused. “Well, not in the traditional sense. I like you, Big Q,” he said. “You’re a beautiful specimen of a rival.”

Quackity felt uncomfortable under Wilbur’s intense gaze but he held his eyes on WIlbur’s. Wilbur’s smirk grew into a wild grin. “You and me, Quackity? Mwah,” he kissed his fingers theatrically, “It's a beautiful rivalry for the ages, Quackity!”

“Rivalry? Really? Over what, you have nothing, Wilbur,” Quackity said back. He found amusement in how Wilbur’s grin fell slightly. It didn’t last. Wilbur laughed in his face. “Oh, it's only the start! Soon, Quackity,” his voice increased in volume. “Soon, you won’t be able to ignore me for much longer!”

Yeah yeah, hopefully this wasn't too too long! thank you for the ask!!! :D

#ask meme

[megablade]

I have not seen anyone address that c!quackity's core and most desperate desire is to belong. Like, he's repeatedly seen willing to compromise himself just to belong somewhere, and all that "flirting with literally everything" and "returning to past abusers" narrative is a part of this.

the way that c!quackity tries to make a home for himself and keeps losing it... the way that c!quackity still despises wilbur for what happened to l'manberg, the way that c!quackity loathes dream and technoblade for what they did to new l'manberg, the way that he built las nevadas for himself & his loved ones but then learned that they had made a new country without him,the way that he took apart el rapids, a faction they had made together, block by block because of the betrayal he felt...

and whenever i think of c!quackity having a whole string of ex lovers, i can't help but be reminded of like. why c!quackity even got engaged to c!eret in the first place... he'd been heartbroken when c!schlatt had left him at the alter, and he'd begged c!karl to marry him, but c!karl was with c!sapnap at that point and refused. and just days after c!schlatt died, c!quackity + c!karl + c!sapnap all got together, and it's like. c!quackity has quite literally never had a moment where he was without a partner and that really highlights how much he hates being lonely and not belonging...

i just want to shake c!quackity's shoulders and tell him that he deserves better and that he needs to start communicating </33

#anon you are So smart #and the whole thing w glatt too #really does play into how he's willing to go back to people who treated him badly if he could get something out it (like belonging) #actually when quackity defected to pogtopia and the first thought i had when they were coming up with plan ass was like #holy SHIT quackity don't tell me you're going back to him?? #quackity has literally killed schlatt hours before and stood up for himself by leaving schlatt for the first time #and with plan ass (albeit undercover) he was going BACK TO SCHLATT like that sounded so dangerous to me #but it was like. minecraft roleplay so i guess there wasn't really a consequence but still that scared me so much 😭😭 #ask #anonymous #lore thoughts #q lore

[420technoblazeit]

anyway i watched schlatt's death scene again for funsies bc i think it's a really underrated scene

here's some shit i didnt notice before or didnt think about lmao

when big q enters the drug van he says 'you live like this?' i just think that's really funny

fundy doesnt actually enter at first, he initially watches things play out from a hole in the roof with skeppy, hbomb, and niki

schlatt says that the protein shake has something in it while fundy yells at him. the way i see it you can either take that as him being too drunk to keep his head screwed on, finding something to distract himself from the fact that one of the people closest to him is yelling about how much of a disappointment he is, or a hint to the possibility that quackity poisoned him

he also mentions not having enough butane, so either he was doing drugs in the van or trying to smoke cigarettes. butane is found in lighters

niki actually calls for schlatt's death while he's going after fundy, though it's a little hard to hear. she also tries to get him to leave fundy alone along with eret and when wilbur tells tommy to kill schlatt she yells 'do it!'

surprisingly, karl seems to be very against killing him in the end. he seems surprised that wilbur would even suggest it

out of everyone in the van wilbur asks eret specifically if he remembers the declaration of the first war, and the idea of independence or death. he doesn't ask tommy, or tubbo or fundy. he asks the one traitor of the first war. wilbur knew exactly what betraying everybody was going to entail and he did it anyway

this isn't that big of a detail but im watching techno's pov for this so: wilbur's holding a diamond sword, the one phil later uses to kill him. quackity is holding a diamond pickaxe, a lot of people are just holding shields and food. techno and tubbo both have the firework rockets

quackity notes the white house getting taken down as the one tipping point in his and schlatt's relationship falling apart. there's kind of an implication that quackity would've stuck with him otherwise

it's actually eret specifically who pieces together that schlatt's having a stroke

wilbur asks for schlatt's last words but he never has time to say anything afterwards so technically they are 'gotta get that last pump in... can i do some lateral raises?' before his breathing goes heavy and he dies

this is kinda hidden underneath everyon else's reactions but somebody laughs really loudly in a high-pitched cackling kind of way. i'm pretty sure it's wilbur

#dream smp #dsmp #mcyt #jschlatt #the manburg vs pogtopia war #420 squeals #scene analysis

[theghostofblackbunnymask]

Have you thought about writing a part 2 for the Yandere! Karlnapity story? I would love to see how Quackity deals with the aftermath of killing y/n. If not, it's all good.

Author's note- Oh mate I have, and boy will this be angsty...

Part 1

Warnings- Death, gore, implied past abuse, cursing and greif

Yandere Karlnapity x Reader Part 2

Quackity looked down at Y/N who was limp on the floor, their eyes looking dead as they stared at floor, blood seeping through shirt and blood coming from their head. Quackity dropped his axe and looked at his hands, covered in blood. Quackity looked up at the mirror and he began to tear up. He was covered in blood, Y/N's blood. Quackity didn't even remember the person in the mirror, he only saw a monster wearing his skin.

"Y/N, respawn, please..."

Quackity looked at their bed, but they never respawned. Quackity was confused until he counted Y/N's deaths, Y/N lost their first canon life to Dream and their second from when Schlatt executed them with Tubbo. Then that's when Quackity's blood went cold, he took their last canon life.

"Wait, no, no! I didn't, I thought..." Quackity said as his voice began to break.

Quackity looked at Y/N and hugged them, not wanting to let them go.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! Please, come back, please, you're all I have left..."

Silence...

"Karl and Sapnap were right, I'm too unstable to take care of you..."

With Karl and Sapnap...

"Karl, you can go back and time and save them, right?" Sapnap asked.

"No, I don't think I can, if I do than it could seriously mess up the future..."

"Well, can you at least see what happened?!" Sapnap asked.

"I can, but I can't interfere..."

"Ok..." Sapnap said.

When Karl got back to the time Y/N was killed, he hid in Quackity's Penthouse. Karl watched as Quackity pulled out an axe.

"Quackity, wait!"

Quackity pushed Y/N to the floor, making Y/N hit their head on the floor, making their head begin to bleed.

"Maybe killing you will remind you of your place..."

Quackity began to plunge the axe into Y/N's chest and stomach until he saw they were at half a heart.

"STOP! PLEASE, HALF A HEART!" Y/N yelled, holding their body in pain.

"Like I said, you deserve this..."

And then they were gone... Blood everywhere as they fell onto their stomach, their cold dead eyes staring directly at Karl's panicked and scared ones.

Karl went back to the present shaking, he was shaking so bad he couldn't even stand up. Sapnap caught Karl as he fell.

"What happened?"

Karl shook his head as Y/N's face kept showing up in his head, the way he just sat there and did nothing, and seeing their final moments alive haunt him.

"I can't relive it, I can't, I'm sorry. It was awful, their face... What Quackity did... I don't want to remember this, I want to forget what I saw! But I just can't!" Karl said as he cried in Sapnap's arms.

Sapnap rubbed Karl's back as he comforted him. Sapnap felt awful for making Karl see that, and having it traumatize him this much made it even worse.

"Shhh, it's ok Karl, it's ok..."

3 months later...

"The books, Dream," Quackity said, glaring at the man wo was bloody on the floor.

"H-Here..." Dream said, writing down the stuff needed for the revival book before giving it to Quackity.

"I need two."

"But you said you-"

Quackity pointed the axe towards Dream, making Dream shut up and hand him another one.

"Thank you, enjoy your stay Dream," Quackity said as he stepped on the platform.

When Quackity got off Sam was waiting for him.

"Perfect," Quackity said.

"Mhm.," Sam said as he began to escort Quackity from outside of the prison.

"Quackity, can you promise me something?"

"What is it?" Quackity asked, examining every detail within the revival book.

"When you bring Y/N back, protect them, and control yourself. I don't want to hear again that Y/N got killed, either from your lack of control or from someone else."

Quackity looked up at Sam and smirked sadly.

"I promise, I don't plan on letting them die, and especially from my own hands," Quackity said as he left the prison.

At Las Nevadas...

Quackity looked at both of the revival books, one had 'Schlatt' written on it, while the other had 'Y/N' written on it. Taking a a deep breath, Quackity threw both into the fire, watching as they burned into ashes.

Quackity left his office and walked to where Schlatt was buried, when he got there he saw horns that looked too familiar.

"Quackity! How are you doing old friend? Thanks for bringing me back." Schlatt asked, pulling Quackity close.

"I don't have time for your antics, come with me," Quackity demanded.

"Oh, you're in a awful rush, and look, you finally had an ass," Schlatt teased as he followed.

"Shut up Schlatt!" Quackity yelled in frustration.

Schlatt walked in front of Quackity and grabbed Quackity by his chin while he held him by his wast.

"Deny it all you want Baby, you know you still love me, and you know that you're still useless without me," Schlatt said, watching as Quackity's pissed off face turn to one of sadness and fear.

Quackity looked to the side before pushing Schlatt away.

"I'm not fucking useless! I have my own fucking country, and unlike you, I actually know how to run it! I don't fucking abuse my employees and drink so much alcohol that I can't even do my fucking job!" Quackity said as he walked past Schlatt, who was shocked, pissed and somewhat amused.

Schlatt followed Quackity as they both walked into a forest.

"Where the hell are we going?"

"Shut up and don't worry about it."

Quackity stopped walking when he heard a sound. Walking towards it, he saw Y/N, who sat there confused. Y/N had a streak of white in their hair, just like Wilbur. Quackity slowly walked towards them, and when Y/N looked at him he stood still.

"Q-Quackity?"

Quackity ran over to Y/N and hugged them, knocking them over. Schlatt wasn't paying attention to the scene and was just smoking behind a tree.

"Y/N I'm so sorry! I won't do this again, I swear..." Quackity said, pulling them close.

Y/N hesitantly hugged Quackity back, not sure if this was a trick or one of his many lies.

"Where am i?" Y/N said in a cold and dead voice, pushing Quackity away as they looked around.

"Your grave, I buried you where you, Karl, Sapnap and I met..."

Y/N looked around before standing up giving Quackity the cold shoulder.

"I hate you..." Y/N said, speaking their mind to Quackity for the first time in years.

"W-What..."

"You killed me, I don't want you to hurt me again! The pain I felt... It still hurts," Y/N said, beginning to shake as they held their stomach.

"I want the old Quackity back, not you... I want Karl and Sapnap back, I just want to have them back! You're not Quackity, you're a demon wearing his skin..."

Quackity's heart broke in two as he saw Y/N point at him, their eyes holding nothing but pain. Schlatt began to chuckle as he heard the two talk. Y/N looked away from Quackity and began to walk off.

"Wait, no!" Quackity said, grabbing their wrist, preventing them from leaving.

"Let me make it up to you, please! I'll change, I'll let you see Karl and Sapnap again, I just want you to be happy, and I don't want you to leave me..."

Y/N looked at Quackity before thinking about what to do.

"You promise?"

"Promise."

"Ok, I'll come back..."

5 hours later...

Karl was cuddling up with Sapnap when both of them got a private message from Quackity.

"Come to Las Nevadas."

Sapnap and Karl looked at each other, thinking the same thing.

"This may be a trap," Sapnal said.

"I know, but, I want to hear what he has go say."

Karl and Sapnap walked into the Las Nevadas, only to be greeted by Quackity himself.

"What is it Quackity?" Sapnap asked.

"Karl, Sapnap, I'm sorry, I really am, and I know you won't forgive, and may want nothing to do with me, but please, let me explain."

Karl and Sapnap glanced at each other before nodding, agreeing to let Quackity explain.

"I revived Y/N, and they really miss you two, a lot, and so do I. They want all of us together again, to be happy again. You may not want anything to do with me, but please, for Y/N..."

Karl and Sapnap hugged Quackity without a second thought, catching him off guard.

"We thought you'd never ask," Sapnap said.

Quackity hugged the two back before they all started to walk off.

"Where's Y/N?" Karl asked as the three went up the glass elevator.

"My penthouse," Quackity said as he exited the elevator and walked to the room which led to it.

Quackity unlocked the door and entered, Karl and Sapnap following after. Y/N was no where to be seen, but you could hear them crying in their room. Sapnap and Karl slowly opened the door and saw Y/N sitting on their bed, rolled up in a blanket as they silently cried. Y/N stopped when they got knocked over by someone. Turning their head, they saw Sapnap and Karl hugging them, which surprised them.

"Sapnap, Karl..." Y/N whispered.

"We missed you so much!" Sapnap said.

"Yeah, we thought you'd never come back!" Karl said.

Quackity had a warm smile on his face as he watched what happened, it reminded him when they were all together, before Kinoko Kingdom and before Las Nevadas. When Quackity turned around to leave, Karl grabbed his hand and pulled him into the hug, trapped him as Karl cuddled him. Y/N fell asleep while Sapnap cuddled them. Even though their relationship wasn't the best, it made them all happy.

#dreamsmp x reader #dream smp x reader #yandere dream #yandere dream smp #yandere dream x reader #mcyt x reader #yandere mcyt x reader #yandere mcyt #quackity x reader #yandere quackity #quackity x y/n #quackity x you #karl jacobs x you #karl jacobs x reader #karl jacobs x y/n #yandere karl jacobs #sapnap x y/n #sapnap x you #sapnap x reader #Yandere Sapnap #yandere quackity x reader #Yandere Karl Jacobs x reader #Yandere Sapnap x reader #karlnapity x reader #Yandere Karlnapity #Yandere Karlnapity x reader

[lasnevadaslaborunion]

IF!! WE!! DONT!! SEE FUNDY EXPLICITLY SUICIDAL THEN WHATS THE POINT!!

Just Q saying something like "You realize yo owe your life to this nation" to have Fundy respond "Kill me, then."

We know he wouldn't do it. We know he won't do it. We, the audience, know c!Quackity was talking big and has never actually held up his grim promises in that silly little citizenship contract. But for c!Fundy to be so convinced that his president, formerly his friend, might kill him for leaving, or is unconvinced but despondent enough to take the gamble anyway...

It would fucking destroy me if he brought up c!Schlatt during this conversation too, invoked the past executions they witnessed - and later participated in with the Butcher Army. He knows firsthand how viciously c!Quackity reacts to betrayal, and he's not above drawing those comparisons regardless of how much it might upset him. This could get ugly, y'all.

(Or maybe c!Quackity understamds completely and they have a nice, polite goodbye, or maybe he slips away and nobody notices... oh, who are we kidding? Things never go that easily.)

#dsmp #c!quackity #c!fundy #asks #tw suicide

[peninkwrites]

Karl and Quackity (don't) Date - Ch 10 of ?

Quackity struggles with complex family relationships and finds out about Karl's own mob beast––I mean boss.

[CW: extortion, abuse, threats of violence, Schlatt]

crossposted to ao3

Ch 1

Ch 9

Ch 11

Mafia AU

~

The following morning Quackity calls in and says he’ll be late to work, he dares them to make a fuss about it, he’s been working overtime perpetually for the past two months.  He’d kept it together for the rest of that night, Schlatt had gotten drunk enough he let Quackity drive them back to the house, he made it up the stairs, almost crushing Quackity from leaning on him so much, and then passed out in his suit.  Quackity had an easy time leaving the following morning, knowing Schlatt would sleep until mid afternoon at least.  He’d taken another one of Schlatt’s cars, they’re not in short supply, and maybe once he gets back to his own he’ll ask one of Schlatt’s dogs to bring the other one back for him.  He’d called work from a payphone, paranoid that somehow Schlatt would have woken up and picked up the line and heard him planning to skip work.  Then he’d gone straight to Karl’s; he’s jamming the buzzer to apartment a little after nine.

“Huh?” Karl says drowsily.

“Hey!  Uh, it’s me.  It’s Quackity.”

“Oh, hi.  You can come up!”

Quackity heads up the narrow steps to Karl’s place with a hint of urgency.  He knows what he’s here to do, but he hasn’t put much thought into how he’s actually going to ask.  He doesn’t have the money for it, not to run for it safely, but at this point he doesn’t care.

“Hey,” Karl’s hair is sticking up wildly, his eyes still bleary with sleep widen at the sight of him on a mission.  “Are you– Are you okay?” He steps out of the way so Quackity can plow ahead into his place.  “Is this about last night?  I’m– I’m all good, Q, I just hid–”

“No, no that’s not the point,” Quackity starts out harsher than he’d originally intended.  Karl falls silent, staring at him, uneasy.  “Fuck, sorry, I just–” Quackity stops himself and takes a deep breath.  “That was too close, okay?  Last night, that was fucking dangerous.”

“I’m… sorry?” Karl tries uncertainly for what he thinks might be what Quackity is looking for.

“No, no you don’t have shit to be sorry for, Karl, it’s not– It’s not you,” Quackity huffs irritably.  “I mean, I should’ve known better, I was supposed to see Schlatt at eight, it’s not that weird for him to turn up at the office at 7, so I should’ve told you you shouldn’t come that night, alright?  But it’s not even just me, because this was bound to happen eventually.  Somewhere, somehow, someone was gonna slip up, and one of these days it’s gonna get you––or me, or both of us––killed.  Okay?”

Karl falters.  “Are you… do you want to break up?” Karl’s voice softens to something weak and vulnerable.

“No!  Jesus Christ, no way in hell!  I was– I want to disappear with you.  Okay?  I mean–” Quackity winces, “that sounded ominous, I meant it in a more romantic let’s run away together, sense, alright?”

“You–” Karl blinks.  He’s been awake for five minutes.  “...What?”

“I…” Quackity swallows thickly.  He doesn’t know why he expected this to not be fucking terrifying.  “I know it’s not safe for us to be together here, a-and I’ve got a little money saved up, maybe… maybe enough for the three of us to get out, y’know?”

“Three of us?” Karl frowns.

“Oh, uh, Tubbo is coming too.  Like, that’s non-negotiable.  I’m not fucking leaving him here, so.”

“Oh, right, yeah,” Karl nods.  “Sorry– for a sec I thought you might have another boyfriend tucked away somewhere,” he smiles teasingly.

“Nah, and don’t worry, I’m not inviting Schlatt,” Quackity laughs dryly like his heart isn't beating very fast.

“Well…” Karl is clearly thinking hard.  “I mean, have you asked Tubbo yet?”

“Huh?  Uh, no.  I… I came here first.  I dunno… I dunno when it’ll be safe for me to ask Tubbo something like that.  I might have to wait until we’re in the Secret City or something,” Quackity folds his arms over his chest, nervous and defensive.  “Look, if you don’t wanna do it, that’s fine––reasonable, even––just…” Quackity clears his throat to stop it from tremoring.  “Just let me know now, ‘cause otherwise, I dunno.” Quackity doesn’t really have a plan for if Karl says no.  He has one for if Tubbo does, but those are very different circumstances.  “I don’t know,” he says again.

“Um, I think…” Karl speaks slowly, thoughtfully.  “I think that if you can get Tubbo to go, you should do it.”

“I should…” Quackity trails off.  He feels like he just got kicked in the chest, a feeling he is not unfamiliar with.  “I should go.  Me and Tubbo.”

“Um, yeah,” Karl smiles shakily.  “It’s not– Wait, to be clear I want to go with you, I just… I can’t.”

Quackity stares at him, uncomprehending.  He looks around the dingy studio apartment, mildly baffled.  “What’ve you got tying you down?” He laughs a little frantically.

“Um…” Karl doesn’t laugh, he stares at the ceiling.  “...debt?”

“Debt?   Karl, you– That won’t matter, okay?  One of the things we might do, if I can swing it, I get the Badlands to help us disappear, I meant that part.  New identities, new city, none of this old shit holding us down, none of it.”

“That’s… that’s cool.  That’s a good idea,” Karl sounds a little strained.  “Um, but they… they know where my mom lives, so.  She’s a few states over, but that’s not… that doesn’t mean much.  She's still not safe.  And I can’t… I can’t tell her she has to move or… or change her identity or something, like, she doesn’t know about any of this.  Like, she thinks I work at a bookstore,” he laughs, helpless, maybe even guilty.

“They… they know where your– Wait, wait wait, hold on a sec– Who… who the fuck are you in debt to, Karl?  ‘Cause that doesn’t sound like a fucking bank.” Quackity isn’t judging Karl by any means, but he’s definitely reevaluating what he knows about him.

“Um,” Karl bounces back on his heels, almost embarrassed.  “You ever heard of Mr. Beast?  He’s not… he’s not really from here, he’s sorta… moved in on the city a bit.  Mostly some money stuff on the West side, but… he’s kinda bad news,” Karl offers the understatement of the year.

“Yeah, yeah I’ve fucking heard of him, Karl.  Philanthropist mob boss with a god complex, sets crazy fucking ultimatums on poor people for money, and if they fuck up…” Quackity stares at Karl more intently.  “They owe him.  Usually more than normal people can pay.”

“Yeah, that’s the guy,” Karl laughs sharply, continuing on far too blasé considering.  “And that’s my whole deal right now!  Has been for like, two years.”  He falls back onto his bed with a muffled thud and the creak of old springs.

Quackity stares at him blankly, every puzzle piece finally falling into place.  “...fuck.”

“Yeah.  That about sums it up, huh?”

This is a rare occasion where Quackity is rendered silent.

Karl fidgets, nervous and kicking his feet, before rambling on.  “So, that’s why I’m not running away with you, it’s not because of you, or Tubbo or anything, I just can’t because if I disappear they’ll… they’ll kill my mom, probably.  And I’ve been trying to pay it off, and I’ve… I’ve made some decent headway, I’ve got it under a thousand now, but it’s been kinda stuck around there for ages because he keeps on, like, tacking on interest and stuff, which I think is probably the whole scheme.  I give him a cut of whatever I make selling watches to pay it off, and it’s set up so I never do, so,” he shrugs.  “That’s… that’s why I can’t come with you.”  He pauses, as if expecting Quackity to speak.  “And like, I don’t even talk to my mom much.  We call sometimes, and we’re not like, super close, but I definitely don’t want her to die, so.”

Quackity nods, sitting back on Karl’s bed, running circles in his brain for a way out of this.  He doesn’t have the money to pay off Schlatt, he has enough to maybe pay off Karl’s debts depending on how much under a thousand it is, but that would leave them with nothing, and therefore no way out.

Karl sits up beside him.  “So, when you’ve always been like, you’re trapped here, trapped with Schlatt, that’s… that’s never been a problem for me, ‘cause I’m in a… not the same, but a sorta similar boat,” Karl exhales air from his cheeks, kicking his feet, restless with Quackity not responding yet.  “Could you… I dunno, say something?  Anything, right now?”

“Yeah, yeah, right,” Quackity says, still lost in thought.  “I wanna help you, Karl.  I… I don’t know how I’m gonna do that yet.”

“Oh,” Karl is more than a little startled.  He hadn’t said this to present Quackity with a problem to fix, he doubts this is something Quackity can do anything about, but he appreciates the sentiment.  “Um, thanks.”  He thinks it over.  “So… you’re not gonna… take Tubbo and run?”

“What?” Quackity looks as if he’d forgotten that was an option.  “No, fuck no, if you want to come with, we’re not going until you can.”

Karl looks a little smitten, leaning closer and resting his chin on Quackity’s shoulder, their lips inches apart.  He poorly buries a flustered, red-cheeked grin.  “Cool.”

Quackity would love to fall prey to romantics, but his thoughts are still racing.  “And, I mean, I still gotta convince Tubbo, no clue what he might say, and if he says no, well, like I said, Tubbo coming is non-negotiable.”

Karl sits up straight, sobering.  “What, are you gonna like, kidnap the little dude?”

Quackity looks offended by the thought.  “No!  No fucking way in hell, Tubbo would never forgive me, and he’d be right to, if Tubbo says no, then–” Quackity stops himself.  This is a thought he’s kept buried, one that he had no one to voice aloud to.  It’s a dangerous thing, Quackity almost fears that speaking it will some how manifest something worse coming down on all of them, but Karl had asked.  Quackity finally has someone to share it with, however much it scares him.  “Then I kill Schlatt,” Quackity says quietly.  “If we have a shot to get out, I’m not fucking giving up just ‘cause Tubbo doesn’t wanna leave.  I kill him, and we don’t have to go anywhere.  Tubbo stays here, and so do we.”

“Oh,” Karl’s eyes widen, but he doesn’t protest.  “That’s… that’s a lot to put on yourself, Q.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a last resort type deal, so,” Quackity shrugs.  “Considering the fucking fallout, his boys will be causing problems left and right.  Hate him as I do, at least Schlatt keeps those fucking idiots on a leash.”

“Um, but… what about…” Karl trails off.

“What?”

“What if, like,” Karl still hesitates, nervous.  “What if Tubbo doesn’t want you to?  To kill him.”

“Oh.”  Quackity, somehow, hadn’t thought of that.  “I… I didn’t think about it.  I guess I wasn’t planning on… on asking him?”

Karl gives him an exasperated look.  “You were… you were gonna ask this kid to run away, leave everyone he knows, change his name, and if he said no, you were gonna go behind his back and kill his dad?”

Quackity stares at him, for the moment silenced.  “Well, when you put it like that…” Quackity hadn’t forgotten that Schlatt was Tubbo’s dad, but Quackity hadn’t really seen that as anything more than something keeping Tubbo trapped.  Quackity doesn’t really have much experience with parents and such, and somehow he assumed Tubbo’s experience reflected that, guardianship nothing but a piece of paper that lets someone order you around, but it’s clear from how Karl says this, he’s asking about Tubbo’s dad, as in family; something Quackity had never considered.  He can’t pretend he doesn’t understand loving someone who is bad for you, Schlatt being case and point, but Quackity is lucky enough to have someone else who loves him too, enough that leaving feels like an option.  He has no idea what that might look like on Tubbo’s side of things.

Quackity is stumped, a fresh anxiety joining the rest.  “I don’t know.”

“I mean, I guess you don’t have to know now.  We have a lot to… to do first, right?  And then you’ll ask him, so until then you don’t have to think about what killing his dad might do, y’know?”  Karl says helpfully.

“Right, yeah, great!” Quackity says sarcastically.  “It’s all– It’s all simple now, it’s all just no fucking problem!”  Quackity sighs.  “I mean, it wasn’t gonna be easy either way, but…” Quackity shrugs.  “Tubbo will want to come with us.  I know that kid, he doesn’t give a shit about his dad.”

“Okay,” Karl concedes.

“And you’re right, I’ve got plenty to sort out first, like…” Quackity feels weighted.  “Like getting you out of debt.”

“Quackity, that’s not for you to deal with–”

“Well, I’m not fucking leaving without you, so it might as well be, got it?  It’s not up for debate.”  Quackity doesn’t mean to sound so sharp, for it to sound like he’s giving Karl an order, to talk to him as Schlatt does.  “Sorry, I’m sorry, Karl.  I wasn’t trying to… I’m sorry.”

“No, no you’re good, it’s fine,” Karl is quick to reassure him.  “I just…” Karl trails off, looking at him with those big, earnest eyes of his.

“What?” Quackity knows his cheeks are turning pink.

Karl smiles, one hand covered by his sleeve going over his mouth as if to hide it.  “I dunno.  No one’s… no one’s offered to… to look out for me, like this at least, in… in a long time.  Like, you’re worried about me.  And I don’t want you to worry, but you are, so, it’s sweet.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not gonna stop worrying about you any time soon,” Quackity sighs.  “Like, seriously, how the hell do you afford to live?  I worried about you being broke before I found out you’re paying off a fucking mob boss.”

“Well, it’s… it’s inconsistent, but I come by my watches super cheap, and on a good day I can sell one for a hundred bucks, and if I get lucky enough to do that like, once or twice a week–”

“Okay, fair, that’s enough to live on.  Fuck, you’re lucky you’re cute, it’s no wonder you’re managing to sell watches on the regular,” Quackity shakes his head.

Karl grins, “yeah, well, you’d be surprised how gullible tourists are.  It is kinda like gambling all the time, though.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Quackity says teasingly.  “Why don’t you work at a bookstore, like your mom thinks?”

Karl shrugs.  “I’ve already got one boss breathing down my neck, I don’t really want another.  And… actually, this is a situation where my payouts being inconsistent but big is a good kinda thing.  I throw fifty bucks at my debt randomly, like no due dates every month or anything, and they leave me alone for a while.”

“Boss breathing down your neck,” Quackity laughs dryly.  “Yeah, I think I know what you mean.”  He sighs.  “I’m supposed to be at work.  I gotta go.”

“Yeah– Hey, yeah!  Wait, it’s like, ten am on a Tuesday, what’re you doing here?” Karl only now looks surprised.

“Um, checking on you after last night, asking you to run away with me, and so on?” Quackity says, amused.

“Oh.  Right,” Karl nods.  “Wait, before you go, then, about last night– Are you okay?”

Quackity had stood and moved toward the door, but he stops as Karl asks, looking at him, smiling in a way Karl recognizes to not quite be natural.  “I’m fine, Karl.  Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Karl knows Quackity doesn’t want to talk about it, but he can’t stop thinking about it.  “Has he… has he ever like, done that before?”

“What, come to my fucking job?  No, Karl, otherwise I wouldn’t have had you come there, ever.  Which, is another thing,” he sighs.  “We can’t have dinner together like that anymore.  Or lunch.  None of it.  If he’s shown up there once, there’s every chance he’ll do it again.”

“Right, yeah, that’s okay,” Karl nods quickly.  When he’d asked that, he’d been thinking of something else, other aspects of what he’d overheard the night before.  He doesn’t want to say it, and knowing Quackity wouldn’t appreciate it if he did, he keeps quiet.

“Fuck, Karl, I’m sorry about that mess.  I– I knew I was supposed to get drinks with him that night and I even thought it, I had the fucking thought I should tell you no that time, but I fucking didn’t.  I was weak and stupid and I wanted to see you, and I put you at risk–”

“Oh my god, Q, can you like, breathe?” Karl raises his hands as if to placate him.  “How would you have known that was gonna happen?  I’ll tell you, you couldn’t have.  So, don’t try and say sorry about it.”

“Fuck, you’re too good to me,” Quackity knows he has to leave, but first he presses his forehead against Karl’s chest, closing his eyes and taking a moment to pause.

Karl wraps him in a hug, murmuring “I wish you’d stop saying stuff like that.  I think you’re exactly good enough for me.”

Quackity laughs softly.  “No more, no less?”

“Uh huh, you got it,” Karl teases back.  “I’ll see you… not later at work or anything, I guess, but I’ll see you?”

“Yeah,” Quackity gives him one last kiss before leaving for work.

~

Quackity hasn’t been neglecting Tubbo, that would imply some obligation, but he feels bad that they haven’t hung out in a while.  They only spend time together by chance, and it’s like the moment there’s that lull Quackity realizes how little company Tubbo keeps.

“Hey, how’ve you been, man?” Quackity follows him down the hall to the kitchen.

Tubbo seems startled.  “Fine?  Are you alright?  Shouldn’t you be…” he scans the hall behind Quackity, looking for a threat.

“No, no he’s meeting with some people.  I wasn’t invited.  Can’t leave, though, because we have dinner plans,” Quackity rolls his eyes.

Tubbo nods and keeps walking.

“I know I haven’t been to the Secret City in a while,” Quackity keeps talking.  “Have you… uh, have you been hanging out with your buddy Tommy at all?”

“Oh, yeah!” Tubbo is more agreeable to this subject matter.  “I slept over at Ranboo’s the other night––with Tommy too––and it was a lot of fun.  We helped him and Niki close and stayed up probably too late, but it was cool.  Niki got us pizza for dinner and stuff.”

“Oh!  That’s cool,” Quackity hesitates.  He knows the answer, but he asks anyway.  “Did anyone know where you’d gone that night?”

Tubbo gives him a puzzled look, pausing and leaning against the kitchen counter.  “Tommy, Ranboo, and Niki did?  I guess?  What d’you mean?”  He laughs.  “You worried there are people after me or something?”

Quackity laughs too, far less genuinely.  “No, no nothing like that.  It was… it doesn’t matter.”

“No, go on.”

Quackity sighs.  “I had a stupid thought that you should have someone checking up on you, but the only person whose job that is… y’know, Schlatt, and honestly it’s better he doesn’t give a shit.”

“Ah, well, to be fair, parents are sort of supposed to know where their kids are, but I don’t know if I’d exactly call Schlatt a parent most of the time,” Tubbo is still lighthearted.  Quackity it seems is committed to changing that.

Quackity usually has a better filter, but the question escapes, impulsive and jarring.  “Do you care about him?”

“What?” Tubbo looks startled.  “Care about who?”

“Schlatt.”

“Not sure I understand?  Care about him?  Like, he’s my father, but he’s not a good man, now, is he?  Surely that covers it?” Tubbo sounds perfectly honest, but it’s clear he’s being avoidant.

“Like…” Quackity knows he’s getting closer to crossing a line, these are not words for this house, but he has to ask.  “If you had the chance, if you could kill him, would you?”

Tubbo’s confusion turns sharply to something more like horror, but he pauses, and instead he just looks tired.  His voice comes out calm, if not soft and weary.  “I don’t want to kill anyone.  How’s that any different from what he does?”

Quackity shrugs.  There’s a long pause, but Tubbo doesn’t break it, he just waits, so Quackity obliges.  “It’s nothing.  Sorry if I freaked you out, just… was curious, I guess.”

“But you see what I mean, don’t you?  It’s not for him, to be clear.  I don’t want to kill anyone.”  He’s so earnest, so aware that this is not a conversation of hypotheticals.  In this house murder could so easily become the expectation.  "It's not him.  I'm not gonna end up a murderer.  I don't want to end up like that, y'know?"  Tubbo almost looks apologetic, and Quackity wonders if he's thinking of that night two years ago where Tubbo had sat there and watched as Quackity had shot a man in the head because Schlatt wouldn't step in to save him.

Quackity doesn’t really know how to reassure him, but he tries anyway.  “I know, Tubbo.  You won’t have to.  Not if I have anything to say about it.”

~

Quackity has a fantastic epiphany while zoning out on a date with Schlatt.  He’s staring at that man’s face, his harsh voice going in one ear out the other, thinking about Karl’s own mob boss.  They’re similar in more than a few ways, but one of the few perks Quackity has from his is he gets to whisper in his ear, exert an ounce of control, if he’s lucky.  Quackity is lucky on occasion, when he has to be usually, but he is undeniably clever.

Jackpot.

They destroy each other.

Quackity gets through the rest of that night, agitated and almost giddy, Schlatt noticing only enough to tell him to “ stop spazzing out” but not much else.  Quackity has to check with Karl first, but he knows he’s a fucking genius.

He knows Karl might be asleep, he’s driving back from Schlatt’s pretty late, but he doesn’t want to wait any longer, so once more he’s ringing the buzzer outside Karl’s apartment.

“Yello?” Karl answers soon, because of course he’s still awake.

“It’s Quackity!  I have got one hell of an idea, can I come up?”

It’s a little after midnight and Quackity is sitting on the edge of Karl’s bed watching him pace, feeling smug.  Karl is trying to think of a risk Quackity hasn’t considered, anything to make this more dangerous or not worth it.

“How d’you know Schlatt will want to do it, though?  Like, if he was interested in killing mob bosses, why’re the Badlands still in operations?” Karl asks.

“Badlands are too big, too elusive.  If Schlatt can’t see the scope of the threat, he won’t risk it.  And there’s a tentative understanding there.  Mr. Beast is new and isn’t afraid to step on Schlatt’s toes.  Most of the shit I know about him is from Schlatt complaining.”

“Won’t he get suspicious about why you’re telling him about Mr. Beast?” Karl asks.

“Nah, I’m gonna say it’s an apology for working with Captain Puffy and not talking to him about it first, something like that.  He thinks everyone around him is only there to please him, this is par for the course,” Quackity shrugs.  “But Karl, you gotta clarify for me, you do know where Mr. Beast operates, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I’m like pretty sure?  It’s where I’m told to go and it’s a pretty big place, so I assumed it’s the… center of operations?” Karl’s voice comes out a little more mumbled as he’s chewing absentmindedly on his sweatshirt drawstrings.  “Okay, but… but what if Mr. Beast kills Schlatt instead?”

“Still works out for us!  If Schlatt dies, all my money can go into paying off your debts because I won’t need to disappear to where Schlatt can’t follow, see?” Quackity grins.  “It’s perfect!  If one of us gets out of this mess, we figure out getting the other one out, right?”

“Yeah.  Oh my god, Q, I should’ve talked to you about this stuff sooner, you’re a genius,” Karl tackles him into a hug, Quackity laughs and hugs him back.

“Yeah, I know I am,” Quackity sighs blissfully.  He’s used to surviving problems, not fixing them.  It’s almost hard to grasp the thought that there’s still a way out for them.

~

Quackity is doing his best not to overthink things.  He leaves work the following day and goes right to Schlatt’s place.  He’s confident, but there’s still some nagging voice in the back of his head that he’s overestimating what little power he has, that Schlatt will just brush him off, say that this Mr. Beast guy isn’t worth the trouble.  Quackity has no idea what he’ll do then.

Actually, that’s not quite true.  If that happens, he pays off Karl’s debts and spends the next few years trying to save up enough money to try again.  He’d rather avoid that.  Quackity returns to the house, asking the lackey standing guard where Schlatt is, before approaching his office.  The door opens just before he can knock, a somewhat cocky man with light hair quick to leave.  Schlatt follows him to the doorway, watching him go and smirking, before turning to Quackity.

“What’re you staring at?”

“Who was that?”

“Ah, Connor,” Schlatt says dismissively.  “He’s nobody right now.  Some second rate local politician with big ambitions, but he’s my ears in city hall nowadays, so, worth keeping around,” Schlatt shrugs.  “What’re you doing over here, pumpkin?” Schlatt puts his arm around him, pulling him in close and kissing him messily before he can reply.

“I, uh–” Quackity tries to refocus when Schlatt finally steps back.  He resists the urge to wipe off his mouth.  “I found out something I think you might find interesting today,” he hopes his desperation reads as excitement.  He’s a bit thrown off by this other man Schlatt just met with, but he has his task.

“Oh?  Is it interesting the same way you sneaking around schmoozing with the pigs is interesting?  Because that’s what the bar is at since last time you told me about your job bullshit.”

Quackity pauses, bottling irritation or any defense he wants to offer.  “Actually, Schlatt, this is more my… apology for that whole misunderstanding.” Quackity takes Schlatt’s hand, leaning in closer.

Schlatt looks no less suspicious, eyeing him up.  “Oh yeah? What kind of interesting is that, then?”

“I was at the station today getting some files, ended up talking to a guy who works for Mr. Beast.”

Schlatt scoffs, “okay, and?  Is your apology you killed him?  Because that’s fucking worthless.”

“No, not at all.  I cut a deal with him, and he told me where the guy operates!” Quackity waits for Schlatt to match his enthusiasm.  He doesn’t.

“Okay?”  He sneers.  “Why’s that of any interest to me?”

“Well, you’ve mentioned a few times he’s been a thorn in your side, so I thought maybe, y’know,” Quackity laughs nervously.  This isn’t how he’d hoped for this to go.  Normally, he finds convincing people easy and far from daunting, but with Schlatt it’s different.  “Do you… do you not want to stop him from taking over your operations?  Isn’t that what the man is inching toward?”

“Nah, no!  He’s not doing shit, actually, he’s just some dipshit across the river fucking around in finance,” Schlatt scoffs, meandering behind his desk to his glass.

“So, killing him is no problem, right?” Quackity is frustrated and therefore bold.  He knows he’s risking shoving his ulterior motives in Schlatt’s face, but he refuses to let this plan go to shit just because Schlatt doesn’t feel like listening.

Schlatt sets the glass down before it can reach his lips, staring at Quackity with narrowed eyes.  “What is it you’re trying to say, sweetheart?”

“Nothing.  Don’t overthink it.  I just don’t see why you wouldn’t want to knock some competition off the board,” Quackity keeps his expression neutral even as Schlatt circles the desk once more and towers over him.  Schlatt’s hand is raised toward his face, but Quackity doesn’t flinch, the man just pats his cheek.

“Because, sugar, he’s not competition.  He’s prey,” Schlatt gives Quackity a far too devouring once over on that last word.  He smirks, before stepping back.  “But whatever, sure, not like I have any plans this weekend.  I’ll kill him, just to let off some steam.  Why not.”

“You’ll…” It takes Quackity a second to process that he’s gotten his way.  It almost makes him nervous, it feels too easy.  “Schlatt, I wasn’t trying to push you, I’m sorry if I–”

“God, what the fuck do you want from me?!  Do you want me to kill him, or not?” Schlatt shouts at him, gesturing with the glass.  Quackity flinches, thinking Schlatt is about to throw it at his head.  He doesn’t.  Schlatt laughs, smug.  He knows exactly why he flinched.  Quackity flushes red.  “Fuck, you’re a worrier, huh?  Just get outta here.”

Quackity nods, wavering for just a moment, burying the urge to get the last word in.  It's not worth it.  He had been good at not flinching so far, it was the raised glass paired with the yelling, it threw him off.  Quackity just turns and leaves, jaw set and tense.  He’d gotten his way, and he still somehow feels like he lost.  That’s just how it is with Schlatt; depending on how this weekend goes, that might change.

#yeah. it's time. mr. beast exists. #please laugh laughter is appropriate. #he won't exist for long to be fair #mafia au #my writing