original concept by XRH

MANOS DE ORO

a messy and unfinished passion project 5 years in the making original oc pls don’t steal thx xoxo gossip girllast update: 3/24

what tf is manos de oro

Manos de Oro is an original story about the many different struggles of midwestern american life experienced by the main character, Kestrel Biety. After a less than ideal upbringing led them to a career in beating up people for money, they find themselves working with a group calling itself Manos de Oro (hands of gold).
MdO, in the simplest terms possible, is a sort of gang. Its members do their best to keep their people safe primarily by giving protection, food, and harm reduction supplies. Many also choose to participate in protests- both peaceful and direct action based. Most hold socialist/anti capitalist/zapatista ideals close, and have had many scuffles with police because of this. Through the training and guidance provided by Sugar Pereyra and Carlos Guzmán, the MONTAÑACERO branch of Manos de Oro has become greatly respected by those who need them, but at the expense of increased police surveillance.

themes n such

Inherent value of life, anger as a tool against oppression, questioning the morality of vengeance, amputation to save a life, community strength and solidarity
Characters will fight against capitalism and govt/police/military violence externally, and internally face generational and individual traumas as well as mental illnesses and bad behaviors learned from abuse

trigger / content warnings

oh boy where to start… will update as necessary lmao
in no particular order: physical and emotional child abuse, self harm subtle and overt, recreational drug use and substance abuse, MMIW2S references, medical abuse and trauma, emotional manipulation, police brutality, general violence and harm, suicidal ideation and attempt, hallucinations and delusions, themes of mental illnesses in general, racism but it’s not too heavy surprisingly, one accidental instance of animal harm into deathone thing i can safely say is there is no themes or depictions of sexual trauma or abuse bc that’s not part of the story i wanna tell so! if that kind of thing is too much u don’t even have to worry bc it is for me too LOL

the mess ahead…

all of my writing has been done in bursts of passion trying to get as much information down as possible, so it may not always b understandable by anyone outside of my (xochitl’s :) brain
some of the beginning and more interesting parts have been slightly polished enough to be… passable as a series of events, but i wouldn’t dare try to call it a novel or even like a short story it really is just. A Mess! and it’s with love in my heart i make this site to display my insanity to others in hopes maybe yall might like my special little guy named Meaty Biety who came to me in a dream one time and has haunted me since :)

• plot
• meat vault
• chara profiles
• guestbook :3

MANOS DE ORO

conventionally attractive middle age+ white man comes into work, starts his day with some coffee and a donut or whatever w his feet kicked up on his bougie business ceo type desk
he starts reading a newspaper w some Unfortunate Political Shit as a headline, then gets interrupted by his Sexy Secretary coming into his office and saying some random employee accidentally fucked up some paperwork so it’ll b turned in late or smth
dude takes his feet off the desk, puts the paper down, leans his elbows on it with his hands (covered in gold rings, wearing a gold watch) steepled and his face really dramatic and only shown the lower half as he says the employee is fired effective immediately
secretary is like ok are u sure? and gets confirmation then goes to let the employee know
employee has a kinda untidy desk as they work frantically on the paperwork to try to turn it in on time, a framed photo of them w 3 kids and like some crayon art would b visible
they get told to pack up their shit and leave by lunch, secretary leaves, employee is noticeably upset and pissed
they pack up their shit, leave and come home to their 2 children who r too young for school being babysat, and immediately open Dark Web Craigslist to find a certain mercenary who is pretty well reviewed and more importantly, cheap to hire
cut back to the business guy and he’s in a club or smth drunk and flirting with a woman wearing the uniform for the club, his hand covered in gold jewelry gripping her shoulder a little too close to her neck
he eventually leaves the club and stumbles to his very expensive car, opens the door, and immediately gets smacked over the head with a baseball bat or smth
he falls to the ground and gets the shit kicked out of him by none other than everyone’s favorite messy bitch kestrel meaty biety :)

Kestrel Biety, a 21 year old unfortunate citizen of Isla de Gematerradas, USA, has been working as a mercenary for the better part of 3 years. Despite the job title, they've never actually killed anyone. Their job is to jump, threaten, rob, and protect the people who hire them. It's not a pretty career, but it's the best they can do with what life has given them.
While browsing their usual Dark Web Job Listings, they see an ad from someone who wants their boss to get “roughed up” after subjecting his employees to illegal wage cuts and other workers rights abuses. Kestrel does their usual background checks and decides to take the job. A moment passes, payment is secured, and they begin to plan.
The job gets done as easily as can be expected and they get a 4.5 star rating for their efforts. Life continues, but a couple of weeks later they find themself near the same location of their previous job. Something didn't feel right- and not much more than a moment after the thought registers, their arms are quickly bound behind them and a bag is put over their head. Luckily, they only have a couple of minutes to have a silent panic attack before they get to wherever they're going. Their captors secure them to a surprisingly comfortable chair and remove the bag so they can have a proper conversation.
Their kidnappers- one an average looking man in his 60’s with sun-worn skin and stern eyes, the other a middle aged butch woman with great arms and a friendly smile on their face stand a few feet in front of Kestrel in the completely unremarkable empty room theyre in. The man shuffles on his feet a bit, looking ever so slightly nervously towards the woman. They exchange a look, then the woman turns towards Kestrel and introduces them both as Sugar and Guzmán. She tells them they were the ones who hired their services, and praises their quick and clean work. The man- Guzmán- nods in agreement. He tells them that a few others applied for the same job, but none of them performed as well as they did- if they even succeeded at all.
Kestrel keeps quiet as they speak, not knowing what this one sided conversation could be leading to. Guzmán sighs and asks them if they knew that they should've been paid twice as much for their efforts, to which they hesitantly shake their head. Another look is exchanged between Guzmán and Sugar before Sugar asks them if they'd like to put their skills to work under Manos de Oro with them. Not being one to trust easily, Kestrel scowls and spits at their feet and tells them both to go to hell. Sugar looks amused at this, and offers them the other half of what they should've been paid if they consider their offer. They accept, but internally knows they're just going to keep doing what they've been doing- alone. Guzmán calls towards the only exit in the room and invites a couple of other MdO members in to escort Kestrel out.
———————-
Weeks pass without giving a single thought to MdO’s offer, but with the extra cash they'd received, they'd only had to take a couple of small jobs in between to stay afloat. The monotony is broken by a weird job offer; a man contacts them directly and asks if they could go after his wife. He claims she’s cheating on him and wants absolute proof in addition to being “punished” for her infidelity. Kestrel initially almost declines, but seeing the amount offered makes up their mind for them.
They're given the address of a bar his wife frequents and gets themself dressed nicely on the night he says she’ll be there. They arrive a bit earlier than her to smoke against the side of the building, giving them a chance to gauge how popular this place is as well as making them look cool and mysterious. Just a couple minutes later than estimated, Kestrel’s target shows up. She's a completely average white woman, wearing her blonde hair half down and dressed in a modest white button up and grey slacks; Kestrel figures she must've just come straight from work. She gives them a quick glance before walking into the bar- time to get to work. They stub out their cigarette against the brick and walk in after her.
The woman- Sara- sat at the bar off to the side, close enough to the crowd to be noticeable but far enough away that you'd have to sidestep people to get to her. Deep breath in and Kestrel makes their way to her side, sliding in the empty seat to her left. Sara glances at them again, giving them a subtle lookover as they order a daiquiri from the bartender. The bartender slides over both of their drinks quickly then turns their attention elsewhere, giving Kestrel the opening they need.
They start out by complimenting their target’s choice of drink- a similarly fruity cocktail but with much more alcohol content. Introductions are made (using a fake name), light flirting is exchanged, and before they can even feel the awful buzz, Kestrel is walking out with her. Quickly- but not at all unexpectedly- they find themself gently but firmly pressing her against the dark, hidden back wall of the bar. Their target expresses her interest clearly by taking Kestrel by their chin and kissing them wetly. She's obviously more drunk than them- they almost feel sorry for having to push her off and continue their job.
Surprisingly, they were wrong about her level of inebriation as she quickly rights herself and enters a defensive stance a few feet away from Kestrel. They sigh, apologize, and lunge low at her in an attempt to get her down. They manage to get her in a hold, but after a while of mutual reluctant struggling, they break apart. Sara, wobbly and upset, confronts Kestrel and asks them what she did to deserve this. Figuring the job was lost at this point, Kestrel tells her that her husband had hired them to find proof of her cheating, then make her regret her decisions. Sara hardly seems surprised at this, and tiredly slumps against the wall as she pulls out a pack of cigarettes. Kestrel tentatively offers her a light and slumps next to her. She starts to tell them about her husband, about their loveless marriage and his zealous dedication to his job as a priest. He had been ignoring her at best, and battering her at worst since he accidentally found out she's attracted to women.
Kestrel starts to apologize for what they did, but gets interrupted by a figure appearing in the mouth of the alley they were in. Sara’s husband strides angrily towards them, fists clenched and clearly ready for a fight. Kestrel stands defensively between the couple and tells him he can keep his money if they promise to get a divorce with it. That was apparently the wrong thing to say though, as he decides to charge full force at them. Sara yelps in fear but Kestrel easily sweeps the man’s raised fist away and kicks him in the back as he turns and stumbles. Not wanting to be in this particular situation any longer, Kestrel pulls out their pocket knife and stabs the man in the shoulder as he hits the pavement on his hands and knees. They quickly cover his mouth as he starts to scream, and through the sounds of his pain they make him swear to leave Sara alone for good, and to keep their business interactions a secret. He nods as well as he can, then they withdraw their knife and get out of there as fast as possible.
Hours later, after making sure they weren’t being followed (and not at all procrastinating), Kestrel made it back home. As they held their house key at the lock, barely shaking, they sent a silent prayer up to the heavens in hopes that they’d be left alone when they got inside. Key in the lock, twist one way then back, turn the handle and take a step in, silently close and re-lock the door, then sprint downstairs. Luck must've been on their side- they make it down the barely finished stairs to their ramshackle bedroom without any issue. Within the safety of their room, their mind and body finally feel relaxed enough to begin producing Anxiety. On autopilot, they chuck their shoes in the shoe corner and begin to undress. It's only after they hold their one nice dress shirt in their hands- now stained with a few drops of blood, whose it was they couldn't be bothered to remember- that they start to Really feel it.
They used to think that hurting people on purpose would get easier with time, but unfortunately they retained their sense of guilt and loose moral values. They usually didn't think about their choice of career on purpose, but meeting Sara that night had brought a lot of complicated feelings to the surface. They were used to pushing aside any vestige of self examination by telling themself that the people they went after were pretty much entirely shitty: cops, deadbeat parents, abusive partners, and other scum had experienced various forms of their skills thanks to the people they'd supposedly wronged. Since Sara had obviously not done anything Truly wrong, how many other people were out there walking around with undeserved scars from Kestrel? It was impossible to know, and as this knowledge sunk in, they succumbed to their racing thoughts, kneeling against their bed- alone, shaking, and quietly shuddering as they pressed themself hard into their sheets.
They eventually bring themself back down to their regular depressed state of being hours later. Their episode took every last bit of energy out of them, yet they couldnt sleep despite their marrow-deep exhaustion. They resigned themself to wakefulness and went to pull out their old laptop from under their bed. While pulling it out, a business card follows and falls to the floor. They pick it up and inspect it- realizing that it had contact information on it from the people in MdO. They were given it as they were dropped off at a public park, and was told that they could contact them exactly once if they wanted to join them.
Curious yet cautious, they open their laptop and look up Manos de Oro. They start with a regular search and find almost nothing other than a couple of articles about people being suspected of gang activity and people in custody being convicted of gang activity. They then go to their Dark Web Search Engine and try again. This time, they find a lot more information. Multiple posts from people needing protection, others looking for dealers, a few needing emergency services that would be free/cheap and not ask too many questions. Many were replied to offering Manos de Oro’s services, in exchange for help around Montañacero. Looking a little deeper, Kestrel found that the “help” they were looking for usually just involved helping around the community- donating to MdO supported food banks, keeping watch over people in trouble, letting someone spend a night or two somewhere safe, stuff like that. Occasionally though, someone mentioned being asked to give up their guns or drug supply. Kestrel learned all they could about MdO that night, and as the sun filtered through their tiny, dusty windows, they decided they would see about contacting them when they woke up.
———————-
Within that week, Kestrel got a call from an unknown number. a robotic voice gave them an address to go to and a time to be there, and when the time came they prepared themself with a small latte and a smaller edible. When they get there, Sugar and Guzman are talking with someone sitting behind the greeting desk, another couple of people standing nearby. Kestrel walks up to them and accidentally makes eye contact with an incredibly handsome man- he had a bleach blond undercut, warm brown skin, dark facial hair, and the ugliest shirt Kestrel had ever seen. It was covered in a print of pixelated blue chickens in vertical lines. They Hated it. Guzmán then turns his attention to Kestrel and introduces himself and the others around. He tells them theyd all be happy to work with them if they can pass their initial training course: a sort of boot camp he called the Trials meant to see where their strengths lie and what they need to work on in order to best serve their efforts.
Kestrel, along with the handsome man Chicahua, Sugar, the desk attendant Theia, and a few others are to participate in the trials, though Kestrel would be the only one who hadnt already been tested. Guzmán makes them swear to keep any of what they see or do to themselves and the other members of MdO before leading them into a small room tucked away in the back of the building. He inputs a code, slides a surprisingly complicated deadbolt, and opens the door for them all to step in. the room turns out to actually be an elevator which leads to the basement of MdO; a wide open, brightly lit space with one corner filled with different types of gymnastics equipment, another dedicated to weight lifting gear, and several closed doors lining the far side.
Guzmán steps into the middle of the space and begins to ask the newest members about their history with different forms of weapons and body training. Kestrel, having never done any guided training, answers that everything they know, they had to figure out on their own. Guzmán nods, and asks Sugar to work with them all on completing an obstacle course. It involves lots of climbing, belly crawling, jumping over various things, and kestrel is god awful at pretty much every aspect. then came the next activity- figuring out weapon proficiencies with the handsome man (Chicahua) leading the group this time.
He takes them into one of the rooms off the side of the main space: a sound proofed shooting range with many different types of firearms and handheld weapons. He goes over the basics of gun safety, picks a medium sized pistol, and directs them on how to aim properly at the targets set up. Kestrel becomes mildly distracted as he watches him take aim and fire 2 rounds into the right side of the bullseye... his arms are strong and thick from what must’ve been years of hard work, his gaze is focused yet calm... and suddenly turns directly towards Kestrel. He holds out the gun with a gentle expression and passes it to them. They find themself to be surprisingly nervous, despite having known their way around a gun like this for ages. They take it from Chicahua’s hand and will their hands to still as they take aim at the same target. They fire twice as well, one hitting the direct center and the other entering the hole Chicahua made to its right. Both Guzmán and Chicahua are pleased with this, and the other members of their group take their turns.
Hours later, Guzmán and Sugar bring everyone back into the middle of the main room to discuss how things went. He starts off by saying, thankfully, Kestrel passed and can become a full member of MdO’s _{secret team} if they keep up with a training regimen given to them by Sugar. Guzmán congratulates their newest member, and starts to lead everyone back to the elevator. Kestrel, chica, theia, sugar, and guzman hang back while a small group of other participants and observers pass by them and head in. as they pass, an unremarkable twink “playfully” shoves their shoulder and ruffles their hair heedless of their full body flinch and full step backwards. he tells them “jokingly” that he thought they’d never manage it or something rude but Slay and Sassy thinking he’s being funny. Kestrel decides immediately that they’ll avoid him as much as possible forever.
“good job pulling it off girl!! when i saw your shabby ass walk in after G-money mentioned this mysterious someone i never thought you’d make it. but u did!! good for u!!! :)”
“thanks! i’m glad my shabby ass made it thru too and it’s really nice knowing i’m not the most physically frail and breakable person here :) i love your hair btw have u heard of olaplex? i think itd b great for ur texture :)”
Aiming for an enemy at most, kestrel managed to make the dude in front of them see red and smack them in the nose with his $2 shein chain rings. one of the chains snagged on their septum ring briefly, just managing to pull enough to break the skin of their fistula and make their nose bleed. they prepared to launch their full weight at his torso but got startled out of their bloodlust when Sugar shouted a HEY and pushed him bodily away from them and positioned herself in front of them. she and Guzmán shared a half second glance, Guzmán grabbing the guys shoulder and pushing him into the elevator while sugar steps a short bit away to grab the first aid kit above the fire extinguisher next to the elevator button panel.

Kestrel tries to make themself calm down and attempts to stop the flow of blood with their shirt. Sugar guides them to sit down against the wall against their reassurances that theyre fine, that itll stop bleeding in a minute. Kestrel tries to interject but one stern glance from her gets them to shut up while she cleans their face gently with something medical-smelling. Chicahua slides down the wall to sit with them, feeling bad for them and wanting to cheer them up he starts trying to joke around w them. Kestrel, caught off guard by his easy going tone, barks out a rough laugh while Theia puts the first aid supplies away. She sighs, barely hiding her amused smile.
“yknow actually- Guzmán hates being called G-money. the thinks it’s cringe as fuck”
“he’s right it is cringe as fuck and i’d hate it too”
“speaking of which… i kinda. forgot your name.. what is it again?”
They reply, with their nose stuffed to stop the bleeding, “Kestrel Meaty.”
———————-
when they get home that night, their mom is asleep on the couch with the tv blaring loud as hell. kestrel cleans up a bit after her, then heads down to their room while hoping she stays unconscious for the rest of the night. the next day, their mom questions where they were all night and get into an argument when kestrel tells her that they got a new job, purposely leaving out any details. she tells them that they’re going to go nowhere in life, they’re probably working criminals and homeless people who are Obviously all addicted to drugs, they’re using the job as an excuse to let the house look like shit since they won’t b home to clean ever, etc. Kestrel is unfortunately used to this sort of “discussion,” and does their best to ignore her while they get their day started. Obviously not very happy with their silence, their mom roughly grabs their arm to turn them around and Make Them Listen. a moment later, kestrel gets a headache and storms out to go shopping at their local gas station (and also to get away from their mother.)
Not long later, they leave the store with their bag of lean ingredience and happen to cross paths with Chicahua heading inside. he’s very pleasant and makes easy conversation with them, allowing them to briefly forget their issues and pounding headache. Chicahua offers to exchange phone numbers after a bit, then waves his goodbye and walks into the store. Kestrel starts making their way towards a secluded park to waste time, and feels lighter than usual in the cool spring air.
———————-
Getting into any sort of routine has always been incredibly hard for Meaty, but having somewhere that’s (usually) tolerable to go and decent people to work with makes it easier. Most days would start with making strong black tea and breakfast at home (sometimes while being verbally abused), followed by forcing themself to half-jog to MdO’s base of operations. When they get there, they’d usually take a quick breather against the side wall of the building to try to look less Out Of Shape, then they’d walk in and try to avoid being dragged into conversation with anyone while they work. Sometimes their sneakiness and general Vibe would be enough to keep people away, but most of the time if Chicahua, Theia, or Sugar were nearby, they’d gently pressure them into polite conversation. Sugar and Theia were usually predictable- they’d bring up work, training progress, Funny Current Events in the media, etc. Chicahua, however, would nearly always find a way to throw them off with his topics of discussion.His favorite things to bring up were usually questions about Meaty’s interests or preferences, like what they’d watch in their free time or whether they liked reptiles or not. (they watched a lot of cooking competitions, and they adored reptiles, especially snakes and huge lizards) On their especially unlucky days, Chica would manage to squeeze a common interest or debate topic out of them, and then their first hour of being at MdO HQ would be lost to surprisingly nice chatting. When they’d get interrupted, he would usually even ask if they wanted any help or company while they did their usual tasks.
His kindness, obviously, must have been some sort of deception or interrogation or something. The others would occasionally talk to them about similar things, but Chicahua’s consistency and interest was suspicious at best. Kestrel’s concern only worsened when Chicahua thought it would be acceptable to offer them rides home in his truck on especially long or hard days. Each time he was turned down, and yet at every opportunity he saw he would still offer.Kestrel had to get to the core of the issue before they found themself dead in a ditch somewhere after letting him get too friendly. A day filled with too much running around to different places, hitting a dead end at half of them, being forced to negotiate terms of protection, and generally witnessing human suffering left the MdO team feeling less than cheerful, and knowing they’d be going home to their mother was already enough to put one foot over the edge for Meaty. The final straw was Chicahua, once again, offering them a ride home when their shift was over. (It’s not even like he was weird or trying to pressure them into it, he simply asked them if they wanted a ride. like a freak obviously) They both stepped out, ready to leave, then froze when Kestrel snapped at Chicahua.“man, what’s your fucking deal? what are you trying to do? i dont live that far, i can handle myself. i’m not some fucking child who needs their hand held while they cross the street!!”
“??? i didnt- fuckin- sorry man i didnt mean to make you think—“
“then what’s your problem? i’m not your fucking responsibility, why cant you leave me alone for 5 fucking minutes?”
“shit, i’m- fuck i’m sorry. i didnt know you—“
“so that’s it! you didnt realize- you dont think! fuckin—“
“dude can you let me fucking speak?”Meaty had never heard him raise his voice in anything other than excitement or mild annoyance before, Chica was pretty pissed. They closed their mouth real quick and flinched, taking a step back and letting the door close behind them, separating the rest of their conversation from the others (who were eavesdropping).Chicahua winced at their unconscious response, and tried to diffuse the situation as much as he could. Chicahua sighed, folding his arms in front of his (thick) chest.
“sorry- sorry. Just- chill out for a sec, okay? im not trying to make you do anything you dont wanna do. im literally just offering to be nice. just offering- it doesn’t mean anything more than that. i thought it would be good to get you home quickly so you can get some rest or whatever- get some fuckin dinner or something. you know that i know youre strong and you can handle pretty much anything that might happen on your 20 minute walk back, i dont think youre like, a child, or that you’re weak or anything. ill stop asking- ill- ill leave you alone. goodnight.“
He backed up, turned around, and started walking towards his big pickup, only making it a few steps when Meaty realized their Big Mistake.
“wait, fuck, Chicahua i didnt- fuck come on man wait a minute.”They stepped quickly to get to him, rested their hands on his back and arm. They started to apologize and gripped his hoodie to keep him from turning around or walking off again before they finished talking.
“look- shit. i’m. i’m. sorry. i didn’t realize you were just trying to be- nice. Kinda thought you were planning on dumping my corpse somewhere or like- no its fine. yeah- fuck. yeah. I just- didnt realize- sorry.”
Meaty let go of his jacket, took a deep breath- “yeah can you- can I still get a ride? sorry. my like, whole body is dreading the walk.”
“…… did you really think I was gonna kill you?”
“yeah? no. no- nah. not really. I mean i’ve never been killed before so- I figured this would be a good way to- yknow. yeah.”Chicahua, caught off guard, burst into laughter, when he calmed down, he told them to get in and took them home. The ride was entirely uneventful, very quick, and exactly what Meaty needed. When they got inside, they faced their usual nightly verbal abuse with less hostility in them than usual.
———————-
After Kestrel’s mildly embarrassing misjudgement, Chicahua gave them a few days of polite distance, then apparently abandoned the idea and returned to his usual friendliness. he offered them rides home less, but more often than not they’d accept and enjoy the few minutes of peace he gave them before they’d have to face their mother. things were feeling vaguely normal though, and that of course meant something was going to completely fuck it up soon.The fuck up came in the form of Kestrel’s mother. They had been spending more and more time at work, choosing to occupy themself with running errands and organizing stock instead of being at home and locking themself in their room like usual. Their rides home in Chicahua’s family work truck also drew too much attention. Kestrel’s mother didn’t appreciate the silence of their absence followed by it being broken up with the sounds of the truck approaching.Kestrel and their mother’s arguments often included Chicahua- wondering who he is, (just a friend from work) what he does with his life (work, or none of your fucking business) who he thinks he is (how should I know) etc. With time passing and more of it being spent with MdO, Meaty had grown to appreciate and enjoy the existence of their coworkers, and being questioned about Chicahua specifically had been upsetting them more and more.Weeks turned into months, and Meaty was being harassed at home more than ever, going so far as them losing even more sleep and receiving a couple bruises from their mother’s grip.For years, Kestrel had been checking in every once in a while on the cheapest available apartments in the area. They’d never really made a Plan to move into any one of them, but it was nice to dream about occasionally. It wasn’t until they’d been talking to Theia about her moving process that they realized they could get out of their mother’s house sooner than some vague “future” point in time. Theia had told them that she was moving into an empty duplex on the edge of town- it was apparently kind of out of the way, but it had easy access to a couple food places and a grocery store. Meaty decided to look it up at home out of curiosity.The bottom floor must’ve been what Theia moved into, since the upper floor was still available for rent. The listing photos looked… decent. The interior was painted barely off white, 1b1br, with ugly orange-brown cabinets in the kitchen, slightly outdated but clean appliances, and grey-brown shag carpeting. The kitchen and living room were essentially the same space, with the bedroom and bathroom at the back of the apartment across from each other. It was overall a relatively small space, but it was miles more than what Kestrel had at that point in time.After a particularly successful week of work, and an equally stressful week at home, they called the landlord for information about rent. Somehow, they managed to negotiate it to an even $650 a month and was given a range of possible move-in dates if no one else was interested in the space by the end of the quarter in April, 2 and a half months away. They hesitated, and said they would call again sometime with a definite answer, not entirely sure they were telling the truth.Moving out had always been a vague and nebulous idea- they’d gotten this far pretty sure they’d never be able to make it on their own, despite their aggressive independence. The idea of their own space to Exist without being questioned or threatened was… A Lot for them. They decided to take some time to think about everything. Then immediately changed their mind as their heartbeat spiked in fear when their mom upstairs got up from her seat (living room by the sound of it). Fuck it, couldnt be worse than being where they already were.They spent weeks of saving up as much as they could- slowly at first, then much faster when they saw their real progress towards what they needed to be their salvation. They had to save up $2k to cover everything, and with Montanacero’s criminally low minimum wage of $7.75 before tax, it felt insurmountable. Annoying. Depressing. They couldnt be more excited to get away from their mom, out of the basement that had cursed energies washed into the walls and set into the tile grout like a black mold no one else could get fucked up from.
Half a year passed before they could save enough cash between the costly hazards of living. The day they cashed the check that got their balance just above their target, they emailed the landlord and prepared to wait as long as they had to for a response. 20 minutes later their phone vibrated with their specific email pattern and gave them the key to their happiness theyd been working so hard towards. After shooting off their response confirming a lease signing appointment, they excitedly texted theia that theyd soon become neighbors :) they talked back and forth for a while, kestrel seeking advice for the actual process of moving. Theyd originally planned on renting a uhaul- though they didnt have a license they didnt know who would be able to drive it. 5 minutes later, they got a message from someone else.
Theia, ever the chismosa, had obviously told chicahua, known pick up truck owner, who wanted to tel kestrel how happy he was for them and that hed be willing to save them some money by using his truck and help them pack or whatever they might need to move. Kestrel wasnt exactly… fond of the idea of owing someone a favor, even if it was their friend (maybe even best friend?). They offered to cook something for him once they get settled into their place in exchange.
“Tryina wine n dine me meaty? Whats on the menu”
“Smth easy to intermediate im not a chef”
“Which are u easy or intermediate”
“Oh im HARD as fuck dude”
“Damn sharty gonna get me there too keep talking bout dinner or whatever”

uh oh that’s it here is the rest outlined. smile

-meaty moves out, big screaming match w mom in front of chicahua
-time passes and kestrel ends up meeting their mom on the job (in disguise)
-mom later realizes they saw kestrel and hires Thomas undercover cop
-Thomas enters mdo and confirms meaty's identity
-he tries to get close to them but they fucking hate him so he gets closer to chicahua instead to learn abt them
-chica thomas and meaty hang out and chicahua ends up talking abt Mari (first time kestrel is hearing about it from him and not theia’s chisme)
-during big breakout planning thomas fabricates ai gen evidence of her being alive and uses it to blackmail chicahua, info abt mari in exchange for setting kestrel up to b arrested
-Thomas is beat black n blue bc he can tell it’s fake, escapes and snitches to his cop friends
-a case is opened but no charges are filed. yet. bc the magistrate steps in and takes over
-trust broken in mdo now, all members on guard for other infiltrators
-guzmán almost arrested for mdo related shit, takes a back seat in working for now
-mass protest against police brutality, many citizens and mdo members arrested
-big job trying to break them out of temporary holding by force, kestrel kidnapped/arrested by magistrate
meat experimence..
-Damien discovers their existence and keeps an eye on them waiting until mdo come bust them out
-mdo busts them out w help from Damien, meat zaps chicahua and accidentally induces his very own telekinetic magia
-meat wakes up at mdo hq, chicahua kinda goes Off on them and ends their little thing they had going on
-Meaty placed in safehouse w Chica
Damien tracks them down and shows up to introduce himself, tells them he can't erase their profile in the magistrate's system but erased it in the police's
-meaty magistrate vision and hallucinations begin :)
-chicahua helps them chill out and recover for like a month
-they go mdo v2.0 (moved location for safety) and add Damien to the team
-meaty damien and theia move in together <3
-damien and theia romance <3 and kestrel learns to b autistic
-???
-Damien finds out about the solar eclipse countrywide takeover (corona initiative)
-citizens and members of mdo slowly go missing one by one
only meaty and Damien left
-they break out mdo members one by one and everyone gets everyone else out until the magistrate's army is reduced
-Kestrel goes back in for chicahua, frees him but the magistrate appears to them and forces them to stay so their loved one can go
Kestrel mind magia manipulation into uh. something important
-the gang washes up on the beach, water is kinda on fire from Events
everyone made it out :) except for meaty's left eye and the magistrate
magistrate, police, military and govt exposed for conspiracy and other shit
-things aren't Great but they'll get better
-guzmán, Sugar, chicahua lead efforts to help people out, making mdo less of a gang and more of a community support organization
-Kestrel and Damien leave to go hide for a while
-the siblings stalk and kill Thomas
return on foot to chicahua's family's place and reconcile
-end :)

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meat vault

latest to oldest depictions of meaty and their friends :)
content warnings ahead!!

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character info