#boomer sweep

[ghostlysage]

i got super silly today on roblox free draw teehee

click for better quality yall <3

[batim-rewritten]

HOW LONG HAS THE YAOI VS YAOI POLL BEEN ON THIS BLOG AND NO ONE TOLD ME-

[rosedhall]

Dr. Bose PhD (Please have Diazepam)

[currentlyonstandbi]

Five up against Harry Du Bois for next round of boomerbracket, tua girlies I don't know if we can pull this one off

[eggtwobroes]

this is like the super bowl for autistic people

[garbageday]

By now you have, no doubt, heard all about the dangerous new TikTok trend sweeping the nation. China’s great and powerful cyber weapon has convinced the innocent teenagers of America that Osama bin Laden was actually a pretty cool guy and now they’re all sharing his 2002 “Letter To America”. Well, first, just to get it out of the way, Osama bin Laden was actually bad. Also, a nepo baby.

After spending most of yesterday digging into this, I’m pretty convinced that this was never a real thing on TikTok. Even though it has since snowballed into a full on moral panic that is beginning to feel dangerously unstable. The Biden administration released a statement about the supposed trend and alarmed big-name creators and actors also reportedly met with TikTok this week to discuss the rise of antisemitism on the app.

Baseless generational in-fighting, aging millennials who refuse to accept the new status quo of the internet, easily monetizable rage bait, lazy TikTok trend reporting, and bad faith political actors swirled together to create a perfect storm this week.

The story has morphed from what should have been a weird curiosity — and perhaps even a moment to reflect on America’s post-9/11 legacy — into a full-blown national scandal with dumb-dumb headlines getting written about it, like CNN’s “Some young Americans on TikTok say they sympathize with Osama bin Laden”. I mean, I haven’t even had time in this piece to point out that a lot of the people I saw sharing the letter were millennials! But, yeah, teens fucking love Bin Laden. They’re saying 9/11 just hits different now no cap fr. Gen Z wants Baby Gronk to lead Al-Qaeda in a victorious jihad against the western imperialist hegemony gyatt!!

We have invented a version of TikTok that simply does not exist and now many people in power are ready to tear apart the foundation of internet to prove it does. And what’s worse here is that there are very real issues with how TikTok works. It is a major source of misinfo and disinfo. It still has a terrible bullying problem. And, ironically enough, it’s also one of the most oppressively censorious social platforms that has ever existed. To the point users had to create a puritanical version of leet speak to communicate on it. But we can’t even begin to address those issues unless we start to look clear-eyed at what is actually happening on the app. And it is most certainly not the digital hub of a large-scale Gen Z Bin Laden fandom. Be fucking serious.

The internet is an extremely chaotic living ecosystem and it’s constantly reacting to itself and all you accomplish by amplifying something like this is give more ammo to those who want to who want to take that away. You turn bizarre discourse into something bigger than it was ever meant to be. You pointlessly villainize normal people who aren’t public figures and don’t deserve this kind of scrutiny. And you help conservative political movements continue their culture war. You also just look like clueless boomer to anyone even slightly younger than you.

[Read more over on Garbage Day]

[dimonds456-but-only-hlvrai]

Can I just say I love the shipping scene in HLVRAI? Like, I've never been in a fandom where it's been this CHILL before. Each ship has appeal and could actually work (unless you're intentionally being weird about it, but I haven't really encountered those people, this is personal experience here), and it's just so-!

Frenrey is wonderful because they're both silly, if those two met under different circumstances you KNOW they'd be friends, and it can be about forgiveness and healing. I love that.

Freelatta is great because Tommy and Gordon always have each others' backs, and those two will see each other through thick and thin.

Sodashipping is delightful because Darnold and Tommy just click SO WELL, they have a lot of common interests outside of soda, and you guys who give Darnold a dog as well as so correct about that omg.

Darzen is really fun because these two have never once interacted in canon but so easily could have. Like Forzen probably had to go through that area to progress as well, what hijinx would they get into?

I don't see Gordon and Forzen being shipped just the two of them often (shoutout to hlvrv, that was unexpected but really fun), but that's another instance I could also see. They're polycule a lot of the time, which hell yeah.

Tomrey is awesome because of the pre-established friendship between Benrey and Tommy, how even down to the final wire Benrey didn't really want to hurt Tommy. Outside of shipping their relationship is just wonderful.

Darnrey is also fun in that regard. Gamer partners.

Benzon as well. This one really depends on your interpretation of canon but it's always fun when it pops up again. The history between those two has so much potential. I don't personally ship this one but it's always fun to explore.

Another I don't have the name for but Darnold and Gordon. Orang. And just the unconditional support from Darnold- wonderful.

Frenreylatta is just delightful. Like you take all the best parts of frenrey, tomrey, and freelatta and put them in a blender and you get pure wholesomeness. I fucking love this one. Absolute winner. And I also really love how usually depictions of this one don't hide the part parts, either, but it's still a generally more supportive relationship overall. Five stars.

Frenreylattarnold is also just *chef's kiss*. Darnold just brings a vibe to the group they don't otherwise have. It simultaneously makes it more chill and more chaotic.

Again I don't know the name, but add Forzen into the mix and you have a really fun, complex dynamic of people who just love each other. I'm so fucking here for it.

I know I'm missing some but AOUGH

I can't not talk about my favorite ship here, though. Boomer sweep. Boomer wins. Every time boomer pops up on my feed I get so fucking happy. Chaos grandpas who fucking love and support each other SO unconditionally. They work through their trauma together while committing crimes. The stark contrasts between them also aid wonderfully to their dynamic, like how Coomer doesn't like video games while Bubby is a speedrunner. They each have their own lives but they want to spend them together. NO I'M NORMAL DID YOU KNOW THAT I SWEAR I'M NORMAL-

Gubby's a fun one, too, and from my understanding that one's a rarepair. But yeah, putting Bubby's firey personality next to Gman's calm and collected one creates a lot of fun opportunities, and helps explore the differences between Half Life and HLVRAI Gman in more in-depth ways. It's always fun when it pops up again, I love it. (Shoutout to catloki for this one.)

I don't member the ship name but adding Coomer in there is also really fun. Chaos grandpas take over the world together <3

I haven't seen Coomer and Gman being shipped individually before but I could also see that one. Coomer would be able to simultaneously meet Gman where he's at while also encouraging him to step outside his comfort zone, and also probably being a terrible influence on him gGFDHSJAKGF.

All this to say I'm not really a shipper. These guys could be just friends and I'd be okay with that, which I guess lends itself to the RTVS crew and how well they all stepped into character. Everyone just has dynamics with each other, that come out naturally, and makes it easy for us to really see where each relationship could go.

I just fucking love this fandom.

[socialistexan]

"Gen Z and Millennials now outnumber boomers and gen x! We'll start sweeping elections now!"

Yeah... I have bad news...

Millennials (basically that 30-44 age group) are looking like we're doing what every generation before us has, and drifting to the right in our 30's/40's.

Not all of us, mind you. There's plenty of us that are very much are firmly left so hopefully we won't drift fully the way Boomers have,

I think what's happening is that that kinda apolitical dude you smoked weed with in college that voted Democratic because for fairly vague reasons even he didn't really understand eventually grew up after spending a decade listening to Joe Rogan, started paying taxes (and since it affects him it is now The Most Important Thing), and is now suddenly really concerned about women's sports and doctors Transing Kids

That, or a bunch of disaffected left-leaning Millennials have just given up on electoralism.

[animalcrossingshowdown]

Round 1 results:

These are the round 1 results for both most and least popular villager. The winners of this round will continue on to most popular, the losers go onto least popular. Remember, just because a villager lost, doesn't mean they're generally disliked! They may have just gotten stuck with a heavy hitter round 1.

Biggest sweeps (85% and over):

Woolio 96.4% / Yodel 3.6%

Lily 95.4% / Limberg 4.6%

Lucky 93.4% / Lucha 6.6%

Sherb 92.7% / Shinabiru 7.3%

Henry 92.1% / Hippeux 7.9%

Cephalobot 91.6% / Cesar 8.4%

Lopez 91.5% / Louie 8.5%

Shep 90.9% / Sheldon 9.1%

Butch 90% / Buzz 10%

Chief 89.9% / Chico 10.1%

Bea 89.5% / Barold 10.5%

Bow 89.3% / Boyd 10.7%

Rio 89.2% / Rizzo 10.8%

Tangy 88.9% / Tank 11.1%

Skye 88.7% / Simon 11.3%

Shino 88.6% / Shoukichi 11.4%

Cleo 88.3% / Clyde 11.7%

Petri 88.1% / Petunia 11.9%

Ankha 87.6% / Anicotti 12.4%

Vivian 87.6% / Vladimir 12.4%

Rolf 86.1% / Rodney 13.9%

Molly 85.7% / Monique 14.3%

Diana 85.4% / Diva 14.6%

Portia 85.4% / Prince 14.6%

Closest matches (55% and under):

Camofrog 55% / Cally 45%

Cube 54.6% / Cranston 45.4%

Curlos 54.6% / Cupcake 45.4%

Frobert 54.6% / Fruity 45.4%

Anchovy 54.4% / Angus 45.6%

Wade 55.4% / W Link 45.6%

Bella 54.2% / Becky 45.8%

Jane 54.1% / Jambette 45.9%

Annabelle 53.8% / Analog 46.2%

Drift 53.8% / Drake 46.2%

Rooney 53.8% / Rollo 46.2%

Spike 53.8% / Sparro 46.2%

Alice 53.3% / Alfonso 46.7%

Billy 52.9% / Bill 47.1%

Grizzly 52.7% / Groucho 47.3%

T-Bone 52.7% / Sylvia 47.3%

Eunice 52.3% / Eugene 47.7%

Nate 52.3% / Nibbles 47.7%

Melba 52.2% / Meow 47.8%

Big Top 52% / Biff 48%

Erik 51.8% / Étoile 48.2%

Bettina 51.4% / Bessie 48.6%

Hornsby 51.4% / Hopper 48.6%

Mint 51.4% / Midge 48.6%

Scoot 51.2% / Shari 48.8%

Ed 50.7% / Egbert 49.3%

Frita 50.7% / Friga 49.3%

Samson 50.7% / Sandy 49.3%

Clay 50.5% / Claudia 49.5%

Koharu 50.5% / Kody 49.5%

Pinky 50.2% / Piper 49.8%

Julia 50.1% / Judy 49.9% <- (look at this shit)

Middle of the pack:

Punchy 84.9% / Pudge 15.1%

Curt 84.7% / Curly 15.3%

Muffy 84.6% / Mott 15.4%

Biskit 84.1% / Bitty 15.9%

Daisy 84% / Deena 16%

Kyle 84% / Leigh 16%

Coco 83.5% / Cole 16.5%

Roscoe 82.9% / Rory 17.1%

Stitches 82.9% / Stinky 17.1%

Mitzi 82.8% / Moe 17.2%

Vesta 82.2% / Velma 17.8%

Monty 82.1% / Moose 17.9%

Gladys 81.7% / Gigi 18.3%

Opal 81.7% / Otis 18.3%

Hazel 81.6% / Hector 18.4%

Purrl 81.4% / Queenie 18.6%

Tia 81% / Tiansheng 19%

Ione 80.8% / Inkwell 19.2%

Roald 80.8% / Robin 19.2%

Flora 80.7% / Flossie 19.3%

Chrissy 80.6% / Chuck 19.4%

Ketchup 80.2% / Kevin 19.8%

Kiki 79.8% / Kit 20.2%

Sunny 79.6% / Sven 20.4%

Lulu (anteater) 79.5% / Lulu (hippo) 20.5%

Poppy 79.5% / Poncho 20.5%

Bruce 79.2% / Broffina 20.8%

Hans 79.1% / Harry 20.9%

Gayle 78.9% / Gaston 21.1%

Pashmina 78.8% / Pate 21.2%

Bunnie 78.6% / Bud 21.4%

Beau 78.5% / Beardo 21.5%

Ace 78.3% / Admiral 21.7%

Marty 78.2% / Masa 21.8%

Gwen 78.1% / Gruff 21.9%

Dotty 77.9% / Dora 22.1%

Pekoe 77.8% / Peggy 22.2%

Aisle 77.5% / Al 22.5%

Goldie 77.5% / Gloria 22.5%

Elina 77.2% / Elise 22.8%

Maple 77% / Marcel 23%

Lolly 76.5% / Lobo 23.5%

Pierce 76.3% / Pigleg 23.7%

Phoebe 76.2% / Phil 23.8%

Tiffany 76% / Tiara 24%

Fauna 75.9% / Felicity 24.1%

Carmen (rabbit) 75.6% / Carmen (mouse) 24.4%

Ruby 75.6% / Rowan 24.4%

Fang 75.4% / Faith 24.6%

Papi 75.3% / Paolo 24.7%

Hopkins 75.2% / Holden 24.8%

random break at the 75% mark because apparently there is a character limit for blocks of text

Boomer 74.8% / Boone 25.2%

Fuchsia 74.8% / Gabi 25.2%

Rosie 74.6% / Roswell 25.4%

Eloise 74.5% / Elvis 25.5%

Freya 74.4% / Frett 25.3%

Ozzie 74% / Oxford 26%

Chevre 73.9% / Chester 26.1%

Victoria 73.8% / Violet 26.2%

Stella 73.7% / Sterling 26.3%

Drago 73.6% / Dozer 26.4%

Maggie 73.2% / Mallary 26.8%

Gala 72.7% / Ganon 27.3%

Bianca 72.5% / Betty 27.5%

Belle 71.8% / Benedict 28.2%

Patty 71.8% / Patricia 28.2%

Bones 71.6% / Bonbon 28.4%

Merengue 71.5% / Merry 28.5%

Bam 71.4% / Bangle 28.6%

Hamphrey 71.4% / Hank 28.6%

Dom 71.3% / Doc 28.7%

Tammy 71.1% / Tammi 28.9%

Marcie 70.8% / Marcy 29.2%

Genji 70.7% / Gen 29.3%

Zell 70.3% / Yuka 29.7%

Cousteau 70.1% / Croque 29.9%

Teddy 70.1% / Tex 29.9%

Marina 69.7% / Margie 30.3%

Ribbot 69.7% / Rhonda 30.3%

Ellie 69.5% / Elmer 30.5%

Baabara 69.3% / Aziz 30.7%

Carrot 69.3% / Cashmere 30.7%

Claude 69.3% / Clara 30.7%

Peck 69.3% / Peewee 30.7%

Wolfgang 69.1% / Winnie 30.9%

Tucker 69% / Truffles 31%

Norma 68.9% / Nindori 31.1%

Jeremiah 68.8% / Jay 31.2%

Tutu 68.1% / Twiggy 31.9%

Flash 68.3% / Filly 31.7%

Rocco 68.3% / Rocket 31.7%

Sprinkle 68.3% / Spork/Crackle 31.7%

Zucker 68.3% / Zoe 31.7%

Ursala 67.9% / Valise 32.1%

Amelia 67.8% / Alli 32.2%

Deli 67.8% / Derwin 32.2%

Chelsea 67.6% / Charlise 32.4%

Boots 67.3% / Boris 32.7%

Cherry 67.1% / Cherri 32.9%

Cookie 67% / Colton 33%

Peaches 66.9% / Paula 33.1%

Sasha 66.9% / Savannah 33.1%

Flo 66.7% / Flip 33.3%

Freckles 66.7% / Frank 33.3%

Tom 66.5% / Toby 33.5%

Bob 66.1% / Bluebear 33.9%

Azalea 65.9% / Axel 34.1%

Caroline 65.8% / Carrie 34.2%

Tybalt 65.8% / Twirp 34.2%

Tad 65.5% / Tabby 34.5%

Agnes 65.4% / Agent S 34.6%

Cobb 65.4% / Coach 34.6%

Octavian 65.4% / Olaf 34.6%

Reneigh 65.4% / Renée 34.6%

Chow 65.2% / Chops 34.8%

Rudy 65.2% / Sally 34.8%

Maddie 64.9% / Maelle 35.1%

Chai 64.8% / Champ 35.2%

Olivia 64.8% / Olive 35.2%

Pippy 64.8% / Plucky 35.2%

Celia 64.7% / Cece 35.3%

Wendy 64.7% / Weldon 35.3%

Pango 64.6% / Pancetti 35.4%

Joe 64.5% / Jitters 35.5%

Puddles 64.3% / Puck 35.7%

Felyne 64% / Filbert 36%

Snake 64% / Sly 36%

Kid Cat 63.9% / Kidd 36.1%

Jacques 63.8% / Jacob 36.2%

Chabwick 63.6% / Chadder 36.4%

Bree 63.5% / Broccolo 36.5%

Sylvana 63.3% / Sydney 36.7%

Tipper 63% / Timbra 37%

Static 62.9% / Sprocket 37.1%

Marshal 62.8% / Marlo 37.2%

Annalisa 62.7% / Annalise 37.3%

Quetzal 62.4% / Quillson 37.6%

Nosegay 62.3% / O'Hare 37.7%

Ken 61.9% / Keaton 38.1%

Nan 61.9% / Murphy 38.1%

Tasha 61.9% / Tarou 38.1%

Rilla 61.5% / Ricky 38.5%

Julian 61.4% / June 38.6%

Knox 61.1% / Klaus 38.9%

Pecan 61.1% / Peanut 38.9%

Deirdre 60.9% / Del 39.1%

Whitney 60.6% / Willow 39.4%

Webber 60.5% / Wart Jr. 39.5%

Greeta 60.4% / Graham 39.6%

Cyd 60.4% / Cyrano 39.6%

Blanche 60.2% / Blaire 39.8%

Hugh 59.8% / Iggly 40.2%

Bertha 59.5% / Benjamin 40.5%

Dobie 59.5% / Dizzy 40.5%

Viché 59.4% / Vic 40.6%

Rex 59.2% / Rhoda 40.8%

Mac 58.9% / Madam Rosa 41.1%

Audie 58.8% / Aurora 41.2%

Apple 58.7% / Astrid 41.3%

Raymond 58.7% / Rasher 41.3%

Pietro 58.5% / Pierre 41.5%

Joey 58.3% / Jūbei 41.7%

Mathilda 58.3% / Medli 41.7%

Hamlet 58.2% / Hambo 41.8%

Bubbles 58.1% / Buck 41.9%

Penny 57.7% / Penelope 42.3%

Avery 57.5% / Ava 42.5%

Lucy 57.5% / Lyman 42.5%

Flurry 57.4% / Francine 42.6%

Kitty 57.4% / Kitt 42.6%

Huggy 57.3% / Huck 42.7%

Epona 57.2% / Emerald 42.8%

Stu 57.1% / Sue E 42.9%

Rodeo 56.9% / Rod 43.1%

Soleil 56.8% / Snooty 43.2%

Canberra 56.7% / Candi 43.3%

Kabuki 56.7% / Katt 43.3%

Walker 56.7% / Walt 43.3%

Apollo 56.4% / Antonio 43.6%

Leopold 56.4% / Leonardo 43.6%

Iggy 56.2% / Ike 43.8%

Miranda 56.2% / Mira 43.8%

Poko 56.1% / Pompom 43.9%

Raddle 56% / Quinn 44%

Megumi 55.9% / Megan 44.1%

Lionel 55.1% / Liz 44.9%

Nana 55.1% / Naomi 44.9%

[albertserra]

It’s crazy that people are still talking about that poll 😭 making such a sweeping generalization about people not liking a webcomic or having issues with it saying they’re conservative boomers who hate everything from the 21st century. Bc they don’t like one thing

[ghostlysage]

i cant refrain from drawing the sillays… 2 weeks in and this is a major brainrot (i forgor pizza tower existed until i started listening to the playlist whoopsies!)

also ft strawby

[heygerald]

HEART MECHANICS - PART 8/9

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x OFC

Matty knew what it meant to be a pilot, even if she wasn't one herself. She had seen it all growing up; the commitments, the misery, the long fucking hours. She thought she had a pretty good handle on understanding it. But when Bradley proves that he knows how to sweep her off of her feet, she is forced to face the reality of what it meant to watch someone leave.

The only problem with that is emotions had never been her strong suit. Actually, they've never even made it onto the list of things that she was somewhat okay at. So when she finds herself clouded with more feelings than she's familiar with, she does what she does best.

She becomes an absolute fucking terror. That's healthy, right?

Read the story here: part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / ... / part 9

Matty is halfway through cooking dinner when the doorbell goes off. She’s not expecting anyone at the moment—though, there was a trio of neighborhood kids who enjoyed ding-dong ditching her whenever the mood struck their fancy—and so she finds herself more annoyed than anything else at the interruption into her Tuesday night routine. Well, routine might be the wrong word for it. Really, she had just gotten out of the shower a few moments ago to a rumbling stomach before spending all of three minutes deciding on the easiest option for dinner: pasta. 

Still, the doorbell was unnecessarily shrill and long-lasting. It nearly drove her up a wall to hear it.

So, of course, before she can consider truly ignoring it, whoever is on her front porch punches it a second time. Then a third. Then, when she’s half considering ripping the stupid thing off the wall so that she never has to hear it again, it goes off a fourth time as well. 

“Jesus fucking Christ, I’m coming!” she shouts.

Perhaps she sounds a lot angrier than she is, or perhaps the neighborhood gang has dealt with her enough times to recognize that it’s not long after the shouting starts before she goes for her airsoft gun. Either way, whoever it is stops, and Matty grumbles to herself as she adjusts the stove burner. 

The last thing she wants to do is start her second kitchen fire of the year. 

The HOA would never let her hear the end of it. 

Satisfied that nothing will burn down, Matty wipes her hands clean on a dish towel while stomping towards the front door. She has half a moment to think that it might be Frank or Boomer—the boys hadn’t stopped checking up on her, even though she had started threatening castration if they continued to interrupt what little alone time she got after work—before she wrenches open the door to be met with—

A bouquet of flowers. Daisies and baby’s breath and something pink as well. 

Matty blinks, not quite comprehending what she’s seeing, and the flowers shift to reveal a pair of warm, brown eyes. 

“Hi,” Bradley grins at her. His grin halts when he catches the bewildered look on her face. He glances between her and the paper wrapped bouquet for a moment before clearing his throat. “Nat said that you would like them. Something about pretty girls liking pretty things.” 

She opens and closes her mouth a few times before snapping back into her body as if she had previously been tethered above for the past few moments. “You brought me… flowers?”

He glances once more between the flowers and her as if he’s not sure which part of the equation she is having trouble understanding before Bradley is practically shoving them into her arms. She accepts them carefully—almost like she’s being given a brand new baby that she’s afraid of breaking—while Bradley scrubs a hand down the back of his neck. Only now does she realize that he’s wearing a clean pair of jeans and a nice floral shirt, musky cologne wafting as he moves. 

He looks good. Like, really good. 

Matty sheepishly glances down at the plaid boxers she is wearing like lounging shorts and the oversized JURASSIC PARK tee that she snagged from Frank’s house. Subtly, she shifts the bouquet in her arms while trying to tug it down as far as it will go. 

“Yeah, I was driving nearby and thought… well, do you have dinner plans tonight?”

She blinks up at him. “Do I have dinner plans?”

The way her voice pitches seems to amuse Bradley greatly. He grins—and oh does he look even better when he’s grinning at her like that—before giving as casual of a shrug as he can manage. 

“Yeah. You.” 

“Um, sorta,” she says while carefully adjusting her hold on the bouquet. 

A few petals flutter to the floor that has her frowning, and as she stoops to pick them up, she finds herself growing flustered. She had never considered herself a flower sort of girl. Really, she could barely keep her ficus alive, and that thing was pretty much a feral mutant at this point that thrived in the chaos of her house. But as she shifts left and right she catches a whiff of the baby’s breath. Mixed with the musk of his collagen that seemed to cling to the paper wrappings Matty finds her brain nearly short-circuiting at the rush of serotonin that floods her nerves. 

When she sweeps her gaze up to Bradley—who is smiling at her as if he can read every single one of her thoughts—she can do nothing to stop the way her cheeks turn bright pink. 

“I mean I’m not going out or anything like that, no one is coming over, but I am halfway through cooking dinner already.” 

He lifts a brow curiously, not having expected that sort of answer. “You cook?”

Matty considers the pot of boiling noodles on her stove, the handful of cherry tomatoes that she had been dicing, and the jar of (what was probably expired) alfredo sauce that she had dug out of the back of her pantry. “...occasionally.”

Bradley seems to read between the lines. His lips turn from a cheeky smile into something almost bashful. “Let’s go on a date.” 

“What—right now?”

“Yeah, right now,” he shrugs, as if he doesn’t see any sort of issue with the proposition. 

And, well, maybe he doesn’t. It’s only been a few days since they had gone out night surfing together, since Matty had told him that she did in fact have feelings that he quite clearly returned, and while they hadn’t seen much of each other on base, she had been expecting him to show up sooner rather than later to make good on his promise to take her out for real. 

Part of her had been excited. Part of her had been dreadful.

As he just smiles up at her from the porch, she has a hard time figuring out which emotion she was feeling more strongly at the moment. 

“I’m not exactly dressed for the occasion,” she argues, albeit a bit pathetically. Matty wasn’t really one to feel self-conscious, but when he looked so put together and handsome and she looked so… like that, it was hard not to feel that there was a clear disadvantage. Besides, this was so out of the blue that she was still having a hard time processing it all. Perhaps, that had been his plan all along. “Like, if we go out—”

“When we go out,” he corrects her without missing a beat.

“When,” she repeats with a huff, flowers shifting from one arm to the other as she waved a hand flippantly in the air while searching for the right words. “I had been hoping to have time to get ready. You know, to primp and what have you. Give you the whole smoke show and all of that, you know? It’d be totally bad for my brand if I went on a first date looking like this.” 

“You don’t look bad,” he deflects. Matty’s response was a sharp, disbelieving look, and Bradley quickly amends his statement while hiding a laugh behind his hand. “I wasn’t ever planning on taking you somewhere with a dress code, Neven. It didn’t really seem like your thing.” 

“Thanks,” she sighs. Then frowns. “I think.” 

“Jesus, I know you like being difficult, but come on. You’re already home. Just take five minutes to change and I promise to tell you that you look pretty.”

“Not just pretty, stunning.”

“Stunning.”

“Unbelievably gorgeous,” she continues. 

“Something from a dream,” he drawls. 

“Like, potentially the hottest person you’ve ever gone out on a date with.” 

He laughs, clearly amused at her nitpicking, and Matty can feel her resolve chip away before his gaze has even settled back on her own. “Promise. Now, will you please just go on a date with me?”

Matty can’t help the way that her mouth pulls up at the sides, can’t help the way that her eyes flutter shyly as she takes another, subtle whiff of the bouquet in her arms. She’s never gotten flowers from someone that wasn’t her family before, and she’s almost not sure how she feels other than the fact that she likes them. From the way that his smile widens it’s clear what her answer will be. 

A good thing considering she doesn’t manage to say anything before a high-pitched alarm starts blaring from her kitchen. Bradley’s gaze jerks over her shoulder before smugly sliding back to her. 

“You cook, huh?”

“Oh, shut up,” she mutters as the alarm continues to scream shrilly in the background.

“Not seeming like such a bad thing that I showed up unannounced now, is it?” he continues while easing back onto the porch railing. Somehow, his smugness is almost palpable in the air between them. “Almost like a knight in shining armor or something. Which I think would make you the princess. Is that ironic? It definitely feels ironic.”

“I hate you.” 

“I’ll just be waiting in the Bronco,” he tells her with a smile while gesturing over his shoulder to where the thing was parked. She admires it for only a second before remembering that there were more important things to worry about at the moment. Like the potential fire. “Don’t worry though, I’ll be sure to tell the fire department the last thing that I saw you wearing if the house goes up in flames.”

“Literally the worst,” she says. 

Bradley shoots her a look that says he knows she’s lying. Matty doesn’t even bother to refute it. Just shuts the door in his wake while trying not to drop her flowers. As she turns in the hallway she catches sight of the flowers in the mirror—takes a moment to admire how pretty they actually are—before the smell of something burning overtakes their dainty floral scent. 

As she rushes to the kitchen to find that her pasta noodles have somehow magically caught on fire in the two minutes that she was gone, she casts a despondent glance towards her ficus. For some reason, he seems to be enjoying the show; Matty actually swears that he has perked up from his typically droopy self in the corner of the room. 

“Judas,” she mutters sourly at him. 

Of course, he says nothing in response. Afterall, he is just a ficus. 

Matty ignores that fact as she dumps the pasta into the sink and showers it with cold faucet water. 

“Now,” she mutters to herself (and the ficus), “what the hell am I supposed to wear on a first date?”

---

Thirty minutes later finds the pair cruising down some backroads along the coast. Matty, by some grace of god, had just finished washing her laundry the night previous. While she had yet to put anything away, it was the first time that she had washed anything in three and a half weeks, and so she was lucky enough to find some items that didn’t smell like spilled beer or sweat to wear. Digging through her laundry to find something suitable for a date at the last possible moment while second guessing everything she saw, however, had left her running extra behind on their non-existent schedule, and because of that she didn’t have time to do much other than run a brush through her hair before she was rushing out the door. 

Then rushing back inside when she realized that she was wearing two different sneakers. 

Bradley had kept his mouth shut about her taking twenty-five minutes to come outside rather than the allotted five. He did however make a show of telling her that she was the prettiest, most stunningly gorgeous, hottest, and sexiest date that he had ever seen in his life.

Matty's response to the compliment was an affectionate middle finger while stating that she could feel his sarcasm from the passenger side seat to which he had pretended to be offended. 

Yet, as they pulled out onto the road, she had to pull some hair loose from behind her ears in hopes of hiding the blush spreading like wildfire across her cheeks. 

Bradley wisely kept his thoughts to himself about that as well; though his pleased smile was telling. 

“I probably should have asked if you liked Greek food ahead of time,” he said while pulling into a cracked parking lot. At the end of it sat a small, slightly dilapidated building that was clearly family owned. Despite the appearance, however, soft music drifted from inside and chatter could be heard through the windows. “But I’ve seen you eat at the mess hall and figured that you’d be fine with anything as long as it wasn’t burnt pasta.”  

She snorted as they made their way inside. “I’m not ashamed to admit that I enjoy food.” 

“Thankfully. This place has four stars on yelp,” he said while wiggling his eyebrows at her. 

“Ooh la la. You really know how to impress a gal, Bradshaw. Consider me swooning already.” 

Bradley held the door open for her with a chuckle. A bell overhead jingled and not a moment later did a portly Greek woman with a cheery smile approach them from the kitchen. She had a heavy accent that got even harder to understand when she led them out through a back door onto a small, nearly empty patio. There were a few tables to choose from—one was occupied by a lone man, another by a trio of women who seemed to be several glasses of wine into the evening—but she led them to the other end of the patio where a small table sat away from the rest of the noise. 

“Good, yes?” she asked. 

Bradley looked to Matty who, having absolutely no opinion whatsoever on where they ate so long as they ate soon, nodded more enthusiastically than necessary.

“Wonderful, my nephew will be back to get your orders soon. Please, sit, sit!” she fluttered around them as they sat down as if she was worried that they would change their minds and leave, but once they were seated she seemed pleased enough to leave them alone. 

He poured them some water from their pitcher as Matty glanced around at the patio in interest. They could see the beach from where they were sitting, although the restaurant was pushed back up a hill that kept them from being able to walk directly onto it. Still, there was a small pergola over their heads strung with Eddison bulbs and some well strung vines that granted them some privacy from the nearby parking lot. 

The effect was obvious. This was clearly an intimate sort of place to eat at. 

“Cute,” she chirped when she returned her attention to the table. Bradley lifted a brow—as if to say but?—and Matty responded by shrugging her shoulders. “What? I can like cute things.”

“I’ll add it to the list.” 

“Oh, there’s a list?”

“Sure there’s a list,” he laughed. “Coffee, caffeine, nicotine…” 

“You make me sound like an addict.” 

“Planes, jets, surfing, beach volleyball,” he continued. She wrinkled her nose while listening to him list off the various things he knew that she liked, half tempted to argue just for the hell of it, but deciding she wanted to see what else he would say more. “Emasculating men, threatening bodily harm, telling pilots to fuck off at bars, at work, in the motorpool when they need a tune-up—” 

Matty rolled her eyes with a snort as he finally got to the punchline. 

“And, now, finally, cute things. And to think that I never saw it coming.”  

“Hilarious,” she drawled with an over the top fake laugh. Bradley clearly thought he was funny, however, and wasn’t the least bit put off by her mocking. “Shouldn’t you be happy that I like it here?” 

“Ecstatic. I’m starving and really didn’t want to have to find somewhere else to eat.” 

“If you were that hungry we could have just eaten back at my house instead of coming all the way out here.” He made a face and she knew without asking what he was thinking. Matty rolled her eyes with a huff. “Not my cooking. We could have just ordered a pizza or something.” 

“We already had pizza at your house.”

“Chinese, then.”

“That’s not exactly a memorable first date.” 

“Eh, I’ve had plenty of horrible first dates. Pizza at my house sounds fine enough.” 

He made another face before relaxing into his chair. She watched him take his own time to survey the small wooden pergola over their heads before drifting to the other patrons in the otherwise nearly empty restaurant. “I didn’t exactly want our first date to be described as fine.” 

“Handsome and charming,” she mutters with a dry smile. “Who would have thought?”

Bradley preens a little underneath her compliment. Just like he had pretended not to see her blush earlier in the car, she pretends not to have noticed it as she takes a sip of her water. 

“Besides,” he tells her while turning his attention to the menu. She hadn’t even thought to look at it yet, and when she does, she’s relieved to find that it’s relatively small. The last thing Matty wanted to do on a first date was have a brain aneurysm while trying to pick out something to eat from the overwhelming list of items that most restaurants seemed to offer nowadays. “This place came highly recommended.” 

“Oh?” she asks while casually trying to remember what the correct way to pronounce gyro was. Was it gy-ro or gir-o? Matty hadn’t a fucking clue, and just as quickly decided to avoid that mishaps altogether by moving further down the list.

“Yeah, uh… actually, Mav was the one who recommended it.” 

“Nice,” she says without thinking before her brain catches up to what he just said. “Wait, I’m sorry—what?” 

Bradley shrinks a little bit in his seat. Almost like he’s worried that her reaction isn’t going to positively improve if he repeats himself. But he clears his throat and does just that as if he isn’t the slightest bit afraid of what she might say. “Yeah. He, uh, mentioned it yesterday when I was talking to him. You know that he’s back on the mission? He’s actually going on the mission. He did this insane fucking thing at class, flew the entire course alone with time to spare. It was fucking unbelievable—” 

Matty waved her hands at him quick enough that she almost knocked the entirety of her water into her lap. “Um, that’s not—don’t fucking change the subject,” she says. Then, once again, her brain catches up a moment too late and she is pretty sure that smoke is coming out of her ears by the time she pieces together the other thing that he just told her. “I mean, obviously we are going to talk about that because that’s—that’s great. Good for the old guy or whatever. But let’s back-up to the part where you’re asking Maverick for dating advice.” 

He makes a face. “I didn’t ask him for dating advice.” 

“Just where to take me on a date?” He hedges while tilting his head back and forth as if to say tomato, tomahto, and Matty collapses back in her chair with a very un-ladylike huff. “Dude, what the hell? The last thing we need is everyone all up in our business.”

“It’s not like we were just sitting around talking about it,” he defends. Though, his defense feels a little bit weak given that there weren’t a lot of other ways that such a topic could come up between him and his previous mentor. Last she knew, they were hardly able to carry a conversation at all, let alone share good date locations. “I just asked if he knew of any places to go for food. He inferred the rest. He’s actually a lot more intuitive than you might think; not a total moron, anyways.” 

“He’s absolutely a total moron,” she argues. Feels a little bit bad that she just called him that before remembering that there’s no way that he would ever know about it unless Bradley narked on her. “Okay, that was a little harsh, but you get what I mean. I thought you two weren’t that close anymore. Now he’s suddenly telling you about all the places he used to take chicks for dinner before banging them in the parking lot?”

Bradley makes a face as if he swallowed something unsavory. “Can we please not talk about Maverick’s sex life on our first date? Why is that—I can’t believe I just had to say that at all.” 

“It’s not like I want to be talking about it either. I mean, seriously I can’t believe this is the second time that I’m talking about Mav’s sex life in a week,” she cries. The look he shoots at her in response is nothing short of mortified and suddenly Matty is getting the weird feeling that she might not be as good on first dates as she liked to think. Sidestepping that realization all together, she makes a show of holding her palms up in surrender. “Okay, okay, okay, point made. He recommended this place and you brought me. Totally normal stuff. Let’s just move on.” 

“Thank you,” he huffs. 

“Did Mav mention what he likes to eat here?” she asks in a more normal, less strained tone of voice. 

“He wasn’t that helpful,” he tells her, to which she promptly frowns while trying to focus on the menu once more. “Have you ever had Greek food before?”

“Sorta. There’s this Greek guy from South Side beach that sells meat on a stick from a little cart. Not really sure what kind of meat it is, though, but it’s like—what—three dollars a stick and each stick has probably five or six chunks of meat on it so it’s definitely worth the potential food poisoning. Which I’ve never had an issue with but pretty sure he’s not being regulated seeing as how he always mysteriously disappears when the police cruise by,” she tells him candidly. When she’s met with silence she glances up to find that he’s pinching his nose between his fingers in exasperation. She quickly changes her tune. “Uh, I mean… no. Never. I value my life too much to ever do something like that. Why? What would you recommend?”

When he drops his hand, she’s relieved to find that he’s laughing. 

At her, which is totally annoying, but whatever. Better that than he’s suddenly reconsidering wanting to date her less than five minutes into the actual start of their date. 

Jesus, why was she so sweaty? 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah; as if you’ve never been hungry enough to eat street meat,” she rolls her eyes after a moment of spiraled thinking. Maybe it was a good thing that he hadn’t brought her out to some five start restaurant that had cloth napkins and more than one fork. The tables here didn’t even have tablecloths. “I like to think that my indulgence is helping support his family. You do know there’s a recession going on right now, right?” 

Bradley shakes his head at her with a smile. “It baffles me how you’re still alive.” 

“Flattery will get you nowhere.” 

“That was not a complement—” 

“Besides, you’re the one that insisted on going on the date,” she tells him pointedly. He doesn’t deny it; doesn’t even pretend to rethink his decision. Just laughs at her from across the table. “Now, seriously, you have to help me out here, Bradshaw. Tell me what to order so I don’t seem like a total blonde bimbo when the server comes by. I don’t understand half of these words.” 

He looks like he’s about to say something when movement over her shoulder catches his eye. 

“Too late for that,” he says just as the server in question appears. He has an accent just like his aunt, though not nearly as thick, and after he introduces himself Bradley can’t help but ask, “you don’t have a picture menu, do you? The lady doesn’t read all that well.” 

Matty smacks him with her menu before the kid can even respond. 

---

As evening turns to night around them the Eddison bulbs seem to twinkle a little bit brighter and, graciously, things seem to go even smoother than she would have expected given how nervous she had been at the start. There are no sudden fires, no more talk about sex lives of people they know, and the woman who owns the restaurant even brings them out some free baklava. 

“For the couple,” she had cooed with a motherly smile. “Pretty dessert for a pretty girl, yes?”

“The prettiest,” Bradley had said. 

The woman clapped her hands together in exclamation and made a comment about how she hoped her nephew grew up to be as well mannered as they were. Neither bothered to argue the fact with her—Matty could barely stand the idea of breaking the woman's heart—and so they had accepted the tiny dessert plate without complaint. She had even brought out a pair of dainty little forks for them to eat with. 

Cute was definitely one word to describe it. 

“So Frank and Ice actually knew each other pretty well, then?” Bradley asked her as things quieted down around them. They had spent the evening just like they had spent the night of the funeral on the beach volleying questions back and forth. Only, now, there was nothing to hide between the pair. Questions seemed to flow more freely than they had then. Answers even more so. “I can’t even imagine what they must have been like together.” 

“Not all that much different than him and Maverick together,” she said with a shrug. “Or than him and Boomer together. They would just drink and talk about stupid things that they’d done before. I think Ice had a soft spot for him because they were both from the South.”

“And your dad?”

“You kidding? Him and Frank are practically best buds. He's the son that Rick never got. It’s like I don’t even exist when they’re together.” 

He laughed while fiddling with the waiter’s pen. They had paid their check a while ago so that the waiter wouldn’t feel like he needed to check up on them, but neither seemed to be in that much of a rush to leave. A good thing considering the fact that Matty felt so bloated she thought she might puke if they walked to the car too fast. 

Apparently, she really liked Greek food. 

“What about you?” she asked. “Any best friends that I haven’t met yet?”

He snorted with a shake of the head. “Probably Nat if I had to be honest. I have friends all over but she’s the one that I’ve stayed in touch with the most over the years.” 

“Maybe you’ll get stationed together.” 

It didn’t seem all that likely, but it was a nice thought. Bradley managed to at least shrug as if it were possible. “Sure, maybe. She should be dragging Bob around with her now too. Still not sure how I feel about that.” 

“What—you don’t like him?”

“No, I do. I’m just not sure he is gonna be able to keep her out of trouble. The guy is a little…” 

“Nerdy?”

“Quiet.” 

Matty blew a raspberry at the vanilla description. Though, in her mind, she quite liked that Bob was quiet. He was a nice addition to the group; typically, pilots were just as loud mouthed and rambunctious as her own group was. To have someone there to balance it out was worth a lot more than she had originally thought. 

That thought aside, she wiggled her eyebrows at Bradley. “What about Hangman? You gonna miss him?”

He scoffed. “I definitely won’t miss him hogging all the hot water. The guy practically runs hot, you would think he would want to take a cold shower every now and again. Besides, his hair products alone take up most of the counter space. It’s ridiculous.” 

She slid her gaze to his own hair pointedly. When he caught her looking, Matty swiveled her head as if she had been watching a bug fly off. 

“I don’t use many hair products,” he huffed anyway. 

“I didn’t say you did.” 

“I don’t.” 

“I believe you.” 

She clearly didn’t and he clearly did. Then again, so what? Matty didn’t have a problem with men that took good care of themselves. If anything, it was refreshing to be around someone that showed a little bit of regard for their own health. It was a nice balance to her own…

Lackadaisical approach to life. 

“What about Mav?”

“What about him?” he asked. She curled a brow at him silently and he was able to make the connections himself. “I mean… yeah, I guess I’ll miss him a little bit. Even when he’s being a gigantic fucking prick it’s been… I don’t know, nice talking to him again,” he admitted. 

Not for the first time Matty felt like he was very clearly not telling her something about what happened between them; holding something back. For once though, maybe for the first time ever, she figured it really wasn’t her place to pester. If neither of the boys wanted to own up to what happened way back when she wasn’t going to pry. Especially when she was actually enjoying the night. 

“He seems to always land on his feet,” she observed, fiddling with a straw wrapper. “I’m sure no matter what happens after the mission that he’ll manage to stick around.” 

He hummed.

“Are you getting nervous about it at all?” she asked. Bradley’s mouth pressed into a firm line—odd, considering that this wasn’t the first time that they had a conversation similar to this—before he shrugged his shoulders as nonchalantly as he could manage. She didn’t quite buy it. “Not at all? You’re counting down the days, now.” 

Again, there was some sort of hesitation before he met her gaze. 

“I might not even go on it,” he said. “No real reason to get all worried about it now.”

That seemed like a weird response. Though he was right that he didn’t know who would get selected, she couldn’t imagine that the idea of being sent out in a half a week’s time to a carrier in the middle of the ocean didn’t make him at least a little bit antsy. Yet, Bradley was acting like it wasn’t something he was concerned about. 

“It’s normal to be a little stressed,” she hedged, knowing that it wasn’t exactly date-type talk but also feeling like it was something that needed to be said. “I would be; couldn’t imagine hurtling through space like you boys do. Even if it’s for an important mission.” 

“Yeah, well, it’s the job, you know,” he said, once more darting his gaze beyond her to the beach. It certainly felt like an avoidance tactic—avoiding what, however, she didn’t know. She didn’t get the chance to ask, either. Bradley stood with a smile. “Should we start heading back? I think they’re waiting to close up the restaurant but are too nice to say anything to us.” 

Matty frowned before peering over her shoulder. Their waiter’s head ducked around the doorframe.

“Oops.” 

He laughed as she stood, and together the pair made their way out towards the parking lot. 

“Thanks,” Matty shouted to anyone that would hear.

“Come back again!” the woman—who she was fairly sure was the owner—responded from the back kitchen. It was endearing to hear the genuinity in the woman’s voice. As Bradley held the door open for her, she nudged him with her elbow.

“Not a bad pick,” she said. “Maybe Mav does know a thing or two about romance.” 

“There’s no way in hell that I’m telling him that.” 

Matty giggled as she climbed into the passenger’s seat. “Fair enough. I’m not even sure he fits a helmet over his planet sized head.”

“I heard it’s specially made.” 

She laughed, and Bradley grinned at getting a reaction from her, and as he pulled out of the parking lot, she cast one last glance at the small, dilapidated building. Over the crest of the roof she could still make out the twinkling Eddison bulbs from the patio, and beyond that sat the nearly empty beach. Greens and blues flooded the skyline as they started down the winding coastal road, air slowly but surely brushing the hair off of her face. Bradley adjusted the radio until there was a low hum of pop music playing in the background, and despite her natural inclination to be a bitch, Matty couldn’t deny the small swell in her heart. 

“So?” he asked as they cruised. “A good first date?”

“Definitely better than Chinese food at my place,” she chirped. Bradley rolled his eyes at her snark before reaching over and pulling one of the hands out of her lap. She tried to ignore the way her skin seemed to thrum with electricity at the contact. For some reason unknown to her, however, the task was proving to be more and more difficult around him. Matty glanced away first. “Don’t let it go to your head, Bradshaw. I doubt you can afford the specially made helmets.” 

He didn’t mind her barb. 

And when he started singing along to the radio—well, shit. 

Matty did too. 

---

It was late when they finally got back to her place. Late enough that the neighborhood was quiet and dark save for the flash of his headlights, and as Bradley walked her to the front door there was a small part of Matty that was half afraid that her Dad would be waiting in the living room with a disappointed shake of the head. It had been years since she first started dating, however, and when she unlocked the door she was pleased to be met with the dark backdrop of an empty house. 

“Thanks again,” she said. “For the flowers. And, you know, for dinner.” 

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Sure, I’m always happy to prevent kitchen fires.” 

Matty rolled her eyes with a huff. “I’m not that bad of a cook,” she said. Then added, “and it was tiny. I doubt the neighbors would have even noticed.”

“You should really take that fire safety course again.” 

She swatted at his chest with a laugh, and when Bradley caught her wrist and gave a light tug, Matty didn’t even pretend to mind when she bumped into his chest. Even with the poor lighting she could see the crinkles of amusement at the corner of his eyes, could just make out the long eyelashes that framed his gentle eyes. One of his hands shifted lower on her back, and Matty couldn’t help but crook an eyebrow at him. 

A silent challenge. 

“Well Bradshaw?” she taunted. “You gonna chicken out or—?”

He kissed her before she could say anything else, and if Matty had thought she had been kissed before, the electricity that crackled in the air between them seemed to prove her wrong. Heat pooled in every nook and cranny in her body, fingertips tingling, heart hammering as Bradley deepened the kiss as much as he could manage. She sighed into his lips, not quite having control of anything that was going on and not really caring all that much, and as she tilted her head back to change the angle she felt her back hit the brick wall. 

And then, just like that—he pulled back.

She wasn’t too proud to admit that a whine caught in the back of her throat. Yet, when Bradley pulled back to put a sliver of space between their mouths, the look in his eye kept her from complaining. She saw want—could feel it pulsing between them like animals—and longing, saw adoration in the way his mouth curled at the side, joy in the back of his gaze, could feel need in the press of his fingers against her back, yet for some reason in the midst of it all likes cracks in a window Matty could also see pain. 

She recognized it from the night he had come to her house and called her Neven, from the way that his gaze would turn far away when he mentioned Maverick and his dad. 

“Hey,” she muttered, shifting. “What’s wrong?”

He didn’t answer her right away. Just let a hand drift up to her jawline where it brushed some loose hair back behind her ear. She felt her brows furrow as she watched him watch her. 

“I like you a lot,” he mumbled. “You know that, right?”

“So you keep saying.” 

“Go on a second date with me.” 

“A little soon after the first, don’t you think, Bradshaw? Usually you let the girl go inside before you start planning the next date. I don’t think this one has technically even ended, yet,” she joked. 

His mouth crooked at the side as he exhaled a breath. “After the mission, yeah?” 

Part of Matty was happy to hear that he was so eager to ask her on a second date. She had been enjoying Bradley’s company, had been having the best date in years—maybe even ever—as they sat on the little outdoor patio under the twinkling lights. Despite their tumultuous introduction, things felt easy with him when they should have been difficult. And even though there had been so many volatile emotions shared in the last few weeks, once they got through the worst of it, she really had begun to feel like they had survived the storm. 

It wasn’t just politics anymore. Not just her trying to be a bitch and him trying to woo her. 

Lately, it had been Matty being open to someone that seemed desperate to know everything about her. It hadn’t felt like a game as it often did with other men who saw her as a passing phase or who just wanted to bed her to say that they had. With Bradley she felt seen. 

But, as she stood in his grasp, underneath his heavy gaze, she was starting to feel like there was something she wasn’t seeing. As if, suddenly, someone had snatched a puzzle piece right out from underneath her nose. 

“Yeah, okay,” she muttered eventually. Both cautious and curious as to where this sudden swirl of emotions had come from. Perhaps, he was just more stressed about the mission than he was letting on. “After the mission. I’m not sure how long you’ll be gone.” 

“Me neither.” 

“Maybe we can go out again before you leave,” she suggested. The pain lanced his features once more, quick like lightning, before it was gone. “We still have a few good days.” 

Bradley swallowed. “Yeah,” he breathed. “Maybe.” 

The air seemed to be thick with electricity as Bradley glanced over her once more, almost as if he were memorizing the details of her face, but before she could say anything else about the matter he was sweeping forward to kiss her again. It stole her breath and scrambled her thoughts. 

When he smiled at her, Bradley seemed to know that.

The bastard. 

“See you around, Neven.” 

Bradley pulled away from her—leaving her skin cold and clammy—and it wasn’t until he was striding towards his Jeep did she realize that she was gawking after him like a horny schoolgirl. She cleared her throat, ran a hand through her hair then over her face, and then—with another, firmer shake of the head—finally stepped inside. The house was eerily quiet as his headlights flooded the road outside. 

Matty waved at him once more through the door before latching it shut behind her. 

And when he finally drove off she turned to find her reflection, blushed and red and bewildered, staring right back at her. On the one hand, she was happy that she hadn’t invited him inside on the first date. She liked Bradley (a lot as she was starting to realize). The last thing she needed to do was partake in self destructive behavior right off the bat. On the other hand, she really really really fucking liked Bradley. Spending the night together wouldn’t have been something she regretted.

Especially if he managed to steal her breath with a single kiss. 

She wondered…

“Jesus,” Matty shook her head while kicking off her shoes. Flustered, confused, and happy with how the date had gone, she flopped into bed. Her questions could wait until the morning when she was able to form a more coherent thought. 

---

“You’re in a good mood,” Nick noted with an impressed—and slightly suspicious—glance. Matty glanced up from the brewing coffee pot that she had been staring at with a stupid smile on her face.

Blerg. That was embarrassing, even for her.

“You know how much I love coffee,” she chirped evasively. “Thinking about starting coffee IVs. Straight to the bloodstream. Supposed to be a way better high and all that, you know?”

“Pretty sure caffeine injected into the bloodstream is lethal.” 

“And what a fine way to go out that would be,” she said with a wiggle of her eyebrows. 

But Nick wasn’t all that stupid. She could tell by the way that his eyes were narrowed at the corners, and from how he raised his brows but specifically kept his mouth firmly shut. 

Whatever. She could respect someone with self preservation. 

“What’s wrong with your face?” Boomer asked moments later; self-preservation at an all time low. Matty straightened her smile into a frown. It was amazing how the Aussie managed to suck all the air out of her lungs without even trying. Boomer snagged the coffee pot out from under her nose the second it chirped. “You have sex last night or somethin’?”

“Gross,” Nick muttered.

“Hey, um, no, my sex life isn’t gross, thank you very much. You’d be lucky to hear even a tid-bit about it, what with me being the sexual smoke-show that I am,” she joked. Then, when she realized that talking about her sex life with the kid and the pervert from Australia before eight in the morning, she quickly backtracked. “And, more importantly, it’s private. Ergo—it’s none of your business. Give me the damn coffee pot.” 

Boomer handed it over with a toothy grin. “Your sex life is the only thing worth talkin’ bout with you.” 

“Gross-er,” Nick quipped under his breath with a shudder. Mattty didn’t bother to argue that; it was a grosser thing to say. Though, certainly not out of the bounds of normal when it came to Boomer. And while that would normally end up with a complaint to HR, she had never been bothered by his lewd attempts at humor. 

Really, Matty enjoyed joking around with the others in the motorpool. Made her feel like one of the boys. 

“I could report you to HR for that you know,” she said anyway, if only because every once in a while she had to remind the status quo that she wasn't, in fact, a boy.

Of course, it wasn’t her first time making such threats, and so Boomer just sank onto the counter with an unbothered shrug. His thighs knocked some coffee stirs onto the ground, and Matty quickly snatched her mug up to protect its contents from any accidental spills. “I take it the flyboy finally put in the work, eh? Must ‘ave been a beaut’ of a farewell if you’re still ‘ere smilin’ even after he’s gone.”

She arched her brow. “What do you mean?”

Boomer shrugged. “How long have they gone for? A week minimum?” 

Matty still didn’t understand what he was talking about. Not necessarily a new thing given that Boomer talked out of his ass more often than not, but she hated feeling out of the loop. She glanced over at Nick curiously. “What the hell is he on about?”

Nick hedged with a glance towards Boomer. “Uh… you don’t know?”

Now, she was getting annoyed. “Know what?” 

The boys shared another, deeper look that had her crossing one arm over the other with a long dredge of her coffee. Despite her good mood that morning it was way too early to be dealing with their shit, and when no one answered her she flapped her hand between them. 

“Jesus, fine, I’ll buy a vowel or a consonant or whatever it takes. Now, tell me! What?”

Boomer cleared his throat, shifting on the counter. It wasn’t often that he was hesitant, and seeing him stumble over his words had an uncomfortable weight dropping in her stomach. “Er, the mission, you know… they got called out early. Left before dawn. I thought you would have—thought he would have told you.” 

Matty froze with her cup of coffee inches from her face. 

Her first instinct was to call bullshit. Boomer was just being an asshole—like always—and he was pulling her leg because he had never learned when to leave sleeping bears alone. Nick, however, wasn’t someone that got in on jokes. He wouldn’t tease her like this, nor would he stay in the same room as her if he thought there was a chance she would smack Boomer senseless for his poor taste in humor. 

And... well, then she started to think over Bradley’s odd behavior from the night before, his evasive answers to her probing questions, and the way that he had kissed her as if they wouldn’t get the chance again it almost made sense. She thought about how he had taken her out on an impromptu date on a Tuesday night, but hadn’t wanted to commit to a second date before he left for the mission. She thought about how he didn’t want to discuss the chance he would be selected to fly the route, how his smile was more of a wince when she promised that he was a shoe in. How—

"What's wrong?"

"I just like you a lot."

The realization left her feeling gutted. 

Bradley had come to her for their date knowing that he was going to be leaving, knowing that his chances of being selected were high, and he hadn’t said shit. 

On the one hand, Matty could understand why. It was the classic Irish goodbye—something she was so guilty of that her dad started to hide her car keys whenever they had a family get together so she couldn’t slip away without anyone realizing—and while the name itself was perhaps a little controversial, she doubted it would ever go out of style. Saying goodbye to the people that you loved was hard; seeing the worry rimming their eyes, the unshed tears, and unspoken words could make you rethink everything you thought you knew in life. If she was about to ship out for a dangerous mission, Matty couldn’t promise that she wouldn’t do the same. 

But… 

Even with that understanding, it hurt. 

“Son of a fucking bitch!” Matty burst out. Nick immediately edged further into the corner of the room, while Boomer winced into his coffee cup. Given that he was the closest thing to her, he probably should have been smarter and done the same. She glared so fiercely it was a miracle that her face didn’t get stuck like that. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Oi! With me?” he cried incredulously. 

“Why are you always up in my shit, Booms?” she snapped. It wasn’t a fair thing to say and he wasn’t a fair person to yell at, but Matty didn’t particularly care. “I mean, seriously! Fuck, what are you—the low budget bad news bears or something? Why would you—Jesus—learn to read the room for once in your life!” 

Boomer let out a disbelieving chuckle that sounded like nails on a chalkboard to Matty. “I was just askin’ a question! Don’t crack the shits at me! I’m innocent!” 

Matty didn’t have a response to that. Boomer was innocent. 

But…

Her good mood had evaporated all in matter of seconds because of him and his big fucking mouth, and now that she was angry, he was the easiest target in the room. Logic didn’t have much of a chance at the moment. Accepting that, Matty didn’t hesitate to snatch the cup of coffee out of his hand, march over towards the sink, and dump it down the drain all while holding Boomer's gaze.

Incredulous didn’t even describe the look on his face. “Oi! That’s fresh coffee!” 

“And now you can make your own goddamn coffee,” she hissed. It almost hurt her soul to be wasting perfectly good coffee this early in the morning, but—well—whatever. She was fucking pissed and wasting an innocent cup of coffee was better than putting Boomer’s head down the drain. That option would require way more paperwork to fill out than she was in the mood for. Keeping that thought in mind, she didn’t waste any time before she was marching back over to Boomer and shoving the now empty cup into his hands. She thought she smiled, but really she wasn’t even sure. “Next time, ask Nick about his sex life and leave me the hell out of it.” 

The blonde swiveled fast enough to send some of her coffee splashing onto the ground, but given that blood had already been shed in this battle of wills, Matty decidedly didn’t care. Frank kept a stash of cigarettes in the bottom of his locker that would taste a whole lot better than some burnt coffee ever would. 

George was stepping in just as she was stepping out. He had an odd look on his face, as if he was trying to discern what the hell all the yelling was about, but he quickly threw on a smile when he caught her glare. 

“Morning, Mats,” he greeted with an innocent wave of the hand. “I just got the updated docket—” 

Matty snatched the clipboard out of his hand with a firm, “fuck off.” 

There was a moment of disbelief as she stomped towards her workbench, then a loud clatter when she slammed both the clipboard and coffee mug down onto the metal surface. Claire sent a curious look in her direction that she vehemently ignored. There were so many emotions hanging like a dense cloud over her shoulders that Matty struggled to calm down her thoughts even long enough to read through the day’s docket. It felt like she had dyslexia; letters and words were bunching together the longer she stared at the crinkled yellow paper. 

“What did I say?” she heard George hiss from the other side of the garage. 

There was a grunt and a bang as Boomer stepped outside to the loading dock with the slam of the door. The cloud seemed to grow heavier over her head, and before she could think anymore about it, Matty turned the boombox on with a smack of a button. The music didn’t help her think clearer, but it certainly helped drown out her thoughts. 

She figured that was good enough. 

---

Matty’s bad behavior continued for three days. Three days of being a total fucking bitch to anyone that had the misfortune of being in the same room as her. Three days of getting no sleep, not eating, not drinking anything but coffee, and of smoking through more cigarettes than she could properly afford. Frank’s entire locker stash had been brutalized, Claire had hidden hers somewhere else on base, and the fellas at the commissary had started hiding their supply when they saw Matty strut in. 

On the one hand, she knew that she couldn’t keep this up. Her friends were walking on eggshells around her, life in the motorpool was unbearable, and she felt both frustrated with herself and like she was having an out of body experience that was the worst trip of her life. 

On the other hand, no one else seemed to emphasize with her. Being a total fucking bitch day-in and day-out was no easy feat. Actually, it left her exhausted. 

Which, of course, only furthered the vicious cycle. The more tired she was meant she would drink more coffee and smoke more cigarettes to be able to function, which only put her further on edge, which only made her more of a bitch, which—

Ended with her getting three fingers squashed because she wasn't paying attention.

“Jesus fucking christ!” she screeched over the sound of music. All heads turned in their direction as Matty clutched her hand to her chest. Hoping back and forth on her boots made it feel a little better, but the fact that Nick had just dropped twenty pounds of steel onto her fingers made everything feel a whole lot worse. “What the fuck! Ow!”

“Shit, Matty, I’m so sorry!” the kid babbled. He was a bit white in the face—a little bit because he was worried he had just severed her fingers, a whole lot because he was worried she was going to strangle him—and when Matty kicked a nearby oil can, the white turned into full blown panic. “I’m sorry! Don’t hurt yourself further. I’ll get a medic!” 

“Don’t you dare call anyone,” she snapped. “Fuck! I need these, you know! For—for lots of stuff! Ow!” 

“I know.” 

“Like surfing!” 

“I know!” 

“And work! How can I work without my fingers Nick? They’re kind of important!” 

“Shit, Matty, I know! I’m sorry—” he said. His worry had turned into full blown panic, however, and in his rush to help her, Nick accidentally stooped too close too quickly, and the sound that their foreheads made when cracking together was close to that of an egg hitting the floor. “Shit!” 

“Fucking ow!” 

“Jesus, Mats, are you okay? Here, let me—” 

“Don’t fucking touch me!” she shouted. Then, when the shouting seemed to take her mind off the pain, she paced a circle in the open motorpool while continuing to shout. Curse words flew out of her mouth like poems, and even she was a little impressed with how many colorful combinations she was coming up with. Really, some of the expletives should have been written down. Eminem could probably take lessons from her. “I mean, seriously, son of a horse fucking bag whore—!” 

“Matty, goddamn it, that’s it!” Frank shouted from the other side of the motorpool. She paused in her cursing to watch as he marched over towards her. Claire grabbed Nick by the elbow and bodily pulled him off to the side. Matty furrowed her brows at them, not understanding what all the fuss was about until Frank grabbed her by the shoulders and started shoving her towards the parking lot. Instinctively, she dug her heels in. In response, the pushing quickly turned into dragging. “Get your ass in the fuckin’ car.” 

“What—it’s the middle of the day. Frank!” 

“I don’t give a fuck what time it is, we’re goin’ for a ride.” 

Matty dug her heels in harder, and Frank seemed to pick up on the fact that she wouldn’t go willingly. The world tipped upside down when he tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The bun her hair had been in split open, and blonde strands went everywhere. She blew out a raspberry to try and clear a view, but when she caught the looks on her friend’s faces, she almost wished she hadn’t. There was no amusement to be seen amongst any of them. No crowing or laughter at her unfortunate predicament; just solemn faces as she was carried across the cracked pavement against her will. 

Shit. 

He was going to kill her and they were all just going to let it happen. She always knew that one day she would push the others too far, but never did she think it would be on a Friday.

“Frank! I’m sorry! Put me down, I didn’t mean it!” 

“Shut up.” 

“Nick!” she cried as she swung like a pendulum over his shoulder. The kid’s face was getting smaller in the distance. “I’m sorry! Don’t let him kill me! I never got around to taking a good headshot and the news is going to have to use some old ugly photo from high school!” 

“Matty, will you shut up?”

“No! You’re going to kill me! Help!” she yelped. Her shrieking drew a few curious eyes from some of the boys in the parking lot. When they saw who was doing the screaming and who was carrying her, however, they all turned back to their business with some fake whistling. “Oh, are you—seriously?” 

Frank took a sharp turn, and Matty’s head went smacking into the back of someone’s toyota. 

“Ow! Christ! Watch the goods, Frank!” 

“Shut the fuck up,” he snapped. And, well, finally, Matty did. She snapped her jaw together with an audible click as she switched to breathing from her nose. The pair had fought plenty of times before, but Matty had never heard him sound so angry. Maybe that’s why she let him toss her across the front bench without any more of a fight. He climbed in next, nostrils flaring and chest heaving. Yet, he didn’t start the truck without telling her to, “buckle your damn seatbelt.” 

“Jesus, fine,” she muttered. There was a click then there was the turn of the engine before they squealed out of the parking lot. 

She wasn’t sure where he was taking her. It was the middle of the day, they were still in their coveralls, hands grease stained and aching, and when she realized that her safety glasses now sat skewed on her nose she tossed them onto the front console. Frank didn’t seem to care. He just directed them off the base and down a long winding road that was as unfamiliar as it was passing by in a blur. She peeked over to his gauge to find that Frank was doing well over the speed limit. 

Frank punched on the radio as if he knew exactly what she was about to complain about. She rolled her eyes, tucking her arms around herself, and stewed on her side of the front seat. If he didn’t want to talk then neither did she. 

The silent treatment lasted twenty-five minutes. Twenty-five minutes of Matty biting her tongue, as she let a week’s worth of pent-up emotions overwhelm her like a cloud, and as she tried time and time again not to let him see how much he was bothering her. But that self-restraint all but evaporated when they came to a tedious stop at a red light. 

“Frank,” she bit out, finally losing her patience. “Where are we going? I don’t have time for this.” 

“I don’t give a fuck what you have time for and you ain’t got time for,” he replied. His accent was heavier, a sign that he was well and surely pissed, and Matty scowled at him knowing that whatever they were out there doing wasn’t going to be fun. He either didn’t notice or didn’t care. 

The light turned green and they were off again. 

The voice in the back of her head piped back up. Frank was definitely going to kill her. Drown her, most likely. But that would leave her corpse all blue and bloated and really gross to look at. If he cared about her at all, Frank would grant her the mercy of a cartel style execution. A single small bullet to the brain. The mortician could just put some makeup on her, do up her hair, and no one would be the wiser. Of course, that would mean he would have to blow her brains out, but—hey, Matty’s brains had never been her best asset, anyway, so who was she to mourn them? 

Frank took a turn towards the ocean, and Matty swore she got the nervous sweats. 

“Where are we going?” 

“You’ll see.” 

“That’s not worryingly vague,” she muttered sourly. Frank took another turn, and suddenly they were driving along the coast. So, probably not drowning. “If you’re going to kill me, can I at least have a final meal?”

“Honestly, have you ever shut up once in your goddamn life?”

“Have I—ugh! You kidnapped me along, dingus! I didn’t ask to be stuck in a car with your ass.” 

If looks could kill, she would most certainly have dropped dead of a heart attack. Thankfully, Frank seemed to have better control over his primal instincts than most serial killers did, and rather than physically choke the life out of her, he pulled a pack of cigs out of his front console and choked the life of that instead. Matty’s stomach grumbled at the smell of the smoke—an odd and entirely unhealthy response that she would not be concerning herself with now. 

She reached forward to snag one from herself only to have Frank slap her hand away. 

“Ow! Seriously?”

“You’re not smokin’ my cigs,” he told her. An incredulous look whitened her face, and, this time, he did notice. Frank waved his hand towards the back seat where there was a bunch of bananas and a half-eaten box of granola bars. “If you want food, eat. You haven’t touched anything other than cigarettes and coffee all week.”

“What are you—my dietician?”

“You’re a bitch when you’re hungry.” 

“Exactly!” she threw her hands up in disbelief, going back for another cigarette, only to have him smack her hand away again. “Jesus christ! It’s just one cigarette! It’s not like I’m going to bankrupt you.” 

“Eat the damn bananas, Matty.” 

“No.” She went for the pack again, only to be smacked once more. “Ow! Stop that.” 

“You can either eat the bananas, or you can starve.” 

“No.” 

“No?”

She stuck her nose up at him, reaffirming her bitchiness with a sharp, “no.” 

Frank glared at her from the corner of his eye before he started wheeling down his window. Matty had half a moment to question what he was doing before he picked up his pack of cigarettes and promptly tossed it out the window. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief, and in response, he only took one last long drawl of his still burning cig before that too went flying on the road. 

“What the shit?” she shrieked, twisting in her seat to try to see where the pack had ended up. He was driving too fast on a windy road, however, and the nicotine was long gone before she could even plead for him to pull over. “Those were yours! Why would you do that?”

“Because you’re being a bitch, I ain’t gonna give you anything else to make you bitchier.” 

“Then—then put them in the back! Throwing them out the window is crazy!”

He eyed her sharply. “Crazy is what you are. You would have just climbed over the seat for them because you would rather starve yourself on nicotine than eat a single fuckin’ banana,” he explained. His tone was that of a judgemental church-goer, and she had half a mind to smack him across the face. Frank pointed a sharp finger at her before she could, knowing. “You hit me and I’ll leave you on the side of the fuckin’ road. Got that?”

“I—ugh!” she cried, and, not knowing what else to do, stuck her tongue out at him as immaturely as she could. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“My problem is that you’re being a fuckin’ ragin’ bitch to anyone that’s in the same room with you.” 

Matty screwed her brows up at him. “So you thought you would lock yourself in a moving car with me?”

“Will you just shut the fuck up?”

“No!” 

The look he gave her was so scathing that she thought he might pull over right then and there and dump her on the side of the road. So scathing in fact that Matty instinctively snapped her mouth shut for the second time that day. Her and Frank had survived plenty of arguments before in their life, but never before had he ever put his foot down as much as he was now. Sure, he had dragged her out of the bar when she was drunkenly spouting off about one thing or another, and there was a time when he hadn’t spoken to her for a week because he was pissed that she threw up on his couch after promising not to drink too much, but this? Dragging her out into the middle of nowhere just because she was being a bit grouchy to the others at work? Throwing his cigarettes out onto the road just so she wouldn’t manage to sneak one? 

No, this wasn’t like the Frank that she knew.

This was something worse.

“Where are we going?” she asked after coming to that realization. 

“To someone that’s going to help you get over whatever the fuck your problem is right now because I ain’t dealin’ with this shit any longer.” 

“W—what does that even mean?”

He didn’t answer her. Instead, he just turned the knob up on the radio, and once again Matty was forced to have no company other than the raging thoughts in her head. 

---

The two hour drive ended up at an all too familiar driveway. The neighborhood itself was deceptively identical; all white houses with large front porches encased behind a dozen azalea bushes. They all sported the same HOA, cut grass, and white mailboxes. But, there was no mistaking the red front door or the old chevy truck sitting next to the garage. 

“My dad?” she cried incredulously. “Seriously?”

Frank reached over where she was sitting to shove open the passenger side door. He had calmed down somewhere in the last thirty minutes of the drive, but the hard glare in his eyes was still present. Matty wouldn’t be talking her way out of this one. She doubted that her old bike was still chained up out back either; escape was impossible. 

“Get the fuck out,” he pointed. 

“Dick,” she spat. His door creaked from how hard to slammed it, and—boy—if Frank hadn’t thought about killing her already today he would certainly be spending the next hour plotting it out. Whatever. She could add him to the list of men that wanted to put her six feet under; for her age, it was getting surprisingly long. There was a flicker of movement through the kitchen window that had the anger leaching from her bones; dread quickly replaced it. “Mom is going to kill us for showing up in grease stained coveralls, you know. She’s still mad about Thanksgiving.” 

The only response was the turn of the engine as his truck was thrown into reverse. Matty spun on her heels to watch as Frank backed out onto the street. He paused long enough to pull a brand new pack of cigarettes out of his pocket before he was throwing the truck into gear. 

“You son of a bitch!” she shouted. 

Of course, he was in a truck and she was on foot, and so the son of a bitch was long gone by the time she made it to the street. On top of that all her yelling had managed to do was draw the attention of the neighbors. Miss Landry squinted at Matty beneath the brim of a large gardening hat, and even across the road Matty could make out the tsk-ing sound the woman made at the spectacle. 

“Son of a bitch,” she muttered quieter this time while giving Miss Landry a half-hearted smile. It mustn’t have been convincing when paired with her dirty coveralls and grease stained face. Whatever. Matty already had one mother that would scold her for her dirty language and disheveled appearance. She didn’t need to entertain a second one that wasn’t even going to include her in a will. 

The march back up the driveway was more humiliating than being carried over Frank’s shoulder. 

“Well,” her dad drawled from the front porch. He had a mug of coffee in hand, and seemed much too amused by her behavior. “That’s one way to greet the neighbors.” 

Matty stomped past him with a glare. “Oh, stuff it, old man.” 

“At least take the shoes off first,” he chided behind her. She could hear the laughter clear as day, and she considered leaving the shoes on just to get him in trouble with their mother. Then again, she had no phone, no wallet, and no car. She was going to be stuck in this house until Frank felt like showing up again, which meant she would also be getting in trouble with her mother. As she paused in the mud room to take off her dirty boots, her father brushed past with a whistle. “You still have some clothes in your bedroom, kiddo. Get changed and I’ll make us some lunch.” 

Her stomach growled before she could protest. 

“Fucking Frank.”  

*** taglist (thanks for asking!) @callsignbarb @coyotesamachado @shanimallina87 @luckyladycreator2 @olivethenerd16 @the-winter-marvel33 @hiddeless @momc95 @alanadetigy @obsessedasusual I totally lied about how long this was going to come, so sorry! I also totally lied about this being the last chapter! Extra sorry about that. This ended up being 19k+ so for formatting I split it up into two chapters. The good news is the final is finished, and will be up soon! Thanks for sticking around!

[ctheathy]

Communities & the cast I shall be writing for~! Though I'm willing to make exceptions, just ask me about the character in my askbox first and I'll decide whenever or not I'll make a special case =}

These next dots shall indicate how I’ll write for particular characters. Despite it completely depending on the request itself and although ageing them up is also very much possible, some just cannot be written off as romantic and/or suggestive. I assure you understand that.

They’ll all remain •• unless if specified otherwise.

• = Platonic and/or Pet-like

• = Romantic

• = Suggestive

• = NSFW

My organized list 🤌🏻 :

UTAU + Vocaloid [+AUs from any song. Example: The Court Jester!Fukase] :

Hatsune Miku ,, Kagamine Rin ,, Kagamine Len ,, Luka Megurine ,, Meiko ,, Kaito ,, Gumi ,, Fukase •••• ,, Utatane Piko •••• ,, Flower ,, Oliver

UTAUloids

Matsudappoiyo ,, Kugutsushi Utau ,, Kazehiki Utau ,, Kuzuda Rou ,, Kuzuda Yone

The Evillious Chronicles [Daughter/Servant of Evil] AU:

Riliane ‘Rin’ Lucifen d'Autriche ,, Alexiel Lucifen d'Autriche // Allen ‘Len’ Avadonia ••• ,, Kyle ‘Kaito’ Marlon ,, Michaela ‘Miku’ ,, Germaine ‘Meiko’ Avadonia

Baldi's Basics :

Baldi ,, Arts and Crafters ,, Playtime • ,, 1st Prize ,, It's a Bully ,, Principal of the Thing ,, Gotta Sweep ,, Cloudy Copter ,, Beans ,, Chalkles ,, Dr. Reflex ,, Mrs. Pomp ,, The Test ,, Null // filename2 ,, 0th Prize ,, PlaceFace ,, Bladder ,, Johnny

The Powerpuff Girls :

Blossom ,, Bubbles ,, Buttercup ,, Professor Utonium ,, Bunny ,, Dynamo ,, Bullet • ,, The Mayor • ,, Miss Sara Bellum ,, Miss Keane ,, Robin Snyder ,, Blisstina ‘Bliss’ ,, Bell ,, Breannin ,, Barasia

Villains:

Mojo Jojo ,, Brick ,, Boomer ,, Butch ,, Princess Morbucks ,, Fuzzy Lumpkins ,, The Amoeba Boys ,, The Gangreen Gang ,, Sedusa (+Ima GoodLady) ,, Rainbow the Clown//Mr. Mime ,, Abracadaver ,, The Sandman ,, The Gnome ,, Dick Hardly ,, Knock-off Powerpuff Girls ,, Him (+MIH) ,, Owlie Boop ,, Allegro ,, Chelsea ,, Sapna Nehru ,, Packrat ,, The Powerpunk Girls [Berserk, Brat and Brute] ,, The Rowdyright Boys [Blake, Bash and Breaker] ,, The RowdyRouge Girls [Bellicose, Bedlam and Bruiser]

Power of the Force Girls AU:

Babbles ,, Petal ,, Peanut ,, Profesor Yoddle ,, Major Grievance

Pokémon :

Ash Ketchum ,, Pikachu • ,, Misty ,, Brock ,, Ghost of Maiden's Peak [+Gastly] ,, Sabrina ,, Jessie ,, James ,, Meowth ,, Giovanni ,, Sakura ,, Satsuki ,, Sumomo ,, Koume ,, Tamao ,, evil Togepi • ,, Wally ,, Ingo & Emmet ,, Serena ,, Aria ,, Miette ,, Clemont ,, Bonnie • ,, Trevor ,, Shauna ,, Tierno ,, Penelope ,, Jessica ,, Elise ,, Korrina ,, Valerie ,, Lysandre ,, XY Malamar ,, Hau ,, Hala ,, Ilima ,, Olivia ,, Sophocles ,, Lana ,, Kiawe ,, Mallow ,, Acerola ,, Hapu ,, Lillie ,, Gladion ,, Lusamine ,, Team Skull Grunts ,, Plumeria ,, Guzma ,, Nebby • ,, Hop ,, Bede ,, Milo ,, Nessa ,, Kabu ,, Allister ,, Bea ,, Melony ,, Marnie ,, Piers ,, Opal • ,, Raihan ,, Leon ,, Sordward & Shielbert

Creepypasta :

Bloody Painter // Helen Otis ,, Hobo Heart ,, Candy Pop ,, Kagekao ,, Homicidal Liu // Liu Woods + Sully ,, Ticci Toby // Tobias Erin Rogers ,, Frankie ,, The Puppeteer // Jonathan Blake ,, Jason the Toymaker // Jason Meyer ,, Julius the Dressmaker // Julius Doherty ,, Suicide Sadie // Sadie Marie Benette ,, Pure Evil ••• ,, Lazari Natalie Swann • ,, Oliver Henderson •

Monster Hunter Stories :

Lute ,, Cheval ••• ,, Lilia ,, Mille ,, Hyoro ••• ,, Genie ••• ,, Itsy-Bits ••• ,, Dr. Manelger • ,, Debli ,, Avinia // Ayuria ,, Gale ,, Kayna ,, Ena ,, Alwin ,, Zellard ••• ,, Reverto ,, Kyle ,, Yoomlana

South Park + Hellpark :

Eric Cartman ,, Stan Marsh ,, Kyle Broflovski ,, Kenny McCormick ,, Leopold “Butters” Stotch + Professor Chaos + Marjorine ,, Craig Tucker [+Hellpark] ,, Clyde Donovan [+Hellpark •••] ,, Tweek Tweak [+Hellpark •••] ,, Thomas [+Hellpark •••] ,, Tolkien Black ,, James “Jimmy” Valmer ,, Timothy “Timmy” Burch ,, Scott Malkinson ,, Jacob Hallery ,, Brimmy ,, Nate ,, Dougie O'Connell • ,, Karen McCormick • ,, Scott Tenorman ,, Wendy Testaburger ,, Heidi Turner ,, Bebe Stevens ,, Red McArthur ,, Nichole Daniels ,, Leslie Meyers [+Hellpark] ,, Rebecca Cotswolds [+Hellpark] ,, Cosette

Goth Kids

Michael [Tall Goth] ,, Henrietta Biggle ,, Georgie “Firkle” Smith • ,, Pete

Foreign Kids

Gregory of Yardale [+Hellpark •••] ,, Philip “Pip” Pirrup [+Hellpark •••] ,, Herbert Pocket [+Hellpark •••] ,, Christophe The Mole ,, Damien Thorn [+Hellpark •••] ,, Estella Havisham [+Hellpark •••]

Corpse Party :

Satoshi Mochida ,, Yuka Mochida • ,, Seiko Shinohara ,, Naomi Nakashima ,, Ayumi Shinozaki ,, Yoshiki Kishinuma ,, Mayu Suzumoto ,, Sakutaro Morishige ••• ,, Yuuya Kizami ,, Naho Saenoki ,, Sachiko Shinozaki •

Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun :

Hanako // Amane Yugi ,, Yashiro Nene ,, Kou Minamoto ,, Teru Minamoto ,, Mitsuba Sousuke ,, Aoi Akane ,, Akane Aoi ,, Sakura Nanamine ,, Natsuhiko Hyuga ,, Tsukasa Yugi ,, Tsuchigomori Ryūjirou

Super Mario Bros :

Mario ,, Princess Peach Toadstool ,, Luigi ,, Polterpup • ,, Poochy • ,, Dorrie • ,, Plessie • ,, Yoshi • ,, Toad ,, Captain Toad ,, Toadette ,, Princess Daisy ,, Rosalina ,, Luma • ,, Donkey Kong ,, Diddy Kong ,, Wario ,, Waluigi ,, Dreambert ,, Sprixie Princesses ,, King Bowser ••• + King Koopa ••• ,, Dry Bowser ,, Bowser Jr. • ,, Kamek ,, Boom Boom ,, Pom Pom ,, Motley Bossblob ,, Nabbit ,, Birdo ,, Petey Piranha ,, Piranha Plant [+fire Piranha's] • ,, Shy Guy ,, Blarrg • ,, Cheep chomp • ,, Chain Chomp • ,, Chargin' Chuck • ,, Dry Bone • ,, Buzzy Beetle • ,, Spiny • ,, Wiggler • ,, Hammer Bro ,, Lakitu ,, Wart ,, King Bob-Omb ,, King Boo ,, Draggadon • ,, Wingo • ,, Fawful ,, Dimentio ,, Best Fitness Friends [Dieter, Beef and Kaley]

The Koopalings + DiC cartoons

Larry Koopa ••• + Cheatsy Koopa •••

Ludwig Von Koopa •••• + Kooky Von Koopa •••

Morton Jr. Koopa ••• + Big Mouth Koopa •••

Wendy O Koopa ••• + Kootie Pie Koopa ••

Lemmy Koopa ••• + Hip Koopa •

Iggy Koopa •••• + Hop Koopa •

Roy Koopa •••• + Bully Koopa •••

The Broodals

Topper ,, Harriet ,, Rango ,, Spewart

Kirby :

Kirby ,, Bandana Waddle Dee ,, Meta Knight ,, Galacta Knight ,, King Dedede ,, Scarfy • ,, Marx + Marx Soul + Manga Marx ••• ,, Magolor ,, People of the Sky ,, Taranza ,, Sectonia [+Queen form] ,, Susie ,, President Haltmann ,, Star Dream • ,, Galactic Nova • ,, Prince Fluff ,, Shadow Kirby ,, Dark Meta Knight

Banami-luv gijinka AU:

Kirby ,, Meta Knight ,, Marx ,, Galactic Nova ,, Galacta Knight

Care Bears + Movies :

The Care Bears • ,, Care Bear Cousins • ,, Auntie Freeze • ,, Professor Coldheart • ,, Frostbite ,, No Heart ,, Beastly ,, Shriekeline “Shreeky” No Heart

The Care Bears: Adventure in Wonderland

Alice ,, White Rabbit ,, Caterpillar ,, Cheshire Cat ,, Mad Hatter ,, Stan the Jabberwocky ,, Princess of Wonderland ,, The Wizard of Wonderland ,, Dim & Dum

Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation

Dark Heart ,, Christy ,, Dawn ,, John

Happy Tree Friends :

Cuddles ,, Giggles ,, Toothy ,, Lumpy ,, Petunia ,, Handy ,, Nutty ,, Sniffles ,, Pop ,, Cub • ,, Flaky ,,The Mole ,, Disco Bear ,, Russell ,, Lifty & Shifty ,, Mime ,, Cro Marmot ,, Flippy + Fliqpy ,, Ka Boom ,, Splendid ,, Splendon’t ,, Lammy ,, Mr. Pickles,, Truffles ,, FatKat

Chikn Nuggit :

Chikn Nuggit ,, Cheezborger ,, Iscream ,, Slushi ,, Fwench Fwy ,, Sody Pop • ,, Sassparilla ,, Cofi ,, Hawt Saus ,, Bezel ,, Beta!Fwench Fwy ,, Beta!Slushi ,, Beta!Hawt Saus

Angry Birds :

Red ,, Chuck ,, Bomb ,, Matilda ,, The Blues ,, Jake, Jay, Jim • ,, Bubbles ,, Hal ,, Silver ,, Ice Bird ,, Terence ,, Corporal Pig ,, Foreman Pig ,, Chef Pig ,, King Pig ,, Prince Porky ••• ,, Stella ,, Poppy ,, Luca • ,, Willow ,, Dahlia ,, Gale ,, Handsome Pig ,, Artist Pig

Littlest Pet Shop :

Zoe Trent ,, Russell Ferguson [+Cyril McFlip] ,, Minka Mark ,, Penny Ling ,, Vinnie Terrio ,, Sunil Nevla ,, Pepper Clark ,, Buttercream Sundae ,, Sugar Sprinkles ,, Mitzi ,, Shahrukh ,, Madame Pom ,, Delilah Barnsley ,, Scout Kerry ,, Sweet Cheeks ,, Cashmere Biskit ,, Velvet Biskit ,, Blythe Baxter,, Brittany Biskit,, Whittany Biskit

My Little Pony :

Twilight Sparkle ,, Rarity ,, Pinkie Pie ,, Apple Jack ,, Fluttershy ,, Rainbow Dash ,, Spike ,, Sunset Shimmer ,, Starlight Glimmer ,, Trixie Lulamoon ,, Moondancer ,, Coco Pommel ,, Coloratura ‘Rara’ ,, Maud Pie ,, Limestone Pie ,, Marble Pie ,, Flutterbat ,, Chimera ,, The Diamond Dogs [Rover, Fido, and Spot] ,, Discord ••• ,, Lord Tirek ,, Flurry Heart • ,, Cozy Glow • ,, Snowdrop • ,, Nightmare Moon ,, Daybreaker ,, Queen Chrysalis ,, Unreformed Changelings ••• ,, Thorax ••• ,, Pharynx ••• ,, King Sombra ,, Tantabus ,, The Sphinx ,, Pony of Shadows // Stygian ,, Grogar

Grimdark AUs:

Fluttershy [Shed.MOV] ,, Pinkamena Diane Pie [Cupcakes] ,, Rainbow Dash [Rainbow Factory] ,, Lil Miss Rarity ,, Starlight Glimmer [The Friendship Test] ,, Fluttershy [My Little Amnesia] ,, Rainbow Dash [My Little Amnesia] ,, Pinkie Pie [My Little Amnesia]

G1 AU: >>>

Megan Williams ,, Spike • ,, Danny Williams ,, Molly Williams • ,, The Moochick ,, The Bushwoolies ,, The Furbobs ,, The Stonebacks ,, The Grundles ,, Sludge ,, G'nash ,, Dinah • ,, Squire Alonzo ,, The Crabnasties ,, Mayor Camembert ,, The Sheriff of Muensterville ,, Prince Edgar • ,, Sunny • ,, Puck ,, Pluma [+The Ghost of Paradise Estate] ,, Grandpa Ruff • ,, Woebegone ,, The Witch ,, Prince Phillip ,, Garth ,, Mayve • ,, His Elevated Eminence •

Applejack ,, Bow Tie ,, Bubbles ,, Cotton Candy ,, Ember • ,, Firefly ,, Glory ,, Medley ,, Moondancer ,, Twilight ,, Heart Throb ,, Lickety-Split ,, Posey ,, Powder ,, Sparkler ,, Skydancer ,, Starflower ,, Majesty ,, Sundance ,, Gusty ,, Buttons ,, Fizzy ,, Ribbon ,, Galaxy ,, Mimic ,, Gingerbread ,, Scoops ,, Magic Star ,, Shady ,, Cherries Jubilee ,, Cupcake ,, Truly ,, Sweet Stuff ,, Wind Whistler ,, North Star ,, Paradise ,, Surprise ,, Lofty ,, Locket ,, Whizzer ,, Twilight [Pegasus] ,, Masquerade ,, Princess Tiffany ,, Princess Primrose ,, Princess Royal Blue ,, Princess Serena ,, Princess Sparkle ,, Princess Starburst ,, Quarterback ,, Salty ,, Slugger ,, Tex ,, Steamer ,, Trucker ,, Baby Cotton Candy • ,, Baby Glory • ,, Baby Moondancer • ,, Baby Surprise • ,, Baby Lickety-Split • ,, Baby Gusty • ,, Baby Lofty • ,, Baby Ribbon • ,, Baby Shady • ,, Baby Sundance • ,, Baby Bouncy • ,, Baby Cuddles • ,, Baby Fifi • ,, Baby Half Note • ,, Baby Heart Throb • ,, Baby North Star • ,, Baby Quackers • ,, Baby Tic Tac Toe • ,, Baby Tiddley-Winks •

Seawinkle ,, Sealight ,, Wavedancerran ,, Baby Backstroke • ,, Sand Dollar ,, Sea Mist ,, Whitecap ,, Baby Sun Shower • ,, Baby Water Lily • ,, Ripple ,, Beachcomber ,, Sea Shimmer ,, Sun Shower ,, Surf Rider ,, Water Lily ,, Morning Glory ,, Rosedust ,, Forget-Me-Not ,, Honeysuckle ,, Lily ,, Peach Blossom

Scorpan ,, Tirac ,, Beezen ,, The Duchess ,, Knight Shade ,, Zeb ,, Erebus ,, King Charlatan ,, Niblick ,, Draggle ,, Reeka ,, Hydia • ,, Ahgg ,, The Smooze • ,, Squirk ,, Crank ,, Frazzits • ,, The Flores ,, Jewel Wizard ,, Lavan [+crystallized form] ,, Sting ,, Queen Bumble ,, Princess Porcina ,, The Raptorians ,, Crunch the Rockdog ,, The Sqree ,, Somnambula ,, Kyrie ,, Bray ,, Grogar

Popee The Performer + Chinchikurin :

Popee + Hanabishi Kuruwaya •••• ,, Kedamono + Keita Ookami ,, Marifa + Mariha Kuruwaya ,, Papi + Nichiteru Kuruwaya ,, Alien ,, Mirror Popee // Eepop •••• ,, Mirror Kedamono // Onomadek

Seito Kure ,, Boron Makuroshi ,, Toru Garakuta ,, Haruma Neko

The Amazing Digital Circus :

Pomni ••• ,, Caine ••• ,, Bubble • ,, Ragatha ••• ,, Jax ••• ,, Zooble ••• ,, Gangle ••• ,, Kinger ••• ,, Gloink Queen • ,, Dr. Football ,, Moon ,, Sun ,, Paine ,, The Bone Pastor

Abstracted characters [Digital+abstracted form] :

Kaufmo ••• ,, Queenie ,, Rett (yellow dog) ••• ,, Wriggle (worm on a string) ,, Doz (purple dinosaur) ,, Blonk (pink cyclops) ,, Moppsy (mouse sockpuppet) ,, Yucko (yellow rabbit-like creature) ,, Bizz (polka-dot covered clown)

Fan-made names by Sunnie_Daies on Reddit

Lego Monkie Kid :

MK ‘Monkie Kid’ •••• ,, Mei ,, Tang ,, Pigsy ,, Sandy ,, Mo • ,, Redson •••• ,, Demon Bull King ,, Princess Iron Fan ,, Bull clones • ,, Lady Bone Demon •••• (+disguise form) ,, Bai He • [Little girl] ,, Spider Queen •••• ,, Huntsman •••• ,, Goliath [Strong Spider] ,, Sun Wukong ‘Monkie king’ ,, Macaque ,, Syntax (+pre-corrupted/human form) •••• ,, Mayor (+chief of war) •••• ,, Yin & Jin •••• ,, Guardians of Knowledge ,, Lion Guardians • ,, Demon Accountant ,, Nezha/Third Lotus prince ,, Scorpion Queen ,, Azure Lion ,, Peng ,, Yellowtusk ,, Chang'e ,, Tan Sanzang ,, Zhu Bajie ,, Sha Wujing ,, Ao Lie •••• ,, Ao Guang/Dragon of the East ,, Master Subodhi ,, Attendant ,, Kui Mulang ,, MK [Party clone] •••• ,, MK [Artist clone] •••• ,, MK [Delivery clone] ••• (he won't be obese here...) ,, MK [Backup clone] •••• ,, Store Owner

Ferdinand :

Ferdinand [+young form] ,, Paco ,, Nina • ,, Juan ,, Valiente [+young form] ,, Guapo [+young form] ,, Bones [+young form] ,, Lupe ,, Angus ,, Maquina ,, Una ,, Dos ,, Cuatro ,, Hans ,, Greta ,, Klaus ,, El Primero

Disney :

Princesses:

Snow White ,, Cinderella ,, Tinkerbell ,, Alice • ,, Aurora ,, Ariel ,, Melody • ,, Belle ,, Jasmine ,, Pocahontas ,, Esmeralda ,, Mulan ,, Tiana ,, Jane ,, Anna ,, Elsa ,, Rapunzel ,, Merida ,, Megara ,, Moana ,, Elena ,, Raya ,, Sofia •

Heroines//Heroes//+More:

The Beast ,, Lumière ,, Cogsworth ,, Mrs. Potts ,, Chip • ,, Aladdin ,, Genie ,, Carpet • ,, The Prince [Snow White] ,, The Seven Dwarfs ,, Prince Charming ,, Fairy Godmother ,, Jaq & Gus ,, Grand Duke ,, The King [Cinderella] ,, Cheshire Cat ,, Mad Hatter ,, Caterpillar ,, White Rabbit ,, Prince Phillip ,, Flora, Fauna & Merryweather ,, King Triton ,, Prince Eric ,, Sebastian ,, Flounder • ,, Tarzan ,, Terk ,, Kala • ,, Flynn Rider ,, Hercules ,, Phil ,, Sisu ,, Tuk Tuk • ,, Princess Amber ,, Prince James ,, Baileywick ,, Princess Hildegard ,, Princess Clio ,, Oona ,, Charlotte ‘Lottie’ la Bouff ,, Prince Naveen [+frog form] ,, Li Shang ,, Mushu ,, Yao, Ling & Chien Po ,, Ting-Ting, Su & Mei ,, King Fergus ,, Queen Elinor ,, Hamish, Hubert & Harris ,, Lord Macintosh [+young] ,, Lord MacGuffin [+young] ,, Lord Dingwall [+wee] ,, Quasimodo ,, Clopin Trouillefou ,, Maoi ,, Chief Tui ,, Gramma Tala • ,, Te Fiti • ,, Hen Wen • ,, Gurgi ,, Miss Bianca ,, Bernard ,, Jake ,, Cody • ,, Wilbur ,, Marahute • ,, Kovu ,, Kiara ,, Vitani ,, Carl Fredericksen [+young] ,, Ellie Fredricksen [+young] ,, Russell • ,, Kevin • ,, Miguel Rivera ,, Abuelita Elena • ,, Mamá Coco • ,, Papá Julio • ,, Tía Victoria ,, Tía Rosita ,, Héctor •••• ,, Mamá Imelda ,, Óscar & Felipe ,, Chicharrón ,, Pepita • ,, Kristoff ,, Olaf • ,, Bruni • ,, Riley • ,, Joy ,, Sadness ,, Disgust ,, Fear ,, Anger ,, Bing Bong ,, Luca Paguro ,, Alberto Scorfano ,, Giulia Marcovaldo ,,

Villains:

Captain Hook ,, Cruella de Vil ,, Jasper & Horace ,, Jafar ,, Maleficent ,, Diablo • ,, Gaston ,, Queen of Hearts ,, Ursula ,, Hades •••• ,, Pain & Panic ,, Lady Tremaine ,, Anastasia ,, Drizella ,, Mother Gothel ,, Scar ,, Zira ,, Nuka ,, Shenzi, Banzai & Ed ,, Si & Am • ,, Mor'du ,, The Evil Queen ,, Doctor Facilier ,, Yzma • ,, Kronk ,, Randall Boggs ,, Chef Skinner ,, Amos Slade ,, Percival C. McLeach ,, Joanna the Goanna ,, Claude Frollo [FUCK HIM UP!!] •••• ,, Clayton ,, Big Bad Wolf ,, Buddy Pine//Syndrome ••• ,, Mirage ,, Jangles the Clown ,, Namaari ,, Prince Hans ,, Tamatoa ,, Te Kā • ,, Ernesto de la Cruz

Misc. :

- Reisuke Houjou • [Mirai Nikki // Future Diary]

- Rococo [Omori]

- Lucian Abbot ••• [R.I.P aka Really Introverted Producer]

- Tobey McCallister [WordGirl]

- Dr. Sylvester Ashling [Epithet Erased]

- Postman // Victor Grantz (+ _____ skin) [Identity V]

- Ahmanet (+alive Ahmanet) ••• [The Mummy]

- The Lamb // Lambert [Cult of the Lamb]

- ENA (+ _____ form) [Joel G]

- The Collector [The Owl House]

- Blommy // Bloomy [Fluffffpillow's oc]

- Sun [Two Face ,, GH'S Animation]

- Scooby-Doo [Velma Meets the Original Velma]

- Patchy the Pirate // Flying Dutchman [SpongeBob SquarePants | The Time Travelling Ghost Pirate Theory] •••

- Senpai (+Spirit) [Friday Night Funkin]

° Rio Ranger (+Laizer)/Toto Noel •••• ,, Sei Satou ••• ,, Kai Satou •••• [Your Turn To Die]

° Monaca Towa ,, Nagisa Shingetsu ,, Jataro Kemuri ,, Masaru Daimon ,, Kotoko Utsugi [Danganronpa // Warriors of Hope]

° Isaac “Zack” Foster ,, Rachel Gardner ,, Edward “Eddie” Mason ,, Daniel “Danny” Dickens ,, Catherine “Cathy” Ward ,, Abraham Grey [Angels of Death // Satsuriku no Tenshi]

° Satou Matsuzaka ,, Shio Kōbe • ,, Asahi Kōbe ,, Taiyō Mitsuboshi ,, Sumire Miyazaki ,, Mitori Tajima ,, Shōko Hida ,, Satou’s aunt • [Happy Sugar Life]

° Eun Sian ,, Chae Yul •••• ,, Chae Yuri ,, Hyun Yujin ,, Min Hyunee [Secret Alliance]

° Aoi Mukou ,, Miyuki Sone ,, Haru [You and Me and He // Totono]

° The Angel •••• - The Demon •••• - The small Demon • [Avogado6]

° Say Carnes ,, Arc Carnes [The Chattering Lack Of Common Sense/The Chattering Of Teeth and Lack Of Common Sanity]

° Kennith Simmons ,, Stephanie Glass ,, Greg Hoffman [The Colorbars Broadcast of 1987] •••

° Andrew Graves •••• ,, Ashley Graves •••• ,, Julia [The Coffin of Andy & LeyLey]

° Justine Florbelle ,, Aloïs Racine (+pre-torture, +mid-torture) ,, Basile Giroux (+pre-torture, +mid-torture) ,, Malo de Vigny (+pre-torture +mid-torture) [Amnesia: Justine] ••••

° Radiant_Day ,, Unstable_Day ,, Scary_Day ,, Great_Day ,, Dreadful_Day ,, Benevolent_Day ,, Emotionless_Day [Days Union]

° Rush ,, Hide ,, Seek ,, Eyes ,, Halt ,, Ambush ,, Screech • ,, Figure ,, Jack ,, Glitch [Roblox Doors]

° Amethyst van der Troll ,, Ruby Trollman ,, Sapphire Trollzawa ,, Onyx von Trollenberg ,, Topaz Trollhopper ,, Simon (+Garnet Trollovski) ,, Snarf • [Trollz]

° Sharko ,, Marina ,, Zig ,, Bernie ,, The Ghastly Ghost ,, Manic Mermaid ,, King Neptune [Zig & Sharko]

° Oh ,, Gratuity ‘Tip’ Tucci ,, Pig • ,, Gorg ,, Kyle ,, Captain Smek ,, Boov [Home]

° Pound (+Monstar form) ,, Bang (+Monstar form) ,, Nawt (+Monstar form) ,, Bupkus (+Monstar form) ,, Blanko (+Monstar form) [Space Jam // The Nerdlucks]

° Charmander ,, Squirtle ,, Bulbasaur ,, Leader Caterpie ,, Whiskers ,, Gastly • ,, Haunter ,, Flareon [Starter Squad by Shippiddge]

° Freddy Fazbear ,, Foxy the Pirate ,, Chica ,, Bonnie ,, Mangle ,, Springtrap ,, Fredbear ,, Toy Freddy ,, Toy Chica ,, Toy Bonnie [FNaF Tony Crynight]

° Kitsunami the Fennec ••• ,, Dr. Starline ,, Infinite the Jackal ,, Rookie the Wolf [Sonic the Hedgehog]

- [Any Tails variant will do tbh] •••• ➴

OG Miles ‘‘Tails” Prower • movie Tails • boom Tails • Anti-Miles • SH/TSAA Tails • (There's something about Knuckles) Tails • Blacksmith • (Tails’ Dark Diary) Tails • WWMH Miles • Nine • Mangey • Sails • Tails.EXE • starved Tails • Inner Tails • Ali Baba • Tailsop • Tails-Zilla • Tails Doll • Metal Tails • Luther • (Tails Gets Trolled) Tails • AOSTH Tails • Zails the Zone Cop • pinball/brainwashed Tails • Requital (The Sonic Oddities) • (Sonic Prime) Tails • (The Ankh) Hologram Tails/Hollow • (Operation Crimson) Tails • (Operation Crimson) Flor • Tails emo AU (Kayla Green)

May add more in the future ...

[rhube]

Can't help but be bummed by this

On the one hand, King seems firm in his stance that trans women are women and he and JKR disagree on that, but he's still praised someone who has championed the dehumanisation of trans and non-binary people. People like me.

He sees it as a mere difference of opinion. But would he promote the work of an author who wanted laws to prevent black people using the same bathrooms as them? Gay people? I'm not equating these struggles, but the same dehumanising arguments are recycled by fascists again and again as a means of driving marginalised groups from public spaces.

Of course the Queen Bigot can have her opinions, but a) she does much more than have them, she funnels considerable money and power into the machines of political oppression, pals around with Nazis, and openly promotes the harassment of trans and non-binary people; b) promoting a book by a bigot is much more than letting someone have a different opinion! King is using HIS considerable power to increase her earnings and bring a book that communicates her beliefs to other people.

I know they say you shouldn't have heroes, but I don't think anyone can live like that. We all need heroes sometimes.

I own So Many Stephen King books. His writing isn't without flaws, but some of his works are as near to perfect (for me) as writing can be.

I stopped reading new works from him a while back as the quality went down, and I wanted to read more works by marginalised people. But lately people said his work was getting good again. I'm in a real reading slump. I have huge anxiety over starting new books. It's a real issue. I had to started to wonderful if cracking open a Stephen King - who used to be my old faithful - would be a nice, safe option.

And I fear this has made him unsafe for me again. That I wouldn't be able to read without thinking of this, and that would cause too much anxiety.

You don't always get to choose your heroes. They come into your life and sweep you off your feet. You can choose to set them aside, but it is hard.

I have set a lot of heroes aside over the last decade, but this one... it would be like losing a guardian of the beam, you ken? It feels like the Tower could fall.

It's not the end of the world. He still says HE supports trans rights. But this is a flaw in boomer liberalism. A misunderstanding of the tenets of freeze peach.

If you support trans writes, you got to show it with your actions, Steve. And this action? It did not support trans rights. It promoted someone who undermined them.

[vendettaspathfanfic]

Chapter Five

(First one with the cover!!)

(Chapter Index)

(Previous)

The sudden demise of a prominent official and the mysterious vanishing of another were events that could not stay undetected for long. Reinforcements were swiftly deployed to the location to scrutinize the aftermath of a violent explosion, an array of gunfire, and the resonating shockwaves of sonic booms.

Although nobody had any idea who initiated the bombing, it was initially assumed Miles Prower and Boomer Walrus of the Suppression Squad had neutralized the elusive blue blur. Yet, upon arrival, they were met with a chilling scene - the lifeless body of Boomer, his existence snuffed out by a fatal gunshot wound on the lower right side of his neck. The grim tableau was punctuated by the discovery of four police-issue bullet casings and three bullets lodged in the nearby concrete wall.

This evidence led to an almost inescapable conclusion - the young blue blur who had managed to seize a gun from the law enforcement ranks was the likely perpetrator of this crime.

After power and communications were swiftly restored, the area remained under stringent lockdown. Law enforcement personnel diligently scanned the vicinity for any trace of Miles, the young suspect, or any individuals exhibiting suspicious behavior. Their search unearthed only the shattered remnants of Miles' array of handheld devices and a faint set of small, bloody shoeprints.

Atop a hill, overlooking the city, the massive Castle Acorn loomed like a fortress of steel and glass. Its impressive structure was marked by glowing neon spires that pierced the evening sky, a true testament to technological power. Inside the castle's walls, Alicia Acorn sat in the throne room, surrounded by modern design and bathed in the gentle glow of neon lights. It was there that she received an urgent phone call from the chief of police, bearing this news of her comrades' fate and the circumstances surrounding it.

The newly crowned queen gripped her throne, taking in a breath in an attempt to retain composure. “Please bring Boomer’s remains to the castle as soon as you are able. And do not cease in your search for Miles.”

“Yes, your majesty.” The chief dutifully responded. “We’re able to have him sent back right away.”

The loss of Boomer was bad enough by itself. His collaboration with Miles in the realm of engineering and invention had been a cornerstone of the extraordinary technological revolution sweeping through their world. More than just an innovator, Boomer was also one of the most formidable combatants within their small team.

The impact of Miles' sudden disappearance was even more catastrophic. While Alicia held the official title of queen in their domain, it was Miles who was the true architect of power behind the throne. His strategic wit was the keystone in their coup that toppled the despised Scourge, leading to the former king's incarceration in Zone Jail at the hands of Sonic. Without his guiding hand, Alicia's governance faced the threat of unraveling.

Patch, interjected with furrowed brows and a skeptical glance from his intact eye, "I was under the impression that the Shapeshifters had departed our planet, madame."

Alicia gestured assertively as she responded, "Many have, not her.” She turned to pace in another direction, her eyes shifting in continuous thought as she spoke. "I had already considered extending an invitation for her to join us. Now, there's no luxury of time to ponder further. She represents our immediate recourse." With her arms now dropping to her sides, her hands clenched into determined fists, Alicia’s eyes blazed with resolve. "As for locating Miles, rest assured we will find him," she proclaimed with a steely tone. "Even if our search means reducing our world to ashes."

Little did Miles’ comrades know that he was unconscious in the back of a postal van.

In a fortunate turn of events, telecommunications were swiftly restored in the vicinity of the recent bombing. Inhabitants of this affluent area had the financial means to ensure rapid resumption of services, and as a result, utility crews worked diligently to rectify the outage in under 20 minutes. The expeditious recovery allowed the Destructix to hastily reconvene and make their escape from the site of the explosion, slipping away before law enforcement could fully divert their attention from managing the immediate effects of the devastation.

In a calculated move to avoid drawing attention, Fiona opted for a less direct route than the rest of the gang as they drove back to their hideout. She was at the wheel of the high-performance sports car they had stolen earlier. In the passenger seat, Scourge was visibly annoyed, burdened with the task of holding the most wanted child in all of Moebius, who was making her discontent loudly known. Due to earlier incidents, he deemed it best that the Destructix didn’t attempt to handle her.

"I wanna fuckin' drive!" Toxic's high-pitched, petulant demand sliced through the interior of the car, her voice a discordant note that caused Scourge's ears to involuntarily flatten against his head in vexation.

Scourge's patience frayed, and with a harsh tone, he retorted, "And if you don't shut up, I'll want to knock all your baby teeth out." This threat prompted Toxic to issue a low, defiant growl, and with exaggerated pique, she crossed her arms and turned her gaze out the window, embodying the essence of childish rebellion.

Despite the animosity that he held towards his sister, recent developments were too significant to overlook. For starters, there was the fact that one of their rivals had been shot dead, which had subsequently resulted in the abduction of another. To top it all off, Scourge found himself in possession of an exceptionally sleek sports car. Admittedly, the vehicle had a shattered window—a souvenir from the circumstances of its acquisition—but he was confident that with a little bodywork and a fresh coat of paint, it would serve as a magnificent means of transportation. The cause of these victories were his sister's reckless escapade that had her tangling with the long arm of the law.

Her actions, albeit inadvertent, had proven to be of considerable advantage to them.

"Ay, Toxic… We need to talk about some things," Scourge reluctantly initiated the conversation, hesitant to give her credit for her aid.

"I thought you said shut up?" Toxic retorted, her tone laced with bitterness as she tightly crossed her arms over her chest.

Scourge let out an exasperated roll of his eyes, followed by a scoff, "Well, you can talk now, smartass."

"Can I drive?" Toxic inquired, a spark of curiosity lighting up her gaze as she considered the prospect.

"Not a chance, brat," Scourge dismissed the idea instantly. "Anyways, that's not what I'm trying to talk about. Look, you did some crazy-ass stuff today, and I was this close," he said, holding his thumb and forefinger millimeters apart, "to blowing your brains out. You could've landed us all back in the slammer," he added, his voice tinged with contempt. He paused to rub his face, as if the physical action could somehow help him process the day's events, "But, lucky for you, your antics actually played out in our favor. So, not only am I sparing your life, but I'm also offering you another shot to roll with our crew. We're talking about a legit life here. Away from that hellhole of an orphanage, living it up in the castle where everything we could ever want is just a snap away. But this comes with conditions: you do everything we say, you don't run off, you don't attack us, you don't mess with our stuff without permission, and you put an end to those tantrums of yours. Otherwise, you're nothing but fodder for the rats. Are we clear, kid?"

Toxic seemed to mull over his words, her initially rigid posture gradually easing, her ear twitching as if weighing each word. Scourge watched her with a raised eyebrow, his head tilted in anticipation of her response.

"Um… Does this mean you can help me?" Toxic eventually asked, her voice small as she twiddled a strand of her unkempt hair, avoiding eye contact.

Scourge blinked, taken aback. She was asking for help? It dawned on him that he had never really considered her needing anything beyond the apparent satisfaction she derived from antagonizing him and his cohorts.

"Uh… Depends," Scourge replied, his expression still betraying his confusion, "What do you need, Toxic?"

Her response was timid, her words imbued with a childlike simplicity, "My friends didn't come back..." Toxic admitted sheepishly, her gaze shifting away to the car window, evading the weight of their stares.

"Your friends?" Fiona chimed in, perplexed at the idea of her ever having friends.

"Hold on a second," Scourge interjected with a snap of his fingers, a lightbulb going off in his head, "Is that why you had four lanterns?"

Toxic nodded slowly, her long fingernail, encrusted with dirt, scraping against the door's upper panel as she gazed blankly into the distance.

"Uh..." Scourge exhaled, a notable tension in his breath as he grappled with the realization of her situation and scratched at the back of his head, pondering the implication of her words, "we… might have a way to find them." Scourge's voice was tentative, betraying a hint of reluctance before he directed his gaze to her, asking with a newfound sense of purpose, "Where were they last seen? What happened?"

She began to recount the events in a halting, childlike manner, "Um… ok so Revine told me not to do the slide because it was broken but it didn’t look broken and then I did it, but it um… broked. Then my mouth cut hurt really bad and I had a hot um… face." Toxic tapped her forehead, indicating a fever, her speech hampered by the limits of her youthful lexicon, "I didn't feel good and Revine went to go get um… the medicine… But she didn't come back. Ren and Selene were scared, and I felt badder, but..." She trailed off, her voice dropping to almost a whisper as she lowered her head, her gaze fixated on Scourge's shoes in the dim light of the car while she fidgeted with her hair, "Revine always said don't look for her if she doesn't come back, but they still went looking and they didn't come back either."

A heavy silence settled over the interior of the car as the gravity of Toxic's predicament sunk in. For the first time, Scourge felt a genuine pang of sympathy for his sister, his blue eyes softening as they made contact with her green ones, reflecting a vulnerability he hadn't noticed before. He was acutely aware that finding her friends would be no simple feat. In the best-case scenario, they had been apprehended and would be listed in police records, which could be accessed with ease if they managed to secure positions of influence. But if they weren't in custody, they could be kidnapped, dead, or lost among the countless homeless children wandering the neon-drenched labyrinth of the city's streets.

"Ok..." Scourge finally spoke, his voice lower, the earlier edge of command now replaced with a more contemplative tone as he averted his eyes from Toxic and stared ahead at the road, "Just stick to the rules, do what we say, and we'll help you look for them, understood?"

Toxic's nod was firm, and with newfound conviction, she affirmed, "Ok."

"You know, Toxic," Fiona interjected, taking control of the steering wheel as she navigated the vehicle, her eyes scanning the road ahead, "shooting seems to be in your blood. We could train you to handle a gun like a real sharpshooter. But remember, you only use a gun when we say so, got it?"

"Ok," Toxic responded, a glimmer of enthusiasm detectable in her voice as she contemplated the offer, "Can we get some food?"

"Yeah," Scourge agreed, pointing at Fiona with a sudden inspiration, "we should swing by that pizza joint we hit up earlier. We could grab a box and some beers to toast our little victory tonight."

"Amen to that," Fiona laughed.

"Wait, I want beer too," Toxic suddenly piped up, her request prompting a burst of laughter from Scourge and Fiona.

"Have you ever even tasted beer?" Scourge queried through his chuckles.

"No. I saw some people drinking it when we went out to find food. Revine said I'm too young for it, but are you saying I can have some?" Toxic asked, her thumbs fidgeting in anticipation.

Scourge was about to respond when Fiona interjected with a firm, "No!"

"Come on, she's earned it! It'd just be a taste," Scourge argued, still laughing at the thought of their youngest member joining in the revelry.

"Scourge, she's just a kid. Who knows what it might do to her? Plus, she’d definitely be a mean drunk," Fiona retorted, shaking her head at Scourge's lack of foresight.

The idea of a belligerent, inebriated child hurling insults at hardened criminals was too amusing for Scourge to resist. "Wait—Shit!" he gasped, struggling to stifle his laughter, "Alright, alright, just one little sip," he conceded, still chuckling.

"Just a splash, barely a taste," Fiona relented, joining in the mirth, "We're definitely going straight to hell for this."

As the laughter subsided, Scourge reassured Toxic, "We'll get you some soda too. Beer's an acquired taste, kid."

"What the hell does that mean?" Toxic asked, her brows knitting together in confusion.

"You'll find out," Scourge said, glancing out the window just in time to see they were pulling up to the pizzeria.

Through the grimy car window, they could see the restaurant's television broadcasting the news, ablaze with coverage of the aftermath of a recent bombing, and now featuring the murder of Boomer Walrus.

"Damn..." Scourge muttered to himself, "Fiona, you grab the pizza. Toxic, you're staying in the car with me."

Fiona nodded tersely, understanding the gravity of the situation, and exited the vehicle to collect their order.

"Why do we have to stay in the car?" Toxic inquired, her fingernail resuming its path along the car door's leather panel.

"Because you've landed yourself in a shitload of trouble. We can't risk some bounty hunter spotting you and trying to cash in," Scourge explained with a weary sigh, his mind flashing back to past encounters with relentless headhunters who’d do anything for a reward.

When Fiona returned, laden with an extra large box of pizza and bottles of beer, they wasted no time in driving back to the orphanage. Upon arrival, they rearranged some scattered chairs into a circle in one of the building's larger rooms. They set a single chair in the center to serve as a makeshift table for the pizza box, which was now the focal point surrounded by the soft glow of the four lanterns. The dim light from the lanterns cast eerie shadows on the walls as they settled into their seats, ready to celebrate the tumultuous day's end.

"Where's Miles, by the way?" Fiona inquired casually, reaching for a slice of pizza and a beer from the makeshift table.

"We tied him to a chair in an old freezer down in the basement," Predator answered, popping open his beer and taking an eager gulp. His face contorted in disgust as he quickly pulled the bottle away, "This tastes like..."

"Like piss and batteries," Lightning finished, grimacing after taking a swig of his own.

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Lightning-wing-sting?" Flying Frog teased with a jeering point, his laughter echoing in the room.

"Yeah, learned from the best—your mom," Lightning retorted with a smirk, eliciting a round of chuckles from the group.

"Hey! Watch it, pally!" Flying Frog shot back with mock offense, standing on his chair He then grinned widely, "Tell her I said thanks for dumping me when I was born," he joked before collapsing back into his chair amidst the group's laughter.

Scourge felt a gentle tap on his arm and looked down to see Toxic seeking his attention. "Can I have a beer now?" she asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.

"Hold up, everyone. Before we drink any more, I think we need to acknowledge our little wildcard here," Scourge declared, raising his bottle for attention despite the murmurs of disbelief from his gang. "If it weren't for her wild antics today, Boomer would still be alive and Miles wouldn't be in the freezer. So here's to Toxic," he proclaimed, nodding at Fiona who reluctantly opened a bottle for the youngster.

"Toxic," they echoed, albeit somewhat scattered, as they raised their bottles and took a drink. Toxic, in her innocence, tried to mimic the gesture but immediately spat out the beer, her face scrunching up in disgust, which sent another wave of laughter through the group.

"To be fair, this beer is pretty terrible," Simon admitted with the hint of a grin.

"We kicked ass guys, not win the lottery," Fiona added with a chuckle, handing over a bottle of orange soda to Toxic. "Here, try this instead, kid."

Grateful to rid her mouth of the bitter taste, Toxic eagerly guzzled the soda before hungrily diving into her slice of pizza.

The atmosphere within the dimly lit room was unusually relaxed and convivial as the evening progressed. The gang, typically bound by the commonality of their shared objectives and the threat of their enemies, found themselves unwinding in a rare display of camaraderie. It wasn't an occasion that required the profundity of deep, heart-to-heart discussions; rather, the air was filled with an undercurrent of joviality that was a welcome departure from their usual interactions.

Simon, Flying, Lightning, and Predator shared a history that spanned several years, their familiarity with one another evident in their effortless exchanges. For Scourge and Fiona, however, the dynamics were relatively new territory. Although past collaborations had occasionally thrown them together, it was only recently that they had committed to being full-time members of this gang. As such, their integration into the fold was still a work in progress, with trust and friendship being forged through shared experiences and battles.

Yet, as laughter filled the room and barriers began to dissolve, it seemed that the invisible walls that had separated them were crumbling. Even Toxic, the young girl who had been the object of their collective disdain earlier in the day, was now an integral part of the evening's festivities, her presence accepted, perhaps even appreciated, as they all found common ground in the simple pleasure of the moment.

As the night wore on, the effects of the alcohol became increasingly evident. Their inhibitions lowered, their speech slowed, and their movements took on a languid quality. Lightning, in particular, seemed to succumb to the introspective pull of inebriation. Holding an empty bottle with a loose grip, he lamented over a lost love with slurred words and a bitterness that could only be fueled by the sting of rejection. Bride of the Conquering Storm, the formidable leader of his former Raiju clan, had not only denied his affections but had also cast him out of said clan following his failure to display his worth in combat against her and Sonic.

Predator, observing Lightning's inebriated state, offered a dose of unsentimental advice. Hunched over in his chair, a bottle of his own hanging precariously from his fingers, he addressed Lightning with a weary sigh. "If she's such a bitch, forget her," he muttered.

"I c-“ Lightning's speech was abruptly cut off by a soft burp, his words trailing off. "I can’t. I wanted her more than anything, man… And then I get kicked out of my clan… Like what the fuck!?" His voice grew progressively louder, his words slurred as he spoke.

"Lightning, look around you," Predator grumbled, his grip tightening on the bottle as he gestured around them. "Sure, we’re in a dump of an orphanage, but no matter what, you’ve got us. Focus on that. What happened back then won’t happen again."

Lightning paused, attempting to process Predator’s words, but before he could, he was overcome by a wave of acute nausea, muttering a faint "fuck" before rushing out of the room to vomit.

Predator watched him go and then stared at the doorway through which he had fled for a moment or two. He shut his eyes and clenched his jaw, staring down at his feet in silence. After a heavy sigh, he placed the bottle on the floor, stood up, and slurred, "I’m gonna go to bed…" before storming away without another word, dragging his feet as he went.

"Looks like I’m getting some black coffee in the morning," Simon said, observing Flying Frog snoring in his chair with an empty beer bottle in his lap.

“Why?” Toxic asked, squishing her empty plastic soda bottle out of boredom.

"It helps when you get a hangover," Simon replied, his words slightly slurred from the alcohol.

"What’s a hangover?" Toxic asked, wiggling her feet aimlessly before putting the tip of the bottle in her mouth and gnawing on it. She leaned back against the wall, her curiosity piqued.

“It’s when you drink a lot of beer or other types of alcohol and the next morning you feel sick,” Simon explained, getting up to pick up the empty bottles scattered around the room, the faint aroma of alcohol lingering in the air.

“Why do people do that?” she pondered with a grimace, unable to fathom the appeal of drinking something so vile. She wrinkled her nose at the thought.

“For fun, I guess. Why do you ask so many questions?” Simon replied, taking her bottle and adding it to the trash he took to a nearby waste bin, the clinking of glass echoing in the quiet room.

“I dunno,” Toxic said with a shrug, her eyes following Simon as he moved around the room.

“Well,” Simon began with a stretch, “I’ll go to bed too. You should sleep too soon, you hear me?”

“I’m not tired,” Toxic protested, her gaze wandering around the room.

“Well, you will be soon. G’night, Toxic,” he said softly before leaving to go to bed, his steps fading into the distance.

Meanwhile, Scourge and Fiona were outside having one last cigarette before they went to bed, the night air cool against their skin.

“So…” Fiona exhaled, a cloud of smoke escaping her lips, “If we get Miles to talk, we get word on the castle’s security. Then… it’s almost straight shootin’ from there.”

“Hopefully,” Scourge added before inhaling deeply, the red ember of his cigarette glowing in the darkness, “but our plans have seemed to change a lot lately, so we gotta be prepared for anything.”

“We’re good at rolling with the punches though, ain’t we?” She said with a mischievous smirk as she held the cigarette between her fingers, turning her head to Scourge, nudging his side playfully with her elbow, the faint glow of the cigarette illuminating their faces in the dim light.

“True,” Scourge admitted, his arm enveloping Fiona’s waist as they stood bathed in the gentle glow of the moonlight filtering through the night sky. He gazed into her eyes, the silver beams reflecting in her irises, creating a mesmerizing effect.

“Nowhere I’d rather be…” Fiona said softly, her voice carrying a hint of longing, as she closed the gap between their lips, embracing a fusion of love and the bitter tang of nicotine.

They savored the moment for a couple of minutes, their connection deepened by the intoxicating allure of both the chemicals and each other’s presence. Although unspoken, they both knew they needed one another. In a world consumed by chaos, they were each other’s anchor, the one constant they could rely on. As their lips hesitantly drifted apart, they extinguished their cigarettes, reentered the building, and headed off to bed, their silhouettes fading into the darkness.

Toxic was the last one awake at this point. She rubbed her eyes as she got up from her chair and turned three of the lanterns off, preserving their power as Revine had taught her to do before taking one to guide her to her designated mattress. With a quiet click, she turned off the lantern and settled onto her bed, a glimmer of hope kindling within her for the first time in almost two weeks.

As Scourge had mentioned earlier, they had to be prepared for anything.

Dr. Stellaria Versipelle eagerly accepted the opportunity to join the Suppression Squad. After conducting a thorough examination of Boomer’s lifeless form, she extended an invitation to Queen Alicia and Patch to demonstrate something she claimed would be incredibly useful to them.

“What can she show us?” Patch asked Alicia as they approached the lab, his voice tinged with curiosity and uncertainty. “Clearly the child shot and killed him.”

“We won’t know until we get there, now will we?” Alicia tersely replied as they entered the lab, the sterile scent of antiseptic hitting their nostrils as they were greeted by the doctor, who had taken the form of a tall navy blue Moebian fox, her presence exuding an air of professionalism and intrigue.

“Thank you for making time out of your schedule to come see me,” the doctor spoke formally with a grin, her hands folding in front of her as she stood before them. “I’ll make this quick and worth your while.”

“Well, what do you have to say?” Alicia inquired, her eyes fixed on the shrouded form of Boomer, a sense of urgency palpable in her voice.

“Firstly,” the doctor began, her steps purposeful as she paced around Boomer’s still figure, “I’ve come to the conclusion he didn’t die instantly. He struggled for a moment, gagging on his own blood long enough for me to be able to show you why you’re here.” She turned to an assistant standing nearby, her expression expectant. “If you could bring my subject in? And please do be gentle with her, she can be sensitive.”

As her assistant followed orders, Patch’s eyes furrowed in confusion, his unease growing palpable in the tense atmosphere of the lab.

“Erm… Subject, Miss?” Patch asked apprehensively, his gaze shifting between the doctor and the assistant, uncertainty etched on his features.

"Doctor," Stellaria corrected him, her blood orange eyes locking onto Patch’s with an icy intensity that sent a chill running down his spine, eliciting a disquieting chuckle from her. The air in the room seemed to grow colder as her gaze held him in place. "And, yes. I found her and have been working with her since she was a child. You see, she was born with certain abilities that make her quite unique. This includes but isn’t limited to telekinetic powers, the ability to create out of thin air, and, most relevantly at the moment, clairvoyance. With the ever-increasing rise in technological and scientific advancement, her abilities have been enhanced tenfold, resulting in quite a remarkable specimen if I do say so myself. Oh, and do call her McKenna."

At that moment, accompanied by the aforementioned assistant, a teenage red fox with frizzy, somewhat wavy hair entered the room, her locks partially obscuring half of her face. She wore a plain white t-shirt and matching white pants, with socks that had grips on the bottom, her posture rigid and her expression blank and unflinching. The only indication of her being anything near lifelike was the subtle movement of her fingertips as she twiddled them in random, strange patterns, her presence casting an otherworldly aura in the room.

“I’ve taken the liberty of collecting a blood sample from Boomer,” Stellaria added, holding up a small vial of blood, the crimson liquid swirling within the glass under the harsh laboratory lights. “Just enough for her to show us what we need to know. As I’ve said, her clairvoyance is vital right now. When she tastes his blood, she can get somewhat of a profile of his energy, as well as be able to see things from his perspective. More importantly, the circumstances of his death. If you will, my dear?”

Saying nothing and retaining a blank, unflinching expression, McKenna took the vial that Dr. Versipelle handed her and removed the cap. Closing her eyes, she raised it to her lips and drank the blood sample, the action causing a flicker of repulsion to cross the faces of Alicia and Patch. For a moment, she was completely still, the bottle held to her lips, looking as though she was the subject of a paused movie frame.

When she let out a loud gasp, she startled all but Stellaria, her frame tensing as she gripped the lower right side of her neck, the place where Boomer was shot, her distress unmistakable as she seemed to struggle to breathe, the tension in the room thickening with each passing second. After a moment, her jaw squirmed, and she emitted a deep, guttural voice that bore a striking resemblance to Boomer's as she shut her eyes tightly. “That little bitch shot me!”

“Who did!?” Alicia interjected demandingly, her voice cutting through the tense silence, her eyes locked onto McKenna.

“The fucking kid! Who do you think!? She’s with him! We should have known!” McKenna groaned and gasped, her voice still laced with pain as she retained the same tone, clutching her neck tightly. When she opened her eyes, it was revealed her pupils were glowing red.

"Who’s ‘him’?” Alicia stood closer to her, her eyes narrowed as she knelt in front of McKenna. She clenched her fists in determination as she demanded to know the answer.

“OUR OLD KING, GENIUS!” McKenna roared before coughing violently and falling to the ground, writhing as she struggled to breathe and clutch her throat.

Dr. Versipelle, unfazed by the display that shocked Patch and Alicia, calmly pressed a button on her watch. In response, electrodes surged through McKenna’s body, causing her to jolt and become limp, panting as she tried to steady her breathing. Stellaria knelt down to the girl who lay helpless on the ground and helped her stand.

“You’re ok. It’s just energy. You haven’t been hurt, my dear,” Stellaria reassured McKenna, who whimpered as she reciprocated the hug she was pulled into.

“Mother…” McKenna whispered, her accent and voice now dramatically different as it became higher pitched and wheezy. Furthermore, the red light was once again absent from her eyes.

“Shhh… follow him back to your room for now and rest, my dear,” Stellaria requested gently, to which McKenna and her lab assistant obliged.

Dr. Versipelle’s demeanor returned to its typical formal state with a hint of cockiness. “In case you’re wondering, the electrodes help ground her back to reality.”

With Alicia and Patch in a state of horror, Patch, with his hand over his mouth, murmured, “Scourge…”

"He’s back!? How!? Fuck!” She roared ferociously, her voice laced with anger and disbelief. “he’s been behind everything. We’ll find him! When we do, we’ll ensure he NEVER sees the light of day again!”

Stellaria chuckled at the outburst, finding grim amusement in the situation. “Oh, that much is clear,” she spoke, her grin growing wider as she observed the raw determination in Alicia’s eyes. “I hope to work with you further, your majesty.”