Artwork originally posted to FA.
A separate world, a separate time. Max was caught at one point by a person who wished to use him for evil, transforming him into a dark and controlled version of himself like a puppet. A Celebi from that world naturally wards off evil, and so Max lives in an anomalous state. His time travel activated without warning, sending him to the edges between; thus, he happened across the Halftime Pub. Still technically 'caught', he's struggling to regain his original form and break free of the chains on his heart. With the activity in the pub to worry about and any advances quickly shutting down every time a scare happens, little progress has been made to undo the knots keeping him down, however.
He's been able to contribute to the atmosphere in his own unique way, even though he is but a shadow of his former self: his stiff and silent presence all but demands respect, and he has kept the boost to his powers he gained in his world. He's the only crew member to retain most, if not all, of their fighting powers while in the pub's space, and while his heart may protest getting involved with customers who might very well be able to kill him, he still approaches and asks them to leave if they get too rowdy. The strained skin on his body is proof of the times he's had to exert himself to keep the peace. Outside of his duties as bouncer, he's constantly struggling with his mind to break free of the darkness, even though it may cost him his position; as such, he's usually quiet and preoccupied, having often been caught listening to music to keep his focus. He has a pair of darkened shades that comes with the job, but he actively chooses not to wear them - he's been told his cold stare works better.
Max and Ellis are on...positive terms. Max absolutely hates seeing Ellis's face the way it is, but he knows Ellis is someone that never causes problems, and respects him for having the same steel in his gut in the face of customers who Max would internally crumple to. Ellis does rely on Max to solve disputes around the pub, but when it comes to non-work discussions, Max clams up and it's impossible to get a word out of him with the half-Celebi around.
Mute get slightly better treatment, with Max able to somewhat put up with her presence and evil eye, assuaged by Mute's fleeting optimism. He finds her mannerisms cute, and when her alternate voice is quiet, he feels as though he can trust Mute with bits and pieces of himself. When it's not, though, he becomes his stoic self, regressing thanks to her alternate voice's cutting criticism. He does feel hope that Mute can fight back against it, with that hope being one thing he trusts as proof that he's a little bit closer to returning to normal himself.
Snowy isn't as terrifying to Max despite the obvious bodily injuries, perhaps because his personality overshadows them to the point where Max doesn't view him as an undead frozen Celebi, but an example of what he could strive to be. Max watches Snowy's performance behind the bar as often as he can, but his envy keeps him from striking up a conversation, as well as knowing Snowy is one of the main culprits of crew infighting and usually one to call for Max whenever altercations happen in the pub. A source of stress, but also a shining example of humanity; he's holding out for the day when they can talk like normal, so he can set his mind at ease.
Anne...is not a very nice person to Max. And Max oh so wants to tell her off and put her in her place. But as a bouncer, and with the darkness in his heart clouding his emotions, he can only pierce her with his stare and stop her from harming others. He does not wish to actively harm her back, though, and only does so in self defense; he feels as though shaming her would do better to calm her down than loose his powers on her. Some of that shame comes when he does catch her trying to poison food or catching her arm right before stabbing someone else, and while she claims innocence, he doesn't buy it for a second. Next time she tries to pull something, he oughta crush that stake in his grip like it were paper...
Doom is one of the craziest Celebi Max has ever seen, and one he has to keep a constant eye on whenever she's around. She's liable to point fingers and start a fight at any moment for any reason, with coworkers or customers alike, and so he believes the real reason he's hired is to keep Doom in check. The two have a small business relationship, as Max looks out for Doom and her shipment as she unloads, and has to sign off on some paperwork too, but that usually-sane process is overshadowed by her interactions while inside the pub. He wishes the place could hire someone extra to help out with this process, but he's kept his mouth shut just in case the person hired on turns out worse than Doom. Her eventual crying and wailing at the bar counter pushes his heart ever closer to being free, so despite her charged attitude, he feels he must thank her at one point once he overcomes his darkness.
Keywords
male
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pokemon
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male/solo
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max
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bruises
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microphone
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celebi
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bouncer
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bruise
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black shirt
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unsettling
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halftime pub
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Published:
1 year, 5 months ago
25 Jun 2023 01:10 CEST
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