#barnaby likes to think that he knows everything about his little buddy

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Bard-aby <3 except he's only loosely a bard bc i don't subscribe to absolutes <3

rambles:

BARNABY WITH PANTS??? BLASPHEMY!!! however this is a (dnd-inspired) fantasy au so. pants! loose pants tucked into modified boots because no one can tell me No!

based off of Clown's pokemon au human Barn, it seems like he might be a bit of a jewelry guy! he was wearing rings! and had an earring! also i think Barn just looks great w/ some extra shinies, yk yk

since ties aren't really a Thing in fantasy settings, i combined the iconic pattern w/ his vest for a two-in-one. then suspenders bc they fuck severely! his belt buckle is a bone both as a nod to the pattern on his tie / house decoration, and to go along with how Wally has an apple buckle! besties stay twinning!

you can't see it but on his other side he has his pack & his smoking pipe holster, which attaches to his belt! it's very high quality leather that he spent so much money on. his pipe is important to him - he carved it himself out of wood from an important tree from his childhood, so he wants it to be properly stored & protected! he has two kinds of tobacco for it - normal, and magic tobacco that essentially allows him to cast minor spells w/ the smoke

the feathers on his hat are from Ms. Beagle! in my mind he left the farm to go adventuring on a bit of a bad note, but his mama made sure to give him a couple feathers to take with so that she'd always be close <3

he keeps his claws blunt so that he doesn't accidentally scratch people/things, and so that he can play stringed instruments without cutting the strings. while i imagine for this au he plays a wide range, he prefers Loud Handheld Instruments that allow him to sing along. so in mind he has an Accordion here! loud! jaunty! but i imagine he also keeps a recorder in his pack for when Frank needs annoying. (he did have a lute, but he broke it over someone's head in the act of defending Wally's honor)

im still trying to pin down the right balance of colors for his outfit, but! for a little au tidbit - all of his spots are the same two blues as his ears. in this im imagining that he, at a young age, learned a very basic cosmetic spell that allowed him to change his spots color to mimic Ms. Beagle's! he wanted to look like his mama! but by the time he's in his late 20s he no longer changes his spots

ohhhh i forgot to add his pockets. Oh Well

#i wanted him to look um.... Put Together? #barn strikes me as a character that likes to look a lil sophisticated in a way! #and i wanted that to come across in this fit... dont know if i succeeded #i still wanted to have Bard-ish / Barnaby Vibes #i can easily imagine him reclined by a tree absentmindedly playin his accordion... smokin... in this outfit hat tipped down over his eyes #barnaby my beloved <3 #and bardaby my beloved <3 #also ill admit!!! #that lute is traced from a real image lmfao there was no way in hell i was scribbling that thing from scratch #scribble salad #wh fantasy au #i lowkey feel bad for barnaby when he finds out about the whole warlock thing #bc hes been traveling with wally for Years #barnaby likes to think that he knows everything about his little buddy #and then wally has to be like 😬 #yeah im actually not technically a real person #also there's this 'demon' i have a pact with & also a weird kinda non-platonic Cant Be Accurately Labeled intimate relationship with #oh and i sometimes sacrifice innocent people to it in a pinch. the rest of the time we eat enemies' souls #and barnaby just has to! deal with that! like oh great! his bestie has been lying to his face since they met! #ands its been Seamless Lying! #suffice to say barnaby has a crisis #and now since wally can be more open about home #there's a sort of... pointless Rivalry for wally's attention/affection #even though barnaby definitely misjudges the situation and how home feels about wally... #oh switching gears back to the instrument thing! #in my mind barnaby also knows how to play the harp really well #and howdy's tavern has a corner for live music - which includes a permanently placed harp <3 #so i think on quiet days barnaby will go play the harp while howdy cleans glasses & the others do their own quiet things #maybe its raining outside! or Snowing! but the tavern is cozy and warm & there is beautiful music <3

[diorsluv]

feather , part 20

“ you fit every stereotype ”

series m. list previous chapter next chapter

( socialmedia!au )

lhughes_06

liked by yourusername, edwards.73, mackie.samo, and 94,256 others

lhughes_06 u said don’t get too attached but ur attached to me 🤷‍♂️

view all comments

username22 IS THAT A HEAVEN SENT LYRIC??

→ username7 she said dont get too attached but she attaaaaached to me

yourusername you joke too much it’s not her fault if she can’t tell 🙄

→ lhughes_06 no i don’t 🙄

→ yourusername LITERALLY YES U DO

→ lhughes_06 OK THEN I’LL PROVE IT

→ yourusername FINE

→ lhughes_06 FINE

→ colecaufield couple fights

username46 he really crossed out her name thinkin we wouldn’t know exactly who he was texting 🤣

missseraphina omg stoppp i didn’t know u were gonna post me

→ lhughes_06 that’s mb

trevorzegras damn moosey ur a player

→ lhughes_06 nah

→ markestapa he only got one girl on his mind and it isn’t this one 💀💀

→ lhughes_06 fr markestapa

luca.fantilli don’t tell me hughesy got the girl before i did

→ lhughes_06 bro u were never gonna get the girl

→ mackie.samo his girl****

→ lhughes_06 yeah my girl****

→ luca.fantilli damn i could’ve sworn she wanted me more 🥱

→ yourusername don’t instigate luca 😑😑

→ lhughes_06 my girl yourusername

→ yourusername no moosey 🙄

→ username65 HIS GIRL?!?!?!?!

_quinnhughes don’t get too cocky now little buddy

→ lhughes_06 i’m taller than u.

→ _quinnhughes u got lucky

→ lhughes_06 IN MIDDLE SCHOOL MOM SAID I WAS TALLER THAN U WERE WHEN U WERE 12

→ jackhughes but mom also said she loves quinn the most so we know she lies to us sometimes

username37 which girl does luke even want

→ username24 lil drizz obv

→ username5 seraphina!

→ username98 trick question none

username22 ARE THEY TOGETHER OR NOT ITS KILLING ME

→ username37 i think luke and jamie’s sister are talking rn

→ username81 but i thought he was talking to that seraphina girl

dylanduke25 thought u and her were official after that third date

→ yourusername damn

→ edwards.73 DONT SAY THAT SHIT

→ adamfantilli DUKER 😭😭

→ lhughes_06 IT WASN’T A DATE

→ jackhughes DATE?????

→ trevorzegras DAMNNN MOOSEY

→ rutgermcgroarty DUKER WHY WOULD U SAY THAT

→ jamie.drysdale um what.

→ _quinnhughes i did not know about this HELLO???

→ _alexturcotte not one not two but THREE dates.

→ markestapa YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE JUST MESSING AROUND lhughes_06

→ lhughes_06 WE WERE ITS NOT SERIOUS

→ mackie.samo didnt think u were gonna treat a rebound like that fr

→ colecaufield wtf

→ luca.fantilli cmon luke u can do better than this

→ yourusername what do u have to say for urself lhughes_06

→ lhughes_06 she and i were just messing around, u know how i feel 🙏

→ username16 SHE KNOWS HOW HE FEELS???? WHATTTTTT

username57 luke is literally my quickest method of finding drama

yourusername

liked by mackie.samo, lhughes_06, trevorzegras, and 71,129 others

yourusername felt like a rich girl 🤍

view all comments

lhughes_06 no go ahead tell them who took those pics for you

→ yourusername mm but i don’t feel like it

→ edwards.73 it was me thanks for the creds 😍😘😋

→ lhughes_06 bro 💀

lhughes_06 and tell them who drove you there too while you’re at it

→ yourusername still don’t feel like it

→ _quinnhughes thanks for reminding me u owe me gas money

username24 MY GORGEOUS GIRLLL

→ username18 LUKE’S*** gorgeous girl

username67 barnaby’s fault for breaking up w this stunning woman frl

username22 dryshughes is back 💪

→ username2 war is overrrr

rutgermcgroarty mackie broke his phone but he wanted me to say U FINALLY POSTED URSELF

→ yourusername tell mackie he needs to stop obsessing over me

→ mackie.samo my phone got fixed and i would never obsess over my friend’s girl 🙄🙄

jackhughes he’s giggling

→ yourusername GIGGLING??

→ _quinnhughes kicking his feet and all

→ trevorzegras going feral

markestapa wtf did u to do luke and why did he come back all red and blushy

→ yourusername i didn’t do anything 😭

→ lhughes_06 she did everything

→ yourusername DON’T LIE

→ jamie.drysdale EVERYTHING? lhughes_06

→ lhughes_06 everything

→ yourusername NO TF I DIDNT

username23 they my mom and dad fr

→ username89 theyre not even together 😭

_alexturcotte so fancy

→ yourusername wore the dress u bought me just for this occasion 🥰

→ jamie.drysdale u spoil her too much 😒😒

→ _alexturcotte no i don’t 🙁 jamie.drysdale

→ jamie.drysdale she says she wishes u were her brother instead.

→ yourusername NO I NEVER SAID THAT (if turcs was my brother he wouldn’t spoil me as much)

username30 i’m in lovee ❤️❤️

edwards.73 okay lil drizz go get ur man

→ yourusername shut up

adamfantilli just caught him openly staring at your post

→ luca.fantilli yeah i think his jaw dropped when he saw she posted

→ yourusername mhm.. i’m sure he did

next chapter notes ) sooo dryshughes is back and better than ever (kind of) HOW ARE WE FEELING?? i missed my babies too much to strip them of such love butttttt they’re not getting together just yet 🤭🤭 also i feel like it wasn’t that clear but the first post was entirely just luke and seraphina pics.. and u may ask why? bc he messes around too much 🙄

tags: @aliaology @hockeyboysarehot @absolutelyhugh3s @jackquinnswife @freds-slut @love4ldr @blueeyedbesson @43hughes @v1olentdelights @dancerbailey3 @random-human02

#luke hughes fanfic #luke hughes fic #luke hughes x reader #luke hughes x y/n #luke hughes #quinn hughes #jack hughes #cole caufield #alex turcotte #trevor zegras #jamie drysdale #mark estapa #dylan duke #ethan edwards #mackie samoskevich #rutger mcgroarty #luca fantilli #adam fantilli

[nearest-dearest]

Ayoo ok so, hear me out

How about Wally with a s/o whos vision is getting progressively worse and they end up getting glasses? Since hes a puppet i suppose he can be confused about how do our eyes work n all

Coming right up Anon! :D

One of the best things about visiting the big city you used to call home is that your local optometrist is still there. Thanks to that, Dr. Iris managed to measure the perfect glasses for you. Now you can see well, making the train back home much more enjoyable, since you can see the scenery outside the window clear as day, even at night. You wonder how the neighborhood is going to react seeing that you now have glasses. It’s going to take time to get used to having a new weight on the bridge of your nose, but you can manage that.

You just wish Julie and Barnaby won’t tackle you when they see you. Wouldn’t want to get your glasses broken when you just got them. You didn’t have to wait long though because the train stop to home is coming closer. And when the train stopped, that’s when you took your cue to stand up, get off and walk all the way to the neighborhood.

“Neighbor!”

“Julie! Barnaby! NO!” You braced yourself, waiting for your body to hit the ground from the weight of their hug, but it never came. And when you looked at why is that. You saw Frank holding Julie back and Eddie keeping Barnaby still in his spot. So not only can the mail man lift anything, but he’s also strong enough to stop anything!

“Now Julie! I know you’re excited, but you must give our neighbor their space. They had a long journey.” Frank scolded like an older brother would do to their misbehaving sister.

“I know that, Frank! But I can’t help it! Neighbor has been gone for three whole days and I just want to see if they’re okay!”

That gave you a little laugh “Thanks Julie, but I’m okay. The doctor just said I needed some glasses.”

“Glasses?” All four of your neighbors say at the same time before walking up to you to see your new glasses.

“Now how would you need that little fella?” Barnaby asks.

“I—”

“Hi Julie, Hi Barnaby, Hi Frank, Hi Eddie. What are you all—” A fifth puppet joins the scene.

“Wally! Look! neighbor’s back! And she’s got glasses now!” Barnaby announced.

“Glasses? What are those?” Wally asks.

“We’ll find out soon Wally. If our neighbor is feeling up for it.” Frank says, being the ever-considerate puppet that he is.

“It’s fine Frank, I can explain to you what this is.”

Julie suddenly gasps “Wait! So even FRANK doesn’t know what it is?”

Frank sputters and huffed “How would I know? I’ve never encountered them before!”

“That’s because it’s a human thing.” You said, and with that simple statement, everything clicked for everyone. You explained further “Whenever our eyesight is getting blurry, we need to wear glasses to see clearer.”

“Oh! I get it now!” Eddie says, but then concern laced his face at a thought “Wait, does that mean you went to the big city blind?”

Everyone gasped at the thought, but you were quick to quell their worries “No no no no! I’m not fully blind, and the doctor said I’m near sighted, that means I can see things when they’re up close, but not when they’re far away.”

And with that, everyone calmed down again. Knowing that you were safe.

“Oh! Does that mean my sight will also become clearer with glasses on?”

“Wally, I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“Frank is right Wally, the doctors have to measure what glass to put in my glasses so I can see clearly. It really depends on how bad your sight is.”

“Why, whatever do you think caused this blurry vision of yours neighbor?” Barnaby brought up.

“It runs in my family, and I guess it’s about time my family genes caught up to me. But not to worry, I just need to keep my glasses on the entire time, only taking them off when I sleep.”

“Oh! That’s the most, I’m glad you’re okay neighbor. I was worried for the past few days.” Wally sighs. And for some reason, that made Barnaby chuckle, saying: “Wally buddy, you’re always worried about our neighbor here.”

“I can’t help it though, at least they’re okay. And that glasses made them look the absolute most.”

“Thanks Wally.” You gave a smile, a smile that Wally believed that it’s the absolute most.

Barnaby, Eddie, Julie and Frank can see it clearly. The two may be oblivious to the fact, but the rest of the neighborhood will wait for the day. Where you and Wally can tell each other that fact.

#wally darling #wally darling x y/n #wally darling x you #welcome home #wally darling my beloved #wally darling x reader #wally x reader #welcome home arg x reader #fanfic #julie joyful #eddie dear #frank frankly #barnaby b beagle

[skyepixels]

The Welcome Home Website!!!!! She is Beautiful~! And She Leaves Us With So Many Questions!

First off, I am absolutely astonished at how beautiful she is!!! Clown, Puzz, and everyone else has worked so hard and they've exceeded everyone's expectations with the site!!! What a wonderful little Home they've made, and I'm excited to experience it as a fan!!!

I know that everyone's combing through the new website update with a fine toothed comb so I won't be sharing anything we've already found. I don't think I've found anything new in the site that others haven't already found, but oh boy!!!! Does everything there only raise more questions!

What I do love is how all the audio files we've been given through the "bugs" has really shown what everyone's personality is like! I love every one of them, and the voice actors captured them perfectly! Oh and the little tidbits of history with the merchandise, the telephone calls, the little skits! Be still my beating heart~!!!

AND THE WALLY LIVE INTERVIEW. I CANT! It's sooo darn cute!! And Nick Nocturne (I know it's him, that interdimentional cat demon) as the interviewer was such a lovely touch! I cannot wait to hear about that from his YT channel!!! And Wally was so coy with the romance question~ and I think that's the perfect way to answer it for everyone who loves him! Keep it vague, let everyone make their own conclusions and be happy! (I know I certainly will for the time being, and will love him no matter what!) I am so curious about the underlying story here: there's so much to think about it's driving me crazy! They gave so much and answered so little! We can only theorize from here! So here's my little thoughts! None of it's cohesive in any way, nor does it really have all the details or tell full story yet, so just take it in sections if you decide to read it! ______

!~OBSERVATION TIME~!

I think that Wally, Home (And maybe everyone else, not sure) are trapped somewhere. Where exactly isn't certain, but very trapped indeed. My first indication of this from this response in the guestbook for Tayla (Page 8):

"eu não sei onde estamos" - I don't know where we are (A bonus for the multi-lingual side of things there, it makes me really happy to see it!)

I have no concept of what happened to everyone else, but from the little drawings he's made on the guestbook, he's constantly telling people things like "Oh, I'll tell Eddie." or "I'll tell Frank." these messages, but we never get a direct response from any other neighbor! It's always him talking! Just him. He tells people their responses, but we never hear anything direct from the other neighbors! The quick reference I can bring up is the hearts PNG in the guestbook for Kazoo:

itoldhim_hesaidhesflattered_idontknowwhatanyoneistalkingabout_.png I feel like those collections of audio clips with all the neighbors (1-14 to 14-14) are a recount of events throughout an entire day that previously happened that may give insight into what happened to Wally. I think this is the case based on the last audio in the list, 14-14 bh audio, when Barnaby notices Wally acting strange:

BARNABY: Yeah, yeah, real funny! A poor little guy like me deserves some sympathy! A clown without a kazoo is like… Like an artist without his paintbrush! Go on kid, tell ‘em! …Hello? Buddy? Pal? …Hey, you stopped paintin’. Everything alright, Wally?

Well, something happened there. Maybe a change in his psyche, how he perceives things - some strange realization that terrified him. Maybe he got angry at something. What it was? I have no clue.

Another addition that I think is interesting! Frank wrote to Wally describing the unusual bug he found. In the beginning of that letter, Frank says this:

"I know you would ask if you are here." Where is he?

The nature of how Wally and everyone communicates is so vague and weird! I think the telephones, the mail, the TVs - all these things are means of communicating, but there's no direct connection to us! Any time a phone call is made, they can't hear us. This I have inferred from the "It's for you!" Talking telephone toy! They can talk to us and we can hear them, but they can't hear us! What's causing this disturbance? That's the real bug here, and I'm clueless on what that means or how to break through the surface!

Most importantly! I think that Wally specifically trying to communicate with that one person on the WHRP team. That person... is experiencing a lot of heavy sh*t, because I think they remember Wally and the show. They're the closest person right now that's able to help him (either willingly or not!)

I also believe he's specifically working with that WHRP member because in the phone audio (the one you click on when interacting with the toy telephone on the merchandise page), he says:

"You have to go too. You have work to do."

From what I can interpret from the live interview, I think that it implies some semblance of back story! Wally did interact with people and the outside world during his prime in the 70s, when the show was really starting to pick up speed. He was calmer, more in tune with his character and fame. He was in character most of all, and I think being in character was a sense of identity for him that he could rely on!

But those secret audio files we hear from him now? He sounds desperate, like he can't breathe. He's practically breaking from his usual character. What did he realize? What does he know? All of those things boil down to this sentence:

"I will help you understand. I will find a way soon, Neighbor."

Wally (and Home?) are working away at a solution wherever they can I think that WHRP member is the key to that! (Although the methods of how they're doing it, i.e the black paint that apparently you shouldn't touch with bare hands, the mind-boggling phone ringing in that person's ears, the complete distortion of reality - definetely implies a few things.)

I also think that the highlighted in invisible ink is Wally's words throughout the email compilations and other documents! The one where he says "Im so sorry." - I feel like that's him showing some remorse for his actions there, but it's like a sorry that says "I'm sorry, I have to do this." kind of deal (which is... oof)

Also - quick note! Wally keep insisting on being let in, rather than being let out. "Let me in." - Let you in to where? Our world? Reality? Oh so many questions!!!

I also am curious about the WHRP staff too, and their interactions with the Question-Answerer, the Marlo company, the Playfellow Workshop! There's two sides to this story; the human side and the puppet one, and it's so multilayered here that at this point, I'm inclined to distrust what anyone on that website says until we know what's going on!

Lastly, I'm not certain how much we as viewers of this story are involved. While I believe that he's working to get that WHRP member to let him in, he does acknowledge us through the guestbook. Although, I don't think truly aware of how much we see him. i.e "idontknowwhatanyoneistalkingabout" line from the heart PNG.

While I want to believe that Wally can see us through our art, specifically when we draw or recreate his eyes, for engagement's sake (audio from this link), I also am inclined to believe he's refering to the eyes that the WHRP team member keeps drawing on those sticky notes and other places throughout the restoration site:

And and and!!! I think that there's got to be something upcoming with this link: https://www.clownillustration.com/error404

You find this link on the staff-only page at the bottom with the text "It's in here." And I think that with any future updates, the next section of the story will be coming from here.

AHH~! I rambled on too long! Hope you enjoyed it!

#welcome home #wally darling #welcome home arg #welcome home fandom #welcome home wally #skyepixels #welcome home theory #welcome home update #frank frankly #julie joyful #eddie dear #poppy partridge #howdy pillar #barnaby beagle

[theneighborhoodwatch]

uhhh wally/barnaby for the ship thing?? idk if you ship them im just guessing because youve rbed some art for it lmao

(send me a character/ship to hear my thoughts)

when or if I started shipping it: [friendly shrug that communicates absolutely nothing]

my thoughts: IT'S FUNNY, I... I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD FEEL WAY MORE STRONGLY ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP BEING ROMANTIC THAN I DO? especially considering that "eccentric and traumatized manic pixie nightmare guy obsessed with fulfilling some fictional archetype x his more cynical and worldly friend-slash-colleague who starts out supportive but eventually finds himself way out of his depth" was pretty much the Exact dynamic of the last ship i was invested enough in to call an otp. so far though, any moments they have together don't get much more out of me than "ooh, interesting, i wonder if/how that's gonna come into play later," or "oho, i think my friend who ships barnwally will get a kick out of this," or "aaaghghg fuck.... buddy comedy angst...." i think my thoughts on them right now can be best summarized as ... i am excited for when there is enough About them in canon to finally make me as emotional over them as i am about, like, franklydear or wally and home. but also even if their relationship is never explicitly or even implicitly romantic then i have more than enough reason to believe it will still be just as emotional and rich with Themes. TL;DR: i know they're gonna fuck me up Some day, but that hasn't happened yet.

What makes me happy about them: they genuinely like each other! i feel like with welcome home's whole Thing of its characters' predetermined roles coming into conflict with their reality it'd be really easy to have one of them secretly hate or resent the other from the get-go, but - no, wally trusts barnaby to always have an answer for what he's feeling or experiencing and barnaby is gentler and more upfront with wally than he is with almost any other character (although considering his general personality that may not be saying much HAHA.) it makes it a lot easier to get invested in them and subsequently dread what effect The Horrors will have on their relationship.

What makes me sad about them: so, like. wally probably knows why he and barnaby are friends to begin with, i.e. he probably knows that A Higher Power decided that they should be friends, and so it was done. the possibility that wally can exist beyond what his audience/creator(s) expect of him does not seem to have ever occurred to wally himself. what i'm getting at here, is that. wally may genuinely like being friends with barnaby, yes. but liking something because you chose to seek it out and liking something because you are under the impression that you will somehow cease to exist without it are Two Very Different Things, and the latter is. very dangerous for any kind of relationship. and, fuck, barnaby - if i was barnaby and i found out that that was how my best friend (who i may or may not be in love with) saw our friendship the whole time - if i found out that was the truth and i never noticed it? i would never be able to forgive myself. even if that friend ended up doing things that hurt me or other people or themselves and i was rightly upset with them for that, there would always be that little voice in the back of my head telling me that if i had just looked closer for two seconds i could have fixed it. i could have helped him. i could have shown him i was a real friend.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: i don't seek out WH fic all that often, but i remember when it first became a thing a lot of explicitly romantic barnaby/wally fic made barnaby a little too earnest/mushy for my liking? like yeah, he cares about wally and is gentle with him and everything, but he is also very quick to tease wally and to dress up pretty much everything he says in at least on layer of irony/clowning around. this pooch does NOT have the emotional self-awareness for the things you want him to say!! i also dislike when authors make another character (usually home or. howdy?) like, over-the-top abusive towards wally so barnaby has more incentive to get with him, but i just don't like character assassination/flanderization in general, so.

Things I look for in fanfic: honestly, just, like. more stuff that actually interacts with WH's canon. i feel like a lot of the stuff i see for them is either AU fic or smutty oneshots that don't do a whole lot to incorporate canon elements. which, like, do whatever you want forever, but i'm Starvin' over here.

My kinks: y'know i was gonna be like "teehee, wrong blog! you're not getting that here, silly!" but. i actually have no idea what kinks i would consider Only in the context of wallaby. uhhh. ask for my nsfw blog if you wanna hash that out i guess.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: i'm very curious to see if canon is going to end up making a case for laughingstock. i don't know if it will but i think it would be very funny. as for wally... [looks at his relationship with home] uh. [looks at his relationship with W/the WHRP] umm. [looks at his relationship with the audience] fuck. maybe work on yourself a little bit before thinking about sharing your life with someone again, buddy.

My happily ever after for them: an animated music video set to on melancholy hill by gorillaz. it opens with wally sitting in front of home's burning remains at night, gazing mournfully into its eyes one last time. the only sound we hear is the crackling of the fire. we smash cut to black for a split second before the song begins to play, paired with the visual of wally driving down a long highway at sunset, in what is very clearly a hastily painted over mail truck that used to belong to eddie's post office. after the opening instrumental of the song, the footage alternates between three perspectives: wally traveling to his unknown destination, complete with all the hitchhiking, gas pumping, pit stopping, and otherwise less glamorous parts of road travel; the other neighbors trying to put their lives back together after The Bullshit, in particular following barnaby's melancholic point of view as he visits each one/attends their various get-togethers; and finally, the neighbors Braving The Horrors back in the day to fight for a life that best fits their needs rather than that of their long-dead makers. as the song begins to roll to a close, we see the mail truck pull up to an unfamiliar looking house, with a handful of neighbors hanging out on the porch and barnaby leaving out the front door to grab something. the entire scene takes place at sunset once again, meaning everything in is in silhouette. barnaby stops dead in his tracks when he sees the truck, and the others soon follow his gaze. wally opens the door and steps out, his body language hesitant as he takes one step towards barnaby. barnaby begins to walk towards him. we smash cut to black on the final note of the song. the end.

#banbanfan01 #welcome home #ask #barnwally #wallaby #barnaby b. beagle #wally darling

[cartoonfanaticmonsterrobotalien]

Solar Opposites: Unleashed Scene: You’re Jsut Trying Too Hard

As Korvo and Terry panics while pacing around, Yumyulack and Jesse continue looking down at the floor horrified while Phoebe comes downstairs after putting the Pupa down for a nap.

Phoebe: Okay, the Pupa is now asleep. We just need to come up with a plan to get you guys out of hou- notices the kids’ horrified faces Yumyulack? Jesse? Are you okay?

Yumyulack: This is all our faults.

Yumyulack: We should’ve known Barnaby was a crazy person. We trusted him and he fucked us like fools. Now, he’s took everything that is meant to help our friends, including the scanner, the files, everything! starts to hulk out as his horns appear on his head and his starts to grow bigger and muscular

Jesse: Ugh! I can’t believe we acted like fucking fools! Those headphone guys and the Stacies were right! We are total fuck ups! starts hulking out as she starts growing bigger and muscular and turning black

Korvo and Terry gasp as they realized how overwhelmed their children are and runs up to calm them down.

Phoebe: Whoa whoa whoa kids calm down!

Yumyulack: eyes starts growing lavender CALM DOWN?! CALM DOWN?! WHY SHOULD WE STAY CALM?!

Jesse: eyes starts glowing black and dark pink WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE UPSET!

Korvo and Terry: leaps towards and hugs their kids in a huge embrace Whoa whoa whoa! Hey! Hey now! Yumyulack… Jesse… soothing shushing sounds

The effects wear off on Yumyulack and Jesse as they shrink down to their normal sizes and starts weeping as Korvo and Terry gasp sadly and continue soothing them.

Yumyulack: tearfully We’re so scared guys.

Jesse: weeping What’s gonna happen to us guys? Barnaby was right. We’re just little kids. We can’t even do anything right.

Phoebe: What?! Who these bitches think they are- Korvo puts his hand on Phoebe as she grows surprised by the look on Korvo’s face

Korvo: to Phoebe Don’t worry, we’ll talk to them. turns to Terry; whispering You talk to Yumyulack, I’ll talk to Jesse.

Terry: Okay.

In separate directions, Terry takes Yumyulack outside while Korvo takes Jesse to her and Yumyulack’s bedroom as Yumyulack sits down on the picnic table and Jesse sat on her chair and looks at the mirror.

Terry: Buddy, what’s wrong? Talk to me.

Korvo: Jesse darling, is everything okay?

Yumyulack: tearfully; sniffles No Terry, everything is not okay. I can’t do anything right. All I do is fail and get beat up by other kids. I can’t even get Mark to notice me.

Terry: puts his hands on Yumyulack’s shoulders Hey come on, everything’s gonna be okay.

Jesse: tearfully No, it’s not okay. I wished I never found that glowing lipstick. chokes a sob Now it turned me into an ugly monster. sobs

Korvo: But why did you do that?

Jesse: sniffles as tears fall hard I just… wanted to be beautiful Korvo… just like the Stacies… and all the other beautiful women in the world…

Yumyulack: voice breaking I just wanted people to stop walking over me Terry… I wanted to be something more…

In each separate parts, Korvo and Terry put comforting on hands on their children’s shoulders as they deeply understand how their Replicants feel.

Terry: I know honey, but that is not true.

Korvo: You are the most beautiful sweetest girl in the world. You don’t need makeup to prove that.

Terry: You are so smart, so brave, yet stubborn. But, that doesn’t mean you should exhaust yourself from that. You are a very brave little alien who can do anything.

Korvo: To me, you are an amazing beautiful lady who is so kind and thoughtful and very caring towards other people.

Terry: Your father and I will always support you no matter what…

Korvo: And you have people who care about you too, and you are never alone…

Korvo and Terry: But most of all…

Terry: You don’t have to try so hard

Yumyulack sobs into Terry’s chest as Terry hugs his step-son and soothes him.

Korvo: puts his hand on Jesse’s shoulders You shine brighter than all of them.

Korvo puts his arms around Jesse for comfort as Jesse tearfully smiles and hugs Korvo by his arms. Phoebe smiles as she sees her friends comforting their children.

Two hours later, Yumyulack and Jesse fall asleep on the couch while Phoebe puts two blankets on them as she smiles. Korvo and Terry then approach each other as the two husbands look at each other lovingly.

Korvo: How come you never tell me how well you do with our kids?

Terry: Let’s just say, I got advice from a grumpy blue-ass alien who became my sweet hubby.

Korvo: Oh Terry. But don’t you worry, we’re gonna get out of here. Once and for all. It’s a promise I can never break with you.

Terry: And that’s something I can’t break with you either.

The two alien husbands French-kiss as they embrace each other lovingly.

Music for this Scene:

Phoebe MacCarthy belongs to @themagicwolf6677

#solar opposites #solar opposites au #solar opposites monster universe #monster au #alien monsters #korvo #tervo #terry solar opposites #yumyulack #jesse solar opposites #british korvo #papa wolf mode #dad mode activated #alien dads #father and daughter love #father and son moment #father and son love #father and daughter #father and son #father and child #daddy daughter moment #phoebe maccarthy #phoebe solar opposites #cooldown hug #comforting parents #korvo and jesse #terry and yumyulack #Spotify #solar opposites: unleashed

[bundrops-n-fluffytops]

Welcome Home Agere Fic - Sleepover

Characters: Barnaby B. Beagle, Wally Darling, Home, slight mention of Sally Starlet

Setting: Home (kitchen, living room, bedroom, hallway, bathroom)

Premise: Wally is confident that he can handle things on his own, but one bad night makes it clear that he isn’t all that self-reliant. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, however, as his best friend Barnaby has all the help in the world.

Authors Note: My second fic!! Again treat it nicely, I’m new to this

Also thank you for enjoying the last one!! I’m super proud of both of them, so I’m glad you like it too 💕💕

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

As friendly and amiable as Wally Darling was, he sure was stubborn.

Wally wasn’t someone to ask for help much, despite his efforts to help others. It seemed comically hypocritical if anything, with the irony behind it.

For example, if Sally were to ask him to lead in a play she wanted to play, he would make sure he carried the show with his own hands. However, if someone were to offer a hand in something, he would simply wave his hand and say, “No no, I can take care of it! Don’t fret over such small things.”

His best friend - Barnaby B. Beagle - took notice of that quite well, when he and Wally decided to have a sleepover.

The two had done just about everything together that day; prank calls on the other neighbors, baking a new recipe - caramel apples - and even future telling, albeit with paper crafts and silly myths. Of course, in the end, they both had lots of fun, vowing that they must do this more.

It was later that night that issues had began to rise. The two nighttime buddies had began to clean up and get ready to snooze, and were in the washroom brushing their teeth(?).

“Wally, kid, are you sure you can sleep on your own? I know you’ve done it before, but most of the time you either stay up the whole night or wake up-“ Barnaby questioned Wally. Yes, it was a silly, silly question, but he wasn’t unfamiliar with Wally’s ungodly night schedule. And with how frequent this was, neither were the other residents of Welcome Home.

“Barnaby, I admire your concern greatly, but I do think that is quite silly. I can sleep just fine,” Wally assured, waving his hand up and down.

“One or two bad nights won’t do anything, I can handle it!” He chuckled. Wally was well aware of the terrible night terrors he had, but he of course wasn’t ready to admit that. He just leaves with his same pleasant grin.

“I dunno kid, you usually say that then turn up at Julie’s doorstep wrapped in your blanket sniffling like it’s winter again,” Barnaby quipped back, laughing at his own joke. Wally fell silent for a moment, thinking for a short second, before cleaning his mouth of the toothpaste on his cheeks. He then turned to his blue buddy, and pat him on the arm reassuringly.

“I know you’re upset, but I assure you I’m fine. When anything happens, I know that I can always rely on you, so don’t you worry your pretty little head,” he reassures, his ever-so present grin almost glowing on his face, and in his eyes. He always had such a sunny, polite disposition.

“Ahh, if you say so little buddy,” Barnaby sighed and shook his head, though with a playful smirk on his face. He pat his much tinier friend and walked away towards the guest room, peaking out quickly to say his goodnights with Wally. Afterwards, he closed the door behind him and laid down on top of the bed…right after he pulled the sheets and pillows around to make it comfortable. Dog instincts never fail.

Home fell into a peaceful slumber shortly after, and the only sound one could hear was the crickets outside and Wally’s silly “I’m sleeping I’m sleeping I’m sleeping” sleeptalking.

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

Barnaby wasn’t sure what woke him up, but his tired eyes soon fluttered open. He groaned, irritated, and rubbed his eyes to better clear up his vision.

The clock read 3:41 AM, which sent Barnaby in a sleepy tizzy. What in the world woke me up this early? He yawned and stretched his body, shaking his head awake afterwards.

“A glass of water might help clear my head,” he guessed, “my throat is drier than an old queen!” He chuckled to himself afterwards. He might use that in his routine. But before that, he needed to quench his thirst.

It didn’t take two steps out of his room when he heard something… odd. His ears raised a tad at the sound, turning his head behind him. Was that… a baby crying?

There was no way he heard a baby. But it was so clear and the pitch was the same, he was thrown for a loop. And what in the world was a baby doing in Home? He didn’t remember there being one… unless it isn’t one. Barnaby wracked his brain for another idea of what the source of the crying could be…until he remembered.

“Wally has nightmares!” He realized. At that moment, he rushed towards the true source of the sound - Wally’s bedroom. It wasn’t far from his guest room, as it was set at the tail end of the long hallway, capped with a red wood and a sign that said “Wally.”

Barnaby didn’t think to knock, which he somewhat regrets, before he quickly pushed the door open.

There sat the culprit of the mysterious crying - Wally, wrapped around his blanket, sobbing and hiccuping in bed. He jumped a bit at the sound of Barnaby barging in, falling silent in surprise. However, it didn’t take long until he went back to crying, only this time he held out his arms towards the tall blue dog.

Barnaby was no stranger to this behavior. He has seen Wally in this sort of situation, where his brain seemed to work much differently. It was called… regression, where his brain and his age didn’t seem to match up for a period of time. In times like this, Wally would have a habit of babbling and slurring his words, as well as taking part of childish behaviors such as playing with smaller toys and looking up to others as his caretakers. It wasn’t a problem though, no sir, as they would be more than welcome to help take care of him in such a state, Barnaby included.

With that, Barnaby quickly climbed into the bed with Wally, scooped him up and held him against his torso, patting and rubbing his back. Wally quickly wrapped his arms around his neck and buried his face into the taller friend’s shoulder, still crying.

“Deep breaths, kid,” Barnaby whispered, “there you go, that’s it.” He would act as the big brother towards Wally when he regressed, carrying him and playing with him to help him through such a time. Because of this, he knew what actions to take in this.

Soon, Wally’s crying and snuffling soon quieted to an occasional hiccup and wipe of a sleeve. He laid there, cradled against Barbaby’s chest, shaking but breathing slowly. He was the first to speak.

“I…I’m sowey…” he wavered, “I’m sowy I like tis.” He tried wiping away any stray tears while flapping his free hand, calming himself down.

“I din’ wan yous to worry fo’ me, bu’ I keep makin’ yous worry..” He was having a hard time keeping his voice steady, and he ended up going back to crying, albeit softer. His taller friend immediately rose a hand to wipe his newly fallen tears, propping his head to face him.

“No Wally, don’t ever feel bad for wanting help,” the blue dog reassured, “even if it makes you feel weird. I know that asking is hard and that you don’t want to look weak or anything, but there is nothing wrong with needing a helping hand. You got that, kiddo?” The tiny puppet nuzzled against Barnaby’s paw, hiccuping a tad.

“Wh-what if is sometin’ you can’t do?” Wally asked. The comedian chuckled a bit, rubbing the puppet’s back.

“Well then I’ll tell ya! I’m not gonna be silent if you’re giving me something hard to handle, and even then I tell ya you’re not hard to deal with at all! Just ring me up and I’ll be there quicker than a toupee in a hurricane.” He moved his hand to ruffle his hair a bit, letting out a small giggle in Wally.

“You’re silly! Silly silly puppyyy, hehe!” Wally reached his hands up to pet the top of Barnaby’s head, back and forth. The comedian responded by grabbing Wally by the sides and lifting him to the air, the puppet squealing with delight and surprise.

“There ya go, now the dog’s got you on a leash, hahaha!” This only made Wally screech and laugh even more, waving his arms and legs aimlessly beside himself. This teasing unfortunately didn’t last long, if the loud creaking from Home said anything. Despite Wally pouting in response, Barnaby lowered the small puppet down onto bed once more.

“Let’s get ya back to bed buddy, ok?” Wally frowned at this, seeming upset again that the fun was over. “Is something wrong?”

“Nono, jus… can you stay wit’ me? I don’ wan to be awone…” Wally pleaded, holding the puppy’s paw tightly. Barnaby hummed and nodded, understanding his disarray.

“Of course, buddy! Lemme get comfortable for ya, one sec,” Barnaby answered, yawning afterwards. It was still quite late, so he was getting quite sleepy as well. He turned and trotted along the bed, pushing around and covers to get comfy before finally lying down. Wally followed suit, encasing himself in his favorite blanket - orange with white flowers - and lying against Barnaby’s body.

“Nini, baba… I luv oo,” Wally mumbled, before sticking his thumb between his lips and falling silent. Barnaby smiled warmly after that, before lying his head down to rest too.

“Gnight kiddo, love you too.”

#gwaaaaaa little Wally #I’m scared i portrayed him incorrectly here #please give me any sort of critique needed!!! #it helps a lot #Also create more agere content for welcome home pls #welcome home arg #welcome home #welcome home puppet show #welcome home wally #wally darling #welcome home barnaby #barnaby b beagle #welcome home agere #agere positivity #agere fic #agere #sfw regression #sfw agere #gummunity fics

[miltheperson]

Welcome Home headcanons!

Cuddles with the gang!

Everyone loves a good cuddle! How would the Welcome Home cast cuddle with you?

Wally Darling

I think that Wally would rather be cuddled than do the cuddling! Seeing as he isn’t quite sure how hugs work, how would he really know how cuddles work either? Doesn’t mean he’s not willing to try!

He loves being cuddled by his favorite person, you, as it’s one of the most warmest feelings on earth! He really does like it when you have your arms around him all nice and comfy!

Barnaby B. Beagle

Saying it right now, Barnaby must be such a good cuddle buddy! He’s sure to keep you warm even through the coldest of nights.

He’d wrap his arms around you and you’d feel so very warm! You could try hugging him back but I do think he’d have a good chuckle at your attempt!

“Nice try, lil buddy.” He’d say!

Eddie Dear

Now Eddie must be an expert in cuddles! I just know he gives one of the most comforting hugs and cuddles known to man!

I feel like cuddles with Eddie always ends up with one of the most nicest sleeps in the world! He wouldn’t want to wake you while you’re asleep though, so he might just doze off himself!

Frank Frankly

Frank isn’t too fond of cuddling since they like their own space, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t like a little snuggling or two during cold weather!

During these snuggles, I feel like Frank would be quite quiet, simply enjoying the warmth. They’d rather you have your arms around them, preferably sitting down all warm and snug underneath a nice blanket while just trying so hard not to fall asleep!

Julie Joyful

Julie just loves cuddles! She wouldn’t mind hugging for an extra minute or two!

She’d wrap her arms around you and just squeeze so tightly! Of course, being careful not to squeeze too tightly! Julies loves a good hug but she might get bored if it goes on for too long, asking to play a game with you instead!

Howdy Pillar

Ooh, he’d just be such a joy to cuddle with!

Those four arms of his must feel so nice and cozy to be wrapped in!

Howdy would definitely be the first to fall asleep during a good cuddle! He’d have his head atop yours with all four arms wrapped around you to keep you close and safe! Also because he might just like the feeling of hugging something while having a small nap!

Sally Starlet

She does love a good cuddle, that’s for sure!

Sally would rather your arms wrap around her simply because it just makes her feel cozy! And she just loves being close to you!

She would love to talk about anything and everything while you cuddle, maybe even sing to you if you’re sleepy! Sally just loves the company!

Poppy Partridge

Oh the sweet gal! She’d be so careful with how she holds you!

Her feathers must feel so nice and comfy, especially when she holds you close to her. Though, she gets quite nervous with how she holds you, seeing as she is definitely much larger than you are!

“Are you alright? Is this comfortable?” She’d ask you. How sweet!

#welcome home #welcome home headcanons #Frank definitely ends up falling asleep! #Such silly cozy puppets #They’re all so huggable and cuddly-looking!

[emeraldties]

Are you Happy? Cour 2 Review:

This is fine. We're fine.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR TIGER AND BUNNY COUR 2 BEWARE.

I'm a changed man after all this I'll tell you that. This is gonna be kinda long so... read at your own peril lol

Chronologically, this is a mess but whatever. I need to get this out there before I explode and accidentally spoil this for my friend.

We're starting off positive because we're making a sandwich right now and I really did enjoy this season. It definitely took a turn that I did NOT expect in a million years.

Fire Emblem. I loved their characterization in the Rising and this season in particular. That scene where they are talking to Keith about their suits was *chef's kiss*. How, despite amassing a successful company, when they became a hero they worried about what it took to be a hero. To have people look to you for protection, to feel safe in your company. It lends credence to the eventual conclusion Kotetsu comes to at the end of the season about what being a hero is. I loved every conversation between FireSky.

I want to know the source of Barnaby's new disability. I just wanna know. Phantom pain? Hundred power putting stain on a weakened knee. I MUST KNOW.

Oh, how the tables have turned. It's Kotetsu's turn to bridal carry Bunny.

Mattia... really had me going there was a second. Jesus Christ. I was sweating. Not again. Not again, please.

Blue Rose. I also really enjoyed her characterization this season especially. We meet her in season one as a hot-headed kid who just wanted to be a pop star, and now, we get to see her become an amazing hero. My little girl has grown up brooooo I'm so proud.

She's become so mature and her outlook on life has broadened in a lot of ways, specifically regarding her crush on Kotetsu (which I think we all, as kids, have had crushes on adults. It's up to those adults to not take advantage of those feelings if they do notice... which Kotetsu doesn't, not that he would ever do anything if he did). She let her feelings wash over her, and made healthy friendships with the other heroes to the point where her feelings for Kotetsu became something in the background. She didn't stop liking Kotetsu, she just accepted that it wouldn't happen. And I don't think season 1 Karina would have accepted that conclusion... you know with the whole "how to bag single dads" thing lol.

Golden Ryan? I'll kiss your boots any day

Kid. I love her. She's my child. It's whatever. Adoption papers signed. Shion hairclip is given. Been my kid for 7 years.

Origami and Bison's relationship is just so funny to me. I don't know why. It just is. They're stupid. They're too smart for their own good. They're buddy heroes.

Me and the homies know the real villains of this season were the Mayor and the police. Ouroboros just played their cards right.

Fuck you Mayor whatever and your approval ratings. Your son's a NEXT but I bet he didn't get shoved into a dingy little camp now did he? Segregation? I can't believe I'm saying this, but if Maverick were here this would have never happened. He had that man's balls in a chokehold. Sorry. Rant over.

I love you Doc Saito and your crowded little coffin of a lab.

Bunny, Tiger, and Lunatic teaming up? When I tell you I screamed. I fucking SCREAMED.

Okay. Now for the... NEGATIVES. Sorry. BIG SPOILER MASSIVE SPOILER TIME.

Yuri Petrov deserved better. I don't know what else to say. But also I knew that his arc would either end in death or reformation. I just wish it was the latter. I probably have more to say, but I haven't fully articulated it yet. But I'm sad.

The Nemochild's (I forgot her name) motive was a bit... lackluster. Hotness can't make up for everything I suppose.

I wish we had more work put into her in Cour 1, like Mugan and Fugan and Brahe, then maybe I wouldn't have felt nothing when she died.

Now, this is the Taibani nitpicker within me, so it's not a genuine criticism, more of a wish than anything else. I wish Kotetsu had gotten his hands on Mattia's drug in the middle of the fight and injected himself with it to save Barnaby. I think that would have been more dramatic and it would have made more sense why he lost his powers in the end. Because the drug would have unforeseen consequences, instead of the All Might "I used up all my reserves of power" moment.

Also, I'm gonna need some answers on this segregation thing. Conclusion? Please?

No drinks? No dinner? I've been robbed. And so has Kotetsu.

Not enough Ben. That's the real fatal flaw of this season. 0/10.

I said this was a sandwich so back to the POSITIVES:

I'm really interested in the way Tiger and Bunny depict abusive parents.

I think we see that with Yuri, Barnaby, and Cat. There is a bittersweetness. A soft underbelly to these incredibly strong characters. Despite all that their respective parents have put them through, there is still the ghost of fondness there. A refusal to treat their parents with the same flippancy toward their feelings their parents had all their lives.

Barnaby still keeps a picture of Maverick on his table, he got what he wanted. His parents' killer is dead. But that doesn't change the fact that Maverick had been his only pillar of support for so many years. Even if it was all fake. It's a trophy of a pyrrhic victory that he can't bear to give up or look at.

I was struck by how gently Yuri treated his mother. In season one, there is love there, but also betrayal in both parts. She blames her son for protecting her, and he blames her for not protecting him or herself. He regards her with coldness and resentment.

In this season, he seemed to have lost his fight. He brushes her hair, he doesn't argue, he agrees with whatever she says, he's attentive. In a lot of ways, he's forgiven her in a way she will never forgive him. But he hasn't forgotten. But he's gentle.

His relationship with his father is different. It's tainted. There's guilt. Grief. Sadness. Relief. Resentment. Love. It's a lot. I'm sure my heartbroken Yuri stans can articulate this better than I can.

Cat, she's the only one with an abusive parent who is alive, but she has shown tremendous strength. For the most part, she talks to a brick wall. Her mom doesn't take no for an answer. She pushed her daughter into a job that is made for adults but continuously treats her like an infant. She is a weird amalgamation of a helicopter parent and a negligent one... she's a beauty pageant mom. except with more guns and life-threatening situations.

Cat exerts her autonomy, she branches away from her mother and rebels against the very ideals that she had tried to instill in her. at the end of the day, your child is not a mini you, don't treat them like they are. And Cat's arc wasn't about admitting her mom was wrong for treating her that way, it was about telling her, putting her foot down, and standing up for herself. No take-backs, no backpedaling. Which is sometimes the hardest thing you can do, especially as a kid.

(still, her mom had every right to insist that she come along with her child to a CAMP filled with random people. She's still 13.)

Tiger found out about Mr. Legend. TIGER FOUND OUT ABOUT MR. LEGEND. And got a bit pissy about the fact that Yuri insinuated that he was anything like his father, and honestly, I think that was a really in-character response from both of them. Kotetsu wasn't tactful, and Yuri was accusatory. I really liked that conversation because it wasn't perfect, in a lot of ways they didn't say the "right" thing. And that made it all the more well-written.

THEY WENT ROGUE. BROOOOOOOOOO. AGHHHHH. TOGETHERRRRR. I'm not crying.

Barnaby is. That goes in positives. I just wish they animated Barnaby's tears because we've established that Kotetsu can really discern Barnaby's emotions with his eyes. It isn't a season end without a few blubbery tears and a bridal carry.

WHEW. I'm done. Holy shit. I feel like I haven't scratched the surface of what I think but I guess that's what ao3 is for.

There are a lot of loose ends, and I don't know if they will be tied. Crossing my fingers for a season 3 or a movie because I think they really have introduced a lot of cool concepts that I would like to see explored.

At the end of the day, I've just got a genuine love for all these characters, and I've loved this show since I was 13. Now I'm older, and a little nostalgia addled. And maybe that makes me see things through some rose-tinted cat frame glasses. But I gotta ask you guys;

Are you happy?

#Yuri enjoyers: fuck no #tiger and bunny #barnaby brooks jr #t&b #kotetsu t. kaburagi #tiger and bunny 2 #Tiger and bunny 2 spoilers #t&b2 #lunatic #yuri petrov #nathan seymour #wild tiger #keith goodman #taibani #meta is just another word for daddy issues

[unlimitedhorsepower]

i dont know if they ever intend to tell us anything about ryans backstory because its not necessarily important to his character and it could be enough for us to know that he used to disobey his parents to go see his girlfriend of the time instead, and that he alludes to karinas parents being nice in a way that makes me think his own parents arent like that

but because hes an amalgamation of kotetsus and barnabys traits in a lot of ways, ive built my own ideal reality. also, this was supposed to be a really short post but its actually unnecessarily long and rambling and actually has little to do with his backstory in the end, and tumblr will cut it off thankfully.

its my blog and i post whatever i want, including my stream of consciousness thoughts. here. have this ryan figurine i think about on a regular basis

in my mind he would be from a well-off enough family and he wouldve started his career as a child and the hero work wasnt his topmost wish always. nowadays hes obviously rich, but i often think about KOW the rising saying that he likes to study tax plans and is good at buying in bulk...

anyhow, i think it would be fitting if his parents were kinda lacking in the parenting department. why did he become the wandering gravity prince? did he not want to stay with them, he never really talks about them even when its topical, they dont seem important to him. hes looking for a place to not get backstabbed and his first instinct is go to sternbild after a devastating injury and not like, show up at home for a bit at least?

kotetsus mom is still around and we know shes nice and doing the most really, and kotetsu has a brother who supports him too. kotetsu also is a very normal person without particular talents. in contrast, as we know, barnaby lost his parents who were busy but cared about him, and he was then raised by maverick who only wanted to use him and never cared about him.

barnaby is also a virtuoso in so many things, what is he not good at? he can have himself a perfect celebrity persona and do so many things so well. he was smart even as a kid. kotetsu, on the other hand, has no particular talents, however, he scored himself an eventual wife and a best friend for life (antonio!) when he was still in high school.

sure, he does dumb stuff all the time, but hes a decent guy who can make people laugh. hes well-liked enough, and he has a penchant for making genuine human connection even (and because of) his meddlesome nature. barnaby has difficulties making friends, in contrast. and if were absolutely honest, ryan is much more like kotetsu in the sense that underneath all of his ego that gets in the way of everything, hes actually a relatively normal guy with no particular talents beyond being extremely loud and proud about himself. without his ego he pretty much has nothing.

every day he wakes up and pretends to have both the positive traits of barnaby and kotetsu, when actually he kind of has both of their negative traits. his motto, too, is about believing in himself. as long as he believes hes perfect, then he can convince others of it too.

so hes a little bit like barnaby, who has a very likable and nice public image to supplement his shortcomings as a person who has difficulties connecting with people... but he goes beyond and above and makes no distinction between who he really is and what his “public image” is. his ego is Him, because its all he really has, and it gets in the way of genuine human connections.

again, in his schedule he is noted that he “had a pleasant time” at an event with a lot of celebrities, but theyre just his acquantaices. he keeps giving his number out to women, takes a woman home from a date and getting texted that the vibe was off, and he just goes okey-dokey and continues unbothered and arranges an another date

but then his buddy hero partner karina is about to DITCH him for kotetsu just like barnaby did (not that he cares. it was his master plan btw) and hes ready to flee the city immediately and cries.

does that really seem like a man who has a lot of genuine friends, like kotetsu has for example?

no... ryan has a lot of surface-level acquantaices and so on. hes well-liked enough, but the image he projects is absolutely insufferable and doesnt seem genuine (despite it being genuine, because he really just is like that), which also has made people consider him a rival to a degree it seems they arranged for gregory to cause ryan to lose control of his power.

in the scene where he loses control, hes wearing civilian clothes. was he invited to a hangout with the heroes at the monument he was crushed under? it certainly wasnt during his work, but his co-workers are in their hero costumes. it  would also explain ryans preoccupation with being betrayed, which implies to me a more active role than just leaving him to be crushed to death under rubble.

even barnaby, in the rising, suspects ryan of being involved with the villain plot, which ryan catches on and brings up himself and acts unbothered about- he doesnt mind, he gets it a lot, it seems. he would know this, too, because hes good at reading people.

anyhow, attention is what he wants, and attention is what he gets... he doesnt even mind if the attention is a bit negative.

like kotetsu, hes kind of meddlesome with other people, but hes also the type to claim all credit (even for things he didnt do), like when at the end of rising the announces its his idea that barnaby and kotetsu should work together.

anyway, i think this all would perfectly fit in my fantasy of ryans parents not being really explicitly awful but maybe they just didnt care enough so ryan never received an adequate amount of attention and parental guidance, and ended up like this.

barnaby is an only child, and kotetsu has a brother who he is on good terms with...

ryan could be an only child (as he never mentions anything related to a sibling as far as i know, but some information is so hard to get. i wish i could read japanese), but i think it would be interesting if he had a sibling, and for no particular reasons, the sibling was always just a little bit better than ryan. 

maybe they were smarter and had more realistic dreams (ryans wish is being the only number one. thats not even a wish. why did he even become a hero? i would say it was for attention. a guy with no life plans, really), or something, but it doesnt matter. losing in his parents eyes to something boring and cringe like a well-paying office job or a doctor or something. but thats something just for additional comedic purposes for me personally bc i think itd fit for him to be an only child

i also like to entertain the idea his parents wouldve pushed him into the entertainment field and i do love the idea that he was involved in a lot of things (like modeling etc) before ending up becoming a hero, which wouldve been one of his first choices he made for himself

hes not a bad person by all means, but to me at least before rising he more cared about the fame and attention part and people thinking hes an awesome person. theyll appreciate him then.

but then he learned about the power of friendship and now he can better focus on being a good person in the way he knows how to be (extremely meddlesome and getting into your personal business but nonetheless hes doing his best)

he definitely was like that as a kid too, you know how some kids are just so nosy? i also like to think he was the type of kid who just makes up outrageous lies and cant even tell why, which he stopped doing as an older teen and moved into exaggerating his life instead

i think hes always been really outgoing and the class clown-type who causes problems at school but like most kids who act like that, he was trying to get attention because he was going through something

and lets face it, hes kind of weird with how over-the-top he is. his apartment has black marble and leather and gold and he has frescoes of himself on his walls... this sort of eccentricity doesnt just happen overnight, im sure hes always been a little bit like that

but its harder to get bullied when you just tell everyone youre awesome with utmost confidence. kids dont really know how to react to something like that, its pretty easy to convince people youre cool as long as you can just act the part (source: me). you can get all of your weird traits excused if you own them and act like its the most natural thing (even if it wont stop people talking behind your back) anyway i think that deep down he knows that hes nothing special and has known since he was a kid but this lifestyle of his isnt something he can back down from. hes perfect because he says so and if he admitted otherwise it would be equivalent to getting executed.

he made his bed now he has to lie in it. but hey its a nice bed with silk sheets and damn he looks good

#i wrote this a few days ago here have it #ryan goldsmith #tiger and bunny

[cloverbeaverfriend]

Tiger & Bunny Season 2 First Cour Analysis Part 1: Ryan and Karina

Okay guys, I finally finished the first half of Tiger & Bunny 2 and let me tell you. It was great. Better than I expected, and even more enjoyable than season 1, which I know may be a hot take.

I didn't want this to be a serious analysis, more so just my thoughts, but I ended up talking too much about everything and going off on a bunch of tangents so I guess it ended up like that and now I'm separating it into parts. These are really more just reactionary things though so sorry that it's all over the place. Feel free to hmu and discuss! :)

The thing that I really liked this season was the character development. Season 1 was understandably focused on building up the relationship between Kotetsu and Barnaby (homo buddy-cop storyline ftw) but it still did alright in giving the other heroes a little bit of the spotlight. I haven't read the supplemental material in depth (manga/guidebooks/etc.) but I hear the relationships between the other heroes as well as their friendships with the main duo were explored a lot more there. Anyways season 2 blew season 1 out of the park there imo.

With Ryan, I think we were all pleasantly surprised at how he was handled this season. For me personally, I had nothing against his character in the Rising movie. From the get-go he seemed to be more of an obstacle rather than a fully fleshed-out character, there just to be part of the circumstances tearing Kotetsu and Barnaby apart. He was more focused on gaining points than hero work, but that was because he was placed to be a direct foil to Barnaby's character growth so I wasn't really upset with Ryan, but I thought he was just gonna be a one-off side character, and I shouldn't expect anything too interesting from him. It’s clear that I'm not the only one who thought so, nor the only one who enjoyed how episode 3 gave us so much more. Just the fact that he had character motivations and insecurities was great, and they were very understandable and relatable ones as well. They were also slightly surprising to see because of his stereotypical "ladies' man" persona. It was a nice subversion, and Ryan’s character moments just got better for the rest of the series.

Ryan and Karina as a duo was some of the most anti-sexist writing in anime that I've ever seen. Many people have already talked about how the sexualization of Blue Rose as a celebrity acts as commentary for how sex sells, specifically when the one selling is a young woman who fits the common beauty standard. Only her hero persona is sexualized—the part that society sees, while Karina the person is never sexualized, because she's only seen by her friends and family, who don't view her as a sexual figure. I've appreciated this from the show before but I was really stoked at how the feminist commentary got even more blatant in season 2. First of all, Karina herself is holding her own as a character. When Ryan acts or says cringey stuff and hams it up, she confronts him and calls him out immediately, which is important because it shows that within the universe of Tiger & Bunny, Ryan is a cringey person hahahaha. But seriously, too many times when characters act insane, you end up side-eyeing and wondering whether the author is really criticizing their behavior, or enabling it. Having another character call out Ryan (and even better, having Karina do it herself) makes it clear the behavior is wack hahaha. It's just really great that Karina can speak for herself. If this were a different show, Kotetsu would probably step in and always defend Karina (yuck). Really happy that that wasn't the case.

Also can't talk about anti-sexism without mentioning the scene in Ryan's car though, which was delightfully straightforward. The show already subtly enforced how Ryan and Karina are equals—I was already pleased that Ryan's comments remained cringey and never broached into obscene come-ons, and doubly pleased that the writers didn't force Karina into romantically-tinged blushing scenes. But to have Ryan outright state that he would try harder to treat and think of Karina as an equal, and that her gender shouldn't have affected the way he sees her as a fellow hero, that was really moving for me tbh. Even today it's still rare to hear anti-sexism said so clearly in an anime. I also like how Karina is not a perfect person either and doesn't fall into the trap of being the infallible female character. She still has her celebrity crush/schoolgirl crush on Kotetsu, and it's appropriately toned down to show that she's matured, but it is still very much there. Also, Karina is quick to lose her temper and can be rude and stubborn, as well as judgemental sometimes. When she found out about Ryan's insecurities, that made her want to try to be better so she could prove that he could trust her. If that doesn't add more proof to how the two of them are true equals, I don't know what does.

#tiger & bunny #tiger & bunny 2 #tiger and bunny #tiger and bunny 2 #t&b #t&b2 #golden ryan #ryan goldsmith #karina lyle #blue rose #tiger & bunny 2 analysis

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

i don't know what order to start Dissecting, so i'll just start with:

it's absolutely fascinating how the dynamic Wally & Barnaby had - to my knowledge - before the update, and a dynamic i'd seen speculated elsewhere and generally accepted, has been completed turned on its head

see, given that Wally is the "main character" and Barnaby is classified as "his best friend", i got the feeling that Barnaby kind of... tags along on Wally's 'shenanigans'. that he's the sidekick, the best friend. especially since their dynamic has been previously & briefly described as "Barnaby is very polite to Wally." he's the Companion.

but the audios sorta paint a reverse picture. in the Interview, when Barnaby enters stage right, he completely bowls over Wally's introduction and dominates the interview. when the interviewer asks how the two of them are handling the fame, even outright asking Wally, Barnaby doesn't hesitate to answer the question himself, and only about himself. Wally doesn't get another word in edge-wise until the interviewer explicitly singles Wally out.

(now, an argument could be made that Barnaby knew that Wally was somewhat overwhelmed with all of the questions, and tried to take the reins to give him a reprieve. but, considering that the interview seems to be very early on the possible timeline - like, very soon after Welcome Home debuted - i don't think this is likely. i doubt Barnaby and Wally would've had the time to solidify their dynamic or really get to know each other that well yet)

and Barnaby continues to take point in pretty much all of their other conversations, too. like in the mystery Howdy/Barnaby/Wally audio, their interaction gives off the vibes that Wally is Barnaby's sidekick, his tag-along.

(on a related tangent, it's fascinating how the website described the episodes as "[beginning] with Wally introducing the focus or theme for the day before coming across other characters who would join him on his escapades until the end of the day." but from pretty much everything we've seen so far, it seems like He's the one who's just along for the ride, bouncing from neighbor shenanigan to neighbor shenanigan instead of having his own adventures.

of course, if the 14 audios are present time, which is honestly somewhat likely, this could be because the show isn't running. they aren't doing episodes - they're just existing, doing their things. no need for Wally to take point in any way shape or form. tangent over)

in the 14 audios with Barnaby, he doesn't even acknowledge Wally until the very end - which, of course, could be because that's how the scenes are set up. except that in some of them, the characters do directly acknowledge Wally's presence outside of the endings. Eddie in 5-14, Howdy and Poppy in 1-14, and Frank in 4-14 (technically, since he was infodumping to Wally at the very start before Barnaby interrupted). you'd think that a guy would try to include his best friend a little more!

maybe i'm reading into it too much. & given what we know about Wally as a character, it would make sense for Barnaby to be the go-getter Main Guy of the two. but it really seems like its Barnaby & Wally instead of Wally & Barnaby. he's just kinda... there. going along with whatever Barnaby is up to.

but also, on the other side of things - & it's occurring to me as i type this, it's interesting how in a lot of audios, Barnaby seems to seek Wally out. in "Just So", he shows up to fetch Wally. in 4-14, Barnaby interrupts Frank and Wally's gardening session, almost as if he's stopping by to check on his little buddy. in 7-14, Barnaby calls Julie's house (presumably) searching for Wally, or at least checking in once again. something to consider in all of this!

#and if the 14 audios are in the same day along a timeline - which they Are. im trying to puzzle it out rn but anyway - #its interesting how barnaby just kept. checkin. in. #they had three audios where they were already hanging out and then got two (technically three) more where barnaby checked in! #it feels like there's something there... #separation anxiety? a compulsion? love for his buddy? a secret fourth thing? #maybe he could tell something was Off with wally that day... #(which is a topic i will ramble about in a different post) #its a push & pull to be certain.... #but yeah that plus all the evidence of Barnaby kinda being the Lead and wally being brushed off to the side.... #what a complicated fuckin picture it paints!!! dont know what it means yet! #i have another post im working on centering on how the neighbors seem to treat each other - wally & eddie especially #but this post aint about that. itll be related though #homebogging #wh speculation #please let this have made sense! #when i make posts i just kinda throw myself at it bc i have No organizational skills! #my brain is a complete incoherent mess and i am so sorry if this post is messy <3

[tigerexe]

long post on my thots on t&b 2 cour 2

BIG SPOILERS AHEAD

and again

BIG SPOILERS AHEAD

Well. i didn’t like cour 2 very much

i’m pretty disappointed really... a lot of it felt messy and yuri’s unfulfilling character arch and apparent death physically twists my stomach. gonna try and put this into a coherent order and giving each section a snazzy title. this is gonna be a mostly negative review of my thoughts so if you really liked cour 2 and would like to stay positive feel free to skip this read. that’s totally cool. chase your bliss. train and fight!

part 1: how to develop 15+ characters in 13 episodes

the problems that come with having such a large cast  is really starting to show in cour 2... my bias towards certain members of the supporting cast might be clouding my judgement but i feel like the writers didn’t know what do do with most of the ensamble cast during a lot of the episodes. i felt it especially during the portion the heroes are suspended and trying to investigate Gregory, theyre mostly just all standing in the same room, reacting to the same things over and over again as they wait for the main characters to forward the plot.

the small, personal moments between characters other than kotetsu and barnaby were few and far between. i did like each buddy duo being given at least the tiniest bit of mini-archs (antonio’s gift, pao-lin and lara dealing with lere’s mom etc) but my poor sweet firesky barely got anything. i had gotten the idea based on promotional materials keith and nathan were going to have a slightly larger role than during the first half (my fault, i know. shouldve kept my expectations lower) but even if that didn’t happen i still feel like they were given the short stick... do keep in mind i’m speaking as a guy who had convinced herself canon firesky romance was actually possible and spent the entire cour waiting for something. ANYTHING. to happen between them. even during the final episode i was sitting there, only half jokingly thinking “we popping the biggest bottles when canon firesky happens in the last 5 minutes of the last episode with no buildup”.

*spongebob Hawaiian Coctail plays me out*

it bothered me so much how during each buddy duos fight with L.L Audun they all apparently showed heroicsm by protecting and caring about eachother, enough to leave an impression on Audun, but the audience barely got to see any of that!! i think some of this could have been fixed with better phasing and a better focus.

part 2: everything happens, nothing resolves

man, what was up with all the unresolved and eventually dropped plot threads. i can’t think of a single setup that had a statisfying conclusion to me. L.L Audun came closest, as he was a really fun character but the way he was utilized fell so flat. his potential history with Mr. Legend couldve been touched upon, how he sees himself as a hero despite his action etc etc etc but instead he was just Gregory’s pawn for 10 minutes until he goes berserk and becomes a generic out-of-control final boss.

Little Aurora, who got such massive foreshadowing during the first cour turned out to be a mcguffin woman who will cause vague NEXT hate if she dies. she didn’t even have time to do anything before they caught Gregory and fixed the X issue :/ sigh.

i can’t even list all the potential directions i thought the plot would go based on previous foreshadowing and setup.

part 3: poor sweet darling Yuri

Yuri gets his own section because good lord, why would they do that. Yuri’s entire arch in this cour felt so needlessly, awfully cruel all the way to his apparent unaliving of himself (i say apparent because i’m in denial). the way his relationship with his mother, that was previously strained, was presented very happy and sweet until she gets killed. nothing wrong with Yuri achieving a better relationship with his mother ofc, but it was so transparently done here in order to further increase the manpain he suffers after she’s gone.

mr. legend was also handled very strangely. i thought his force ghost appeared much too frequently, like we get it. youre a manifestation of Yuri’s guilt or whatever, get a job. but jokes aside his last scene with yuri was so weird. him admitting his wrongdoings to Yuri felt like a weird attempt to redeem him? even if i read it as Yuri attempting to cope in the moment, as the only family Yuri has left is the hallucination of his abusive father who even still leaves him all alone to sob in a puddle of his own mothers blood. get what i’m saying? about a lot of this being so needlessly cruel? and oh ho ho we haven’t even gotten to his death scene yet.

i still feel a clump in my stomach and my chest thighten when i think about Yuri’s death scene. it truly makes me feel physically ill. i know that’s probably silly of me, to get physical anxiety symptoms about a corpse looking anime man but jeez. that shit hurted. just the fact that Yuri has to go through all that torment, all that pain, just to off himself after sacraficing himself for the main characters after Kotetsu told him his dad became abusive because he didn’t have a bestie unlike me :) (oughhh i get what that exchange was going for but it pisses me off. why would Kotetsu be more shocked at Mr Legend fixing fights than him being a domestic abuser. Kotetsu. a father and certified wife lover.)

The way they made Yuri so completely alone and isolated as he died once again feels so cruel. the fact that he had to die because he was “irredeemable” for killing awful people (for the most part i’m not gonna argue Edward needed to die), while that being an age old story in media, just feels so hollow.

part 4: positives????

i do feel i need to rewatch the whole thing again before i can truly, truly digest it but the first viewing did not leave a strong impression. i do think the parts i actually liked will hopefully stand out more on rewatch.

like i said, the little moments between buddy duos we got were great. Subaru especially definetly came out on top this cour. he’s definetly one of my favourites after this.

I also want to mention again how much i enjoyed L.L Audun. he was just Reinhardt Overwatch with some doomfist overwatch and allmight mixed in there. i love how huge he was ... (biting my tounge not to go on a tangent about his unused potential again)

i honestly don’t care too much about Kotetsu and Barnaby, mostly because i’m so fixated on most of the supporting cast but i’ll say a lot of their moments were quite good. i don’t enjoy them as a couple or see them as such but the way barnaby really cares for his emotional support old man is touching. the moment Barnaby’s suit breaks and Kotetsu tosses him his own was hype. 

lastly i loved the firesky conversation where Nathan offers to hire Keith as her secretary mostly because the mental image of sexy secretary keith keeps me going in there dark times

^cute keith pic to lighten the mood

#tiger and bunny 2 spoilers #tnb2 spoilers #t&b2 spoilers #tiger and bunny spoilers

[mad-madam-m]

T&B2 Thoughts: Episode 4 – Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

Ramblings below about episode 4!

- Kotetsu is so irritated about Fire Emblem and Sky High being billed as the top hero duo in Stern Bild, and not surprisingly. He and Barnaby have been a duo the longest; they're the ones who already have this stuff locked down while everybody else is still trying to figure out how they best work together. As selfless as Kotetsu is and as much as he believes points and such don’t matter as long as they’re helping people (and he does believe that!), he does get a little miffed when his contributions or experience are ignored or dismissed. 

- Also, Kotetsu genuinely loves helping people! He likes to be a dad to the younger heroes! He says it himself in the second episode: he is a bossy old man. It can cross the line into meddling if he's not careful—Barnaby is much better about helping him find that line, now—but it's understandable that he's bummed about everybody going to Fire Emblem and Sky High for help instead of him. I love Barnaby gently teasing him about it, too.

- Plus, let's be honest: Barnaby and Kotetsu have always worked well together, even as early as the third episode, when they neither trusted nor liked each other. They had a lot of interpersonal shit to sort and had to do that on an expert mode speed run, but in terms of their jobs? They've always understood each other on an instinctive level; it’s one of the things that makes them such effective partners. The other heroes, even as friendly as they are with each other now, don’t really have that. So it's not surprising that Fire Emblem and Sky High are the ones advising the other duos; they're also having to put in the work to understand each other.

-  I had to pause and laugh for a solid five minutes the first time I watched this episode because of course. Of course Keith got another dog and named him Johnjohn. Why did I ever think, even for one moment, that he would choose another name?

- I think this may be the first time we ever see Fire Emblem coming to anybody for advice, which is such a switch, because he always seems to be the one who has the advice or who knows everything. It's interesting that this is what Nathan's struggling with: being partnered with someone who is, from his perspective, perfect, and Nathan is very aware that he is not. And it wears on him that he doesn’t get to see any of Keith’s vulnerabilities.

- Then, of course, the worst possible thing happens when you're venting about another person and asking friends for advice: the person you're venting about overhears everything. Poor Nathan. Poor Keith.

- I love, love, love that the girls are still hanging out and getting dinner together on a regular basis. I enjoyed the new buddy pairings a lot more than I thought I would at first glance, but I love that we're still seeing the same friendships we've seen in earlier episodes/the movies. And this time, Karina and Pao-lin are the ones giving Nathan advice!

- "I bet you guys never keep things bottled up until the next day." Nathan. My dude. My gal. My friend. Sweetheart. Honey pie. Barnaby and Kotetsu have empirical evidence that hiding things from each other is a Very Bad Thing. They’ve each hidden a lot from each other, and it came back to bite them in the ass virtually every time. So no, they don’t really keep things bottled up anymore, and thank heaven for that. 

- One of the things I'd kind of wanted from the first season was a little more about the discrimination that the NEXT face, and I'm glad we're getting to see that in this season. Even though the heroes are popular, they're still NEXT and their popularity doesn't necessarily protect them from assholes. (Did I mention I’m an X-men fan from back in the day? Because I’m an X-men fan from back in the day.)

- I love how this show has, like, truly emotional and important conversations happening while, for example, Fire Emblem is literally riding Sky High through the air bathed in the glowing light of the sunset (and, you know, that he got in that position in the first place because Barnaby and Kotetsu used Good Luck Mode to literally launch him into the air). It absolutely cracks me up to have such a genuinely sweet, vulnerable conversation happening in a situation that is designed for us to read it A Certain Way. THEY KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING. (And it also cracks me up that Keith starts listing his flaws and the first one is “I don’t like celery.” Honey I’m not sure that counts as a flaw.)

- It also gives me feelings that Sky High asked specifically for Barnaby and Kotetsu to be at the event because he didn't want the event to be a lie. For him, Tiger and Barnaby are, still, Stern Bild's top hero duo. Even if he and Fire Emblem may get there, they aren't there yet.

- And thus begins the "five times Barnaby and Kotetsu try to have a date" subplot. It’s so sweet to me how Barnaby is the one to ask, after Kotetsu reminds him earlier “hey, I’ve asked you for drinks and you’ve always said no.” And Kotetsu is so excited to get drinks with Barnaby until he remembers that he already had plans.

- Barnaby's "dinner with a friend" turning out to be his plants; oh my God honey you desperately need a friend who is not Kotetsu.

- I really appreciate that each of the hero duos get an episode that focuses on them and gives them a chance to shine, while Barnaby and Kotetsu are a connecting thread between all of them. We know why Barnaby and Kotetsu were paired up, and now we’re getting to see why the others were, and how they’re learning to work together. I love these first 7 episodes so much.

#Tiger & Bunny #Tiger and Bunny #Kotetsu Kaburagi #Barnaby Brooks Jr. #Kotetsu x Barnaby #TaiBani #Tiger & Bunny 2 #TB2 spoilers #M rambles #M watches TNB #M writes meta

[thingswhatareawesome]

oh, my dreams (never quite as it seems)

title: oh, my dreams (never quite as it seems) fandom: Tiger and Bunny pairing: Barnaby/Kotetsu (taibani) word count: 2150 summary: Kotetsu’s been having these dreams for most of his life. But they don’t mean anything, right? They’re just some strange coincidence, right? There’s no such thing as soulmates, right?

For the For the March Flash Fiction day two prompt: “Looking for me?”

I know I felt like this before But now I'm feeling it even more Because it came from you

The first time it happened, Kotetsu was young. He and Tomoe had just gotten engaged and were discussing moving to Stern Bild City so he could try to catch the attention of a sponsor and get hired as a hero. Normally not very prone to dreaming, especially with as exhausted as they were after days packed with wedding planning and packing for the move, plus his training and trying to find work, one night he slipped into a strangely clear and coherent dream.

He was being stared down by a scowling blond man who looked just a bit older than him, with a stern face and cold green eyes behind his glasses, wearing a strange mecha-looking suit. The man eventually sighed and gave a frustrated huff. “I thought you were looking for me.”

“Buddy, I have no idea who you even are,” Kotetsu sassed, then abruptly woke up. Blinking up at the ceiling, he thought, what the hell?

Kotetsu forgot the dream soon after, and would have forever if not for it happening again. Life was amazing, everything was going just great! Except Kotetsu was so busy his head spun and it felt like he couldn’t manage to remember everything with all that was going on. He was a hero! And it was everything he hoped for! Mostly! When his sponsors weren’t yelling at him about damages and Ben wasn’t aggravated because he kept doing what he wanted and not what the higher ups at Hero TV wanted! And Tomoe was pregnant! He was going to be a dad to a little girl!  

Then one night he dreamt of that frowning man again, who looked at him and asked, “You said you were looking for me?”

Kotetsu stared and stammered, “I, shit, did I forget something? Did I have an appointment with you? Was it an interview? Did Tomoe need me to get something from you for the nursery?” He flailed and patted at his pockets. “To do list, to do list, oh man, did I lose it?”

The blond man rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his long, swoopy-curled hair with a sigh that suddenly sounded familiar. “Never mind.”

And then Kotetsu woke up, Tomoe laying on his now numb and asleep right arm, and he murmured, “Huh. Stress is really getting to me.”

*

The next time the dream happened, Tomoe was gone. His daughter was in a different city, living with his mother. And Kotetsu was alone. Alone in his apartment, alone in his bed, alone in a sprawling, bustling city where no one really gave a crap about him.

Kotetsu thought he was asleep, but his eyes were open and he was staring up at the shadowed ceiling, and that guy was there in his room, just standing there looking at him. Except this time he was in normal clothes, pants and boots and a red leather jacket. He was frowning like the other times, but different somehow, like he wasn’t so much angry as just…serious, somber, somehow. Concerned, maybe? A little bit.

“Were you…looking for me?” the man asked quietly.

“No.” Kotetsu paused, blinked slowly as he thought for a long moment. “I don’t think I’m looking for anyone or anything anymore.” The only person he wanted to look for was far, far beyond his reach. “But. I. I dunno, I guess…I could use a bit of company for a little bit? If that’s okay.”

The blond man nodded, and Kotetsu felt his eyes flutter, then close, suddenly so very heavy. The last thing he felt before sinking into sleep was the sensation of someone brushing his hair back from his forehead and running a finger every so gently beneath his damp eyes.

*

Five years later, Kotetsu met Barnaby Brooks Jr.

Back at home after that bizzarre day, remembering those three old dreams and thinking about getting caught like a damsel in distress earlier as he fell, being called old man, *and* being shown up on live TV by the aggravating new guy (that somehow he knew??), he rubbed at his face with his hands roughly.

“What,” Kotetsu said to the empty room, “the fuck?”

*

Not long after that, his mother told a tale during one of their phone calls of people who sometimes dreamed of soulmates. Usually, she lectured, the dreams would happen over and over, only ceasing when an emotional connection was formed—like a close friendship or even a romantic relationship. Those whose hearts formed a special bond of love would even begin to see a red string connecting each other.

Kotetsu had snorted and waved a hand to make her stop. Nah, no way, no how was he believing in that sort of cheesy crap. And anyway, he’d already found his soulmate, and lost her, and no young upstart was ever going to be anything like Tomoe had been for him.

*

Well. Okay. Maybe Bunny would end up a friend after all. A good friend. A bona fide partner even. And Kotetsu would do anything for him.

But soulmate? Bunny would surely never let him *that* close. And certainly it would never be romantic love. Tomoe had been it for him. Kotetsu reminded himself of that, swore it to himself, more and more often, each restless night when it was just him in the quiet and dark, or during the day when he caught sight of Bunny and felt a strange pang in his chest, sharp behind his sternum. Tomoe had been *it*, he thought again, feeling the solidness of his wedding ring digging into his finger as he clenched his fist.

And anyway, the dreams had stopped, Kotetsu thought to himself. It’d been years. So whatever connection had already happened, right?

Plus soulmates weren’t real so the dreams stopping was just a random thing that didn’t mean anything anyway. Right?

*

Then the dream happened again. After…after he’d hurt Bunny, by not telling him about losing his powers or wanting to retire, by not trusting him. By *slapping* him. When Kotetsu fell asleep while waiting for Samantha Taylor to return to her home, he saw Bunny walking away from him into an endless expanse of darkness. “Bunny,” he shouted, running to chase after him, reaching and reaching for him, hand outstretched to try to grab him, but he could never manage to get close enough. “Bunny! I’m sorry! I’m looking for you, please, I’m looking for you! Where are you?”

He woke on an unfamiliar couch, mumbling “Where are you?” out loud as he slipped from dream to reality. But then everything blew up in his face, almost literally, and Kotetsu was too busy running for his life and trying to figure out what bizzarro world he was in where no one remembered him to wonder or worry why the dream had returned.

Or why it had changed.

*

Everything was fine. Everything was good. Great, even! Kotetsu retired and moved back home, where ha could be around his daughter and his family, and could be there for Kaede as she learned more and more about her new NEXT powers. He could be there to help his brother at his store when needed, and could help his mother with her garden and with fixing up the house. He was useful!

He was…just sitting around the house, to be honest. A lot. He was so uncool and boring, according to Kaede. He was…

He was missing Bunny. And he was having the dreams again.

A lot.

The dreams were always the same now. Similar to the one he’d had that night at Samantha Taylor’s home, Bunny would be walking away from Kotetsu, never stopping or turning back. Kotetsu would reach out for him but never catch him—though he didn’t shout at Bunny with the same deperation as he had in that earlier dream. Now, he just called out for Bunny, saying “I’m looking for you!” like he was calling to Kaede when she got too far ahead in a crowd and he couldn’t see her. Or sometimes in a tone of voice like Kotetsu had spotted an old school friend across the street, friendly and delighted. Or sometimes yelling to Bunny while sounding oddly lonely and wistful.

And sometimes he’d call out for Bunny flirtatiously, with a lilt to his voice like he used to do when he was being playful and silly with Tomoe.

Huh. Interesting.

Those times, when he woke from the dream, Kotetsu would think Oh. Is that how it is now? Is it? Maybe?

But not like he would ever try to find Bunny and see if the new dreams meant anything. Bunny was getting to live his own life now, finally. And he deserved that—and Kotetsu would do anything to make sure it stayed that way. He could put up with a few dreams if it meant that somewhere out there, Bunny was truly enjoying his life and was happy.

Though the sitting around the house thing, the being an uncool dad thing, the kind of sort of maybe missing being a hero thing? Those, he could do something about. There surely was a way Kotetsu could try again. Make the best of his situation. Kotetsu had Ideas!

*

Being a Second League hero wasn’t so bad. Sure, sometimes he messed up or looked foolish, sometimes the network or fans made fun of him, but that wasn’t all that different than First League had been. And Kotetsu was there on his own terms, making the best of it, and he wasn’t ever going to give up. Not anymore. Wild Tiger was never going to be a quitter, ever again.

Not even when he got caught like a princess needing rescuing yet *again*. Not even when he was going to get written up for damages to some dumb car (and this time it wasn’t even his fault!)

Because Bunny was back, and the way he’d said, “Because I’m your partner” had left Kotetsu feeling like he could soar through the air like Sky High—even as he and Bunny decended into bickering.

Because Bunny was *back*. Bunny was back *for him*.

*

It was like a breath of fresh air to spend time with Bunny again, like something loosened and relaxed in Kotatsu that he hadn’t realized had been tense. Staring out at the night sky and the patchwork quilt of city lights below while on the balcony of Bunny’s new penthouse apartment, Kotetsu marvelled at how light he felt, how hopeful and free. They’d reuinited, and he felt like he was at the start of some big adventure, excitement making him eager to venture forth.

From inside, he heard Bunny calling his name. “I’m out here,” Kotetsu hollered back over his shoulder in response.

Bunny pushed aside the curtains, slipping out through the sliding door. “There you are. I was looking for you.”

Something suddenly made Kotetsu pause and blink, twisting sharply to look at Bunny. Something about the soft curve of Bunny’s smile, the glint of the starlight reflected in his eyes, even through his glasses. The moment felt like something out of a dream. His heart skipped a beat.

“Were you? Looking for me?” he murmured. The moment felt almost fragile, like he was cradling something crystalline in his hands.

Bunny’s eyes widened and he stared at Kotetsu almost as if seeing him for the first time. A long silence fell, and Kotetsu realized he was holding his breath. Then, tentatively, Bunny responded, “yes. Always. I—,” he looked away, biting his lip, then his gaze snapped sharply back to Kotetsu’s as if pulled by a magnet. “Kotetsu,” he said firmly, and a shivering spark shot up Kotetsu’s spine at the use of his actual name, “were you looking for me, too?”

“Oh, Bunny,” Kotetsu reached out carefully to grasp Bunny’s arm, then trailed his fingers down until he could clasp his hand, interlacing their fingers, his skin tingling when the younger man allowed it. The physical touch, the feeling of smooth, warm skin and a firm grip, made everything seem to solidify and suddenly feel real again. For a brief second, he thought he caught a glimpse of something shimmering red and threadlike in the dim light, trailing from his hand and leading to Bunny’s. “I’ve been looking for you for so, so long, you don’t even know.”

Then Bunny smiled, wider and brighter than Kotetsu had ever seen before, his eyes crinkling, and Kotetsu felt the same firework burst of joy in his heart that was there on Bunny’s face, like every dream either of them had ever had, in an instant all at once came true. Then I open up and see The person falling here is me A different way to be

#tiger and bunny #taibani #fanfiction #March Flash Fiction #fluff with a hint of angst #of dreams soulmates the red string of fate and falling in love

[starlessskies94]

Consequence (Joel Miller x OC)

Summary: What if Joel survived his injuries from the Abby and Fireflies attack but ends up with really bad amnesia. He can’t remember his wife, Ellie, or the Outbreak; only before. How will his family bring back the man they once knew?

Pairing: Joel Miller x OC

Note: Okay this is a big one, I wrote this over the course of like 3 days I think? Anyway I hope you like it because it's probably the longest chapter I've ever written for one of my stories <3

Chapter One

It was just five in the morning when Adaline Miller woke up. Her head still a little groggy from a decent night’s sleep and her fading dreams. She turned to see Joel still asleep beside her; his gentle snores muffled into his pillow. She smiled and leaned over kissing his bare shoulder before rolling out of bed to get ready for her day.

Stepping downstairs towards the kitchen, Ada realised just how cold it was when she noticed how frosted over the windows had become overnight. Ada hated winter. It was her least favourite season. After everything that had happened almost five years ago it wasn’t hard to understand why. Even now she still sometimes had nightmares about it.

Waking up to find Joel cold in his bed; his stomach wound torn open. Blood everywhere. Or finding Ellie beaten and bruised, left alone in that burned out restaurant.

Joel had always been there to console her, holding her until she calmed down. His voice low to just a whisper as he told her everything was okay. She was safe. He was there and he wasn’t ever going to leave.

It was a comfort she appreciated even after being married to the man for just under four years.

Stepping through into the kitchen, the brunette quickly got to work preparing some eggs on the stove for breakfast before moving across the counter to make up a pot of coffee for herself and Joel. She still wasn’t totally sure what her husband had traded for the beans; but Joel had seemed rather embarrassed by it for some reason. Though after finally getting to taste coffee again after so long, she didn’t much care she supposed. After the hot water was boiled she poured the beverage out, setting aside Joel’s favourite owl mug for when he came down.

Joel had always been an early riser and more often than not, he was almost always the one that beat her to the kitchen in the morning. It had taken some time after settling in Jackson to actually get the man to finally relax a little. It was unfortunate for Ada that he had taken that to mean ‘no sleeping in past seven’. Even on days off, Joel was up before the sun. Lucky Ada had found her own ways to at least keep him in bed past seven on those days; sleeping or otherwise. Thankfully Joel never complained.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the creaking of the stairs as Ada glanced up to meet eyes with Joel. His arms stretched above his head and suppressing a yawn. He stepped through the door, his hand dropping to scratch at his bearded chin.

“Morning darlin’.” Joel slurred, heading straight for his coffee mug. “Hold on...why are you dressed already?” Ada questioned. Her egg covered spoon gesturing at him in his winter gear. Joel followed her gaze, his brows raised in confusion. “I thought you weren’t on patrol until this afternoon.” She clarified.

“Oh yeah...forgot to tell you last night. Change of plans. Tommy’s gotten word of a horde gathering near the ski lodge.” He explained between sips, leaning against the counter, crossing one foot over the over. “Reckon we needed to deal with it quickly before it gets to be a problem.”

Ada pouted but said nothing, her gaze turning from Joel back to her scrambled eggs on the stove. Joel sighed abandoning his mug on the side as he moved across towards her. His arms wrapping around her waist and resting his chin over her shoulder.

“I can hear you thinking.” He said lowly into her ear. But again Ada said nothing. He sighs moving to kiss her neck but she turns her head away as he does.

He hates this. He hates when she worries. It’s always the same routine when he heads out for clean up duty. Clearing out infected is never an easy job but it is what keeps Jackson safe. They both know that. But still whenever he’s due to leave for another job, Ada goes quiet. She’s distant and he fucking hates it.

It was the same when Ellie first asked to train for patrol, they’d been reluctant. And while they were both well aware of Ellie’s skills and her strength; it was still hard watching their baby girl in such a hurry to go out alone without them.

His arms around her waist squeeze gently as he pulls her close to his chest, his head over her shoulder stealing a kiss on her cheek.

“Baby please stop worrying, I’ll be fine.” He knew it was a foolish thing to promise because the world they lived in wasn’t safe. You never knew what the next day would bring. But if there was anything in this world Joel would find to fight for; it was coming home to his wife. His family.

Ada dumped the cooked eggs onto the plates laid out, they were a little burned on the edges. She hadn’t been paying that much attention to them if she was honest. Then turned in her husband’s arms to face him.

“Back by dinner or I kick your ass.” She warned playfully. “Deal.” He chuckled, pulling her close as their lips met in a kiss.

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It didn’t take long for Ada to get to the stables when she’d finished breakfast. After reluctantly pulling herself from Joel’s arms; they’d both parted ways as the older man went to meet his brother at the gate.

She’d quickly threw herself into her list of jobs for the day, hoping it would take her mind off her worry.

“Morning Max.” She smiled at the stable hand, walking through to the back room. “Mornin’ Ada, whadda we got today?” he grinned in reply, his frame leaning through the door as she tidied her workspace. Collecting all her notes and paperwork together.

“Well Daisy has been lame for a couple days so she needs to stay on box rest. Then I need King and Blue tacked up before noon.” She explained, her eyes never leaving the sheets of paper in her hand. “Bob and Maggie are headed out on patrol so they need them ready before half twelve.”

“You got it boss!” Max assured with a joyful grin, sending her a mock salute. She chuckled at the old man as he disappeared from the doorway, but she quickly caught up to him, catching herself on the wooden frame.

“Oh! Could you also take Barnaby out into the paddock this morning please? He had a touch of colic yesterday and I want to keep his gut moving to make sure it’s passed.” She explained. Max simply nodded and turned to make a start on his duties. Ada always liked Max. He was an older gentleman, around seventy years old but still incredibly fit for his age. He’d arrived in Jackson a few years after herself, Ellie and Joel. Along with his grandsons from somewhere near Montana. Having the experience of running his own ranch before the Outbreak; he’d been the perfect fit to help Ada run the stables and take care of the horses.

She continued through until around nine o’ clock, just making the finishing touches to the poultice she’d wrapped around the gelding’s leg she was treating. “There ya go buddy.” She cooed sweetly, giving the horse a soft scratch behind the ears as he nickered in reply.

“Morning Ada!” A familiar voice greeted as the brunette moved to close the stable door closed behind her. “Morning Dina, you out on patrol this morning?”

“Yep, heading out on the creek trails with Ellie.” She smiled, Ada quickly returning it as they both looked to Ellie walking through the door. “How’s my boy?” Dina asked, grabbing Ada’s attention once again.

“Oh he’s fine, Japan had a little mud fever but I think we got it under control now. He’s good to go. All tacked up for you with Max down there.” Dina gave her a quick thumbs up and threw a thanks over her shoulder as she ran down towards the back of the barn. Leaving the woman alone with her adoptive daughter who slowly trailed behind.

“Good morning sunshine. How are you feeling this morning?” She teased. Ellie rolled her eyes at her mother’s smirk.

“Oh jeez don’t. I already got half the town giving me weird looks.” She whined. After the dance the night before, her kiss with Dina, Seth drunk and aggressively harassing the girls; it had certainly been the talk of the town the following morning. Ellie was just hoping she could outlive the embarrassment.

“So you and Dina patrolling together huh? That should be interesting. Have you talked to her yet?” “Ugh mom stop!” Ellie hissed softly, her lips twitching into a subtle smile.

“What? I like her, she’s a sweet girl. You two would be so cute together.” The teen stifled a giggle as she playfully shoved her mom’s shoulder, the older woman chuckling in return. “Shut up.”

The laughter faded when Ada sighed in thought, Ellie glancing back knowing what was coming next. Her gaze immediately falling to her feet.

“You uh...you talk to Joel yet?” She asked cautiously. For the past two years; it had been a sore subject for Ellie whenever Ada brought Joel up in conversations. After finding out the truth back in Salt Lake; she’d been so angry at both of them for everything they had kept from her. But after learning that Joel had been the one that pulled the trigger. That one that had made that decision for all of them and acted alone, she’d declared she wanted nothing more to do with him. And while it had been hard for Ada to be stuck in the middle; she’d still tried her damn hardest to build a bridge between them.

“A little...but one conversation isn’t going to fix everything.” She mumbled. Her foot kicking at the mud covered floor, eyes never leaving the ground.

“It’s a start though. Baby he really misses you.” she said. “I know. I still don’t know if I can forgive him for what he did though. But I am willing to try.” Ellie said softly, her hands now pulling at her jacket sleeves. “I uh...I was thinking of maybe inviting him over for a movie night tomorrow. If that’s okay?”

Ada smiled at this. It had been hard with Ellie not speaking to Joel for so long, watching the man she loved struggle with losing a daughter that no longer wanted anything to do with him. It was obvious he was hurting even if he never said the words out loud. He missed Ellie, he’d be so grateful to hear she wanted to do movie night again, for the first time in so long.

“Of course it is. When you get back from patrol we’ll figure something out okay? Joel’s out with Tommy but he should be back by dinner.”

Ellie simply nodded with a timid smile before turning towards Max waiting with Shimmer.

“Hang on, gotcha some lunch. I still worry you ain’t eating enough.” Ada shouted after her, reaching into her backpack to hand her daughter the pack of food she’d prepared.

“Thank you!” Dina called before Ellie had the chance to reply, swiping the pack out of Ada’s hand. “Hey! She said my lunch!” Ellie poked in jest. The teen simply scoffed peaking through the bag to see what was inside. “Our lunch...there’s plenty for both of us. Let’s see; turkey sandwiches, nice.” Dina continued snooping through the pack while Ellie merely rolled her eyes as Ada stood with folded arms smirking at the two. They really were cute together.

“Oh shit! No way, Ellie there’s cookies in here! Awesome! Thanks Ada!”

Ada laughed at Dina’s joy as Ellie reluctantly followed behind, snatching the packed lunch back and stuffing it into her bag before Dina could complain.

“Ugh I haven’t had cookies since I was a kid. I fucking love your mom, she’s just the best.” Dina complimented as she mounted Japan, taking the reins and walking the gelding out into the snow, Ellie not far behind on Shimmer. The young girl turned back to take one last glance at her mother brushing down another horse, a smile lighting up her face.

“Yeah, yeah she is.” Ellie agreed.

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After such an early start, Ada was pleased when the day was beginning to draw to an end. She’d not stopped the whole day and she was tired.

When the time came to feed and bed down the horses for the night, she was more than ready to head home, eat dinner, maybe snuggle up to Joel on the couch to watch a movie and call it a day. She’d already sent Max home to his boys when she finished up the last of her routine checks to close up the barn; when she’d been ambushed by both Jesse and Dina.

They both looked terrified, Dina with tear stained cheeks and Jesse breathless and shell shocked like he’d just run for miles without taking a second to breathe.

The brunette couldn’t remember much of what was said when they’d bombarded her with information. Only that something bad had happened and it had happened to Joel.

A thousand thoughts had rushed through her head at once. A flash of images muddled with the white noise that squealed in her ears the closer she ran towards the infirmary. Her nightmare was coming true and she felt like she was drowning. Lost in a dark ocean of uncertainty, falling without a lifeline to hold on to.

When she burst through the doors, Tommy was the first to reach her. She winced aghast at seeing his injuries. His swollen black eye, the deep bloodied gash on his forehead. She felt numb as her brother in law explained what had happened. What those bastards had done to her husband. Shot and beaten mercilessly. Her heart ached, her eyes raw from the tears she’d cried. And what made the whole thing worse, was that Ellie had been there to see the whole thing.

Ada had tried to brace herself before stepping into Joel’s room, her hand trembling as she reached for the handle. Ellie was sat slumped over his bedside, her hand clinging to his as he lay unconscious. The scuff of her mother’s boots grabbing her attention as she rose to her feet and met her halfway when Ada rushed towards her with open arms.

“Mom!” Ellie whimpered and it reminded her all too much of that night all those years ago. Ada squeezed her eyes shut as she pulled Ellie closer, her heart beating in her ears.

“Oh baby girl.” She soothed, her hand gently stroking her back for comfort. “I tried…” Ellie hiccuped. “I tried to stop them. I begged them to stop but they wouldn’t listen. And I told Joel to get up, just fucking get up.” Her voice broke as the girl choked back another sob and Ada couldn’t help her own tears as she listened silently. Gently guiding Ellie back to Joel’s bedside so she could sit, all the while the mother never once letting go of her daughter.

“I told him to get up, but it was like he’d just given up.” She explained quietly. Her shaking hands reaching up to wipe at her sore bloodshot eyes. Her cheeks and nose reddened from her tears. “The doctor said he needs to be asleep for a while, something about something needing time to settle?! I don’t fucking know!” She shouted in frustration, almost collapsing from exhaustion in her chair.

Ada merely nodded solemnly. Tommy had partly explained before she’d rushed to Joel. The doctor had insisted on keeping Joel sedated to give the brain time to heal itself while the swelling subsides. Ada just hoped it wouldn’t take too long for him before he was able to wake up.

As the night drew on Ellie had finally given in to her fatigue, stretching on the old beat up couch in the corner of the room. Tommy had thoughtfully brought her a blanket and a bag of clothes for the girls before heading home himself, Ada swearing that she would send Ellie the second they had any news on his brother.

It wasn’t until then that Ada had the still and the silence of the night did she truly take in Joel’s injuries. His leg, broken and mangled. It had been a damn miracle that they’d even be able to save it. But there had been a reasonable amount of confidence it would eventually heal, though Joel would definitely have some difficulty getting around at first and most likely a permanent limp afterwards; he was damn lucky in that respect.

His head injuries however were a different story. There were still flecks of dried blood in patches of his dark head where the club had struck. Patches of hair cut away, close to the scalp in order to reach the violent blows into his crown. Deep cuts and dark bruises covered his handsome face. A good chunk of his ear was missing, she’d noticed as she softly brushed her fingers through his hair in a feeble attempt to clean him up. It had been treated and neatly stitched but would most likely leave a scar.

Her lips trembled as a quiet sob worked its way up into her throat, her eyes blurred from the welling tears the longer she looked at him.

She should have been there...Why hadn’t she been there?!

The days went by and Joel still hadn’t woken up. The doctor took him off sedation a few days after the attack, in the hopes he would come around on his own. The endless nights slowly dragging by, each holding with it a suffocating pause that felt to be drawing out longer and longer. Like the string of a bow, pulling tighter and tighter until it was closely reaching its breaking point, a moment of holding strong until it was too much to bear.

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It had been exactly nine days later when Joel eyelids flickered. His fingers twitched and convulsed as he finally began to regain consciousness.

A string of mumbles and panicked gasps uttered from his dry lips as he stirred awake. And Ellie and Ada were right there beside him. The young girl skidding on her heel as she took off through the door in order to grab Tommy.

“Joel? Can you hear me?” Ada asked delicately. Her heart beating rapidly in her chest. Tentatively reaching out to place her hand upon his as he moved to face her with squinted eyes.

“Wher...Where?” He tried to speak. His voice low and rough like gravel. It strained against his dry throat. Ada quickly moving to his bedside to help him drink from the glass of water placed beside him.

He winced but managed a few mouthfuls before lowering himself back down against his pillow. His tired eyes darted around the room, breath quickening and short the more the confusion set in as to how he’d ended up there.

“You're in the infirmary. You were out with Tommy and were attacked.” Ada explained carefully, Joel’s eyes drifting back towards her sat by his bedside. “Was anyone else hurt?” He asked. “Tommy got roughed up a little, bump on the head and a black eye. Couple of bruised ribs but he’ll be fine.”

Joel simply nodded at the information. His eyes never leaving Ada.

“Is Sarah okay? I assume she’s with Tommy, could you call her? Tell her I’m okay…” He spoke so casually, Ada almost didn’t hear what he’d said. But yet there was no change in his eyes as he asked the question. “How long do you reckon till I can head home?”

This question made Ada stop cold. Her heart slowing and her breath catching in her throat.

“Joel... do you know who I am?”

He looked at her like she was crazy, the confusion met in the touching of his dark brows creasing with his forehead. “Yeah, you’re my doctor.”

It was at that moment Ada almost collapsed. When she realised there was truly no hint of recognition in Joel’s eyes as he stared at her.

Her worst fear realised; her own husband saw her as a stranger.

#the last of us #the last of us pt 2 #the last of us part ii spoilers #joel miller #joel miller x oc #joel x oc #Ellie Williams #fanfiction #Starlesskies writes