othellovonryan

[One second, Donnie is kneeling by the mud.]

[The next, he's near the ceiling, a small purple rod extending out into a full titanium bo staff, a hammer forming at the end of it to small into the back of the figure that had been trying to get the jump on him and he uses the momentum to send a kick towards the one grabbing at Wylan.]

[Wylan had been kicking in the one man's grip-- Prior, he realizes, which makes the other man Miggson when suddenly both of them are collapsing down on top of him in a giant dog pile with Wylan on the bottom. It reminds him of the inky mud and he tries to claw his way out of the human pile of limbs but he's not strong enough. Prior curls one bicep around Wylan's throat again and pulls up tight.

Wylan can only make choked sounds of need. Help him Donnie, please.]

[Its a mental construct.]

[Probably don't murder.]

[Drugging is probably fine though.]

[A syringe appears from the metal plating on his back and he grabs it to stick it into Prior, prattling on the chemical compounds for one hell of a sedative.]

[You know, just to make sure it takes since Wylan should recognize at least some of it.]

[All of a sudden, Prior releases him and Wylan is left coughing into the mud. He barely squeezes out of the pile of men as the chorus of compounds fill his ears. Donnie's right, Wylan recognizes quite a few of them and he's grateful no one's getting murdered, even it it's just a mental construct.

Wylan continues to cough a little longer before he sits back in the mud.]

Does that happen a lot?

[He eyes Miggson.]

[....gonna stick him with another needle.]

[Definitely not sus Donnie just has Multiple Sedatives On His Person, Surely.]

A lot? No, not in my experience, but it has happened before.

[Namely he had his own self attacking his mind. Or, well, a Thing He Made In His Soul Did.]

It does point to some self destructiveness though.

I would advise working on your father issues because terrible fathers should have all their words purged from their children's memories.

[Self-destructive sounds a bit familiar for sure. After his father wanted nothing more of him, it was far too easy to fall down into his own rabbit hole of self-hatred.]

But we're here for jealousy. Do you think I was jealous of my father?

[It finally hits him.] I was jealous of the baby, the 'proper heir.'

Well, that was more generalized advice from someone whose seen a number of parental issues.

Though it has been shown parental issues can lead to other issues.

Like my current jealousy?

[ Wylan is still keeping far, far away from that inky mud, thank you very much.]

Correct. [There is a Shift in his energy right now.] If a formative relationship made you feel like you were easily left behind, that can transfer to future relationships.

[Then its gone.] So you're worried Jesper will be like your dad. Which...seems unlikely. Jesper seems to be someone who loves fiercely.

[He goes back to the mud and going to touch it, see if he can get a reaction, or feel the jealousy in it.]

[It's true, Jesper does love fiercely, but.]

I suppose I'm worried he'll run out of love. As if it's limited, and there won't be enough left for me.

[With Wylan's words, the mud reaches up to try and ensnare Donnie's arm to drag him in.]

[Ah, yep, expected.]

[The markings on Donnie's body suddenly glow as energy gathers around his hand into the form of a powerful vacuum.]

[Time to try and vacuum it up into a container that seems to build itself right beside him.]

Love is not a finite resource.

Trust me, I truly, and sincerely wish it was, and it is not.

You do? [Wylan seems puzzled by everything Donnie just said, so he stares, and then stares some more.]

It would be a lot easier if I couldn't learn to love more people.

[He's going to tug his arm out of the mud again, trying to suck up more of it.]

I think I have the opposite issue. [Jesper is the only person who has ever loved him, so seeing him with others makes him think he may eventually think like his father.]

You have a hard time caring for others?

No, others have a hard time caring for me. [Whether it's insecurity, jealousy, or a combination of both, but it manifests easily here in this heart game. Wylan dips his head as an imaginary Kaz Brekker walks through with two sheets and then a moment later snatches one away, causing Wylan to flinch. Another scene plays, in an alchemist's lab where a woman with dark skin argues against including him on the team, Jesper joins in on her side.

In yet another scene an explosion goes off, and four heads turn toward him, either to glare, stare, or otherwise damn him before he even gets a chance to explain.]

Oh, that's a whole different problem.

Love isn't a finite resource, but it is a resource that is picky about where it goes per person. I don't love everyone, but as I love someone, it gets fierce quickly.

And as you see, not everyone is going to love everyone. That's just how it works.

I'm a created freak of nature, so as you can probably guess, I am not exactly Mister Popular back home.

But just because most people are small minded doesn't make the people who do love me any less.

[Wylan nods along with Donnie's words. It makes sense. Not everyone is going to love him, even if he were as charming as Jesper. Somehow Jesper loves him, but that doesn't mean Kaz will, or Inej or Nina. Life simply doesn't work that way. He supposes he should stop blaming them and blame himself instead.

That's the message Donnie was trying to get across, right?]

I should be happy with what I have?

I'm saying don't let the fact others not loving you diminish the value of those who do love you.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be more loved so long as you don't view yourself as unlovable just because some people don't like you.

Because people do love you, and that is precious, isn't it?

[Looks at him, raising an eyebrow.]

It is. [Wylan holds his hands over his heart.] It is very precious to me.

So that's what should matter, shouldn't it?

[He gestures to where Kaz, the woman, and the other scientists are.]

These people don't matter. Would it be nice to be liked? Of course. Does it hurt when they don't? Yes, that is true too.

But they are not the ones who have already chosen you. They are not the ones who matter where it really counts. They will not be there when you are sad, when you're happy, need support, want to share good things. Those people are moments.

The ones who love you are part of you. They are the ones whose opinions should shape you.

[An imaginary Jesper steps out of the line of people and moves toward Wylan, taking his hand. With a smile Wylan first beams up at Jesper and then over at Donnie.] You're right. Thank you.

Of course. I may not be the best with emotions most of the time.

[There are flickers of blue red yellow orange (like he was before) grey greygold]

But I understand the value of those who really matter.

Also.

Fuck your dad, throw him in a ditch.

[It's stil something that will take time to really take hold, to dig in beneath a surface of never quite feeling good enough, but for now this feels like progress and it's something, which is better than the nothing he came in with.

The comment about his father earns a giggle.]

Back home there's no room to dig any more ditches, so we say to 'throw them in the canal.'

Hm, also valid for a human. Obviously not the thing I jump to for disposing of a body. [Hm, is the other Wylan here in the mud?]

If no one's told you, parental love is unconditional. If a parent has conditions on their kid, they're the ones who are wrong.

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