#audy's hoard ‧⁺‧˚₊*̥ ✧

[seat-safety-switch]

I have a filthy confession to make. I still love Volkswagens. No, not the current ones, with their humming-coughdrop efficiency and Teutonic stereos made entirely of hovering touchscreens that you can't get rid of even when you go to sleep at night. No, I mean the real shit: water-cooled cars from the 80s and 90s.

Yeah, I hear you air-cooled folks in the background screaming at me about how spending ten thousand dollars for approximately 36 horsepower is a way more fun way to exist. To you, I have no polite reply. You have gone so far down the rabbit hole (get it?) that there is simply nothing that can be done to rehabilitate you into regular society. For the rest of us, I think we can all acknowledge that the Mk3 GTI is underrated.

Sure, when they were new, and even when they were a little bit old, nobody liked the Mk3. You've got the Mk2, which is fun and zingy, and the Mk4, which is luxurious and fast. The Mk3 is... neither of those things. So everyone threw them in the bin as soon as they could, and went to go buy Audi Allroads instead. Joke's on you, suckers. You accidentally made those shitboxes into rare collectibles and I hope the exploding-heater-core coolant burns to your face and genitals heal quickly.

Thing is, there's just something about these terrible cars. Maybe it's because they're boxy. Possibly it's because I have a compulsive hoarding behaviour that makes me want to rescue unloved vehicles from oblivion. Most likely, though, it's because I still harbour a delusional fantasy that it's possible to buy a car – any car – for under one thousand fucking dollars, and surely these hated shitbaskets must be somewhere near the bottom of Kelley Blue Book value.

For me, the disease is so bad that I'll sometimes drive past farmer's fields in the most racist part of the outskirts of my city. I hope that they have an old Mk3 GTI just sitting there, up on blocks. That there's some kind of combination of honeyed words, fast-cash-flashes, and freshly-deceased owners that will let me escape with a five hundred dollar one. And then, I will finally be able to live my fantasy of owning and operating a car I didn't want twenty years ago.

I'm sure you feel the same way about the Mk3 GTI, too. If you don't, maybe you should go take a look at one. Then tell me which farmer's field it's in and if his widow is willing to accept cash, or if she would strongly prefer Venmo.

[movedtodykedvonte]

Addicule fluff is cute and all, but is there anything the ads find just a little bit annoying about each other? What would most likely cause a petty argument, or some kind of pointless bickering? And how quickly do they make up afterwards? (This would be for before Spamton left)

So many things, like you wouldn't believe.

Banner can't stand how Surv seems to avoid almost anything a little depressing or deep and Surv hating the grating tinking of the spoon when Banner stirs her cup. Vidie hates how Spamton leaves his scraps lying around cause they could scuff one of her selling rings and Spamton complains he wouldn't if Audi didn't hog all the space in everyone's closets. Audi is super passive-aggressive about chore duties despite always forgetting his, hense why they pile on, and Banner refuses to change the schedule cause he just doesn't wanna get stuck with vacuuming.

They were a couple, partners in almost every sense of the word. A lot of these arguments led to personal digs, Spam's car parts leading to digs on how they wouldn't need to be in the house if he was successful enough to get a shop or office. Banner's tinking turns into how its fine if it bothers everyone else but if Banner's happy it's ok. Audi's clothes hoarding turns into comments on its oversentimentality and smothering habits. Vidie's concerns about her products are a dig at his vanity. Surv's avoidance becoming how he never wants to talk about real things.

It hurts in the moment and honestly, it depends on how deep they cut when it escalated. If it was a comment then maybe it only takes the next day, a promise to watch their tongues, and an open talk about better communication skills. If it was one of those arguments that dragged on, then a week, maybe someone decides they need space from the group and stays with a mutual friend. Maybe it's longer. They never had breaks, but sometimes they just needed to break away. A heartfelt welcome back is not guaranteed but usually, everyone's calm enough to talk like adults instead of pointing fingers.

[grcetxt]

Do I make a sideblog to make mood boards cuz I'm havin fun making ones of people I know so :3

[taxigent952]

Airport transfers to and from Gent

You survey it. You will in a short time require a taxi or air terminal trade regardless you would prefer not to irritate family or mates. A luchthavenvervoer Zaventem to the air terminal or another spot in Belgium is the most fitting response for you. You can quickly and really sort out the cost of your taxi transport through our assessment instrument.

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You could similarly pick the sumptuousness taxi Baioro to take you to the air terminal or from place a to b.

There are stores of people who could feel that when someone takes a gander at air terminal taxis in front them they mean a couple of great sort of taxi that is viewed as right at the air terminals. Indeed, expecting that you likewise have undefined examinations, let me transform it, considering the way that yet these are taxis which are seen as right at the air terminals, yet they are not taxis of some specific part yet rather radiate an impression of being standard vehicles that are used for taxi reason.

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Again well this was about the changing occasion of going in a taxi, getting to our subject Air terminal taxis, let me present you a referencing. Tell me what do you when you desire to leave your town either for move away or for another clarification? Obviously, you will answer booking tickets and collecting your packs. Well these are customary things that are performed by us all. In any case, near this don't you attempt to hoard information about neighboring vehicle working conditions open around there.

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Whimsically now days taxi heads are offering the work space of booking their taxis unbelievably earlier when you plan your outing to new city. To assist their travelers these administrators with having their position districts from which you can contact them and audit your taxi necessities with them depending on how much individuals going with you, stuff and kind of taxi expected by you. Conclusively when you get the practices accomplished through air terminal experts you will find these taxis holding tight for you. The drivers driving these taxicabs are particularly gifted and learned with progress picks of that city. Along these lines, as these drivers are unequivocally for air terminal pioneers have complete data about the appearance and departure of changed flights and moreover they promise you about coming to at air terminal on time.

[saltymongoose]

head empty. only thought is of the main three breaking into the auditor’s office and seeing at least a hundred photos of one person doing various things: from staring slightly downward, to talking with somebody out of frame, to being half-dressed with wet hair from, presumably, a shower. a monitor, its keyboard nearly buried in these types of pictures, shows the background from each of the photos. suddenly, the person from the photos enters the frame, sitting down in a desk chair. they’re talking on a phone, obviously not noticing the green light next to their camera, and the main three immediately know that this person is their player. have you any thoughts

Hi Anons! Ya'll always have such great ideas. Here are some hcs for you:

They See the Player for the First Time ft. Hank, Deimos & Sanford

(TW: Yandere, Obsessive Behavior, Stalking, Slightly Suggestive at the End)

It had been extremely worrying to the three once they came to the realization that none of them could feel you. They tried everything to get you to notice them or switch back: getting injured, choosing weapons you preferred, talking to you, but to no avail.

Their first thoughts were that Phobos had something to do with it since he was the main enemy they were fighting against at the time. But that was ruled out rather quickly. As big as his aspirations were, what tools exactly did he have to interact with you? When asked, Jebus was quick to point out that all of his accomplishments were based on the work of other scientists. Unless the Nexus had created more machines to break into other realms, it would’ve been impossible for him to interfere with their connection with you.

There was only one other option: the Auditor. He had been the root cause of Phobos’ rise to power, and his motives for getting involved in Nevada were still undetermined. Perhaps he had some curiosity about their relationships with you and sought to break it to see what would happen? Another meddling action by the Employer should’ve been expected at this point.

It was almost confusingly simple to break into the Employer's office. Sure, it was protected by waves upon waves of agents, MAGs, soldats, and the like, but the Auditor himself was absent for some reason.

(It was really because you were using him as your current vessel. But they didn’t know that of course.)

The view that they were confronted with once Deimos finally got the door open was…a lot weirder than they were expecting. The room was almost completely bare, save for the desk in the corner of the room. On it were two computer monitors, and hundreds of photographs.

Carefully stepping closer (lest it is a trap, they wouldn’t put it past the Auditor), Sanford and Hank reached out to grasp a few as Deimos took a closer look at the monitors. One of the screens is of surveillance footage of the building, typical. The other, however, featured a chair and an out-of-focus bed. The weirdest thing about it is that it was oddly colorful. The room looked warm and inviting, devoid of the concrete grey they were used to. A window in the background showed a deep blue sky. Wherever this was couldn’t be anywhere near Nevada.

The background of the monitor aside, the three were far more interested in the pictures that covered the table. All of them were focused on a single person in various positions and outfits. They looked really different too. Exposed eyes were a rarity among grunts, and you didn’t even have a visual cross. Your skin was flushed, almost glowing compared to the grey they had, and you had an odd protrusion in the center of your face.

A change in the screen caught their attention, and they could only watch in shock as the subject themselves sat back on the chair, one hand meeting their computer’s mouse as the other held a phone to their ear. They felt the electrifying sensation of your gaze as you briefly glanced at your camera.

And then you spoke.

“Yeah, I’m in the middle of a stream right now, so I’ll have to get back to you on that…”

It was during that moment that they realized who you truly were.

Nothing else carried the same weight that your presence did, and even if it didn’t compare to the control you exerted, there was no question in their minds that they were currently staring, completely starstruck, at their player.

Immediately they all crowded around the desk, elbowing at each other to try and get the best view of the monitor. (Hank actually considered removing the two from the office entirely, but didn't want to take his eyes off you to do it.)

They couldn’t say how long they just stood there, gazing at you with lovestruck expressions. You were their player, of course you'd have an appearance that would match your soothing voice. Your appearance was otherworldly; strange in the most mesmerizing of ways. There was something so enchanting about you. You were far more beautiful than they expected.

They watched with rapt attention as you hung up the phone before putting your headphones on and adjusting your microphone.

“Alright, I’m back. Sorry about how long that took, chat. Hm? Oh, don’t worry, we’ll be back with the boys for more campaign stuff soon. Just wanna try out the new features first.”

Well, at least that explained that you'd be coming back at some point (even Hank let out a breath of relief at that). They hoped you wouldn't be long, they missed you. But at least now they knew you were okay. (Though if they were thinking of tracking down your current vessel, they kept those thoughts private for now.)

Unfortunately, as much as they wanted to, there was no way they could stay in the Auditor’s office forever. Hank was the first to notice activity on the surveillance screen, prodding at the other two until they turned to the other monitor. There was immediate panic, not because they couldn’t kill the incoming AAHW agents, but because they didn't want to leave.

They just had the monitor of you to themselves, parting so soon seemed like an awful idea. As Hank geared up to go face the agents (bristling with anger at having his time with you interrupted), Deimos and Sanford were frantically trying to find a way to transport the monitor and machinery it was connected to.

"Can't we just bring it with us?" Sanford asked, already leaning down to look under the desk. (It was a mess of complicated machinery and wires, he'd have no idea where to start.) Deimos joined him, looking behind the monitor at the many cables that were plugged into it.

"I don't know, man. I'm scared to unplug it, what if it cuts the connection?" He muttered half to himself. He adored seeing you, but if he somehow messed up what the Auditor had going here, it could spell the end of this. He's sure they could break into the office again somehow, so was it really worth the chance of losing the opportunity to see you?

He gave an offended look at Sanford's deadpan, "Don't look at me like that, I don't know how all this Employer shit works."

Before they could start arguing, Hank popped his head back into the room (covered in a mess of blood and gore, but that was hardly unusual). "Just get the pictures. We'll talk about this with Doc later."

The two nodded as Hank headed back out (trying to cut the agents off so they'd have enough time to take everything). Sanford could only delicately fold a few up and put them in his pockets (though a part of him cringed at potentially ruining the pictures this way). Deimos just dumped everything out of his backpack and started hurriedly placing the stacks in (guns and tech were replaceable, images of you were not).

After they'd finally escaped from the facility, they reviewed the photos with a new interest. They didn't really manage to capture the true depth of your eye color or how bright your expressions were, but they treasured them nonetheless.

Although there were mixed reactions for the ones that showed you in the midst of getting dressed or in a towel, fresh out of the shower. Deimos had been flipping through the pictures when he first came across one. His eyes widened and he choked on his cigarette, completely red faced as the photo fell from his grasp. He wheezed, coughing into his fist with one hand and pointing down at the image when Sanford eyed him with concern. Sanford flushed when he saw your lack of clothing, mouth falling slightly open in shock as he gave a panicked glance to Deimos. He actually felt guilty for looking at the pictures at first, you were above them in almost every way, looking at you in a state of undress was mortifying (he didn't want to end up offending you!). But he couldn't stop staring at them, admiring the curve of your body and how the water droplets ran down your skin. You were completely captivating.

Hank, curious about what they had stopped for, snatched the photo from the other two, ignoring their protests as he held them up to his face to see what they were so focused on. He did a double-take, hands beginning to shake as his eyes zeroed in on your form. Oh. He understood now.

(If they all decide to secretly keep some of these photos to themselves for personal reasons, it's not like it would harm anyone. Plus, it wasn't something you'd ever find out about, right?)

[indiigo]

diaedician ‧⁺‧˚₊*̥ ✧

.+° a gender connected to or influenced by being a member of the satanic temple, baphomet, and freedom. ꒷꒦꒷‧˚₊‧꒦꒷꒦ ꒷꒦‧˚.⁺꒷꒦꒷‧˚꒦

꒷꒦꒷pronoun ideas꒷꒦꒷

♦️baph/baphs/baph(omet)self

◾red/reds/redself

♦️dark/darks/darkself

◾dim/dims/dimself

♦️tene/tenes/tenetself

◾six/six/sixself

♦️pen/pents/penta(gram)self

◾silv/silvs/silverself

♦️xe/xem/xemself

◾it/its/itself

♦️sin/sins/sinself

꒷꒦꒷name ideas꒷꒦꒷

♦️six

◾night

♦️red

◾alaster

♦️greyson

◾evelyn

♦️celia

◾damien

♦️gwen

◾hannah

♦️jinx

◾lunar

♦️moon

◾obsidian

♦️sybil

◾dorian

[naberiie]

god the sun really did tap out at 4:35pm sharp today huh

[mylordshesacactus]

Suncrest Campaign Character Highlights Thus Far:

Since it’s our off week (we run on a 3/1 schedule, taking the last week of every month off to avoid burnout) I thought I’d take some time and list my favorite moments for each of the campaign’s PCs.

Farrah

Favorite Combat Moment: MAXIMUM RAT DAMAGE

Favorite Non-Combat Moment: We LITERALLY have Farrah to thank for the demented conspiracy map. Where would we be without Farrah’s conspiracy board? Nowhere I want to think about.

Audie

Combat: There was a phenomenal moment in this last session where Audie, who is the party WIZARD, the literal squishiest possible spellcaster, physically shoved her way between a wolf bandit and an unconscious 19-year-old civilian, in melee range, summoned a firebolt in his face, and snarled “You want to step away from the kid.” There was so much going on that there wasn’t a lot of time to highlight it during the session, but it’s legitimately I think the most badass thing anyone has done in the campaign so far, and they killed a dragon at level 4. Same session, she pulled out Vampiric Touch for the first time, got a nat 20, and cut the enemy’s HP in half in a single action.

Non-Combat: Spending the first like eleven sessions lamenting the fact that she didn’t have a pearl and so couldn’t cast Identify, the ONE THING she’s best at; consistently forgetting to go purchase one every time she was in the city; finally finding one in a blue dragon’s hoard; and immediately pouncing on it like a cat as it rolled down a pile of silver while going “HAHA! YES!”

Andromeda

Combat: Oh man that one’s hard to pick because she’s had some awesome “oh hell yeah FUCK HIM UP” moments so honestly, let’s give her a shoutout to her dynamic entrance to the campaign, dropping out of the sky onto the head of a death dog.

Non-Combat: “WAIT, I’M A PALADIN?!” tied with her extremely sweet EXTREMELY formal apology to Arlette, complete with fancy half-remembered court bow, because she realized she’d accidentally been pressuring Arlette to out herself and wanted her to feel safe.

Nimbus

Combat: Fucking annihilating the wolf bandit threatening his baby sister. Slit throat from behind with a silver shortsword, no warning, no fucking mercy.

Non-Combat: Honestly his player has done some FANTASTIC roleplaying in this werewolf arc (and the Nat 20 Of Love to find Paisley’s trail in the woods is gonna stay in the highlight reel forever I think). But the other highlight I think has been the fucking TWENTY-EIGHT ARCANA he SOMEHOW rolled during the night hag arc, where he torpedoed a slow-build horror mystery by strolling up to the group and casually going “oh hey, a hag fingernail!”

Max

Combat: Dude MIND-CONTROLLED a FUCKING DRAGON and single-handedly prevented the dragon from taking any offensive actions against the party for basically the entire combat. AT LEVEL FOUR. Also, he got off a CLUTCH Bardic Inspiration last session as well, pushing Farrah just over the save DC she needed to avoid being thrown back by an enemy spellcaster’s Thunderwave--and thus preventing the spellcaster from escaping without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Non-Combat: Right before the hags, when the party was talking over the threat with Arlette, and she was trying to explain to them that they didn’t have to take on an entire hag coven themselves, and Max just very quietly went “Who else will?” and that was actually the moment Arlette saw the group as unlikely heroes for the first time--as opposed to a group of ragtag misfits in way over their heads who needed her protection.

[bowenoke]

Sorry, but genius calling "The Fall" a song about someone coping unsuccessfully with depression without a single mention of politics? I know it's been less than a day but I am so surprised no one on the site has added in. Anything.

Like... Yeah I'm sure "Would do something, if it wasn't also half my fault" combined with the line about grocers and Audi R8s with custom plates and hoarding/accruing definitely have nothing to say about anything financial or systemic. I'm sure the apathy has absolutely nothing to do with the wider framing this song provides about wealth and closing your eyes to an impossible-to-fix situation while dealing with mental illness. Yeah.

[hearties-circus]

G-d really can't stop thinking about a pokemon y story amv set to The Fall

Under the weight of a broken nose

It's not that simple, but he won't seem to notice

There must be more to this

(the protag exits the 7th gym and has an uneasy feeling as their rival starts to talk to them)

So leave those sink estates and

Let's book a holiday

We're painting all the counties in blue

(the rival continues to talk just as lysandres holocast message begins)

'Cause we're already boring

And we're already hoarding

What else have we got left to accrue?

(Lysandres holocast message)

And the ramblers will say

"It's got a marvelous view"

But they don't know how many lives it took, no

They'll never know what you knew

(AZ trying to talk lysandre out of it from his cell in the secret base)

And we're so calm but we're (fucking scared, fucking scared)

And we're so calm but we're (fucking scared, fucking scared)

And we're so calm but we're (fucking scared, fucking scared)

And we're so calm but we're fucking scared of people like you

(different clips of ppl around the region worrying about what lysandre said, last line being the protag making their way through the cafe)

Under the weight of some Sertraline

A couple Prozacs, and now I'm pumping dopamine

There must be more to this

(the protag coming face to face w/ lysandre under the cafe)

We've got a country house now

Old dog has been put down now

It's nice to be around trees

(lysandre talking to the protag about joining him)

Custom license plate

On our Audi R8

How many grocers does one county need?

(Lysandre complaining about the protags decision after their battle and exiting into the lift)

And the ramblers will say

"It's still a marvelous view"

(xerosic talking about the ultimate weapon)

That treadmill still looms

Your hedonic misuse

(xerosic activating the weapon despite the protags choice/the protags reaction)

[Instrumental]

(the protag rushing to geosenge, confronting lysandre, making their way through the secret base and catching yveltal)

So come on, one and all to see the apathy

(lysandres reaction to yveltal being caught)

The reams of gray stencils that fill the tapestry

I look to all of you and see a different fucking species

(lysandre talking the the protag & rivals, leads into his mega fight)

Aspiration for a different destination to me

(his loss & reaction)

Across the Pennines, there's a thin blue line, a knife and a mall

I would do something, if it wasn't all so effortful

(lysandre launching the weapon as the base begins to crumble)

'Cause I'm so high, my brain can't even look at the fall

(the protag & rivals rushing out as lysandre stays)

And when you've reached the top there's nowhere else to go but-

(lysandre having a realisation too late)

[Thuds]

(the base continuing to crumble as the protag & crew make their way out, last few thuds focusing on lysandre as he gets buried under rubble)

[firesnap]

Under the weight of a broken nose It's not that simple but he won't seem to notice There must be more to this

So leave those sink estates and Let's book a holiday We're painting all the counties in blue 'Cause we're already boring And we're already hoarding What else have we got left to accrue?

And the ramblers will say "It's got a marvelous view" But they don't know how many lives it took, no They'll never know what you knew

And we're so calm but we're (fucking scared, fucking scared) And we're so calm but we're (fucking scared, fucking scared) And we're so calm but we're (fucking scared, fucking scared) And we're so calm but we're fucking scared of people like you

Under the weight of some Sertraline A couple Prozacs and now I'm pumping dopamine There must be more to this We've got a country house now Old dog has been put down now It's nice to be your around trees Custom license plate On our Audi R8 How many grocers does one county need?

And the ramblers will say "It's still a marvelous view" That treadmill still looms Your hedonic misuse

So come, one and all to see the apathy The rings of gray stencils that fill the tapestry I look to all of you and see a different fucking species Aspiration for a different destination to me Across the Pennines, thin blue line, a knife and a mall Would do something, if it wasn't also half my fault 'Cause I'm so high, my brain can't even look at the fall And when you've reached the top there's nowhere else to go but

This is what no bitches and too much quirky white boy does to a person rip.

[peterparkerincorrectquotes]

Wholesome hcs for what the Iron fam's or even all the Avengers' Animal Crossing islands are like and what their play-styles are?

omg this is such a cute ask thank you

Tony

•  His island is fucking FULL of turnips for the stalk market.

•  Hoards bugs to sell to Flick. 

•  Uses lots of bait to catch rare and expensive fish. 

•  Refuses to use hacks to make money, but ends up fucking LOADED anyway. 

•  His house is totally upgraded, but terribly decorated. 

•  After unlocking everything and getting rich, he runs up to Peter and goes, “I beat it.”

Peter: you can’t beat animal crossing, Mr. Stark—

Tony, firmly: I beat it.

Peter

•  He probably focuses on getting his favorite villagers. Not necessarily the popular ones, but ones he had in previous games or ones he thinks are cute! 

•  Definitely wants at least one of every personality type!

•  Wishes there were spider villagers. Like, so bad.

•  Lots of fruit trees and flowers on his island, not lots of decorations tho.

•  His house is packed with furniture that he thinks is neat, but not in a coordinated way at ALL; it looks super cluttered.

•  He’s really excited for the update where you can SWIM!!!!!!

•  Soft spot for Celeste; constantly calls her a lesbian icon.

Pepper

•  Probably shares Tony’s island

•  She does all the decorating, flower breeding, etc.

•  She will never admit it, but she wants blue roses SO BAD. Out loud she says she’s not addicted tho

•  Morgan plays as Pepper’s account, and she’s the one who picks all the villagers on the island

•  Pepper is frustrated that Tony takes up half the island with his fish and bugs, and they definitely have passive aggressive conversations about it 

Tony: Hey, Pep, can you pass the salt?

Pepper: I dunno can you finally sell all those fucking tarantulas?

Tony:

Pepper:

Tony:

Peter: I am very uncomfortable with the energy that we’ve created in the studio today

Rhodey

•  Does not have animal crossing, but he definitely backseat drives when Tony plays.

Tony: *fishing*

Rhodey: GO GO PRESS A NOW GO GO

Tony, freaking out and losing the fish: JESUS CHRIST RHODEY GET YOUR OWN GAME

Steve

•  Sees Peter playing one time, and gets really curious.

•  He asks to watch Peter play all the time, then just sits there like :-) because he thinks it’s cute 

•  Peter lets him play sometimes, but all Steve does is talk to the villagers.

•  He gets super excited when villagers say kind, cute, friendship things. 

•  Only shops in the game to get the villagers gifts.

•  Learns villager’s likes and dislikes to get them better gifts.

•  Doesn’t like it when Peter gives them ugly/ironic outfits; says it’s mean.

Bruce

•  Gets, like, all the gorilla characters because he knows people think they’re ugly and he relates to them.

•  Not because he’s ugly but because he is also lorge sometimes.

•  He fishes/catches bugs, but only so he can donate them or keep them as pets.

•  Loves the snapping turtles; clicks on them to make them nom all the time.

Natasha

•  Her island is, like, exclusively snooty villagers.

•  Definitely only female villagers, but I say mostly snooty because she’s the type to be like, “Oh, you’re an asshole. >:) I love it.”

•  She has Audie because she likes how her energy is like... a dumbass but with CONFIDENCE.

•  Definitely tarantula farms; will catch scorpions and tarantulas with no hesitation. Like a badass.

•  Hits ugly villagers/any male villagers who move in with nets.

•  Cherishes Timmy and Tommy tho.

•  Has a soft spot for Blathers.

Clint

•  Look, he probably just plays someone else’s, and only because he likes shooting the balloons out of the sky.

•  Hears the whooshing from across the compound; comes running and goes, “CAN I BE THE ONE TO SHOOT IT DOWN.”

•  If you need to summon him for any reason, just play that sound. Always works.

•  Has a soft spot for the crafting feature/animation. Just thinks it’s neat.

Thor

•  Does not understand the game.

•  Thinks the goal is to attack the villagers/other players with axes and shovels.

•  Please send help.

[shockwave-the-dog]

@itsflowers COME GET YOUR JUICE

Hehehehe Epoch and Rosy being lesbians

(tw: pregnancy, giving birth, Rosy being feral)

basically Epoch and Rosy going through Epoch’s pregnancy and how Rosy reacts to being able to finally meet Charlie.

FIRST TERM

After about a week of Epoch being pregnant, Rosy started to notice her pregnancy symptoms like craving weird food and morning sickness

Rosy’s parental instinct kinda kicked into overdrive when she realized her and Epoch were going to have a baby

Immediately started hoarding the softest blankets and pillows she could find to make a nest

Only the best for her mate

After about three weeks, Rosy realized that Epoch still doesn’t know

Immediate worry. No Epoch you can’t go on missions because you are going to have our baby

Was very hesitant to let Epoch out of their shared room

Freaked out when Epoch came back from a mission with a zed bite. Luckily, Epoch did not turn into a zed (though it did leave problems for Epoch and Rosy to deal with during Epoch’s second term)

After about a month, Epoch finally realized she was pregnant when she ran into Doc on a mission and he pointed out her growing belly and symptoms

Rosy was very happy when Epoch finally listened to her and stopped going on missions

Rosy would not let anyone close to the nest. No one will touch her mate.

SECOND TERM

At this point everyone (really it’s only Ersa and .co) knew that Epoch was pregnant, which is when people started to question how Rosy even got Epoch pregnant

Rosy is way more protective than before

Epoch is very obviously pregnant at this point

Only Nessie and Doc are allowed close for check ups

Rosy will do anything for Epoch. Her back hurts? Back pillow. Hungry? Rosy will get her any food she wants.

Rosy will cuddle with Epoch any time she can

Around midway through the second term, Epoch got a fever and cough that slowly got worse and worse

Rosy was really worried when it got to the point that Epoch physically wasn’t able to get out of bed on her own.

During a checkup, Nessie was finally able to identify what Epoch got sick with and got her treated as soon as possible

Luckily, Epoch fully recovered in about 2 weeks

Rosy was so scared she seriously thought she was going to lose Epoch

THIRD TERM

Epoch is constantly being cuddled

Rosy will not let her out of her sight

Around this time, Charlie started kicking

Rosy was surprised to feel him kicking when Epoch was napping with her

Rosy is way more affectionate with Epoch and spends a little less time worrying about her.

About 3 weeks in, Epoch got kidnapped by the AAHW (who were stupid and didn’t realize Epoch was pregnant)

The AAHW is stupid as fuck and had scientists test on Epoch which did not end well (Epoch wasn’t hurt but sadly Audi found out he can use Epoch as leverage against Ersa)

Hoo boy the AAHW hadn’t felt the true repercussions of kidnapping a ROMP’s mate until Rosy stormed the facility Epoch was in with Ersa

Rosy’s unbridled rage fueled her urge to kill all the agents

After that Rosy held Epoch close and would not let go

Rosy becomes very protective of Epoch

FOURTH TERM

Charlie was most active during this time

He would not stop kicking

Epoch had to get weekly checkups to make sure both her and Charlie are healthy (and also to make sure Charlie isn't born too early)

Charlie kept keeping Epoch up with his furious kicking

They definitely knew that Charlie was a boy at this point

Definitely had mini baby shower where Epoch got gifts to prepare for Charlie

Epoch definitely made a little nursery with Rosy

As Epoch got closer and closer to her due date, Rosy became more and more reluctant to go on missions

Rosy would purr up a storm every time she got the chance to cuddle Epoch

Ersa had asked Doc to watch the base while everyone was on a mission when Epoch went into labor

Doc helped her out and everything went smoothly with no complications (besides the fact that Epoch went into labor a week early)

AFTER BIRTH

When Rosy and everyone else got back (and Doc went home) Epoch had fallen asleep with Charlie held close

Rosy was not expecting to come back from a mission to see her son had been born

She cried a bit

Charlie was so small and only weighed 4 pounds (though that wasn’t because he was born early. Blame the sickness from back in Epoch’s second term)

Epoch and Charlie got many kisses

She would not let the two of them leave the nest

All Rosy wanted to do was cuddle and pamper her son

[indiigo]

Insidesque ·˚✩

「 A gender that feels like, or is partially connected to, the comedy special Inside created by Bo Burnham. This gender may have connections to the music in the special, the feelings of the special, the visuals of the special or an overall love of Inside as a whole. image description under the cut. ·˚ ༘

[image description: there are two images of nearly identical five striped pride flags. the top stripe is black. the second stripe is beige. the third stripe is white. the fourth stripe is beige. the last stripe is light brown. the first image has a black 'inside' logo in the center, and the second image does not. end image description.]

[cheyningdiamond]

Deep Regrets

TW: Manipulation, Blood, Death

For once, it felt cold. In the city, Nevada's grim dark red color plagued the skies above the weakened old man who roamed the alleyway after going through 2-3 hoards of zombies. 

Jeb panted heavily as cold sweat beaded down his face. He felt so tired. After losing his halo to what was once his husband, he felt much weaker without it. 

From the other end of the alleyway, behind a corner, the Auditor stood behind the incubus who looked unsure and uneasy. 

"A-Aud, I'm not sure about this… I mean, he's practically useless to us now without that fragment. Can't we just let him go?"

What the Auditor had planned… Dallas felt awful. He really didn't wanna do this, even thinking about it made his stomach turn.

"O̡h,̛ ḩe̵ is̛ ͏use̕le҉ss. ̕But͢, I̢ w̶an̸t͟ th̕at̕ ̢s̷l̷įmy ra̡t ̵to ҉su̧ffe̶r… And͘ w̸hat i͜s s͜uf͝f̕eri̛n̴g…͡

 He looked over to Dallas with a wicked, sick grin. "̷With̵ou̶t̶ f́i̶nd̴ing̴ ̸a l͜ost͘ l͠ov͝er… ҉O͝n͘ly to l̴o͢s̴e ͞t͡he̢m̀ ͏a̸gai̧ņ?"̵

Dallas looked down, then back down the alleyway, where he saw Jeb lean against the wall and cough. Red paste was splattered onto the hand he coughed in.

Shaking, Jeb tried to maintain his composure. 

Dallas stared. Fuck, he hated Jeb sometimes, sure… But seeing him like this? And doing what the Auditor had told him to do?

He felt sick.

It went quiet for a few seconds before Dallas' boss spoke.

"Y̴o̶u͜ ͜d̡o͝n͠'͘t͜ ͞wa̢n͘t͏ ţo di͝sa͠ppo̢i̴nt ḿe ̴now…̛ ̡D̴o̡ yo͏ư?͠"

Dallas turned his head and looked up at the Auditor. 

"N-No, I just… I just don't see why we need to bring him back with us… He's useless."

"I͡ ͞w͞o̡u͝l͜dn͜'҉t ̷say he'͡s̡ fully͘ ̛u̵se͞l͝es̛s̡… He͡ ̧ḿay ͞g҉i҉v̴e ųş ide҉as on how to͢ r̡e̡t̛r̕iev́e ҉that h̡álǫ… b͟e͜şi̸des… ̀I w͟ant ͠h͟i̧m̸ ͏t́o̶ b̵re̡a̸k͏ ̶un͡d̵er ̧m҉y̶ ҉p̵o҉w͢e̕r…͠"

"Audi, I-"

"͏Do y͘ou҉ ̛wis̷h t̸o g̴o̕ ̡agai̢n͠şt̸ my̕ o͢r̢d̢er?̕ He̵re͜,͡ ̵I͢ ͢thơu͘gh͢t y̢ou ̛love̵d hav͠i̴n͏g̵ ̸me…"҉

Dallas went quiet. He thought it over. He hated doing this, but something in him liked working for them. Him, Roxxie, and Diesel had nowhere else to go. Being let go by the Auditor, onto the cold, hard Nevada grounds…

It wasn't something Dallas wanted to have happened.

"...No, s-sir… I'll do it.."

She smiled, patting his head. "Yo̕u'r̸e a̸ sm̸àr��ţ b͢oy, ̧D͏al̷l҉as̡…̀"́

She looked back down, seeing Jeb with his back against the wall. He seemed to be begging himself to keep going and not just crash right there.

They turned back around to Dallas and nodded his head. 

Dallas sighed and closed his eyes. 

A soft red glow covered his body. The Auditor saw him become smaller, chubbier, and he started to lose his horns. 

Standing there was a chubbier small male in a lab coat, green sweater, and green glasses. On the lab coat was a keycard with a nametag.

Dr. Hoffnar.

'Hoffnar' looked sad. Having to do this was crossing the line for Dallas. But, he had no choice.

Jeb coughed more blood and held onto his shoulders, staining his own coat with his bloodied hands. 

He took a few deep breaths to try and relax.

Then, he heard that voice…

"J-Jebby? Is that you?"

He perked up with shock and turned his head, seeing Hoffnar standing at the end of the alleyway. 

Jeb stared at the man with eyes that were big enough to match the size of a baseball. 

"H…Hoff...nar…?" He moved his back away from the wall and took a step closer. 

Was this really happening? Or was Jeb losing enough blood to start seeing things?

Either way, he didn't know how to react. 

Hoffnar smiled and got tears in his eyes. "It is you…"

Jeb felt tears streaming down his cheeks. No way… 

No way…

A clinking noise was heard as Jeb dropped his sword onto the ground. 

Jeb started to walk, then ran to Hoffnar, pulling him into a tight embrace.

 "Hoffnar…!" He cried out. 

"Hoffnar- I thought you- I-I thought-" he hiccuped. "Oh my God…"

He cupped the side of his cheek and smiled tiredly. 

"Hoffnar… I-I…"

He closed his eyes and grinned with sadness and relief. 

"I love…"

Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp pain shot up his back. Dallas saw blood staining the front of his purple sweater and a tip of his sword stick out of his chest. 

Jeb looked down at the tip, then slowly up at who he thought was his lover. 

"Gh… auhk…" he fell into Hoffnar's arms once the Auditor pulled the sword out of his body. 

Dallas' eyes widened as he held onto the dead man.

"Wh- What the fuck!? You killed him!" The chubby male glared up at his boss. "That wasn't part of the fucking plan!"

"O̸h̛,̢ ̷r̷e̡l̸ax… I͝ c͢ąn ea̸s̕i͟ly̶ ́b͠r̴i̛ng him͡ ͞ba͝c̵k…͟ It͡'̡s ̕on͘ly ̕t̨ó ̴keép hi҉m ͠more͢…̡ coopèra̵ti̸ve ͡o̢n t̸h̷e w͏a̸l͡k bac̡k ͢ho͟m͘ę…̶"̴ He chuckled and walked past Dallas.

"Yóu ͠d͠id ̵a ͞fi͢ņe̡ ̡jo̕b͜,͝ ̴Dąllas… let us he͝ad҉ ba̛c̴k͏."

Dallas stared as the Auditor walked off, then back at the face of the corpse in his arms.

The bloodied mouth.

The tear streaks down his cheeks. 

The bloody and bruised body he had a hold of…

For once, in a long while…

Dallas felt hatred towards himself...

[jack-is-lost]

PATCHES & PINS (CH 1)

A/N: This story revolves around a transgender, female to male, original character. LGBTQ+ topics are a given within this story. Gender and body dysphoria will come up as well since he is not out to his family — only close friends. If you dislike such a story premise please understand you do not have to interact with it at all. Leaving hate comments will be removed. Of course, constructive feedback is always welcomed.  

Pairing: Eventually Marko x OTMC

Story is still in progress and updates will be slow

Eventually it will be posted on A03 once I’m a few chapters in

Currently on Chapter one | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 coming soon

Chapter one

My life, for the most part, has always been unusual — a little different. Despite having parents that looked like any successful mom and dad ought to, and an older brother willing to stick up for me, things just didn't go according to plan. 

You see, my mother was excited to have a daughter finally. Someone to doll up and buy dresses for, maybe even enroll in a dance class. A stark difference to her firstborn, Tyler, who was all about karate lessons and throwing the ball with dad. Which eventually evolved to working on cars as he grew older. Our mother wanted somebody to share girly interests with, understandably. And, for a while, she was able to have it. The baby pictures are proof of that. Yet, as I grew older and became more aware of what I liked, the fewer things seemed cookie-cutter-perfect for my family.

"Are you not taking your bag to school, Jacklynn?" The mentioned item was nowhere in sight as the youngest of her children poured coffee — the action resembling someone needing every drop left in the pot as if to survive.

"It's the last day," came the grumbling response after a long, soothing sip. "I doubt most kids will even be showing up."

"Yeah, about that," Tyler, the oldest, spoke around a bite of toast. "Can't I be a minority and just stay home?"

"No, you only have one day left, guys." She smiled at her two kids. A graduate who had already filled out college applications, and is ready to further his engineering career. The other, soon-to-be senior, that seemed to have no real drive in anything but drawing and reading — and staying up too late apparently.

"Seriously," she spoke up again as they sighed in unison, deflating with their last hope crushed. "You two will survive."

Tyler nudged his sister, who leaned across the counter, jostling the coffee dangerously enough to receive a seething glare. "Want me to take you?"

It wasn't like Tyler to offer that too often, "Sure."

They both pulled away from the kitchen and made their way to the door, hollering goodbyes as Tyler grabbed the keys — the other sibling still nursing the coffee.

"Don't stay out too late!" Their mom called back, knowing full well she wouldn't see her kids after school. It seemed the closer summer drew in — the fewer tests to study for and homework to do, the more they came home later.

Tyler stepped into the car, unlocking the passenger door as he slid inside his cherry baby — A beaming red, 1983 Audi Sport Quattro, followed by his sister plopping down less elegantly. He glanced at her while starting the car.

"Talk to me, Jay." It was the last day, after all. Weren't kids supposed to be excited about that? "What's bouncing 'round that head of yours." He barely received any notion his sister was listening till she drew out a long sigh, head hitting the back of the seat.

"I don't know, man." It was drawn out, tired. "Didn't get much sleep, I guess."

Tyler nodded while giving the steering wheel a turn, making his way down the road. The school building wasn't very far when on wheels, and he pulled into a parking lot marginally less filled than it ought to be.

As his sister made to get out, he placed a hand on her shoulder, their eyes meeting as she paused halfway out the door. "Ever need to get a chip off your shoulder come talk to me, okay?" Her eyes rolled to the side, and Tyler gave her a little reassuring squeeze, "I'm serious. What are big —"

"— bro's for? I know, I know."

Tyler chuckled as he released her shoulder, "Good. Now," he slammed the door shut and leaned over the roof, "Go sleep in class or something." That at least drew a chuckle out of his sister as she turned away from the car.

The last day of school went how one could expect it to go. Some teachers put on movies and had extra treats for their students. Others went over lessons in the last semester, hoping it would stick to impressionable minds before three months of freedom — minds that were only thinking about freedom and not math.

It was by mid-day when a note made its way into Jay's locker. In gruff, almost unreadable handwriting, it merely said, 'Meet us by the big tree'. Jay instantly knew who it was from and folded the paper up.

A long night was probably ahead.

When the final bell rang, Jay had to wipe the drool off an impromptu pillow-desk before heading out and down the hall. Many of the kids loudly boasted about their summer plans while cleaning out lockers, jostling each other, and hurrying outside. Jay maneuvered around the hoard and quickly escaped out a side entrance, locker already empty since lunch.

It didn't take long to walk a block to the park, down a jogging trail, before splitting off into a cluster of trees. There, in the center of it, laid a large trunk of a dead tree. Upon it splayed out a makeshift map, bags, and — unsurprisingly, two brothers.

"Finally," Grumbled Edgar while raising his head, a red marker still poised over the map. "Where's Sam?"

Jay stared, unaware that Sam was supposed to tag along for the stroll after school let out. "Was I meant to wait for him or?"

"Forget it," came the short grunt, and Edgar was back to the more important matter at hand as Alan turned around to face Jay.

"I'm sure he'll show up. He's got the same note as you," he started to unravel what appeared to be a chaotic ball of cord in his hands. "Oh, hey—" he stopped as a thought struck him, "—Still a no go on the knife?"

Oh, not this again.

Jay leaned against the bare trunk, arms crossed and brow lifted. "Alan, we've been through this. Keep me on the books, but hand me a knife, and someone will lose a finger."

Of course, no one knew if Jay meant their fingers or not, and that was on purpose.

"Maybe some training will help," Edgar spoke up again, pausing on circling locations. "You need to prepare yourself for—"

"— the unexpected. I get it, Ed." Jay cut him off while peering closer to get a look at the map.

"Edgar," he corrected with a tired mutter despite it being useless. They've known each other for an entire year now. One would think it wouldn't matter at this point.

Jay tapped a finger on the closest circled spot, the cemetery. "Thought you marked this off?"

"One can never be certain," He nodded to his own words of wisdom. "It is a common ground for the dead."

"I'd say," Jay suppressed a snort, "It is where the deceased go to be laid into the ground."

Rustling noises announced Sam’s arrival as he pushed through, almost smacking himself in the face with a thin branch. His strained voice drew attention to him. “Guys,” he dusted a leaf off his overly styled coat, “We really need to find a better spot to meet.”

Jay lazily offered a salute wave, “Hey to you too, Sammy.”

“I’m serious,” Sam huffed while taking up a spot near Alan, hands shoved into his pockets. “What about the shop? Y’know, with school now over and stuff?”

Edgar grunted in thought. “Yeah, that ought to be doable.”

“Your grandpa still against us being at the house?” Alan spoke up.

Sam gave a partial shrug. “Sort of,” he eyed the map, then glanced at Jay, who returned the unspoken question with a tired look. Sam returned to explaining when Edgar motioned for him to continue. “You guys can visit, as you have, but you can’t — you know —” he shuffled his hands for the right phrasing, “— bring hunting business there.”

Jay had never actually been to Sam’s place, but the stories shared made it sound like a lot of stuff went down there — destroying property kind of stuff. So Jay could understand what the man was trying to avoid. The Frog Brothers being walking time bombs of destruction, after all.

“The cemetery again?” Sam squawked at noticing it. “I am not doing that again.” The sound of Jay snickering redirected Sam’s defiant stare. “Make Jay do it this time.”

“Wait, wha—”

“—He doesn’t have the qualification for it, Sam.” Edgar cut in before an argument could occur. This only made Sam huff, arms crossed and brows furrowed.

“So? I didn’t either last year.”

Alan stopped weaving the cord at this point, placing it down on the dead trunk. “Jay needs the experience. It could be good for him.” He simply spoke, agreeing with Sam.

“Hey, Jay’s right here,” he had pointedly avoided parading around Santa Carla for a whole damn year. Sure, his knowledge of supernatural things is what drew the Frog Brothers to him in the first place — and the free charge of ordering books at their shop kept Jay in the circle, but he was a good year older than them and didn’t feel like playing make-believe.  

Sam smirked in the way that screamed challenging, “C’mon, Jay, or are you scared of the dark?”

Jay narrowed his eyes, “I know what you are doing.”

“Then prove me wrong,” Sam continued.

“No.”

Despite that, Jay found himself amongst the dead at one in the damn morning. It was eerie, the cemetery, sitting in absolute silence and blanketed by a coat of darkness. The only noise now filtering through was shoes scrapping against the ground and low grumbles around him, voices hushed as not to alert anybody — or anything. Even their flashlights were ordered to stay off unless it called for it, as directed by Edgar.

“Exactly what should we be expecting to find here?” Jay spoke up quietly while trailing behind the two brothers, hands stuffed into his jacket. It was chilly tonight.

“Any signs of the undead.” Edgar simply said without much explanation, to which Alan filled in.

“Disturbed graves, tombs broke, drag marks.” he ticked off like a list.

“Ah,” Jay deadpanned. “So zombies?” the brothers turned to him, the moonlight hitting their frames but leaving their faces shadowed. “What?”

“Could be vampires too.” Edgar simply grunted. “Fresh ones crawling out of their dirt bed.” Alan nodded along with his brother, and Jay sighed.

“Sure, yeah. That too,” It wasn’t like anything of the sort actually existed, but Jay would humor the guys. They put up with his oddities, after all, so he could continue to do the same for them.

“Didn’t any of your books mention that?” Edgar continued while turning around, walking along a worn-out path again, and avoiding stepping on actual graves.

“A little,” Jay admitted as they continued on their trek.

A majority of Jay’s supernatural books were all about how one became something, the signs, and lore behind creatures — not exactly if they crawl out of graves or not. It made sense, though, if considering how people feared vampires in the past. How they would stake and behead someone during burial just in case their loved one decided to raise again.

Same could be said about leaving a bell.

Alan suddenly crouched down near the edge of a grave. “Look,” his flashlight clicked on to bask the empty hole in light. Edgar followed promptly as Jay stared at the two figures eyeing an obvious dug hole for a burial happening soon.

“It might be a sign.” Edgar rubbed a finger over the crumbling edges, dirt smearing and falling back inside the pit.  

“Or,” Jay leaned over them to get an exact look at the perfect outline, “It is the groundskeeper getting ready for a funeral. There’s not even a casket down there.” Jay simply summarized before leaning back.

Alan clicked off the light and stood, “He’s right, Edgar. It is too perfect.”  

“Hey!” the voice resonated out, cutting the muffled talking off as a beam of light frantically flailed in their directions. “What are you kids doing?!”

Without a shared word between the three, just mere glances at one another, they quickly split. Or at least Jay tried to do just that, but the brush of Edgar flying past him in a rush entirely threw him off balance. It wasn’t until tailbone smashed into dirt that Jay even figured out what happened.

“Fuck…” he muttered, then covered his mouth as the light grew brighter over the grave from above, rushing footfalls growing closer before fading away in the direction the brothers ran. Once it was clear, the curse slipped again with more fever.  

Jay eased to his feet and stared above his head, the wall towering almost a foot over him. “They truly mean six-feet-under,” he muttered while raising a hand to the ledge, just able to cup fingers over the lip, only to stumble back as it gave away.

The recent rainfall was not making it easy.

Again Jay tried to grab, shoes scraping along the wall in an attempt to gain some height — thinking if he just rushed up the wall it would give him enough momentum, only to fall back against the adjacent wall.

“Shit — fuck,” Jay didn’t even care if his voice traveled that time. He was stuck in a damn grave, after all! Screw it!

“Need a lift?” came a voice from above, and Jay shot his gaze upward to see a hand reaching down toward him. The moonlight didn’t offer much else to see but light curls and the frame of a coat.

Even if it were the security guard, Jay knew this would be his best bet. It wasn’t like waiting till daylight to be discovered was an option. It would not help much in regards to needing to be home before Jay’s parents could find out he even snuck out.  

He reached for the hand, feeling leather against palm and uncovered fingers wrap around his wrist. It took only one good heave, shoes against the wall and other hand clinging to the edge, to be entirely pulled out. Despite mud caking Jay from front to back, he could even feel it in his shoes; it felt good to be back on the surface. It wasn’t like he had a fear of enclosed places, but it still sucked regardless.

“Thanks,” he looked over at the stranger, still only catching the slightest glimpse of a smirk within the darkness. It was hard to make out any features, and the way the guy stood didn’t help anything.

“Were you takin’ a dirt bath?” he joked inquisitively, and Jay chuckled under his breath.

“No, not exactly.” Who would want to do that in a cemetery anyway?  

The beam of a flashlight washed over them again as rustling sounds drew near, and Jay stepped away from the pre-dug grave. Definitely not wanting to repeat that incident all over.

“Looks like we should start running,” spoke up the other guy, head turned away from Jay to peer toward the security guard.

What was once hidden was now lit up like a spotlight. A smooth curved jawline, willowed eyes bright with brown, and curly dirty blond hair glowed on display for a split moment. Until the flashlight jostled by the running security guard fanned over the area. And Jay would be lying if he said he didn’t stare.

“Avoid any more holes, yeah?” he easily teased before seemingly stepping in a direction with no real speed.

Jay floundered for a moment before taking off after him. “Wait.” Jay didn’t know the grounds that well, and the two idiots that did had left him.

The guy laughed while reaching behind him, grabbing Jay’s wrist again with no problem, then started to run as the worn-out guard hollered something. He seemed to avoid any lifted tombstones, flower arrangements, and small fences like it were daytime. All while Jay tried his best not to stumble, gaze more on the ground than anywhere else.

When they neared the exit gate, chained to prevent people at such odd hours to visit, he let Jay’s arm go and placed both palms out while crouching down. Jay didn’t have to ask and quickly stepped into the waiting hands. He felt the guided push upward as his own hands grabbed for purchase, trying to avoid being nicked by the gothic-style fence. Yet, as Jay’s leg swung over, his pants snagged and ripped — the gravity of his body spilling over the other side holding little resistance.

Surprisingly Jay landed on his feet, if not a little wobbly, and quickly looked through the fence to see the guy still standing there undeterred. “You coming?”

“Don’t worry about me,” he simply said. Jay wanted to comment, but the sight of the guard pushing past the nearest tombstones shut him up. “Go.” he laughed again — actually laughed as if nonplussed by the whole thing. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep him distracted.” Then he turned around and fanned his arms out as if directing air traffic before darting down the side of the fence.

And that was the last Jay saw of the guy before quickly hiding behind the bushes lining outside of the cemetery, not wanting to be seen as the flashlight shown in his direction.

The walk home was slow as he picked flakes of mud off his jeans. Jay could feel the dry mess on his face and in his hair. A shower was needed as well as a talk with the Frog Brothers tomorrow. No way were they getting off free from abandoning him in the damn graveyard! Even as he climbed back through the bedroom window, Jay was envisioning how he’d throttle them. It wasn’t until he was in the shower, scrubbing extra hard to clean the grime off, that his thought wavered to the stranger.

“Why was he even there?”