#answrs does plotshells

[answrs]

Anyone have any particular things I’ve made they’d like to see cleaned up and ported to ao3? I’ve been stuck in a rut trying to edit and finish the TAU/MSA fic that I’ve been working on for months and need something else to do, but can’t think of what people might want to see put up. the only thing off the table rn is the FMSA AU. :v

a fic? a shell translated into fic? shell as-is? a hc/drabble collection? art? none of the above? i dunno, you tell me.

[answrs]

ectoimp replied to your post “Chains That Bind”

I wonder, do you think there is recovery possible from this point? For the group as a whole. I can see arthur getting a bit better spending time with lewis, but I dont know about if he can be with the others again...

I’d like to hope so, at least with Vivi. Mystery is a tough one, since his actions were both extremely traumatizing and betraying, not to mention the reason he was pushed into the whole situation to begin with (no matter how necessary). Like it says, he didn’t just rip off Arthur’s arm, he tore his soul to shreds while pinning him down under his paw.

Vivi at least was entirely unpurposeful (if a bit turning a blind eye to things) in her actions towards Arthur, and it came from a good place, wanting him to feel better, be happy again. Still I wouldn’t be surprised if Arthur were to shy away the first times at hearing her. He’d be pretty conflicted, since he knows on a logical level she didn’t mean any harm, but her actions are what caused him to be hurt for a good year and that would be hard to shake off. Once he comes to terms with the events after spending time with Lewis, I think there’s a chance they could be friends again, if maybe not as close as before.

I think the group would hinge on Arthur’s reaction to Mystery, in all honesty. I’d like to hope that being extremely apologetic and mindful of his space (and staying in little dog form) would help tolerate his presence, but I honestly don’t know with the amount of trauma Arthur’s gone through if it’s feasible. Certainly not being able to handle Mystery anywhere near would put some sort of a wedge between Art and Vivi.

...

basically, tl;dr... I really, honestly don’t know. I certainly haven’t experienced a trauma to anywhere even a fraction of what Arthur has gone through, so I can’t say what I would do or feel in that situation. I hope they can make it through this, but if they do it will take quite a fair chunk of time, but for all their sakes I hope they could.

[answrs]

Ace!thur nOPE.

please read warnings beforehand:

deals with a sex-repulsed ace character in a sexual situation, as well as redaction of consent both during and after the fact, regret, guilt, self-victim blaming, and the fact that just because you didn't mean to do something doesn’t mean it didn't happen and you're free of responsibility for the consequences.

ace!thur offering lewis to possess him to be “with” vivi, despite both a) being super squicked out by sex, and b) still suffering extreme trauma from being possessed.

maybe the hope is that he'll fall asleep, but the massive panic attack when lew even prods at him (not even talking over, or even actually entering him halfway) very much sends lew rebounding out like he's got the devil on his tail.

or the attack is so fast and overwhelming his self really does lose consciousness, and it freaks lew out horribly, who then stays in his body trying to find, wake him up.

if he passes out while lew's still settling and adjusting, having told him he'd just sleep through it, have fun, lew and vi think everything's normal. So they mess around a bit, but arthur comes around right as things start getting heated. either physically flinching away or his mind shrieking ‘do not want!’ alarms that have lew freezing, yelping, backing off immediately.

coming to when they're in the middle, end of things, lew too foggy to notice arthur is squirming, trying to crawl out of his own skin, no no he takes it back make it stop he doesn't want it stop stop why did he do this no no he doesn't- lew suddenly with a wash of very different emotion flooding him, freaking him out just as much and both having two separate freakouts in one body.

and then there's arthur finally waking after everything is over, vivi is sleeping and lew is curled up resting around them. he can feel the phantom sensations though, they freak him out, feels dirty and wrong but he said they could, said they should, but now it’s happened and there's lingering memories from lew flashing by and he squirms uncomfortable but freezes as one of them stirs. can't let them know, can't let them feel guilty for something his fault his fault why did he do it he let it happen not their fault he said yes said okay-

pretending nothing's wrong but avoiding them both, not sleeping well, flinching from contact and constantly scrubbing at himself like he could wash the phantom feelings away Lady Macbeth style- they're so confused by the sudden pale pallor, unable to meet their eyes , neurosis coming out in force. but the only catalyst could be that night and- oh shit did they, was it their fault, is it all because of them how could they miss something huge like that what were the signs they're so confused and worried but don't know what to do and it's just like arthur expected them to act but they aren't stupid did it- was that- does that mean they, they-

and it's just what arthur didn't want but he blames himself he said yes he told them to-

but on their side they should have been more questioning, suspicious, made sure- the offer when they knew he was- they'd have stopped if they'd known but he didn't, couldn't say no because he wasn't there, and isn't that just as bad as- why didn't they suspect, sense anything wrong with his offer, their fault, their fault, they're so sorry but how do they fix it can they even fix it what do they do can't hug him he flinches from them but if they talk will it stir up more memories, make him worse, what- how- why-!?

and arthur self destructing because why can't he just get over it he wasn't even there he knows they suspect and they're suffering because he just can't let it go forget get over it why is he being so selfish and making it all about him what's wrong with him why can't he just forget, suck it up, not drag down his bf and gf because he's an idiot all his fault so stupid get over it get over it stop thinking about it god damn it-!

[answrs]

Tied by a Rose

I’m... not in a good place at all right now so depressing msa shells ahoy!

with every denied apology, each hissed “murderer" on a non-existent breath the rose vines had woven, stabbed and wound themselves into, around the living’s broken soul.

it isn't until they're too late, when the blood has pooled and flesh gone cold, where only the bare traces of the weak struggle over a beating heart had been fought are left. When no trace of a tattered and tarnished gold soul remains, to stay, to bind, to even say goodbye.

while mystery runs wild, howling out his sorrows, his regrets as he tears through the wilderness, Vivi has no way to function, does nothing but curl broken in the loft above a grieving auto shop for two weeks. two weeks where all Lewis can do is try to take care of her and reflect on the sudden ache deep in the cracks of his being.

only when mystery returns, wild eyed and covered in underbrush, do they return to the mansion, under the heavy hints lance gives the ghost on wanting his child's possessions back.

the deadbeats ask how long they can play with their new toy, in coffin room lew finds art on hand and knee roped down by vines and brambles, he’s furious Arthur's been here whole time making Vivi and mystery (and him) so lost these past weeks, art croaks out how he's sorry, so sorry, all his fault, but now lew doesn't have to hide, doesn't have to hold back, whatever punishments he deems to give him, he can't die a second time, whole time thorny vines crawl and wrap around him like snakes, flesh tearing off and knitting back together over his face as he finally meets the pink ghost’s eyes, a dull (dead, so dead) muted orange such a contrast to what should be bright, fiery orbs

lew feels his anchor crack deep, so deep it feels he might split in two, that Arthur thought so little of himself to stay only to be a punching bag for who should be a dear friend (but they haven't been friends for a long time now, have they Lewis.)

[answrs]

Tell me more about this au of an au tho :3ccccc

[…] feeling the surge and knowing vaguely what it’s trying to do, Arthur tries to stop it, attempting to call out. but only having half a mouth the scream comes out as a strangled “lllllllllww…..sssss….”.knowing the futility, he drops his only remaining leg out from under them and they crash face down to the floor of the cave. he slaps the stone floor desperately, trying to alert the man turning around that something is very wrong. the last thing he sees as himself is Lewis’s terrified expression, frozen at the sight of the manic grin of his rictus face.

Lewis doesn’t know what’s going on, one moment he’s peering over a drop, the next there’s an echoing sharp noise behind him and Arthur is on the floor only feet from him (and the ledge, oh god). his boyfriend’s right hand is gesturing madly to his left side before his head turns up to see him and over half his face is green, the only remains of his Artie the ever shrinking pale flesh and a lone stream of tears trailing down his face.

he has to act quick, shaking himself out of the frozen state he’s in, he has to keep whatever was happening to Arthur’s body from hurting his boyfriend. ‘how did he not notice sooner?’ is his only thought as he dashes to the prone form, quickly followed by, ‘how can he possibly fix this?’

he grabs corpse-like wrists as his body straddles the other’s back, holding him to the floor like a rock. (a far corner of his mind flushes, how this position would feel in a different situation, and hey, when was the last time they’d even-?) as he adjusts to avoid flailing legs kicking and bruising his side, he cries out for Vivi, mystery, anybody that could possibly help fix this. he can’t lose Arthur now, not after everything they’ve been through!

Lewis thinks Arthur would hate him for not noticing, not helping at all

Arthur thinks Lewis would despise him for what he tried to do to him, for not warning him sooner and hurting him. And he’s a deadweight on cases, battered and bruised inside if not out, he cant do this anymore hes a disappointment hes sorry he cant he cant he cant he wants to go home hes sorry he cant hes sorry sorry-

Arthur packs up when lew and vi dejectedly go on a day or two trip without him, he thinks it was the final stitch, that they resent him, hes been sleeping in the living room the past week with the lights on to not disturb lewis in their bedroom when he wakes up gasping and flailing, terrified of each shadow spanning the walls.

Lew meanwhile is hurt and hates himself hes gotten so distant from artie enough his best friend, boy?friend? Wont even accept his comfort, thinks if he had just done more-

He comes back to the apartment to find it not half-bare, but enough small things missing he knows immediately something is wrong. Did something happen? Was there a break in? Is arthur okay? He calls out, trying to find the smaller man, but finds hide nor hair of the blond. As hes searching (futilely at this point, checking the cleaned up rooms and closets a second, third time) he logs things that have been taken. The tv is there, their movies, only a small collection of how it’s made dvds gone. His toothbrush and hair products are there, but the tub of gel and orange brush are also missing. Little thinngs like that here and there, nothing theyd shared or bought together for the apartment, even things arthur had bought them by himself are out of place. Towels in the closet, pillows on the bed… the bedroom is the only room a visitor might even point out as having someone gone from it, a mound of laundry  gone, an empty shelf, a cleared side table, a third the dresser hanging empty. He finally returns to the envelope in the kitchen, addressed to one lewis pepper. Inside is a check for an amount that makes his eyes go wide, he almost rips it to see the small index card written in arthur’s iconic barely decipherable scrawl:

‘For Rent - I’m Sorry’

i blame you 100% for this.