There’s no real push to your actions; you do them as if they were second nature. Perhaps, initially, you were assigned this role, as protector and guardian of this person. Maybe you took it on because there was no one else. A natural guardian or not, good or evil, you caught a shining to them and felt…something. Something hard to explain, but you want to keep them safe and happy - or at the very least, content. No one is as dedicated to them as you. You want them to reach their goals; to help them achieve them, you'll do what you must, even if it means being their gofer or their right hand.
But most of all, you don't want them to end up like you. They're worth more than that.
Yet somehow, along the line, you became more to them, more than just their protector. You protect them anew and you've found a different way to make them happy. It's selfish, too, because you love them in your way and you want them more than anything. You may feel guilty, of course. They don't, though, and that's what matters.
- Comment with your character, preferences, and what you'd prefer to play: protector or protected.
- Remember, you don't have to be so rigid. A traditionally weak character can "protect" a traditionally strong one in emotional ways.
- Reply to others.
- Promise ✖ You told them you would take care of their lover, no matter what. You intend to follow through with that.
- Close ✖ What are friends for if not taking care of unfinished business?
- Debt Owed ✖ Kindness or favor has to be repaid, even if it's an investment in someone else.
- Atonement ✖ Whether or not you particularly cared for the person who's gone is irrelevant. You just need to make up for past sins.
- No Good ✖ You're taking care of the one left behind, but not out of good intentions. There may be ulterior motives here - no, there are definitely ulterior motives here. Or maybe this is the one good thing you've done in your life.
- Guilt ✖ It's your fault that you're here and their significant other isn't. It's a paltry repayment.
- Bearer of Bad News ✖ You can't blame them for wanting to shoot the messenger. You are telling them their lover is dead.
- Related ✖ In days past, the living partner would be cared for by their dead partner's family. As a sibling or cousin of the deceased, you want to continue that tradition and take care of "family."
- Wo/man Up ✖ Actually, their lover isn't dead, they're just dead to you, unable or unwilling to take care of business. You're stepping up.
- Friends ✖ You were all friends before, so it's only natural for you to want to look out for them now.
- Derisive ✖ ...this is the person they loved so much? This is who you're supposed to protect? Pathetic.
- Resentful ✖ You can never forgive them. They're the reason your lover is dead, no matter how they treat you.
- What They Saw in You ✖ You're beginning to see why someone would love them, how they'd want to give up their old ways and change. It's almost...nice.
- Warming Up ✖ If you didn't get along at first, the claws are being put away now. It's better to at least be civil, isn't it?
- Still in Danger ✖ Whatever killed one half of the pair is still out there, and the other half is in danger themselves.
- Other Complications ✖ Not only did your mutual acquaintance leave behind a lover, but also children. You find yourself getting closer and closer to them, too, even if they aren't yours.
- Compromised ✖ You can't look after them with a level head. You love them.
- Can't Love Again ✖ You've lost before. You can't risk losing again, can you?
- Out of the Dark ✖ One or both of you find yourselves in a hole. You can barely eat, hardly sleep, and depression has taken hold of you. Together, though, you may find the light and a way out of despair.
- First Time ✖ Simply what it says. You two have taken your relationship to the next level.
- Changed ✖ Before, you were bitter. Hard. Jaded. Now, helping someone - specifically, helping this person - has brought a new kind of joy into your life. You could get used to it. Easily and dangerously used to it, to be brutally honest. You shouldn't allow it.
- Living Together ✖ You can take care of them more throughly if you're in the same place as they are, obviously.
- Hidden Jealousy ✖ When their lover was alive, you were jealous of everything they had - including the fact that they had the person you're looking after now. Admitting this may make you feel like the most awful person in the world.
- Secrets Revealed ✖ Eventually, your involvement with the death of their beloved will come out, and they will never be able to look at you the same way.
- Dependent ✖ Replacing one unhealthy habit with another, you've become utterly dependent on your relationship with your caretaker, your guardian, your lover.
- Won't Be a Replacement ✖ You can't help but feel as if you're merely serving as a stand in for what they've lost. It's understandable, yet you still can't allow yourself to be that and only that.
- Not Really Gone ✖ What is dead should stay dead, but what if who you thought was gone isn't really out of the picture? Will they be happy with finding someone else so cozy and in love with their special someone?
- The Same Mistakes ✖ You're falling into the same patterns that lead to their death. Will you meet the same fate?
- Who's Helping Who ✖ You think you're taking care of them and helping them through their loss. Is that the case? But who's never been this happy before in their life?
- Move On ✖ It's time to put ghosts to rest and let old demons go. You can't let your life become a graveyard.
- Tragedy ✖ The ending is unhappy or even deadly for both of you.
- Happy Ending ✖ In contrast to the above, you're both able to live as together as happily as you possibly can, whatever can be allowed.
- WILDCARD
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bakerstreet2023-02-27 02:27 pm
Alice Liddell • american mcgee’s • ota
anna of arendelle | frozen | ota
Harrowhark Nonagesimus | The Locked Tomb | ota
giovanina | napoli | ota
sansa stark | asoiaf/got | ota
nyx ulric — ff: kingsglaive
chai || hi-fi rush || ota
rebecca welton - ted lasso - ota
marta cabrera - knives out - ota
Claire Bennet || NBC's Heroes || OTA
Tony Stark MIT Era | MCU | OTA
Dorian Storm | Critical Role | OTA
Becca MacDonald ~ OC ~ OTA
darcy lewis • mcu • ota
Steve Harrington | Stranger Things
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Let me know if this works!
Which means dealing with what's spilling out of Gate #4 (hers) falls to the rest of them. Because if they don't guard it, if they don't make sure to stop the creatures coming through it, Hawkins will fall. And not just Hawkins. Vecna is recovering -- she can feel it -- and so can Will. Which means if they don't stop it all soon, the entire world is in danger.
Intensive physical therapy has helped a lot -- she can walk, can even kind of run, even if she's not as fast as she used to be. And her vision's -- well. It's mostly back, even if she gets a lot more headaches than she used to. It's fine. She can deal. She's alive. And that's what matters.
Though she keeps her Walkman on standby with Kate Bush at the ready just in case, she makes her way back to the damn house -- on foot rather than skateboard. That's definitely out of the question at this point. She tries not to dwell on the fact it might be out permanently. The house is crumbling, probably a deathtrap and the last thing she wants is to go back in there. But she squares her shoulders and grasps more tightly onto the baseball bat she's carrying and marches up the steps of the porch and pauses when she spots Steve inside already, grappling with a couple of the bats from hell.
Where the hell is everyone else? she wonders as she moves closer, ready to swing at one of the bats when she spots another problem creeping down the steps descending from the attic: a demodog.
A third bat attacks Steve and the demodog is posed to leap on him and for a moment she flashes back to Billy, standing alone and fighting the Mind Flayer. This time she doesn't freeze. She moves as quickly as she can, swinging the bat and hitting the demodog with a loud thud.]
It's great!
Had it been stupid? Yes, very, but he had been so tired of being hypervigilant that he'd thought he could let his guard down one time and it wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass. Of course he'd been wrong.
He'd heard the squeal of the first bat before he'd actually seen it appear before him on the second floor landing. He'd cursed and grabbed his spiked bat, swinging and connecting with it, but not before another one appears and makes a dive for him. Shit. He swings wildly, moving for the walkie talkie but before he can reach it he feels sharp fangs sinking into his shoulder and a thick tail wrapping itself around his throat. The bat drags him back just as the other recovers and comes at him. He hears the sound of a third descending and he shifts, swinging his bat to smash one into the wall.
That's when he catches a flash of red and a dull thud of a baseball bat connecting with a shadow on the stairs. The demodog goes down for a second, but the realization that Max is there and a demodog is enough to give Steve the adrenaline he needs to throw himself against the wall in an effort to stun the bat currently embedded in his shoulder and trying to choke him out. It works and he manages to pull the tail off his throat and swing it to smash it into the floor before finishing it off with a strike from his bat.] Max! Bedroom!
[ He swings a door to the right open and waves her towards it. Their odds are better with a bat and a demodog instead of three bats and a demodog, but who knows how long it's going to stay that way. He grabs the walkie and moves for the temporary cover that the wooden door will provide.]
<3
She looks up when Steve shouts her name, but she takes one more swing at the demodog, giving it another hard whack in the ribs, needing it to stay down for just long enough for them to make it to the other room. Then, gritting her teeth together, she stumbles into the room he'd just opened, reaching out and yanking him in behind her by his arm none-too-gently.
Her heart is pounding in her chest and she barely manages not to scream as the hell-bat swoops toward them and into the room, and there isn't time to swing the baseball bat. The one flying beast is arguably less dangerous than a demodog. She slams the door shut, but there's no lock -- not that it would matter. Still, she leans against it heavily for a few seconds before shoving herself away, moving to grab the nearest piece of furniture to push it in front of the door -- a heavy chair.]
You okay?
[She barely gets the word out before the hell-bat dives toward her.]
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[ There's a loud thud against the wooden door, the chair scraping the floor in protest, but holding for now. What if this is just the beginning? What if there are more coming? They need to warn the others. More than that, they're not going to be able to hold off many more with just the two of them. He needs to get Max out of here. He needs Nancy's shotgun. He never should've let his guard down.]
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The victory is short-lived though, because the door might be thick wood but the demodog sounds pretty determined to get in.]
Help me barricade the door! [She drops the bat in order to move toward a heavy dresser across the room.]
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[ A bit hypocritical? Absolutely. But that was him and this was Max. Max who actually died a floor above them the last time she was here. Max who had been in a coma. Max who was supposed to be taking it easy but was instead here with him, barricading a door against a demodog.
He pushes the dresser into a place with a final grunt and then goes for the walkie. The battery compartment shattered when he'd dropped it and nothing happens when he presses the talk button. ] Shit.
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Yeah, I don't exactly see anyone else here with you either.
[Her voice is heavy with sarcasm, but she also catches sight of the blood soaking through his jacket. It isn't bat blood. Steve is hurt. But before she can really process that, he's picking up the walkie that's definitely too damaged to be of use.]
Shit's an accurate summation of the situation.
[Somehow still less terrifying than going toe to toe with Vecna himself, even if that confrontation had only been in her mind.]
You're hurt.
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Yeah, you think? [ What can he say? Sarcasm is kind of the party's love language. Or at least their most fluent. He shoves the walkie talkie into his pocket and moves closer to Max, glancing down at his jacket when she says he's hurt. He sighs and gives her a tired look. ] Probably would've been worse if you weren't here.
[ That's two for zero when it comes to Max saving his ass. Once with Billy and now from a demodog. When it'd been his turn to save her, he'd failed miserably. He takes her in as if looking for injuries in the darkness of the bedroom.] Are you okay? Did it get you?
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[It's her fault for not being strong enough to hold Vecna off a little longer than she had, for this gate opening. This is her fight as much as anyone's now.
Still. She's relieved that he snarks back at her so easily. But her expression softens just a little, for a second, at his acknowledgement, lips quirking upwards ever-so-faintly.]
[She glances down at herself, instinctively, at the question, but then shakes her head no.] Not a scratch. Take your jacket off and let me see. [She slips her backpack off and pulls out a flashlight, flipping it on.]
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[ He nods at her reluctantly, hissing under his breath as he moves to peel his jacket off. The fabric sticks a little to the blood already spreading across his shoulder and he feels the puncture marks more than he's able to see them in the darkness. ] It's not that bad.
[ He's definitely had worse. Though it is going to make swinging the bat with both hands as hard as he can difficult. He really shouldn't have refused Nancy's offer to teach him how to shoot. He glances towards the boarded up windows with fading daylight seeping through the cracks. ] Maybe we can get you out one of the windows and you can get the others.
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She steps closer, shining the light on his shoulder as he peels his jacket off. And there's a lot of blood, but it's not oozing now so she figures that's a good sign. Still, she doesn't like it, anymore than he'd like it if it were her instead.
She follows his gaze to the window, then narrows her eyes as she looks back at him.]
If you think I'm leaving you here while you're hurt and bleeding, you're out of your mind.
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He sighs, fixing her with a resolute stare and presses his lips together for a moment as he tries to determine if it's worth trying to argue with her. He clenches his jaw and shakes his head. ] Would it kill you to just listen to me for once? If we don't keep it here, it's going to be roaming Hawkins and someone's going to get hurt. And someone has to tell the others that they're slipping through the gate.
I'm not going to let you be bait again, so that leaves you to go get help.
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So when he stares at her, she lifts her chin a little and holds his gaze. Because yes. Stubborn is almost her middle name.]
Steve, I hear what you're saying. [And she does. They can't let the demodog and hellbats roam freely around Hawkins. That's the whole point of being here.]
But the shifts are -- four hours? Which means we have what? Three hours to still hold them off? [She raises her eyebrows and moves to pick up her baseball bat once more.] I'm not playing the bait. I'm going to fight. Right beside you.
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He sighs heavily and unhappily, bending down to pick up his spiked baseball bat. He holds the handle out to her and gestures for her to give him the one she has. ] When we get out of here, we're putting nails in this thing. Big ones.
Stay behind me as much as you can. Watch out for the tails on the bats and if they get a hold of you, slam them into the wall until they loosen their grip or I can help you. Aim for the head on the demodog. Don't stop swinging until they stop moving.
Got it?
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Nancy's going to teach me how to shoot.
[She nods at his instructions, though.]
I got it.
[She eyes the door for a minute, considering.]
We can bring them in one at a time. It'll be easier if we don't have to worry about anything behind us. We can take turns controlling the door.
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He sighs deeply when she nods. He doesn't like this plan, but it's the best he's got. And she's right about the door. He nods in agreement and steps forward to push the dresser away from the door, enough to open it. He gestures for her to take the first turn at the door. At least if she's behind it there's some kind of barrier between her and whatever's coming through it.
He steps back a few steps, but not far enough that he can't be right there if whatever comes through turns towards Max. He raises the bat and nods at her. ] Okay. Let's go.
[ They're two demodogs and four bats down when Jonathan and Will finally appear what feels like an eternity later. Steve has never been happier to see Byers, which is saying a lot considering their history. He's exhausted and feeling sluggish and his hands feel cramped from holding onto the bat handle so tightly for so long. Max has held her own but he can't help but think she looks as tired as he feels also. He's pretty sure she's not supposed to be battling monsters after getting out of the hospital not that long ago, but she hadn't really left him much choice. They've both gotten a few more scratches, some deeper than others, but at least no more bites.
After a quick run down of the situation with Jonathan and Will, it was decided that they'd hold down the gate while Steve and Max notified the others. Steve gives them a grateful nod and moves towards the stairs leading to the first floor.] Come on, Mayfield. I'll give you a ride home.
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They just need to get to her trailer so she can grab her radio. She follows him down the stairs, glancing at the bloodied shirt he's wearing.]
Thanks. [She pauses, then glances at him sideways as they descend the porch and head toward his car.] Can I come over to your place after I grab my radio?
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[ It's not that he minds the company. But Max is so fiercely independent that he can't help but feel a small pang of concern well up at her wanting to come to his place. Though, for all he knows, maybe she just doesn't want to be alone after visiting the place she died and came back to life.
God, this town was the worst.]
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I'm okay. Promise.
[She definitely wants to take a shower and get all the blood off her, and probably take a few Tylenol, but the outcome definitely could have been worse.]
I just feel like it's probably better if we stay in groups right now.
[For everyone's sake.]
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[ He doesn’t think he has to tell her that telling her mom it’s Steve she’s staying with is a bad idea. Not that he can blame people for thinking the worst, considering his past reputation as a playboy, but he doesn’t even think of Max like that. She’s more like the tough little sister he never had.
Plus, he’s hoping that the others can take care of the portal without bringing them back but there’s always the possibility that they’ll need them both again to fight. He waited until Max was in and buckled up before he put the car in gear and they moved off towards home.] You know, for someone who got out of the hospital not that long ago, you really kicked ass back there.
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[She's not about to tell him that she hasn't seen her mom since before her coma. That she doesn't even know where her mom is. She hopes she's okay, wherever she is. She tries not to think about the possibility that her mom had been hurt, or worse in the earthquake that followed Max's death. She's pretty sure she'd just taken off. Her wallet and keys and car were all gone. Max knows her mom blamed her for Billy, for Neil leaving and getting stuck in a tiny trailer. It wasn't the life her mom had wanted.
She's pulled out of her own thoughts at Steve's compliment and despite everything, a smile creeps onto her face.]
Thanks. You did pretty good yourself, Harrington.
sarah miller ( tlou hbo )
the amazon — omina
anabel | pokemon sun & moon | ota
weiss schnee . rwby . f/m
gray fullbuster . fairy tail . m/f
cindy aurum . ffxiv . ota
Samantha Murphy × OC × F/M
Best Jeanist — My Hero Academia
Cole (AU) | Dragon Age | OTA
Elisabeth "Sisi" Wittelsbach | Elisabeth das Musical