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youre-in-the-psycho-circus · 6 months

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Shandi | Two

Warnings: violence, abuse, hardcore action

Word Count: 1,738

Synopsis: The guys of KISS are on a mission from the Elder to find his Avatar in order to save their home Khyscz, and the whole Universe from the threat of the Destroyer. With the help of their powers and music, only She can help them defeat him and restore peace to the universe. An original idea based off of the KISS comics!

Prologue | 1

Master List

Chapter Two: Almost Human

Ace had Beth stay the night to make sure she was going to be okay. He was worried that this ‘Wicked Lester’, as she called him, might’ve done something more to her than she knew. A human bestowed power by the destroyer surely had no idea how to fully control it. Any potential side effects of the contact that Lester made with her were surely going to show during the night if at all. Ace looked down at the female sleeping peacefully beside him. He ran a hand over her cheekbone smiling softly at the fading bruise. The bit of cosmic energy he let fall from himself to her had already begun to work its magic. Most of the swelling disappeared within the first hour she had been asleep, and at this rate, the injury would be but a distant memory by morning. Ace looked down at his hands as he sat up. The arcane magics and holistic sciences all grappling for a place within the Spaceman’s head were desperately trying to figure all of this out, more importantly, why it felt that the Elder’s energy was so close yet so far. He felt a surge of that power every day early in the morning before the sun came up for a few minutes but he could never pinpoint from exactly where. With Beth laying next to him tonight he could swear that he could hear a crackle of the elder’s magic speaking to him, but then again that very well could’ve been his ‘other head’ talking to him. He hoped that the others were doing better than he was.

Ace rose from the bed, silently padding his way out to the living room. This couldn’t wait until morning. He stood in the centre of the room, gripping both hands into fists before closing his eyes. Ace was encased with a blue flash of light, his normal starry-eyed bedazzled Spaceman appearance taking hold. With another flash of light, the Spaceman found himself in the Bergen Street Lower-Level Platform once again. Spaceman sat on the edge of the platform concentrating for a few moments before one by one his colleagues appeared. Starchild was first as he stretched with a yawn. A very tired and annoyed-looking Demon followed with a grumble. Finally, a passed out on the floor Catman joined the group. “There better be a good reason this couldn’t wait until morning, Ace,” Starchild muttered as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

Demon stood grimacing at the peaceful Catman. As much as he wished he was doing the same at the moment, he was more annoyed than anything that he could sleep through all of this. “Get up you lazy asshole!” He yelled, kicking the Cat.

Catman yowled, claws jetting out from his fingertips as he made a move to swipe at his attacker before realising who it was. “Oh Gene, it’s just you. I thought it was somebody important.”

“Now listen here you…” Demon grumbled getting in the Catman’s face before the Spaceman’s blue magics forced the two of them apart.

“Enough. We’re just as tired as the two of you, now if you would just stop bickering we can get back to bed sooner. This meeting of the Order of the Rose will come to order.” Starchild grumbled as he stepped between the two of them.

“Fine.” They both muttered.

“What’s this all about anyway?” The demon raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms across his armour-clad chest.

“The Destroyer. He’s here, on Earth.” Spaceman replied with a worried look in his eye. The three before him stiffened very slightly at the news. “Or rather his power is here.”

“How is this possible?!?!” Catman yowled as he ran his claws through his dark hair.

“You’re sure it’s him?” Demon raised an eyebrow at the starry-eyed man before him.

“Twenty-five earth years on this planet trying to find the Elder’s avatar and this is the first time you’ve come across his power. Why now? How did you find out?” Starchild continued the questioning.

“Beth. My neighbour. Her employer is an agent of the destroyer, bestowed with his power.” The Spaceman informed them as he recalled Beth’s story to them.

“Shit, I can’t believe that a mere human has control over a power like that.” Catman looked down kicking at a rock. “She’s alright, yeah? Beth?”

“Yeah, I had her spend the night with me to make sure she was alright. I could sense that some of Wicked Lester’s magic entered her. Feels like a mind control hex was hoping you might be able to pull it from her Gene…” The Spaceman trailed off as he looked down the abandoned tunnel. “That’s not all either.”

“Don’t tell me. You found the mythical ‘Shandi’ too, didn’t you?” Demon retorted, rolling his eyes.

The four stood around the Spaceman’s bed glancing down at Beth as she slept peacefully. “What makes you so sure it’s her?” Demon asked as the Catman sniffed at the air trying to see if he came up with whiffs of the arcane magics that supposedly possessed her.

“I’m not entirely sure but I just sensed something when I felt the tug of the hex within her. The energy surge just felt so similar to that of the Elder’s.” Spaceman explained. “See for yourself.” He gestured to her glancing at the Starchild.

“Wait.” Demon stopped him. “Lemme remove the hex first. Last thing we need is it bouncing off onto you.” He grumbled before he began to chant in a language foreign to the other three. His eyes turned completely dark as he thrust a hand toward Beth. The others looked on as a crimson mist rose from her lips into the Demon’s mouth. He bit down harshly before blood poured from his mouth. The demon smirked as he closed his eyes, licking at the blood as he opened them, revealing their normal state once more.

“Is hex removal always this gory?” Catman grimaced.

“Only the extremely demonically potent ones.” Demon chuckled. “This Wicked Lester, as you call him, has quite a connection to the Demonic powers the Destroyer possesses.”

Starchild looked down at Beth’s sleeping form. He let out a breath as he closed his eyes. When he opened them, a purple beam shot out from his star-covered eye and scanned over the female from head to toe. Catman sat on the edge of the bed closing his eyes as if he were listening for something. “So is it her?” Demon asked, he was so anxious to get off this planet and kick some Destroyer ass especially after devouring that curse.

The beam retracted back into the Starchild’s eye as he finished his examination. “I don’t know, there’s definitely something different about her energy signature compared to the average human, but I don’t think it's ‘Elder’ equivalent. And even if it is, it’s very weak. No guarantees it’s coming from her, could be the remaining fallout from the Elder himself on your totem you’re sensing. Or maybe others from Khyscz came here before us and she’s a descendant.” Starchild concluded his analysis of the female.

“I don’t know Paul…” Catman grumbled as his head twitched ever so slightly, his brows furrowing in annoyance at the high-pitched whirring sound he picked up on. “I can hear the crackling of the Elder’s Starlight nearby. It always had such a distinct sound, nothing like it in all the cosmos. And the scent of it is quite potent as well.”

“There’s no way to know for sure, but it’s our best lead on Shandi’s location since we got here.” Demon grumbled looking at the girl’s sleeping form. “Twenty-five long damned years….”

“That’s only a year to us, though you’re right, Gene. For now, we’ll keep tabs on this girl…” Starchild started.

“Beth.” Spaceman corrected.

“Whatever, we’ll keep tabs on Beth for the time being while we continue our search. If she shows any signs of possessing the starlight, we’ll be ready to help her harness her true power.”

“So now we’re babysitting?” Demon rolled his eyes. “We’re Rock ‘n Roll stars, Cosmic Guards, and councilmen for the Order of the Rose, do we really have time for this?”

“For the time being, yes.” Starchild scolded.

“Shockingly, I’m with Gene on this one Paul.” The Catman spoke up. “We can’t just be going around thinking someone is the Elder’s avatar. There has to be a way we can be sure or a way we can check at least.”

“I’m not entirely sure, this would’ve been in the ancient texts in the Elder’s library back on Kyhscz, for obvious reasons we can’t go back there…” Starchild wondered aloud as he looked down at Beth’s sleeping form.

Spaceman, always sensitive to the cosmic energies, offered his perspective. "We need to be careful. If she truly possesses the Enchanted Starlight, exposure to cosmic forces might awaken her abilities before she’s ready. We need to look for opportunities where her connection can naturally reveal itself."

Demon, the most pragmatic of the group, chimed in. "But we can't just wait around indefinitely. We need a plan, and we need to ensure that she's the real deal. Maybe we can subtly expose her to cosmic events or artifacts associated with the Enchanted Starlight to see if she reacts. If she is Shandi, it might trigger something within her."

Catman nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, but we have to be careful not to overwhelm her. We need to guide her, not scare her off."

Demon couldn't help but voice his concerns once more. "I still can't believe we're doing this. It's like we're placying cosmic detectives."

Catman let out a chuckle. “Cosmic Scooby-Doo.” Spaceman couldn’t help but let out a laugh himself. Their laughs were silenced as Demon let out a deep throated demonic growl. “Sorry…”

Starchild offered a reassuring nod. "We're navigating uncharted territory. The cosmos is full of mysteries, and we have a duty to uncover them.” Starchild's words resonated with the group, reaffirming their shared mission and the importance of their roles as cosmic protectors. They knew that the path ahead was filled with challenges and uncertainties, but their commitment to uncovering the cosmic mysteries remained unwavering. The four looked down at the sleeping female, blissfully unaware that her entire life was about to turn upside down in the most rock n’ roll way possible. “Beth's destiny and the fate of Khyscz rest in our hands."

Chapter Three: When Lightning Strikes

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molagboop · 11 months

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I just think it would be fun to make Raven Beak smooch Samus' other dads.

#adam malkovich #raven beak #chozo #the spirit of Grey Voice watches her zoom off to ZDR and he's like “oh... i haven't seen him since nineteen odd-seven...”#“we kind of left things off on a sour note. i wish i'd had an opportunity to let him know how much our blood-bond meant to me”#and then later he's like “ohhh I *really* should have made more of an effort to maintain that bond huh”#Adam reads the details of her mission and he says “oh. we're going to ZDR huh.”#“yeah. ring any bells?”#“you see Samus. not long after i made rank i had a... very special friend. that occasionally mentioned a planet of this description"#at the end of the road she makes a break for it as the planet dies and Adam says “so... did you by any chance come to meet one Raven Beak”#“yeah he got got by the X.” “damn.”#“did you at least get to see him before the end?” “yeah he was apparently one of my genetic contributors” “he WHAT”#“No that can't be true. tell me you're kidding.” “I'm not joshing you.“ ”Samus.“ ”Yeah?“ “You're never gonna believe this.” “Spit it out.”#“I fucked your dad”#time is a circle and her web of relationships is a big scribbled mess. the eternal comedy. the universe really is small.#missed connections here and there #he just weeps softly in binary.#adambeak #not serious about shipping. but if i see two old people and decide someone could write something fun with them i slap them together #adam is not “old”. but dealing with Samus probably took a decade off his lifespan so he counts by extension #this pairing is based off of how Adam hypes Raven Beak up throughout the duration of the video game.#I know [spoilers]. but it's fun this way.#someone had to put them in the same room.

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gierosajie · 1 year

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Ngl, I hadn't expected just how similar Venti and Nahida turned out to be. Like sure I was kinda speculating about the tree cutting thing, but their other similarities was a surprise

#genshin impact #genshin nahida #venti #of course she's a bit more strict it would seem or at least tends to get herself more involved #when gentle prodding won't work #at least from what I've seen so far #I'm still in the middle of playing her story quest so there's that #anyway their similarity lies in them walking on the same road but at different ends if you get what I mean #and there's no guarantee they'll meet up on the same for in the road but at the moment they're on a similar path #*fork

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the-halfling-prince · 7 months

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wip Wednesday ? Wow.

im so excited to finish this piece.

#These are the six main characters in a book I'm writing.#There's Vanja Rebekah Tristán Aleksanteri Eugénie and Mick #I'm so bad at drawing legs. Especially right where it meets the foot #They're almost always uneven #You can usually tell by looking at a cast of characters designs which ones are my favorite #But this crew? There's no telling #They each have elements I typically save for my favorite characters #And I do love them all equally #Vanja's super cool. Rebekah is a nervous gay wreck. Tristán is a responsible older sibling. Aleksanteri is a loser. Eugénie is a total diva #And Mick? She is... The worst /endearing #aberdeen's ocs #abe's wip: at the end of the road

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peppermintgrim · 6 months

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*blows a kiss to my computer* this one's for you, Aldith Sereda Wilhelmine Aeducan, kinslayer & kingmaker

#dragon age #more vague shit about my cracked au in the tags #if I got a nickel everytime I was instrumental in crowning a king I'd have two nickels #thinking about my multi-warden au and its gotten way out of hand #might seperate the tags into a coherent post at some point #In this au all warden origins (with some changes) live and make it to osagar - Mahariel is the 'canon warden' so to speak #Aeducan and Brosca escape the deep roads together bump into Bodahn and Sandal and head south with them.#Hereswith Brosca is her new second by default #“There is not a dwarf in Orzammar not born into a Darkspawn siege – this war is in our blood as surely it will be in the stone when we die”#let's be real this blight never ended for the dwarfs - start numbering them infront of dwarves and you'll get spat at girlie #just because the darkspawn stopped bothering you surface chumps doesn't mean they stopped for the Stone's sake #Aldith supporting Bhelen's claim to the throne for Hereswith and so he owes her one #this au I'm never going to write is ridiculous though - I've practically co-opted the Wit from RotE -I mean in my canon playthrough also oo #Amell in this is a Blood Mage/Spirit Healer and I have decided to fuse a the spirit of Valour and the Desire demon at Redcliffe #tempered by Amell to be Sacrifice rather than Conquest - canon who I don't know her?#Oh and Aeducan is literally a Spirit Warrior because I think it's pretty dope concept - she also becomes Queen of Ferelden btw #learning things through the song - of wardens long fallen to the taint #you know the fereldens would jump at the chance to hold something over orlais #and how better to do that with a marriage alliance with the only legal producer of lyrium? Loghain weeps with joy from his grave #I've decided completely against canon to make Cousland a warrior/mage fusion bc it's a lawless wasteland meet my Templar/Battlemage #is she /you know/ fade sensitive?#Surana is a shapeshifter/arcane warrior/entropy mage - man cannot conjure anything for shit #crows (actual birds not zevran) love him - templars fear him #Reaver Beserker Mahariel ankle deep in a Morrigan romance #Vunora Tabris is also here with Slyfoot the wolf

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coquelicoq · 1 year

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sorry for being obsessed with the sky copper royal clutch. as if it's my fault.

#me rereading the cloud roads: okay so when is the clutch showing up!!#i always forget that it's not until the VERY END OF THE BOOK because moon and stone visit sky copper near the beginning #so at first i'm like oh yeah! this is where they meet the clutch! even though that makes no sense #and then i have to wait so long! it takes the whole book for moon to be adopted by these sweet traumatized children!!!!#THORN 🥺 WHO LATER HELPS MOON LEARN HOW TO READ 🥺🥺#BITTER 🥺 WHO IS TOO SCARED TO FLY OR TALK BUT TRUSTS MOON IMPLICITLY 🥺🥺🥺🥺#FROST!!!!!!!!!! WHO HISSES AT JADE AND SAYS 'MINE'!!!!!!!!!!!!#FROST MY BELOVED. SKY COPPER MY BELOVEDS!!!!!#the only thing that makes the wait bearable is that we meet stone so early. stone character of all time #oh my god now i'm just thinking of stone showing up at opal night like move i'm Dad. where tf is my boy #@ me you better not reread the siren depths next. i am so fucking serious right now you have other things to be doing #books of the raksura #my posts

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esleep · 11 months

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the really awesome thing no one tells you about growing up and having friends that are in very stable long-term relationships is that you get to hang out with babies sometimes, and that rules. i just spent a couple of hours eating dinner in a park with the chillest baby in the world, and then immediately went bar-hopping with my friends. i have experienced the entire positive end of the spectrum of human emotion in one good night. i got a baby to smile at me and then i got to be drunk in a pizza shop.

#everyone acts like their friends having kids is 'the end of the road' no they are still your friends they've just made another friend #for you to meet now. babies are just little sponges learning how to be people and that's so cool and fun to watch.#(to be completely clear the baby went home prior to the bar-hopping)

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mabith · 10 months

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WHY did I start rereading a favorite book where the author immediately makes you supremely attached to their characters but also makes them suffer so much.

And THEN she hits you "this woman I love plucked a strand of her hair to stitch my horrible wound and now she's part of my body/life forever."

#legitimately hate having emotions #if you want to destroy your life I highly recommend reading Female General and Eldest Princess- don't judge it by the title #50% of Chinese novel titles are just 'here is the plot in a sentence'#sort of Mulan meets hyper intelligent spy master princess #it is happy ending but the road is long and emotional #400000 words to destroy your soul #请君莫笑 #女将军和长公主

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queenlucythevaliant · 2 years

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Time to share another of my favorite Christian poems with you all. It’s a martyrdom poem by Varlam Shalamov, a victim of the Soviet gulags and also the writer of Kolyma Tales. A few favorite stanza are written out here; the entire poem is typed out below. It’s a little on the long end, but entirely worth it.

“Avvakum in Pustozyorsk” by Varlam Shalamov

The walls of my church

are the ribs of my heart;

it seems life and I

are soon bound to part

My cross now rises,

traced with two fingers.

In Pustozyorsk it blazes;

its blaze will linger.

I’m glorified everywhere,

vilified, branded;

I have already become

the stuff of legend.

I was, people say,

full of anger and spite;

I suffered, I died

for the ancient rite.

But this popular verdict

is ugly nonsense;

I hear and reject

the implied censure.

The rite is nothing—

neither wrong nor right;

a rite is a trifle

in God’s sight.

But they attacked our faith

in the ways of the past,

in all we’d learned as children

and taken to heart.

In their holy garments,

in their grand hats,

with a cold crucifix

in their cold hands,

in thrall to a terror

clutching their souls,

they drag us to jails

and herd us to scaffolds.

We don’t mind about the doctrine

books and their age;

we don’t debate virtues

of fetters and chains.

Our dispute is of freedom,

and the right to breathe—

about the Lord’s will

to bind as he please.

The healers of souls

chastised our bodies;

while they schemed and plotted,

we ran to the forests.

Despite their decrees,

we hurled our words

out of the lion’s mouth

and into the world.

We called for just vengeance

against their sins;

along with the Lord,

we sang poems and hymns.

The words of the Lord

were claps of thunder.

The Church endures;

it will never go under.

And I, unyielding,

reading the Psalter,

was brought to the gates

of the Andronikov Monastery.

I was young;

I endured every pain:

hunger, beatings,

interrogations.

A winged angel

shut the eyes of the guard,

brought me cabbage soup,

and a hunk of bread.

I crossed the threshold—

and I walked free.

Embracing my Exile,

I walked to the east.

I held services

by the Amur River,

where I barely survived

the winds and blizzards.

They branded my cheeks

with brands of frost;

by a mountain stream

they tore out my nostrils.

But the path to the Lord

goes from jail to jail;

the path to the Lord

never changes.

And all too few,

since Jesus’s days,

have proved able to bear

God’s all-seeing gaze.

Nastasia, Nastasia,

do not despair;

true joy often wears

a garment of tears.

Whatever temptations

may beat in your heart,

whatever torments

may rip you apart,

walk on in peace,

through a thousand troubles

and fear not the serpent

that bites at your ankles—

though not from Eden

has this snake crawled;

it is an envoy of evil

from Satan’s hand.

Here, birdsong

is unknown;

here one learns the patience

and the wisdom of stone.

I have seen no color

except lingonberry

in fourteen years

spent as a prisoner.

But this is not madness,

nor a waking nightmare;

it is my soul’s fortress,

its will and freedom.

And now they are leading me

far away in fetters;

my yoke is easy

and my burden grows lighter.

My track is swept clean

and dusted with silver;

I’m climbing to heaven

on wings of fire.

Through cold and hunger,

through grief and fear

towards God, like a dove,

I will rise from the pyre.

O far-away Russia—

I give you my vow

to return to the sky

forgiving my foe.

May I be reviled,

and burned at the stake;

may my ashes be cast

on the mountain wind.

There is no fate sweeter,

no better end,

than to knock, as ash,

at the door of the human heart.

#this poem absolutely destroys me #there are so many threads running through it but more than anything I see such beautiful submission to God's will in it #the road to the Lord goes from jail to jail; the road to the Lord never changes #and so there's this exhortation to relish martyrdom and long for glory #like so many of the martyrs #and yet it's so uniquely personal and Soviet #that opening line: if they blow up our cathedrals and outlaw our meetings we will still carry the church in our chests #behind our ribs in our hearts #and then to say 'we don't care about the specific books or rites or liturgies we care about /freedom/#but not freedom in the way that most people in this situation would mean it in the way that he would have every right to mean it #freedom for God to bind as he please #and somehow the part that makes my heart twist most with grief is 'i have seen no color but lingonberry in fourteen years'#YET still this is not a waking nightmare; it is my soul's fortress #my soul's barren colorless fortress #but God is there #and so my yoke is easy #ughhhh this poem #and that ending #the awareness that the greatest end a person can have is to have one's death be a tertimony #if you haven't read it read Kolyma Tales #it's some of the most beautiful prose I have ever read applied to one of the most awful subjects in history #and for goodness' sake read this poem #it will do your soul good #the unquenchable fire #literature makes us more human #leah learns calligraphy #i would cut off a toe for the chance to write about this poem in a formal context #but tumblr will have to do #martyr club this is for you #russia where are you flying to?

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lestatlioncunt · 1 year

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no pairing in the world will ever serve as much cunt as a courier x benny one, i will die with this truth in my heart

#rena.txt #benny is bi btw you can try and tear away from me this notion but i will bring it with me in the grave #like it might be my bias for my moira/benny but like the insanity of it all makes me delirious.#this guy in a fucking checkered suit talking all weird puts a bullet through the couriers head but he's so fail cringe that they survive an #now they are hunting him down. like for me the funny thing with moira is that it's all a matter of obsession. you saw me put benny under #enemy & lover in that template but lord is it all in her head. like she wakes up after a near death experience with half of her memories #lost and pre-incident moira would've tried to get the package back only out of spite but in this case it's simply bc..she is missing a #purpose now. she doesn't remember any family or friend or personal desire beside the fact she was there to deliver a package and she doesnt #even know what's inside. retriving is the only purpose to keep on living now. that and revenge which leads to obsession. but along the way #as she discovers piece after piece of benny. retracing the road that lead him to her..obsession gets more and more intense and suddenly #he's like a lover to her like they just had a silly little lovers quarrel that ended with a bullet. and it's all in her head and ofc ALL on #sided like the only interaction is the canon meeting at the tops that leads to the canon fucking akfjskf (again very silly cringe fail of #benny to even accept fucking the person he thought he killed. i love him) and it's like. the whole road she did with this idea of meeting #him and love (lmao) but he's there now and she can't kill the revengeful part of her obsession and for a second it's all like a dream. THE #dream that lived so long in her head. the ILLUSION. but now it's all so real and the Only end here is his death and she doesn't avoid it.#she embraces it she's HAPPY to kill him to have her revenge but the obsession..the obsession never leaves. now that he dies what's left?#and what about all the lil movies of them (insane) she played in her mind? so she's crying and laughing at the same time now in a mixture o #euphoria for finally taking tf out from the world that piece of shit and pain for the end of her little mind-movie. a fight between #irreality and reality. her illusions and the cold dead body resting next to hers.#i could eviscerate this concept forever just know i love my insane lil gal

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jonny-b-meowborn · 11 months

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Last night I finally got a 100% with all the road 96 characters, so technically I could finally start engaging with the fandom more, but my completionist ass still wants to see all endings and outcomes and I don't want any spoilers, even though at this point this game is quite predictable and there's not much to spoil

#it feels like im. a doggy. in a zoo. wanting to get into an enclosure to hang out with other canines #but im not like. wild enough yet #i need to first idk get some experience hunting or whatever this metaphor doesnt really work im just always feeling like a dog #anyway #i always got the ending where theres a revolution and florres eventually wins the election after the fighting #ive seen zoe die during the fights and i helped her survive #the same goes for john and alex #i wanna see what happens if you manage to get more people to vote for florres #and i wanna see what happens when you fuck everyone over let zoe die at the border and skiddadle away from petria #also. i joked abt it to my bestie but i should do a run where i let jarod kill me every time we meet. just for funsies for normal reasons #were normal men. were just normal men. or whataver that bear was saying #i guess i could do the 'screw all y'all' and the 'normal about jarod' runs at the same time #i mean if im gonna do the worst possible outcome i might as well see all the deaths for myself #road 96 #bee buzz

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hersweetrevenge · 1 year

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corey cunningham x roger allen: relationship headcanons

i've become unreasonably invested in this pairing, and feel the need to explain myself lol. i think a relationship between corey and mr allen is fundamentally very complex and problematic, while also being an all american story of infidelity and youth.

WARNING for corey cunningham x mr allen, age gap relationship, smut, unprotected sex, infidelity/cheating, implied sex work, mildly implied child abuse (corey and his mom), murder, violence and child death. 3.8k word count.

pre-accident

their relationship is sort of like a subversion of the "lonely wife has an affair with the pool boy", but instead it's the "white collar husband has an affair with the boy who mows their lawn".

no matter how many times roger tells corey to call him roger, corey pretty much always says mr allen.

when corey first starts doing yard work, he put flyers (printed at the library) in the letterboxes through the nicer neighbourhoods in haddonfield.

joan is not happy about it. she wants corey at home, with her, always. but he's been getting a lot of big idead lately about college and independence and she is not happy. not one bit.

he meets the allens when they call the number he left and ask if he can come by at the weekend to talk about what he can help with.

corey got a crush first, almost as soon as he first met the allens, but roger was the one to instigate the affair, after a couple of months.

to begin with, roger thinks corey is a well-meaning but awkward kid, clearly not used to speaking to people that much. there's a sort of boyish confidence that comes through now and then, when he's talking about something he knows well. as time goes by roger starts to wonder -- when corey takes his shirt off in the heat, he must know what he's doing, right?

both of them are bisexual. roger experimented in college and was comfortable in his identity, but isn't really open about it since he got married. corey is still figuring himself out when the affair starts, but he's had a lot of crushes on both men, especially older men, and women.

[contrary to my original fic] i actually think corey was 20 when he starts working for the allens, while roger is in his mid 40s.

roger starts an affair for the classic, all american reason: his marriage has gotten boring. he wants an affair with someone younger and more exciting who will let him play out his fantasy of still being in his prime.

i don't think he has sinister or malicious intentions when he "seduces" corey. maybe he's just defending his own actions, but corey is an adult, if he didn't want to do anything then he wouldn't, right? corey clearly has a crush, right?

corey really, genuinely respects the allens' marriage.

not only does corey respect the allens as a couple (the ideal american marriage when compared with his mom and ronald), but he also really respects roger. i don't think (at that point) corey would "whore himself out" for a man he didn't respect.

deep down, corey is aware of how this all looks. he knows he's being a homewrecker.

but another part of him feels like he's doing something good. if roger was going to cheat, surely it's better that he does it with corey, than with someone else who doesn't care about his marriage.

another motivation for why corey gives in so easily is that his life is so controlled and there is so much pressure on him, he just wants an outlet to forget about everything. think gifted kid to dumbification kink pipeline.

he doesn't want to think about anything at all, and roger makes it so he doesn't have to. makes it so that his mind is empty and all he has to do is lie there and let himself feel good. it's an offer he won't can't pass up.

roger used to watch corey do yard work from the kitchen window, when he was at home. the sight made him stay home on the weekend a lot more.

even though a lot of their affair is based on convenience, roger can very much see how handsome corey is.

roger loves making corey laugh, because his laugh loud and childish. and he means it to, roger can tell he isn't faking.

mrs allen is rarely mentioned, beyond whether she is home or not, and where she is if she isn't home. both of them have a guilty conscience about her.

roger starts to wonder, is corey like this with everyone he works for? does he put on an elaborate act of "awkward, blushing virgin" -- is he actually sleeping with all the people he does yard work for? and he acts all innocent because he knows it gets people going?

corey understands he's being used. he knows this isn't a "relationship" and roger definitely isn't going to leave his family for him or anything like that, they're not going to be together, so he tells himself that he's just going to enjoy it while it lasts.

but in saying that, corey definitely fell in love a little bit.

corey's isn't your "classic" attention whore, but he is one all the same. he never had a dad and now this older man is showing him a lot of (special) attention? he'll do anything to keep it.

what can he say, he has some intense daddy issues. being wanted by an older man satiates that for a while.

plus it makes him feel like he has some control in his life. and makes him feel like an adult where he doesn't at home. it feels so grown up to have an affair.

roger doesn't know everything about corey's home life, but he thinks he understands, from what corey tells him when he's feeling vulnerable. he knows corey is lonely and stressed; a resentful momma's boy.

corey tells him about his college plans; he wants to be an engineer, wants to go to a school in chicago. if anything, roger feels an affection for him. he wants corey to find a better life for himself.

in all honesty, corey doesn't really know much about roger either. he sees him as this ideal family man, father figure and partner. he's so caught up in that, and so validated by his attention, that he forget he doesn't really know him. he knows one side of him.

roger still pays corey money for doing "yard work". corey does still do that, to keep up appearances, but he's less thorough than he used to be. they both know what the money is really for.

corey tells himself he doesn't care about the money. he needs it, but that's not what he's having this affair for.

he's selling himself (or letting himself be bought) for affection more than money.

subconsciously, it does mess him up a little bit though.

roger's thoughts about corey possibly putting on an act lose all their credit after the first few times they do anything. there's no way corey is faking this sort of earnest inexperience.

because corey is very nervous and shy at first. he's so inexperienced and he doesn't want to embarrass himself. mostly he just let's roger do whatever he wants to him.

they always have their trysts at the allen house.

at first it's at the weekend when corey is there to do the yard and mrs allen and jeremy aren't at home, but then roger starts inviting corey around more, still when mrs allen and jeremy are out (lucky for them, his wife and child have busy social lives).

roger starts finding more time to be at home when corey can be there, working from home when he can. think blow jobs while on a zoom meeting.

roger drinks heineken, pretty much all of their hook ups begin with them having a drink, even before corey hits 21.

corey's about to get a pavlov response to the sound of beer bottles clinking together.

the first few times, they only kiss. then it gets more hot and heavy, dry humping and grinding, a hand job here and there. roger teaches corey how to give head. he fingers him to get him used to the feeling because he's never done this before. they stay in the kitchen or on the couch.

the first time corey ever sucked dick, it took him a while to take it down all the way, even with roger guiding him through it.

his eyes water and roger wipes away the tears that spill over, his other hand always in his hair.

he gets good though, very good, even though he's nervous every time. roger secretly likes that nervous look, it's such a contrast to how he actually takes it like a champ. call him the king of sloppy toppy. and he always swallows.

the first time corey got a blow job he cried. just like he did with all of his other firsts. it's actually kind of rare that roger gives corey head. corey'd rather give than receive with oral, he thinks, but really roger is just kind of selfish.

roger took corey's virginity. sometimes he even feels guilty about it.

corey cried. he tried not to, he really did, but he couldn't help it. the stretch was more than he expected, even with a lot of prep and he'd never felt so full before.

("just the tip," roger had promised, to see if he could take it. it felt okay, corey had nodded to keep going but didn't realise how overwhelming it'd be)

roger pets his hair, kisses his temple, strokes his dick to try and and calm him down. it starts feeling good, really good and too much all at once.

condoms? never heard if them. it's not like roger can knock him up and they're both clean so roger never even suggests it.

corey loses his virginity in the allens' bed. after that, they pretty much always do it in the bedroom.

missionary is their usual position, though sometimes corey rides cowgirl because roger likes seeing him do all the work to get himself there.

roger doesn't really do dirty talk, corey seems too innocent for that sort of thing (in the beginning anyway). he does dole out the praise though.

"good boy" "you're so good for me" "you're taking me so well, look at you" "it's okay, i've got you"

their sex life is pretty vanilla to be honest. roger isn't into anything particularly kinky, and corey hasn't figured himself out that far yet.

the thrill of "we shouldn't be doing this" is enough.

while praise is the main thing corey likes, he's also into overstimulation (once he deals with the actually overwhelming aspect of the first few time), something like dumbification (without the more objectifying aspects), and he is more than willing to do a little bit of begging. roger tries a little bit of teasing degradation on occasion, but corey doesn't like it that much; he doesn't want to feel like he's doing something wrong or he isn't good enough.

the riskiest thing they ever did was have a quickie while jeremy was at home. corey was there to do the yard (and more), but jeremy is unexpectedly at home because his playdate got cancelled. jeremy is playing upstairs in his room and when corey comes back inside from the garden, mr allen corners him in the kitchen.

he nudges corey up onto the counter, a hand going down the front of his shorts.

corey whimpers and shakes his head, "jeremy's --"

"upstairs," mr allen finishes his sentence for him, "he won't be down for a while - kids and their computers- don't worry about it."

slowly corey starts to get more comfortable and confident during their escapades, he leans into what he knows roger wants. someone young and playful who can give him a run for his money, but who will always give in, in the end.

he starts having fun, like he's playing the role of someone more confident and sexy and teasing.

roger sometimes sends him upstairs to get ready while he grabs them some beers and locks the front door. corey does as he's told, stripping off and laying in mr allen's bed and when he walks in, corey smiles at the older man, legs spread wantonly, "see anything you like?"

roger is initially surprised at how malleable and easy corey is to manhandle when he wants to be. roger is taller by a few inches, but corey had broad shoulders and broad hips, he isn't waifish by any means. roger likes how boyishly masculine corey is.

corey is very, very good at keeping secrets. he's so used to his mom's snooping and meddling that he's perfected the art of hiding things from her. and really, who else is he going to tell?

the hardest part is hiding any marks on his skin. corey is carefully not to leave any on roger, but roger doesn't always extend the same courtesy.

joan has an annoying habit of just walking into corey's room, or even the bathroom while he's in the shower, without knocking to collect his washing or talk to him or interrogate him, so he has to be careful she doesn't see anything like a hickey ln his neck or bruises on his hips or else he'll never, ever hear the end of it.

corey is a stickler for punctuality. he is always home in time for dinner. there have been a few close calls where they lost track of time and corey needed to bike hard as hell to get home on time.

a random thing corey was unnecessarily embarrassed about was that he only wears tighty-whiteys, and not even a good brand, they are classic fruit of the loom. roger literally doesn't care, it's even kind of endearing. and the darker part of him gets a thrill out of it, knowing corey's mom still buys and probably washes his underwear while corey is here getting his brains fucked out.

speaking of that darker side of roger. he knows corey is an adult, capable of making his own decisions, but there's something about him being so dependent that does something to him.

[i'm not sure if i really believe they'd go this far, but i don't think it's out of the realm of possibility] roger takes corey out of town for a dirty weekend. corey lies to his mom, roger lies to theresa.

this dirty weekend is a turning point for their sex life.

with no time constraints, they go so many rounds they start losing count.

still nothing particularly wild, but things mrs allen wouldn't do.

corey already fulfilled one of those things for him, of course. theresa would never let him do anal.

the rest are more mundane things, like doggy style and wake up blow jobs and shower sex. even just the sense of free use that means they keep going and going and going.

corey isn't delusional (he swears he isn't), but he turns off his brain for the weekend and imagines this is his real life. with roger spending money like it was nothing, on a fancy as fuck hotel room and hundreds of dollars of room service, and having all the time in the world to laze around in bed watching movies and having zero expectations placed on him.

the boldest and hottest thing corey did on that trip was pull roger's wedding ring off with his teeth when he put his fingers in his mouth to get wet. even corey doesn't know what possessed him to do that, but the way roger practically fold him in half to fuck him afterwards, he's glad for the divine inspiration.

that is also the first time they literally sleep together after having sex, and they end up getting, perhaps dangerously, sentimental. corey just wants to be held and roger is much too gentle with him for someone who claims this is just a casual fling.

in corey's fantasies when he's alone in bed, he gets off on the forbidden nature of the affair, but it never really translates to their actual encounters.

he thinks about how he does things for mr allen that mrs allen wouldn't, thinks about saying it one day because he knows it'd drive roger crazy.

"i bet your wife doesn't feel this good, does she?" "she doesn't moan like i do" "she doesn't let you ruin her".

he'd never say any of that out loud, and it leads to some of his meaner and more delusional daydreams.

selfish. corey knows deep down that he's selfish. He doesn't want to think about mrs allen or jeremy, and he wants to be mr allen's one and only. he'd let mr allen do anything to him and he knows he'd love him so well if he got the chance.

but that is never going to happen, of course. corey knows that.

corey swings between those selfish daydreams and feeling guilty. mrs allen is really nice, he doesn't want to wreck her marriage. but is it really hurting anyone, if no one ever finds out?

the final time they fuck before the accident was on the weekend before halloween.

neither of them showed any indication of wanting to stop anytime soon. if it weren't for the accident, the affair could have gone on for months more, maybe even a year -- until corey went to college.

everything that weekend was normal, their usual routine. corey raked some leaves and then got railed.

if only they knew that would be their last time, maybe they could have savoured it.

roger is the one who suggests calling corey on halloween when their babysitter cancels on them. theresa is sceptical -- she doesn't know corey that well -- but roger makes a convincing case.

he knows corey is a good, responsible kid, and it's only for a few hours. he trusts corey.

post-accident

after the accident, they never speak. roger barely even says anything while they wait for the ambulance and the cops.

the trial is long and roger watches corey but they never interact beyond being in the same courtroom.

theresa had yelled at him outside the courthouse and roger had just held her, watching as ronald acted as a buffer between corey and anyone who tried to get close, mostly the press. he bundles him in the back of their car before they start the long drive back to warren county.

a horrible, selfish part of roger is relieved that corey never told anyone about the affair. no one who mattered anyway. he might of told his therapist, but nothing could would come of it now, he thinks.

as it happens, corey never did tell anyone. not his therapist, not the cops, certainly not his mother.

he doesn't think anyone would believe him, even if he did.

roger sees corey around town. a lot. sometimes he thinks about talking to him, but he holds steady. corey killed his son, he tells himself.

(jeremy's death is the penance he has to pay for his infidelity, he thinks)

corey takes the "break up" really hard. not only is he wracked with guilt over jeremy's death, but in a single moment, his relationship with roger is over. all that attention and affection and comfort, even just having someone to alleviate the physical need of getting off, is gone.

when mrs allen rips into him at the bar, corey's stomach drops thinking she might of found out about the affair in the years since. but no, she just hasn't forgiven him for killing her baby.

the first time they speak in four years is when roger picks corey up the morning after he meets michael.

corey isn't thinking clearly. something happened to him, something that changed everything.

roger hasn't spoken to him in years, but corey knows what he wants. it's the only thing he ever wanted from him.

he's resentful that roger tries to act like he doesn't want sex, then still feels resentful when it turns out he does.

where once corey had been shy and virginal, now he doesn't care. he's not been with anyone for a long time, something is happening to him that he doesn't understand and he wants, just for a while, to have something familiar. so he just lets himself let go.

part of him is trying to process his sudden and dangerous attraction to michael, by going back to his "first love", safe and familiar mr allen.

roger is meaner now. if corey can be -- bringing up theresa in the way he does -- then so can he. he's been through a lot. he deserves to take it out on corey, especially when corey is offering himself up.

it's rough and roger knows it must hurt, at least a little bit, but corey doesn't slow down.

when corey sleeps with allyson, he thinks about how different it is this way around. wonders if this is how it felt for mr allen when he fucked him.

post-michael

corey has absolutely nothing left to lose. a combination of stress and past trauma and an untreated concussion causes him to snap.

after killing those kids -- those fucking kids -- and that dj and his momma, and with michael in tow, he finds mr allen one more time.

(he begs michael to stay outside, he wants to do this one all on his own)

he knocks on the door, "can i talk to you?", roger lets him in, because what's the harm.

corey says everything he wishes he'd said before, that morning when mr allen picked him up and they fucked in that empty lot.

he screams and yells and blames everything on roger. getting more and more nonsensical as he goes on. working himself up to just do it --

"-- it's all your fault, everything that happened is because of you. you only asked me to babysit because you'd been fucking me behind your wife's back and you knew i'd drop everything to help you, you knew i'd do it and - and i did and then everything went wrong and - and it's your fault and you never fucking loved me, you never --"

roger thinks corey is having a mental breakdown (which in a way, he very much is)

so he just stands there and takes it, letting corey get out whatever he needs to before he can take him home to his mom or call the cops or whatever.

corey takes a deep breath and leans forward. pulls roger to him and kisses him. it's messy and desperate. corey's hands twisted in roger's shirt.

then, so much like that first kill, corey stabs him. the blood gushes over his hand and roger gasps like he's been winded.

corey doesn't break the kiss, though roger isn't even an active participant anymore. he pulls his hand back and stabs him again. and again. and again.

he only pulls away when roger crumples, unable to hold his own weight. blood pools around corey's feet on the cream carpet.

corey wipes the tears from his face that he didn't even notice had fallen and goes back outside to find michael.

#corey cunningham #halloween ends #corey cunningham x roger allen #corey cunningham smut #this post got longgg. like out of hand long #reading this over. it is so incoherent. but i just need you all to know what is in my brain #man i just know i've forgotten something or over looked a huge point. oh well.#in saying that actually #if anyone ever wants to ask more questions or talk about corey and mr allen's clandestine love affair PLEASE hit me up #i am always ready to talk about them #idk why i'm so attached to them. probably because they exist in a very insular context in my brain #like this is an au relationship. i dont think it happens in my hc timeline of corey x michael #and theres the version where corey isnt a virgin when he meets mr allen. but hes never been with a man before #so he still has a lot of firsts and hes still satiating his daddy issues #you know what. maybe i should do a headcanons list for corey x michael too !! 👀#because who knows when i'll finally post some of my road trip writing about them lol #cunningallen

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