First Off, What Would Lead Wukong To Develop DID?
So, I like many a person ended up randomly scrolling through videos and the like in boredom one day, and ended up on a channel called DissociaDID.
And that got my mind a spinning after watching some of the media.
Specificaly, what if Wukong had DID?
I will note, I don't think this is an idea I would openly write a full story about for others to read because I don't think I could do this mental disorder the justice it deserves in my opinion.
However, I thought I might put out the idea for how it happened and my thought for alters and their jobs.
First off, what would lead Wukong to develop DID?
First thing I need to say is we don't know the timescale of Wukong's early life, all that is stated in his tale is that he came out fully formed. But that does not mean he came out fully formed mentally, so within the first 7 years of his life he could have developed amnesia barriers as a coping mechanism for all the trauma he dealt with, and then it developed into DID because of the separation of memories.
As of right now, my main thoughts for what lead to Wukong developing it are as follows.
Wukong back when he was just Shí Hóu (what is currently believed to have been his name or title before he went to gain his first immortality) the original dominate male of Wukong's tribe bullied, beat up, and generally tried to kill Wukong. Perhaps the leading male even put forth the "go beyond the waterfall to become the king thing" and enticed Wukong into doing it in an attempt to have Wukong die by drowning, with it partially working and almost killing the young monkey king, but instead Wukong found the temple and became king, displacing the old monkey as the alpha, but they would make continuous attempts to kill Wukong even after.
As time went on perhaps the former alpha male died in a very gruesome way in front of Wukong, with maybe one or two of the kinder monkeys in the group dying of disease, putting the fear of death through means that Wukong wouldn't be able to control into his mind, leading Wukong to travel potentially days alone on a raft with little to no food in an attempt to find immortality like he had heard of being possible from some demon monkeys.
Then once on shore Wukong met humans and they feared and degraded him for not being human, for their belief he was a demon or the like, perhaps even attacking him till he learned to hide and found a link to what would lead him to an immortal.
Then the immortal had the same beliefs as the other humans and shut him out from learning, but Wukongs persistence led the man to give him a chance to learn, leading to Wukong being in an environment where all those learning with him initially hated or despised him, perhaps to the point of doing things to try and get Wukong to leave but over time they just became indifferent to Wukong, still being racist but identifying that Wukong was dedicated to his craft.
I can't say for sure but that altogether feels like a pretty good recipe for developing DID.
Next up, Wukong's alters.
First up, the original Wukong Shí Hóu, he/they are a trama holder, and would have been the earliest host before a new one developed in the wake of becoming King and needing to not be fearful of the former dominate male or risk losing the better life he was gaining. Leading to them being a "little" in the sense that they no longer aged beyond the point of no longer being the Host of the body. Shí Hóu would act most like a young orphaned monkey.
Next would be a Persicutitory Protector that would have formed to protect Shí Hóu from attacks by the male while making it clear to the little one that it is their fault they are continuing to be abused because he never fought back against the male. Their title would be Jingwēi and they would probably act most like a hostile male monkey, probably partially forming from a fragment of the aggressive male.
A soother alt would have probably formed around this time as well to help calm Shí Hóu down after traumatising confrentations with the dominate male. Their title would be Guānxīn and they would probably be most like a mother monkey Shí Hóu watched from afar, and probably later on would have gained traits from watching human and demon parents.
Formation timeline-wise, next to form would probably be a fragment with the title Shuî who formed from Wukong's water based trama and might be part fish. They would not have to major a personality and and be more a mindset revolving around being unable to drown due to being part fish.
Timeline wise the next personality to form would be Wukong, though he wouldn't have that name at the time and would have gone by Monkey King. He would be the main Host of the system from the time of becoming King to present.
Some time during Wukong's travels 4 more alts would form. Zhìzhê who would be the Gate Keeper of the system controlling who has access to what memories, who is in front, and keeping track of all alts within the internal space. Guówáng who would be a co-fronting primary protector to Wukong helping with protecting the body from harm and with fighting off trouble. Yêmánde being a faceless persecutor, repeating back the hate and fear spewed by the masses of humans (and later demons and celestial beings) towards Wukong, being a constant reminder of Wukong not being similar to anything at all. And lastly Liu er Miho, AKA Macaque, who at the time was a trauma holder persecutor like Yêmánde representing the fear of the unknown and those who speak and hide in the shadows.
Some time during Wukong's training under Pitu Zushi (though the show seems to be calling them Master Subodhi, but that could be a mixup on my part for the journy's immortal teachers name) or perhaps some time after Wukong's trip into the Diyu when taking the front for a moment Macaque used some of Wukong's power to create a clone for him to break himself off into that later became their own person sans memories of being part of Wukong.
3 more major alts and potentially one minor one would form from Wukongs learning immortality onward. First Lâoshī, Wukongs desire to be a protector and a caregiver/teacher to others, Huô forming from Wukong's traumatic experiences with fire and being a trauma holder who can disable the body unintentionally by making them temporarily blind (may also have some relation to the molten iron and copper fed to Wukong), Geisha who would be a sexual defender and trauma holder for the system (because you can't convince me that someone over the years wouldn't have tried to forcefully mate Wukong for power), and lastly Tang an interject persecutor protector that formed based off Tripitaka who would hurt or berate Wukong for his "violent" ways while reminding and suggesting less lethal methods.
My thoughts on how MK and his group figure this out is less certain.
As of right now, my main idea for how it happened is something involving fire triggers Huô sending Wukong into a blind panic running away with MK trying to follow with maybe one other behind him and they hear a difference in how Wukong is speaking or talking to himself and realise something is up. Later doing research and it clicking over enough time what is happening and leading MK and the others trying to get Wukong (as well as Mac (because learning you were a piece of the very person you hate can't be good for the psyche)) some professional help to at least partially recover from all the trama.
What do you all think? Have Ny ideas of your own to add? I would love to hear them.
More Posts from Floral-moon-light and Others
ok, this is a stupid picture I came up with a long time ago in response to a random idea I had got at the time.
I have like part of a story written done for it, but the main gist of it is Ink finds Error having his equivalent of a seizure and after finding out that Error basically leaves it untreated he kind of kidnaps Error in an attempt to prevent Error from hurting himself with his “incompetence”.
I may put up what I have of the idea at some point, but as of now that is far from my mind.
(via "Fight Me" Tote Bag for Sale by Glassplant)
I am so curious about this.
Hello dear followers! I have finally finished the first part of this project. If you want to know more information about this, read this full post. LOST Heart: Invader Zim comic
I honestly hope more of this happens because i find it cute.
Slay the Princess
Become a Father
(Slay the Princess(joke)AU(????))
(You’d think Narry would be happy that Quiet is a kid(aka easier to guide), but unfortunately for him he has morals and a fondness towards children)
Ok, this is more theory craft that has been on my mind for a bit for random reasons.
If you have no interest in Hazbin Hotel, I suggest you leave this be; if you do, join me as I ask: could Alastor's dealmaker be a SIN or a hellborn?
-
So, lets get down to business, most people will agree that Alastor likely came to the hotel because of his deal either to:
Stop the hotel from succeeding
Provide suport for the hotel
Keep Charlie happy
Suport Charlie
Keep Charlie safe and alive
Dissuade Charlie of her dreams
Dissuade sinners from joining the hotel
Or some combination of all of the above
As of now, we assume Alastor's deal has something to do with his seven-year disappearance from Pride. Considering Vox and his apparent obsession with Alastor and keeping an eye on him, we are assuming Alastor must not have been in Pride for the seven years he was missing.
That and with the show's and hotel's straightforward plots relating to heaven and redemption, the theory community of Hazbin points to Alastor's deal maker having to be someone with clear connections to Heaven because the only way Alastor would have been able to escape Vox's eye would be for him to have been in heaven for those seven years, and as such the leading contenders for his deal maker would have been Sera or Lilith since they are the most prominent figures that could have any of the deal reasonings apply to them.
However, there is another place i believe Alastor could have been that escapes Vox's eyes. And that, is the lower rings of Hell.
If you watch Hell of a Boss, you will notice that the lower rings do not use Voxtech items, and we do not know for now if Vox can connect to items that do not either have software he has produced or hardware he has made. So, that would mean the lower rings of hell could be a potential blind spot for Vox and a potential place Alastor could have been for his seven year absence.
"but wait," you say, "Sinners can't go into the lower rings of Hell!"
Very true! But, has it ever been explained WHY they can't go to the lower rings?
As far as I have been able to find, no. But, most theories posit that some magic prevents them from going down. But, as we have been able to see in the show, all magic seems to has some counterbalance, for example while a deal makes a soul a slave to a master it can not take up all the slave's time and the mastor can not control what the thrall does outside that time or what the thrall thinks or says unless it is part of the deal.
As such, what if there was magic that could give a sinner permision to leave PRIDE.
It would have to be someone with stronger power then that of any sinner or overlord, and the only ones higher on hell's higherarchy then sinners that could achieve this goal are the Ars Goetia, or The Seven Deadly Sins. This is considering Lilith is in heaven, Charlie never met Alastor till he showed up, and Lucifer didn't even leave his castel for ages even before the seven year time Lilith was missing till his call with Charlie.
While a Goetia forming a deal with a Sinner is just as possible, considering their views of anyone lower on the hierarchy than them, and Alastor's deal likely has something to do with giving him power, I don't think a Goetia would have likely sullied themselves with a sinner much less bring them to a lower ring.
So, it likely would had to have been a SIN.
But why?
Well, part of hell's power comes from sinners and their power flowing through hell, if I had to guess, so keeping sinners in hell would be a high priority, and a place like a hotel that could potentially remove that power source would be a massive problem for the Sins. So, having someone innocuously keep an eye on the hotel and keep it for succeeding would be necessary. And who better than a sinner and one that could scare off prospective sinners like an overlord?
On another side of the scale, most people believe that the Sins are Charlie's Aunts and Uncles, so a lot of them could potentially want to support Charlie's dream or keep her safe, even if they can't do it directly (either because of Lucifer or another reason). So, who better to do it than one of the few high-level sinners with a moral code? It would probably just take a bit of convincing; nothing a few years of stealing them away to a lower ring couldn't fix.
As for Sin, I can't say; I suspect not Mammon because he seems too lost in his sin to care about the hotel, but I can't put anything on his care for the family. Ozzie does not seem the type to sabotage, so if it were him, I would suspect more care than anything. Bee's personality makes me think care would be more likely than wanting to sabotage the hotel. I've heard Satan is a more traditionalist when it comes to the sins to sabotage would be possible. Still, I can't say anything about his family care (though if we use Vivzi's other works as a guide, I suspect Satan would not be a supporter but possibly a protector of Charlie herself). Leviathan and Belphagore are a complete mystery.
There is one last option for who the deal maker could be that I have to mention, and that is the Von Eldrich family (I can't identify which member specifically). We know they have an antagonistic relationship with Charlie, and at least the children could want Charlie's idea to fail. And they have to be a reasonably strong family to have portraits with the royal family if we use previous art as an indicator. Plus, they will likely be powerful enough to pull off the "allowing a sinner into a lower ring" potential. Also, the color palette when we see Alastor covered in strings relating to the von Eldrich family color palette does line up surprisingly well, and their looks could relate to their powers being something like the Lovecraftian horror we see Alastor using.
For now, this is just a theory. And I hope it inspires some writing and drawing. If it does, please link me.
small rant but i sometimes think it’s kind of strange how dark sonic or fleetway super sonic have taken the spot of darkspine personality wise
probably because barely anyone played secret rings including myself but eh
because like. in animations or fics or fangames or whatever it is..
if the creator needs some darker variant of Sonic or some edgy super sonic form they just yoink Dark Sonic or Fleetway and it’s just. why??
it’s honestly dark sonic that baffles me more because it’s just (no hate to dark sonic i love him)
he got like less than a minute of screentime while Darkspine is the conclusion to an entire game?? and he has way more personality and interesting backstory put into him than just fake chaos emeralds
but instead he’s just another form that people slap into sprite animations or “ew why does he have his hands and feet out”
honestly the only reason i can think of that he’s not used is because it’s hard to slip the world rings into a story which is just kind of lame to me
anyway. i love all of the evil sonic forms no hate to any of them i just wish they were more of a trio instead of just dark sonic or fleetway on occasion
Potental reads.
Radiostatic Fic Recs
Do you like radiostatic? Are you looking for something good to read? Here are some of my personal favorites that I think everyone should read! As a reminder, if you don't like something listed, just don't read it! And don't bother the author or me! Staying in your lane is free! 😊
Finished works
Control + V
Vox and Alastor are on the cusp of a relationship but Alastor worries that he isn't enough for Vox. Val interferes.
Get Your Thrill Just to Get At Me
Alastor experiences a rut for the first time and Vox refuses to waste good dick on a panic attack.
Hold Me Like A Grudge
This one's ABO and pretty much just smut. Suppressants fail all over the city! Guess we gotta fuck!
Put Your Fingers Back to the Keys
Alastor gets publicly summoned by Lilith and Vox searches for him.
Escape Was Just a Nod and a Casual Wave
This one's a really cool predator/prey fic where Vox chases Alastor.
Keep You Like an Oath
Alastor sneaks into V Tower and discovers Vox's video logs. It causes a revelation.
Lucidity's Fog
Vox has one final sex dream of him and Alastor together.
How to Commission a Radio Demon Body Pillow (and other assorted things)
This one is based off a tumblr ask thread about Vox having an insane amount of Alastor paraphernalia. It's funny, but it is one-sided.
Would You Download a Demon?
Alastor tells Vox and Rosie that he sold his soul. Vox does something so stupid, it's smart.
Classic and Better
Oooohhhhoooo, this bad boy is what made me start writing again. The characterization of them is so good and I love it so much. Alastor tempts Vox back into his folds and Vox follows blindly.
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Alastor lays claim to Vox by biting him. This one is short and sweet.
Couple's Therapy
This one was funny and sadly too short. Modern day Alastor and Vox decide to go to therapy as a joke and it actually makes them realize a thing or two.
Bambi
I love this piece. It's cute! Vox and Alastor have two different versions of Bambi-their clashing interpretations lead to an adorable misunderstanding.
Joking Matters
Vox and Alastor got married to consolidate their power and have kept their relationship a secret since.
Obligations
Vox trades for Alastor's soul but it isn't at all like how he wanted. They both cope in their own ways.
Meant to Be Yours
This one's one-sided. Vox gets rejected and takes it really badly. An excellent piece exploring his side.
Bargains
This one is also so so so good. Alastor has a rut cycle and the only person who knows is Vox. However, Alastor hates that he has a rut and takes it out on Vox. Vox just wants to know what Alastor actually wants.
Spite
This one is delicious. It's based off the first episode where Alastor says he pulled a few strings to get the commercial to air. Vox demands that he act in a porno for blackmail.
Just a Slave to Your Instincts
Vox researches deer instincts and uses it very effectively against Alastor.
That One Tuesday
Similar premise to Classic and Better but it involves more of the Hazbin cast and the main plotline of trying to redeem sinners.
Vox and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Afterlife
This one is light on the relationship but funny. Basically, every rut Alastor goes fucking nuts and takes it out on Vox. However, no one believes him and they think he's going crazy.
666: Live on Air!
An excellent series that does a good job exploring the push and pull between these two and what a relationship between them would look like with all their hang ups and miscommunications.
Seeking Solace
This story plays with Dom/Sub designations and Vox is a sub who hasn't dropped in too long. He calls Alastor to help.
Radio Made the Video Star
I haven't fully read through this series but it is well written and I'm liking it so far!
Thawing Out
Vox is in an abusive relationship with Valentino. Alastor finds him one night by accident when he's mulling over his relationship. For the first time, Alastor notices that something else might be going on at Vee Tower and he has these awful feelings about it that he can't seem to shake.
The Pitch
Vox swaggers into Alastor's radio tower to propose a deal, he ends up limping out. Wink wonk!
Hypnosis, Live in your Bedroom!
This is inspired by the 666 hypnosis fic and it is quite good! It’s another smut piece of Alastor and Vox exploring his hypnosis.
Other Place
This piece is really sentimental. It made me cry and think about death. Basically, Alastor visits Vox on the anniversary of his mother's death and they talk through his many emotions.
This Wasn't on the Agenda
One-sided but funny! Vox and Alastor start a hissy fit in an overlord meeting about their brief sexual history together.
Staticradio Woodland Fun
This one's cutesy! Vox and Alastor are both mythical creatures experiencing rut and so they spend it with each other.
Feeling from Grace
Angel Dust comes to Alastor with some concerns about Vox’s wellbeing. Alastor manages to fuck it up, as he does all things regarding Vox and feelings.
Music on T.V. and Sex on the Radio!?
This one’s funny and sexy. After their little fight on air, Vox tracks Alastor down in his tower to have some good old fashioned fun.
Stay
Alastor can’t seem to let Vox go, even when Vox decides he can’t keep playing this game anymore.
Like Old Times
Alastor pays Vox a visit in his office after their musical spat to say hello.
Deer in the Backlights
This piece is nice in the way that it explores Vox finally getting closure from his obsession with Alastor. Val and Velvette set up a meeting for Vox and Alastor to finally fuck and get rid of their weird psychosexual tension. Vox wonders if this was really what he wanted all along.
198
This one is pure smut and it’s so delightful. Vox manages to mind break Alastor and turn him into his own personal sex toy. I also highly recommend anything by childishsadism, they write very compelling work!
Undisclosed Desires
Alastor and Vox get into another fight and Alastor finds he likes it a lot more than he thought he would.
To Be Yours
This is my own work! Alastor hears Vox open their personal frequency for the first time in years. Curious, he goes to find out why exactly Vox has chosen to break the silence.
Unfinished works
Addicted
Addicted is really good. Vox finds out he's been drugged by Val for decades and as a result has long term amnesia. He runs away and tries to reckon with a past he can't even remember.
Hypnotic
This one is a rape fic. Vox hypnotizes Alastor against his will and forces him to recount his first sexual encounter as he has sex with him.
Prey of the Video Star
This one is really really good! After the battle, Vox takes Alastor back to Vee tower, determined to finally make the other his. Alastor, weakened, struggles the best that he can even as the noose tightens around his neck.
Safe with Me
This one's good! It's a modern AU where Vox is a CEO and Alastor is a serial killer and podcaster. After separating as childhood friends, Vox and Alastor meet once again and find love with one another.
Equilibrium
Vox saves Alastor and accidentally creates a soulbond between them. This sets in motion a landslide of unexpected events between them.
The Answer is Yes
Okay, this one is extremely well written. It's a fascinating exploration of Vox and Alastor's relationship through a vignette style. It blends all sorts of memories with modern day and it's really cool. I like it a lot.
Bluest Monday
This one is so well written and the romance between them is absolutely heart wrenching. Alastor fears losing Vox to modernity, so he finally accepts Vox’s courting in an attempt to keep the other at his side. This decision has unintended consequences neither could foresee.
Hell’s Televisionary
This one is a really interesting take on Vox and his first few years in Hell. I’m really enjoying it! Vox is new to Hell and looking to make a name for himself. He’s also looking to reconnect with the elusive redhead that helped him when he first fell.
Rival Frequencies
Vox goes after Alastor after the extermination and patches him up. He discovers that maybe his feelings haven’t waned, and he tries to rekindle a friendship with Alastor again.
Tune On In!
This one is based off of an art post where Vox and Alastor got platonically married and details their life together.
Unraveling Emotions
Falling in love makes a sinner’s heart human again and their second death permanent. Vox has never stopped loving Alastor. Alastor makes a mistake and Vox nearly pays the price.
For my friends who liked my post, I hope this finds you!
@rae-does-stuff, @drakepad-luv-2000, @motherarts, @freakshowmemories, @bratpfanne-of-doom, @superpersonpatroleclipse , @nocakesformissedith , @coins-that-never-land , @matrixbearer2024, @dancingafterdark ,@pedi-bug , @starlightthenightwing , @unnecessarilysalty
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Based on context from the original artist, the words Blue speaks, as well as Error and Ink's positions.... my best guess on what happened is the three are in a relationship, though Ink and Error seem to be on rocky grounds. Error and Ink must have gotten into a fight leafing Blue to have to resolve it by tying Error up (since Error would have likely crashed if he left any bone attacks touching him) and pinpoint Ink down with blue attacks so they are forces to think about what they did.
Ink looks at least somewhat remorseful if his eyes are any indicator (either a pink heart, diamond or gem which symbolise love and the blue light blue tear which represents sadness and patients.) While Error looks extremely p***ed off.
And Blue is just done with their antics.
Eh, since I haven’t posted in a while, here’s something from a “ship event” on Twitter.
Error belongs to @loverofpiggies
Ink belongs to @myebi / @comyet
Ok, so I have seen bits and pieces of the different routes for Slay the Princess (no I have not played the game, and no, I don't mind spoiling routes to myself, it will not break my experience), and one thing I'm honestly surprised about is how little the "kill yourself" thing seems to be used. As I have been able to pull from different sources, there are only 2 major times it is used; the first is when you would be forced to sit in the cabin after the princess is dead, the second being to kill the ghost princess. Note, I do not consider the death on the damsel route because technically it is not the player choosing to kill themselves. And i don't know if the apotheosis route self kill can be considered because she is influencing you to end yourself.
Why is the "slay yourself" function not used more? Your actions relating to the princess affect how she acts with you in further routs, so killing yourself without killing her should do the same. After all, this is a love story right? And love stories don't just consider how you act to your partner, but also to yourself. So, a quiet that kills themselves instead of the princess should cause a reaction for the princess. Maybe a "first princess" like the stranger who reacts to the knife in fear, but not for herself, but relating to you. It could lead to more "caring" routs, like a doctor esk route where the princess is trying to figure out what is wrong with you, or a rout where the princess becomes indifferent towards you and offeres a clean seperation after the both of you leave the cabin where you don't have to be together after because it is clear you are not compatible.
Another piece of this could relate to the Nightmare and the moment of clarity, where the "moment of clarity" causes a change where instead of the voices disappearing, the long quiet feels like they are resting and have slotted themselves into themselves, and they say they look battered and bruised, but not yet dead. And in the next route after the Nightmare they can ask the question "do you remember?" whitch can bring more voices out instead of just the hero, because past relationships can color how people view their next relationship, make them see danger where there isn't, make them scared of love or fall harder, make them hurt themselves in an atempt to please their current spouce or be more indiferent in the relationship.
I know part of each route is supposed to be forgetting all that happened in the last route, but that can't fully be the case, after all, you aren't allowed to repeat routes, so you at the least have to know you've done something like that route before, maybe something like remembering something you did in the past but not remembering it clearly. Like foggly remembering your past relationships.
And with these new routs it can lead to a new ending thing where the long quiet isn't scared for the little people out there but is scared of how the princess would treat them once the both of you get out, after all, you have both hurt eachother , and despite being change it doesn't seem like she will ever stop hurting you if you make one mistake. So maybe quiet can yell something like "and how do i know you won't just kill me once we are out! You and your parts have proven time and time again that you only care for your freedom! You don't care how you get it! You don't care i was forced to act the way i did because of the stupid man who tore us in two! You only cared about getting parts for yourself to make yourself whole without giving me an actual chance to understand myself in this!" after all, the long quiet never got to look at what was going on in a rout, they had to keep making decisions in the moment, no time to let them cool off, no time to think rationaly, look at the outcomes that could happen.
And maybe from it, the mound realizes that while she is whole, you are still fractured and broken. So, as a god, she offered for her to reset the construct, so perhaps next time you can put your own pieces back together.
It's just a thought. Have fun with it.
can you write anything at all with hunted and cold :> platonic or romantic your choice
(Of course! To me, they'd think the other is so weird yet interesting, and they'd just be circling each other like weird little creatures. Anyways, enjoy!)
Cold sighed, gritting his teeth in impatience and growing irritation. Sneaking and hiding had always seemed so useless to Cold. Why tiptoe around the danger and wait around, when you could face it head on and experience the moment fully?
Cold thought the whole thing was tedious and unnecessary, but he still found himself doing exactly that-sneaking around his house.
He pressed his back into the walls of the hallway, face wincing in pain at the discomfort, but he pushed that discomfort aside. He could deal with it. He could let it fester longer.
What he could not deal with, was the constant looking over his shoulder and feeling of eyes staring at him from seemingly nowhere. It gave Cold almost no time to think or inspect all his hard work.
He froze, hearing a door slowly open from somewhere in the house, and he strained to hear how far away it was.
After a few minutes of nothing but silence, Cold decided to risk it, quietly creeping down the hallway, making his way to the front door.
If he could make it outside, it would give him more room to hide and lose his pursuer.
He peeked out down the hallway, staring at the front door, his one ticket to freedom and away from all this pointless chasing.
He waited another ten seconds, listening out for any noises. When none came, he took his chance.
He rushed out, wings twitching and jerking uncomfortably behind him-and Cold immediately heard the sound of footsteps stomping after him.
He sighed sharply in frustration, but refused to turn around. He kept running for the front door, his arm reaching out for the handle-when he felt an iron grip around his other arm.
Cold stumbled right in front of the door, twisting his body around and snapping his elbow out as he spun, back slamming into the front door as Hunted let go of his wrist to instead catch his elbow, glaring at Cold as he shoved him further against the door.
Cold glared into Hunted's eyes, who made a low growling noise in the back of his throat. They held that intensity tight, neither one backing down-until Cold realised it was pointless, and he sagged against Hunted's grip with a sigh.
"Surely there are more important matters than this to tend to," Cold said, not missing the flicker of satisfaction in Hunted's eyes at having won this battle.
Hunted didn't lessen his grip, but his posture did lose some if its tension and his glare softened slightly, scanning Cold's body thoroughly for anything else out of place, because they both knew what the most pressing issue at hand was.
"No," was Hunted's eventual reply, and then he suddenly yanked Cold forward. "I have nothing else to do today."
Cold sighed in defeat, giving an experimental tug to at least try and escape his fate, but one look of warning that Hunted flashes at him let him know that his fate was sealed.
Hunted began dragging Cold along to his room, and Cold made a point to make no effort at all in walking as well, his clawed feet scraping the wooden floor as he was dragged off to his doom.
Hunted sighed sharply, and that at least was satisfying to Cold, until Hunted said, "Why do you make things so difficult?"
"I didn't ask you to get involved in my business," Cold shot back, and Hunted tightened his grip on him. "When you try things that could harm yourself, it becomes my business," Hunted retorted with, and Cold rolled his eyes.
Cold looked down at the other for a moment, thinking of any way to get Hunted to snap-but it was as if Hunted read his mind, and he suddenly twisted around and threw Cold over his shoulder.
Cold grunted in pain, feeling Hunted's claws almost digging into his back, his head spinning from the swift movement.
If anybody walked in right now, it would surely be an amusing sight, considering that Cold was one of the tallest, and Hunted one of the smallest, just an inch or two taller than Broken. Cold's fingertips were lightly grazing the floorboards, and he could feel his knees against Hunted's stomach, but the other didn't seem to be struggling to carry him at all.
Hunted carried him into a room, and it was only then that Cold realised that they were actually in Hunted's room-evident from the pillows and blankets strewn about the place, along with dark smudges of mud here and there.
Hunted threw him onto his nest, and Cold had barely made impact before Hunted jumped on top of him, sitting on his back and keeping him pinned.
Cold sighed, knowing that fighting Hunted was a useless effort, and that Hunted would never slip up and give him the opportunity to fight back or get away.
He could feel Hunted glaring daggers into him. "You brought this on yourself."
"Because I was curious."
"You know what happens when you don't preen!"
All of this fighting, all because Cold hadn't preened in a couple of days.
Well, it was more like a couple of weeks at this point.
Cold knew it could get uncomfortable, but he wanted to see how far he could take it, how much his wings could handle while being all twisted up. He wanted to feel that crawling itching all over his body and fight against it, see how his wings would fare.
Of course, Hunted freaked out when he found out, and now here they were.
The moment that Cold felt Hunted move the first feather back into place, was when he gave a true sigh of defeat, slumping in place.
He would wince in slight pain at every feather that had been twisted into odd angles, his back feeling as if it were on fire.
Cold hated preening. He hated the sitting around and waiting while someone did it for him, and he couldn't be trusted to do it himself because this happened.
He heard Hunted sigh in frustration. "You're lucky I caught you when I did. Who knows what would've happened."
"That's what I was trying to find out," Cold mumbled under his breath, not even attempting to hide the bitterness and annoyance from his voice-and then Hunted flicked the back of his head.
"I don't understand how you couldn't love your wings," Hunted quietly said, sounding extremely focused on his task, his fingers running over Cold's wings with a softness but also an urgency, as if he had been waiting for this moment. At least Cold managed to evade him for as long as he did. At least he achieved something from all this.
"You have nice and wide wings, perfect for flying," Hunted continued, "and yet you do this to them."
"Preening is boring," Cold said, and he felt Hunted's claws did further into his feathers. "You know I hate boring. I wanted to test my limits, see how much my wings could take."
"You could have permanently damaged them and your ability to fly," Hunted hissed at him, one hand gripping Cold's side to keep him down. "You would have done all that just to stave away boredom?"
Cold rolled his eyes. "You sound like Paranoid," he muttered, turning his face to rest his cheek against a blanket which smelled like roses, a scent that was usually associated with Smitten.
"It's easy to make yourself feel nice," Cold softly said, and Hunted slowed down his preening, a sign that he was listening. "Just delude yourself with thinking that you're great and that you deserve nice things, and that's so easy it's boring. Feeling nice is dull, but feeling bad and unusual is exciting."
Cold tried to look over his shoulder at Hunted, but he found it to be a fruitless task so he flopped back down with a sigh.
"Making yourself feel grotesque in a way that doesn't come naturally to you is interesting-it makes you view yourself differently when all you want to do is feel good about yourself. Hatred is interest-"
"No it's not," Hunted interrupted, and Cold blinked in surprise.
Hunted's touch was still soft and precise as he bluntly said, "Hating something is easy. You can hate anything no matter how big or small it is. Just look at Broken. He still doesn't like himself even after months of being away from Tower. The hatred is buried deep, and it is not fun to watch."
Hunted roughly twisted a feather until it fell off his wings, making Cold wince just a tiny bit. From the corner of his eye, he saw a small pile of feathers to the right of him, feathers that looked too damaged to be saved.
"Loving is what's hard," Hunted declared, and Cold was about to refute him, when the other continued, "Feeling the need to stay with something or someone despite all their flaws and habits, despite your brain telling you to stay away from them-like you, for example."
Cold froze beneath him. "What?" was all he managed to say.
"Loving you is hard, because you refuse to make it easy for me. You don't care about safety or survival, and the things that interest you only terrify me, and you rarely listen to anyone else. I'm constantly making sure you don't try and pull stunts like this."
Hunted pressed the tip of a claw into the centre of Cold's back, and despite all the itching he was feeling, that was what Cold felt the most in that moment.
"It's difficult to love difficult people, but we can't help it. I still love and care for you, no matter how many times you try to ruin your body for no real reason."
Hunted sighed, then leaned forward to kiss the top of Cold's head. "Love is what's dark and messy."
Hunted went back to preening without another care in the world then, and Cold-well, he thought about that conversation for the rest of the day.
