#jacqui gets way too personal

[wily-one24]

How old were you when you realised you were bi? Who was your first girl crush?

This is actually a really tough question, Nonny.

I will try to answer as honestly as I can and hope that will suffice.

I'm not sure it's a questions of "realising" I was bi, so much as "accepting" it.

I grew up with undiagnosed autism, so I struggled a lot to fit in anywhere, let alone at home. Spent a lot of time being told I was wrong and the things I was doing were wrong. I had to work very hard to fit in, to read the room, and to make myself acceptable to society.

Added to that, I had several chronic conditions that made a lot of extra care necessary for my survival and I was made very aware of how much trouble this caused my family.

I also grew up in a very outwardly homophobic family. They have improved a lot, and nowadays they would claim absolute acceptance, but when I was growing up, that was certainly not the case. There were a lot (A LOT) of hostile comments made about gay people, lesbians, bi people. There was a lot of othering going on.

So, to me, i guess it was never really an option to be different. I never accepted that as something I could do, because it would other me, it would drive a further wedge between me and what was seen as acceptable.

That said, I always kinda knew i was different in that sense. I struggled to ever find attraction to boys or men and trying to fit in with a bunch of teen girls who were asking about crushes was a nightmare.

And yet, if asked, I could rattle of a list of top ten, twenty, fifty female celebrities that I would absolutely "turn" for if I could. Not so many guys.

Looking back, I can name several women and girls that I really, really admired that I would call crushes now.

But that's normal, right? ALL women can rattle of the ladies they'd turn gay for, right? That's just... normal.

I was normal. I was acceptable. I found a boyfriend who was 500% more into me than I was him and it was easy. I settled into a relationship, without needing to really put any effort into it. I married him. I had two children with him. I was 50000000% happier with the children than with him.

By the time I had my second child, we split. He was absolutely feeling the not love, there were some bad times, we split. I was so much happier and comfortable SINGLE than I ever was in a relationship.

And this allowed me to say "you know what? I give up, bisexual it fucking is! I LOVE THE LADIES!"

But it was not a grand realisation. It was not a surprise.

I am still not vocally out in my real life (well, I am to my friends and my ex... which, btw, we have very similar tastes in ladies... not to my family or workplace), but I am not ashamed. One of my favourite tees is the bisexual flag in the shape of a heart that I wear ALL THE TIME. All anyone has to do is pay attention. I am openly and vocal about my acceptance of any and all future partners or gender presentations to my children.

And if I were to get a girlfriend in real life, you can bet that I would tell people. It would be no secret, she would come with me to family dinners and anyone who had a problem with it could go fuck themselves.

There is no point stirring up shit in my family until that happens. Those that matter in my life know the truth.

Everyone else is extraneous.

[barbiedreams-posts]

My headcanons for EVERY (I think) Mortal Kombat 1 character

— Liu Kang is a big fan of Chinese food, because well, in the previous timelines he was Chinese, so he constantly goes to Madam Bo's restaurant to eat.

— Johnny Cage is a great dramatic actor, but unfortunately, Hollywood studios always cast him as comedic characters or male characters who are himbos, wasting his potential as a dramatic actor.

— Kenshi met Suchin after saving her from being attacked by thugs in Tokyo, and the two's connection was almost instantaneous, with Suchin agreeing to run away with him after Kenshi left the Yakuza.

— Raiden has a huge crush on Kitana, and constantly draws pictures of the two of them kissing (he's a cartoonist btw)

— Kung Lao loves Chinese and South Korean comedy dramas, his favorite South Korean comedy drama is "True Beauty".

— Kuai Liang is extremely protective of Harumi, like, if Harumi gets a scar, he won't rest until the person who did it pays dearly. When he was dating Cyrax, he was also quite protective of her as well (He's not a sexist who thinks women are too defenseless to protect themselves, he just wants to keep Harumi safe because he loves her so much).

— Bi-Han trusts women more than men, thanks to the complicated relationship he had with his father and the loving relationship he had with his mother (thanks to his daddy issues, he doesn't trust masculine nature very much, even though he is also a man).

— Shang Tsung is not a "victim of Liu Kang's intrigues", this guy is a sociopath to the core!

— Tanya is not Mileena's first lover, she had a girlfriend as a teenager, the daughter of an archduke, but was forced to end the relationship because the archduke's daughter had to marry a man, breaking Mileena's heart.

— Kitana is a voracious reader, she loves books, especially about the history of the Earthrealm and Seido, her favorite historical figure of Earthrealm is Queen Mary Stuart, a queen of Scotland, reflecting the thinking of some outworlders who think that she should be empress in place of Mileena, just as some 16th-century English Catholics wanted Mary to be Queen of England in place of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

— I don't usually do SMUT headcanons, but I like to think that Sindel and Jerrod had an active sex life, and she never married any man after Jerrod because she only liked to have sex with him, she herself was impressed that she only had the twins and not like, three more children!

— The souls within Ermac have been in the living forest for so long that over time they have become one big family.

— Quan Chi was a thief when he was young and was sentenced to work in the gold mines as a way of paying for his crimes, which is why he hates Sindel so much.

— Tanya was not given to the Umgadi when she was a child, she was actually stolen from her mother's arms like several other Umgadi (a bit cruel, but I wanted to make it similar to Marvel's black widows).

— Li Mei has always been in love with Sindel, but she never had the courage to express her feelings.

— Takeda is destined to meet and fall in love with Jacqui, even though in this timeline she is not Jax's daughter.

— Sektor is a lesbian and has a fraternal relationship with Bi-Han.

— Cyrax can speak several African languages, including Zulu and Arabic.

— I'm going to join @rasta-bot AU that Nitara is also a lesbian, there's a 19th century irish lesbian book called "Carmilla" that I really like, it's about a sapphic vampire, just like Nitara.

— Reiko was a mommy's boy, just like Bi-Han.

— Shao suffers from narcissistic personality disorder.

— Syzoth and Ashrah's love language is physical caresses, such as kisses on the forehead and cheek.

— Ashrah is pansexual (yes, another wlw woman, it's "Mortal sapphic Kombat" for me) she has always felt lonely, so she would like any romantic companionship, no matter the gender.

— Baraka prays to Delia every day that a cure for Tarkat will be discovered (this is actually canon btw).

— Slavery is (unfortunately) legal in Seido, and Havik was enslaved (also canon), so he is an anarchist.

— Tomas is a polyglot, he can speak Czech, Chinese, English and Japanese.

[running-with-the-feels]

Have we done an AU where instead of the past version of the defenders being brought to the present by the time quakes, the Kombat Kids get sent back to the events of MK9?

Like, we still get Cassie cringing at every word that comes out of Johnny’s mouth and him getting checked for his problematic behavior, Sonya having a crisis over having a kid with Johnny of all people, and Jacqui bonding with her dad and trying to prevent his trauma, but we also get Jin hanging out with his uncle and Liu Kang back in their prime, Frost fighting tooth and nail to keep the Lin Kuei away from Kuai Liang, and by extension Smoke, and the defenders wondering how the heck Kenshi’s kid ended up also being Scorpion’s kid and also Kuai Liang’s kid and maybe also Johnny’s kid.

I think we have but I can't find it so

Genuinely tho, Cassie rocking her dad's shit over the way he talks to people is something I'd pay to see, and Jacqui's relationship with younger Jax in mk11 was so sweet so I'd love to see that explored more

Jin and Kung Lao would be terrifyingly close, I mean, they're practically the same person in a lot of ways

Takeda would be so focussed on making sure Hanzo doesn't kill Bi-Han (bc he knows its what Hanzo regrets most from this day) that he'd have basically no time for anything else. As soon as it's over he bolts for Thailand to find his mom and warn her of what's coming.

Frost tho.....

Just imagine being Kuai Liang, who isn't at the tournament yet bc Bi-Han hasn't died, and he just gets kidnapped (The Lin Kuei can't cyberize him if they can't find him) by this half feral kid that seems intent on killing anyone who crosses him. Like.....poor man would be so confused and Frost would have to have a whole domestication arc

Also, lets say Fox comes back too just for funsies and has to get a crash course in everything that's gone down since he died. Poor kid would be the only voice of reason left

[nightmarerodent]

Back on my Kombat Kid BS. Hop in kiddos! Frost is here too!

Cassie uses the default browser and Jacqui and Takeda hate her for it. When Frost found out she also questioned Cassie’s intelligence.

Takeda is practically immune to spicy foods. He spent the first eight years of his life in Thailand and was then raised by a pyromancer, a little heat means nothing to him.

Cyber Frost makes the dial up tone when confused.

Cassie is a heathen that puts milk before the cereal.

Takeda can pole dance. The guy fights like an acrobatic gymnast. He can 100% pole dance.

Jin is a fan of Dolly Parton.

Jin used to brake into libraries after closing hours and would spend the whole night reading only to be discovered the next morning by opening staff asleep, surrounded by books. After doing this a few dozen times at one particular library, the staff just gave him an extra key and the alarm codes.

Takeda is the type of person that if he’s walking down a trail and sees a snail trying to cross it, he’ll pick it up and move it so it won’t get crushed.

Jacqui absolutely adores how much of a dork and goofball Takeda is. It’s hard to portray herself as serious with him constantly making her laugh, but she honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.

Kung Jin and Jacqui had a sort of rivalry going over who could win and keep Takeda’s affection born from Jacqui’s mild jealousy and Jin’s need to be a troll. It was never anything malicious and the whole thing actually brought the two closer together as friends. He’s the number one supporter of their relationship and she insists that he gets full guardianship of any future kids should anything happen to her or Takeda.

Jacqui owns a motorcycle and likes to go on rides on the weekends to help clear her head. Jax does not approve of the bike as he views it as being too dangerous for his baby girl.

Out of everyone in the SF, Takeda has had the least amount of formal education, having only completed the second grade before dropping out entirely.

Frost doesn’t know what school is.

Sonya, Kuai Liang, and Hanzo have started a tradition where they meet up every few months and talk about all the stupid things their kids get up to over drinks. Kung Lao also joins in on occasion.

Takeda’s biggest fear is being left alone/abandoned by the people he loves.

Cassie’s biggest fear is that she’s not good enough and that she’ll fail everyone.

Jin’s biggest fear is that everyone secretly hates him.

Jacqui’s biggest fear is everyone dying and her not being able to protect them.

Frost’s biggest fear is that none of this is real. That she actually died in those fighting pits and all the friends and happy moments are just her brain hallucinating in her final moments all the things that could have been.

[optimist-pine]

Dermatillomania (Daryl Dixon x Reader)

Summary: Dealing with the aftermath of the fall of the Greene Farm in a way your therapist would not approve of.

Warnings: Typical TWD content! Dermatillomania (BFRB's, self-inflicted injury), mentions of death, etc.

Word Count: 719

Era: Follows directly after the season 2 finale

A/n: Just a personal vent... Dunno if anyone else relates.

It hadn't been easy to stop necessarily, but anything other than going cold turkey hadn't really been an option. When you absentmindedly find yourself starting to pick, a quick reminder that it could get you killed is all it takes to shut it down. Most of the time anyways... Tonight though? Oh, tonight you've fallen into old habits so fast and hard that you're stuck there in that state, in the worst session you've had since it all began.

You're tucked away in your own little corner of the ruins and firelight, shadowed enough that no one's really paying attention to what you're up to. At some point, your arms have come out of the sleeves of your coat and it's shrugged loosely around you, leaving skin exposed to the chilly air. You don't notice.

It's all catching up now, all replaying in your mind like the final straw has been plucked. That horrible night at the quarry, the panic when what had been a safe place was so quickly turned into a graveyard. Leaving Jim to die. The terror at the CDC of almost being murdered as a mercy. Leaving Jacqui to die. Sophia... Dale... The farm could've been a safe place, you'd truly believed it until they were somehow just - everywhere. Patricia, Jimmy, Shane... Leaving Andrea to die...

You can feel how it's all too much for your mind to handle, how it's trying to relieve the pressure in this way. It's no good, but your body doesn't know better and you don't know how to make it stop. You can't make any of it stop. Your fingernails desperately search raw skin for any bump, or blemish, or imperfection. They're everywhere. Maybe you'd feel ashamed if bigger and uglier emotions weren't cramming it out of the way.

The cold air cools drops of hot blood on your skin, you can feel it, and yet you feel separate from it simultaneously. Like the same way you breathe without thinking about the breathing part. The fire crackles low and leaves rustle out in the trees as the others hunker down. Nobody's really sleeping though. Not tonight.

Daryl's keeping watch on the perimeter when his eyes settle on you. Your fingers pause in their assault; you can't continue with an audience. Please just look away so I can keep going, some darkness in your mind pleads. But no, you scramble to pull the coat over yourself to conceal the evidence.

"What's this?" He asks, his voice low enough that the others won't really notice.

"Nothing. I'm fine." You can't meet his eyes, shame has finally pushed its way to the forefront now.

You don't try to stop him as he slides the coat off your shoulder, revealing your handiwork. Even in the darkness, you're sure the ugly redness has to be so obvious. You're not only weak, you're weak and stupid.

He pulls your backpack over and digs through it. "Your first aid kit in here?"

You nod once, but that only initiates the tears. What feeling are they from? Anger? Guilt? Fear? This was always the worst part, hating what you've done and wishing for nothing more than to go back and undo it. After everything that had happened... pathetic.

Daryl finds the antibacterial spray and gets to work. His care and surprising tenderness only make you feel that much worse. You were so incapable of handling yourself that you've got a full-grown man treating you like... like the broken thing that you are.

After that he takes a couple of bandages and wraps them around your upper arms, fingers steady and slow. "Leave 'em alone an' let 'em heal. You're tougher than that." He packs up the supplies, helps you fit your arms back into the sleeves, then waits. You're not sure what he expects from you, but then he mimes a zippering motion. You comply and close up your coat. With a single nod, he turns and returns to his watch of the dark surrounding forest.

Maybe you're just thoroughly messed up, but you trade the repeating images in your mind for his words. The past. You have to leave it alone. You have to let it heal. You're here, now, in the present. Alive. You would be tough enough to stay that way. You would.

[messydoodles]

Favorite MK character?

They’re are two categories I have for favorites

Ever since playing the game I work best with characters that have close range special moves or teleporting special moves. Ermac and Smoke are fun to troll AI’s in invasions with because I can spam teleport 24/7. While Jacqui is also nice to play because I can do close stuff to give my opponent no air to breath and like mid range stuff if I need to make some distance away to reorganize myself

Li Mei is my ride or die. This woman is just so fun to play with because for me she’s easy. Her special moves are cool and easy (except that lantern one), her fatalities are fun to watch, and she’s got some sick ass brutalities. I saw her IP Man inspired brutality where she caves in the other character’s skull in and I immediately wanted the chance to play her. She is arguably why I wanted to get MK1 and what pulled me into enjoying the gameplay, not just character stuff. Even though now I maxed out her levels and am trying new characters to level up, she will always be my favorite character no matter what.

The second category for favorite is coolness. My definition of coolness is either design or powers. Nightwolf is a cool motherfucker. MK11 this guy is eye catching with his face paint and powers he gets from “The Great Spirit”. And his like end cinematic thing where he howls and it transitions into a wolf howling to the moon is tuff as hell. Like if I got jumped by Nightwolf I would be shitting bricks because this guy has the biggest aura imo

Skarlet I like because of her original MK11 skin. Something about it gives a cool ass bounty hunter vibe or sci fi Star Wars/Dune look to it that makes her look badass. Also she caught my eye because of her blood mage powers. Imagine fighting against someone who can control blood, like blood bending in Avatar. That’s both scary but an awesome power. That’s why I tried playing her when I picked up MK11 (I didn’t like the long range special moves)

Kung Lao. I’m gonna be honest it’s the hat. Like cmon the man is fighting with a razor hat. The only person I can think of off the top of my head that uses a hat in a fight is Mario in Super Mario Odyssey. Imagine you just get beat down by someone with a razor hat. It’s so wild it’s impressive. I saw an edit once of Kung Lao’s actor for the sprites in MK2 or MK3 and he just looked badass, so I drew the MK3 version of him.

Drew a bit of bonus characters too. Sheeva from MK3 is more cool looking than the MK11 version imo. Geras (MK1) gets cool points purely because he’s voiced by Phil Lamar and is a way better fitting design in MK1 in my eyes. And Kabal is cool cause he’s fast and got sharp hooks

And those are the types of favs. Nothing else, nope!

Don’t look at them please

I would not shut up or hold back if I talked about these hotties, so ima just leave it at that 😊

[sketchfanda]

A Little Moxxie Love Party 4

Naughty Northwest

Pacifica Northwest was a girl who seemed like she had it all and who wouldn’t think that when seeing her fsr as first impressions go? Stunning good looks, obscene wealth, sensual charisma to name a few of her traits and qualities that could come to mind but more so because she earned it all. Oh sure she’d been born rich but circumstances saw fortunes change thanks to karma catching up to her family’s infamous, notorious reputation for being liars, cheats, thieves and con artists and she damn well made sure to earn her way back up. By being tougher, sharper and smarter as a certain wise,old duck had once done and now here she was back to living it up large and in charge.

And Christ was she so damn bored but when you accomplished what she had at a young enough age and had so much money and free time, that was the last thing you needed. As she lounged about in her cozy little private home, which was she had to say far more modest than the old Northwest estate (No ghosts for one, Gravity Falls was still that sort of town), she pouted as she struggled to think of how to kill her boredom. She wasn’t feeling in a gaming mood at the moment and she didn’t feel much like socialising especially when it came to dealing with the simps. And tempting as it was, her little secret collection of Skullfuck productions skinflicks didn’t have anything to suit her fancy.

As she idly browsed her phone out of boredom, she found a peculiar little exclusive fans only post from one of her favourite cam girls, Jacqui Herron. Tapping it open as she gave it a read over, the bleach blonde valley girl looking debutant found herself humming in inquisitive curiosity at the information before her as she decided then snd there she might have just what she needed to kill her boredom and scratch her itch. One quick secret set up of her web cam to record this for personal viewing enjoyment along with following he instructions and Pacifica found herself looking over the set up for a very familiar ritual, clad in a fluffy pink bathrobe as she closed the curtains and began lighting candles. Ominous crimson smoke filling the room like a mist as she chanted in Latin before reaching the central master candle and in a flash of demonic light, there stood her newfound company within the centre of the inverted pentagram circle.

Moxxie had a distinct sense of deja vu as he found himself, suit and adorable little bow tie and all and a magazine in hand as he been in the IMP office not too long ago. Sighing as he realised he’d been summoned, again (and wondering just how people in the living world were getting this and why always him?), he looked to whoever called him up this time only to pause as he laid eyes on Pacifica. Who quite frankly wasn’t looking impressed, no doubt she had some high expectation and based on first impressions alone, they weren’t being met. But the bombshell blonde simply pouted, shrugging her shoulders as she decided, screw it, might as well make the most of the time she just got herself.

Pacifica:"Alright shorty, you know the drill I figure so here's how it is...I'm bored, I'm horny and I need a good itch scratching. So until otherwise, your hornhead little tailed ass is mine, got it?" *Moxxie seemed used to taking verbal lashings, given he just simply nodded though Paz had to say, it was quite flattering how he never took his eyes off of her. And she hadn't even shown him the goods yet so maybe the night wouldn't be a total loss.*"Alright then.....well, what're you waiting for, an invitation? You're polite enough anyway..."*The valley girl debutante quipped in a teasing snarky manner as she undid and peeled open her robe, flashing her immaculately tanned body, the only noticeable tanlines hinting her choice in racey swimwear. A sly grin on her face at the absolutely stunned expression on the imp's face, sensually purring as she teased him, unaware how soon she'd find the tables turned on her.*"What's the matter little guy? Never seen perfection up this close? And yes, this is 100% all natural.....care to taste it?"

Before the immodest bombshell knew it however, she soon found herself screaming and moaning her head off as she filled her bedroom with the sounds of her cries of ecstasy. Barely forming sentences as her tanlined, toned curvy body was glistening with sweat, thrashing and squirming as she held onto Moxxie's horns for dear life. Tempted to but not wanting to push him away as his demonically gifted mouth worked its magic on her slit, his imp tongue slithering about to drink away at her glowing juices. The moment he began making out with her snatch to start things off, Pacifica had started to realise she was getting much better than promised or expected, she was having an experience temtping enough to make her want to sell her soul!!

An insane thought certainly but if it meant being this little Casanova's love slave for eternity, why the fuck not, right?!! Her long blonde mane flowing as she felt orgasms rock her every nerve from head to toe, the sheer bliss and euphoria making her soul want to be raptured. Only to pout as the talented little imp stopped, wanting him to keep going only to find herself gluing her gaze to him stripping out of his suit....her jaw dropping at the full exposure of a set of cock and balls, that length and girth making her pussy quiver and gush as it made a siren call to have that thing utterly destroy her and knock Paz up with his demon babies. And she found herself being just fine with that, spreading her legs in eager anticipation .

But ooh soon as that fuckhammer was penetrating her, Pacifica found her mind being blown with inch after inch of Moxxie’s demon dick sinking into her snatch’s lusty embrace. Her tight toned stomach growing a bulge from how deep that length and girth was reaching but as soon as those heavy red balls were pressed againsther bubble butt, that was when he really got going. If this is what Verosika Mayday meant about being taken to Bonetown, then she was damn well buying herself a place on Satisfaction Avenue as she screamed her head off from Moxxie pounding her like a jackhammer as he had her in a mating press. Wrapping her arms and legs around his small but quite well toned, built little frame as she didn’t want to lose one bit of their intimate lewd connection as she felt his pelvic thrusts deepen in their intensity.

Her secret webcam of course was catching every lewd detail of this primal tryst, from the glistening sheen of Pacifica’s sun tanned to her expressions of mind numbing bliss. Tits bouncing snd asscheeks clapping as she moaned deeply while being taken in a variety of positions. From the animalistic sensations o being taken doggy style as Moxxie mounted and pounded her to clasping hands intimately as she bounce and rode him cowgirl style, pink glowing hearts in her eyes. The bleach blonde valley girl debutante falling in equal parts lust and love with the sweet possum rocking her world as their marathon fucking showed no signs of stopping.

Her bedsheets soaked with sweat and juices, the creaking of bedsprings as Pacifica didn’t want to stop, even as her body began to feel numb and deliciously sore all over. Moaning deeply as she urged Moxxie to be as rough and dominant as he liked from pulling on her long blonde mane to squeezing her tits or smacking her ass, every assertion of such alpha male authority making the living Barbie doll feel like a total Moxxie-Holic bimbo. Every inch of that big red imp cock putting any and every toy she had to shame as she felt her brain drown in blissful ecstasy, visions of having babies from this demonic little sex god taunting her. And she was damn sure going to see to it he gave the same treatment to her mouth and her asshole because a cock like that wasn’t going to tap her hot body without the grand trifecta of her slutty holes.

Paz of course was thankful she’d gotten the larger sized master candle, ensuring she would have herself a whole night of fun with Moxxie as they continued to fuck all the way to sunrise. The blondie babe holding the sweet possum like a plush toy as she snuggled with him, basking in the afterglow as her bedroom looked like a wrecking crew tore it up. Idly making out with him as they parted on good terms with Pacifica giving him her contact details for future reference before the ritual inevitably ended as the master candle finally snuffed out. The blonde valley girl already missing her demonic lover boy as she went on over and turned off her webcam to cut off her secret marathon stream, mentally planning out when she should do it again sometime.

Deep within the circle of Lust at the studio of lot of SkullFuck Productions meanwhile, a certain floating flaming skullheaded boss man was checking out said video from Pacifica in his submissions inbox, always in the lookout for potential stars. Suffice to say Mr.Sketch only felt his ongoing desire to recruit Moxxie increase when he recognised him in the Northwest’s girl’s amateur movie, how was it this little possum could be so close yet so far in all of Hell? But he was damn well sure going to see to it he’d have this imp as his next big star….and that blonde would make a good regular scene par for him for sure, demon on human woman porn was always among his best sellers. For now his search would continue but he didn’t care if it would take Hell freezing over until he finally had Moxxie in the fold, an imp like this only came along once in a lifetime.

Moxxie in the meantime of course, unaware of the wheels of fate that were turning for him, was busy settling back into his personal routines after his little summoning sessions with Pacifica. The valley girl bombshell girl having waste no time in sending him saucy texts and sexy nudes to express how much she missed him and wanted his sweet hot demon love again. Much to Millie’s approval of course as she took to grilling her man for details on his latest new sex friend of course. Nothing got her going more than hearing about her Moxxie tap some hot pretty thing’s sexy ass, what can he say, Millie was a goddamn pistol…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red Hot Night!

It had all seemed to be going simple enough for the resident happy couple in Hell with them making a visit to Betty Boop, seeing how the flapper babe had been doing since her little round of erotic magic with the sweet possum a while back. Especially to check up on her and the product of that little union that was Bendy, with the adorable little scamp definitely seeming like he’d have a talent and bright future in comedy but while Moxxie was enjoying some bonding and quality time, Millie couldn’t help but notice that Betty seemed distracted and it wasn’t because of the cute little tyke. Of course the stunner eventually confided in as she revealed her concerns for her friend, a feisty gal by the name of Red Hot Riding Hood who’d been acting as Betty’s replacement for performing at the club while she was taking her maternity leave. It seemed Red had been going through a bit of a rough patch with her new ex-boyfriend, a fellow by the name of Wolfie and Betty was worried that it was all too clear she wasn’t completely over the guy which was something he was sure to take advantage of to get her back in his arms.

Now he was a grade a creep, who flirted with anything with a pair of breasts so small wonder why the concern but Millie knew that the best way to get over one man, is to get under another especially when the former was a total sleazy chump. So that was how Moxxie found himself going alone to the club that evening just in time for the start of her performance and Red dances, Moxxie can’t deny she's a babe. Having that crowd in the palm of her hand, jaws dropping, heads turning and talk about a set of kings with that singing voice. It was a real work of art for an aficionado of performance and theatrical arts like himself.

After her show completed its performance run, the intermission for next act was underway, a perfect chance for Moxxie as he made his way backstage to meet Red at her dressing room, a bouquet in hand as he introduced himself to her as a fan and a personal friend of Betty. As the two get personally acquainted, Millie kept Wolfy occupied by intercepting him on his way to the club, binding and gaggin him up to keep him out of the way with Little Bendy using the canine lech as a personal punching bag. The kid had some future in slapstick if the barrage of cartoon violence on Wolfy was anything to go by, that’s for sure. And meantime welt us check back in on how Millie’s charming possum of a husband is doing in winning Red over with his natural charms.

Pretty damn well as a matter of fact Red decided it would be best to have some fun with the imp boi but to say he was quickly blowing her ex and any man she had in the past out of the water was an understatement. The performing beaut filling her dressing room with the melodic deep moans pouring forth from her luscious lips as she laid back in her luxury reclining couch, her silky legs draped over the imp’s small but quite firm shoulders. As Moxxie was kneeling on the floor, his horns clutched in her hands as he was eating her out, his hot breath and skilled tongue probing away at her slit. Drinking up her juices as they seeped into his waiting mouth, every orgasmic tingle fuel for the fires of arousal stirring inside her before she soon decided she needed that big red imp dick inside her.

But of course as Moxxie soon found his clothes gone flying off of him, the sight of his quite gifted and well endowed naked body proceeded to flip some major switches in Red’s brain. Proceeding to pounce on and pin the little Casanova demon down as as She also revealed a bit of a kink she had for going through her different personas, costumes and accents. To which she can change on the dime thanks to being a toon, suffice to say Moxxie had a feeling he was going to be in quite a wild ride with Betty’s horny lady friend. But hey, the things a guy does for a lady friend right?

Red”Heeey daddy, you better get the very best of meeeee!!” *The feisty redhead bombshell sang sensually, mind numb with pleasure as hugged Moxxie’s sweet crackled face to her bosom. Legs wrapped around his waist as he pumped and thrust into her missionary style, crimson high heels digging into the skin as her dress laid discarded. Her moans mixing with the heavy wet smack of his balls against her jiggling booty and making her juices splash with every impact.*”Oooooh daddyyyyyyyy…..”*She sang melodically and erotically as that big red imp cock really began to hit some sweet spots, making her arousal skyrocket with each orgasmic tingle.* “Put your arms around me daddy, hold me tight!,”

Before Moxxie knew it of course, he soon had Red riding him cowgirl as she was rocking Native American look, her moans sensual and melodic as her bubbly booty clapped with every impact of their loins. Then taking her from behind as she wore quite a saucy nurse’s outfit, hearts glowing in her eyes as she felt the seemingly endless onslaught of orgasms rocking her body one after the other. Her dressing room starting to look like a tornado was running through it with every passing second and minute of her rut with Moxxie. Showing no signs of stopping as the imp was as skilled as he was addictive for the redhead.

Betty of course stood outside the dressing room door to ensure that nobody would disturb the pair and interrupt their marathon of intimacy, the flapper girl peeping through a narrow gap. Looking on with voyeuristic sensual delight as she was reminded of her own fateful erotic encounter with Moxxie. Nerves tingling with phantom sensations from the raw thrill, biting her lower lip to suppress her moans as she watched Red in her cowgirl get uo being folded in a mating press. Fantasising herself in her friend’s place as her body expressed a desire in possibly giving Bendy a little brother or sister in the future.

All the while Red was now going through her ensembles from Swing Shift Cinderella, her orgasmic howls and moans of passion mixing quite splendidly with her melodious a singing voice as Moxxie continued putting her ex to shame. Her usual musical number now going “Ooooh Moxxie” instead of “Ooh Wolfie” as she kissed and made out with the sexually talented imp, lips and tongues dancing together as she took it in a sideways spooning position. Her ex becoming a very distant memory being put to shame in terms of sexual prowess as that big red length and girth continued to pump away. Her snatch holding onto that red imp cock, not wanting to lose the erotic connection and the sensation of being so well penetrated as it overflowed with an excess of mixed juices.

In the end, the dressing room looked demolished from how wild and passionate the pair had been going at it, as they laid there together on the floor. Intimately embracing as they basked in the afterglow, Betty smiling softly at seeing her bestie having more than enjoyed herself as she left to go tell Millie the good news, that it’s after a quick bathroom trip to scratch her itch because damn her thighs were soaked right now. Meanwhile of course Millie was busy cheering Bendy on as the little spawn of Moxxie and Betty’s one night wailed on Wolfie like he was a piñata. The kid definitely had a future in slapstick comedy, that was for sure.

After that little dressing room romp of course, once she recovered, Red had insisted on having another round with Moxxie back at her place. Betty of course invited herself along, leading to a wild threesome all nighter, Red’s apartment echoing with their passionate cries. Suffice to say, the showgirl was more than happy to want in on the kinky little inner circle her bestie was part of, with Millie’s personal approval of course. As for Wolfie, we’ll he as going to be counting the ceiling tiles in his hospital room for quite some time, Bendy had really done a number on him.

After their passionate encounter of course, Betty wasn’t too surprised when Red had to take some time off from the club for maternity leave. With how raw and thorough the bombshell had been with Moxxie, it was no wonder she’d wound up becoming knocked up. Red was looking quite forward to seeing how adorable the baby would look when they were born or better yet if she might be having twins. But there was no doubt for certain the little tyke to be would be best pals with their half brother Bendy for sure.

In the meantime, Moxxie and Millie returned back to their little slice of Hell as the thespian possum hummed to himself, eyeing a certain business card. Debating if he should call the number on it as as he had some reservations, wondering if he could really even go through with it. On the one hand, it would make some extra cash to cover IMP’s expenses and keep them in the black but on the other, Could he really be so bold as to do such a job like work in porn? Well at the rate of the way things were going, he had feeling it was a worthwhile choice he’d soon have to make

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mamaca Carmilla

There were times a guy had to wonder if his life just consisted of being the punchline to a constant barrage of jokes and for the resident sweet possum we know as Moxxie, that had to be a natural fact. Especially when finding himself in the personal headquarters of Carmilla Carmine, the weapons making overlord herself and why might you ask was our dear little thespian here of all places? Well you can thank his boss for that, who had the dumb idea of thinking their business could improve if they got their hands on some premium hardware. And who had the best weaponry around than the overlord who managed to get her hands on angelic steel every post extermination day?

Now Moxxie was lucky at least he managed to talk Blitzo down from actually even thinking of trying to steal from the arms dealer herself but this somehow lead to him being chosen to go make an appointment with the woman herself and use his “natural charm” to persuade her to give them a discount. Though Moxxie knew that would be a bit of a stretch given he knew Blitzo’s thoughtless spending had put them in some major debts…at this rate he wondered if he might have to call the number in that card Nika had provided him a while back. But that was neither here or there for the time being especially given what said card was for, as he soon found himself sitting face to face with the Overdlord weaponsmith herself. As intimidating as she was beautiful to behold but being who and what she was, one wrong move and she would likely lay claim to his soul as collateral.

Carmilla:*Her hair flowing free from it’s usually immaculate twin horns style bun, silently humming as she kept her gaze on the little imp. As if trying to determine something he himself wasn’t aware about him like an enigma wrapped in a riddle, walking out of her sea and hovering around him with her silky grace and poise.* “I can’t say for certain who is more bolder little one, your employer for eben considering if his…operations can warrant a discount, let alone any of my wares. Or you being the one to handle this meeting on his behalf….not thst you haven’t been unpleasant company so far, I have to say….”*She watched the little possum try not to flinch under her gaze or presence, honestly he was just so adorable….and quite handsome in a way, it rather reminded her of the man who gave her her beloved daughters. And it certainly had been quite a while since she truly felt the touch and pleasure of another man, surely this little fellow could be…persuaded to oblige her.*”But that doesn’t mean I’m not above a little negotiating….”

Now Moxxie should’ve known that was a red flag but that soft, alluring sensual smile Carmilla was wearing was just so disarming and truth be told? Among the sort of women that tended to be kryptonite for the little imp were women who radiated what some would call “Big Dommy Mommy” energy. Maybe call it some kink born of his mourning loss of his mother or just how bad an influence Millie had been but the sweet possum just found he couldn’t say no to whatever Carmilla wanted and had in mind. Which might be why things soon began to escalate the way they had and that was saying Something given many of his prior sexual encounters and liaisons.

But of course how many demons let alone imps would find themselves eating out The Carmilla Carmine, as the weapons maker and arms dealing Oerlord say in the edge of the mahogany table. One of her distinct clawed hands holding Moxxie’s oh so adorable little face to her lower regions as she moaned deeply and passionately, the walls and ceiling echoing with the sensual melody. She’d expected quite some effort from the little possum but he was certainly defying or exceeding expectations at the very least. If he kept this up, she’d likely be willing to give him more than just a discount on some of her most choice wares…

But that consideration was growing higher and higher to a degree she’d give the imp discount perks for the rest of his afterlife because she was feeling so damn good right now!! Claws grasping the table as she was bent over it, inch after inch of red hot little demon lover boy dick, no, cock pounding in deep and hard as Moxxie pounded her like a jackhammer. Now Carmilla knew he wasn’t some submissive sort of slut by nature who spread her legs open for any man, if that was the case, she’d certainly have more than 2 daughters. But the moment she got Moxxie naked and laid eyes on that secret erotic weapon of his, it was no small wonder it had turned out like this.

Moxxie of course still couldn’t believe this was happening here and now, being balls deep in Carmilla Carmine herself!! Her immaculate accented voice letting loose with deep, sexual moans, the jiggle of her ash skinned booty with every impact of their loins, the warm, tight embrace of her pussy around his big red imp cock all signs that this was indeed all real and not some kinky lucid dream he was sharing with Millie like that one time, god his wife had quite the kinky imagination. He’d be lying of course if he said that he had never had such fantasies before but really who could blame him? After all on the one hand Carmilla was a stunning woman but in the other she was an Overlord and many of them had their own reputations for a damn good reason!!

Outside the doors of this private office, Odette and Clara had their ears pressed as they eavesdropped on this illicit, steamy meeting curious about the noises coming from it’s usually well soundproofed walls. Blushing in awe and arousal at hearing their mother in the throes of passion, having never thought their usually aloof professional matron could be so wild. It made them wonder just what sort of guy this Moxxie was to get to her like this and it damn sure made them feel tempted have a peek inside and see the spicy action. But they knew they were pushing their luck just listening in on this but good thing they could watch the security camera recordings later on.

Back in the meeting room of course, Carmilla and Moxxie continued to go at it with the intensity and passion of minks in heat, the walls and ceiling echoing with the arms dealing overlord’s cries of pleasure. Deeply moaning as her claws cling to the wall The imp had her pinned up against, her lovely legs wrapped around his waist as he pounded and hammered away into the embrace of her snatch. Pink hearts of lust flowing in her red eyes as her body became reacquainted with levels of pleasure she’d not felt since the fateful encounters which had conceived her two of her precious children. The few words she could spit out consisting of a mix of English and Spanish alike as she urged Moxxie to keep going for as long as he possibly could.

Carmilla”Aaahn, Mi amor…so feisty Nino..you keep being this good and I might wind up falling in love with you, mi carazon…make your mamacita proud papi….”*Ths ash skinned overlord sensually moaned as she now rode Moxxie cowgirl style atop the immaculate Mahogany wood table. Seconds into minutes becoming hours of ceaseless erotic bliss and pleasure as she praised the little imp for his quite gifted talents in making love, deciding he had more than earned a very fine discount one of her her most high quality stock. That is providing he’d be more than open to the idea of renewing this deal in this exact same manner, after all why pass up a chance to have the best sex she’d ever had since the concept of Odette and Clara? Besides which, this little possum was such a damn adorable little sweetheart.*

After what had been quite a marathon of orgasmic love making and a little bit of afterglow snuggling, Carmilla had sent Moxxie on his way with the promise of a discount on any purchase of her weaponry stock and custom orders. Sealing the deal with a kiss of course and promise on regularly “renewing” the aforementioned deal, suffice to say Moxxie knew Blitzo would be a happy camper. Granted the former circus kid would likely assume it’s because he had to do a lot of asskissing, after all would he ever believe Moxxie of all people actually got laid with THE Carmilla Carmine? Now Millie and Loona of course were a different matter entirely and the thespian knew they were going to want any and every single little juicy detail. But as far as Moxxie was aware, he wasn’t sure his generous a discount Carmilla would provide so he knew for sure IMP was going to need a little extra in their petty cash.

I it was then and there as fished out a certain business card from his wallet and eyed the phone number, taking a deep breath as he fished out his cellphone and dialled it. He knew he was taking quite a big step out of his comfort zone but he knew Millie would be more than understanding and the money was sure to be good. Waiting as the dial tone rang through, while in a certain porn studio in Lust City, a phone rang in the office of the head honcho himself as Mr.Sketch was enjoying some quality time in a hot tub with a pair of succubi. The flaming skullheaded enigma reaching out and picking up the receiver as he began speaking to the imp.

Mr.Sketch:”Well now, just the imp I been looking for. You made my day making his call little man because have I got an offer for you….” *The shapeshifting enigma quipped, mentally reminding himself he also had some plans in store for Moxxie as he and the imp had their conversation. Arranging a time and appointment to have the imp come over to the SkullFuck productions studio so they could conduct an interview, formalities had to be met and followed after all. This simple call would be a fateful milestone moment in Moxxie’s infernal life for it would be in this day he’d take his first steps in becoming a porn star. One that Mr.Sketch would find to be quite the rookie success story, to say the very least…..*

[boygiwrites]

Harley D. Dixon 24

An amazing edit inspired by this story! (Cred to Cora_Line99) Harley D. Dixon's Pinterest Board! Harley D. Dixon's Playlist!

📖Chapter List.

Author's Note.

Almost a whole MONTH later, and I've finally got the next chapter to share with you guys. 😭 To make up for the wait, I made this one extra chunky. Just over 10,000 words. Enjoy reading!

"What about you, Maggie?" Lori's voice comes from downstairs. "Can we get you anything?"

"Naw, that's okay. I just wish my Dad was here, that's all... House feels so wrong without him."

Plodding back down the stairs, I find the three women sitting in the living room together, still talking. They look like a group of friends like this. I quietly take a seat next to them on the vintage sofa, hugging a cushion to my chest. I think I'd rather be out in the woods, laying in a patch of sunny dirt or climbing a stumpy tree, but I wouldn't make it five feet past the fence, not with Dale on watch. So I'm better here.

"He always knows what to do." Maggie muses sullenly. She got a weighty, tired look about her. "Guess I feel wrong without him, too."

"You're doing your best." Lori reassures her. "Those three, they're good at what they do. I'm sure they'll be back with your Dad soon."

She gives a little huff. "Good at killin' folk. We heard what happened to Shane, y'know. Not like it's a secret."

She's right. Ain't a secret. It's the opposite. Everybody knows Rick shot his best friend in the chest and my Dad finished the job. 

"It sounds bad." Jacqui stammers, 'cause it does. "But there was no way they were gonna let him take off with Harley. No way in Hell."

"I'm not sayin' they would've," She lilts, "And I don't blame 'em. But I'm just wonderin' what that might do a person, what it means for 'em."

"It means they'll do whatever it takes to protect their own." Lori calmly explains. "Whatever happens after that is worth the trouble."

"Rick's a good person, Maggie. So is Daryl. So is Glenn. Life is so different for us now that goodness doesn't look the same, anymore."

"I've never had to kill for my family." She fiddles with a stray thread on her jeans. "Life ain't thrown that at me, yet."

"Well, one day, it will." Lori says truthfully. "And when it does, you'll still be a good person, too."

"There was a moment, with Glenn." Her gaze flits between two vague points on the floor as she speaks. "At the pharmacy. We'd split up to save time. I was in the back by myself, pickin' around for meds, and these... these two cold hands grabbed me. They were so much stronger than I thought. I couldn't pry 'em offa me. I couldn't... I had my gun on me but I couldn't. Glenn had to do it for me."

I've had those hands on me before. I can tell she can still feel them on her, too, by the way she shivers. Gross. Best to ignore it.

She shakes her head. "I guess the definition of murder's a lil' skewed nowadays. It ain't always in cold blood like the bible says."

"It isn't." She agrees. "Putting down Shane wasn't all that different from putting down a walker, and we just have to be okay with that."

My body goes cold all at once. I lock eyes with her across the room, dark and cutting. She got no idea what it was like watching him be lured, tricked, the life beaten out of him punch by punch. Nobody should be okay with that. It ain't the same. "How can you say that?"

He was human. I know, 'cause when I held his hand, it was warm. He could think, and feel, and hope. He could bleed.

She gapes a little, glancing at the other women like they'll know what to say. "I— I just meant—"

"He weren't dead." He was somethin' more complicated than that. I know he's gone, but Rick said he'd cherish his memories of him, the good ones, the old ones that are a little harder to recognise, so I will too. "He was sick and hopeful and alive. He was in pain when he died."

"Sweetie," Jacqui breathes beside me, brushing back a lock from my temple, pulling me into a hug. "We know that."

"I'm sorry." She sighs. "I can't... I can't imagine what that must've been like. For any of you. That was insensitive of me to say."

"It weren't nothin' like killin' a walker." I definitely ain't the brightest crayon in the box, but I still know what I saw was murder. It's just somethin' that you can feel, like my heart stunting right before the blood shot out Shane's back. Lori can pretend all she like, but it was different. Rick's a murderer, through and through, and so's my Dad, and so's almost everybody else, but we can still love 'em.

"I guess I just wish it was." She confesses a little sheepishly. "It'd make things a whole lot easier that way."

As Jacqui releases me, I frown, thinking of Dad. "Well, he is a murder. That's what we gotta be okay with."

Looking like somebody who doesn't, she mutters, "I know."

"Whole world's gone to horseshit." Maggie comes out and says, in a sudden way that almost makes us laugh. "Makes sense we would, too."

Jacqui grins, quirking a brow. "And we got that famous tater soup to get us through it, too."

"I think if anybody'd understand that, it'd be Harley." I feel my cheeks flush under her warm, green gaze. "How was Beth, by the way?"

"She seemed," I hesitate, afraid of saying the wrong thing. I'm good at doin' that. I could tell her that her baby sister thinks all she's good for is dyin', that she's revolted with herself just for bein' alive, but that's not the important part. "She seemed like she was sorry."

That surprises her, like she ain't think it was possible. Her face lights up a little as she asks, "She talk?"

I give a nod, making Jacqui snort, impressed. "We been tryna crack her since yesterday. Hardly given us a second glance."

"This is good." Maggie decides. "Y'know, that girl ought'a be sorry. Scared me and poor Daddy half to death, pullin' that stunt."

Maggie's real tough on the outside, 'cause she likes it that way, but it's obvious how on the inside she been worrying for Beth. Losing family to a gunshot, or a bite, or an unlucky mistake is awful enough, like the massacre at the barn, but to have 'em taken away from you 'cause they wanna be — That's a whole other brand of pain. I know they'd all be devastated if Beth had really died.

"Speaking of Herschel," Lori says, "You think he'd know anything about getting Harley a hearing aid? Types, sizes, things like that?"

"Ended up getting worse, did it?" She hums, even though she already knows, just so she can make a sympathetic face. "Well, I don't think his veterinarian knowledge will shine too bright there, but we had some old family friends who were deaf and hard of hearing." She says this part like Carl did, as if the existence of other deaf people will make me feel better. It don't really. "Picked up a thing or two."

"You wouldn't happen to have any spares left over, would you?"

"Naw," She regrets telling us, "They all lived separate to us."

"Hang on. That works." Jacqui butts in. "You got a whole list of addresses Rick and Daryl can hit for a hearing aid."

Oh, she's right. Search wouldn't be so blind that way. It's a strong start, and Rick and Dad have proven a strong start's all they need.

"Yeah. Suppose we do." I'm sure it ain't feel the best, having your old friends' houses looted, especially knowing the reasons they wouldn't exactly need their belongings anymore, but that don't stop her from giving us her blessing. "When they're back, I'll write 'em down for you."

"That would be an incredible help." Lori smiles, reaching out to cup her shoulder. "Our group would appreciate it very much."

"Told y'all," She drawls with her own weaker smile, grabbing her hand, squeezing it. "Ain't no trouble. Your problems are our problems."

It's starting to feel more like there ain't two groups on this farm, just one bigger, stronger one. I think if anybody were to look in on us without knowing who we are, they'd have a great deal of trouble tryna figure out who belongs to which side. I like that.

She gives her a grateful look before pulling away, nodding lightly. "The same goes for you."

"Thanks, Maggie." I mutter shyly, forcing myself to at least say that.

"Wouldn't just leave you hangin' like that." She tells me. "If you need a hearing aid and we can help you get one, it's as simple as that."

"Hey, I just had a thought. Do I have to learn sign language?"

Walking down the pebbled path with Carl in the late morning, lugging heavy buckets of water, I send him a deadpan look.

"English is hard enough, y'know." He says with a grunt. "But if that's gonna be your language, I'll learn."

When we reach the gate to the cow paddock, I toe the peg off the ground and push it open. "How 'boutchu just stop talkin' altogether?"

"Eugh. No." He cringes, following me through. The gate clicks shut behind us. "That sounds awful."

We make our way through the wispy, dry grass, trying our best not to spill too much water along the way. It ain't like we can't get more — The well on this side of the farm is conveniently walker-free — but we promised Maggie we'd do a good job filling the troughs for her. They're these bathtubs made of metal that cows and sheep like to drink from. They must have real big stomachs to handle all that water.

"You saw Beth, didn't you?" He asks as we haul the buckets onto the ledge, tipping the water in. "She's sad, isn't she?"

"Nah, she's more than sad." I explain. "She's, like, depressed. Doesn't wanna live."

He pulls back with a pout, squinting against the sun. "Doesn't wanna live?"

"Don't wanna live, wants to die. Same thing." I shake the last droplets out. "She's in shock. S'why she cut herself like that."

We fall back into step together, but I almost trip over myself when he comments sadly, "Kinda like you, right?"

"What?" I exclaim, "No. That's stupid."

The herd of black cows start to meander over at the sight of fresh water, the deep honk of their moooos carrying on the breeze.

"It's not stupid." He counters rather weakly. "Since Shane and Sophia died, you've been more than sad, too."

Just like his Dad, Carl pays more attention than I thought he did. I huff, "Well, ain't everyone?"

"I guess." He holds off on blurting his next thought, until he just can't hold it in anymore. "You're not gonna do what Beth did, right? Because that's what would make me sad. You're my best friend. Even if you were only in second grade. I-I won't have anyone to push on the swing, otherwise. I won't learn any new facts about mushrooms. I'd rather read you my comic a hundred more times than seeing you do that."

I stare at my boots as they scuff the dirt, step, step, step, so I don't gotta look at his round, freckled face.

"Mom and Dad say I have to be nice to you. But if I need to slap you to get those thoughts out your head," He warns, "I'll do it."

That makes me snap my head up. He puffs out his chest a little, juts his chin out. He don't look like the slapping sort at all.

That's an honest to god chuckle coming out my mouth. A soft, fond one. "You don't gotta hit me, Carl. I swear it."

As we come to a stop in front of the crumbling well, he tests out the feel of my answer in his head before nodding. "Good."

"And me, I'll hit ya, anyway." I joke, giving him a shove. "So hurry up and fill yer bucket, 'fore my hand slips and catches yer cheek."

His mouth lifts into a tiny smile. I don't got a real good way of saying it, but I'm lucky to have a boy like him as my best friend. I wouldn't lie to him like that. We lost Sophia already. Another grave would break him. It'd break everyone. My Dad would wanna stop living, too. Much as I can't handle the constant blows life keeps sending us, I can't handle that, neither. So, no. I won't do what Beth did, even if I really want to.

We make the back-and-forth trip from the trough to the well a handful more times before they're filled all the way up.

Before we leave, we give the cows some friendly scritches on their huffing snouts. They seem happy with their simple lot in life.

On the way back up the hill, we pass the oak tree again. Really, it's a graveyard, but I like calling it the oak tree better 'cause it don't feel so terrible to say. But in the end, it don't matter. It feels terrible anyway, 'cause there's Carol kneeling in front of the white roses, sniffling into her hands. Me and Carl share a look. She hasn't left the RV in days. I ain't sure what she does in there, but I imagine it looks a lot like this, shedding misery all over herself. I guess she decided to finally visit her daughter's grave. I bet she ain't even believed it was real 'til now.

I grab Carl's hand to tug him along so we can leave her be, but she's heard our footsteps. She looks up at us.

"You know," She croaks, sounding like she ain't slept for days, neither, "We'll see Sophia in heaven someday. She's in a better place now."

His fingers coil tighter around mine. We both know Sophia's actually just in that hole, which ain't a better place than anywhere.

"Heaven's just another lie." He blurts. My eyes go wide. You ain't meant to say that part aloud. "And if you believe it, you're an idiot."

I yank on him again, giving him a stern look, but he ain't budging, and Carol already heard him loud and clear anyway.

"That's a very nasty thing to say." She scolds him tearily, before standing and hurrying away.

As soon as she's out of earshot, I turn on Carl with my bucket reared back and smack him with it, but he dodges and I smack him again and he dodges, and the scuffle goes on like that for about a full minute. "You damn moron, why'd you go and tell her that? Now I'll really hit ya!"

"Well, it's true, isn't it?" He bickers, tryna steal the bucket off me. "No such thing as heaven. You die, you rot in the ground, and that's it."

He quickly side-steps another swing, so I just throw it at him and it clatters at his feet. "But you don't go tellin' people that!"

"I'll tell my Dad you threw a bucket at me!"

"I'll tell my Dad you're a stinkin' jerk-face!"

"That's a swear word!" He annoyingly quips, before taking off in a sprint up the path to escape me.

I snatch up my bucket and set off after him. "Hey! Get back here!"

I sure got a big mouth and a meaner streak than any other kid I ever met, but even I wouldn't've said that to Carol. Believing in heaven ain't gonna get nobody killed, so I say let her be an idiot in peace. All he managed to do was make her sadder than she already was.

I'm much faster than him so I'm about to grab the back of his shirt when Lori quickly steps in.

"Hey, hey, hey." She grabs my wrist and pulls me back from him. "Stop it. Both of you, this is ridiculous."

Before she's even finished speaking, Carl gets his defence in. "Mom, Harley threw a bucket at me."

As I roll my eyes and shake Lori offa me, she raises her brows. "Well, Carl, from what I heard from Carol, you might've deserved that."

"You can't go around willy nilly, calling people names." Carol tells him, her mouth a thin line on her tear-streaked face. "It's not right."

"Think about it. We've all gone through a big loss recently, and Carol doesn't need this right now. It doesn't matter if our beliefs—"

"But you know she's—"

She shushes him. "Don't talk. Just think. It's a good rule of thumb for life. Now you're gonna apologize to her, okay?"

I try not to get a little kick outta watching him begrudgingly recite, "I'm sorry I called you an idiot for believing in heaven."

No you ain't, I feel like saying just to annoy him, but I hold my tongue in case that gets me in trouble, too.

"Thank you." Carol accepts his apology 'cause it's the good thing to do. "I just hope you'll learn some manners from this."

Right as he's about to turn back into sassy Carl, Lori talks over him with a simple, "He will. And Harley, you think about your manners, too."

Oh, come on. "I only hit him 'cause he was bein' bad!"

"That's the problem, honey." She mutters awkwardly. Oh, right. That sort of punishment is bad. I forgot, but I don't even know why. "I'll have to talk to your Dad about that... In the meantime, you guys gonna get along or do we have to sort something out here?"

We mull over whether or not we wanna keep fighting, but we're the only kids here and we're best friends, so the choice is already settled.

She takes our silence as a positive. "Good. Now, go play nicely for a while. Shouldn't be long before the others get back."

Carol follows after her, much to my satisfaction, to go sit at the picnic table together, and not to slink back into the RV. I hope I'll see her around more often now, for her sake. Ain't good to be cooped up like that. Rick said that once.

Stuck with Carl again, I wordlessly drop my bucket in the dirt and sit against the fence. He could go play on his own, read a comic or somethin', but instead he follows suit and settles at my side, a non-annoying distance between us.

He quietly suggests, "You wanna bet a cookie on how long it's gonna take for 'em to get back?"

And of course, I say yes.

Carl's fallen asleep on my shoulder by the time the cars appear at the end of the driveway. I shake him awake, ignoring his blubbering, what, what is it. I get up and go running down the hill to greet them. It took them about an hour to get back. That means I earnt myself a cookie. There's Herschel, sitting in the passenger seat of Rick's car, by the looks of it, totally alive. Dad's truck lurches to a stop nearby. He hops out, and as I clock the brooding look on his face, I realize I got more than just a cookie to be worried about. 

"Daddy, what's wrong?" I ask cluelessly, a little sad I didn't get the chance to hug him. "You ain't hurt, is you?"

Carl jogs up to my side. A few others gather around as Dad yanks the back door open and, holy shit, hauls a full-grown man out by the elbows, throwing him into the grass. We both jump back as if the stranger's diseased. What in the Hell?

As Rick comes around the car with a coil of rope slung over his shoulder, Lori exclaims, "Who the Hell is that?"

The door slams. The man groans in pain as he's forced to his feet by both men.

Ain't no friend of ours, I got that much figured out. He got a bag over his head and two vague pits for eyes, skinny torso, a bloody leg. 

"Oh, fuck," He panics as they drag him like a sack of bricks through the crowd. "Oh, fuck, please, no."

Rick simply grunts, "Welcome back, Jim." 

My jaw drops. This crippled man, it's Jim. They found him. Or they ran into him. Or they—? Did they capture him? As Glenn guides Herschel outta the car and Maggie rushes over to them, I stay with everyone else, tailing Rick and Dad and Jim, 'cause yeah, that's really him. Those are his lanky limbs and that's his dark arm hair and his broken wrist-watch right where it always was. I weren't expecting this at all.

"What's going on?" Dale demands to know. Exactly what I'm thinking. "What on Earth are you—?"

"Please," Jim begs. "My leg — It- It needs surgery. The tendon, it's fucked— I can't—"

"Ran into some fellers in town." He gruffly explains. "He was runnin' with 'em. Got his leg daggered on a fence."

"Running with them?" T-Dog gapes in confusion. "Wasn't he shacked up in some dingy little tent, last we knew of him?"

"Please, my leg— My le-leg, it hurts so bad—"

"He got a story to tell, alright," Dad growls, taunting him through the fabric, "But man ain't so loose-lipped as he used to be, is he?"

"Man, I duh— I don't even remember saying those things about your kid," He whines, "I swear. That was so long ago now."

"You got nun' to swear on, ya useless shit. You keep talkin', you won't even have yer life to swear on, ya hear me?"

"Oh, fuck," He goes back to chanting, "Oh, fuck, please, no."

Dale scoffs, "So, what, he's back with the gang, now, Rick? This is insanity!"

"We keep him in the shed 'til he talks." Is all he offers as explanation. Lori grabs me and Carl by the shoulders and pulls us back, away from the struggle of limbs and blood, as Dad kicks the shed doors open. They're gonna lock him in there, like a prisoner.

They muscle him inside. We keep hearing cries of, you assholes, I need surgery, as they tie him to a post with the rope.

"Shut up!" Dad snarls, forcing him down. "You ain't worth a damn q-tip right now, let alone surgery!"

"Ran into some fellers?" Jacqui repeats with uncertainty to Lori, who's got no clue what it means. "I thought it was just us around here."

I did, too. Us, cows, sheep, and the sky. But there's fellers out there too, now. I don't think anybody likes the sound of that.

"No, please! Please!" Kicking and thrashing, like that day in the parking lot again. "I'm gonna bleed out before I can tell you anything!"

Rick retorts with one last brutal tug to the rope, "You best start gettin' your story straight, then."

"No, you fuh— you fucking assholes! You can't do this! It's inhumane!"

The doors close on him without mercy, sealing him inside the stuffy darkness.

"He's right, Rick." Dale argues, trying and failing to get a good look at his sweaty, blood-speckled face as he braces the doors with more rope. He got that spooked predator feel about him that I only ever saw on him once or twice before. "He needs medical attention, and now."

"Herschel repaired his calf muscle last night." He shakes his head, turning to face the group. "Pain's only gonna help him talk."

I break away from Lori and wrap my arms around Dad's waist, burying my face against his ribs. He instinctually cradles my head.

"Listen." Rick holds a hand out in front of him, his gaze dark and feral, chest heaving. "For the safety of everybody here, I've decided this is what has to happen. I'm not taking chances anymore. We found Herschel in town, holed up in that bar just like Maggie said, but we weren't the only ones. Couple'a big-mouthed tough guys got in the way and I dealt with 'em. They was with a bigger group, and we picked up Jim on our way out. Camped in the woods for the night. So far, he's told us a whole load of nothin' about these folks."

"What do they want?" Andrea asks, lookin' ready to go hunt them down right here and now.

"What we have." He answers with a shrug. "Source of food, water, stability. It's gotten bad in town. Nothin' left but walkers and rats."

I glance up at Dad through my screwed brows, 'cause bad folk steal what they want from the people who got it, and that's scary. I don't want those men to take our fresh cheese and bread, our swing, our wells. He gives me a strong look, soothing his hands through my hair.

"It ain't like they know where we are." He reassures us all. "I doubt they're gonna be ridin' down here like Jesse James."

"Not yet," Dale scoffs, unamused. "How long until they do?"

 Jacqui adds, "We got that horde to think about, too, don't we?"

"I am figurin' it out." Rick scolds loudly, scaring everyone into silence. "Christ's sake, I killed my best friend yesterday. I am trying."

There's nothing to argue against that with. Trying is all Rick Grimes does. He does it for us. Nobody can fault him for that.

"But, Rick," Lori apprehensively mutters, as if he hasn't quite thought it through yet, "There's a dying man in that shed."

"I know that, Lori." He quips a little harshly. "Of course I know that. You think I'm enjoyin' this?"

"We should at least start considering what his future is gonna look like." Dale suggests.

"Yeah, man." T-Dog agrees. "I mean, he talks. What then? What's the plan?"

"The plan is he talks and then I kill him."

When Rick says this, I feel like I'm looking at someone who looks an awful lot like the Rick Grimes I care about, but ain't actually him. That's how I'd expect someone to announce they're going on a supply run or taking next shift for watch, not that they're gonna end someone's life. Maybe Maggie was right about him being changed after murdering Shane, because I ain't never heard him talk like this before.

Another murder. My second one. Shane first, now Jim. I'm going to be ready for this one. I'll be strong.

"You can't." Dale lies. We all know it only takes a bullet, and we got plenty of those. "You can't, Rick."

"I don't recall asking for any feedback." He sounds tired. "There is no discussion on this. Not this time. He talks and then I kill him."

As he walks off, the group share startled, disturbed looks, because nobody's okay with this, right? Nobody's actually letting this happen? But the fact is anything Rick says is gonna happen is gonna happen, 'cause Shane's dead and we need a leader, and without anybody really hashing it out or realizing how it turned out this way, seems like that's gonna be Rick from now on. He's doing this to protect the people he loves, same reason he killed Shane, same reason he does everything. It's like Jacqui says. This is what goodness looks like now.

Dale goes running after him, probably to waste his breath some more convincing him to change his mind.

With Rick gone, the next person everybody looks to for guidance is my Dad.

"I'm with Grimes." He warns before they can hassle him. "I wanted that skinny bastard dead the day we left the quarry, y'all know that."

Rubbing at the fine wrinkles on her forehead, Lori sighs, "I don't like this."

"Can't we just take him out to the main road once we're done with him, give him a canteen, send him on his way?"

"Nah, we've done all that before." He frowns. "And his new boys, he'll go crawlin' back to 'em, tell 'em things we'on want 'em knowing."

"Man, this is fucked." T-Dog tsks, turning away.

Dad retorts, "Yeah, what else is new?"

"Look, there's nothing we can do. Did anybody really like Jim, anyway?" Andrea levels in that blunt way she got. "No. So, I say fuck him. The guy's good as dead anyway. It's clear where his loyalties lie, and it sure isn't with us. Now, who's gonna stand watch?"

"I will." Dad answers. "Gimme 'bout ten minutes, I'll take up watch. T can take graveyard."

"Maggie has a plan for that hearing aid, Daryl." Lori says as heads up. "You might wanna go check that out when you can."

He nods in thanks, reminding Andrea not let anyone near the shed, before grabbing my hand and walking over to the house with me. I glance over my shoulder at her, arms crossed over her chest, holster back-lit by the midday sun. She'll be good at ignoring Jim's pleading.

As I turn back around, Dad asks, "How ya been while I was out, chicken?"

"Fine. Helped cook. Did chores." That's not what's on my mind, though, or on his. "Jim gon' die, ain't he?"

"Yeah," He tells me straight. He don't add much else, 'cause there ain't really anything else to add. "He's gonna die."

Unlike some of the others, I know I can't stop it. I couldn't stop the bullet that killed Shane, so why would I be able to stop this one?

People who don't fit in right, people who put us in danger, they get killed. Jim got a whole new group. They ain't lookin' to be our friends. That's danger. Sum' I learnt from all this is that you're better killin' off the problem before you get hurt by it. It's what we do with vermin, like rabbits and bugs. Maybe that's a morbid thing to say. I know Dale would think so. Jim's just a normal man, dyin' in a shed. He ain't killed nobody. But neither did Shane, and look at all the damage he done anyway. Maybe if we killed him to start with, it wouldn't've been so cruel.

"Alright." I settle on. I wouldn't stop it, even if I could. I said I weren't gonna be stupid ever again. So I say fuck him, too.

Dad glances at me. He knows this is how it's gotta be, so that's where the conversation ends.

We step up to where Glenn, Maggie, and Herschel are standing together at the bottom of the porch steps. He looks a little shaken up, his shirt grimy and his suspenders wonky, but he's still standing, which is all that matters. It could'a gone a lot worse for him.

"Bethy's gonna be fine, Dad." She says sweetly. When she notices us, she smiles. "Hey. Thanks for your help, Daryl."

Dad gives a little shrug, 'cause he never liked thanks. "Don't worry 'bout it."

It's clear how much Herschel is loved by his family. I wish my Grandpappy Dixon could'a been a little more like him.

"But I heard from one'a the women you got somethin' for me about a hearin' aid?"

"Oh, right." Her mood dampens a little at the mention of it, but she knows he means no harm. "We were talkin' about it earlier. I offered to give y'all the addresses of some people we knew who might have what you're lookin' for. None of 'em are too far from here."

"That's good of ya." He nods, grateful. "We got our hands full with that shit-sack Davison, but we'll find the time."

Glenn frowns in confusion. "Wait, what's all this about? A hearing aid?"

"It's for Harley." He explains and looks down at me, squeezing my hand. "That gunshot messed her hearin' up pretty good."

"Oh, man. That's unlucky." He gives me that soft, mushy look everybody been giving me. "So you're, like, deaf in that ear?"

"Yeah." I murmur, nervously tugging on the nub under my hair. "And half-deaf in the other'un."

He looks at Dad. "Let me know if you need any help searching, man. Anything I can do to help."

"I'on know if Rick's gonna be up for it way things are, but I'll head out sometime tomorrow if I can. Won't fuss if you wanna join."

"And that business with your friend there in the shed," Herschel says, "Whatever you do with him, please just keep it to yourselves."

"Well, we weren't plannin' on a public execution." Dad shrugs. "Rick'll wanna do it in the barn, I reckon. Y'all won't see nothin'."

"Good." He sighs, even though none of this is good. "I'm not saying I like it, but I know better than to impede on your... politics."

"That what it's called, huh?" He murmurs sardonically.

"C'mon. Let's get you inside now." Maggie gently guides him away. "Thank y'all both again. I'll get that list to you when you need it."

As they climb the porch steps together, Dad gives me a kiss on my forehead and tells me he's gotta go guard the shed now, handing me off to Glenn to walk me back to main camp. Because I guess they don't want me impeding on the politics, neither.

Dad's not actually on watch. I get that now. I watch the little shed sit there in the distance. There's nobody standin' outside the doors, and they wouldn't just leave Jim unattended like that. So that would only mean that he's inside the shed, doing what people do when they're tryna make someone talk. I can't see through any of the boarded-up windows or the little loft space that looks in, but I don't need to.

Jim don't deserve this, but I think we're a little past getting what we deserve. It ain't my fault he's suffering.

Shane's bones are breaking again. I'm half deaf, but I hear them just fine, and the blood, the cries, the smack of fist on muscle. I thread my fingers through my hair, grip and twist and pull on it, like the memories are in the roots and I can rip them out and throw them away and be done with them, but I can't, so I just drag my hands down my face and throw my head back against the tree I'm sitting under. On the other side of the leaves, the white ball of the sun shining down. I take a few deep breaths. In and out, nice and slow, like Dad showed me.

We been through so much. Escaped and killed and hurt so much, just so we can live. If Jim were to ruin that, or his fellers were to ruin that, I would wanna beat his face in, too, 'til it was just a piece of meat balanced on a neck. That, he would deserve.

It's as I'm staring at the clouds floating across the sky, that the brim of a cowboy hat enters my vision.

I know it's Carl before I look at who it belongs to. He says something I can't hear, holding out a granola cookie to me. I assume that's the cookie he owes me from the bet, and that he's telling me I can have it, so I take it from him. He settles down to my right.

"I tried to get one without raisins," He says apologetically, voice clearer now. "But Glenn kinda ate them all already."

"'Course he did." I take a big bite. "It don't matter. I like raisins anyway."

He pulls a bit of a face, because nobody likes raisins. "I'm just gonna forget you said that."

We fall into silence after that. There's nothing to talk about except the hostage in the shed and the fact his Dad is gonna kill him soon, and maybe raisins, but nobody likes talking about raisins. You know, there's lots of different types of killing. There's mercy killing, which is what the vet did to Tank. It's what Dad does to any deer we find half-dead on hunting trips, or ones suffering on the side of the road after they weren't ran over all the way. Then there's self-defence killing. That's for walkers, and people that wanna kill you. There's killing for food. We do that all the time. And then there's murder, which is almost the same, but feels a whole lot different.

"How do you think they're gonna do it?" Carl suddenly asks, his tone dull, neither here nor there.

I pause. It. Killing Jim. I don't know how they're gonna do it, but Dad says it'll be in the barn. They got ropes and rafters in there.

"Maybe hang him." I guess, but that don't feel right. "Prolly just cap him in the head, though."

"Is that what they did to Shane?"

Bones breaking. Fist on muscle. A spike of blood. I shake my head with a simple, murmured, "No."

He knows better than to start guessing what did happen. "Well... How'd your Dad kill Ronnie?"

Huh? "How you hear about that?"

He shrugs one shoulder. "Heard Maggie talking to my Dad about it."

I didn't think anybody else knew about Ronnie. I've always been told it's a bit of a taboo story, and I shouldn't talk to Meemaw or any kids at school about it. But if anyone had a problem with mine and Dad's past, I would'a known about it by now.

"That was my Dad and Merle." I confess, after deciding I can answer this question. "They didn't shoot him. They chased him into the woods and beat him so bad he ended up dyin'. Then Merle ran away for a bit and Dad went to prison."

"Guess both our Dads are murderers." A sentence I've never heard before. "Do you ever wish you were more like him?"

"Nah. I couldn't get any more like my Daddy if I tried." I'm my Daddy's girl. I'm just cursed that way. I got his little moles and his nasty glare, his dirt blonde hair and his short temper. I got all his good parts and all his bad, painful, thrown-away parts running through me, and I poke my tongue out when I skin animals, and I hurt the people I love. I guess the only gene I'm missing is the one that lets him lock it all away. I ain't strong like that, but I don't wanna admit that to Carl, or to anybody. I don't wanna admit I'm weak. "What... What about you?"

Carl's got his Dad's blue eyes and his goodness. Oh and of course, his hat.

He considers the question for a long time. "I'm not a very good protector. I've never killed anything."

"Well, you ain't got a gun, do ya?" I try joke, swallowing the last bite of cookie. "How you meant to protect anybody?"

It don't make him laugh. "Be serious."

"Carl," I say a little frustratedly, "I've killed two walkers and watched a man die by now, and I can tell you it don't make you any tougher."

I don't know why he can't see that, especially with his parents arguing over by the fence the way they are, getting louder by the minute.

"Kinda just messes things up." I mutter. "It's horseshit, like Maggie says."

I watch Rick pinch the bridge of his nose as Lori shouts at him.

"You know what," Carl cringes, "Maybe you're right."

"Do you think they're arguin' about Jim?"

We both know they are. "Yeah."

I like Lori. She doesn't laugh at me when I can't spell something right. But if I were Rick right now, I'd bust a damn gasket and scream somethin' like, leave me alone, woman! Because the last thing I'd want is somebody badgering me on this. He said it himself. He doesn't want to kill Jim, but he doesn't have any other choice if he wants to keep us safe. He's stressed enough without this nonsense.

Instead of that, though, Rick exclaims something totally different, just loud enough for me to hear.

"You're pregnant?"

Oh, Lordy. She told him?!

Carl whirls on me like this was my doing. "Did he just say pregnant?!"

I don't get time to reply before he gets up and runs over to them, calling out excitedly. I knew he'd be happy. But I don't know so much about Rick. He threads his fingers in his hair, taking a step back. The look on his face is the same one Dale used to get when the RV suddenly started making a strange noise and he had to figure out how to fix it. I don't even think Lori meant to tell him. She just blurted it out.

"Cat's out the bag, I guess." Glenn muses lightly from nearby, as Carl wraps his arms around his Momma's belly.

She seems a little shocked, too, but she still returns the hug and kisses his fluffy hair.

I can't hear them anymore, so I walk over to Glenn and ask him eagerly, "What're they sayin'?"

"He's asking if it's a boy or a girl," He relays to me, "But they won't be able to tell until the baby's born."

"When's that happen?"

Carol approaches us with a fun little smirk. She must've overheard as well. "In about nine months, if everything goes right."

That's almost a year. Where are we gonna be a year from now? A lot can happen in one month, let alone nine. Will there still be eleven of us, or will there be less? We gonna make it to twelve? I'm not sure how having a baby at the end of the world works. I think ya need lots of medicine and a little beanie to put on their head, but we don't have those things. We only have each other, a vet, and some aspirin.

Lori and Carl walk back into camp together. He's smiling like he's swallowed the sun.

"I'm gonna be a big brother." He exclaims, as Carol gives Lori a supportive hug. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Pretty cool." I agree, but I can't help glancing over his shoulder at Rick, who's slumped against the fence, head in his hands.

"You heard? God. I don't want this to be made a big deal out of." Lori mutters to her. "It's not good for anybody."

"Don't be silly. I think we could all do with a little hope around here. What's more hopeful than a baby?"

"I'm talking about..." She whispers this next part.

Carol smiles sadly when she pulls back. "Don't worry about that. He's out of the picture, now. Just focus on Rick."

"Hey, if the baby's a girl," Carl suggests, "Can we name her Sophia?"

"I think that would be lovely," Lori says very earnestly, looking to Carol, who seems to also like that idea. "Guess we'll have to see."

The two of them get sucked into conversation with Glenn after that, and it looks pretty serious, so me and Carl are left on our own again. He continues babbling about the baby, and I try my best to listen, but I'm distracted thinking about how Glenn's no longer keeping an eye on us like he's meant to, and Dale's facing the opposite direction on watch. We could sneak off to the shed without anyone noticing.

"And if it's a boy, we can name him Nate. You know, like Captain Nate and the Awesome Eight. The comic I read you, remember?"

I don't know what's gotten into me, but I ask him with no warning, "Wanna sneak into the shed?"

His grin fades, until there's nothing but apprehension on his face. "But we're not allowed. I thought you said you hated getting in trouble."

"I thought you said you wanted to be tough like your Dad," I retort. I do hate getting in trouble, but I wanna get inside that shed a whole lot more. I wanna see what Dad's done to Jim, see what happens to people that put us in danger. "Come on. Nobody will see us."

"I don't know, Harley." He mumbles. I never thought I'd be the one coercing him into mischief. "It might not be safe."

"Safe? When since do you care about being safe?"

He hesitates to answer. "It's just, I'm supposed to look out for you. And I'm gonna be a big brother soon, so I gotta learn how."

"I ain't your practice-sister." I scoff, feeling a little offended. "I don't need no big brother to take care of me. I taught you to shoot."

"I just wanna keep you safe like the adults do." He says more sternly now, like I'm being unfair. "Like my Dad does."

"Well, I wanna go smack the shit outta Jim," I sass, "Like my Dad does."

With that, I turn on my heel, making a beeline for the shed. It don't even take him five seconds to give in and follow after me.

"No, no, Daryl, c'mon, man, please. We used to be on the same side. You don't have to do this."

"How many in yer group, huh? I said, How many?!"

Whack!

I pull Carl with me around the corner of the shed, ducking down into the grass, holding a finger to my lips. On the other side of the wall, Jim groans. It sounds blubbered, as if his gums are swollen and his lips are fallen off. I peek through a tiny hole in the wood.

"Thuh— Th- Thirty." He answers breathily. It's dark in there, but I can make out both their figures. "Thirty. Thirty guys."

"Where?" He growls, pacing around in the shadows. "Where they camped?"

"Why— Why the fuck would I tell you, huh?" He sniffles wetly, but it's not snot. "I'm dead, anyway, man! Fuck the whole lot of ya!"

"You wanna put this whole farm in danger, is that whatcher sayin'? You're a smart-mouthed piece'a shit?"

"You're the ones who left me!" He shouts, kicking and pulling and wriggling against the rope like a feral creature itching for a fight. He's never gotten along with our group. Given the chance, I know he'd throttle any one of us. "Maybe I should want you to pay!"

"The feeling's mutual." He snarls. There's a little, wait, no, before he rears his fist back in the air, and then a disgusting cracking sound as it comes down on his cheekbone. Carl whispers in my good ear, what do you see, but I don't answer him. I watch as Dad crouches, his face mere inches from the bruised mess that's meant to be Jim's, staring him down like if he does it hard enough, he can kill him just like that. "I'm only gonna tell you this once." He warns, his voice a rumble. "My little girl is on this farm. If you breathe the wrong way. If you make a funny look I don't like. If you take too long answerin' me 'cause you're chokin' on yer own blood, and that puts her at risk..."

Jim's bloodied neck bobs under a heavy gulp, his chest shivering with shallow puffs.

"I will kill you so slow... you'll be beggin' to eat a bullet." That's far from an empty threat and he knows it. "You understand me?"

"Yeah. Yes. Yes." He nods. "I'm not tryna be smart. I'll— I'll talk."

"Let's try this again, huh?"

"They move around." He confesses. "They never stay anywhere more than a couple nights. That's all I know, but they got guns. Heavy stuff, like automatics. I used to clean them. That's why they let me stay, after they found me camping in the woods. I went with them b-because they had food, but that's all gone, now. They're branching out. I swear I had nothing to do with the other stuff. I swear."

"You just happened to be there last night, is that it? Tryna tell me you're innocent?"

"I've always been innocent."

Liar. I remember him snarking to my Dad that the trip out the quarry to save my life wasn't worth it, that it was a waste of our gas.

"If you're memory's that bad, buddy, I can crack yer head open and we can sort through yer brains together, how's that sound?"

"Like a f-fucking nightmare." He slurs. "Always is with you."

Dad's about to break his other cheekbone in when Andrea calls out his name. I pull away from the peephole just as he turns around, my heart racing as the creak of the old doors come, then their voices. I can't make any of it out like I would'a been able to before my hearing went to shit, which makes me a little jealous of Carl, but I can tell the point at which one of them walks away 'cause there's silence.

With the shed quiet and empty, Carl points above my head. "We can get in that way."

The loft. It hangs over a pile of rotten wood laying in the overgrown weeds. It doesn't look like an impossible distance to climb, so I give him a nod. He follows me out, warning me to, be careful of splinters, which almost makes me roll my eyes because he really does think he's a mini grown-up now. I ignore him and hop onto the planks. He jumps up onto the loft first and then rolls onto his tummy and pulls me up after him. He asks me if I'm alright, which of course I am, so I duck through the opening and climb down the ladder.

My boots hit the straw, then his. I can't believe we're really in here. This is way worse than sneaking into the woods.

"Who's—? Who's there?" Jim startles, peering at us through his puffy eyelids.

I step into the single beam of sunlight shining down on the dirty floor, and only then his face morphs with recognition. I stare him down. He looks exactly the same as he did at the quarry, but scruffier, angrier, splattered with blood. It's what I must look like, too.

He actually starts laughing, an empty laugh. "Harley Dixon... My fucking luck."

"Be careful." Carl mutters from behind me.

The laughter catches in this throat, a phlegm-y knot that he spits on the floor. "He's right, kid. Your Daddy thinks I'm dangerous."

"I ain't afraid of you," I take great satisfaction in telling him. I've never been able to say that to anybody before. I been scared of Merle, been scared of Grandpappy Dixon, scared of Shane. But I out-lived all of them, and I'll out-live Jim, too. "You're nothin'."

"I thought you died on the road, you know. They always do." A grin creeps onto his lips. "But not you, huh?"

Not me. I been scratched, trapped in a horde, chased, lost, stabbed, taken and shot at, but no. "Not me."

"I'll be dead soon." He lilts uncaringly. "I'm not gonna beg. No you. Not anyone. I know it's coming. Your Dad, Rick, or... Even my own leg. Something's gonna kill me, and I'm not gonna fight it." As he speaks, his head lolls to the side and he gazes out at nothing. "You can't. Can't fight gravity, can't fight nature. Can't fight death. I tried, though. All of it, I tried, and here I am. Pissin' blood in a shed, waitin' to die."

"I ain't never cared for no sob story." I scowl, moving into his line of sight, crouching down. "'Specially not yours."

He glares at me through his dark brows. "You're a little s-shit-stain, aren't you, just like your old man."

"None of us ever liked you, neither."

"Whatever happens after I'm gone," He sneers, breathing heavily, so heavily I can feel it huffing and puffing on my forearms, "You're all gonna deserve. F-for being so cocky. Thinkin' you're better than everyone else, thinkin' you can cheat death. For leaving me."

"Whatever happens after you're gone," I retort just as angrily, "We sure ain't gonna spend it missin' you."

He bares his teeth, straining against his bindings to get in my face, but I remain stony, like Dad would. "You— You should've never made it out that quarry." He rages under his breath, "They can give you all the— all the hugs and kisses in the world, but when they tell you everything's okay, they'll still be lying. It's what I told my wife and my two boys a hundred times, but it didn't matter."

The louder he hisses the words at me, the wetter his eyes get.

"They came out of nowhere. Dozens... and dozens. Pulled them right out my hands." His voice cracks. "The only reason I got away was because the dead were too busy eating my family. I was meant to die with them. I was. And you— you're just a little kid. You should've died to those scratches. You're supposed to be dead. All of you. You're all supposed to be dead."

Before I can stop myself, smack!

"You don't get to say that." I scold him, shaking out my stinging palm. "Only dead one 'round here is you."

He groans. "Shuh— S-sure."

The doors swing open. Andrea comes in, shock across her face as she realizes what's going on. She snatches mine and Carl's hands in her own and drags us out.  We stumble as she throws us ahead, shouting something at Jim before slamming the doors shut again.

"What the Hell were you two doing in there?" She asks incredulously as she picks up the rope and re-binds the handles.

"Please don't tell our parents." Carl immediately begs.

Too angry to speak, I take myself over to the swing and plop down on it, rubbing at my red palm. I slapped Jim pretty good. If only we didn't get caught, I could'a done a whole lot worse to him, maybe even broken in his other cheek. He's a bastard for sayin' those things. We had our reasons for casting him out, and he sure as shit ain't bothered figuring out what they were. He's still as smart-mouthed as ever. I ain't even feel bad his wife and kids got eaten, 'cause that's just what happens now. He ain't special for letting it drive him mad.

"Listen, buddy," She scoffs as she turns around, putting her hands on her hips. "I won't, but that was plain stupid."

"We were only talking to him." He argues innocently. "We didn't do anything."

She raises a brow. "Oh, yeah? What was that slap sound, then?"

"It was me." I admit with a bitter tone, dramatically dropping my hands in my lap. "I cracked him for bein' smart."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you." She chuckles, seeming annoyed and amused at the same time. "You wanna die? Is that it?"

I frown deeply. Like I said, blunt. She's the only person outside my family who's ever given me a run for my money on that front. "Maybe I do," I sass her. "Maybe beatin' on somebody makes me feel a little better. You got a problem with that?"

"Not at all." She surprises me by shrugging. "I get it. But really, guys? Jim?"

"You want me to hit you instead, then?"

"God," She laughs. "Maybe if Beth had half the fire you got in you, she'd actually be worth something."

"Hell's that mean?"

"Means if you asked me for a knife like she did, I wouldn't bother giving you one. You'd find a way."

"Give her a knife?" Carl pulls a stank-face at her. "That was you?"

"She didn't have the guts to do it herself." She explains. "So I gave her the push she needed."

"Why would you do that?" He sounds betrayed when he says this, turning and taking my hand. "Come on, Harley. Let's go, now."

He pulls me off the swing and leads me away, a grumpy look on his face.

"Screw her." He exclaims. "Don't talk to her ever again. She's crazy."

"Sure thing," I murmur, too busy thinking about how I can sneak back in the shed again soon to sound all too convincing.

That afternoon, I relish in the gentle sounds of rustling leaves and little squirrels and birds chittering throughout the forest, the crisp breeze blowing through my hair. I've never really liked the cold all that much, but this is good. I remember when I was just a tot, around the first time I ever saw snow, I tugged on Daddy's sleeve and asked him, when we goin' huntin' today, but all he said was, can't, baby, all the game's hidin' away in holes. I was a little confused on that for a while. Couldn't the animals just put a coat and hat on like the rest of us? That was back when I thought the whole world was like it was in the cartoons. I learnt fast that it weren't.

"Heard you was beatin' on Carl today." Dad casually hums. I follow him along the trail, keeping an eye out for paw prints or broken twigs. September's almost over now, if it ever even was September, and Winter's on its way. Nature's one of the only things ain't changed, and I know the slim chances of finding game ain't changed neither, and so does Dad, but I think he don't care. "You wanna talk about it?"

He just wants away from the farm for a while, time where it's just the two of us. Even if we ain't catch nothing in the end.

"He was bein' a jerk to Carol." I explain, and that's putting it lightly. "So's I whooped him."

Surely Dad won't care like Lori does. He was the one that taught me to whoop stupid boys in the first place.

"Baby," He seems to struggle saying, before coming to a stop, facing me with a funny look. "You can't be doin' that no more."

Oh. He does. But, "I've always done that."

"Yeah, and so've I." He tells me. "I don't gotta tell you twice. Only time my fists ain't been swinging was when I was busy cleanin' the blood off 'em. But like I told you at that pond, I'm puttin' that behind me when it matters, a'right? That lil' scrape wit' Carl, that matters."

Only other punishment I ever got was time out. "You sayin' I should'a put him on a stump, instead?"

"I'm sayin' let his parents put him on a stump, or take his shit away, or whatever it is they wanna do. It ain't on you to dish that out."

"But Grandpappy Dixon and Merle used to beat on me, and they weren't my parents."

"Weren't on them, either." With an angry scoff, he turns back around. I chase after him. "Weren't even on me. Ain't none of us treatchu right."

I guess I should'a thought more wisely about laying into Carl. But I ain't ever practiced. None of my family have. Beat first, think later. Next to, Fuck the cops, that's always been the Dixon motto. But me and Dad, we gotta be different. There's more to us than our anger.

"Well, I'm gon' try treat everybody else right, anyway." I decide. "Next time, I'll just call Carl an idiot and leave it at that."

I hear him chuckle to himself. I guess that means it's a good plan.

It's at this moment that the honking trill of a deer sounds through the trees. Both of us stop dead in our tracks. He reaches for me, takes my wrist, pulls me behind a nearby shrub. I peek over the leaves, swallowing down a gasp. Rats on hats, there she is. A deer, with sweet black eyes like polished glass, and long, beige legs, walking through the underbrush as if she were made of it. I ain't seen a deer in months, not even when the weather was warmer. Guess I thought the dead ones ate 'em all. I almost forgot how magical they are. Merle always teased me for it, but I used to think deer were just unicorns whose horns fell off. I was always a little sad whenever we ate them.

Dad loads a bolt into his crossbow. I can't hear it, but I'm sure it makes the faintest click, because her big ear twitches, but she doesn't bolt. I watch her bow her head, munching on dead grass, as he lines the sight up with her heart.

He never hesitates to down a target, but this time he does. He watches her, too, then lowers the bow altogether.

I whisper to him, "You ain't gonna shoot?"

"Nah," He whispers back, "It's good just like this."

The deer grazes on the forest floor for a few more minutes, until she decides to move on.

After which, we do, too.

Author's Note.

Whew! Hope you enjoyed this one.

We finally ran into Jim again! Lots has changed since he's been with us, including Harley lmao. She's a menace.

Like I said in the last chapter's notes, I've been dealing with some motivation issues and just a creativity slump in general, so working on this chapter was a ride and a half 😩 Thanks for your support and patience as always. Your comments are what fuel me to write when I can't fuel myself 💙

@poetoflawed

[final-girl96]

Broken World: Chapter Sixteen

Flashback

The whole city was in total chaos. People were running in every direction, and screams and gunfire filled the air. The dead were up walking and stumbling around; how was this real life? They decided Atlanta was the best place to set up a refugee camp. Who's ever idea that was, was a fucking idiot. Things didn't take long to fall apart. Infected people got in and “turned”, they bite others, killing more, turning more people, and before anyone knew it, the whole city was being overrun.

The military was trying to get it under control, but it was no use. There were too many of them. There was a shoot to kill an order. That's exactly what I was doing; shooting the dead. It wasn't natural; the dead were walking around. I made it back into the precinct, killing anything that got in my way. I could hear the jets flying over the city, and shortly after, just as I scrambled under my desk, explosions rocked the whole city. They just bombed the city.

Center For Disease Control

Dr. Edwin Jenner. That was the man standing in front of us closing the doors behind us after a few of us ran out and got our bags. He led us to an elevator where we all piled in; It was a tight squeeze. Daryl was pushed back into the corner with his back to the wall. I was directly in front of him and almost touching him but not. Everyone else filed in though and I got bumped causing me to stumble back more and into Daryl. His left hand landed on my hip to steady and my whole body was on fire. His hand left just as fast as it came. Jenner walked into the elevator, waited for the doors to close, and then pressed one of the bottoms on the panel.

I could feel how tense Daryl was behind me; I was just as tense. I also hated being in such a small space with so many people. “Doctors always go around packing heat like that?” Daryl asked. Jenner had an M4A1 in his hands. He looked down at it then back at our group. “There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. But you look harmless enough.” He looked down at Carl and smiled at him, “Except you, I’ll have to keep my eye on you.” The elevator doors opened and everyone got out.

We were led through halls, up metal stairs, and down another hall into a circular room with computers and a large screen on one wall. “VI, bring up the lights in the big room,” Jenner said, and the lights turned on. “Welcome to Zone 5.” We looked around to see an empty space. Nobody was here. “Where is everybody? The other doctors, the staff?” Rick asked. Jenner turned and looked at him. “I’m it. It’s just me here.” I shook my head, staying back from the group. “What about the person you were speaking with? VI?” Lori asked. “VI, say hello to our guests. Tell them… Welcome.”

“Hello, guests. Welcome,” An artificial intelligence voice said. “I’m all that’s left. I’m sorry,” Jenner told us. He then led us to a room where he took our blood. That was the agreement, he would run tests to make sure none of us were infected and we could stay. I sat in the chair and gave him my arm. He gave me a weak smile, cleaned the skin with an alcohol wipe, and stuck me with the needle. “You don't look happy to be here,” he said. I raised an eyebrow, “What makes you think that?” I asked. He finished filling a vial with blood and pulled the needle out, replacing it with a gauze pad. “You hung back from the others, didn't seem too surprised to know I was the only one here.” I hummed, leaned forward a little and said, “That's because I know no one would be here. I saw what happened to this place.” With that I stood up and went to stand near the door.

Jenner took Andrea’s blood for a sample. As she stood up she started to stumble a little until Jacqui caught her. “Are you okay?” Andrea nodded her head and held onto her. Jacqui looked at Jennerx who was looking a little concerned. “She hasn’t eaten in days. None of us have,” she explained. He looked around the room and nodded, then he led us to the kitchen where some of the women started to cook up dinner for everyone with the help of some of the men. There was plenty of wine and even some whiskey. When everything was done we pushed a few tables together and sat down. Jenner sat at a separate table close by.

Rick was pouring wine into Lori's cup when Dale said, “You know, in Italy, children have a little bit of wine with dinner. And in France.” She held up her glass and took a sip. “Well, when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then,” she said. “What’s it gonna hurt? Come on. Come on,” Rick said, trying to convince her. She agreed and gave him a little bit. He tasted it and scrunched his face up in disgust. Loro poured the rest into her glass. “That’s my boy. That’s my boy. Good boy.”

“Yuck. That tastes nasty,” Carl said. There were some laughs and chuckles from everyone. “Well, just stick to soda pop there, bud,” Shane told him. “Not you, Glenn,” Daryl said. Glenn looked around at everyone and laughed awkwardly. “What?” He asked. “Keep drinking, little man. I want to see how red your face can get,” Daryl said.

I leaned back in my chair at the end of the table beside Glenn, wine glass in my hand, swirling the dark red liquid around in the glass. Someone clinked thier glass and looked up to see Rock standing, glass raised. “It seems to me we haven’t thanked our host properly,” he said. T-Sog held his glass, “He is more than just our host,” he said, taking a drink. “Hear hear!” Dale cheered. Everyone held up a glass to toast Jenner with them. “Here’s to you, Doc, booyah!” Daryl shouted. Rick thanked the doctor and a cheer of booya's went around.

Everyone went back to eating and chatting until Shane interrupted it all. “So when are you gonna tell us what the Hell happened here, Doc? All the—the other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened, where are they?” He asked. “We’re celebrating, Shane. Don’t need to do this now,” Rick told him. I let out a scuff. "Whoa, wait a second. This is why we’re here, right? This was your move—supposed to find all the answers. Instead we—” I took a deep breath, “We found him. Found one man, why? I mean I told you this was all a waste of time,” I said. I wanted to know too. I wanted to know exactly what happened. I knew this place fell the second the city erupted into chaos.

“Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just left, went off to be with their families. And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted,” Jenner said. I just kept looking at Rick, giving him that “I told you so” look. “Every last one?” Shane asked, narrowing his eyes at the doctor. Jenner was silent for a few seconds and then said, “No, many couldn’t face walking out the door. They… opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time.”

“You didn’t leave. Why?” Andrea asked. Jenner looked up from his glass to look at her. “I just kept working, hoping to do some good,” he said quietly. Silence fell over the group. “Dude, you are such a buzzkill, man,” Glenn said to Shane.

[beecanons]

HI, SORRY, COULD YOU DO MAYHE LIKE A SMALL SHORT HEADCANON LIST KF THE KOMBAT KIDS WITH A READER THAT STIMMS?? LIKE, CASSIE, TAKEDA, JACQUI, AND KUNG JIN, SEPERATE? IM SO SORRY FOR REQUESTIJG SO MUCH, IGNORE THIS IF YOUR WORKIJG TOO MUCH!!! HAVE A GOOD DAY!! :>

hi as a note for the future, please dont send us asks in all caps. its startling to see it show up suddenly as we read it as yelling and it can be hard to process the words when in all caps. /info

but! heres a few headcanons with mk next genners an a stimming reader!

Cassie Cage with a reader who stims!

she gives you gum she's always got some especially if chewing is one of your stims shes got a pack of gum just in case just for you

she found out it was stimming by accidentally being mean "can you stop that? its getting annoying" "youre stimming? oh, my bad, nevermind"

she probably has stims of her own but doesnt realize it will catch on to hers after she's started catching onto yours

gets curious about what counts as a stim for you "hey you keep doing that thing with your hands, is that a stim too?"

the next person to make fun of, mock or otherwise be rude to you about your stims gets the cassie special she lives by the phrase "talk sht get hit" of course she'll snap a few quips before it gets that far but she's not letting anyone bother her partner let alone let anyone make you feel insecure about it

expect teasing about how cute some of your stims are esp if you get excited or happy and stim, those are the cutest.

Jacqui Briggs with a reader who stims!

much like cassie she'll tease you about stims she thinks are cute "aawe i love it when flap your hands"

if you like things that light up for visual stim reasons she will use it as an excuse to show off her gauntlets like the gif above girls very proud of them, shes cool like her dad

if you ask she'll let you play with her hair youre probably one of if not the only person she'll let touch her hair not counting her dad.

she didnt need to ask when she first noticed your stims she just knew

if anyone tries mocking your stims they get the stare unlike cassie who will be the loud and aggressive type shes the quiet intimidating type she will intervene if she needs too

most likely person to have some sort of fidget or stim toy on hand

however she will ask you to stim another way if youre a pen clicker. the clicking noise of buttons gets on her nerves really fast "its bad enough i already gotta listen to cassie popping bubblegum, babe"

bzz i can probably do the other two in a seperate post if you'd like!

i wasnt expecting mortal kombat to be what brought more attention to my blog bzz /pos

[wandering-koyote]

Im using this chance to scream about my mortal kombat hot take that turned into a rlly long ramble (only loosely related bc its about two normal humans lol):

Everyone says Cassie and Jacqui shouldn't have been in MK11, since Cas has had the main character spotlight in MKX and Jacqui has the personality of cardboard, while Takeda/Jin are more interesting. HOWEVER I actually think they deserved to be in the game 500% more, but that Netherrealm completely fumbled them. Jacqui more than Cassie, like horribly so.

Both really need something 'unique' about them, and MK11 was that chance, but instead Jacqui is just. A plot device really. She only exists to support other character arcs and be a borderline macguffin for Jax to have motivation- her own damn tower ending is her dying to further someone else's life. MK11 should've given Jacqui something to define herself a bit more in the story! Some kind of plot!! Cassie's story is sorta interesting, but Sonya coming back kinda dulls the impact of Sonya, yknow, dying. Hanzo's death is more impactful since his character arc was just wiped, Sonya doesn't get that. The whole "you're my mom who just died but not yet because you're from the past and im really conflicted about this" angle was, as my dad who watched me play said, "really fucked up" (in a good way imo), but they really only confined that to one scene. If you're gonna go at that angle, put ur whole pussy into it babe!!!

Takeda/Jin have more than enough to separate themselves from their parents, so yeah Cassie and Jacqui really needed an extra game to grow. Unfortunately they didn't, they're just kinda static. So im delving into personal story ideas!

Cassie would've really benefitted from gifted kid syndrome- girl just killed a god and saved the world, mk11 shouldve rlly leaned into the idea that shes pulling herself apart to try and keep being the main character. Kid of Johnny and Sonya, god killer?? Make that shit keep her up at night. Make her take charge in every situation where the older characters aren't there, make her self sacrificial, make her want to be the hero not because she wants that fame again, but because earthrealm is notorious for crumbling without someone to protect it and she cant bear to have anyone else shoulder that weight. She did it once, she can take it again. Then make Sonya die doing exactly what Cassie's doing, sacrificing herself for the mission and for Earthrealm.

Then she comes back, younger and a little less hardened. I think it's infinitely better if we flip the whole "ur my mother" thing- make Sonya conflicted that this is her child who is writhing in agony over her mother's death and Sonya isn't sure what shes meant to do. Everything screams to go and comfort her- its her DAUGHTER for crying out loud, but how would Cassie react? Would it only make things worse? What the HELL did her future self do to make Cassie look at her with such mixed emotions? It's mentioned a few times that present Sonya valued work heavily over her family, and that it got worse and worse over time, so i think it should culminate in a scene where Sonya from the past tells Cassie that her future self was wrong- the mission isnt everything, and she has family she needs to look out for. I think it'd mirror the Johnny's well too, since old Johnny literally beat the shit out of younger Johnny because he refused to take his (future) family seriously.

Jacqui on the other hand? She just needs her own damn arc. Keep Jax becoming a bad guy, thats fine imo, but touch on the mother's death and Jacqui's feelings about it. Her damn MOTHER died and the story is completely "ohhh jax became a bAD GUY ABOUT THIS" and I don't even think Jacqui gets to like, I dont even think her death is mentioned around Jacqui at all. I think just adding a few scenes between present Jax and Jacqui would fix a lot. Have the two not talk since her death; Jacqui really wants to talk about it, acknowledge what happened and try and heal, while Jax is ignoring her attempts and distancing himself (depression) and simultaneously trying to protect Jacqui. Replace the Kronika and Jax scene with a scene of the two in a fight, Jax trying to tell Jacqui to leave the military and dodging any conversation about how badly theyre both hurting, while Jacqui is pissed that he's shutting himself off and is basically regressing her into a child as a way to cope. Jacqui leaves in a huff, and Jax alone going "please, i just want to protect my little girl", queue the clicking of the grandfather clock stopping the tears freezing midair. Dont even show us the conversation, just hard cut away- the fight tells us everything we need to know about why Jax is doing what hes doing. I think that ALONE would help with Jacqui a lot (we've acknowledged she has feelings about her mom's death and that she has a conflict with her dad going on now), but going further you might be able to replace the cassie/raiden scene with JACQUI instead. Have Jacqui be upset that Jax is so deep in grief that hes joined the bad guys, and that she cant even tell what type of person her father is anymore. Is he the father that pushed her on the swing when she squeeled 'higher!', who hugged her so gently with his metal arms, or is he the man he is now, joining with criminals and thieves and murderers in the name of her 'protection'? Is that who he's always been? Have Raiden tell her that it doesnt matter who her father is, but who SHE is. Is she the type of person who give up on her dad? Or will she look him in the eye and tell him "I love you despite everything" and fight to save him?

Jax and Jacqui should reconcile before the boat scene entirely so they can get a plot beat to just talk. Too much action for a pause in the boat scene. My timeline of events is iffy but maybe this can happen at the Tiara scene- iirc Cetrion LITERALLY threatens to kill Jacqui and Jax is STILL on Team Kronika after this. CMON. Have Jax switch sides and attack Cetrion when she tries killing Jacqui- Past Jax is a bit iffy to me as an addition to the scene, he doesnt rlly add anything. Have Jax snap out of everything at the realization that its not the military putting Jacqui in danger, its HIMSELF. Have him admit hes wrong, and the two finally get a moment to grief (even if briefly bc the world is dying again). Have Cetrion note this interaction too. Whens the last time her mother ever hugged her like that? When was the last time they grieved the loss of Father? Even MENTIONED Father? Is Kronika even her mother beyond just the name? Hot take but have Cetrion try and betray Kronika at the end of the plot because of this moment, and Kronika goes "lmao no" and absorbs her essence anyway.

VERY LONG ASK I KNOW BUT I NEED TO GET THIS IDEA OUT!!! It also adds a layer of theming around family and love, something thats vaguely there in MKX and MK11 but its like. Hidden and an afterthought. Jax protect Jacqui bc shes family. Cassie is grieving the death of a family member. The villian is the mother of two other villians and kills one and discards the other. Cassie and Jacqui deserve better thats my message im here all night folks

Yesss! The family themes need to hit hard! This is why I’m sad they rebooted when we could’ve had more familial growth, but maybe we’ll get it in the next few games 😭

I don’t have much input because I agree with so much (if only I could ring up NRS and get you hired)! BUT IM POSTING CUZ YOU COOKED FR FR AND NEED RECOGNITION 🔥🔥🔥

[safyresky]

Frostmas: Year 9 FINALLY up on ao3

I've been staring at this year for much too long. Had it ready on the 13th but the final edit PLAGUED me. I THINK it's good now though. Emphasis on the THINK. hhhhhhhhhh

Year Nine

A battle of wills is fought as Jack, new wife at his side, begins making questionable changes to the Resort. Bernard and the elves fight back at every opportunity they have. Jacqueline, meanwhile, dons her detective hat and gets to work figuring out just what exactly the new Mrs. Claus is...

Find it on ao3 HERE!

Check out some behind the scenes notes (like the place I got the idea for Chrys from lol) HERE :)

And of course! Obligatory fic summary below because I'd feel weird and presumptuous without including it 😅😅

The Twelve Years of Frostmas

Nobody but he and I knew the truth. Jack wasn’t supposed to be Santa; I wasn’t supposed to be Jack Frost. He thought being Santa would fix everything. He was horribly, horribly mistaken. [My take on Jack’s reign as Santa during the Escape Clause. MAJOR OC involvement AND First Person POV from said OC. Finally cross posting THIS behemoth! Enjoy!]

Curious? Take it from the top: [ao3 | ff dot net]

Snip below the cut!

“So are we gonna chat at all? Or are you just gonna keep pulling on those curls of yours? They’re beginning to look like those fwoofy bows on presents.” Bernard’s eyes swung upward and narrowed. “Alright, alright, chill out.” I put up a hand in defence, taking a moment to sip my cocoa. “You keep doing whatever this is, and I will simply sit here and enjoy my cocoa while I watch my friend pull out his hair wondering which one will trigger the explosion, since you look like you are about to explode.” It was mid-January and Bernard and I sat in the café, steam wafting up from our warm drinks as music played in the background. He had barely touched his treat whereas I had about halfway finished mine. Something was definitely up with him. He looked really bad, to be frank. I'm fairly certain he had bags under his eyes. His glare intensified. “Are you actually concerned for me?" he rested his arms on the tabletop, crossing them as he stared me down. "It’s just, I can’t tell what with the massive amounts of snark coming from you.” I frowned. “Still? Yeesh. I literally just woke up from a sprite sleep TODAY. I guess I’m still cranky? I don’t know. Maybe I’ll take a nap after this.” “I don’t blame ya.” With a sigh, Bernard finally loosened up, helping himself to the massive Danish pastry glistening on his plate, icing soaking into the freshly baked dough. “I could use one myself.” “I can tell.” “It’s that obvious?” “Yeah, man. I’m like, seconds away from yelling BAG CHECK ON B-MAN’S EYES!” The way he managed to continue eating while giving me the sassiest dry look he could muster was honestly masterful. “Woof. I felt that look! I think maybe you need a sprite sleep.” He laughed, a quick, hearty guffaw. “I don’t think it works like that, Jacquie.” I shrugged. “Fine, then. An elf sleep.” He laughed even harder. “Elf sleep?” “Yeah! You know, like a sprite sleep! But for elves.” Bernard’s laughter shifted into a chuckle. “That’s not a thing for us.” “Yeah, but those bags under your eyes are, yeesh.” He grew serious suddenly, his face stony. “I'm telling you, Jacqueline. It’s Chrys. Being around her has you feeling like you’ve just woken up mid-sleep cycle after an all-nighter! I can't go near her without feeling completely drained! The elves, too! She upsets them in passing. Even the humans are a little off put by her! Only a little, mind you, considering where they are." “I guess the North Pole would be a little off-putting for a first timer with none magical experiences.” “And in the current state?” Bernard gestured out the window, where people—yes, literal actual people, not elves or other magibeans, straight up human beings (ordibeings as us magibeings refer to them colloquially, given that magical humans exist)—wandered the square, rushing to the ticket gate outside the Workshop doors. “It’s weird even for us.” “But just another family trip to a silly little amusement park or a regular day at the mall for them.” I sighed, gripping my mug tightly and enjoying the warmth emitting from it as I stared out the window. January and the Pole was still busy. It was nuts. "Yep. It hasn't been fun." There was a brief silence as Bernard inhaled the rest of his pastry. "I was beginning to think you were gonna stay away all year," he said, mouth full. "Is that why you called me?" I smirked. "Awh, did you miss me?" He swallowed his bite, a cheeky little smile on his face. "I just didn't think it was fair that you got to hide from one Claus while I've been dealing with both of 'em." I hid a smile behind my mug. “Y’know, B-Man, there are several ways I could reply to that but I think I’m just gonna point out the obvious.” Placing it down, I shifted in my seat and scooted closer, switching to a whisper. “The tunnels are done. You could easily head to the foyer and poof away. It's a poofable place.” Bernard shifted, leaning in close to whisper as well. “That’s not a word.”

This was always one of my favourite scenes bc, as a fun Dani fact, it's the first scene I wrote where I went back to reread it and got hit full force with how much improvement there's been in my writing! Also, Bernard and Jacqueline are so silly and funny and I love them dearly. Bernard looking back at her all seriously and leaning in only to be like THAT'S NOT WORDS, JACQUIE gets me every time!

Check out Y9: 2024 edition HERE on ao3! And of course...

🆕What's NEW this time around:

Cheri has grown more as a character; her role (and Gwen's, by proxy) is more developed in ye olde brain box so her chat with Jacqueline and Mother Nature has had a huge, very last minute shift/adjustment

Expanded the Jarring Third Person POV to the PRESENT cut a bit!

And of course, grammar, syntax, awkward phrasing, and slight ooc moments :)

Primarily with Blinter moments and Thawed!Jack moments!

(like. my god. I did NOT go off with the Blinter. BUT NOW I HAVE!!)

And I may have upped B-Man's sass a bit more? hehehe

Enjoy!

[1-up-chump]

Just to let everyone know my mortal kombat characterizations are a mix of the arcade games, mk1995, mk defenders of the realm, and my imagination. Rarely will i maybe pick and choose the rare good things they did in the newer stuff. Just so we're clear:

Raiden and fujin are GODS not demigod as that means one of their parents would had to have been mortal. They are GODS

Liu kang is humble but not infallible, he hates the idea of being a god and tricked himself into thinking he wants to be a chosen one when deep down he just wanted a normal fucking life. He can and will crack under pressure and just bc it takes a lot doesn't mean he'll last forever as a "hero". There are no heroes in Mortal kombat.

Kung lao is prideful in his HONOR of his ANCESTOR and the SECRET WHITE LOTUS SOCIETY. He is not anymore arrogant in his capabilities as a warrior as literally anyone else. He works hard, fights hard, for his friends and earthrealm.

Johnny cage has no fuckin deep lore ancestry to explain his powers he just has chi energy like everyone else he's just rare bc he managed to bring it out so quickly naturally no special bloodline or whatever the fuck percentage this white man has, its all him all his own soul all his own talent.

Sindel LOVES kitana and will never not love her. No matter how much dark magic corrupts her soul and mind, her heart is strong and true and Although it might be twisted she will love her daughter and sacrifice everything for her. Including herself.

Shang tsung is a baddie and he doesn't need big muscles or fancy artifacts to do so. His danger is in his smarts, even if he's not top dog he'll never be out of the game for long nor at the bottom. He will always be persistent and always there in mortal kombat, after all. He is THE tournament master of mortal kombat.

Shao kahn aint no whimp and he isn't a meat head either. He's a cunning tyrant, bold but not so brash he can't be smart enough to know what fights to pick to give him an advantage. Conquered realms with the oldest trick in the book, divide and conquer. Makes his enemies fight his other enemies, plays both sides to gain allies to his power. He's deadly because he is smart AND strong.

Kuai Liang LOVES his brother and never ever in all the lifespan of the universe and several others will he abandon or denounce bi-han. If he has to pluck bi-han's soul out of the layers of void and dark magiks that quan chi put in place then so be it. Kuai knows his brother is in there and if not, he'll find a way to give him peace one way or another.

JAX HAS HAPPINESS AND RESPECTS JACQUI EVEN IF HE SEES HER AS DADDY'S BABY GIRL BC JACQUI IS A GROWN ASS WOMAN

Speaking of jacqui, she is awesome and doing fine as takada's wife and is researching some cool magiks on the side to better help earthrealm (always leaving shang tsung on read since he wants an apprentice)

Sonya is doing her own thing. Ideally she would never had married a man she has 0 chemistry with, but if it has to happen she is divorced and fine with it and never gets back with Johnny. They're still friends tho! Best friends that just don't work as lovers.

Cassie is doing her own thing like Johnny does and has a personality that isnt "nerd dude bro wank bait" and is a warrior who goes through her own journey.

And scorpion is practically retired he's doing fine he's ok he's rebuilt the shirai ryu and everything is prosperous with the ninjas.

Reptile is actually not the last of his species and is getting some damn respect for once. Kotal Kahn is trying to better himself not only as a warrior but a leader bc he realized he has a long way to go actually. Goro is back and vibing. Sheeva is vibing too. Baraka is vibing.

MILEENA AND KITANA WILL HAVE RESPECT EVEN IF THEY'RE STILL RIVALS

Kitana is not some stuck up dipshit haughty princess she actually remembers what being under shao Kahn's oppressive regime, but also starts to realize despite that she had more privilege than others and starts to actually help all of her people and learn that edenia was never a utopia and such a thing doesn't exist, but regardless she will try to actually unite ALL of her people regardless of social status (might even abolish it)

[deadbydad]

Meet Kung-Takahashi Kaida (My Mortal Kombat OC)

Name: Kung-Takahashi Kaida

Parents: Kung Jin and Takahashi Takeda

Backstory: She was found in a village that had been attacked and she was the only survivor. Only eleven months old, Takeda and Jin had found her and took her in as their own. They trained her when she turned eleven, even though they wanted a life for her that wasn't violent, but they did after she begged them to.

Height: 5 ft 4

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Power: Kaida is an empath. She can feel what others are feeling. She can also manipulate a persons emotions but for only a few hours until she passes out. Kaida can actually kill someone by overwhelming them with emotions, but it will take up all of her energy. Sometimes she can feel multiple emotions from multiple people, which can cause her to get overstimulated. She can also gain information from others by reading their emotions. She does this by focusing on what the person is feeling and she can find out what the cause of that is. It's not as strong as she would like it to be, but Takeda is training her to control her power and how to manage it. Hopefully in the future, Kaida thinks that something could trigger her power and make it stronger. Takeda and Jin have a feeling there's more to it than they know.

Weapon: Like Takeda and Hanzo, Kaida has two chained Kunai whips.

What She Is Afraid Of: Kaida's biggest fear is tight spaces.

People She Is Close With: Kung Jin and Takahashi Takeda (Her Parents), Cassie Cage and Jacqui Briggs (Her Aunts), Hanzo Hisashi (She considers him as her grandfather in a way), Fujiko (Nightwolf and Fujins Daughter), and Kung Lao (He's Family).

I have had this OC for over a year now, and I love her and I hope you guys will like her too!

If you do have any questions, please do ask I will happily answer them!

I want to give so many thank you's to @thelovelywarriorsheart for helping me with Kaida and her character!

[nightmarerodent]

✨Kombat Kid AU headcannons✨

✨Featuring Satoshi and Frost✨

Kung Jin has keys to everyone’s rooms. Note that they did not give him the keys, he’s somehow just acquired them. No one knows how he managed this, no keys are missing, but he has them all the same for “reasons”.

Kung Jin used to have a crush on Takeda but that passed back when they were still teenagers. Now they are ride or die besties that will occasionally kiss the homies good night.

In a surprise twist no one was expecting, Takeda turns out to be the only straight person on the team. Given the fact that he was raised by an emotionally repressed ninja in love with an equally emotionally repressed assassin, this came as a shock to many.

Jacqui does NOT like Satoshi. She’ll play nice with him for everyone’s sake, but she won’t easily forgive him for all the crap he’s put Takeda through physically and all the stuff he’s still being put through emotionally.

Kung Jin is also wary of Satoshi and keeps a very close eye on him. Between him and Jacqui, Satoshi is being watched like a hawk.

Cassie would smash the mindflare in Baldur’s Gate. Yes, she gets judged for it, and though Jacqui is very familiar with the benefits of sleeping with a telepath, it is still a squid, and it is gross, and Cass should feel bad. (Kung Jin would do the mindflare too)

Takeda is an amazing cook. He used to help his mother in the kitchen before she died so he’s kept up the skill as a way of keeping her memory alive. Also out of necessity because Hanzo can’t cook to save his life. Cassie often jokes that Takeda will make a great house husband for Jacqui one day.

Cassie, Frost, and Takeda are all metalheads.

Cassie is the only one that can get away with calling Frost Elsa.

A small part of Kuai Liang was happy to see Satoshi back at the Lin Kuei, but a much larger, less selfish, part of his heart was braking for Hanzo.

Frost is very protective of Satoshi but she is also very protective of her friends as well so she is put between a rock and a hard place when it comes to his feud with the SF team.

Takeda starts spending a lot more time with Kenshi and a lot less time with the Shirai Ryu after Satoshi’s return, which honestly just ends up hurting himself and everyone involved even more.

It’s Kenshi that convinces Takeda to return to Hanzo’s side because though he is Takeda’s biological father, Hanzo is his legal guardian and by all rights his father as well and the man has been sending him nonstop messages asking about him, worried sick that he had somehow upset the boy.

The look of pure, unashamed, joy on Hanzo's face when Takeda returned had Satoshi seething.

[nicromancytarot]

Thank you very much for opening up the games to us! This is from AK, Gemini, sun/Virgo moon

My assumptions are as follows – though you come from a spiritual family, you had to deal with a number of people who either didn’t understand or didn’t accept your gifts. You are a kind person with boundaries, but you had to learn how to create and assert your boundaries. How nice you are, some people still misunderstand you – but I’m guessing that’s due to the boundaries mention and their own issues.

My questions are as follows:

(1) are my protection efforts working at this time (I pray psalm 91, pray for protection/shielding/guarding in general, I use black and white candles to pray for protection over myself and to send the negative energy that those at work may try to send to me right back to them. I also wear tourmaline). Just want to make sure it’s working.

(2) will justice occur in relation to any of the ppl who have tried to severely harass/bully/throw me off (namely Beti, Jacqui, Kiaribel, Kiana, and anyone else who were aligned with them). HR, management, etc had to get involved too. I also kind of wonder if there r ppl at work (coworkers, managers, whoever) who REALLY see what is going on and beyond the BS the bullies are creating.

(3) Will I start to see things turn around for me, in general, this year in my life?

Thank you so much for your participation, angel.

1. No, If they are at all working, it’s more so the bare minimum, spirit recommends that you try to find other ways to protect yourself, something that you haven’t explored before. I was getting moon water, perhaps tapping that on your wrist before work, or even drinking some of it for extra protection, bathing it in it could also be a good idea, at least making sure that it gets on your head so it absorbs any negative energy.I was also hearing that when it comes to colleagues and work, you’re not the best protected, a union ship will help you protect yourself, so perhaps asking someone you really really trust for help. Another message I was given was that there are certain foods that you are eating, that aren’t good for your energy, and that you may be overeating which is causing negative outbursts in your life. (I’m not saying restrict your food intake, that would be absurd, however if you are stress eating, try your best to find another thing to help you combat that)

2. No, I see that you will have to leave this situation, unfortunately the people around you are staying ignorant to the situation, I do not see management protecting these people, however they don’t seem to understand the extent of it, therefore nothing seems to be coming to light (they will get their karma one day, don’t even worry about it)

3. No, not unless you really really commit to it, trying your best to make your life better, it won’t happen without you trying

I wish you the best of luck!!