#Gopher Guts

[sourasshole]

this song makes me frustrated at myself

[sheltoner]

hello everyone i have a question

what kind of campfire (or walking) songs do you have?

i know this isn’t tennis related but i’m really curious abt this and it might get more traction over here

also if you answer pls put the country that you’re from (and if it’s a big country adding the region if you can) ty

[kramlabs]

[stickers-on-a-laptop]

dunno what it says about me that jetta asks naomi to sing a lullaby and i started singing GREAT GREEN GOBS OF GREASY GRIMY GOPHER GUTS

[tickle-bugs]

Pre-Flight Checks

@allytheally: hi :) here's a prompt: you reblogged this thing a while ago about the seatbelts on aircraft (one on the shoulder, waist, and individual ones for the thighs) (https://www.tumblr.com/tickle-bugs/715247149506609152/hey-there-i-work-with-fighter-jets-super-hornets?source=share) and I think it'd be great if you wrote something incorporating this idea... like maybe lee!hangman and ler!rooster or lee!mav and ler!iceman and/or ler!slider? honestly any pairing would be cool

“Gooooood mornin’, Rooster.” The heavy impacts of boots on the stepladder send Bradley’s eye twitching. Hangman’s presence has a volume the way bright light slowly wears on the eyes.

“What do you want?” 

“Me? I just came over to help with your pre-flight checks.” Hangman grins, cocksure. A sliver of sunshine lights up his eyes over the edge of his aviators. 

“I’m clear, but thanks.” Bradley gives a little ‘shoo’ motion with his hands. 

“Lemme give it a second opinion.” Hangman hoists himself up to get a better view of the cockpit. He makes a big show of scanning over the switches and buttons and humming in thought. 

“Knock yourself out.” Bradley snorts and turns away. Hangman’s indecipherable muttering falls easily away under the buzz of his brain. He double and triple checks everything, noting the feel of each switch and knob under his practiced hands. Finding the rhythm of his plane is half the ritual.

Wiggling fingers fit suddenly into the curve of Bradley’s waist and he barks out a laugh, knees jerking against the straps holding him. 

He blinks at Hangman. Hangman grins at him. 

“Don’t--” Bradley dives to grab his hands, but the seatbelts, ever-dutiful, wrench him back into place. 

“Oh, now that sounds like you’ve got somethin’ loose. No pilot should be making that noise.” Hangman tuts, but he doesn’t stop, just lets his stupid hands do their stupid crawl across his stupidly sensitive stomach. Bradley lets out a giggly shriek and tries to fold in half. 

“Oh, Mav wasn’t kidding. This is my lucky day.”

“Youuuu--” Whatever half-baked insult Bradley was aiming for is smothered by his own laughter. 

“Meeeee. Say, are you ticklish anywhere else? Gotta catalogue this for future use. Scream once for yes or twice for no.” Hangman tazes his sides and Bradley’s voice cracks around his laughter.

He’s going to die in this plane. He better die in this plane, otherwise he’s going to gut Hangman like a fish.

…No, he won’t. 

Bradley manages to plant his hand square on Hangman’s face and start pushing, and the ultimatum between continuing the torment or falling onto concrete makes Hangman finally, blessedly let go. 

“Seems like everything’s in order. Pleasant skies, Rooster.” Hangman pats his shoulder and hops down out of sight. 

In his mind’s eye, he’s shaking Hangman by the shoulders until his brain falls out of his ears. In practice, he’s turning his burning face and shy half-smile back towards the controls with hopes of killing both.

…

“Mornin’, Bradshaw.” Hangman pops up like a gopher. Bradley jumps and nearly flips his lounge chair. 

“Seresin.” He exhales tightly through his nose. He stays very still—maybe he can still salvage the last throes of the sun-warmed nap he was finding his way towards. 

“You seem tense.” Hangman cocks his head in something that passes for concern. The rushing ocean suddenly sounds more like an omen. 

“There’s no one else around for you to bother right now?” Bradley leans up on his elbows to search for the other Daggers. He can hear Fanboy laughing somewhere, he thinks, but Hangman’s giant head blotting out the sun is the only thing he can see. 

“Nope!” Hangman makes a big show of cracking his knuckles and stretching his fingers. Bradley’s eyes widen. 

“Don’t you dare.” 

“You’ll have to be more specific. Don’t what?” The expression that Hangman generates overshoots innocence by a country mile. 

“Tickle me, you asshole.” Bradley winds an arm around his torso and scrambles up in his lounge chair. The fluttery kick of anticipation slaps a smile straight across his face. 

“I can’t believe you fell for that.”

“Fell for--”

Bradley pauses as it dawns on him. Watching it dawn on Hangman is worse--his entire face brightens with mischief. 

Bradley starts stammering through a protest and giggling through another, but Hangman’s kneeling over him before any of it becomes coherent. He flails hard enough to send them both tumbling into the sand. Never in his life has he been more grateful to be alone, if only to keep the pitch of his laughter between him and the menace causing it.

He makes a note to keep his shirt on at the beach. 

…

Maybe a week or so of this puts Bradley in a…strange headspace. Distracted. 

Touch is nice, but there’s more of it lately, enough to make him notice and crave its absence in a way he hadn’t before. When Phoenix leans into his side or Fanboy claps his shoulder, he misses the warmth of their touch after. Even Hangman’s utter nonsense sets a gentle buzz into his chest. It’s dizzying. 

He’s so lost in the ache of it that Mav catches on, and it kicks solidly into that tangle of ‘complicated shit’ between them that he keeps putting away for increasingly rainer days. He’d gotten so used to Mav tiptoeing around him as if he were fragile that the first gentle touch on the shoulder almost shatters him. 

The Daggers meet for a barbecue at Mav’s and Bradley shows up early with a bottle of Ice’s favorite Pinot. Things may be complicated, but the mushy smiles on Ice and Mav’s faces are not. It’s nice, putting ‘complicated’ in motion towards being something else. Something lighter. 

Later into the night, Bradley’s got his feet kicked up on the couch in the hangar and the radio crooning slowly in his ear. 

He watches Mav and Ice dance--more of a sway, really, as they banter. Mav’s got a playful tilt to his smile, one that suggests he’s being as much a menace as he’s visibly in love. Bradley smiles and hums along, halfheartedly wondering what Mav might be pestering Ice with.

“This seat taken?” Not waiting for an answer, Hangman picks up his ankles and takes their spot. Bradley brings his heels down hard on his thigh. He gets a swat on the ankle for his trouble. Still, the weight of Hangman’s arm on his legs is comforting. Solid. 

A room full of people to bother, yet Hangman finds him. Hm. 

“Why’re you so obsessed with me lately?” Bradley nudges him with his ankle. Hangman’s eyebrows raise.

Well. He’d meant to say that with a bit more tact but it’s out there now, between them. 

Hangman snorts softly and passes Bradley a beer. He pops the caps on both and pockets them. Probably donations for Coyote’s collection. 

“Don’t flatter yourself, Bradshaw.” Hangman gives him an utterly complex and unreadable look before taking a swig of his beer. ‘Complex’ and ‘unreadable’ are not words that belong anywhere near him. 

“You didn’t answer the question.” Bradley frowns. 

“It’s a stupid question.” 

“Seresin.” Bradley leans forward to smack his shoulder. 

“Alright, fine.” Hangman exhales tightly. “You’ve been moping around like a dark fuckin’ cloud these past few weeks and we couldn’t figure out how to get you out of it. We ran out of ideas and eventually Mav realized he couldn’t hide from us anymore, so he coughed up a solution. Something he said we could try, and I quote, ‘at risk of your lives’. Never thought he’d suggest tickling, but--”

“You went to Mav?”  

“Yeah, and Mav—“ Hangman imitates the way Bradley’s voice cracks— “told Phoenix to try it if all else failed, she told Bob, Bob told me, and now we’re here. And it worked.”

Bradley’s brain stalls out. He sits up, bracing his elbows on his knees. He drops his face into his hands. 

“Oh my god. So everyone knows?” He peeks through his fingers. Hangman shrugs.

“Well, I don’t think Fanboy was paying much attention.” He scratches idly at his jaw. 

“Mav said if all else failed. I didn’t—you guys didn’t try anything else.” Bradley fiddles with the label on the bottle. 

Hangman raises his eyebrow in the precise shape of ‘oh really?’. 

“Remember when Bob tried to buy you soup? Or when Payback made a fool of himself trying to sing Great Balls of Fire? Or when Fanboy tried to introduce you to Star Trek? Or—“

Oh. 

For maybe the only time in his life, Hangman snaps his jaw shut. Bradley furrows his brow. 

“Look…point is, you keep making that exact face you’ve got right now, and concerned parties asked me to investigate.” Hangman swirls his finger around Bradley’s face. He swats it away on habit, but fondness bubbles in the base of his throat. 

“Concerned parties?” A smile sneaks under his mustache.

“Yeah, Phoenix and the rest of them were worried. Not me though.” Hangman takes a long, incriminating swig from his bottle. 

“Not you?” Bradley tilts his head teasingly.

“Nope. I’m a neutral party. Like Sweden.”

“It’s Switzerland, dumbass.” Bradley knocks shoulders with him. Something about Hangman’s smile tells him he already knew that.

“Sure. Whatever.” Hangman throws his arm across the back of the couch. His fingers brush Bradley’s arm. The fondness settles into a resonant hum deep in Bradley’s chest.

“You’ve got your shit with Mav and your past. I get it. But some of us would like to see you smile more than twice a week.” Hangman gestures with his bottle. His movements are loose in the practiced Seresin way, but the care on his face is stunningly plain. 

“Some of us?” Bradley grins. Hangman narrows his eyes. 

“Concerned parties.” His cheeks grow rosy even as he scowls. 

“You are obsessed with me and I’m telling Phoenix.” Bradley pats his shoulder and makes a break for it. A fist grabs a handful of his collar. 

“Like hell you are!” 

The (thankfully empty) bottles clatter to the floor as Hangman wrestles an already-laughing Bradley back down to the couch. He tries not to think too hard about hearing Mav cheer in the background. 

…

Bradley does not start fights. He does not. He finishes them.

He slips past Phoenix and Bob, nodding in passing, and ducks up to Hangman’s Super Hornet. He can feel their eyes on him--especially Bob, he’s got a killer stare for someone so quiet--but he ignores it. 

It’s not a fight, not really, but if he thinks about what he’s doing too hard he’s going to lock himself in a supply closet somewhere. 

Bradley hops up the steps alongside the cockpit. 

“Rooster! To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing your ugly mug?” Hangman grins and bats his eyelashes. 

“I heard you were challenging Mav. Wanted to get a good look at you before you spend the rest of the evening with your face to the tarmac.” Rooster holds up his fingers like a picture frame. 

“Try not to miss me too much.” Hangman winks, insufferable as always. 

“Miss you? Every second you’re not buzzing around down here is a second of peace.” Bradley reaches up and knocks on his helmet. 

“Would you kindly get the fuck off my plane?” Hangman swats lazily at him. Bradley bats his hands away. 

“Before you go, just thought I’d see how your pre-flight checks are going?”

Hangman goes rigid. Bradley grins evilly at him.

“Bradshaw, don’t you fuckin’—“ 

Bradley fumbles with Hangman’s hands and flight equipment until he can jam his fingers right into the soft parts of his side. Hangman yelps and nearly jumps out of his skin. The seatbelts ensure there’s nowhere for him to go, and the clacking of the buckles only spurs Bradley on.

“I thought you’d put up more of a fight than this, Hangman.” Bradley tuts and shakes his head, worming his fingers up under straps to get at his ribs. Hangman well and truly shrieks.

“I am g-going to kill you!” Hangman shakes with the force of his laughter, folded awkwardly into his seatbelts. He shoves uselessly at Bradley’s chest. 

“And I’m never gonna let this go. Think I could get you to do that again, or are you a one hit wonder?” Bradley squeezes quickly at Hangman’s thigh. His hands slap down hard on top of Bradley’s and he starts cackling his way to incoherency. 

Bradley raises his eyebrow and times the squeezes to every escape attempt. It’s incredibly entertaining to listen to Hangman reinvent the squeal. He wonders if the other Daggers know about this yet. 

The sound of a throat clearing nearly sends Bradley toppling backwards off the plane. Strong hands heave him upright and he turns--Maverick’s eyes crinkle around the edges of his sunglasses. 

“Appreciate you getting a head start on destroying him, Rooster, but I believe that’s my job.” Mav pats him on the shoulder. Bradley goes to duck away, but Hangman makes a swipe for his sides, and he can’t let that stand. He leans back into the cockpit and tickles Hangman’s ribs until he’s screeching between hiccups and an interesting shade of red. 

“Aren’t you ssssupposed to help me?” Hangman crumples in around Bradley’s hands, wriggling like a worm on a hook. 

“Help you? No. Teach you? Sure. Wheels up in two minutes. Hopefully you’ll learn a thing or two about getting your ass handed to you.” Mav pulls Bradley back by the shoulder. He lets it happen. Hangman thunks his head back against his seat, chest heaving. 

“Bold words, Pops. We’ll see who comes out on top.” He clicks his tongue and winks. Insufferable bastard. 

“See you in the skies, Hangman.” Mav pokes Hangman’s stomach. 

…

The lounge at Top Gun hums with quiet chatter through the evening as the Daggers share drinks. Bradley’s tucked against the wall with Phoenix and Bob under his arms. He’s half watching Fanboy and Payback fumble through a game of pool, half listening to a story Phoenix is telling, and fully content to lose himself in the sound of her voice. 

The door slams open, welcoming a sweaty and disgruntled Hangman to the room. Scattered laughter and teasing applause kicks up among the other Daggers. He gives the entire room the finger. 

“Yeah, laugh it up. I was off my game.” He pushes his hair out of his eyes. Coyote offers him a pity beer. He takes it. 

“I wonder why.” Bradley chuckles. Phoenix swats his chest. Hangman locks eyes with him, absolutely feral. Bradley goes to make a run for it, but Phoenix hooks her arms under his. He could break her grip if he really tried, but…

When Hangman barrels towards him and tackles him over the back of the couch, Bradley can’t say he doesn’t deserve it.

[strawberryblondebutch]

do you think expansion is going to sway any of the ncaa stars who still have a year of eligibility? eden and murphy are the two i’m thinking of. i know you mentioned that at some point and i know there’s a lot that goes into a decision like that

Yes, but not the ones you’re thinking of.

My gut reaction is that Eden stays another year. Her friends are still on the team, she has nothing to prove, the university will cover her expenses. It’s probably the last time she can sit back and have fun. Whether Murphy stays or goes is dependent on whether she thinks the Gophers have a chance at a title, or if she thinks she has a good shot at the Patty Kaz.

Expansion most benefits players who are not national team stalwarts, who might have gotten an extra year for injury and not the Olympics. Players outside of powerhouse programs who would be fighting for a bottom-six role and now have a chance to become solid role players for an expansion franchise.

I’m mostly thinking about Skylar Vetter here, who missed almost the entire season for Minnesota with injury. If she goes back to college, she’s effectively been supplanted by Hannah Clark, who stepped up in her absence, but now there are six new roster spots for goalies. (I do think there’s a chance she retires if the injury is that bad, though.)

[fablesuntold]

@musingmemories sent: “Pretend you’re my boyfriend.” — From On-jo to Cheong-san✨

The weekend at last. With the first lot of exams out of the way for the school year and some much needed free-time on the cards, Cheong-san found himself to be in a pretty decent mood. The questions had been easy enough, and although he didn’t want to jinx himself.. he felt as though he’d done pretty well— well enough to bag himself a passable grade, at the very least. Only time would tell if his gut instinct was right, wouldn’t it? But his own grades weren’t the only thing on his mind.. in fact, Cheong-san found his mind wondering about how On-jo had fared. To say she wasn’t the brightest would be a huge downplay; dumb, the more accurate term. No doubt she’d struggled to form an answer to the first question, and the imagery that popped into his mind of her scratching her head and chewing her lip in bewilderment was what had a chuckle bubbling up from the back of his throat.

Waiting at the bus stop for the next bus home, too mentally drained to walk his usual route, Cheong-san fished through his pockets for his phone. Maybe On-jo had posted something on social media about her struggles— he sure hoped so, so that he could make a mockery of her in the comment section.

Evil plan in full motion, Cheong-san typed her name into the search bar.. however, before he even got a chance to scroll down on her feed, the obnoxiously loud and rather clumsy sounding footsteps pitter-pattering straight for him in a hurry was what had his eyes darting up to find the source; ‘Be my boyfriend.’ A request that almost had his jaw dropping upon seeing who was asking. On-jo. “..Huh!?” Had he.. heard that correctly? She wanted him to be her.. boyfriend? Seconds in stunned silence passed before Cheong-san concluded what was really said.. pretend the key word that had his heart almost shattering in devastation just as quickly as it had started to pound upon hearing what he thought she’d said.

Wishful thinking on his part.. not that he’d ever let her have the satisfaction of knowing about the huge crush he’d harboured for her since they were six years old.

Collecting his composure enough to pick his jaw off the ground, Cheong-san cleared his throat to pierce the awkward silence that had settled. “Have you lost your mind?” Deadpanning at her, a scoff followed the question. “What the hell’s gotten into you? Did you hit your head, or use your very last braincell on that exam? Stop being weird.” If he knew On-jo well enough, she was probably playing some sort of prank on him and waiting to laugh in his face if he went along with her request. Unfortunately for her though, he wasn’t there to be the punchline of her joke if that was the plan.

“pReTeNd YoU’rE mY bOyFrIeNd. How about no?” Mimicking her voice as best he could, Cheong-san dramatically rolled his eyes and turned his full attention back to his phone screen in a futile attempt to quell the furious blush dusting his cheeks. That, and to delete his search history before On-jo caught a glimpse of it. “..Get lost, Gopher.” A curt request of his own before he was back to ignoring her like always. Maybe she’d take the hint and eventually go away, the notion that she could’ve been trying to use him in order to make a certain somebody jealous completely slipping his mind.

Unbeknownst to him, Su-hyeok was standing across the way chatting to his friends— On-jo’s longtime crush and the guy Cheong-san envied the most. Why couldn’t she look at him the way she looked at Su-hyeok? Why couldn’t she see that he wasn’t interested in her, but that there was somebody closer to home who idolised her more than anything or anyone in the world? But just like always, On-jo liked to live in blissful ignorance whenever it concerned him. That, or she was ignoring his true feelings on purpose so that she wouldn’t have to outright reject him and break his heart if he confessed. How thoughtful of her, if that were the case.

[batmannotes]

Looney Tunes Volumes 1-4 Blu-Ray Set Review

Here they are in one mega set! All four of the recently released Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Blu-rays together at last. Across the four discs inside this release covers the golden era of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies with 97 remastered cartoons, all looking better than ever on Blu-ray in HD. All the great WB cartoon stars share the spotlight here, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, Tweety & Sylvester, and many more. There are over 642 minutes of fun here.

If you have read some of our recent reviews you know a lot about what you are going to get here. In short, this is the best you ever seen these animated shorts look and sound. While I appreciate the expansive selection of cartoons here, I really wish they would have been more concentrated to certain years instead of the hodgepodge represented here. I also wish there were more extras included in these bare-bones releases. Regardless, this set will provide viewers with hours of gut-busting humor.

EPISODE LIST DISC 1

"Beanstalk Bunny" (1954)

"Catch as Cats Can" (1947)

"The Unruly Hare" (1945)

"His Bitter Half" (1950)

"Daffy Doodles" (1946)

"Cracked Quack" (1952)

"Little Orphan Airedale" (1947)

"Hip Hip-Hurry!" (1958)

"Hot Rod and Reel" (1959)

"Greedy for Tweety" (1957)

"Stooge for a Mouse" (1950)

"A Mouse Divided" (1953)

"A Fractured Leghorn" (1950)

"Plop Goes the Weasel" (1953)

"Tale of Two Mice" (1945)

"The Foxy Duckling" – (1947)

"Two Gophers from Texas" (1947)

"Doggone Cats" (1947)

"What's Brewin', Bruin?" (1947)

"The Bee-Deviled Bruin" (1949)

EPISODE LIST DISC 2

"Behind the Meat-Ball" (1945)

"Brother Brat" (1944)

"Catty Cornered" (1953)

"Cross Country Detours" (1940)

"Daffy's Southern Exposure" (1942)

"Ding Dog Daddy" (1942)

"The Eager Beaver" (1946)

"Fair and Worm-er" (1946)

"Fin 'n Catty" (1943)

"From Hand to Mouse" (1944)

"Ghost Wanted" (1940)

"Greetings Bait" (1943)

"Hamateur Night" (1939)

"Hare-Breadth Hurry" (1963)

"A Hick a Slick and a Chick" (1948)

"Hiss and Make Up" – (1943)

"A Hound for Trouble" (1951)

"I Wanna Be a Sailor" (1937)

"The Leghorn Blows at Midnight" (1950)

"Lickety-Splat" (1961)

"One Meat Brawl" (1947)

"The Penguin Parade" (1938)

"Rabbit Rampage" (1955)

"The Rebel Without Claws" (1961)

"The Wacky Worm" (1941)

EPISODE LIST DISC 3

"A Feud There Was" (1938)

"China Jones" (1959)

"Cinderella Meets Fella" (1938)

"Dumb Patrol" (1964)

Egghead Rides Again" (1937)

"Elmer's Pet Rabbit" (1941)

"Hobo Bobo" (1947)

"Honeymoon Hotel" (1934)

"Hop, Skip and a Chump" (1942)

"I Only Have Eyes for You " (1937)

"Mexican Joyride" (1947)

"The Mouse on 57th Street" (1961)

"Mr. and Mrs. is the Name" (1935)

"Of Rice and Hen" (1953)

"Pre-Hysterical Hare" (1958)

"Punch Trunk" (1953)

"Quentin Quail" (1946)

"Riff Raffy Daffy" (1948)

"Saddle Silly" (1941)

"Sheep Ahoy" (1954)

"The Sheepish Wolf" (1942)

"There Auto Be a Law" (1953)

"Tugboat Granny" (1956)

"War And Pieces" (1964)

"Wet Hare" (1962)

EPISODE LIST DISC 4

“Along Came Daffy" (1947)

"A Bone for a Bone" (1951)

"The Cagey Canary" (1941)

"D’ Fightin’ Ones" (1961)

"Dangerous Dan McFoo" (1939)

"Devil’s Feud Cake" (1963)

"Double Chaser" (1942)

"Double or Mutton" (1955)

"Fox Pop" (1942)

"Henhouse Henery" (1949)

"Holiday for Drumsticks" (1949)

"Hopalong Casualty" (1960)

"Hyde and Go Tweet" (1960)

"The Impatient Patient" (1942)

"Leghorn Swoggled" (1951)

"Meatless Flyday" (1944)

"Mouse-Warming" (1952)

"The Mouse-Merized Cat" (1946)

"Muscle Tussle" (1953)

"Muzzle Tough" (1954)

"Peck Up Your Troubles" (1945)

"Quack Shot" (1954)

"Road to Andalay" (1964)

"The Sneezing Weasel" (1938)

"Streamlined Greta Green" (1937)

VIDEO QUALITY 📽️ :  B 

With the 1080p resolution and 1.37:1 aspect ratio, this is definitely the best I’ve ever seen these animated shorts. It’s always a fine line Warner Bros. has to toe while restoring these older animated classics. Although scrubbing the video is somewhat necessary to present these cartoons in high definition, WB still has to make sure not to wash away the original film grain. A lot of people complain when too much film grain is washed away, but for me, it’s never a big deal. I always look for clarity and popping colors. Overall Warner Bros. has done another fine job with these volumes

AUDIO QUALITY 🔈 : B+ 

The DTS-HD Master Audio is solid for a simple 2.0 mono presentation. Both music, sound effects and dialogue are clear and compliment the picture nicely. 

EXTRAS 📀 :  D-

The only real drawback to this collection is the lack of extras. No digital download, no booklets and the only disc extras are a very small dash of shorts.

OVERALL GRADE: B+   

The replay value of all these discs are extremely high for me. I still love throwing these classic cartoons in my Blu-Ray player on Saturday mornings and reliving my childhood again and again. Yeah, I’d love to have more extras, but I’ll eat up every release Warner Archive is willing to deliver. All four of these discs included in one set should make it a no-brainer for fans of the Warner Bros. cartoon library. I highly recommend this set as a fan myself!

You can purchase this release at Amazon.

[third-doctor]

I am begging leftists to remember rural areas exist. Saw a post that was like maybe we should stop making guns and just. We need guns, mate. Not for a hypothetical bad guy with a gun, but because subsistence hunting is very much a thing and sometimes there’s critters after your animals. We don’t need military grade weapons but we very much need guns. A deer can feed a family for a long time. When you have a small flock of chickens skunks and coyotes and the odd mountain lion can be a big problem. Sometimes you’ve got a rattler in the driveway and you don’t want to try and get near the thing with a shovel. Sometimes there’s gophers in the yard and the holes they’re making are a genuine problem because your kids run around playing in the yard and can easily have a foot slip into one and twist or break an ankle.

Also, some people enjoy shooting for sport. Nothing wrong with that. It’s a skill that some people like to develop. Should guns be better regulated? Yeah. Especially assault rifles. But I think you’re underestimating rural areas and their rules around guns. A lot of kids out where I grew up start learning gun safety at a very young age. Youth hunting is a big thing out there, to the point where the first day of the season is set aside for kids and they’re frequently out of school for that day. I’ve heard stories about people coming into class with their hands still covered in blood from gutting an elk. But you know what kids have to do before they get their hunting license? Take hunter safety. Where they learn all the gun safety rules and how to stay safe in the field. Personally, I think hunter safety should be required for adults as well. Probably make it something you have to review every few years, like CPR certification.

Just. For the love of fuck. Rural areas exist. And they wouldn’t tend to skew as republican if democrats actually gave a damn about them.

[wheredidalltheusersgo]

The Stranded and The Scaly

Chapter 14: A day to recover

Day 8

Chapter warnings: Vomit, blood

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Geoff's heart pounded in his chest loud enough for Ezekiel to hear it from a few feet away. At least it was beating a little slower than before.

Geoff was currently laying on his back with the baby gopher clutched to his chest. The weight on his chest provided by the gopher was strangely comforting, and it was helping to keep him grounded. He briefly recalled a breathing exercise Bridgette had taught him last year, maybe it could help him calm down.

He took a deep breath and held it in, counting in his head.

1...2....3...4.

On the fourth second, he exhaled slowly.

Huh, that made him feel a bit better. After four seconds of holding his breath, he repeated the exercise.

Over at the small stream in the cave, Ezekiel was wringing water out of a small piece of cloth. Geoff focused his eyes on him as he walked over. Zeke gently brushed a lock of hair out of Geoff's face and began to wipe away the blood smeared around his mouth with the damp cloth. The gesture was strangely soothing, Geoff thought as he sighed quietly. While he cleaned Geoff's face off, Ezekiel began to stroke his thick, blonde hair. Geoff couldn't help but let out a weak purr as his eyelids grew heavier. In the next minute, he was fast asleep.

When he noticed Geoff was out like a light, Ezekiel took this as his cue to continue with the cleanup job he was doing. After washing the cloth out, he began to scrub the blood off Geoff's claws. It was a tricky task because of how much blood was caked under them, but there was nothing a little elbow grease couldn't fix. Geoff had really gotten roughed up, hadn't he? Ezekiel took a moment to rest his head on Geoff's chest and feel the slow rise and fall of it as he breathed. For a cold-blooded mutant, he was surprisingly warm...

Ezekiel just couldn't help himself from falling asleep as well.

When Geoff woke up, he was aware of three things. The grime that had been scrubbed from his claws, Ezekiel using his chest as a pillow, and the overwhelming nausea he felt.

Moving Zeke and the gopher off his chest, Geoff bolted to the stream in the cave and hunched over in front of it. He retched. Bloody chunks and bile erupted from his throat and spewed into the water. Oh, how it all burned. This was worse than the time his friends had triple-dog-dared him to eat that muffin out of the cafeteria trash. He regretted going berserk on those wolves, because they were messing him up from beyond the grave. As he laid on his side and clutched his stomach, he was distantly aware of a small, calloused hand rubbing his back.

"Zeke?... is that you?.."

He recieved a grunt of affirmation in response.

"Man, I'm so sorry for causing trouble.. I didn't mean to go crazy out there, I couldn't help it! I-" Geoff's words were silenced by a loud sob coming from his own throat. Big, salty, alligator tears rolled down his scaly cheeks as he looked at Zeke. The smaller boy immediately cupped Geoff's cheeks and tried to wipe his tears away with his thumbs. After all he'd done, Zeke was still trying to comfort him. Geoff really didn't deserve his little buddy. He gently nuzzled into the smaller boy and whimpered quietly.

"Still need rest, come."

Ezekiel wiped Geoff's mouth with the damp cloth from before and guided him back to the spot he was originally resting in. Geoff laid on his back and held both Ezekiel and the gopher close, sighing contentedly. At least he got all those wolf guts out of his system. He felt a bit better now.

Geoff stared down at Ezekiel, who had snuggled into his chest and shut his eyes. He couldn't help but smile a bit, the little fella was like a kitten! He gently stroked Ezekiel's hair with his now-clean claws and recieved a small smile from the little mutant in return.

After a few minutes, Geoff let himself fall asleep once more.

Unbeknownst to the two mutants, however, they were being quietly watched. The cameras hidden all around the island had captured Geoff's massacre in high definition.

"Well, well, well! So Scott WASN'T lying after all!" A small cackle could be heard from within the dark studio.

"Chef, it looks like we've got ourselves a gator to trap!"

-----

[hotdogmexicano]

Tagged by @justclownin to spell my username out with songs:

Hana - Asa-Chang & Junray Option - ††† (Crosses) The Overly Dramatic Truth - El-P Devil is Fine - Zeal & Ardor Outside - Injury Reserve Gopher Guts - Aesop Rock Misery - Author & Punisher Everyone I Love is Depressed - Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals Xerces - Deftones It's Relative - Andy The Doorbum & Justin Aswell Crow - Moodie Black Alternate Side Parking - Armand Hammer Notes to You - Sleep Party People Our Ride to the Rectory - Team Sleep

I'll tag: @creepysourpup @mulher-que-corre-com-os-lobos2 @emomasnaomuito @ann-gell @sirengoddess @mesonoxian-maxx @monicalestrange4 @starryeyedsabertoothtiger @luvlikeblood

I'm not great at remembering people's @, so feel free to say that I tagged you

[vintage-retro-queen]

Chapter 5-Nature is No Picnic Up Close

It was just another ordinary day like any other in Camp Wawanawkwa.

Where all of the campers are at the campsite, listening to Chris talk to them about their next challenge. "Campers, today's challenge will test your outdoor survival skills. I'm not gonna lie to you, some of you may not come back alive. Just joking." he laughed. "All you have to do is spend one night in the woods. Everything you need is at your team's campsite in the forest. You just have to find it." Chris then tosses Amanda and Duncan a map and a compass for each of the two of them. "Oh, and watch out for bears. Lost a couple of interns in preproduction." "I'm sure we'll keep that in mind," Amanda said, handing Gwen the map and compass. "You sure are fearless all of a sudden," Gwen said, looking surprised at Amanda's unamused look on her face. "Well, you could say that this isn't the first time I was in the great outdoors," Amanda explained as she hands Lucy a BerryPod and earphones.

CONFESSIONAL: MARY-LOUKRITIA CORLEONE

"I am very grateful for Amanda for this BerryPod and earphones." Lucy said, holding the BerryPod in her hands. "Yes, I know I said my family does not do technology like everyone else, but there is one thing I miss doing back home, and that is listening to my music on my gramophone. My favorite music I like to play is classical, all songs from the 1950s to the early 2000s. In other words, from 2000 to 2009. Some 2010 songs I can tolerate, notice I have said I only like some of them. I have my personal reasons. Aside from all of this talk of music, I am still grateful for Amanda giving me this. I must thank her later when this challenge is finished.”

"First team back for breakfast wins invincibility." Chris then blows his airhorn while some of the campers get up from their seats and start walking. "Well, off you go." "Did he say there are bears up in here?" asked Leshawna. "I had a little encounter with a bear once," said Owen. "Let's just say his head looks real nice up on my mantel." "Oh, this one time, I saw a bear eating our garbage. He had old spaghetti noodles hanging from his big, huge teeth, and it looked like blood and guts." Izzy explained. "Along with some moldy spots along with it," Amanda muttered, sticking her tongue in disgust while Lucy and Marinette quietly giggled from that. "It was so gross. And we thought he was eating the neighbor's cat Simba. But it turned out he was just lost for a week." "Better the cat alive than dead." Amanda muttered again, with Lucy and Marinette nodding in agreement.

A little while later, the Screaming Gophers were walking to their campsite. Trent then caught up to Marinette. "Hey, Marinette, wait up. Can I walk with you?" "Sure. I don't mind at all." Marinette said to him. Trent smiled as the two walked together while Lucy and Amanda, who were listening to their music, Lucy listening to some classical music from Mozart, while Amanda was listening to one of her favorite bands the Killer Kids. The two were just more focused on walking and listening to their choice of music. After another little while, while the three were still walking ahead of the other Screaming Gophers, Heather scoffs while rubbing her hand. "She is so the next one to leave," she said. "Who?" Beth asked. "Who do you think? She had her box trap my hand in front of everyone." "Yeah, but you did almost read her diary out loud to the entire world. ALMOST." Gwen pointed out. Hearing that made Heather stand her ground and make the others behind her stop. "So?" "So, that was pretty harsh," Gwen said, with Cody nodding in agreement.

"She is going down." Just then, a rock was thrown at the back of Heather's head, causing her to yell out an 'ow' from it and turn her head to see who threw it. There, she sees Lucy turning to her right, furiously glaring at her deadly. Yet, Heather's eyes widened, seeing the right side of Lucy's face. Her glowing eye and withered, gray skin covered in glowing scars, and a scar over her said right eye. Seeing that caused Heather to scream in fear, running and getting behind Owen, making the other Screaming Gophers look at her confused. It then alarmed Trent and Marinette, causing the two to turn around. "What's wrong?" Marinette asked. Heather tried to tell them while pointing at Lucy, but all that came out of her mouth were sputters and stutters. However, when they turned to look at Lucy, Lucy was just walking, still listening to her music, and not aware of what was going on behind her. "Lucy isn't doing anything, Heather." “Yeah, chill the freak out.” Amanda, Marinette, and Trent then continue walking with Lucy. Along with the rest of the Screaming Gophers following along with them. Heather was both shocked and in disbelief about why they never noticed Lucy's face when she turned to her.

CONFESSIONAL: HEATHER

"I don't know what that was...but something is not right with that Corleone girl," Heather said, shaking in fear of what she saw.

When they got to their location, Owen pointed out that there was no food. "Well, this is a survival task, Owen," Lucy said. "Lucy's right. Look at the instructions." "I wonder if there are any bears around today." Owen said. "Wouldn't it be funny if we made some bear sounds, and then they came?" Izzy laughs at Owen's idea. "That would be so funny," she said. As Owen does his bear impression, Heather shushes him. "Will you please shut it? I'm trying to read here," she said, looking at the instructions. "It says we're supposed to find our own food." Heather scoffs. "I still don't see it." "I think they mean in the woods, Heather," Marinette said, pointing at the words that were in small font in the instructions. "Leave the food finding to me," Amanda said loudly, getting out a fishnet and a spear. As she walked off, the rest of the Screaming Gophers looked at her, surprised. "Where did that girl get the spear and the fishnet?" asked Leshawna, pointing to the two things in Amanda's hands. "She probably got them from Chris or Chef," Heather said, rolling up the map.

CONFESSIONAL: AMANDA MCLEAN

"Actually, they are my stuff one of my paternal relatives gave me one summer," Amanda said, holding up an old photo of herself when she was a pre-teen, holding the same spear and fishnet. "Like I said to Gwen, it's not the first time I was in the great outdoors."

After setting up the campfire, the Screaming Gophers waited awhile until Amanda came back. Heather complained that she was starving while Izzy groaned. "I think my stomach ate my stomach," she said. That was until they heard a pizza guy call out. "Yo! Who ordered the pepperoni...extra cheese?" "It's for the camera crew, over here." "No way," Heather said in disbelief. "Well, this is a survival task. I don't think they mean we can't use any modern things like ordering food." Marinette said, with Trent and Gwen nodding in agreement. "Alright, I'm back," Amanda called out, with a fish in her spear and thirteen fish in her fishnet. "Are you kidding me?"

"Alright, Amanda!" Owen said happily. "You're awesome," said Trent. Izzy excitedly said she loves fish and tried to bite it. However, she stopped. "I guess we should cook it first, huh?"

With that, they started cooking the fish. "Right, the fire's hot, the fish is grilling, and we already got the tent set up," Lucy said as she looked at the tent, and Marinette looked at the fish. "Nice going, guys, fish looks awesome." "Thank you.” “Thanks, man. I owe it all to my uncle back in Newfoundland." Suddenly, Heather notices something. "Hey, has anyone seen Crazy Girl?" she asked. "I think she had to use the can." Owen guessed. "But that was over an hour ago." Trent said. Amanda motions to Lucy and Marinette that they'll go and find her. The two nodded, and the three headed off to find Izzy while the others called for her.

As the three headed to find her, they walked to see the Killer Bass. "Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to join us." Duncan said. "Funny, Juvie. Hey, have you guys seen Izzy?" "No, sorry, Amanda," Courtney said. "Man, that Miss Canadian Bonkers is gonna put us six-feet under. Thanks." Before the three can continue finding Izzy, Lucy and Marinette notice the rabbit. "Where did you find that?" Lucy asked as she and Marinette sat down. Amanda was about to stop them, but as they sat down and got comfortable, she sighs in defeat and joins in with them. Before D.J. can answer, they hear an owl hooting, which startles Bridgette. "It's okay, Bridgette. It's just an owl." Marinette said, comforting her.

"Sorry, I just get really freaked out in the forest," Bridgette said. "Hey, if it's any consolation, sometimes nature is a wonder to behold. Well, not all the time, honestly," Amanda said. "Why? What's wrong with it?" asked Harold. Amanda crosses her arms, looking down, saying, "Well, it's kinda hard to explain, really." "Huh, I thought you said that it wasn't the first time you were in the great outdoors," Duncan said. "I did. But sometimes nature is honestly no picnic. Even up close. At least that’s what that narrator said in that documentary I just watched with my friends back home.” “What was the documentary?” Lucy asked, feeling a bit curious to know. Amanda then explains to the girls and the Killer Bass about the documentary about a famous late actress who was already finally moving on from her tortured past life when she was a freshman, she was hiking at the woods that was known as NeverGlade Trail, as she always does every single time, but then the tables turned on her, as she was then kidnapped by some celebrity star that she used to go to elementary school with back in the day. As it turned out, the guy liked her since childhood. But the thing is, the actress doesn’t like him that way. What was shocking for her, and now to everyone, was that the guy was a full-on psycho-know-it-all. As it turned out, the guy had done homework about the actress. Not just any ordinary homework, it was homework all about that actress he’s into. He knows every single detail. What she likes, dislikes, where she goes and doesn’t go, what her routines are. But it was not only her he did homework on, it was also her family, friends, and the people she interacts with. And when she was kidnapped it was turned out that the psycho also had the gall to replicate her bedroom, he even had the absolute nerve to carve a heart on the left side of her face, almost next to her eye, probably as a way to have her stay with him forever. Along with finding out that he wanted to settle down and have a family with her effective immediately, but the timing they were in was too soon. But what shocked them the most was as the actress escaped, he shot and killed her by using a gun. The same gun that paralyzes deers, rabbits, and bears. But he didn’t even know that he shot and killed her because she was far away from him. And what he didn’t notice was that she had her cell phone that had a recording setting that was recording the whole debacle. Including him confessing about his homework on her people and heads out to meet his “future relatives”. As Amanda continues on with the rest of what was said from the documentary to the end where the psycho celebrity is now rotting on death row, now regretting what he did to his “beloved”. After she finished talking about the documentary, everyone looked shocked as if they witnessed something they regret seeing. That was until Duncan said something that broke the shocked silence.

“Jeez. That’s a long story that took my time that I'll never get back.” he said. Courtney elbows him in the gut, glaring at him until Harold turns to Amanda, asking her out of curiosity, “Did they ever say their names?” “Well, they wanted to, but they made the names in the documentary up randomly because of the late actress and her twin brother’s wishes. They randomly named the actress Cerise because that was the color of the jacket she was forced to wear around the time before she escaped. And the psycho…Ah, man, I forgot his name. It's kinda the same name as a bird. But I forgot what bird it was." Courtney and the others understand, but Courtney then glares at Duncan. "You are so vile. Do your parents even like you?" "I don't know, Gawky McShocker. I haven't asked them lately." Then, wolves start to howl, which startles Marinette into jumping into Duncan's arms in fear and looking scared, not aware of Duncan looking at her, then at Geoff, causing him to give Duncan a smile and a thumbs up. “You know, that was also in the documentary.” Amanda says, forgot to mention it to them. “Apparently, the psycho also likes wolf sounds because he likes being an alpha male, being the man of everything. Don’t ask like what.”

After a bit, it was time for them to sleep. They offered Amanda, Lucy, and Marinette to join, and since there was no turning back to the Screaming Gophers since it was getting pretty late, they accepted. As they sleep, Amanda suddenly hears Bridgette outside. She pops her head out to see what is going on and notices Bridgette accidentally falling with a bat on her face, which causes her to kick a burning charcoal up and over to their tent. Amanda then quickly catches it and tosses it back into the fire. The Killer Bass sighed in relief when they saw her do that. Amanda then heads over to Bridgette, getting the bat off of her. "Come on, Vinnie Stoker, off the gal and head back with your pals," she said, letting the bat fly off. She then turns and helps Bridgette up. "Thanks, Amanda." "Of course. It's what I'm here for." "Is your hand okay?" "Oh, yeah, it’s fine. Slightly burnt a bit. But other than that, it's fine, really." "Guess she does have experience with the great outdoors," Duncan said, crossing his arms impressed.

After that, they all head back to their tent and back to sleep on time before the rain starts. By the next morning, Lucy and Marinette were resting in Duncan's arms until they both started to wake up. "Morning, Sunshine." Marinette's eyes opened, and she realized that they were on top of Duncan. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" Marinette gasped, quickly getting off of him. Lucy panicked, got up, and apologized as well right after her. "Seriously? Cuddling Mary-Lou and Nettie like that? Not cool, Juvie." Amanda said, looking at Duncan unamused. "Hey, I was calmly lying on my back and trying to catch a few z's. They were snuggling up to me." "You are one heck of a beta-punk." "I've been called worse." Amanda rolled her eyes and walked. "Come on, girls. We're leaving. Hope the gang found Izzy and they'll meet us at the campsite." Amanda said, with Lucy and Marinette walking next to her.

CONFESSIONAL: AMANDA MCLEAN

"I am not trusting that Juvenile one bit whenever Mary-Lou and Nettie are with him. If he ever hurts a hair on their heads, he will regret it."

When they got back to the campsite, Chris was there. "Glad you made it. You two can head back into the main lodge and help Chef out." Lucy happily gasps with her eyes lighting up, looking like she's won a nobel prize. Marinette happily nodded, and the two headed over to the main lodge. “Amanda, how about helping out with setting up the fireplace with your old man?” “Sounds good to me, dad.” Amanda gladly says as she helps her dad with the firewood.

As the two left and they were setting up the wood, the Killer Bass made it, too. "We're the first ones back!" Courtney happily cheered. The Screaming Gophers then arrive as well. "Oh, no! They beat us here. This is all your fault!" yelled Heather. "Not so fast, Gopherinos," said Chris. "It seems the Killer Bass are missing a few fish." "Oh, you mean Katie and Sadie?" Courtney asked. "I'm pretty sure they got eaten by wolves last night." "Darn shame," said Duncan. “Oh, I beg to differ.” Amanda says, pointing to the Killer Bass’s left. There, they see Katie and Sadie run to them, panting. "We made it." "We're safe! Oh, my gosh, guys, we got totally got lost and then got in this massive fight." "And there was this huge bear, and he was all, "Rawr! You're in my crib, so get out!"" "And we had to run, and it was, like, so scary." After a bit and seeing the two hug and make up, Courtney gets their attention, clearing her throat to them. "Are you two finished your little love fest?" she asked. The two nodded. "Good. Because thanks to you, we just lost the challenge!" "Wait, but what about Marinette and Lucy?" Lindsay asked. "Oh, those two got here too. They're just helping Chef in the kitchen making breakfast as we speak." Chris said, pointing to the main lodge. The Screaming Gophers sighed in relief, knowing that the two were okay and they didn't lose the challenge either. Chris continued. "All right, Killer Bass, one of your fishy butts is going home. Gophers, as the two are done helping Chef and Amanda is done helping me set the firewood up, you're going on an all-expense-paid trip to the Tuck Shop!" The Screaming Gophers cheered while the Killer Bass gasped and then glared at the duo.

After breakfast, every one of the Screaming Gophers was hanging out in their hot tub, having fun. "Oh, my gosh, this is so good! I never thought chips could taste so good!" Owen said. "I think I'm gonna be sick." "Got you covered, Owen," Amanda said, handing him a bucket. Owen gratefully takes it, turns around, and throws up the chips in the bucket she gave him. "That is so incredibly gross," Heather complained. "Ah, that's better. Thanks, Amanda," Amanda nods with a smile. "Hey, by the way, where were you two anyway?" Gwen asked. "Oh, we were at the Killer Bass's tent. It was getting late, and we didn't have a choice." Marinette said. "Well, as long as you guys are safe, that's fine," Cody said, which made Trent nod in agreement. "And you three made it before we did, which got us to win the challenge, so I guess I'll make an exception," Heather said, munching on her chips. "The Screaming Gophers rule!" Owen cheered.

Later that night, it was time for the elimination ceremony. "You've all cast your votes. The camper who does not receive a marshmallow must immediately hit the Dock of Shame, grab the Boat of Losers, and get the heck out of here. And you can't come back. Ever...Now, I can see you're all tired, so tonight, I'll just throw them to you. Savvy?" Chris then starts to throw the marshmallows to the campers who are safe. "Courtney. Duncan. Bridgette. D.J.. Harold. Geoff. Tyler." Which then leaves Katie and Sadie. "Ladies. This is the final marshmallow of the evening...Sadie."

After the elimination ceremony, Amanda, Lucy, and Marinette are sitting on the steps of the Killer Bass cabin, Amanda, reading another Stephanie Queen book, Lucy reading her “The Goddaughter” book, and Marinette sketching designs on her sketchpad, while Duncan walks over and sits down next to them. "Hey, Duncan," said Marinette. "What do you want?" Amanda asked, glaring at him and trying to continue reading her book. "I just want to say that I'm sorry I said that comment. And who knew that you started all of that since you and your friends watched that documentary." "Hey, you're lucky I had my essential oils on me, or else I would've beaten you into a pulp." Lucy chuckles. “That is true. You would’ve ended up brutalitied.” Lucy’s eyes widened, quickly realizing that she said a word that she shouldn’t be saying near or in front of others outside of hero-like business. "Brutalitied?" Duncan asked, raising a brow. "Oh, uh,...” Lucy starts, looking a bit panicked. That was until she thought of something. “It's slang Amanda told me about last week. It is like another way of saying beaten up into a said bloody pulp." Lucy explained. Amanda raised a brow at Lucy, until she remembered and realized something. Remembering that it was the same slang that Anarchy used back in the days when she and Marinette peeped into Anarchy’s journal Lucy was reading once in their hideout after trying out some more powers out. “Uh, yeah! It just slipped once, and well, I guess you can say it catched on to her.” Amanda quickly said, chuckling a bit nervously. She then quickly looked at her phone. “Welp, we better head to bed. It’s almost lights out.” With that, she, Lucy, and Marinette got up and headed over to the Screaming Gophers cabin for bed, not aware of Duncan looking at Lucy and Marinette romantically, believing that Marinette’s silence and Lucy’s sudden panicked expression were just their shy way of being into him. “They’re so into me.” he says to himself while leaning back, still having the hook, that he used to scare Courtney earlier last night, in his right hand, feeling the sharp point caused him to 'agh' in pain.

[revryebread]

Gopher Guts

Marn drew this so I got obsessed)

It was how long they fell that was the most concerning thing.

The two teens with numbers going around their hands were sharing words calmly, listening for the distant crunch of the mirror detectives going under the wheels. They were arguing about the specifics of what everything meant, of the ease at which the taller boy dispatched them, the immediacy of which the girl in the cat hoodie jumped to disposing of the bodies- the specifics of it didn’t matter- their reflections watched them from the doorway, a feeling of dread overcoming them both. 

Would they be next? The two reflections looked at each other- both exceedingly less confident than the two passengers, with the silver blood of the cops splattered across them, holding the reflective items they had jumped to. The one that resembled Shoka Sakurane looked at the one that looked like Jason Todd and shook her head slowly, trying to signal to him to drop back and try and wait it out. She hadn’t realized they were dealing with Apex members, and clearly neither did Mirror Jason. MJ looked at her and gripped the batarang in his hand tightly, and the moment before he could move to do whatever his plan was, Shoka looked back at the two of them.

“Are you two going to be normal about this?” She asked, turning to face them. “Are we good?”

Mirror Shoka, Moka, guffawed, “Are we good? Gee, I don’t know. Are we?” She felt cornered, eyes darting between the passenger who cast her and Jason- who was checking his many weapons for jams and putting them away rhythmically. “Your Apex. We’re Denizens. I just saw what you do to people like us.” Moka feels the pin in her palm, the reflective back surface of it connected to her hand so she can move around freely- as if it will give her the ability to get away if these two close.

“Unique Situation.” Jason speaks over the two girls, stopping the escalation. He looked over at MJ and let the conversation hold there for a second. “Do your guns work?” 

MJ reached to his chest holster and pulled out a chrome, reflective pistol. He dropped the magazine out, in an exact reflection of Jason checking his guns a moment ago. After popping it back in and cocking it back, he nods. “Yeah. As real as yours.”  The wind was whipping fast out here- a feeling neither of the reflections had ever gotten to feel on their own before. MJ gripped the gun in his hand but kept his finger off the trigger, watching the other two for an escalation.

Jason nods at him quietly from beneath his mask, the white glowing eyes regarding him without emotion, and grabs Shoka’s shoulder to get her attention. She jerks back and glares at him, and they wordlessly update their plan. Jason nods acrossed the bridge, and Shoka motions to two bystanders- Jason shakes his head again and begins to walk. Shoka looking back at her reflection and following behind Jason without letting her out of her sight.

When they get to the other side of the bridge, Jason turns around again, undoing the straps of his helmet to pop it off and see his reflection with his actual face. MJ reaches up on his own head to mirror Jason, feeling the clasps there and letting his fingers sit for a moment- trying to decide if they were just part of his head or if he had a face too.

“You two be careful. Don’t cause trouble and we won’t have problems. Understood?” Jason calls out to them, ignoring the slow woosh of his number going down. “If I have to hear about some shit I did and it was you, I’m coming back.” 

MJ nods back slowly, feeling the mask click free at his cheeks and for the first time in his life feeling the air on his face.

“Same goes to you.” He tries to sound more confident than he is, and Moka could tell. She still doesn’t believe Shoka wouldn’t try and kill her, and she could tell that Shoka was going through the same thought process. 

Jason unholsters one of his guns and grabs it by the barrel, throwing it like a hatchet through the air at MJ. He grabs it out of the air and unholsters his own, putting Jason’s gun in there and throwing the chrome pistol over at the passenger. They stare at each other for a second in silence- and the door on the other side opens.  Jason pulls at Shoka to go through the door first, following close behind her and not looking back as the door closes.

Once it does, Moka flops against the wall. “There’s no way they don’t come back to finish the job, right?” She begins to slum, metallic hands against her face, feeling her heart race on it’s own for the first time. “We should go after them, get the jump-”

“No, I trust them enough. We’ll just steer clear.”