#the grant clan

[sarahsmi13s]

Pink, Blue, Navy True

pairing: jake ‘hangman’ seresin x sarah grant (fem!oc)

characters: jake seresin, sarah grant, the bradshaws (hlg), the grants and seresins, the entire dagger squad (include cyclone, warlock, and maverick), penny and amelia benjamin, random students of sarah’s, dr. mallard (oc)

warnings: language, pregnancy, deployments, talks of death, talks of cannon dangers, fluffy hangman, doctors appointments, gender reveal, i believe that’s it

word count: ~8.2k

a/n:  this story is inspired by ‘His Little Girl’ (bradley bradshaw x reader) by the lovely @roosterscockpit​​  ( @milesdickpic​ ) and characters from this story are mentioned. also, yes, the oc is based on me lol (well a fantasy version lol)

here is the pinterest board for this part ---> seresin twins

this is part 7 in the j and s series ---> found here

loose summary: just before jake and sarah found out the gender of their twins, jake is told he’s being deployed and that he might not be home for the twins birth. but they press on as if everything is okay and surprise everyone with not one but two new editions

***********

Jake’s alarm went off, pulling him out of his dream.

“Shhhhh,” he threw his free arm behind him and turned off the annoying old piano alarm sound.

Bringing the arm back, he placed his hand on Sarah’s baby bump. Being pregnant with twins had her looking a little further along than she was, but Jake loved the bump so he wasn’t complaining.

He really didn’t want to get up. He was comfortable and cozy with Sarah all cuddled up into his side. Jake also didn’t want to wake her up. She’s been having trouble falling asleep since being in the second trimester.

There was a likely chance she’s only been asleep for maybe an hour, if that. But Jake had to get up to get ready for work.

He turned back over, grabbing his phone to check the time. 04:00. He could spare 30 more minutes, he didn’t need to be up until 5.

Turning back to Sarah, Jake pressed a kiss to her forehead. She hummed contently in her sleep, snuggling into him a little more.

He smiled to himself and looked up at the ceiling, his hand resting on the bare skin of Sarah’s stomach.

****

Sarah’s eyes fluttered open as Jake pressed kisses to her eyelids.

She smiled sleepily, her eyes meeting his, “G’mornin’.” “Mornin’ Sweetheart,” Jake smiled at her, pushing some hair out of her face.

“Are you leaving for work?” She asked, her neck tilting back to look at him. He shook his head, “No, not yet. I just wanted to let you know I was about to get ready.” She hummed and kissed his lips, “Okay baby.”

Jake kissed her forehead and got out of bed, giving her his pillow to snuggle with.

Sarah giggles a little, getting comfortable with the pillow, “It’s not the same, but it’ll do.” Jake laughed, “Get some sleep, I’ll wake you up before I leave.” “Don’t need to tell me twice, you’re little trouble makers are wrestling at the worst hours.” Jake laughed again, “Hey, we were both athletes – don’t blame their athleticism on just me.”

She rolled her eyes at him and shooed him, “Get dressed, you big oaf.”

Jake went to the shower and Sarah let her eyes shut again.

****

It didn’t take long for the twins to start kickboxing again and pull Sarah out of her sleep.

She went to get up, but Jake walked out of the bathroom in just his boxer briefs drying his hair with a towel.

He turned to his drawer of undershirts.

“Mmm mmm mmm,” Sarah hummed, smirking as she propped her head up. Jake whipped around, “What are you doing up?” “Our kickboxers started a new match,” she groaned and stretched, rolling onto her back. She made grabby hands at Jake and he chuckled, grabbing her hands and helping her out of the bed.

When he had her standing, he knelt down. “Hey you two, you need to give your mama a break. She needs her sleep so she doesn’t strangle daddy because he chews too loud.”

Sarah scoffed, feigning offense as she shoved his shoulder, “I would never strangle you. May have the occasional urge to stab you with a fork - but never strangle you.”

He pointed back at her bump, “You’re makin’ mama violent.”

Jake stood up and kissed Sarah’s hairline, “I love you.” She smiled up at him, “I love you too.” She moved past him and towards the bathroom.

He turned back and went back to his drawer.

She turned to say something but forgot what it was the moment her eyes landed on Jake. “Do you understand how unfair it is that not only are you super attractive and have perfect teeth, but how nice your ass is?” Jake stood up, “Thank you?” “It’s frustrating that my fiancé has a better ass than I do.”

He gave her a look, “Darlin’, my ass isn’t better than yours.” “You’re just sayin’ that,” she threw him a teasing smile and finished her trek to the bathroom.

****

Once Sarah got dressed, she went downstairs to the kitchen.

Jake was standing by the sink, cutting strawberries as the microwave hummed. He was listening to some history podcast while humming ‘American Pie’ and swaying back and forth.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, “And they were singing ‘bye, bye, Miss American Pie. Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry. And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye. Singing, "This'll be the day that I die". This will be the day that I die.”

Jake smiled to himself when she sang, sitting the small knife down and turning in her arms. He wrapped his arms over her shoulders and rested his head on top of hers. “It’s too early, Jake.” He chuckled and looked at the kitchen clock, “Sugar, it’s 05:20. You start getting ready at 05:30.”

“Exactly, I’m already dressed for the day and you’re still home,” she yawns a little bit. “I’m gonna need a nap at some point today.” Jake laughs, “I’m sure Mrs. Hapler will lend us her couch.” “Us?” He looked down at her, “Yeah, we’re doing lunch today, remember?”

Sarah blinked, brows pulling together before her mouth dropped in realization, “Oh, right. I’m sorry. Baby brain.” He smiled at her, shaking his head, “It’s okay. Maybe I should have left it a surprise.” She hummed in amusement and pulled back, holding onto Jake’s hand.

Jake took this time to look her over.

“You’re glowing, Sugar. You look absolutely beautiful,” Jake reached out and twirled a loose piece of hair around his finger. She was in a simple green, knit cardigan with one of his older plain gray t-shirts, leggings, and some gray Vans.

She smiled at him, squeezing his hand in appreciation, “Thank you, Honey. But is too-” “Do you like the way you look in it?” She nodded. “Are you comfortable?” She nodded again. “Then it’s perfect.” She smiled at him again, “Thank you.” Jake nodded, “Anytime.”

“I’m gonna go check my bag and make sure I have everything. If I don’t do it now, I’ll forget to do it before I leave.” Jake nodded, smiling as he watched her waddle towards the hooks by the front door.

The microwave beeps, signaling to Jake that the oatmeal was finished.

He grabbed a pot holder and pulled out the hot ceramic. Reaching up he grabbed the peanut butter from the cabinet. He moved over beside the sink and reached for a spoon, only to be met by an empty basket.

“Hey Babe?” He called out. “Yeah?” “Are the dishes in the dishwasher clean?” He had his hand hovering over the handle as he waited for her response. “Uh, yeah, yeah I think so.” “Sweet.” He opens the dishwasher and takes out the silverware basket.

Sitting aside a spoon, he puts the rest of the silverware in its respective holder before placing the basket back in the dishwasher.

Once he finished that he used the spoon to get a hefty scoop of peanut butter and stirred it into the oatmeal. After it was stirred in thoroughly, he sprinkled in the strawberry pieces and mixed them in as well.

He grabs a mason jar off the top dishwasher drawer and pours orange juice in it.

“Okay, I have everything,” Sarah confirmed when she walked back into the kitchen. “That’s good,” Jake smiled and grabbed the breakfast, holding it out to her.

She arched her brow, “Whatcha got there?” “I made you breakfast.” She stopped in her tracks, looking down at the bowl and cup in her fiancé’s hand. “Wait, is that peanut butter oatmeal with strawberries?” She took the bowl in her hands as Jake nodded, “It is. I bought the strawberries yesterday.”

Taking a bite made her eyes tear up, “Jake… you didn’t have- strawberries aren’t even in season.” He sat the glass down, cupping her face, “I know, but these looked perfect and I know you’ve been craving them.” “You’re too good to me, Jake.”

He shook his head and planted a kiss on her forehead, “I’m just giving you what you deserve. You know, for putting up with me and our little MMA fighters down there.” Sarah let out a watery giggle, making Jake smile as he knelt down to be eye level with her stomach.

“Okay, Daddy has to go to work, don’t give your mom a hard time,” Jake placed a kiss on her bump before standing up. “I’ll see you at lunch, Sugar,” he kissed her lips, tasting the peanut butter. “I love you, Jake. Be safe, okay?” “Always am,” he kissed her again. “I love you too.”

****

Sarah checked her watch, “Okay, girls, bring it in!” The seventh graders jogged over to her. She clapped her hands together, “I know it’s only Monday, but I just want to make you all aware. I won’t be here on Friday. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment. Jake and I are going to find out the gender of little Seresin.”

All the girls lit up, jumping a little bit and giggling in excitement.

“June, call it up and you girls go get changed and get to lunch,” she laughed, putting her hand out and all the girls stacking their hands before June called it up and they went to the locker room.

****

By the time Sarah made it back to her classroom, Jake was already there.

“Hi, Lieutenant Seresin,” she teased a little. “Hi, pretty mama,” he teased right back, rolling her desk chair over to her. She laughed and shook her head but sat down anyway.

Jake rolled her back to her desk. “So, Mav ordered pizza for everyone and I managed to sneak out two cheese pizzas.” She arched her brow, “Two whole pizzas?” She opened one box, “How’d you manage that?” He shrugged, “I guess I’m just that good.”

He grabbed a piece and took a bite. “Jake, there is no way you snuck out with two pizza boxes around 11 aviators that have a scarily good sense of smell. And you definitely didn’t get past Phoenix, she knows everything.”

He laughed and held his hands up, “Okay, you got me there. But I did just grab the boxes and when they tried to protest, I told them it was for you. They know better than to stand in between a pregnant lady and her food.” Sarah hummed in amusement, grinning as she took a bite of pizza.

After they had their fill, Sarah pulled out a gallon zip lock and put the remaining pizza from the opened box in it before putting it in her mini fridge.

She dusted her hands off, “Looks like you can return the other pizza.” Jake scoffed, “Um no. I’ll swing by the house and put it in the fridge.” She laughed and shook her head, getting up to throw the empty box away. “No, Babe, I got it.” “Jake, I’m pregnant, not injured. I got it.” She kissed the side of his head and went out into the hall.

When she came back, Jake had turned off her room light, leaving her fairy lights on, and had sat down on the little reading couch that could fit two people – but only if they were sitting.

“Jake?” “I know it isn’t the most comfortable but Mrs. Hapler left early today. So, I figured if I was here, it’d be a little better.” She smiled at him, “It’s always better when you’re here.”

She got about 15 minutes of rest before students started coming in.

“Hey, Hangman,” one of the football players greeted. “Hey Johnny, how’s off season treating you?” They kept their voices hushed so they didn’t wake Sarah. “It’s okay.”

Johnny sat his bag down, “My mom was wondering if you guys knew the gender of the baby yet?” Jake shook his head, “We go on Friday to find out. And then we’ll have a reveal party on the 25th, I think.”

Johnny nodded and sat down, “That’s cool. What do you want the baby to be?” Jake shrugged, “I’ll be happy with either. But I have a feeling it’ll be a girl.” Maybe two, he thought to himself.

“You look like a girl dad, Hangman,” Ginny, one of the softball girls said when she came in and sat down across from Johnny. “But Coach gives me ‘boy mom’ vibes.” Jake shrugged, laughing a little as he checked the time.

He sighed and gently woke up his fiancé.

Sarah groaned and put her face in his neck. He chuckled, “Honey, come on. The bell’s ‘bout to ring.” She huffed and sat up, going to rub her eyes.

Jake grabbed her wrist, “No, you’ve got mascara on.” “Oh, right, thank you.” He kissed her ring, “No problem.” He stood first and helped her up as the rest of the class piled in.

He kissed her forehead, “I’ll see you at home, Sugar.” “See you at home, Lieutenant.” Jake grinned and gave her a hug, tucking her head under his chin. “Be safe,” Sarah mumbled into his chest. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head, “Always am.”

“I love you,” he gave her hand a gentle squeeze before grabbing the box and leaving. “I love you too,” she blew him a kiss and he caught it, shoving his hand into his flight suit pocket. “Saving that for luck,” he sent her a wink and was out the door.

****

Jake shut his truck door, locking it as he walked into base.

“Seresin!” Cyclone called for him as soon as he entered the door. “Yes sir?” “I need to speak with you in my office,” he crooked a finger for Jake to follow him.

Coyote, who was standing at the front desk, raised his brows, “What you do this time, Hangman?” Jake shrugged, frowning a little as he followed Cyclone into his office.

He shut the door and stood in front of the admiral’s desk. “Is everything alright, sir?”

Beau sighed as he looked up at Jake. “You’re being deployed, Lieutenant.”

Jake felt his stomach drop. He clenched and unclenched his fists, “How long?” Cyclone looked out the window, “I’m not sure. Could be anywhere from 9 weeks to 22 weeks.” Tears pricked the back of Jake’s eyes, “22 weeks?” “At the longest, yes.” Jake took a deep breath, trying not to cry at the possibility of not being there when the twins were born, “When do I leave?” “April 3rd. I’m sorry, Jake.” Jake just nodded. “You’re dismissed.”

He promptly left, going straight to the locker room and sitting against his locker. He pulled out the photo of him and Sarah on her graduation day and the sonogram photo from their last appointment.

She wasn’t going to take this well.

****

Jake trudged in the door, his boots feeling heavier than usual.

He put his things down by the door and untied his boots. He shook out his hands and took a deep breath.

He could hear Sarah in the kitchen singing along to Luke Combs’s ‘Lovin’ On You’.

Jake walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her. “Hi, Sugar.” She turned and kissed the side of his head, “Hi, Jakey. How was work?” He shrugged and buried his face into her neck, “It was work.”

Sarah furrowed her brow, reaching over to pause her playlist.

She rested her head back on Jake’s shoulder, “What happened?” He shook his head and planted a kiss on her shoulder, “Nothin’ happened.” “Jake…” He cleared his throat a little, standing up straight.

“I’m getting deployed.”

He felt her stiffen up. Sarah braced her hands on the counter, taking deep breaths, “When do you leave?” “The third of April.” She nodded, “How long?” “I’m not sure.”

She turned around, “You’re ‘not sure’? What do you mean not sure?” Jake ran a hand through his hair, “Cyclone didn’t really give me an exact time.” “What did he say?” “He said it could be anywhere from 9 weeks to 22 weeks…” He rushed to say.

Sarah arched a brow and leaned closer, “Come again?” He closed his eyes and hung his head, letting out a deep breath, “He said anywhere from 9 weeks to 22 weeks.” “That’s what I thought you said.” She took in a breath and walked away from him.

“You’re mad,” Jake stated. “You think? Yeah, I’m mad.” Jake pointed a finger at her, “You know I don’t control when I leave and how long I’m gone for.” She put her hands on her hips and huffed a breath out through her nose. “Sarah, you think I want to go to the middle of the damn ocean and be away from you!?” She stayed silent, tears making her nose burn.

“Do you think I want to run the risk of missing out on the twins' birth?” She crossed her arms and Jake felt a stab in his chest; she was closing herself off from him. “No, Jake, I know you don’t. But-” “But what?”

She swallowed and shook her head, “Nothing. Let me get back to cooking dinner, go get changed.”

She brushed by Jake and he gently curled his fingers around her bicep, “Sarah, don’t do this. Talk to me, please.” “Dinner will be ready in a little bit,” she tried to shake Jake’s hand off and he let go; but he grabbed her hand. “Sarah-”

“I’m scared, Jake.”

Tears slipped past her lids and Jake brought his free hand up to cup her cheek. “What are you scared of?” One of her hands ran over her bump, “Doing this alone.” Jake furrowed his brow, “You won’t be alone.” She gently held Jake’s face.

“I will be if you die.”

Jake shook his head, frowning, “But I won’t die.” She gave him a watery smile and shook her head, rubbing his cheekbones with her thumbs, “You and I both know you can’t promise that.”

Sarah dropped her hands and changed course, going out to the back deck. “Just give me a few minutes okay?” Jake swallowed and nodded, finally taking his cue to get changed.

****

He came back to see Sarah still on the deck in a chair, playing with her hands.

He felt terrible. He knows he can’t control when or where he goes, nor how long he’s gone. And he knows she understands that too. But that doesn’t make it any easier.

Jake knows to give her space, despite wanting to go out there and hold her for as long as he can; that’s not what she needs.

Seeing the ingredients on the counter, he decides to start making dinner.

By the time it’s finished, Sarah still hasn’t come back in and he debates going outside to tell her it’s ready.

As he’s contemplating, he misses the shuffle of the back door opening and closing. But he hears her voice.

“I’m sorry.”

His head shoots up and he nearly cries when he sees the blotchy red patches on her cheeks. He steps towards her, “Oh, Darlin’…”

She takes a deep breath before speaking again, “I know you can’t control these things and that every time you leave it’s just as hard for you. I knew that when we got together and I’ve handled it well throughout the years… This is your job, this is your dream, and you know I would never ask you to give that up.”

Jake just nods, not speaking yet to let her air out her thoughts.

“I’m not mad at you, Jake. I need you to know that. I just- I’m scared, I’m always scared when you leave. But this is different, I’m carrying our children this time. And I hate thinking that they may never get to meet you,” her hands were rubbing her bump again.

He steps even closer, but doesn’t touch her yet. “I’m scared too, Sarah. I’m scared every time, but I use it as fuel to get home. You know I’d fight through hell to get back to you, this time is no different.”

His hands cover hers, “But please don’t shut me out. I know you try to keep your concerns to yourself to protect yourself and to protect me and keep me from worrying but I’m gonna worry anyway.”

She nodded, “I know. I’m sorry.” He wrapped his arms around her, “I love you.” Her arms went around his neck, “I love you too.”

They held each other for a few minutes, just needing the comforting weight of the other.

“Let’s eat before it gets too cold.” She nodded, “Yeah, I’m starving.” Jake shook his head and chuckled, pressing a kiss to her head before pulling back to kiss her on the lips.

******

When Friday rolled around, Sarah and Jake were ready. They had left early to grab breakfast before going to the doctor.

“So,” Sarah started, sipping her orange juice. “Do you think we’re having two girls, a boy and a girl, or two boys?” Jake looked up at her from his french toast, having just shoved a bite into his mouth. She giggled, “Finish your bite then answer.”

She took a bite of her biscuits and gravy as Jake swallowed his bite to talk.

He wiped his mouth, “Well, as we know, I already thought the baby was a girl to begin with – I still think at least one of them is a girl. And if I know anything, it’s that I have a lot of sisters, so I’m thinking we’re gonna have two girls.”

Sarah nodded, “Okay okay, well we have one name-” She grabbed her phone to open her notes to type in names. “Finley Grace is a guarantee. But we don’t have another girl named lined up. Any suggestions?”

Jake taped his chin, “Hmmm, what was your memaw’s name?” “Mary Jane.” “Our girl would get teased relentlessly for that,” he chuckled a little while sipping his coffee.

He snapped his fingers, “Oh! What flower grew right outside her back door?” “There was a rose bush right under the living room window,” Sarah answered, bringing a bite up to her mouth before stopping and making eye contact with Jake. “Rosemary,” they said at the same time.

“Okay, do we want to do Rosemary Jane or another middle name?” Sarah asked as she took the bite off her fork. “I picked Finley’s middle name. This one is on you.” She groaned, “You know I can’t think of na- Wait, I got one.”

Jake looked at her, waiting for the name, “Well, you gonna tell me or do I have to guess?” She smiled, sipping her drink again. “Rosemary Jade.”

He tilted his head, “Why ‘Jade’?” Sarah smiled again, looking directly into Jake’s green eyes, “I just like the name.”

They finished breakfast and drove to the doctor’s office.

****

As he drove, Jake held Sarah’s hand.

“What if we have two boys?” He asked when they came to a stop at a red light. “We’ve only got Finnegan Michael.” She nodded, “I’ve got one.” “Lay it on me.” “Waylen Harper.”

Jake arched a brow, “Like Waylon Jennings, the singer?” “Yeah but spelled differently. ‘E-N’ instead of ‘O-N’. And Harper is after my grandpa on my mom’s side.” Jake smiled at her and kissed her knuckles, “I love it.”

****

Sarah laid back on the exam table, making a small noise of discomfort before lifting her shirt up.

Dr. Mallard rolled over, gel and ultrasound machine in hand. “We ready to find out the gender of these babies?” Both Sarah and Jake nodded as he grabbed Sarah’s hand.

“Are there any bets, I mean, hopes for a particular outcome?” Dr. Mallard asked as she spread the gel around. Jake chuckled, the squad definitely had bet money on it and he was sure the families had talked about it.

“Well, my co-workers actually do have bets with each other. But the thing is, only like two of our friends know we’re having twins. So their bets are kinda in vain, but I find it very amusing.” Sarah just shook her head, laughing at her fiancé.

She looked at Dr. Mallard, “We aren’t hoping for anything other than healthy babies.” She glanced at Jake, who was eyeing the monitor very closely. “Well, he’s really set on at least one of them being a girl.” “I’m telling you, Sugar, Seresin boys are the minority in the family. It’s bound to happen.”

Dr. Mallard arched a brow, chuckling amusedly at Jake before going back to check over the twins.

“He’s the only boy out of his siblings and if you look in his family tree the amount of girls is crazy,” Sarah explained as her eyes also scanned over the monitor. “Well, let’s find out shall we?”

Dr. Mallard found baby A and pointed, “Looks like baby A is a girl! Dad, you were right.” Jake smirked, giving Sarah a ‘told you so’ look. She just stuck her tongue out and turned back to her doctor, “What about baby B?” Dr. Mallard took a quick picture of baby A before moving around a little and finding baby B.

“Baby B is a boy! Congratulations Mom and Dad, you’re having one of each!” Dr. Mallard took another photo. “I’ll get these printed for you.” She handed Sarah a paper towel before exiting the room.

The midwife smiled at the two as she helped Jake get Sarah upright, “So, do you guys have names picked out?” The couple nodded, “We do.” “Finley for our girl,” Sarah said, stretching her back out a little bit. “And Finnegan for our boy,” Jake finished, applying a gentle pressure to Sarah’s back and massaging a little. “Those are adorable. Congratulations, you two. The doc should be back in just a moment with those photos.”

Once they got the sonograms, they headed out to get a late lunch.

****

Sitting in the booth seat of dinner, Sarah and Jake talked about party ideas.

They had already picked a date and set up the event. It was going to be on the 25th and at their place.

“Okay, so, do we want to go shopping tomorrow? You know for decorations and stuff?” Jake asked, tossing a fry in his mouth. Sarah nodded, “Yeah, we won’t really have time next week with the softball games and whatnot. So, let’s go over ideas tonight and then go shopping tomorrow.” Jake nodded, “Sounds good.”

They ate in silence for a bit before Jake watched Sarah’s eyes widen and a grin grow on her face.

He sat up straight and leaned away from the table, “I don’t know how to feel about that look. That’s your idea face and I never know what to expect with that.” She rolled her eyes, “Do you want to hear it or not?” He pretended to think about it, but he nodded, “Of course I do.”

“Let’s mess with Alyssa and Bradley a little bit.” Jake’s brows raised in amusement, “Oh I’m always down for messing with Bradshaw. Keep talking.” Sarah giggled and shook her head.

“We take them shopping with us tomorrow,” she began. Jake opened his mouth to interject, but Sarah held up a finger, “Hold on. Let me finish. We take them shopping, separately. I take Alyssa and you take Rooster. Lyss and I shop for blue, you and Brad shop for pink. That way, they each think they know the genders, but in reality they only know one. So, when the day comes, they’re still surprised along with everyone else.”

Jake’s eyes were wide but his face split into a devious smile, “I love it. How do you come up with these things?” Sarah shrugged, “I’m just that good.” She winked at him before sipping her drink.

He laughed, “Rooster is gonna be so smug, because he bet Maverick 100 bucks we were having a girl.” “It’s gonna be funny watching all of them realize they won’t be making any money.”

Jake just shook his head and laughed.

*******

The next day, Sarah and Jake took Bradley and Alyssa out to shop with them.

Sarah and Alyssa went to one store and Bradley and Jake went to another.

**** (sarah and alyssa)

“Okay, so, what all do we need to get?” Alyssa asked when they got to the store. Sarah pulled out her phone and waved it, “Got it all right here.”

They went in and grabbed a buggy. “They’ve got an entire aisle dedicated to baby parties,” Sarah said pointing in the direction of the aisle.

As they walked, Sarah turned to Alyssa, “Are Leia and Bradley doing a ‘daddy/daughter’ day?” Leia hadn’t come with them so she wasn’t sure if Leia had gone with Bradley and Jake.

“No, Brad and Jake went to do something today. I think he said something about wanting to look at boats? But Leia and Gunner are with Mav and Penny.” Sarah nodded, “Oh okay. Where did you tell Bradley we were going?” “Shopping, but I didn’t say what for.”

They got to the aisle and started grabbing decorations.

“Okay, we need pink and blue fairy lights, navy blue and dusty pink balloons, pink and blue cups, pink and blue straws. I think that’s it.” Alyssa nodded and they both grabbed a few of everything.

They looked at everything in the basket. “Is this enough?” Alyssa asked. “Yeah, it should be. Oh! I need tablecloths,” Sarah reached up and grabbed the off-white ones, dropping a few in the buggy. “Okay, I think we’re good in this aisle.”

Alyssa started to push the basket but stopped, “Wait how are you and Jake doing the big reveal?” Sarah tilted her head, “The fact we’re having twins or the gender of the twins?” “The gender.” “Oh, the smoke things.” Alyssa nodded, “Do they have them here?”

Sarah nodded and pointed right next to Alyssa, “They’re right there. Would you grab two?” “Yeah, sure. What color?” “Blue please.” Alyssa’s movements stopped, “Blue? You’re having- Oh my gosh! Bradley is gonna freak out when he finds out he lost.” “You can’t tell him yet. Jake doesn’t know.” Alyssa nodded, “My lips are sealed.”

“Okay, now we need to get some flowers for the center pieces, and cups and plates.”

**** (jake and bradley)

“So what did you tell Alyssa we were doing?” Jake asked Bradley as they pulled into the parking lot. Bradley undid his seat belt, “I told her we were looking at boats.”

They got out of Jake’s truck, “Boats?” “Yeah, Mav got his boating license and you have one too, so it wasn’t too hard for her to believe.” Jake shook his head and laughed.

“Okay do you know what we need to get?” Rooster asked as Jake grabbed a buggy. “Yes, Sarah sent me the list.

They went to the aisle.

“What do we need?” Bradley asked, looking up at the shelves. Jake checked his list, “Okay, she wants two packs of navy blue balloons, two packs of dusty pink balloons, three packs of white balloons, and three packs of gold balloons.”

Jake grabbed the pink and blue balloons and Rooster grabbed the white and gold balloons.

He checked his list again and the text Sarah had sent him to update the list. “Okay, three white tablecloths.” He grabbed them. “Next is…” Jake clicked his tongue as he read along in his head.

“Okay, Bradshaw, will you get five packs of those plastic champagne glasses that are on the next aisle?” Rooster nodded and jogged around the corner.

He came back and put them in the basket. “What now?” “Do you see the colored smoke thingies?” Jake asked, looking around. Bradley pointed, “Down there by your feet.”

Jake squatted down and looked at all of them. He picked one up, “Am I stupid or is the color not on here?” The color was staring him right in the face, and he knew that.

“Well-” “Actually don’t answer that,” Jake backtracked, turning the tube again. Bradley sighed and held his hand out, “Let me look.” Jake handed it to him.

Rooster turned it over, finding it immediately, “This one's pink. Says it right under the brand name.” He held the item back out to Jake. “Okay, sweet, just put it in the basket.” Bradley did and Jake held another one up, “This too.”

Checking the second, Bradley noticed that it was also pink and just dropped it in the basket without a further thought.

Jake stood and checked his phone, “Now we need-” His sentence was cut short by Bradley’s hand reaching for the smoke bombs, “Bradshaw what-” “TWO PINK ONES!”

Jake’s eyes widened in amusement and he laughed as he hushed Bradley, “Yes, two pinks one, you oaf. Now shut the hell up.” “You and Sarah are- Oh my gosh, Hangman you’re a fellow girl dad!! Holy shit!” Bradley clapped him on the shoulder. “Congrats man.” “Thanks Rooster.”

“Okay, we need to get a picture frame and two or three lengths of yard lights, and the good kind, not the shit kind. I also needed to get a cupcake tower and then Sarah wanted me to get something to wear. So we better get started.”

They started towards the picture frames, “Oh hey, don’t say anything about the gender. Sarah wants to be surprised.” “My beak is sealed.” “Did you really just call your mouth a beak?”

**** (sarah and alyssa)

“Hey, do you have an outfit yet?” Alyssa asked as Sarah looked at burlap flags and iron on letters. Sarah nodded, “Yeah, I ordered it about two weeks ago and it came in Wednesday.”

Sarah sat both the flags and the letters in the basket, “What about you?” Alyssa shook her head, “Not yet no. And now that I know the gender, it feels like I’m rigging the bets.” Both laughed.

“No one has to know that you know. It’ll be our little secret. Just try not to look too smug about it around your husband, okay?” Alyssa laughed, “No promises.”

They finished up at Hobby Lobby and then went to the mall.

When they got to the desired store, it didn’t take long for them to find the dresses.

“Oh my goodness, Lyss!” Sarah called from a rack of clearance items. “This dress is so cute!” Alyssa went over and looked at the dress.

She fanned out the skirt, “Oh no..” “‘Oh no’?” “I love it.” “Then why did you say ‘oh no’?” “Because I love it. Bradley’s fashion sense is rubbing off on me.” Sarah rolled her eyes and swatted Alyssa’s shoulder, “Oh hush. Go try it on!”

They went to the dressing room and Alyssa tried it on.

“Oh girl, we are about to be the cutest mama’s in the world at this party,” Sarah said when Alyssa stepped out. “Damn right,” Alyssa chuckled, smoothing the dress out. “I can’t believe I’m about to add more Hawaiian print to our closet.”

**** (jake and bradley)

“Shit, I still need an outfit,” Bradley realized as he and Jake looked for something for Jake to wear. Jake looked over and a bright ass Hawaiian print shirt caught his eye.

Jake went over and found it in Bradley’s size. “Here, wear this,” he held out the shirt. Bradley looked up from the shirt rack he was looking at and his eyes widened. “Wow, that is loud.” “Yes it is. Which is why you need it.”

Rooster rolled his eyes and flipped Jake off as the latter laughed. “Fuck off, Hangman,” he snatched the shirt.

He looked it over, genuinely beginning to consider it.

Jake’s jaw dropped, “You’re not serious.”

Bradley tapped his chin and then crossed his one arm over his chest. “I don’t have this color and it goes great with my skin tone.” “I was kidding!” Bradley grinned, “I’m gonna wear it.” Jake ran a hand down his face, “Oh my- I can’t with you.”

Jake turned his attention back to the rack he was previously at.

“Oh, this isn’t bad,” he pulled the shirt up to look at it. Bradley looked up at it, “There’s not pink OR blue in that.”

Rooster glanced around and found the shorts section, immediately spotting a pink pair.

He jogged over and grabbed them before going back over to Jake. “These are perfect.”

Bradley was grinning, hoping to see an embarrassed blush spread across Jake’s face. But there wasn’t one. “You think I’m scared to wear pink, Bradshaw?” Jake snatched the shorts, “You got the wrong size, ass.”

Rooster threw his arms up, “How was I supposed to know?”

******

The day was finally here.

The party was scheduled to start at 6 p.m. and the big reveal would be at 6:30.

Currently it was 1:30 and both the Seresins and the Grants were in the kitchen and all of the kids were in the backyard with the men. And since they wanted to keep their outfits clean, no one was dressed for the party yet.

Sarah walked into her kitchen, seeing Tilly mixing icing with food dye. “Hey, do you need any help?” The youngest Seresin shook her head, “Not at the moment but thank you.” Sarah nodded and put a hand on her belly., “Okay, well just let me know if you need any help. Jake and I really appreciate you making these cupcakes, Til.” Tilly just smiled and continued to mix the coloring in.

Sarah stepped out into the backyard.

Jake noticed her first, like always, “Hiya Sugar! Everything okay inside?” She nodded, “Oh yeah, everything’s great. Just needed some fresh air.”

Carter looked up from the table he was wiping down, “I thought Selena and them were gonna be here?” “Oh, Selena had surgery and she hasn’t been cleared for travel yet, but Lizzie is gonna FaceTime them when we get to the reveal.” Carter nodded and went back to wiping tables.

“Yeah, Addison and them won’t be here either. Wesley got sick and then Blakely started to show symptoms so they stayed home. KJ is gonna FaceTime them,” Jake said as he and Shawn strung up lights.

Sarah nodded and walked up to her fiancé, placing a palm on his hip to get him to come down from his ladder. He stepped down, “Yeah, Honey?” “Did you get ice?” He shook his head, “Not yet no. Dad and I were gonna go get it after we got the backyard set up.” She patted his hip, “Paisley and I can go get it. We need to go get the food and the candy. Why waste the gas?”

She got on her toes to whisper in his ear, “I need to get out of the house. I need to do something.” Jake pulled his head back and nodded, “Okay, if you’re sure.” “I’m very sure.” He kissed her forehead, “Alright, my wallet is on the hutch. And I’ll leave you the backdrop. We can do that together.” She kissed him, “Thank you, Baby.” “Of course, Sweets.”

Sarah grabbed Paisley and her nieces Reagan and Maisey and then went to the grocery store.

****

It was 5:30 and everyone had gotten dressed.

Sarah wore a blue floral dress with dusty pink vans, and she had a cardigan for if it got chilly. Jake wore a white patterned button down and pink shorts with navy blue vans.

Everyone else was wearing a color that corresponded with their guess.

They were currently getting the tables decorated with mason jar centerpieces, some blue with pink carnations and white baby’s breath, others clear with white, pink, and blue baby's breath. The guest tables had a strip of blue lights and pink light going down the middle. Balloons were strategically placed by Sarah’s sisters all over the backyard and the deck.

Jake and Shawn had strung up the lights across the yard and they looked gorgeous.

The food tables were getting filled. Sarah and Jake decided on finger foods to avoid the stress of cooking.

The dessert table was also in the process of filling up. They chose to have gummy sharks, gummy mermaid tails, mermaid tail suckers, rock candy, iced popcorn, and cupcakes (of course).

For drinks they had pink and blue punch for the kids, Sprite, a variety of other sodas in the coolers, and water. They also decided to not serve alcohol at the shower, but if someone wanted to bring their own they could.

The Sprite was for the champagne glasses, so if guests wanted to take a rock candy stick and put it in the drink they could.

****

At around 5:40, Sarah and Jake were setting up the backdrop when they heard a car pull in.

“I believe that’s Rooster,” Jake said, looking at his phone. “Yup, Rooster. Do you want them to come through the house or?” Sarah shook her head, “Just tell them to come around back and use the gate.”

Jake quickly sent the text and not 30 seconds later the Bradshaws walked through the gate.

“Uncle Jake!” Leia called and ran towards Jake, hugging him when he got off the step ladder. 

He picked her up, “Hey Vapor girl!” He looked at her outfit. “Pink huh? You think baby Seresin’s gonna be a girl?” “Well, Daddy’s wearing pink and I wanted to match him.” Sarah came over and placed a hand on her hip, “Is that so?” Leia nodded and pointed toward Rooster, “See.”

Sarah followed the girl’s finger and spotted Bradley in his Hawaiian shirt. 

She covered her mouth to hide the laugh, “Oh my that is bright.” “I know, I picked it,” Jake said with a smug grin. He set Leia down and all three walked over to Alyssa and Bradley.

“Hey guys,” they all shared hugs.

Daniel walked by, “I knew I should have worn my Hawaiian shirt.” Sarah shook her head, “Dad, no, just- no.” “Oh come on!” She shook her head again and laughed. “Bradley, Alyssa, this is my dad, Daniel. Dad, this is Jake’s wingman, Bradley and his wife Alyssa.” They shook hands, “It’s nice to meet you.” 

Daniel walked off at the call of his name and the group went back to talking.

“So, Lyss, I see you chose blue,” Jake said as he looked at her dress. “I did.” “Seems Leia betrayed you for Bradley,” Jake chuckled. “Nah, she’s just a daddy’s girl. Who could blame her? But Gunner chose blue, so I take pride in that fact.” 

Sarah tilted her head, “How did Gunner choose?” Leia spoke up, “I asked him ‘pink or blue’ and he barked when I said blue. Little traitor.” The group laughed and then Sarah and Jake introduced them to both families as they waited on everyone else.

****

When the squad showed up, it was nearly all at once.

Bob, Coyote, Halo, Fritz, Cyclone, Maverick, Penny, and Warlock, were all wearing some shade of blue.

Fanboy, Phoenix, Payback, Yale, Harvard, Omaha, Amelia, and Hondo, were all wearing a shade of pink.

Sarah and Jake introduced everyone shortly before beginning the party.

“Okay, before we start, Sarah and I just want to thank you all for coming out tonight. It means a lot to us,” Jake started. “It really does. And we’ve got yard games and other things like that. We’ve got food and drinks, plenty of deserts. So just have fun and in about 30 minutes we’ll have the big reveal, so if you’ve placed bets get your wallets ready,” Sarah said, making everyone chuckle at the end.

She noticed both Alyssa and Bradley’s knowing smirks and how Bradley looked at Mav and held out his hand. “Just pay up now, old man.” Mav scoffed, “Not a chance, Rooster.”

Sarah and Jake shared a look before shaking their heads and rolling their eyes.

****

About 30-35 minutes later, Addison and Selena were on FaceTime and Sarah and Jake were standing in front of the backdrop with two smoke bombs each.

“Okay, Paisley and Elizabeth are you recording?” Sarah asked, receiving a thumbs up from both. “Cool okay.”

Jake looked at a Coyote, “Machado, will you do the honor and light us up?” Javy got up quickly and caught the lighter tossed to him. He lit all four fuses before rushing back to his seat as Sarah and Jake held them above their heads.

It took a second, but soon the pink and blue smoke poured out of the tubes.

And everyone cheered, before becoming extremely confused.

Jake and Sarah laughed, kissing as they dropped their arms, the remaining smoke creating a curtain.

Bradley and Alyssa shared a look of silent realization, smacking each other on the arms. Holy shit…” Was the only thing Bradley could say.

Cyclone caught on pretty quickly, “Twins? Seresin’s having twins.” Everyone gasped shortly looking back at the couple that was embracing.

The couple felt everyone’s eyes and turned to them. “We’re having a boy and a girl!”

Everyone was quick to cheer once more, louder than the last time.

****

The rest of the night was filled with fun.

Jake and Sarah decided to go ahead and announce the name of the twins.

“Okay we’ve gotten a lot of questions about names, so we just want to tell all of you now. Our baby girl’s name is Finley Grace. Finley was all Sarah’s idea. But Grace is for my memaw,” Jake explained.

Sarah nodded, “And it rolls off the tongue easily so when she’s causing trouble I won’t be stumbling over words to get her attention.” Everyone chuckled at that.

She rubbed her bump, “Our baby boy’s name is Finnegan Michael.” Jake chuckled and wiped his mouth, “If I wasn’t named ‘Jake’, I would have been named Finnegan – it’s my ma’s maiden name.” “And if I was a boy my name would have been Leon Michael. So Jake and I decided to combine our ‘almost’ names to make a name,” Sarah added.

“At least we don’t have to come up with a nickname for both of them,” Payback commented. “Yeah, they’ll be known as ‘The Finn Twins’ if we have to refer to both of them,” Alyssa said, sipping her drink.

Fanboy sat up, “Wait, is that why there were mermaid tails and gummy sharks?”

Jake and Sarah shared a look, “Uh, yeah, sure.” “Uh-huh, yup, we definitely planned that.”

After more rounds of horseshoes and cornhole, people started to leave. It was around 8:30.

“Oh hey, before we start heading out, the mom and dad would like for you to sign around the sonograms of the Finn Twins. Pick blue or pink, it doesn’t matter. But this is essentially the guest book,” Phoenix announced to everyone at the request of Sarah.

****

By 10:30 everything was cleaned and people had left.

Sarah and Jake flopped on the bed after getting comfortable in pajamas.

“What a day,” Jake sighed, his eyelids getting heavier by the second. “You’re tellin’ me. I’m worn out,” Sarah said, yawning at the end.

Jake kissed her head, “You had a good time though, right?” She nodded, burying her face into his chest, “I did.”

It was silent and Jake began to wonder if Sarah had fallen asleep.

But she pressed a kiss to his jaw before speaking softly, “I can’t wait to raise these babies with you Jake.” Jake was too tired to hide the emotion that burned his throat and brought tears to his eyes.

He turned to face her, bringing a hand up to cup her face, “I can’t wait to build this family with you Sarah. I love you, so so much.” Sarah kissed his palm, “I love you, forever and ever.”

Jake smiled and kissed her, mumbling against her lips, “Amen.”

*******

The next week went by in a blur.

But it all stopped as Sarah and Jake stood at the docks.

He held her face, rubbing soothing circles over her blotchy cheeks and wishing he could wipe the dark purple bags from under her eyes.

“I’ll be back before you know it, okay?” She nodded, sniffling, but she didn’t trust her voice. “If the time comes, don’t try and wait. If they’re ready to come out, they’re ready to come out. I’ll get word on the ship.” She nodded again.

Jake wrapped her in a hug, feeling her try to stay calm. He rubbed her back and held the back of her head. “You’re gonna be okay. You’re gonna be okay.”

“I’m gonna miss you,” she finally sobbed into his neck. His arms wrapped around her tighter, “I’m gonna miss you too, Sweetheart.”

The ship’s horn sounded and they reluctantly pulled away.

They pulled each other into a searing goodbye kiss, “Give ‘em hell, Cowboy.” Jake pulled Sarah in again before finally stepping away, “I love you, Sarah.” “I love you too Jake.”

Jake finally turned away and walked toward the ramp. But he dropped his bags and sprinted towards Sarah.

He enveloped her in another hug and kissed her passionately again before lowering to a knee. “Daddy loves you both. He needs you both to know that. Be good for your mom, she’s very important to me.” He pressed two kisses to her stomach before standing.

Sarah smiled and held his face to press kisses all over it. “See you when you get home, my love.” “See you when I get home, Darlin’.”

************

thank you for being here! i hope this was enjoyable! and i also hope that you guys are excited for the next parts!

will jake miss the twins birth? will he miss their entire life? what do you think?

I do have a pinterest board set up for this, just to help me get into the vibe (one is to help with future parts, one is only for the current parts)

SO

if you want to check it out and get more of a feel for the dynamic going on---- you can click right --->   here

like mentioned in the last one, feedback is greatly appreciated!

and my asks are open, feel free to request what you would like to see next while i’m working on the next part!

tags <3: @milesdickpic​ @luckyladycreator2​​ @hotch-meeeeeuppppp​​

thank you my lovelies <33​

[parksrway]

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[nattikay]

[teaspeaks]

The beginning of the Dark Forest should have started with you.

[fallenclan]

i wasn't sure i was going to draw the last one but then i woke up this morning and watched the sun rise myself and was like "yknow what. they deserve this"

[cienie-isengardu]

Tomas & Liu Kang

I’m trying to put things into right perspective about Smoke, Liu Kang’s approach to Tomas and how pushed into background he was during story mode so bear with me while I’m connecting dots.

Also, to be clear, I’m not here to morally judge the characters, just to talk about the dissonance between Smoke vs Liu Kang intro dialogues and the story mode.

For one, the pre-fight dialogues imply that Tomas lost his family due to Liu Kang (Keeper of Time)’s choice: 

Smoke: "Did you intend for me to be orphaned?" Liu Kang: "Some threads must be cut to weave time’s fabric." 

and

Smoke: "I'm not sure I can forgive you." Liu Kang: "Being Keeper of Time meant making many hard choices."

When Tomas was orphaned, Kuai Liang & Bi-Han’s father adopted him and made one of Lin Kuei. If the accusation is true, then we can assume Liu Kang wanted Tomas to join Lin Kuei, as he did in the past timeline(s). So, in theory, Smoke for whatever reason was important enough for the Keeper of Time to get involved and steer events to get the wanted result. 

Which raises a question, why did Liu Kang not bother to recruit Tomas into Lin Kuei the same way he recruited Kung Lao, Raiden, Johnny Cage or Kenshi, by like, actually talking to him and taking for training? Or even why not just ask the befriended Grandmaster to take the boy (and Tomas' family) under his wings, which I think the man would do without further question.

Instead, Smoke was orphaned, taken in by Lin Kuei, adopted as son of Grandmaster and trained in magic to equalize his chances in the fight (in contrast, Bi-Han’s ice powers seems to be a natural part of him, related to specific bloodline).

Now, if Tomas was so important, if not in the greater scheme of things, then just for Liu Kang (and Kuai Liang), isn’t it weird, he is so sidelined and omitted by Fire Lord in the story mode?

Again, not judging characters, solely pointing out this choice of storyline, as this is especially visible during collecting the champions for the tournament arc.

In Chapter One, when the test was over and Liu Kang came to Kung Lao and Raiden to explain things, he specifically called only Bi-Han (the current Grandmaster) and Kuai Liang (Bi-Han’s blood-brother)

while Tomas was totally omitted and stayed behind with the rest unnamed Lin Kuei warriors.

Which, visually speaking, is weird, as just before that scene we could see Smoke walking alongside his adoptive brothers (with Bi-Han leading the group, Tomas and Kuai Liang walking a bit behind their leader, but before the unnamed warriors);

In the next chapter, again, only Bi-Han and Kuai Liang assisted Fire Lord in his quest to recruit Johnny Cage and Kenshi. Again, both Lin Kuei were addressed by their birth names, instead of codenames

while there is no information why Tomas was left behind. He likely was entrusted with escorting Kung Lao and Raiden to Shaolin Monks, yet the lack of proper mention emphasizes the pushing into the background.

We didn't learn officially Smoke's status as adopted brother of Kuai Liang and Bi-Han until Sub-Zero's chapter (#8). Unless I miss something, the first person on screen to actually address Smoke by his birth name was surprisingly Bi-Han.

Which makes even weirder the lack of including of Tomas from Liu Kang, as the Fire Lord and Smoke stayed allies through the story mode and intro dialogues (with some resentment on Tomas' side for death of his family) while the relationship between Bi-Han and Tomas was much more complicated to begin with.

We could make an argument that Liu Kang didn't want to antagonize Bi-Han by including adopted Tomas too much, however:

A) Bi-Han has never denied Tomas right to consider himself one of Grandmaster's sons - seen especially in Sub-Zero's speech pattern, as Sub-Zero always says just "Father", the same as Tomas and Kuai Liang, never putting emphasis on "my" as a reminder Smoke is adopted. The real conflict is not about whether Tomas is his and Kuai Liang's brother or not, but about him being a true Lin Kuei. What is also worth to keep in mind, any tension between brothers happened only in privacy (here and during the mission), never around Liu Kang.

(A similar thing can be noticed in intro dialogues. In Smoke vs Sub-Zero, Bi-Han specifically says "Because your blood is not Lin Kuei" however in Liu Kang vs Sub-Zero, when Fire Lord claims brothers (plural version!) miss him, Bi-Han doesn't correct his opponent about Tomas not being one. He instead says "Then they shouldn't have disobeyed my commands.")

B) Liu Kang did not show Bi-Han any special respect, especially not the kind of respect and friendship offered to Sindel and her husband, Jerrod. And yes, Fire Lord mentioned Bi-Han before Kuai Liang, and addressed him during the meeting before the mission (while the Sub-Zero's younger brothers - subordinates - stood together in silence)

but that basically it? Bi-Han didn't seem to be favored in any special way, I don't think he even was addressed as Grandmaster by Fire Lord at any moment in story mode.

Which is why I personally don't see why Liu Kang would omit Tomas solely to not hurt Bi-Han's ego or to not antagonize the man further - especially since Bi-Han himself didn't push the matter in any specific - openly - way nor didn't deny Tomas the right to consider himself one of Grandmaster's sons in the first place.

Frankly, as we don't see how Lin Kuei were informed about the upcoming meeting, we should ask, did Liu Kang call Bi-Han and specifically Smoke and Scorpion for the mission, or was that choice made solely by Sub-Zero? Because Lin Kuei for sure must have much more experienced warriors that Tomas (and Kuai Liang for that matter) but also sending on dangerous mission the Grandmaster AND the second* in line of succession seems impractical from the perspective of clan' inner safety.

*second and third, if Tomas was allowed at all to be the heir. Considering how neither Smoke nor Scorpion even for a moment considered that option and how Sektor & Cyrax would choose Bi-Han's corruption of the clan before accepting Kuai Liang as a new leader, the inner clan politics may not be so simple.

During the Lin Kuei mission (Sub-Zero's Band of Brothers Chapter) and during Bi-Han's betrayal (Scorpion's Civil War Chapter), the three brothers didn't address each other by codenames and as much as the situation allowed, freely interacted with each other.

However once Bi-Han is removed from the story mode, Smoke is even more pushed into the background. When asked, he will answer and make some (one?) observation however he barely interacted with other characters, mainly sticking to his brother. The most important exception is the scene when the heroes were wondering what to do after the big revelation and Tomas on his own talked about Lin Kuei and Bi-Han.

The story mode at that time was focused on other characters (like Mileena & Shang Tsung) so understandably, Lin Kuei brothers were put aside however even then Scorpion played a vital part, as it was Kuai Liang making the plan of attack, when Liu Kang wasn't around, while Tomas for most part was just there.

Again, no moral judging of characters just a mere observation how Tomas interacted the most freely with his brothers while was omitted by Liu Kang - and like, never(?) addressed by him in story mode, either by name or codename, even if the intro dialogues strongly imply Liu Kang was the one pushing Tomas into Lin Kuei in the first place.

Which makes an interesting contrast to Bi-Han & Smoke’s relationship but also shows how without intro dialogues, the relationship between Tomas and Liu Kang seems… non existing? I mean, even at the end of story mode, Liu Kang mentions Bi-Han

and his brother Kuai Liang building a new clan,

yet there is literally no mention of Tomas and his participation in the creation of Shirai Ryu and training its members (something confirmed in Scorpion and Smoke's endings).

Which only add to the weird feeling of alienating Tomas in story mode, not by Bi-Han but Liu Kang of all possible people?

[fabuloustrash05]

So according to TMNT's wiki, Chris Bradford is 33 years old.

That seems like a reasonable age for this martial arts celebrity, however when we get to season 4 we learn that Bradford had an action cartoon show in the 80's called Chris Bradford's 2 Ruff Krew. If he was still famous and also an adult in the 80's but is 33 in the series which takes place in the year 2012 (both airing and in universe), that would mean Bradford's show first aired in 1979, but that would also mean that was Bradford's birth year is 1979 because he's 33 (2012 - 33 = 1979)

So it's impossible for him to be 33 in the series and was a full grown man in the 80's when in truth he was a child during the 80's. Bradford would actually be in his 60's when he meets the Turtles!

1946 - birth year 1979 - 2 Ruff Crew first aired (33 years old) 2012 - Present day, fighting the Turtles (66 years old)

So with the writer's not thinking ahead and just making Mr T cartoon reference without thinking how this will affect the logic/timeline of the show, here's my headcanon! Bradford claims he's 33 when in truth he's actually 66. He's so in shape and healthy (also probably has done surgeries) that people don't question his age when he claims he's in his 30's, he doesn't want to lose his fame and career from old age so he is forever 33 and don't you dare tell him otherwise!

Bonus HC: Xever is the only one who knows Bradford's true age so he calls him "grandpa" whenever they're fighting as a form of blackmail. Like "yeah I know your dark secret and I'm gonna tell everyone if you don't shut up"

[zukkaoru]

sorry i'm thinking abt megumi's incessant desire to be the first to die vs. the narrative keeping him alive despite and how the most tragic ending for him is not actually dying, but being left behind. for megumi, the worst fate is living a long life

[neosatsuma]

I for one would be thrilled if the big bads were defeated through 1) the power of comedy and 2) the criminal justice system (randomly applied)

[viatrix-glow]

new di x warrior cats

name explanations and more info below :3

basic stuff

-each agency is a clan, not each unit. 14-15 clans would be silly and then we would have some clans with 5 cats and some with 2.

-starpro -> lightclan. i couldn’t call them “starclan” for obvious reasons. light is somewhat synonymous with star, so i’m going with that.

-cospro -> nightclan. i don’t think the cats in warriors know the word “cosmic”, but cosmic implies cosmos implies night sky, so we’re going with night

-rhyth lin -> rippleclan. ripple is sort of a synonym to rhythm….? this one was hard

-new di -> fortuneclan. this one is a stretch but neither “new” or “dimension” have synonyms that really fit a clan name. fortune is something that relates to multiple characters in new di though

-starclan still sort of exists, but the cats do not believe in them the way they do in warriors. they are more of a nursery tale than anything, and select cats (ex: tatsumi) believe in them, but it is not written into their code. medicine cats can still interpret signs, but they do not necessarily think of them as coming from starclan.

-medicine cat forbidden romance is not a thing here

-intermingling of clans is ok and common

-there’s like. other cats in their clans besides just the enstars cast i assume

cat names/why i chose them

fortuneclan:

knights

-tsukasa -> scarletstar (scarletblossom) . he is the leader of fortuneclan because he is one of the new di reps for the summits. both scarlet and blossom were chosen bc of his last name (scarlet is a red color… kinda similar to cherry…. and blossom for the cherry blossom).

-leo -> lionheart. ok this one is kind of cheating because lionheart is already an existing warrior, but…come on….

-izumi -> silverspring. sora describes his color as silver, and spring is in his first name

-ritsu -> frostmoon. his first name means cold moon according to the wiki so i just rehashed it

-naru -> goldenroar. since she doesn’t like her first name i didn’t want to use “storm”, and her last name can be read as “thunder” but that’s a little too close to storm? so golden for her hair and roar for her last name

switch

-natsume -> sageeye. a sage is similar to a wizard, and eye is in his first name . also the “dovesong” mentioned is wataru :)

-tsumugi -> bluewing. he is a bluebird. warrior cats probably wouldn’t straight up call a cat “bluebird” so i put wing there instead. deputy cause he’s the vp

-sora -> skyspring . sora means sky. spring is in his last name. i could have used “stream” instead to differentiate him from sena but i think spring is cuter

mam/df

-madara -> tawnystripe . tawny bc it’s like kind of close to calico if you squint. stripe(s) is in his last name

[mermaidsirennikita]

one of the reasons why I enjoy Ali Hazelwood's Bride is that after the hero gets the heroine off for the first time, he (a werewolf) tells her that she "smells like she just came" and she's like well I did so that's nice and he's like no you don't understand now I need to eat you out it's my culture

[sarahsmi13s]

Pregnancy Announcement- pt 2: The Grants

(gif not mine)

pairing: jake ‘hangman’ seresin x fem!oc

characters: jake seresin, fem!oc (sarah), the grants (sarah’s family)

warnings: language, marrige, pregnancy, fluffy domestic hangman, im sorry if I missed any

word count: 827

a/n: this is part 2 of a 3 part headcannon of Sarah and Jake telling there friends and family of their pregnancy. however they are keeping the twins a secret from everyone other than Alyssa and Rooster

this is the next part in this oc series, which is inspired by @roosterscockpit​​ ‘s ( @milesdickpic​ ) story ‘His Little Girl’ and yes the oc is based on me (but is mainly fantasy me lol)

*************

The day after the cookout, Sarah and Jake called up Sarah’s family.

They had sent her parents a puzzle for her mom to do, along with shirts that say ‘nana’ and ‘papa’. And a note that said 'don't open until we facetime’.

So, after sending a text to her siblings saying that they were going to do a ‘family FaceTime’, they got on Jake’s computer and called them.

“Hey guys!” Sarah smiled when everyone answered. Jake waved at the camera.

“Hey soon to be’s!” Sarah’s sister, Reba, greeted with a smile.

Everyone else greeted them right afterwards.

One of Sarah’s niece’s popped up on the screen, “Hey Aunt Sarah!” “Hi, Piper!” “I love you and I miss you!” “Oh, I love you and miss you too, Pipe.” 

She smiled at everyone, “We both miss you guys so much.” Jake wrapped his arm around Sarah, “We really wish we would’ve been able to make it down for Christmas but the weather just wasn’t wanting to work with us this year.” 

Sarah’s mom, Rebecca, just waved it off, “We understand. Though I wish we would have gotten to be there for the proposal.” Both nodded, “We wish you were to.” Jake chuckled, “I was actually going to propose at Bingo, like she got a bingo and I’d just drop down right there. But I think it was pretty special either way.”

Sarah’s oldest sister laughed, “Jake, we saw the video, the proposal was beautiful.” “Well, thank you Lizzie.” 

“Did everyone get their gifts? You all should have gotten two,” Sarah switched the subject. 

They had also sent shirts to her siblings, and their significant others, that said ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’ respectively, along with the same note.

Everyone gave their version of a ‘yes’.

“Does that mean we get to open the other one now?” Sarah’s brother, Shawn, asked with a chuckle.

Sarah nodded, laughing, “First I want Mom to open her puzzle and put it together.”

Becca grinned and opened the puzzle box and began to put the pieces together.

“While Mom is doing that, you guys can open yours, but don’t say anything until Mom does.” 

They did and Sarah and Jake watched on as they tried their best not to give anything away.

“Okay, finished…” A smile broke out on Becca’s face, “Oh my gosh.” 

Sarah’s dad, Daniel, slipped on his glasses to read it, “What is it?” 

“Dad, open the other box,” Selena said, smiling.

Dan did as instructed and opened the shirt box, pulling out the shirts.

“Okay, this doesn’t tell me what the puzzle is,” Dan said, looking back at the puzzle, reading the words out loud. “Baby Seresin due in Aug-”

He quickly looked at the shirts, seeing that one said, ‘nana’ and the other said ‘papa’.

Jake and Sarah laughed as it finally clicked for her father. “Surprise! We’re pregnant!” 

Cheers came out over the speakers, congratulations flowing out.

“We should have known, their shirts say mom and dad!” Sarah’s nephew, Raiden, pointed out. Everyone turned to look, “How did we not see that?”

They all laughed.

“Wait, how are you gonna get your dress fitted for the wedding in time?” Elizabeth asked, genuinely curious.

Sarah nodded, “We thought about that and since we plan to have the wedding in October, I’m going dress shopping after the baby’s born in August.” 

Reba furrowed her brows, “What about altercations?” “Oh, my friend Whitley is the home ec teacher and she said she do any alts I need for free.” 

“Oh that’s cool.” Sarah nodded, “Yeah, she also made these shirts.”

“So, you’re due in August?” Shawn clarified. “Yes, it should be around the beginning of August.” Jake confirmed.

“Do you have name’s picked out?” James, Reba’s husband, asked. Jake answered, “Yeah, if it’s a girl we plan on naming her Finley Grace.”

All of Sarah’s sisters and her sister-in-law ‘awed’ at the name.

“What if it’s a boy?” Dawson, Selena’s husband, asked. “Finnegan Michael,” Sarah answered.

“Those names are so cute.” “Thank you.”

They talked for a little longer, mostly catching up and talking about what they may think the baby will be like.

“So, you think the baby will wanna be a pilot like you Uncle Jake?” Sarah’s niece, Kylie, asked. Jake shrugged, “I don’t know. But if it does, then that’s okay. If it doesn’t, that’s okay too.” 

“Would you want the baby to be a pilot Aunt Sarah?” She shrugged, “Whatever makes the baby happy. But, I know whatever they do, they’ll put their all into it.”

They continued to talk before everyone had to go off and do their Sunday chores.

“We love y’all! And we’ll keep you guys as updated as we can,” Sarah said as they got ready to end the call. 

Everyone said their ‘goodbye’s and ‘i love you’s, throwing in one last ‘congrats’ before leaving one by one. Until it was just Sarah, Jake, and her parents.

“We’re so happy for both of you. Call us if you need anything.”

“We will Mom. I love you.” Dan opened his mouth. “I love you too Dad.”

They all laughed. “Bye, we love you!” “Bye honey, we love y’all too!”

*Call Ended*

Sarah huffed out a breath and looked up at Jake, “Your turn.”

****************

thank you so much for reading!! i hope this was enjoyable!

I do have a pinterest board set up for this, just to help me get into the vibe (one is to help with future parts, one is only for the current parts)

SO

if you want to check it out and get more of a feel for the dynamic going on---- you can click right --->   here

Like mentioned in the last one, feedback is greatly appreciated!

and my asks are open, feel free to request what you would like to see next while i’m working on the next part!

<3 <3 <3

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

[cestacruz]

FunFact: Nagao Kagetora may've also been a woman! some records claim that they were the aunt of Uesugi Kagekatsu. also some sources say he died of colon cancer, other sources say she died of ovarian cancer, and a few sources say they died from being stabbed in the bum from a toilet ninja (no, i'm not joking)

I LOVE the comedy of Kagetora's death

The way they keep making those jokes in GUDAGUDA

God bless

But i did not know that first part! Thats super interesting as well

Its truly funny when fgo does some "genderbend" (idk how else to call them, im sorry if theres a better term :( ) and it turns out there are theories that make you go "omg fgo might have been onto something"

[sirenicornio]

The blue eye shadow theory 😳💙

[jaedoesart]

Brick and Brutus are three years apart age wise and for some reason my brain was like "Haha, funny fact. Your OCs are not only strangely looking alike save for colors lmao but they are also three years apart in age."

Okay brain what's next? They magically have the same height? Same month of existing? Nah ain't no way no matter how fucking hilarious that'd be to me. Because if either of those things were true? I'd be crying and laughing into my pillow bro. I'd choke on my water.

The things that separate the silly boys are hair color, outfits, eye color, hats, one is a train enjoyer and another is certified in construction work and operating a forklift.

(God I love these two so much, I love your son and I love my son. I love thinking about other ppls OCs😊)

Hold on now I need to know- How tall is Brutus??

Also I did not know abt the forklift thing :0 good for him

[clanborn]

hi i was feeling keen on talking about fanclans so i thought you’d be a good victim since ive been loving your alaskan clans! I recently changed my clans to live in norway with TarnClan, SkerryClan, HeimsClan, and AsphodelClan in the mountains, coastside, alpine woods, and wetlands. Buncha political stuff happening in these clans. I’d like to say i really like your couriers, i actually have a similar idea called quickpaws, who function essentially the same.

What’s your favorite worldbuilding/story addition you added to your clans? For my own clans, i think i really like my StarClan portal the Moonpine! it’s a albino tree :) hope this doesn’t come off as annoying

Ooh that’s super cool, I don’t think I’ve seen any Norway-based clans before, and I loveee those clan names. Very interested to hear more about them and their politics. And yeah I enjoy the messenger/courier role a lot it’s a fun one to implement

And don’t worry this isn’t annoying! I love hearing about other’s fanclans I like to see people salvaging the bare bones from this mediocre series and actually doing something really cool and creative with it.

As for my favorite part of my clans I haven’t mentioned it yet but their Starclan connection area is an ice cave with a frozen lynx skeleton.

So that and figuring out the clans’ gods and weird cosmic relationships with them is probably my fav aspect so far.

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!