#mobile home metal roof

[philbridges]

Cost Of A Metal Roof

Phil explains why he does metal roofs the way he does. The difference between what we charge and the average charge of metal roofs from people complaining how we do it. Our quality is just as good if not better. ⏱️⏱️Chapters⏱️⏱️00:00 Intro00:12 Had some people complain about no slip sheets00:40 We did 3 roofs in Florida 23 years ago, they are fine01:05 What we charge a sq ft for metal roof vs.…

[jamesmdavisson]

Metal (Atlanta)

[oonajaeadira]

A Kiss Before Dying And In Death We Combine

Rating: M

Fandom: The Last Of Us

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

Warning: Blood and wounds. Bodily character death. Loss. Love that hurts. Sex of course, but blurred to the edges. Playing fast and loose with the cordyceps and how fast it grows.

Summary: When Joel becomes infected, you make the decision not to leave him alone.

A/N: This is the January installment of my Year of Tropes challenge wherein I tackle tropes that I haven’t written but that I love to read. This month is MONSTERFUCKING and was inspired by Craig Mazin’s explanation of the kiss in ep. 2. Monsterfking is generally a lot darker and rougher genre than I usually write, so of course I’m going to question what is baseline required to fit the trope and then explore those boundaries. Therefore, whether it qualifies as monsterfking is questionable. I feel it qualifies for the sake of my first go at it.

I also think it’s beautiful and sad. Whether it is or not is also up to you.

This is set post season 1 (provided they follow the major plot points of the game) but contains no spoilers. It does briefly mention Jackson which is a settlement that has the potential to be a home for Joel and Ellie. This story, as with all TLOU content I will write, rejects the existence of TLOU 2.

Thank you to my TLOU guru @something-tofightfor for answering my Joel questions.

Everything is slick with blood.

You’ve dropped your pistol. Your boot skids in a splash on the floor. The heavy bookcase that you and Joel are struggling to pull in front of the entrance slips from your hands and comes crashing down on its side creating a sloppy barricade across the door. As Joel slams into the wall of the abandoned, overgrown office and slides his way down, he leaves a long, red smooch in the rotting damask wallpaper and you can’t seem to get a grip on the zipper pull to open your backpack.

“Fuck. Fuck!!! Hang on, Joel. I’ve got some–nnnrrrrrr!!!–I’ve got some bandages in here–”

Bodies pelt like hail against the door outside; a dozen mobile cordyceps vehicles bouncing on the barrier, desperate to claim more meat.

“Stop,” he gravels. “Stop and get the hell out of here.”

“Not a chance. I’ve got–”

“Listen to me, dammit!!”

But for the dull thuds of flesh hitting metal, the world comes to a halt as you spin to look him in the eye, bent on defiance, ready to grit teeth and find your protective growl…and instead come face to face with your own desperate denial.

“No. No no no nononono…” As if controlled by a tendril, you’re pulled to Joel, collapsing beside him, pulling the blood-soaked flannel away from his neck and pushing at the blood pooling there, trying to slick it away with your hands, prove to yourself that there’s just skin beneath and not an angry, oozing bite, not really, please not really…

Joel’s own bloody hands mix with yours, trying to tear them away from his neck and, failing wretchedly, instead find their way to your face to bring your eyes to his.

“Listen. Hey! Listen to me! There’s a door at the end of the hall that will lead to the roof. You go. You get the hell out. I’m done.”

No, says a stiff, involuntary shake of your head. No. You steal a valuable moment to search his eyes as he holds you there, as your breath comes in hitches, as your adrenaline levels begin to sink.

His nostrils flair as his countenance darkens. “You. Run.”

Sternness was the wrong choice. Bravery was the wrong choice. Self-sacrifice was the wrong choice. These are the things he displays in this moment that pull your love up and out of you, spilling over your cheeks, one silent tear, then another, and in any other situation you’d do your very best to keep them out of your voice.

But today is not that day.

“Joel--!”

That whimper--the fear and hurt that cracks you open--shines a light on his darkness, transforms him back into the tired lover you know, infects him with your anguish, and causes him to crush you close in a bruising embrace.

How many times has he held you like this? After the years on the road, in the QZ, finally arriving in Jackson, letting his bones settle as he took root, you’d watched him soften. He’d found trust in his new community, purpose in the patrols, pride in Ellie.

And love. You’d watched him find love. You’d witnessed him resist it and then yearn for it and finally give into it. You never cajoled or pushed him faster than he needed to go. You simply waited with open arms. He was the one that decided to finally fall into them all on his own.

He needed them in moments of contentment and of regret. He sought out your embrace when he woke in the middle of the night from dreams of loss and those moments when he looked toward the horizon at twilight and found one more thing to forgive himself for.

And each time, you held him close enough to make him a part of you; waited for him to let go first.

You promised him you’d hold him as long as he needed it.

As long as he needed you.

Because you needed him too.

Loving Joel had woken something lying deep inside the grave of your heart. Caused it to send up shoots and bloom again. Who knew that your brand of sunshine was a slew of dumb dad jokes? That the sound of a man’s voice rumbling through sad old rock tunes was like a rain to your drought? Joel had patiently flourished you. Like a miracle you awoke one day unfurled and vibrant.

How could you go on without that now?

How could you run back to that gray life? To Ellie’s tears? To a world even emptier than it was before?

How could you leave him here?

No.

You’re not leaving him alone.

His jaw twitches against your cheek. His shoulder jumps.

“Sweetheart. Where’s your pistol.”

“I dropped it.”

“Okay. That’s okay. But you gotta go now. Go on.”

You pull back, but do not rise. It shouldn’t have to be said. “I’m staying.”

Sorrow, anger, desperation. They all pull together like a black hole in the middle of his brow. “The hell you are. I don’t have much time. You’re wasting yours.”

“No. I’m not. I’m just using it all at once.”

“Sweetheart–”

“Joel–”

“No, you go! You get gone and you survive! Don’t you dare make me your executioner!”

The banging at the door has suddenly stopped. Joel’s head begins to jerk repeatedly to one side and he grits his teeth, fighting it, trying to keep eyes trained on you.

“Please,” he whispers, “Sweethar–”

Even as his nerves begin to activate and cause his muscles to jump, even as his last word is choked out by the tendrils rising, you find a center of peace.

A way to keep him.

He always loves it when you initiate touch, when you run your palm along his zipper, when you show him that you admire what’s underneath. And true to the strange state of human biology, here, at the moment of dying, he’s beautifully hard and responsive. There’s no urgency, no rush as you undo his belt buckle for the very last time.

A strained objection echoes behind his clamped teeth and he swallows it as he tries to keep the tendrils at bay, gives one last effort to protect you, his brown eyes brimming with tears.

“Shhh. It’s okay,” you smile, pushing a graying curl away from his damp forehead. “Don’t fight. I’m coming with you. It’s okay.”

And gradually, as you pull at his jeans, his twitching subsides and paralysis sets in.

The cordyceps has reached his brain, become one with his instincts, his drive, it can read the chemicals drawing him to you…and it understands. So it waits.

But his eyes follow you. His eyes tell you that he’s still Joel. You’ve seen that particular bittersweet note in them before. A gratefulness. A soothing. The gift you’ve given him in the last years of his life–an end to loneliness. He’s accepted your will, knows the woman you are and that he can’t convince you otherwise once you’ve set your heart.

The cordyceps understands this. It understands that if it holds back and gives you this last connection, you will willingly assimilate yourself.

His eyes watch as you hurriedly shed your boots and jeans, looking one last time at the body you’ve let him know, the softness you’ve allowed to warm him. And those deep, dark eyes finally close in ecstasy–letting go of pain and welcoming your choice–as you sink down upon him.

Folding your arms around his shoulders, pushing your forehead into his temple, you rock on him–let him fill you and slide with you–whispering in his ear how lucky you were to meet him, how precious every moment with him has been. That all the running and surviving and loss and hurt is about to go away and you’ll be here with him, that he’ll never be alone again.

You don’t stop telling him these things. Not when the infection forces him to roll up into you–the fungus using his knowledge of what brings him pleasure, leading him to where his paradise is–not as you feel threads binding your thighs tightly to his. Not when his arms lock around you and whatever is growing out through his skin begins to burrow into the meat of your back, curiously carrying some kind of numbing elixir…it doesn’t hurt at all.

In fact, there’s a pleasant sense of welcome. A rapture…

You can feel Joel’s love. You can hear it and taste it on your tongue, there’s no more doubt, no holding back, your nerves are burning with it.

It takes a moment for your muscles to start twitching sporadically. And soon you have an overwhelming need to kiss him.

As if you ever spent a minute not wanting to kiss him. Tsk. Silly. It makes you smile.

He senses this and opens his mouth to receive you.

You rock yourself harder. Seal your lips to his. And you let him–it–in.

Bliss.

I’m happy you stayed.

So am I.

You feel…so sweet.

I love you.

As the tendrils vine around your tangled limbs and press you into your new conjoinment, your inner muscles contract and his hips jolt in an upward spasm. There’s a sudden warmth that spreads within you…and keeps spreading…it weaves into your flesh, knitting you to him from the inside.

Never have you felt so full and so adored, so completely merged with another heart…one that is broken but warm, quietly yearning, finding purpose in protecting his own. One that weaves itself around yours in threads of gratefulness and calm. Lifetimes of euphoria grip you.

This is when you think you lose yourself. When you go away. It’s quiet. And dark.

But only for a short time.

Then there’s light.

You can sense light and color. This is…seeing?

The shapes are beautiful, vibrant. Deep, bright, and cool, stretching out over the structure that supports you and across the surface you inhabit. Your cordyceps fan over and around you, holding you, cradling you, protecting a part of you that is shaped like love. A part of you that was once separate but is now with you always.

I don’t hurt anymore.

No. No more hurt.

I’m not afraid.

No fear.

I’m so happy. So at peace.

I love you.

I will hold you forever.

You will never be alone.

Inside you there is a song. A low frequency voice. A melody from another life. It is being shared with you simply to bring you joy. And throughout the network of your tendrils you send back something that once felt like smiling. Like holding. Like laughter. Like giving of your whole self.

But there is no self.

There is only beautiful serenity and intense sweetness.

There are only parts of you that once had worries and sorrows and names, but have shed those sad husks to flower into one gentle, undying love.

________

Commissioned artwork by @mjpens​

MASTERLIST

CHARACTER MASTERLIST

YEAR OF TROPES MASTERLIST

[flohamilton]

a little different - eddie munson x vampire!reader

request: Hey i saw that your stranger things request was open! So can i get a Eddie x reader but reader is a vampire in the upside down then meets up with the crew and saves eddie from dying and it’s all super cute and romantic

paring: vampire!reader x Eddie Munson warnings: typical cannon violence, blood, depictions of injuries, cursing category: fluff, hurt/comfort word count: 6.5k

I’m derailing from the plot a bit, and choosing to live in delusion and pretend that everything with Max ended up being totally safe and fine!!

It started when you heard the guitar.

You sit up quickly, the small rusty cot you used as a makeshift bed squeaking as you moved, putting your weight on your elbows. For a moment you thought you were dreaming. It wasn’t uncommon for you to have extremely realistic dreams, especially considering the large amount of time you spent asleep.

Although you had been in this place for nearly six years, you still remembered the music from the regular world and while you weren’t sure what the song was, it was a heavy metal song that vaguely reminded you of Metallica. Whoever was playing this guitar had taste.

Deciding against your conscience, you felt your body being pulled to the direction the guitar was coming from, almost as if you were not longer in control of you body and instead were being pulled by a magnet. Your curiosity had been peaked. You had been alone in this dark, cold, lonely place for 6 years and this was the first indicator of life beyond the thing, disfigured, grey, covered in what looked like dark vines. He terrified you more than any childish nightmare ever had. You were more afraid of him than you were the bats. At least you knew the bats couldn’t harm you. He was different. You knew this place you were in belonged to him, that he ruled here. You had never seen him but from afar. And you knew you never wanted to see him up close. You were tried of being alone and craved the thought of human interaction, and without giving it much more though you ran off into the the woods you called you home and headed to the south side of the Upside Down to where the music was coming from.

By the time you emerged from the woods you found yourself in the trailer park. The music had stopped a few minutes ago and you could hear the sound of wings flapping even before the bats came into your view. You finally spotted the the creatures swarming a trailer and flying in through a vent on the roof. You hear the sound of humans screaming mixed with the screeches of the bats coming from within the mobile home. Your heart sped up at the prospect of finally seeing real people.

As you watch wide-eyed from the wood line, you suddenly see the trailer door burst open as someone rushes out. You see them pick up a bike and you notice that it’s a boy around your age. He has long, unruly hair and a black bandana tied around his head. He’s cute. Very cute, and you can’t seem to tear your eyes away from him. You notice he’s holding what appears to be a spear and some type of spiked shied as he jumps on the bike and beings peddling furiously.

The bats don’t hesitate to take off after him, flying out of the trailer door in a cloud-like formation, and at the moment you notice just how many of them there really are. At least a hundred are following after him now, chasing this strange boy on the bike. He’s disappeared from your view and you can only see the cloud of bats charging after him.

In an instant you see that bats have stopped in their tracks and begin to swarm him now, circling the same area, screeching, the sound of their flapping wings echoing in the woods behind you.

It was when you heard him screaming that you started running.

You were fast, sprinting down the street and arriving at the swarm before the boy had even taken a second breath.

“Hey assholes!” you shouted in the general direction of the bats. “Over here,” you exclaimed, pulling the sword on your hip from its sheath.

In an instant, the bats seemed to focus all of their attention on you, first hissing in your direction then suddenly and all at once diving straight toward you. You raised you sword above you head and didn’t hesitate to start your attack. The sword was so large you were taking out three and four bats with every swoop, huffing out curses of frustration as they began to breech your sword and peck and bite at your skin. Ever since you turned, the bats had no effect on you. Although you still felt the pinch of their teeth and the stinging as their talons met your flesh, you knew no blood would be drawn nor would the pain be enough to deter you from your mission - saving this boy.

You glanced over at him in the midst of slicing three bats to the ground - their motionless bodies landing at your feet. You saw the boy had regained his focus and was now swiping at the bats with his own spear, letting a fierce battle cry out as he thrusted his nail-filled shied directly at a bat, killing it instantly. His eyes met yours and your body filled with fire. You held his gaze only for a moment before taking out four more bats that were quickly approaching you.

However you quickly realized the boy was no match for the bats, and although he had done a solid job defending himself, they were overwhelming him now, forcing him to the ground. Somehow you had sliced your way through most of the bats, only a few dozen or so remaining. They all seemed to swarm the boy now, taking turns as they picked at his flesh and ripped apart an area of skin on his exposed neck. He screamed in pain and you winced, you could hear the fear in his voice.

“I said over here!” You shouted, letting out a sharp and loud whistle from your teeth. With that you had successfully gained the attention of the rest of the bats. It didn’t take much more of your energy to successfully kill the remaining ones. You looked up victoriously, letting out at sigh of relief. When you looked to the boy you gasped as you saw one singular bat was hovering above the boy’s chest, his shirt had ripped now and the bat was pecking at his skin, tearing the flesh on his chest as he screamed in pain.

“Help me!” He shouted, looking over at you in desperation.

Your body was acting before your brain could fully process what you were doing and suddenly you were throwing your sword to the ground as you took a few large strides over to him. You knelt down and grabbed the bat with your bare hands, taking its head in one hand and its tail in the other and ripping with all of your might. The bat broke apart in your hands and you quickly thew its body to the ground away from you.

You knelt down to the boy and assessed him, lying helplessly on the ground.

“Hey, you’re okay, let’s take a look, yeah?” You said, sitting on your knees now and hovering over the boy.

He nodded at you, tears welling in his eyes, “Am I gonna die?”

“No, no you’re not gonna die, I’m going to help you okay.” You tried to sound positive but as you looked over him, you shuddered with fear. You noticed a few bloody splotches on his face, and blood was forming in the corners of his mouth, You were no doctor but you knew that couldn’t be good. His neck had a large bite mark and you could see where bits of flesh had been ripped away. The tendons of his neck were slightly exposed. You ripped open what remained of his shredded shirt, vaguely making out letters that read “Hellfire Club” with some sort of red devil on the front. You looked down at his chest to see exposed, open flesh and blood was steadily coming from the wound now. You knew you needed to stop the bleeding before he lost too much blood. Your nose twitched at the scent of it, never having tasted human blood, you were surprised at the sensation. For a brief moment you almost wanted to indulge yourself but you had to stay focused. This innocent boy was not going to die, especially at the hands of your careless blood thirst. You had control, you didn’t need human blood. You had to focus.

“It’s bad, huh?” He asked, bare chest rising and falling with adrenaline. You knew although he was in pain, he probably couldn’t feel the true extent of his injures with the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

“What’s your name?” You questioned, trying to distract him. You peeled off your sweatshirt, leaving you in just your white t-shirt, however you could hardly feel the cold air around you.

“Eddie. I’m Eddie Munson.”

“Eddie. Nice to meet you, Eddie. I’m y/n,” you stated, bundling your sweatshirt in your hands and pressing firmly on his chest. “You’re gonna be just fine, just have to apply pressure okay?”

Eddie nodded as you pushed even harder on his chest, grunting in pain as you did so. His hand reached up and found your wrist, squeezing it as he shifted uncomfortably in pain. Although you were shaken by the tense situation you heart couldn’t help but flutter at the contact with his skin on yours. “I’m sorry, I know this hurts,” You said, continuing to press hard on his wounded chest. Although your sweatshirt was a dark navy blue color and you couldn’t see his blood, you felt it begin to seep through the thick material.

“Was that a sword?” He asked, shifting uncomfortably under the weight of your hands pressed against his chest.

“W-what?” You asked, slightly thrown, not expecting his question.

“You had a sword,” he remarked, eyes gleaming a bit despite his pain. “It was pretty wicked.”

Just as you were about to open you mouth to speak you heard a young voice calling in the distance. “Eddie?!” You could make out the voice as it got closer to where you and Eddie were.

“Eddie?! What the hell man? You can’t just pull shit like that?” You turned your head to see a young boy, maybe about 14 or 15, jogging toward you. He was wearing some sort of camouflage get up, with a jacket that looked like moss and and a grey hoodie pulled securely over his head.

“Woah who the hell is that?” his jog slowed to a stop as he took in the scene before him looking back and forth between you and Eddie. Only then did he take in the full scene and notice Eddie’s injuries. “Oh shit man are you okay?”

“Just peachy, Dustin” Eddie muttered, his voice thick and gravely.

“What the hell happened to him? Was it those bastard bats? I knew we should have aborted the mission sooner dammit Eddie why did you have to cut that rope?” Dustin began to stammer over his words. “We never should have agreed to this -”

You cut him off, “Woah, wait a second, slow down. Would you just come over here and apply pressure? We need to stop the bleeding?”

He looked at you for a moment then shook his head, “Right, yes, so sorry, you’re right we need to stop the bleeding.” The boy knelt down on Eddie’s other side and as you let off of his chest, the boy took your place, pressing both of his hands firmly on Eddie’s chest.

“We need to sit him up so I can tie my sweatshirt around his chest. Make a tourniquet, ya know?”

“Yeah roger that…” Dustin paused. “What happened to him?” He asked, his voice quiet and meek now, sobered from seeing his friend in pain.

“The bats attacked him. I tried to keep them away from him but they got to him anyway.” “How is it that you don’t even have a scratch on you? No offense but if Eddie is this hurt how are you okay?”

You paused. You couldn’t exactly figure out how to form your words or how to explain that bats weren’t a threat to you. In fact most things weren’t a threat to you at all. Ever since you found yourself in the upside down, you noticed you were different. You were stronger, faster, more resilient than before. You gained a thirst for blood in such a strong way it was almost cliche. With the lack of humans to feed on in your home here in the Upside Down, you opted to only feed on animals, and when you needed to feed you would make an appearance back in the regular Hawkins and swipe a deer or coyote if you were lucky.

“I’ll explain that later,” you said, brushing off his question, not in the right state of mind to explain your situation. “We need to sit him up, keep applying pressure though, okay.” Dustin nodded. “On the count of three, ready. One.”

You reached down and cradled Eddie’s head with one arm and his shoulder with your other arm.

“Two.”

Eddie moaned in pain

“Hang in there, buddy,” the boy spoke sympathetically as he continued to hold pressure on his wound. You realized Dustin’s hands were red with Eddie’s blood meaning the blood had begun to soak through your sweatshirt completely now.

“Three.”

You slowly hoisted him into an upright position and he moaned in pain one more, but more intensely now, tears in his eyes streaming down his cheeks. You maneuvered yourself so that you were sitting back against your heals with Eddie’s back leaning up against your chest. Eddie grabbed both of you hands in his, holding on tight as if for dear life.

You looked at the boy, “Quick, tie my sweatshirt around his wound. Make sure you do it really tight, like way more tight than you think it needs to be.”

“Got it,” the boy said, intently focused on saving his friend, reaching under Eddie to secure it the sweatshirt. Once the it was tied and secured with a knot, you looked to Eddie’s neck which was still seeping blood, but not as rapidly as his chest.

“Quick, tie his bandana around his neck please,” You ordered, squeezing his hands in yours. “Hang in there, Eddie, we’re gonna get you out of here, just have to stop the bleeding first.”

Eddie nodded but you noticed he was starting to fade. “Eddie you have to stay with me, okay, stay awake!”

You looked to Dustin as he finished tying the bandana, he met you with wide eyes, worried for his friend. “Hey Eddie please stay awake! Steve and Robin and Nancy should be coming back any minute now. We'll get you out of here get you some help okay?”

“Okay buddy, sure, whatever you say.” Eddie gasped out. You made a note that the adrenaline must have been wearing out. It had been only less than ten minutes since you killed the last bat, yet you knew Eddie had to be in a lot of pain right now. “This cool chick saved me, Dusty, she tore a bat apart with her bare hands. It was badass.”

You chucked and let out a sigh of relief, happy Eddie was still coherently speaking.

“I’m y/n by the way,” you said to Dustin, smiling sheepishly. Nothing like introducing yourself to someone after saving a life together.

“I’m Dustin. I have so many questions about you but it can wait. I’m just so thankful you were here to help him,” Dustin said sincerely.

Before you could speak a reply you heard footsteps heading toward you and you saw three figures approaching you.

“Oh thank God, there they are,” Dustin sighed, the relief in his voice tangible.

“GUYS! OVER HERE! WE NEED HELP!” Dustin shouted over to them. The three figures began to run over to you and you slowly could make out their faces. You were met with two girls and a boy all around you age. They looked overwhelmed and disheveled and you secretly wondered if whatever they just went through had something to do with him.

“Dustin what happened to him?” The small girl with brown curly hair asked. She walked closer and knelt down look at Eddie, she smiled weekly at you.

“The bats got me, Wheeler,” He said, looking semi relieved his friends were safe.

“Is he going to be okay? Oh God how much blood did he lose?” The other girl asked quickly, you noticed she had shorter hair and was wearing some type of army outfit.

“We think he’ll be okay but we need to get back to the trailer and clean him up. This is y/n, she saved Eddie’s life and she’s going to explain why she’s in the Upside Down later. Right now we need to get him back to the trailer. Steve can you help me carry him?” Dustin asked, everyone looked around dumbfounded, taking your presence into account.

“Uh, yeah, here let’s get him up.” The other boy said, squatting down and slowly lifting him up, grunting with difficulty. Eddie was practically dead weight now. You stood up now, your legs slightly numb from how you had been sitting on them.

Eddie was hoisted up by Dustin and Steve now, his face contorting in pain. “Okay buddy, let's get you inside,” Dustin said.

You had no choice other than to follow these people you had just met. You couldn’t stand to leave Eddie and not help him, you owed that much to him.

With everyone safely though the portal, Steve and Dustin hoisted Eddie up and led him back through the hallway into what you assumed could only be his room. The walls were covered with Metallica posters and clothes and random items were thrown messily on the floor.

Once Eddie was on his bed, you breathed out a sigh of relief, happy to have him safe and in the real world again.

You spoke up, “I need someone to find me bandages, water, a wash cloth, aspirin, and some sort of alcohol or disinfectant.”

Nancy nodded and ran off with Robin following close behind into the bathroom and they gathered the items you requested. The girls returned and they handed you the first aid supplies.

“Thank you so much,” you said gratefully, taking the wash cloth quickly dampening it with rubbing alcohol and holding it over Eddie’s chest, pausing. “I know that me being here right now is really weird and if someone would rather help him please don’t let me overstep, I just really feel like I need to do this since I’m the one who couldn’t get the bats away from him in time.”

“No he’s all yours,” Robin said, clearly a bit squeamish around blood. “Is there anything else we can do?”

You shook your head as Dustin spoke up, “While she’s helping Eddie, we need to radio in to Max, Lucas, and Erica and make sure the plan worked.”

The three older teens nodded at Dustin and followed him out of the room, leaving you alone with Eddie.

“Hey Eds,” you whispered, looking down at his fragile-looking frame. “You still with me?”

“Right here, sweetheart,” he said, somehow managing to be smooth even in the life threatening situation he was in. Your cheeks burned in what you assumed could only be a bright crimson color and you hoped Eddie was out of it enough to not notice.

“I’m just gonna get you cleaned up okay?” You asked. Eddie nodded his head silently, content to be laying in a bed.

You carefully removed the ripped shirt from his body and united you sweatshirt, now completely logged with Eddie’s blood. The bleeding had stopped for now and you wanted to get the wound cleaned and bandaged before the bleeding began again. You tossed the sweatshirt to the floor, making a mental note to clean up the bloody mess later. You looked down at Eddie, upper body now completely bare. You noticed his slightly toned stomach muscles and the tattoo over his heart, a spider.

You picked up the wash cloth again preparing to contact his skin. “This might sting a bit.”

“’s okay, just get it over with.” Eddie grunted, gritting his teeth in anticipation.

You slowly moved the cloth over his wounded chest as he hissed in pain. “I’m sorry,” you muttered, tears pricking in your eyes at the sight of his pain.

Eddie’s right hand reached up to grip your free hand, and he squeezed it tighter than ever before. “Just have to get the germs out, ya know. I don’t want this to get infected.”

“Yeah me neither. I can’t go to a hospital you know, I’m wanted for murder.”

You waited for the punch line that never came. “You’re serious?” You asked, dabbing away the blood from his chest.

“Dead serious. But I didn’t do it. It seems we both have a lot of explaining to do.”

“Yes,” you sighed with slight frustration, wanting to know more. There was no way this sweet, sweet injured boy on the bed next you could be capable of murder. No way. You didn’t hesitate to believe him when he said he was innocent. “We do have some explaining to do.” You thought of your situation. Everything. For some strange reason, you had a feeling that you being a vampire in the upside down wasn’t going to be the craziest thing you were going to hear tonight.

“Okay, your chest is all cleaned up, I’m just going to bandage it then I’ll move on to your neck.” You said, rushing over to grab the bandages. “I’m just gonna sit you up.”

He nodded as you pulled him up. You were sitting incredibly close to each other now, you could feel Eddie’s breathing and the warmth coming from his body, you hoped he wasn’t getting a fever.

“You’re really pretty.” Eddie said, looking dead into your eyes grinning slightly, making you feel like you were going to pass away on the spot.

“Thanks,” You paused, looking down and then back into his big brown eyes. “So are you.” You continued to look into his eyes for a few seconds, only then remembering the task at hand, “Right so I’m going to bandage you up now, let me know if anything hurts or you want to take a break.”

“Okay, pretty,” Eddie said now, obviously flirting. You giggled and shook your head as you carefully wrapped the bandage around his chest and back. You were getting slightly overwhelmed. In the years you spent alone, you never had the chance to be around many people, including the male species. Sure you had crushes, but you were only 14 when you ended up in the Upside Down. The attention Eddie was giving you was new and a little scary but you didn’t mind it.

You paused and in the silence you heard Dustin’s voice from the living room “He said she ripped the bat apart with her bare hands. Her bare hands!” He exclaimed in a whisper shout. You shook your head and chuckled under your breath, Eddie noticed.

“I meant what I said, you ripping that bat apart was so badass. Super hot, ya know. Sorry if that was forward, just wanted you to know,” Eddie said, leaning into your shoulder as you secured the bandage around his torso. You laughed now, cheeks heating up again, unsure of what to say but completely flattered at his words.

“You can lay back down now.” You said and Eddie obeyed your orders, eyes on you the entire time as you cleaned up the area around his neck that had been bitten. This injury was much less server than the last one and cleaning it up was a lot simpler. He still winced in pain as you cleaned it with alcohol, but this time you opted for a medium sized bandage that stuck to his neck.

“You’re really good at this ya know, you should be a nurse.” Eddie said, as you finished your work. You almost laughed out loud at the irony of that. You a vampire being a nurse. What a paradox.

“I don’t think I’m cut out for that, Munson.”

“Well you did a hell of a job fixing me,” He said, doe eyes piercing into your soul.

“Yeah, well I owed you. I tried to stop the bats, to create a distraction,” your eyes fell to the floor, growing teary again. “It didn’t work.”

“Well I’m here aren’t I?” Eddie asked, grabbing your hand and gently rubbing the back of it with his thumb. “I can’t tell you how much this means to me, you saved my life. How can I repay you?”

You were the one who was feeling bold this time as you replied, “You can take me out on a date. Or you know, a secret date since you’re wanted for murder and all.”

“Deal, it’s a date,” Eddie said, bringing your hand to his lips and placing a chaste kiss on it. “A secret date.”

You couldn’t contain your smile now. You couldn’t remember the last time you had smiled fully with your teeth, but here you were in this boy’s trailer tending to his wounds, smiling like an idiot because you were going to go on a date with him. The fangs you had developed were surely showing by now, and either Eddie was too out of it to notice, or he didn’t care. And right now you didn’t care either.

“Here,” you said, passing him two aspirin and a bottle of water. “Take these. You’ll need them.”

“Thank you,” Eddie said genuinely, then swallowing the aspirin.

“You should sleep,” you said, looking down at Eddie and gently brushing a few stray hairs out of his eyes.

“Will you stay with me?” he asked, looking up at you, his gaze both intimidating and heartwarming. “Don’t want to be alone.”

You heart swelled at his words and so you nodded your head and settled into him, your arm finding its place around his shoulder as he tucked his head into your chest. Quite frankly you didn’t want to be alone either. You were aware of your heart racing now and were positive Eddie could hear it.

“You bring me a lot of comfort,” Eddie said with a sigh. “’s like I’ve known you forever,” he paused for a beat. “God that’s so cheesy. But it’s true! I feel like I know you somehow.”

You smiled tight lipped smile down at him, eyes suddenly filling with tears again, overwhelmed at the sudden emotion and the feelings you felt for this boy. You really couldn’t explain it but you agreed, it did feel like you knew him. You felt so comfortable in his presence, snuggled up to his side. You grabbed his left hand in your right and sighed. Whatever reason the events in your life had happened, you suddenly felt as though it had all been worth it leading up to this one moment in time. You were meant to be in the upside down, you were meant to be a vampire because you were meant to save Eddie.

“I feel so comfortable around you. I’ve never felt like that with a person before.” Your heart lurched at the thought of the words that were about to slip from your lips, and before you could stop yourself you were saying it.

“I’m not like a normal person, Eddie.”

“Hell yeah you’re not. Neither am I. That’s why I like you so much.”

“No that’s not what I mean.” you paused, collecting your thoughts. “I mean that I have certain… abilities.”

“You don’t mean you can move stuff with your mind too?” Eddie asked, looking up at you in awe.

“No…?” you said, confused at why he would suggest that, brushing it off figuring you would learn soon enough. You let out a large sigh and give Eddie a big smile, showing all of your teeth.

Eddie notices the fangs. “What exactly are you?” There’s a hint of shock in Eddie’s voice but not much. You would have to guess he had been no stranger to weird things considering you found him in the upside down. “A little different,” you say, earning a chuckle from Eddie.

“Yeah I gathered that.”

“I mean that, six years ago something happened. I was in Hawkins, and then suddenly I was in the Upside Down. Those bats, they attacked me just like they did you. Only I didn’t die. And I should have died.”

Eddie frowned, “I don’t think I’m following.” “After I was attacked, I woke up and things were different… I’m a vampire, I know it sounds crazy but -”

“Crazy doesn’t phase me sweetheart, not after the week I’ve had.” Eddie paused for a minute, something darkening behind his eyes, almost a hint of sadness then he looked up at you. “Shit the bats bit me, does that mean I’m going to be a vampire too?”

“I don’t think so, my heart literally stopped. I was dead, and then I came back.”

“Damn, that would have been so metal.”

“So you’re not afraid of me?” You asked sheepishly, squeezing tighter to Eddie's hand now.

“Not in the slightest, sweetheart, how could I be afraid of you? You saved my life. But wait, do you… ya know.. have to drink blood?” He chuckled, “Hey how have you not killed me yet?”

“I don’t need to drink human blood, I’ve never actually had it, I only drink animal’s blood, ya know, squirrels, deer, things like that."

“There’s no animals in the upside down, how did you get them? Did you get into the real word somehow?”

“I would crawl through openings in the trees, nothing like that portal in your living room that was the trippiest thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

“Tell me about it.”

“There's a lot more I could tell you, about the upside down and the things in it. And I’m sure you have your own stories, but you should sleep. I'll stay here with you until you fall asleep.”

Eddie nodded, pulling you closer to him and burying his head further into your chest, wincing, “Shit, this hurts bad, y/n.”

“I know, I’m sorry, but the aspirin will kick in soon I promise.”

Eddie sighed, at least now in a comfortable position. He closed his eyes as you reached down to play with his hair, stroking it gently as he began to doze off.

You sat like that with Edie in your arms for probably 20 minutes as you heard the others taking in the other room, whispering voices wafting through the air.

“Max is fine, ” Dustin said with a sigh of relief.

“He’s hurt but he’s not dead,” from Steve.

“Then how does y/n ties into all of this?” questioned Robin.

“Let’s find out,” you heard Nancy say.

Suddenly Nancy appeared in the doorway, eyes wide taking in the sight of you in Eddie in such close proximity.

“Could we talk now?” Nancy asks, looking at you with her bright blue eyes, “I think we need to introduce ourselves.”

“Yeah, of course,” You whispered, gently removing yourself from Eddie's tight grasp. He let out soft little snores now and you looked down at him in contentment, happy to know he was safe and resting.

You quietly followed Nancy through Eddie’s trailer and into the living room where Steve, Robin and Dustin were sitting.

“Is Eddie okay?” Dustin asked, standing up from where he was sitting on the couch.

“Yeah, I bandaged him up and gave him some aspirin. He’ll be okay. Sore, but okay. He’s asleep now.”

“Thank God,” Steve said, nodding his head at your words.

“Thanks a million for taking care of him,” Robin said with sincerity, “We would have lost him if it weren’t for you.”

“I’m just glad he’s okay,” you said quietly, eyes on the floor, wishing all the attention was off of you. You looked back up, the four pairs of curious eyes still staring at you. “You guys probably have a lot of questions.”

“We do. But you should know, there’s things… that have happened. Whatever you tell us, just know we believe you,” Nancy said.

And with that you told them everything. You told them that you were 14 when you were taken by him. That you were taken to the Upside Down. You explained the bat attack, and how you were different after that. As you explained your newfound thirst for blood, Dustin and Robin’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Don’t worry, I only drink animal blood. Never even tried a human’s blood.”

They looked at you wide eyed, but nodded along as you spoke. Taking it all in, and you knew Nancy was right. They did believe you.

“Nothing could hurt me anymore, I was immune to any injuries, the bats couldn’t even leave a mark,” You continued. You told them how you had been alone for all of those years. How you didn’t have the best home life no one bothered to look for you, assuming you had run away. How you hide in the shadows of that darkened world in fear of seeing that terrifying creature. You may have been immune to the flesh wounds of the bats, but you were afraid of him more than anything. You explained everything you knew about that other place, about the monsters that inhabited it.

“We call him Vecna,” Dustin murmured quietly once you finished your story.

“You’ve seen him?” You asked, feeling yourself become overwhelmed with emotion once more, so validated that some else knew who he was.

“We tried to kill him,” Nancy spoke.

“That didn’t go so hot though, but we did a number on him,” Steve said. “Wherever he is, he’s weak and hurting.”

And so in return they explained their lives to you. All of it. The mysterious girl eleven whom they had all grown to love so much. Will, the young boy who had been taken in a similar way as you. Your heart broke at the thought of someone so young going through what you did, but you were so happy to know that he had people to look for him, to fight for him. You weren’t so fortunate.

You were informed of all they knew about Vecna, how he had killed 3 teenagers so far, one of which Eddie was facing murder accusations for, How he was now hunting their friend Max.

“Wow,” You said, silently processing all you had learned. Two hours had passed by this time and you felt like a completely different person. “Thank you for telling me all of that… and thank you for believing me. You don’t know how special it is to me to have actual people to talk to.”

“And thank you, for telling us all you know. If you don’t have anywhere to go, you can stay with us. We’re a family, and we’d love to have you,” Robin offered.

“Thank you.” You paused, a tear slipping from you eye at the word. Family. Something you had so desperately craved. “We still have work to do guys,” Dustin said, and the group nodded in agreement. “We need to take Vecna down once and for all.”

“I’ll help you in whatever way I can.” You said.

“Let’s stay here tonight, Lucas, Erica and Max should be here soon. We can rest tonight and form a plan in the morning,” Steve said, looking around for the group’s approval.

Just then you head rustling coming from Eddie’s room and you stood, listing closely.

“N-no, no please, take me, don’t hurt her,” Eddie murmured.

“I’m gonna go check on him,” you said, hurrying back to his bedroom, pulse beating through your ears, afraid Vecna had somehow made an appearance and was about to harm Eddie.

When you entered his room you saw the boy thrashing around in his sheets, a pillow on the floor, and beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

You carefully approached the bed and sat down on the edge next to him, “Eddie,” You spoke, grabbing his arm lightly, “Eddie, wake up.”

He let out a small cry, “Let her go,” he said with more fervor this time.

“Eddie, wake up, it’s y/n, I’m here, you need to wake up now.”

Eddie’s eyes shot open and he looked around the room, his terrified brown eyes landing on you. He tried to sit up but you pushed him back into a laying position, not wanting him to agitate his injuries.

“Thank God,” He sighed, laying flat on his pillow now, hands pressed into his eyes, chest rapidly rising and falling.

“You okay?” You asked, taking his hand and giving it a small squeeze. “Nightmare?”

He nodded his head. “It was you,” he said, “Vecna had you.”

“I’m okay Eddie, I’m fine. He can’t get me.”

“How do you know?”

You paused. You had lived in the same dimension with him this long and hadn’t found yourself in his grasp yet. “I just do. Trust me. I’m right here, nothing’s going to happen, I promise.”

“Will you lay back down with me?” He asked, his eyes almost childlike now, filled with fear and relief at the same time.

“Of course,” you said, assuming the same position you had taken earlier, this time Eddie was the one to wrap his arm around your shoulder, pulling you tight into his chest.

“I was talking with your friends,” You said.

“Bunch of idiots, huh?” He joked.

“They’re great,” you said. “They asked me to stay, to figure this whole Venca thing out… I said yes. I don’t have anywhere else to go,” You looked up into Eddies eyes, lightly taking his cheek into you hand, stroking his jawline with your thumb. “Looks like you’re stuck with me now.”

“Good,” Eddie looked at you more intently now, “That’s what I wanted.” His eyes shot between your eyes and your lips, “Can I kiss you?”

You nodded, slowing bringing yourself closer to him, connecting your lips, with a small kiss at first, pulling away and smiling at each other, then pulling back together quickly, deepening the kiss. Your senses were on overdrive by now, hands on either side of his face, making their way back to his hair, Eddie grabbing your waist and pulling you even closer.

You pulled away from each other and looked contently into each others eyes, your foreheads resting together. “I’m so glad you found me y/n. And that we get to do this together.” “Me too, Eddie,” you said, resting your head on his chest now, closing your eyes in contentment. “Me too.”

“I still want to hear all of your sick vampire stories,” Eddie said, resting his head on yours, with a sigh. “I want to know all of your stories.”

“I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.”

Thanks to the person who requested this! I had a ton of fun writing it!

*hopefully this is what you had in mind. I also had an alternate plot lined up where the reader turns Eddie into a vampire in order to save him so let me know if that’s something you’d like to see!

[bugsnax-community-questions]

Bugsnax Community Questions ~ Poll #25

Put filbo, eggabell and the others in one option because there aren't enough slots to fit everyone.

FILBO: Basic Furniture, Dandelion, Cot (secret), Grumpy Baby Mayor, Pawprint rug, Cloudy paws print, painted hut, Group Photo, Streamers, Garden gnome, snaxburg flag, Golden Strabby, Certificate of completion

WAMBUS: Scarecrow, beechwood, Sauce plant seedlings, Sauce rug, Rustic Bed, Mini Cactriffy, Grow light nursery, Wood panel print, cowboy hats, ceiling fan

BEFFICA: Sleeping bag, Ladder Shelf, bestie print, Bestie (exterior), Fuzzy heart rug, Privacy curtains, Bulletin board, glowing stars, purple lupin, befficas journal, Kiddie pool (technically from floofty)

WIGGLE: Hanging lights, Luxury bed (secret), Gilded (Secret), record player, Palm tree, Platinum Award, Beach Chair + Umbrella, Armoire, Music print, Rock club sign, Psychedelic rug

TRIFFANY: Map of Snaktooth, Drafting Table, Prehistoric Floorcloth, Grumpus Skull, Giant skeleton, Barrel cacti, Dig site print, hanging pots, ancient bugsnax statue 1 (pinkle), ancient bugsnax statue 2 (incherito), Bone and Stone (exterior), Bone and stone bed

GRAMBLE: Lantern, Pink oleander, Weather Vane, Knit Sprout Mat, Hay bales, knit bed, Strabby Hat, Doily Table, knitted (exterior), knit baskets, Strabby print, Bunger bed

CROMDO: Tulips, Police tape (Secret), Bug juice dispenser, Big safe, A single hanging bulb, boombox, money print rug, worn mattress, billboard, Motivational poster, Antique print

SNORPY: Loose Newspaper, Conspiracy board, Blueprint print, Protective coat hangers, Metal plating (exterior), Metalworks flower, Satellite dish, deprivation tank, bookshelf, HAM radio, hot tub

CHANDLO: Red Cedar, Framed jersey, Rock climbing holds, Strong trophy, Hammock, Bean bag, Orange bloodroot, Home gym (secret), Sports print (secret), Gym mats, chandlolier,

FLOOFTY: red ti plant, lab bench (secret), Specimen jar, Pirate ship (exterior), Beheading machine, ecience poster, chemistry rug, test tube lights, science print, Chalkboard

SHELDA: Hanging Planter, Herbology station, Primitive grass, Salt crystal, ebony stained wood, zen garden, Meditation cushion, Prairie grass, wind chimes, desert print, torch

EGGABELL: Family Photos, Eggshell print, medical egg rug, Medicine cabinet, Emergency bell, First aid kit, Draped fabrics, igloo (exterior), snow grump, medical bed

OTHER: Cowboy hat roof (Cactriffy), Planted snak (Cactriffy), Snak print (L), Strabby Shelf (L), Snakgoyle (Snaxsquatch), Matilija Poppy (Snaxsquatch), Eyes (exterior ~ B), Legendary snak rug (B), Snak mobile (C), Sodie Fountain (C)

[necroromantics]

Tobin loves Tali so much it makes him weak in the knees. She's the only thing that makes that boy made of metal and gunpowder be so soft. She's the only authority he'll listen to, the only path he'll follow, the only feet he'll lie at.

The nights without her are the worst, because even if she's not around physically, she haunts him like a ghost. Something tender, something so quiet and gentle he can feel it humming in his bones. He never believed all of the poems, the love songs, the wedding rings, until he met her. He never knew what a soulmate was until he saw her in her guttural entirety and it took all of him not to kiss her.

Tobin loves Tali more than life itself. Pathetically, religiously. Wholly, devotedly. He breaths her in like the smoke from a cigarette they'd share sitting out one night on the roof of her mobile home. He sips on her taste like the booze they'd laugh over while stumbling into the livingroom.

There's no words in any language that express how much that boy loves her. But it burns, it burns softly, so softly, it's suffocating. And he never knew of peace until he laid his head on her lap. He never knew why soldiers returned home from war until he felt her fingers run through his hair.

In every universe, he would find her.

In every universe, that soldier boy would return home from war. He would return home to her.

Tobin loves Tali. He loves her so much it makes him weak in the knees.

[vamp-hollow]

Blackberry the Masses

Eddie Munson x Black Reader

Summary: When the turmoil of living in hawkins get too much for you to handle one night, you sit on eddies roof, daydreaming about your future lives.

Warnings: smoking,drinking, white ignorance

(This is a repost ,sorry if this pops up twice!)

Night was your favorite time of day.

The grayish smoke from the blazing cigarette wafted up into the air, swirling up upon itself. The muddied gray clouds obstructed your view of the Bright Moon. Its Vividness is Shown within you the blue rays gleaming and glistening like glitter. the cold metal sending a shiver up your spine. You were sitting on the top of your friend, Eddie Munsons, trailer. He always said that you could come by whenever you were stressed but you didn't wanna bother him, especially with his DND campaign coming to a close, you knew he’d be busy.his muffled, mumbled voice filled your ears, it made you a little giddy, even if you couldn’t understand it.

As you sat up, your Walkman fell out of your pocket making a loud clattering sound against the Mobile home you hope that He didn’t hear it but once you heard his mumbling voices cease you knew your suspicion was true.

“..fuck” you mumbled, peering over the side of the roof as you heard a creaky window slide open.

A Bumbling brunette stumbled across the grass murdering swears before looking up at you with a sheepish grin plastering his face 

[Name]! What're you doing up there?!” He said, Jumping up and down trying to get leverage to hop onto the roof with you and you flopped back down, slinking an arm over your eyes To try and hide yourself “don't look at me Edsssss” you groaned wanting to disappear into the sky to save yourself from embarrassment.

Poor Eddie was still struggling, legs dangling on the side of the trailer. you hoisted him up by his arms as he flopped on top of the roof, shuddering at its coldness

“I had that yk’now” he mumbled, looking at you while snickering to himself. However, his expression softened once he saw your face, staring off into the sky.

“Hey, earth to [Name?]” Eddie said, tilting his head slightly before snapping his fingers in front of your face, pulling you out of your daydream

“Hm! Oh uh, what's up ed?” You asked, seemingly trying to ignore what had just occurred

“You were uh,starin off just now…you ok?” Eddie reached to cup your face but you slapped his hand away, this took him aback as he looked at you, confused

“Oh shit Eds my bad i-i just” you muttered over your words sighing before looking back up

“You wouldn’t get it”

You loved Eddie. you truly did. you had known him when you were both in freshman year getting held back at separate times during your academic years led you to stay in school longer. But at least you had each other. Being black in a small town like this was exhausting. excruciatingly exhausting. Especially since Hawkins was predominantly white. The staring and the murmurs, it was hell. And you knew Eddie had enough sense to not be like them. But he still was white, and he couldn’t relate to Your struggle. At least not in any deeper way.

“I fucking hate this place Eddie” you finally spoke, putting out your cigarette and leaning on his shoulder, your eyes drifting over to meet eddies brown irises. The same rich irises that you could get lost in, the same ones that made your heart skip a beat.

“I know you hate it, but someday, well run off together. We can go somewhere super far, far,away from Hawkins…with a big lake and clear skies” he said pulling you in by the waist, burrowing his face into the crook of your neck

You looked up at Eddie, confused about his specific request for the type of weather

“Why clear skies?”

“So I can see your skin glitter”

A chill went up your spine as Eddie spoke, you could feel your body heat up as you looked away

You couldn't believe your ears. Were you dreaming?

“Well That is one thing that I find very very pretty about you [name]. Also, you smell good. confusingly good”

“Eddie stop your gonna kill me” you groaned, kicking your legs in the air at eddies endearing compliments, you were gigging so much and smiling so hard that your cheeks hurt. Eddie blew a raspberry into the side of your neck, causing you to cackle even harder.

“EDDIE NO STOP HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH,” you said through gasping breaths, finally he stopped sitting you in his lap and looked up at you, still gasping for breaths from his attack prior. He grasped your hand, kissing your skin softly with his semi-chapped lips. every time he placed one you could hear the thump of your heart in your head. You could also feel it in…other parts of your body. feeling something rise inside of your pants, intruding on the tender moment you were having with Munson.

God, you fell so easily for him it was embarrassing. Eddie noticed it too, his sheepish signature grin plastering his face before messing with the zipper of your pants, fiddling his fingers slowly around it.

“Oh? Well someone's a little happy, isn't he?”

His movements made you whimper softly wrapping your arms around him

“Shouldn't we take this s-somewhere private E-Eddie?” You whispered, fingers dragging into his denim jacket as you tried to muffle your sounds with your lip

“Whatever you say, my sweetheart~”

(Happy Juneteenth!)

[undertale-anomaly20]

Mortal Kombat 11 x reader: Chapter 9 All in the family

The camera pans round to the boat's bow, where Jax walks up to Jacqui, who is looking out to the horizon "How's the view?" Jax asks "No sign yet of the mystical barrier you mentioned" Jacqui says "Oh, you'll know it when it comes" He places his hands on the side railing of the boat, also looking to the distance.

"How you feeling?" Jacqui ask while Jax looks at the water "For the first time in a while, in control. I got tossed into the deep end of this world of gods and monsters. But now, knowing my future, I feel like I've finally come up for air. Those bad things that happened to me... I mean, what will happen to me? Like Raiden said, it's gonna be different" Jax Replies. He looks to Jacqui "Isn't this gonna be good news?"

Jacqui looks almost crushed at his words "The things that happened to my dad. That trauma he suffered? It's why my parents met. They fell in love while he was in recovery" she says as she turns away and walks across the ship's bow "If they don't happen, you and Mom may not meet. I may never be born"

Jax walks up to her "Jacqui, I-I can't pretend I get all this cosmic time stuff..." He places his hand on her shoulder "...but I do know you are here for a reason. You're not just some random accident" he tries to reasure her.

She looks back at him, uncertainty still etched on her face "I hope so" she says

The camera pans away from them and back out to the ship's exterior. On the far horizon, an island surrounded by what appears to be a green mist is visible.

A cutback to Jax and Jacqui shows the boat approaching the mist. Derelict ships lay broken against the rocks they smashed upon, their sails rotted and almost gone. Gigantic stone statues of samurai warriors are submerged up to their necks in the waters of the sea.

The navy ship passes by all of this, with Jax and Jacqui looking overhead as the ship pass under a decaying entrance way. They both look ahead of them, taking in the sight of the iconic Mortal Kombat dragon symbol - depicted here as a weathered and crumbling gigantic metallic statue.

"Shang Tsung's island!" Jacqui exclaims "Here we go again" Jax says in reponse

The scene cuts to the entrance to the warrior's shrine. Jax and Jacqui walk in alone, taking in the decay before them. There is no roof to speak off, and the concrete pillars that held it up are broken and decaying. The statues of warriors past and present show varying signs of disrepair. There are no sounds or signs of life, save from the howls of the wind.

Jax and Jacqui pass through the shrine into a passage leading into the courtyard. While there is a roof here, it is worn and rotting, with only a colony of sleeping bats being the only living beings present.

As they approach the end of the passage, they pause to gaze upon the grisly sight of 5 corpses hanging from the rafters. The corpses are Shaolin monks, hanged by their necks. Their skin is horrifically decayed, but has not yet completely rotted away, leaving their eyes intact but a dull yellow-gray in colour.

Jax and Jacqui walk out into the courtyard itself. Like the rest of the island, it is barren and devoid of life.

"When I was here for the tournament, there were people everywhere" Jax said as he looks to a line of Shaolin monks, rotted away to skeletons wearing torn clothing "These guys looked a lot younger. Seems like only yesterday..." "then he has a wistful look over his face as he points to a the stairs they walked up "and right there was were (Name) made her entrance. she was just a kid all wide eyed and confused...she...she was just 18 when she showed up...." Jax smile slowly turns into a frown remembering how Jacqui told him (Name) would die in his time soon.

Jacqui pulls out a PDA on her hip and starts to examine it "Guess after Shang Tsung died, this place did, too" she said trying to change the subject

Her PDA, acting as some form of mobile radar, shows no signs of life on its scans "Nobody's home. So much for needing stealth. Should've brought the whole squad" she said "Kinda hoping Raiden's wrong about the Well of Souls. I don't wanna be here longer than we--" Jax is interrupted by a warning beep on Jacqui's PDA. She glances down at it "Multiple contacts!" Jacqui exclaims. Jax gets himself into a fighting stance "How many?" he asks

Jacqui checks the PDA. There are two square icons, one yellow, one red, that flicker constantly at varying points across the interface "Two! But one of 'em's circling us real fast!"

As she says this, a purple blur of light speeds around them both, knocking the PDA from Jacqui's hands. The blur continues to move around them in a circle, boxing them in. After a few moments, Jax hurls his arm out directly into the blur, catching it with

a clothesline and hurling it into the air. The figure - now clearly visible as the revenant Kabal - rights himself in mid-air and lands in a kneeling position, sliding to a halt.

As Kabal stands up, the revenant Jade walks in behind Jax and Jacqui "Kronika knew Raiden would send someone here" says Kabal.

"I'll take the speed freak" Jacqui says as she approaches Kabal "We buried you in the Netherrealm. You a glutton for punishment?" she mocks "It's only you and me, this time. There's no castle to bury me under" Kabal replies "Think that hurt? You have no idea" says Jacqui.

They fight. With a speed enhanced by magic and a troublesome weapon in the hookswords he wields, Kabal would be a frightening encounter against an ordinary human. But Jacqui has the best tech from the Special Forces at her disposal, which includes the exoskeleton that she wears as armour. Combined with her fighting ability, this proves more than enough to take down the revenant Black Dragon "I'm guessing that hurt worse"Jacquisaid and turns around at the sound of fighting. As she does, Jade strikes Jax with a sidekick that knocks him flying. He rolls once and forces himself onto one knee, sliding to a halt next to Jacqui. She helps him to his feet.

Jade approaches the two of them and slams her staff into the ground. She picks it up and twirls it over her head, roaring out as green energy cascades in a circle above her. She once again slams the staff into the ground, and the green energy pulses from it in shockwaves into the surrounding area "Rise in Shinnok's name!" she call out.

The energy reaches the hanging corpses from earlier, which suddenly revive and start freeing themselves from the ropes they are hanging from. One corpse's flesh is so rotted that it decapitates itself before it can free its neck, but this does not inhibit the rest of the body from standing up along with the others.

The Shaolin zombies, along with others from the surrounding area, approach Jax and Jacqui, growling at them with vocal cords long rotted away and surround them in a semi-circle. Jade also walks up to them "You'll not disturb Kronika's work" she says

"Disturb? Try 'ending'" said Jacqui "You're done messing with the Well of Souls!" Jax says "You're not as strong as you think, Jax. As I recall, Scorpion made quick work of you" Jade taunts.

"I'll take the lady in green" said Jax. As he says these words, a Shaolin zombie charges at Jacqui, striking her thrice in the face. She catches a fourth strike, lands two face punches of her own, then a gut strike and finishes with a leg kick that sweeps the zombie off its feet.

Another zombie charges in, but Jacqui punches it in the chest before it can land a blow. She elbows it in the throat and puts it in a reverse headlock, just as a third charges in. Jacqui raises her foot and kicks the third zombie so hard that her leg goes

straight through its chest, destroying its torso in a shower of blood.

As the zombie collapses, Jacqui knocks the zombie she's holding to the ground with a heart punch. Another Shaolin zombie tries to kick her, but she parries the blow and punches it across the face. She tries two more punches, but the zombie blocks these and counters with a palm strike to her solar plexus, following through with an uppercut that staggers her.

As the zombie tries to land another punch, Jacqui grabs its arm and punches it in the chest. She follows through by shooting the zombie with her arm-mounted gun, blowing a hole through its chest. Another zombie kicks at her, but Jacqui blocks the blow and perforates it with several point blank shots from her guns.

Another zombie strikes her across the face, but Jacqui blocks a series of punches from it and lands one of her own. She turns to find yet another zombie leaping down at her, but she grabs its outstretched hand and judo-throws it to the ground. She unleashes a barrage from her guns, utterly pulping the reanimated corpse.

While this takes place, Jax approaches Jade.

"Was a time when you knew who to fight for. But between Quan Chi and Kronika, your mind ain't right" Jax states "I joined Raiden against Shao Kahn. He led me to my doom. Now Raiden leads you there, too" Jade replies

They fight. For all of Jade's speed and skill, Jax has beaten her before, back when he didn't have cybernetic arms. Now with his new upgrades, the battle is tipped even further in his favour. It's not long before Jade is down and out by his feet "I'll take my chances with Raiden" he says walking away

With Jade and the reanimated Shaolin down, Jax and Jacqui regroup together "Enough dancing with the dead. Raiden said this Well of Souls would be underground" says Jacqui and Jax points off to one side "This way" he says

They walk over to a large set of doors leading out of the courtyard. Jax shoves them aside with little difficulty, thanks to his metal arms.

The scene cuts to an underground cave, lit up by torch lights. Jax and Jacqui walk through cautiously, checking around them for any more surprises. As they walk through the cave, Jax crushes a human skull underneath his foot, then stops for a moment at one of the torches, using it to light a cigar. Jacqui looks a bit nonplussed at his nonchalance, but decides not to comment on it.

"This is Goro's Lair?" Jacqui questioned "Thankfully minus Goro. Shang Tsung kept me locked up here, back at my first tournament. Never thought I'd be back..." Jax said remembering being beaten and brusied in this place and locked up like an animal. Jacqui places a hand on his shoulder "Remember where a Well of Souls might be?" she asks "Couldn't tell you. I was pretty beat up. It's all a bit hazy" Jax replies

They proceed through the cave, eventually coming out into a large underground throne room. Dead oni and skulls of long deceased monsters litter the ground, and they pass the corpse of a long dead Shokan seated on his throne. But as Jax and Jacqui do so, they come face to face with what appears to be a swirling tornado made up of soul energy, hovering over a large well.

"I'm guessing this is it" she says sarcastically. Jax takes a puff from his cigar, looking at an object that is in the center of the soulnado and says "That crown. Five bucks says it's Kronika's"

"It's drawing souls from the well" Jacqui is correct in her observation; the souls from the soulnado are all being dragged into the crown "There's no way that thing's unguarded. Let's grab-and-go before whoever's on duty gets back" Jax says

"I never left"

From behind a nearby pillar emerges the Netherrealm wraith known as Noob Saibot. He enters a fighting stance. Jax and Jacqui respond by aiming their weapons - a service pistol for Jax, and an arm-gun for Jacqui - and opening fire. Noob disappears

in a flash of magic and appears to the right of Jacqui in the form of a shadow. She and Jax fire again but the bullets go straight through the apparition, ricocheting off the cave walls.

Several more shadow forms of Noob Saibot appear around them, leaving the two surrounded on all sides. They stand back to back, waiting for the shadows to make a move. One suddenly roars and charges them, and they fire immediately. This time their bullets manage to dissipate the shadow into thin air and they immediately shoot two more shadows into nothingness.

Doing so, however, leaves them open for two more shadows to attack. Jax and Jacqui parry their strikes and throw them to the ground, dissipating them as well. Another two shadows attack, but Jax fells one with a flurry of body blows and a spinning back kick to the chest, while Jacqui fends off the other behind him.

Another shadow rushes Jax and lands a punch across his face, but Jax blocks its next blow, ducks a strike and lands a counter punch that rocks the shadow. He follows through with a jumping spinkick that turns it into vapour.

A shadow suddenly appears behind Jacqui and grabs her in a rear choke hold. Two more shadows appear, and while she elbows one in the face, the other grabs her arm and restrains her. As Jax tries to help, three more shadows appear around him and grapple him in the same way.

With both of them restrained, Noob steps out of the shadows to face them fully.

"Who are you?" Jacqui growls "A deathly shadow. In life, I was called Bi-Han" Noob says in a whispy tone "And I should know who that is?" Jacqui questions "The first Sub-Zero. Scorpion ripped out his spine. Left it in a heap upstairs, in Shang Tsung's old throne room" Jax explains

"An event the New Era will wipe from history" Noob says.

"Hang on, Jacqui. I got this" Jax said.

Jax struggles with the shadow clones for a moment, bringing the one on his left in front of him. He headbutts it so hard that it instantly dissipates into nothing. With his free hand, he punches the shadow on his left and then throws it to the ground, throwing the shadow grappling him from behind at the same time. He slams his metallic arms onto each of the shadows, destroying them.

Jacqui struggles to break free from the shadows gripping her,

but she is unable to do so. Knowing that Noob is the one

controlling them, Jax walks over to face him down.

"Ermac was weak. He took your arms but did not finish you" Noob hissed "Got that right. I'm just that tough" said Jax

They fight. Noob Saibot's powers over darkness and shadows would overpower any normal human, but Jax has faced down tougher odds before. With the help of his cybernetic arms, he manages to take the fight to the former Bi-Han, eventually leaving him down and out on the ground.

"Guess Ermac's not the only one who's weak" Jax taunted

As Saibot falls unconscious, the shadow clones that Jacqui continues to fight against all dissolve into thin air. Jax walks over to her.

"C'mon. Let's get that thing and get outta here" said Jax

Jax and Jacqui walk over to the Well of Souls. Jacqui nervously approaches the crown that hovers above its surface. She slowly brings her hands up, but just before she can grab the crown, an older male voice calls out across the cavern.

"Jacqui, wait"

The lone figure stays in the shadows of Goro's lair, but he brings a lit cigar to his lips, taking a long smoke before throwing it aside. He then steps into the light... revealing

himself to be Jax - the older Jax, and one who looks radically different from the one seen earlier in the story.

He no longer wears military gear or farming clothes. Instead he wears a shirt of blue and trousers of white, held by a belt of golden, elegant design. His cybernetic arms look radically different, and would almost pass for human were they not showing open machinery where the elbow and wrist joints connect. His face shows utter despair all over it.

The younger Jax stares at his older self, completely nonplussed, while Jacqui looks at him with mounting horror.

"Mind. Blown" said past Jax "Dad? How'd you get here?" Jacqui said as she walks over to him, Young Jax's confusion turns to anger, as he realises the answer to her question "I'll give you one guess" he points out "Dad, your--" she looks down at his new arms "--your arms! Those look like Kronika's design! What are you doing?" she asks shocked.

Jax brings his hands up, forming them into fists. He closes his eyes, trying his hardest not to break down, then opens them again, looking his daughter straight in the eye.

"Giving you the life you deserve" Jax says as he brings his fists to his side "By destroying the universe?" past Jax questioned him annoyed. Jax glances at his younger self for a moment "Restarting it, not destroying it" he said then he looks back at Jacqui "Being a revenant. The years I lost, the things I did. Your Ma held me together. But I was never the father you needed" he said trying to convince her "You're talking nonsense, man! You raised a fine daughter. She's one helluva soldier" past Jax said praising Jacqui "She shouldn't have been a soldier! I never wanted you out there, taking those risks" Jax said. He places his hands on his daughter's shoulders "If I hadn't fallen apart, you wouldn't have felt the need to enlist" he said

Looking heartbroken at his words, Jacqui pushes her father's arms away and steps backward "That's not why I do this, Dad!" she shouts. Jax holds out his hand "Please! Give that crown to me. I don't want to hurt anybody" he pleaded "This is seriously messed up..." Jaqui whispered. Before she can even contemplate doing anything, past Jax places a hand on her shoulder.

"Hang back, kid. I know I wouldn't want to fight my Dad" pas Jax said as he gently pushes her back and walks over to confront his older self "How bout we keep this between me, myself and I? Never thought I'd stoop so low"

"You don't know how bad it gets! Losing your arms was just the beginning! we lost...we lose (Name) all because we couldnt protect her! she was only a kid! the world shouldnt have been on her shoulders!" Jax shouts with dispare in his voice "She did it beccause she cared about us! we were her family! she was like a daughter to us! I know you suffered. You still do. But you don't betray your unit, and you SURE as hell don't betray your family!" past Jax shouts

They fight. With his strength and skill enhanced with Kronika's magi-tech, one might assume the elder Jax would have the upper hand against his younger and more inexperienced self. But for all of his strength, Jax's heart is not in the battle, allowing his younger self to take advantage of his hesitance and despair. After a fierce exchange, past Jax manages to knock out his older counterpart.

"There's gotta be a way to make this right" past Jax said.

With the battle over, Jacqui runs over to her dad and checks his pulse "He's out, but he'll recover" she said then she looks back to past Jax "How're you?" she asked "Trippin'. You?" he replied "Ditto" She looks down at her father, then back at past Jax "We can't leave him. Let's get him and the crown out of here.

The scene cuts to the Kourtyard. Jacqui and past Jax hold Jax between them, supporting him as he struggles to walk. He doesn't even attempt to fight them, his will to do so being completely

sapped.

"If I never come back here, it'll be too soon" past Jax commented "I heard that"Jacqui replied. past Jax looked down "your dad was right about one thing" Jacqui looked to him "what?" she asked then past Jax looked at her with sad eyes "(Name) was just a kid. she shouldnt of had to have had the world on her shoulders..."

A rumbling sound and a glow of light from the heavens catches their attention. Jacqui and Jax cover their eyes as the light continues to brighten - and in that light is the outline of the Elder God Cetrion. "Mortals!" she says as she glides down from the sky, hands held aloft in almost a welcoming gesture.

"Surrender Kronika's crown and the elder Jackson Briggs. No harm will come to you" she commands "No deal" Jacqui calls out as she and past Jax set down Old Jax as gently as possible "We know you betrayed the Elder Gods, Cetrion" she says. Cetrion finishes her descent, hovering a few feet from the ground before them "Kronika must restore the balance that Raiden destroyed. Can you not see he is the devil in these matters?"

"At least he's the devil we know" past Jax says. Jaqcui looks to him "Can we take an Elder God?" "Cassie beat Shinnok" past Jax replies "Only because the Cages are born with crazy magic powers" "Maybe we have our own magic" he says as he glances down at Kronika's crown, sitting on a sidebelt on Jacqui's hip.

"Stand down, please. Resistance only ensures your suffering" Cetrion demands.

Jacqui takes the crown in her hands "I can't let you d--" "I'm not discussing it" Jacqui says cutting off past Jax.

She puts it on her head before Jax can stop her. She closes her eyes in concentration as the power of untold amounts of souls focuses itself on her being. However, it only takes a moment for her to open her eyes again. She walks toward Cetrion.

"Your mind is too frail to wield Kronika's weapon. For your own safety, remove it!" says Cetrion. Jacqui visibly strains to walk forward, proving at least some truth in Cetrion's words. Nonetheless, she refuses to back down.

"It's not time for safety. It's time for action"

They fight. Although powered up by the magic of Kronika's crown, Jacqui ends up facing her most difficult opponent yet. Cetrion's powers are infinite and immense, but the word "quit" is not in Jacqui's vocabulary. She takes the fight to the Elder God and

manages to just barely knock her to the ground.

"Eat your heart out, Cassie Cage"

She tries to remove the crown, but struggles in doing so. past Jax runs over and grabs the crown in both hands. Together, they yank it off Jacqui's head. Cetrion brings herself up one knee, glaring menacingly at Jax and Jacqui.

"You were warned! Mere mortals cannot control the crown. I did not wish to harm you. But now you have forced my hand" Cetrion shouts

She raises her hand into the air. It glows for a moment as a blue mist surrounds it, then she slams it down on the ground. Instantly, the stone tiles beneath Jax and Jacqui begin to crack and tear, suffering the full effects of an earthquake. They both struggle to remain upright as the ground around them starts to shift apart.

Jacqui falls over and then a chasm opens underneath her. She falls before Jax can catch her, but she grabs onto a ledge in the ground, narrowly avoiding dropping further to her doom. She is too far away for Jax to pull her back up though, and

her grip starts to falter.

The elder Jax brings himself back to his feet as the younger Jax looks down the chasm, panic wrought on his face. Cetrion looks on dispassionately. Old Jax looks at Cetrion with uncertainty for a moment, but does not try to stop her. Young Jax turns back to Cetrion.

"The hell're you doing?!" past Jax yelled "Give me the crown and I will spare her" Cetrion demanded "Don't! Don't give it to her! GO!!" Jacqui shouted "Her life is in your hands" Cetrion stated.

Behind her, Old Jax begins to panic as much as his younger self is, though he still refuses to act against Cetrion. He instead addresses his younger self "Nobody here wants to hurt anyone. Now, please" He motions to the chasm that Jacqui is trapped in "Don't let this happen to our girl"

Young Jax looks down at the crown in his hands... and then down to Jacqui, who loses her grip with her right hand and is left clinging to the crevice with only her other hand "Dammit!" He curses as he throws the crown to his elder self, who catches it one handed. Old Jax turns to Cetrion "Now bring Jacqui back!" he shouts

Cetrion raises her hand again, blue mist again enveloping it. The ground is instantly restored to its previous level, bringing Jacqui back with it. She remains on her knees for a moment, catching her breath. Old Jax, nearly in tears at this point, looks to his daughter, who in turn looks utterly betrayed by his actions "Dad! How could you do this to me?!" she shouted "I'm not doing this TO you, Jacqui. I'm doing it FOR you!" he replied frustrated. He looks down, unable to even look his daughter in the eye

anymore "I love you"

He walks over to Cetrion, eyes closed in despair. Even the Elder Goddess looks somewhat saddened at the scene "Kronika awaits our return" she says as she raises her hand and a sand tornado envelopes her and the elder Jax. They teleport away in a swirl that dissipates in an instant. Jacqui remains on her knees, eyes closed in despair, but the younger Jax rushes over to her "C'mon. This fight isn't over" Jax said. Jacqui stands back up, and they both walk back toward the waiting ship.

The scene cuts to Kronika's Keep. The crown - now floating just above Cetrion's outstretched hands - is offered to Kronika. The keeper of time walks over to her daughter, while the elder Jax and revenants Kitana and Liu Kang look on "This will bring us our deliverance" says Kronika.

Kronika takes the crown in her hands, turning to look not toward Cetrion but Jax instead "Thank you... both of you" she says. While Cetrion smiles warmly, Jax seems conflicted at her words "I sense apprehension, Jackson Briggs" Kronika states

He looks behind him, toward the revenants "I'm not usually surrounded by so many friendly faces" he replies a little uneasy "We are unlikely allies, united for a common cause. Worry not" Kronika says her tone of voice changes in an instant, as she addresses the revenants, who walk over to her "Liu Kang, Kitana. Are the armies assembled?" she asks "They're en route. Kitana and I will see that they arrive as planned" Liu kang replies "Excellent"

"What about (Name)" Jax's voice cuts through bringing the attention of everyone to him "(Name)?" Kronika questions Cetrion floats forward "(Name), mother, she was the woman who the other elder god summoned years ago who died and then returned but was never sent back home and has resided in this universe longer than intended" she explained. Kronika thinks for a moment then remembers the woman from the dragon grotto "ah yes, (Name), once time is reset i will make it so that she never needed to enter our universe" Jax looks hurt slightly while Liu Kang clenches his fist and jaw as does Kung Lao "...she'll live a normal life? never fighting like she had to when she was 18?" he asked "I promise she will never hae to set foot in this universe ever again" Kronika replies. although the idea of living in a world where he never met the woman he saw as his daughter he believes that if she never left her universe she wouldnt have to go through so much pain. that she'd live a better life in her world.

Kronika places the crown on her head. The souls swirling around it all light up with an intense glow, but Kronika is not inhibited by the power she wields in the slightest. She remains serene as her sand powers gather around her "So many souls! So much time!" she says. She levitates into the air and looks to the heavens "As my strength gathers, the New Era draws ever closer!"

The scene cuts to the Shirai Ryu Fire Garden. Raiden and Cassie walk across a bridge toward the central area, deep in conversation "The report from Jacqueline Briggs...her father's actions have compromised our situation gravely." Raiden states "I know. I can't--" Cassie tries to say but she sighs, looking dejected "I can't believe he did this"

"Even if we locate her Keep, Kronika's power now likely exceeds the might of our combined forces" says Raiden. Cassie stops walking, unnoticed for a moment by Raiden "Maybe we should rethink using Shinnok's amulet" she says. These words stop Raiden in his tracks. He turns back to face her "We cannot, Cassandra Cage" Raiden states sternly "I've seen what you can do with it. You held off the entire Netherrealm army. You weren't even at full strength" Cassie says hoping to convince Raiden. Raiden places his hands on the edge of the bridge, deep in contemplation.

"I dare not risk the temptations of its dark power. Even now it calls to me..." Raiden says. Cassie walks over to him, but says nothing. Raiden closes his eyes for a moment, lost in thought... and when he reopens them, they flash red instead of their normal blue. It only lasts a split-second, and his eyes return to glowing electric-blue

as he gathers himself "Despite Kronika's advantages, we must attack as soon as we know the Keep's location" he states "It's been hours since we heard from the Grandmasters and (Name). What's the plan if they don't come back?" Cassie asks worried "They must, or else hope is lost" Raiden replies.

The scene cuts to a plane of the Netherrealm. In this part of Hell, a sea of blood crashes upon a rocky shoreline, amidst the carcass of a long dead sea creature. The camera pans across to show rocky outcroppings of land, along with what appear to be bulbous pores growing from the rocks themselves.

[zaunseye]

He stood at the precipice of the city depths, looking down upon the neon and population. The toes of his boots, still stained with droplets of his own blood, hung over the edge of the balcony he'd climbed over. His hands loosely gripped the railing from the outside, letting him hang at an angle over the roof. His heart wasn't even racing in preparation for what he planned to do.

It had been over twenty years since his last fissure run. He'd long since lost touch with the art of freerunning, but now that he was shimmerbound, he felt his muscles teeming with spryness and energy. His body remembered this feeling. It craved it.

Behind him, he heard the door tot he balcony open, and the heavy footsteps of one set of feet, followed by the light taps of another. He slowly looked back over his shoulder, seeing Flick, the huge and hulking bouncer of his bar, and Dustin, the lithe fool with a knife. Flick stepped forward, saying with measured calmness, "Sir? What are you doing?" He said nothing in return, simply staring with impatient curiosity. "It's late. Maybe we should head inside."

Looking back ahead, his eyes glossing over the city, Silco allowed a single huff of a laugh to escape him. "Do you know what I've discovered over the past nights, boys?"

He heard a befuddled grunt from Dustin behind him. "Risk is what keeps you alive in this world. Without it, you're just living a shadow of your life, dictated by expectations and old, complacent laws. Even if you believe yourself to be a rebel, you're still living by rules written in fear." His fingers began to loosen around the railing, hanging on only by his hooked fingers. "Risk... Now that is where freedom hides."

And he was going to feel that freedom. He knew this city by heart. He could do this. And so...

He let go.

Heading into a loose freefall, he angled his legs to slide down the roof's panels on his hip. Using the roof as a ramp, he launched himself back into the air, latching onto a support beam under a walkway. He swung from that beam to the next, then dropped down onto a slanted steel pipe. Boots ground hard against metal as he slid down the length of pipe, jumping off and landing on the railing of a walkway. He made eye contact with a woman a foot or so away from him, gave a smirk, then dropped off the railing into another freefall.

This time, he did a flip to land on his feet on top of a flat rooftop. He walked up to the edge to step off onto a steel girder, barely the width of his two feet together. Casually, he sauntered across the stretch of metal, his balance remaining impeccable in comparison to before the shimmerbonding. Despite his eye still having flawed vision, his body compensated excellently.

He remembered how he'd lost the ability to freerun after Vander's betrayal and the loss of his vision. It was a difficult adjustment, to lose so much mobility in one fell swoop. He'd mourned it through anger and resentment. Now that he was reborn again, he could finally reclaim that part of his life. The Weaker Man sank that much further into the depths of his mind.

Reaching the other side of the girder, he was left on top of a restaurant's outdoor seating. Without a care, he walked up to one of the tables and pulled out a chair to sit on, content with his travels thus far. Soon enough, a waiter came out to greet him. "May I help you, sir?"

"A drink. Strong," Silco answered, barely out of breath.

It had been a huge rush, and yet it felt like a morning stroll at the same time. His body remembered all the tricks, even after all this time. It wasn't so much relearning the art as returning home to it.

He took the drink presented to him, a potent bourbon, and sipped it down to warm his throat. There was a renewed sense of companionship with his city, now that he could engage with her the way so many others did. Yes, he was truly at home again, settling into his new power. Jinx had truly given him a gift that continued to impress, and he would use it to its fullest.

[mudg123]

Reincarnatio

The chopper crew watched the explosion mushroom. They were heading towards the explosion as part of a rescue mission. The pilot manoeuvred the chopper away from the debris field while scanning the area, looking for any likely threats and a safe place to land.

He said to his co-pilot, “I hope Theo wasn’t in that.”

∞∞∞

“Hello,”. a voice said near Theo. The effort to open his eyes and reply to the voice exhausted him. He waited in silence, gathering his strength and thoughts. Something was wrong. He guessed he was in the hospital, but could not remember what had happened. His vision was black and his arms and legs felt like cotton wool, and his throat felt tight. The thought of the damage to his body overwhelmed him. He allowed himself to sink back into the comforting darkness. The same voice said, “Rest for a while until you are ready to talk.”

∞∞∞

He spotted the big shed from the road after three hours of driving following the kidnapper’s clues, and they pointed to Milo, the kidnapped three-year-old boy, being held there. The isolated location offered no cover; so his arrival would not be a surprise. The child and his survival relied on his past military training. Milo’s parents were relying on him too, to bring home their little boy as they endured condemnation from the little town where they lived. They hired Theo to find their little boy, banking on his need for redemption. The media, parked outside their home, howled for their blood.

Inside the gloomy shed, he looked around, but it appeared empty except for the office-like room in the centre. He circled it, noting the only access was a metal door and a couple of small vents at the top of the wall. Back at the door, he called out to Milo, but there was no response. He tried the door, but it was solid and his basic lock-picking skills were not good enough for the sophisticated lock, nor was he able to access the door hinges to remove them. His next instinct, as a big guy, was brute strength to shoulder the door open, but it didn’t budge. He walked the perimeter of the shed, looking for anything he could climb on to assess the roof of the room for another means of entry. He dragged an empty oil drum back to the brick wall, climbing on it to examine the roof, but it was solid. The door was the only access; he got down from the oil drum. With all of his options exhausted, there was no alternative but to call for help.

Outside in the bright sunlight, he found a spot where he could get a weak signal on his mobile; he gave the police an update and a list of the equipment that would be required for the rescue. Back inside the shed, he sat outside the metal door, waiting. The town authorities had thrown all the town’s resources together for the search. They had nothing left, so they would need to ask for additional help to scale up a search of this type, and he had been specific about what needed to be sent. He had also requested an ambulance.

He continued to talk to the child he thought was in the locked room, even though there had been no response from when he arrived. The sound of a chopper in the distance was getting louder, coming towards them. He stood up and, as if by magic, the metal door opened inwards into the darkened room. Theo heard an indrawn breath, probably his own. He stepped over the threshold, calling to the child. A single light turned on, allowing him to assess the rest of the room; it was bare except for the chair in the centre facing the door. A small body with headphones on sat tied down in the chair. The child was not moving; he rushed forward, only to stop and stare at a dummy. While his brain processed the situation, he became conscious of a ticking. Too late, he turned back toward the door.

∞∞∞

Theo woke up. He was lying on his side, looking across at a camp. A gentle breeze wafted over his body while he registered that the sky wasn’t blue, even though it was daytime and there were no clouds. His mind was having difficulty making sense of what he was seeing. He retreated into himself, reliving what he could remember of the moments before the explosion. He knew he was dead.

His body rolled forward, rising fluidly, lifting off the ground, jolting him back to the present. He didn’t remember consciously wanting to get up. His body propelled itself up and away from the camp. He tried to close his eyes, but he couldn’t. He was flying. His body touched down lightly on a large boulder. And then sat down with a practised ruffle draping the enormous wings unhindered over the boulder.

He had huge spectacular wings, and he wanted to stand up and look at them. He tried to turn his head but couldn’t. He could feel his body, including the wings, but he had no control. He wanted to look at everything all at once, to look at the sky, at the camp, at where he was sitting. Instead, his whole body was facing a valley.

“Theo.” a voice said, “I know you can hear me. Just think about your words and I can hear you. We have some time now before you go.”

“Who are you? Where am I? Go? Go where?” Theo said in a rush.

There was a huff, and he felt his shoulders shrug and the magnificent wings resettle over the boulder. The voice said, “You can call me Mica and I am a guardian. Your guardian. And you are between cycles. This is not new to you and not your first time here.”

“Where is here?”

“Here is with me between your old cycle and the next.”

“A cycle? A lifetime?”

“Yes, one cycle finishes, and then a new one begins.”

“A new cycle? Back home?”

“Yes,”.

“Will I remember everything?”

“For those that have completed many cycles, sometimes a past cycle resonates so that parts come through into the new cycle. It is rare.”

“Ah,” Theo thought, “That explains a lot.”.

A horn blew, ringing out over the valley. The sound surprised Theo, but not the owner of the body. With a graceful push, the body rose from the boulder, extending the wings to fly back towards the camp.

The voice said, “It is time for you to go. You are not ready to go into battle with me. Rest now before you begin your next cycle.”

[philbridges]

Metal Roof Installing Foam And Ridge Cap

Phil walks you through how to measure for your foam and install the ridge cap for a metal roof. ⏱️⏱️Chapters⏱️⏱️00:00 Intro00:12 Need to measure for the ridge cap and foam00:50 Make a mark from the peak and pop a line01:05 Put your foam on the chalk line02:38 The ridge cap02:50 How you want to lap over the ridge cap03:30 You want to screw down both ends first03:50 That way you keep everything…

[zionisticbella]

I left my heart inside the jeepney

Months from the distant past, 

Taking me on a journey either alongside, 

Or amid familiar passengers whom 

I’ve known by their faces, 

Through routinary morning rides, 

With several new commuters

Who I call as strangers, 

Filling in unoccupied seats

In those parallel, glossy cushions. 

All aboard the public drive

Are people heading somewhere, 

In uniforms and civilian clothes, 

Clothing the bodies of men and women, 

Old and young alike. 

The local vehicle revs 

Into places that my feet have settled

And to those I long to explore, 

Passing by landmarks in the city:

Towers, eateries, and stalls, 

Nearby malls, parks that are lush and green, 

Never forget those century-old universities. 

Mr. Driver brings it to a halt, 

When one arrives at his destination, 

Through calling out his alias, 

As though the words 

‘Manong, sa tabi lang po’, and

‘Kuya, para po’

Are spells

To wake his attention, 

As others make knocks nonstop

On the wooden roof, 

And through eight-peso rattles

Against the metal handrails. 

In the middle of the trip, 

Each of us inside

Mind our own business; 

I leafed my notes for a quiz, 

While majority of those baggy peepers

Were glued to their mobile phones, 

As what I call their 

“Own little worlds,”

And I wondered the struggles fought

Or the stories untold 

Behind the busy road’s madness. 

My customary roundabouts

From school to home routes

Of jeepneys I had ridden 

Is what my heart truly misses and craves

Every single day, 

With the hope to bring back

The good times of yesteryear, 

Shrugging off post-lecture grogginess, 

Heavy traffic jams, 

Honking horns, 

Late-night trips, 

And rush hours. 

I left my heart inside the jeepney

Months from the distant past, 

Unaware of the fact that 

That last jeepney ride was missed at last. 

jeepney ride sentiments

[bootyyyyshaker900]

❤️💙💛💚💜

❤️- A happy memory that makes them smile

Three stood, mourning, among the shredded remains of its beautiful silken purple jacket, sacrificed for the greater good.

"Alas - the classic tale of a well meaning loner who just couldn't fit in with a band of well-dressed crooks."

It clenches its fist for dramatic effect, and a hand reaches to grab its shoulder.

 "That's OK, Donnie - you'll always be in the April O'neil Dorky Pals for Life club" 

It smiled, turning its - his - head to look at her.

 "Thanks, April."

 "No matter how stupid you dress."

OK. That kind of ruined the moment, and Three’s face drops to a deadpan to reflect that.

They can hear sirens approaching, and quickly gather up their previously-stolen goods, April grabbing onto a handhold on Three’s battleshell as four metal arms extend to heave them up a fire escape and onto the roof away from prying eyes. To be safe, he ferries them a few blocks away before letting April down and beginning to sort out his things.

April gathers S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. in her arms, scratching his head to which he lets out a pleased beep, and levels Donatello with a look.

“You know, there’s another club out there that would be happy to have you.”

Three looks up at her from his seat on the ground, tilting his head curiously. She continues,

“The guys really want you to come home.”

Oh. No, she couldn’t be right about that, and Three scratches at the wrapped coverings over his forearms through his sweater. He had tried to- he had succeeded in releasing The Shredder onto New York City, preferably the world, to wipe out all humans, including April herself. He had directly contributed to Two and Four- to Leo and Michael’s captivity, and Lou Jitsu-.

No, certainly not, he had work to do, anyway. It had to locate Barron Draxum, and Huginn and Muninn. It had a place where it belonged, and though that place didn’t really exist anymore, it could find it. It could. It had to.

April’s hands gripped its forearms and looked at it, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. pressed against its side.

“They want you to come home, Dee. I want you to come home. Raph, Pops, Mikey, and Leo. We’re all worried about you out here. You’re our brother.”

Blankly, it peered up at her, then at the electronics surrounding them. It was most of what he owned, only a few non-mobile devices that couldn’t be remotely stolen remaining at his hideout. It would be a pinch to grab them and bring them home. Home.

“Okay.”

💙- A sad memory that makes them cry

His brothers were so, so, so, STUPID! A pigeon with a slice of pizza - that’s what had distracted the three of them from their mission! A trashy surface bird with trashy human garbage, distracted not just Raph, but then ‘Nardo, and then Michael! They hadn’t even gotten a good picture of it for all their useless time-wasting!

The Purple Dragons would have their ultraprocessor, and who knows what damage they would do with it, all because of a stupid bird!

“-like DUMB DUMBS!”

He threw whatever was on the table - a box of crayons whose contents now sprinkled the floor, and stomped away with hot tears in his eyes. Dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb!!

💛- A memory that makes them feel angry

“Oh papa~! If you surrender now, there shan’t be any consequences~!”

Hung out the side of their newly finished Turtle Tank, Three clasped his hands and batted his eyes earnestly. He’d been practicing his manipulation tactics with Michael, though with the bloody rage pounding in his ears he wasn’t sure how effective his sweet voice was.

Who steals a car? Who steals HIS car? Who steals his new son’s newly built car that he was ABOUT to show off to his brothers, to show them how excellent of a team member he was, after he had spent MONTHS planning, designing, tearing apart, improving, upgrading, and equipping that blasted moon buggy?

There was no response from the truck Splinter was hunkered down in, and Three scowled.

Fine, Leo would agree with him that one missile still constituted as only semi-lethal.

💚- A memory that makes them feel guilty

It didn’t expect the integration to go perfectly smoothly, of course it didn’t. How could it? It wasn’t used to cohabitation, if it was needed it was usually summoned. Its workshop was too messy for the Barron to bother picking through it, and Huginn and Muninn would deliver its meals when it was too busy to pick it up itself. Isolation was its closest friend, it had plenty of experience in keeping itself company.

It did not have experience in three brothers and one rat father (who left it behind why did you leave it behind dad why didn’t you come find it why do you want it now and not before?) who would let themselves into its workshop several times a day to bother it for any number of reasons. They touched its things and broke it out of his focus, they complained about the loud music, about the mess, about its eating and drinking habits, about rest and something they broke and wanted it to fix, and to top it off they wouldn’t stop touching it, it didn’t understand why they all had to be so touchy.

A hand on its head, its shoulder, its wrist, nudging its foot, an arm around it, it was like they were nailing metal spikes into its brain and everywhere they grabbed, until it hissed and snapped and bit one of them hard enough to break their tougher mutant skin.

💜- A memory about one of their loved ones, happy or sad

Sound thrummed in Three’s ears, pounding loud enough to hurt and bleed and thrash and put pressure all around its mind, compressing and distilling it into the pure thought and focus its task required of him. It couldn’t hear the Barron, the pounding on its metal door, couldn’t hear itself think, or the shouts from shadows behind it. It was exactly as it liked it, though admittedly its focus was currently split.

Not split enough to impede the quality of its craft, it’d never spare enough focus for that, but it was enough as its eyes flitted back to one of the monitors in its  workshop.

The screen displayed a battle arena, crowds of hundreds of yokai screaming from their seats, blood draining into the sand of the field. A turtle, somewhat shorter but less wirey than itself, was perched on a column with a chained weapon in his grip.

Three squealed and cheered as the orange masked turtle send out the ball of mystic flame at the end of the chain, wrapping up his opponent and hauling them into the air before slamming them back down with a mighty crunch.

There it was -- There Four was, wielding the gift Three had sent him along with a piece of fanmail. Four was Three’s favourite fighter, the undefeated Battle Nexus champion, best fighter to ever be seen coming out of Big Mama’s ring alive.

It can’t help the scream it gives in excitement, spinning in its chair with a loud laugh drowned out by his soundtrack. This meant he liked it- Four liked its gift, found it useful and deadly enough to use, and now they matched! Four, and Three, and Two, separated but all wielding mystic weapons forged in a set. Only one remained in the armoury, and Three was certain that it would be able to hunt down its rightful wielder in good time.

[sege-h]

!!

With every “!!” i get, I’ll introduce you to an OC!                         

Ashen ‘Sharp’ the Wolf!

He ran away from home after a falling out with his friends-they’d been the only distractions from his home life with uncaring parents that cared more for raising  a successor than they were in raising a child. His friendships coming undone was the last straw. He threw away his family name and gave himself a new one, wanting to get rid of anything that had to do with his family

He spent a few years out in the wilderness, occasionally passing through towns for supplies, but never sticking around for fear of someone trying to take him back home.

He slowly grew bitter and resentful throughout these years. He started out hoping that someone would see what he was going through, and that he’d find someone that’d treat him like he imagined a family was supposed to be like

And he came out bitter, feeling like everyone was out for themselves. Everyone was happy to praise those that called themselves heroes, but wouldn’t take the time of their day to help out in the world around them. Even towards himself- he felt like he was too far gone from the child he used to be for anyone to ever want him.

It wasn’t long before he joined Eggman- both to prove that he was turning his back on the world, and because a bed and a roof in one of the bases of a madman was better than nothing. And in the wake of the events of Forces, it gave him the means to attack his home town and destroy his old family home.

He accepted to be subject to one of the doctor’s experiments, seeing it as something that’d give him a weapon that was part of him and could never get knocked out of his hands. Much later in his story, he’d find out that this was the budding idea of the metal virus- a prototype as Eggman was figuring out how to turn flesh into metal that still retained it’s mobility.

Ash is a very angry and loud individual- he lashes out as a means to keep people away from himself. Deep down, it’s more out of fear than anger. Nobody can hurt him if they’d rather stay away from him. It’s a lonely life, but he figures it’s for the best and would rather ignore that feeling. After all, no one would want him anyway, so what’s the point in reaching out to them?

[roadhomewebsite]

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[philbridges]

Metal Roof Stove Pipe Flashing

Metal Roof Stove Pipe Flashing

To be able to hear him turn on CC. Here’s another example of cutting around penetrations in a metal roof. I know the audio is bad in places, but hang with us. You can see what he’s doing, and I am including a transcript of what he’s saying. ⏱️⏱️Chapters⏱️⏱️00:00 Intro00:22 We have a heater vent flashing00:32 Pulled the rain collar up01:22 Have to cut a sheet to cover the edge and lap over02:12…