#this makes no sense at all BUT I hope y’all at least enjoy the art

[renonv]

Continuing from previous Brain rot comic. Antonio being difficult, and Francis wants to rip his hair out

[wigglebox]

Suptober - Day 31;

Costume

AND WITH THIS, SUPTOBER IS DONE! I wanna thank y’all for coming on this journey with me. This is my first completed Suptober after years of trying! This month was such a learning experience.

And I can’t wait to go back and see all the other amazing works that I missed while I was cranking away on my own. So many talented writers and artists and gif makers and other fan works creators really reminds us all that this fandom is full of so soooo much talent.

And thank you @winchester-reload for once again doing Suptober. I’m grateful we have such a wonderful talented person in this fandom that holds this kind of event which allows others to demonstrate their own talents during this month while showing love for SPN 💚💙

[astro-rainbow777]

💐🌸 𝓣𝓪𝓾𝓻𝓾𝓼 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓗𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓮𝓼 🧸🌱

♉︎ - Happy Taurus Season Everyone!!! In honor of Taurus season, I am continuing the signs through the houses series. I hope y’all enjoy my findings & this post serves you well. Thanks so much for all of the support! Happy Spring & Upcoming Beltane to the Pagan Community <3

🌸 Taurus in the First House ~ Taurus on the ascendant is the embodiment of peace, calm and pleasure. These natives aren’t the most outgoing but leave such a comfortable and cozy first impression. They don’t say more than needs to be said, however they are unlikely to turn down a conversation. They have a soft and natural beauty about them and strong familial values. They enjoy the finer things, have a clean aesthetic and a “rich” aura. Many of them are shorter or more petitie in size, have a pleasing and smooth voice and kind eyes. However, if you mess with the bull, you’ll get the horns! Being on the opposing end of Scorpio, when they cut you off, it is completely. Good luck getting back into their lives because they are a closed book. Why y’all always smell good? Fr tho

🐂 Taurus in the Second House ~ Here the sign is in its ruling house, they do very well in saving their money, are picky about what they eat and indulge in the material pleasures of life. They value loyalty, commitment, stability and security - not to mention their love fashion & the arts. They will tell you they have the most exquisite taste, you would find it very difficult to change their mind. They hold up strong values and morales, what they know to be right and wrong is the truth. This is a very secure personality, they are very comfortable with their bodies, and have a healthy sense of worth and self love. Honestly such a healthy placement - as someone with NO earth in their chart - muhbenaaaace

💰 Taurus in the Third House ~ These natives find security and peace in their childhood homes, where they grew up, the memories of their cousins and siblings. They could be the most stable or the least stable out of their siblings. The way they think, learn and communicate is slow and methodical. They take their time in studying new topics, preferring to stay on the surface of a topic. They may have an artistic and beautiful singing voice, or maybe the way they speak is just very polite and sweet. They were raised with manners and this makes them very charming. They can have a liking for music that moves at a slower pace, classical music, or just a more elegant taste in art.

🥘 Taurus in the Fourth House ~ Their family could be a source of stability and security for them. The mom, mother figure or more feminine role model can be the bread winner in the family, her love language could be gifts, an amazing cook, and give a lot of hugs 🫂 They have stable emotions, it takes a lot to emotionally sway them. It may end up bothering people who try to get an emotional reaction from them because of this. They can be the most grounded one in their family. Their family may view them as realistic, practical and reliable. Family is what gives them sanction from the world.

💝 Taurus in the Fifth House ~ They express them selves in a very material type of way, their flex is their finances. These natives take a lot of pride in what they have...this usually comes from a place of having to work really hard for their things. They love the natural look, minimalist, they like long lasting, high quality, practical fashion. To them that is the best statement to make. They don’t like that trash to treasure look their tastes are refined. They will shower their kids with the finer things and really enjoy providing for them - this will be their love language. They aren’t huge adrenaline junkies and enjoy more grounded, chill hobbies. They definitely don’t mind being alone and love their down time at home…on the couch…snacks…naps…repeat.

🐻 Taurus in the 6th ~ These natives prefer a slow start to their daily routine, and enjoy a slow paced job, with chill yet organized coworkers. The workplace must be something that they don’t hate… because if they hate it and it stresses them out just thinking of going, they won’t work there. Period. They need low maintenance pets as these individuals are very independent in nature. It’s important for their day job to be a place of peace and pleasure for them, and once they are comfortable, it’s gonna be hard to get them to leave. Their job can provide them with sooooo much stability if they have a good one.

🍨 Taurus in the 7th ~ Wining and Dining with your loved ones! Shopping sprees, luxurious and high quality partners. With the ones they love the most, they spoil, eat and they just want to be lazy with them honestly. They want their relationships to be a place of peace for them. It’s important that their partner can support themselves and is stable on their own. It will just cause them stress if they are constantly worrying about having to take care or mommy their partner. It’s possible that they can stay with someone out of fear of the unknown/change, even tho they don’t like them or it’s not working anymore.

🌷 Taurus in the Eighth House ~ Cycles related to self esteem, self worth, and supporting themselves. Honestly, this is a really hard placement to have- they may have times where they stay in ab*sive relationships because they can’t support themselves financially or they are too uncomfortable alone. However, the eighth house is notorious for taking your greatest fear/weakness and turning it into their super power. You just have to get through those lessons and take those leaps of faith to unlock that power and hidden potential! They like to engage in their senses when they’re intimate with their partners and prefer slow love making rather than the raw primal stuff.

🪴 Taurus in the Ninth House ~ These people can be a little fixed in their beliefs, their spiritual beliefs/religion can be a source stability and sanction for them. If they aren’t necessarily spiritual- they could just have a specific philosophy or lifestyle that they stick to. What I admire about these individuals, is they know exactly what they want. When they travel, it has to be somewhere where they know exactly what to expect, somewhere that won’t give them anxiety, and probably a more luxurious staycation type of experience. They could also enjoy a nice nature walk with their loved ones.

👛 Taurus in the Tenth House ~ Every single person I have met with this placement neeeeeed a stable job, they will not leave a job if it provides them with the type of lifestyle they desire. It doesn’t really matter what they are doing for their career as long as it aligns with their values. Their dad/father figure could have been the sole provider and could have made a huge impact on their reputation. This is definitely a daddies money placement 💀 - sorry if that’s triggering for anyone lol. The father figure could be super down to earth and chill, enjoy cooking or just be way too overly indulgent in a negative manifestation.

👒 Taurus in the Eleventh House ~ Is the stay at home friend, doesn’t like to get out of their comfort zone to meet new people. Much likely to want to stay inside and bond with their community in a space that is familiar and inviting to them. Their community could be their sanction and be the most stable part of their lives. They enjoy cooking and creating art for their friends. Anything to bring peace to their homies senses! For their friends, the Taurus eleventh house native’s place is a home away from home. How special 🥹

👄 Taurus in the Twelfth House ~ When it comes to matters of the twelfth house, spirituality, isolation, ect. - these individuals may like to keep things light and on the surface. They are comfortable being alone, in fact they consider it to be comfortable and safe. Their spirituality isn’t something they spend time questioning, and they could be very comfortable with the unknown, they enjoy their own curious nature. They are endearing to their own selves, however sometimes their sense of worth could be confusing. They may have a hard time understanding their own values and morals, preferring to just go with the flow, everyday they are a new person trying on different personalities, hobbies and styles! The possibilities are endless! It’s quite an interesting placement. One more thing….secret indulgences…the silent snacker

Smell ya later!

[sokkabaddiebender2021]

ok y’all i finally finished the neflix live action avatar and…….don’t hate me……..but i enjoyed it 😭 my standards for entertainment is honestly on whether or not it entertained me, so honestly i question my standards.

first off, the visuals and score was absolutely amazing. the fight scenes were well choreographed, and the bending, which i was super nervous about, looked actually amazing.

i think we can all agree the writing and dialogue was pretty choppy at times, and the delivery could be better at times. but i also think (most) of the energy of the original characters was captured well. katara honestly got done the dirtiest because why was she so…….not passionate??? i’m hoping later on she gets more so because that’s a key trait of katara. i was very disappointed with that :/

what they did to suki too……..i liked her being a little awkward and such because it makes sense but i felt like too much of her character was dedicated to her having a crush on sokka. like where is her attitude, her ferocity?

i think aang was played very well by gordon cormier, especially considering this is a child actor we are taking about. his line delivery isn’t going to be great and yes he is a real boy so he can’t be as cartoony as some would hope but i think he was absolutely adorable.

surprise surprise, i loved dallas liu as zuko. i think there were some pretty whack line deliveries but he really captured the anger and cringeyness of zuko well. his martial arts were also also incredible, his fight scenes were my favorite to watch. the scene with him crying quietly on the bed when ozai banishing him shattered me, his subtle acting is underrated honestly.

i have my beef with ian ousley as sokka mostly because of the controversy and such, but i can’t lie he did play sokka well. yet again, as for the last characters, some line deliveries were iffy but he was still a very believable sokka.

so for the writing, i have LOTS OF OPINIONS. there were things they cut that definitely upset me, and that was just because of their lowkey questionable pacing. as much as i hate the slimeball, i missed a lot of the interesting parts of zhao’s story that they cut like his agni kai, jeuong jeuong (aang’s fear of fire??), zuko SAVING him. i feel like they had something interesting there with building a fake alliance with him and zuko, and they didn’t build more off it. [edit] that so, the dude who played zhao had me losing my shit. his line delivery was hilarious and i just love that zhao just gives that manager no one likes/that one creepy math teacher in high school vibes (only combination i could think of y’all).

the additions to zuko’s story was something i absolutely loved. i found myself actually getting very emotional with a lot of the flashbacks, and the 41st division being his crew 🥹🥹 but then i find myself being upset that we were shown other flashbacks so early (like the death of katara’s mother??).

i actually hate the hate azula’s actress is getting. she’s playing a 14 year old……like a 14 year old?? she wasn’t even in season 1 in the og so ofc she’s gonna not be the same, i’m hoping this means they’re building up her up to her fierceness in season 2.

one last critique PLEASE GET A WIG BUDGET GOOD LORD THOSE WIGS WERE BAAAAD. and also a lot of their costumes looked fake or like plastic this was actually my least favorite part 😭

overall, not as horrible as people make it out to be, i had a good time but obviously the og will always be the higher quality product. i’m just glad the young actors seemed to really be passionate for the project :)

[grailfinders]

Grailfinders #336: Manannan mac Lir (Bazett)

happy valentines day! I hope y’all are enjoying your new year’s ships and a waifus, and… uh… whatever else alloromantic people get up to. I’ll be enjoying the cheap chocolate on the fifteenth. today on Grailfinders we’re building Manannan mac Lir, but they’re mostly just Bazett again.

we’re mixing up this build a bit- she’s still a Monk, but an Astral Self monk this time. the Death portion of the build is taken over by her Cleric half this time.

check out her build below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

next up: Infinitiger, R.I.P.

Ancestry & Background

Bazett’s literally a Human, no getting around that. with variant rules, you get +1 Constitution and +1 Wisdom, as well as proficiency in Arcana because you are a mage, and the Mage Slayer feat because killing mages is kind of your job. with this feat, you can slap people who cast spells within 5’ of you, and your attacks force disadvantage on anyone who needs to maintain concentration. on top of all that, you get advantage on saves against spells cast by people within 5’ of you. so, slam your hand into the wall to keep that wizard from escaping and kiss them beat them up. what. I’m not being weird you’re being weird.

speaking of weird, your background! there’s a spell I want that we could only get otherwise through convoluted class nonsense, so you’re a Gruul Anarch for your background. they don’t like magic either, and I gave the Mesopotamian gods Ravnican backgrounds, so I guess this is still consistent? you get Animal Handling and Athletics proficiency for free, plus an extended spell list to prepare from. when you learn spells you can pick between Compelled Duel, Speak with Animals, and Thunderwave at level 1, Beast Sense and Shatter at level 2, Conjure Animals and Conjure Barrage at level three, Dominate Beast and Stoneskin at level 4, and Destructive Wave at level five. we’re only really here for conjure animals, which I’ll explain when we can cast it, but anything that breaks stuff or makes you harder to break is a good pick too. don’t worry about coloring inside the lines too much, we can’t afford to send out Enforcers.

Ability Scores

your highest score should be Wisdom, that’s how you hunt down mages, summon weapons, use spells, and avoid dying. it’s a good skill, you should be good at it. after that is Dexterity. you can’t summon your weapons right away, so being good at regular punching is a good idea too. third is Constitution. you don’t die easy, a good trait for any PC to have. I wish we could make your Strength higher, but it’s still positive, and we can cover that with wisdom later. that means your Intelligence is also lower than I’d like, I assume you have to be clever to fight mages, but honestly the power scaling in this universe is pretty inconsistent, so who knows. that means we’re dumping Charisma. you just don’t plain get along with other people. thank goodness you’re not a paladin.

Class Levels

1. Monk 1: we’re starting off as a monk so you can fight in a suit, dress, or whatever the fuck that second outfit is. that’s because you have Unarmored Defense, adding your Wisdom modifier to your AC for some extra protection. everyone should have extra protection on valentines day, unless you want little bazletts toddling around in a year or so.

you also learn how to beat people to death with your bare hands thanks to your Martial Arts. when attacking unarmed or with a monk weapon (simple weapons and/or shortswords) you can use your dexterity for the attack and damage rolls, always deal at least a d4 (or more as you level up) in damage, and you can make an unarmed attack as a bonus action! you can bring all the fancy toys you want, but sometimes you just have to get your hands dirty. make sure to trim those fingernails.

starting as a monk also gives you a bonus to Strength and Dexterity saves, as well as History and Stealth. you fight servants a surprising amount for a human, and you need to fight those servants with your bare hands.

2. Monk 2: second level monks gain Ki equal to their monk level each short rest, which you can spend to dash, disengage, dodge, or attack twice as a bonus action. you can also make a Dedicated Weapon as part of your short rest, turning a non-monk weapon you’re proficient in into a monk weapon for the rest of the day. right now this does nothing, but your cleric subclass gives you proficiency with all weapons, so if you’re hankering for more weaponry it’ll be along shortly.

you also get Unarmored Movement this level, increasing your speed as you level up. your fists aren’t ranged weapons, so you’ll need a gap closer.

3. Monk 3: third level monks can Deflect Missiles as a reaction, reducing damage from a ranged attack and giving you a chance to throw it back if you spend a ki point. it’s not quite fragarach, but it’s a good point to start.

you also start getting in tune with Manannan, and unlock your Astral Self. at level three this grants you the Arms of the Astral Self. spend a ki point and your bonus action, and boom, magic weapons floating around you. when you enter this mode all creatures near you need to make a dex save or take force damage, and then it lasts for a whopping ten minutes, no concentration required. now you can use Wisdom to make attacks, using your new arms to make unarmed strikes. you get increased range with these, and they deal force damage instead of the usual kind. you can choose your arms’ appearance, so they can be literal arms or any kind of weapon you want. of course, if you want a “real” ranged weapon you can always stock up on throwing knives.

4. Cleric 1: now that we have your basic weapons and ascension gear down, we need a horse. yes this is important. as a Death cleric you start off as a Reaper, giving you a bonus necromancy cantrip like Toll the Dead to really beat the hell out of children, or anyone else who gets in your way. if the target fails a wisdom save, the take a moderate amount of necrotic damage, with the damage die growing if they’re not at full health. you can also hit two creatures with it instead of one if they’re next to each other. you’ve got two hands, after all.

you also learn how to cast and prepare spells using your Wisdom this level! since you can pick and choose every day, don’t stress too much about getting the perfect spell list down. that being said, you get Guidance and Resistance for cantrips to be better than most mages, as well as Light for a little holy background.

at level one you get False Life and Ray of Sickness for free, but I’d pay more attention to Thunderwave from your Gruul spell list, as well as Inflict Wounds for a major suckerpunch and Detect Magic to make fighting mages a lot easier.

5. Cleric 2: second level clerics can Channel Divinity once per short rest in two ways. all clerics can Turn Undead to make skeletons run away on a failed wisdom save, but you also get a Touch of Death, adding a bit of necrotic damage to a creature when you hit them with a melee attack. thankfully, both your astral arms and regular arms count as melee attacks. but not melee weapon attacks, which is why we didn’t go paladin.

6. Cleric 3: third level clerics get second level spells this level, you get Blindness/Deafness and Ray of Enfeeblement for free, but I’d like to draw your attention to the Gruul spell Shatter. punching through walls is usually hard, but not for you. you can use Protection from Poison for some debuff resistance, or you could summon a Spiritual Weapon if you’re still miffed you’re not technically summoning swords most of the time.

7. Cleric 4: fourth level clerics get their first Ability Score Improvement, and it’s also your first ASI. sorry it took so long to get your Wisdom higher; we needed a good base to build on first. now your wisdom helps you out in every conceivable way, so I hope it was worth the wait.

you also learn the Thaumaturgy cantrip this level- you’re part god, you might as well sound like it.

8. Cleric 5: fifth level clerics can Destroy Undead when they’re turned if they’re CR ½ or lower. you also get third level spells, so if you want chocolate skeletons of your own, Animate Dead can help out there. you also get Vampiric Touch for free, but again we’re here for the Gruul spell Conjure Animals. you need a horse, and it was this or going paladin for find steed. on the plus side with this spell you’ll get plenty of replacements for when your horse is inevitably shot out from under you. you can also use Dispel Magic and Remove Curse for some retroactive debuff immunity, and Protection from Energy to kind of counter magic.

9. Cleric 6: okay, we’re done with walls of text each level for a bit. at sixth level you can channel divinity twice a short rest, and your Inescapable Destruction sounds cool but just means your spells and CDs ignore resistance to necrotic damage, so that touch deals a near-guaranteed 17 bonus damage now.

10. Monk 4: fourth level monks also get an ASI for more Dexterity for those times you run out of arms and spells, as well as Slow Fall to counter gravity as well. you can also spend 2 ki and an action for some Quickened Healing, taking a breather to keep up your fighting spirit. It’s Second Wind, but worse!

11. Monk 5: fifth level monks get an Extra Attack each action for up to four fisticuffs a turn. you can also turn any one of those into a Stunning Strike, spending ki to force a Constitution save on someone you hit. if they fail, they can’t do much of anything for a round, and melee attackers get advantage to slug ‘em again. finally, you can also spend ki on Focused Aim to nail a jumpier target, turning ki into attack bonus.

12. Monk 6: sixth level monks have Ki-Empowered Strikes, so your unarmed attacks are all magical now! you could’ve gotten around those sorts of defenses with your mind fists already, but a free alternative is never a bad idea. speaking of those arms, you can either spend a bonus action or combo together with your Arms of the Astral Self to summon a Visage of the Astral Self for 1 ki point. while masked up, you see in all kinds of darkness for 120’ and have advantage on Insight and Intimidation checks. your charisma’s bad, but seeing someone punch a car and keep going will put the fear of god in anybody. on top of that, you can mute your voice so only one person can hear you, or amplify it so everything in a 600’ radius can. beating mages to death tends to be either very loud, or very quiet. now you have options for both.

13. Monk 7: Seventh level monks can counter fireballs with ease thanks to Evasion blocking half the damage of failed dexterity saves and all the damage of successes. you also get Stillness of the Mind which shuts down effects charming or frightening you as an action. hooray for more debuff immunity!

14. Monk 8: of course an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure, so let’s max out that Wisdom this ASI for stronger saves, attacks, spells, and stuns. wisdom: it’s what’s for dinner!

15. Monk 9: ninth level monks get Unarmored Movement Improvement. now you can run up walls and over water, though you’ll fall down if you end your turn off solid ground. is it really an anime fistfight if you haven’twalked on a wall at least once?

16. Monk 10: at level ten, monks have a Purity of Body that makes you 100% immune to disease and poison. given how much chocolate the average master has to eat every year, you’re going to need that.

17. Monk 11: eleventh level astral monks get the real fun stuff when you start making the Body of the Astral Self. it’s a free bonus you can put on if you’ve summoned up both your arms and face. with this you can counter magical attacks better with Deflect Energy, using your reaction to reduce incoming elemental damage. of course your counter attack also uses your reaction, but you can’t counter something if you’re not alive to do so, so it’s kind of a moot point by then.

the real reason this level’s great for counter attacks is your Empowered Arms. once per turn, you deal an extra die of damage when you hit someone with an arm. an astral arm. your regular arms are nice but they’re not magic. probably. I mean they are magic bc of the ki-empowered strikes, but- yknow what? this is getting too confusing, next level!

18. Cleric 7: whew, now we can talk about something simple, like… fourth level spells! you get Blight and Death Ward for free, but I’m more interested in the gruul spell Stoneskin. it gives resistance to nonmagical physical damage! that doesn’t sound so great, but when you punch through one too many support pillars you’ll be happy to have it. Locate Creature is also a great spell to hunt down whatever your mark of the day is.

19. Cleric 8: you get one last ASI, so bump up that Constitution for extra health. it’s retroactive, so that’s 19 bonus HP! your fight plan is to deliberately get hit with someone’s strongest attack- trust me, you need that health. also, Destroy Undead works on CR 1 creatures, and once a turn you can make a Divine Strike, adding 1d8 necrotic damage to the target of a weapon attack once a turn. remember, your unarmed attacks are both melee attacks (so they work with Touch of Death), and weapon attacks (so they work with Divine Strike), but not melee weapon attacks (so they don’t work with Divine Smite). this is all completely reasonable.

20. Cleric 9: ninth level clerics get fifth level spell. I hate to be repetitive, but once again your freebies Antilife Shell and Cloudkill aren’t really what we’re after. That being said you do get Destructive Wave for a big stompy AoE attack, as well as Holy Weapon if you’re really itching for a shiny white sword. whatever weapon you touch deals extra radiant damage, and it can explode if you end the spell early. you could also use something like Dispel Good and Evil to knock a servant back to the throne early, if you wish.

Pros & Cons:

Pros:

as mentioned in Cursed Arm’s build, monks have great mobility, and being able to use that mobility without ever having to enter an enemy’s melee range is a huge bonus to a monk’s survivability. you got long arms, basically, and with those and your speed boosts, you can deal all the damage you want while staying pretty safely out of the range of most monsters.

if you really want to fight at long range, you have access to one of the best spell lists in the game, only made better by the additions from your background. I know we didn’t touch on many spells in this build, but that just means you have even more wiggle room to work with when you prepare each day.

for once, we have a build that isn’t Multi-Ability Dependent! I know that’s not much to say, but monk builds usually tend to be a bit messier than the others. being able to hard-focus on wisdom makes your whole experience a lot smoother.  also I didn’t have anywhere else to put it, but you deal a lot of damage in a single hit, which is unusual for a monk. this, plus your usual monkly number of attacks, means even the most nimble of enemies only needs to get unlucky once to feel the brunt of your power.

Cons:

you have a lot of resources to keep on top of. two that recharge on short rests, and one that recharges on long rests. add in the flexibility of ki, spells, and divine channeling, and you’re bound to get a headache from all that thinking.

of course there’s a good chance you won’t even be able to use most of that if you spend your time trying to counterattack like you’re supposed to be able to. we still never really found a better option than simply holding your action, and that sucks! it eats up most of your turn on the off chance someone else does something cool. you’re the PC! you should be the one doing cool stuff!

we took a whole background just for a horse. it’s not even a special horse. just flavor something else as a horse and pick a more fitting background, it’s really not worth it. cleric already has damage spells and protection spells up the wazoo, the Gruul spells mostly add flavor tbh. they don’t hurt, but you won’t be using these horses in a fight, and outside of a fight you can just buy some.

[ky-yk]

gaeul sunbae (kge x f!reader)

genre: gen? fuck if i know tbh || word count: 1.1k

author’s note: i’m not kidding btw this is not fluff neither is it angst, hope y’all enjoy nonetheless 🫶🫶

1.

“how the hell did they do this…”

wednesdays were your least favorite day of the week for one reason only: your industrial arts class.

i mean, who’d enjoy getting drenched in their own sweat while trying to play around with rulers every week?

i’m not even gonna be an architect, why do i have to learn this? you thought to yourself as you were hunched over your armchair, trying to replicate what your seatmate had done before he triumphantly got up and walked to the teacher’s table for checking.

you erased your circle…thing for what felt like the millionth time, your eraser shavings and crumpled-up bond paper being the only thing you could show for yourself after almost an hour. you stared at it for a second before swiping the eraser shavings off from your desk (along with your insecurities) and hunched over, ready to try again before a shadow loomed over you.

everything passed by and all you could do was stare in awe at the girl who took one look at your paper, hummed, and pulled up a chair beside you to finish the job. you were frozen; not even processing how softly she took the compass from your hand.

you snapped back to reality just in time to see her finish your plate activity with a flick of her wrist. literally.

she took one more look at it and hummed before putting your compass down and getting up to fall in line and have her work checked.

you all but stared as she leans against the board nonchalantly, not knowing if and how you should thank her for saving your grades -- only for the five-minute warning bell to remind you that her effort would be fruitless if you didn't go up beside her to line up.

in a rush, you haphazardly grabbed your paper and rushed to take the spot beside her, leaning against the board alongside her. your eyes travelled the room, observing the whole scene.

soon enough, you met the gaze of your savior.

surprised, you broke eye contact and suddenly found the wooden flooring much more interesting — an amusing sight to said savior.

you mustered up the courage to thank her while she was close, but you must’ve missed how the line had been moving since the next thing you knew, she was walking away from the teacher’s desk.

2.

“oh, i’m screwed…”

sitting at your assigned desk for your final exams, what was running through your mind wasn't the math formulas you had to memorize, no. instead, it was about how you could've -- should've -- reviewed your math lessons last night instead of napping the whole day.

what was that you kept saying, y/n? it’s all common sense?

noting the mini study group that formed behind you, you moved your chair closer to their circle, hoping that whatever they were talking about would stick around long enough to get you through the exam. you took a peak at the notes that were sprawled across the desk — and your future crumbling before your eyes.

you leaned back in your chair. just smile and laugh, folks, you thought as a defeated chuckle spilled out. you heaved out a deep sigh and looked up at the ceiling, resigning to your fate and deciding that napping would be a much better way to spend your time. you dragged your chair back to your seat and rested your head on your desk, ready to go off to dreamland before you felt a tap on your shoulder.

you let out a groan loud enough to make sure the perp was aware that you were not pleased by the interruption. with furrowed brows, you got up and looked around for whoever wanted to be on top of your kill list.

instead, you found a stack of well-organized notes on your desk; hope this helps - g.e, the sticky note on top read.

needless to say, that test was a piece of cake -- considering how you breezed through it with 30 minutes left to spare.

so did your savior, apparently.

when you turned your test over, you sat up and looked around at the rest of your classmates who were still hunched over and struggling through the test. all except one who met your gaze.

you gave her a small smile and nodded in acknowledgment. she returned the greeting before facing forward at the proctor's insistence, playing around with her pen to pass the time.

3.

"what the hell?!"

a lot of things made you go, "what the hell?!" but you'd never "what the hell?!"-ed more than you had today.

the project that your pe teacher just sprung on you guys about making a dance routine, the fact that your friends ditched you to pair up with each other, and the sight of gaeul-sunbae approaching you--wait what?

"hey, you wanna pair up for this?" she asked casually. all you could do was stare at her dumbfoundedly.

and let out a single syllable.

"huh?"

"well, i just noticed that all your other friends paired up with each other, so why not?"

"i mean...i don't see why not?"

"okay, so i'll make the choreo and send you the video. just follow it, and then i'll edit the whole thing together. shouldn't take that long," she said with finality before walking off to the bleachers, leaving you to think about what the hell just happened.

wait, that's it? am i really going to get hard-carried by gaeul-sunbae for a whole project without talking to her at all?!

exasperated at the realization, you huffed and puffed your way across the gymnasium, eyes locked on your target while everyone else's eyes were locked on you. the whispers were as good as white noise to you because your ears were fuming with steam at your sunbae.

why?

you were about to find out as well.

"yah!"

surprised at the intrusion, gaeul looked up at you with wide eyes. "um, yes?"

"what the hell is your deal?! why do you keep helping me?"

she calmly stood up, making sure to avoid your flailing arms. "well--"

"does this stroke your ego or something?!"

"wait, what? that--"

"oh, of course it does! i'm like your damsel in distress, huh? well newsflash, sunbae," you emphasized the title by pointing at her chest so hard she sat back down, "i can help myself."

with an annoyed eye roll, gaeul stood back up, holding your wrists together and bringing them down, making your resolve falter.

"that's no way to treat your sunbae, is it? especially one who's been so nice to you," she scoffed.

under her scrutinizing gaze, you were left speechless.

"you're lucky you're cute. now close that pretty mouth of yours, would you? wouldn't want any flies flying in.

unless you need my help there, too?" she asked while gently holding your chin between her index finger and thumb, closing your mouth and making you look up at her.

with a tut, she tapped your chin one more time. "now, if you excuse me, i'll get working on our project."

[2aceofspades]

Hi, I'm the anon who asked if you were okay with all of this chaos. I have many things to say!

First off, your many thank yous made me very very (two verys) happy. So thank YOU.

Second, you absolutely deserve all of the attention you're getting. You're seriously an incredible artist, and I love the fact that a lot of your art is on paper. I especially love how Donnie looks in your style (which is funny, because I remember you saying that you DIDN'T like it). Ahem. Getting off track a bit there. Anyways. You're an incredible artist, and all of the attention is well earned, AND it's okay to feel overwhelmed. I hope you know that we don't expect you to answer everything right away. You're popular, and lots of people are asking you to do things. You can choose to not do something, and you SHOULD. Do what inspires you, and we'll love it!

Third, and hopefully finally. I play with character AIs a lot, just to kind of see how characters would react to certain things. I AM an author, and I can imagine these things myself, but I like seeing it from external sources more. It almost seems more believable. When a human comes up with it, it just feels more raw and expressive. Or something. I have no clue what I'm saying; hopefully it's not too muddled. Then, when someone DRAWS it. It's a thousand times better. I just love it so much!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love how we can give you prompts and questions, and you'll go somewhere amazing with it. I loved the thing with Leo, Donnie, and the coffee. My thanks goes out to you and the asker. It's a huge gift to us when you respond. Literally, it's like a present, I love it.

So, just to clarify because I'm paranoid and words don't really work sometimes, are you okay with super random prompt-asks? Like earlier I saw a post where so-and-so asked so-and-so what the turtles night-time routines would be. Stuff like that?

Thank you so much for everything you do for us! You're amazing, and we all appreciate you.

OH.MI.GOSH??!!!?!

Wah-

Thank you so much!!! Gah- I hope I can articulate an even somewhat intelligent response to literally ALL of this. Okay!

|

First off, I see what you did there and I frickin’ loved it ohmigosh best response ever!! 🙌✨

Secondly, I really really appreciate all your kind words. You seriously had me smiling the whole way through oh stars you’re too kind 🥹 Also, I’m very glad there are some of y’all out there that like the way I draw Donnie…especially traditionally, cuz I won’t lie…I get a bit over-critical of how I draw him hehe. Glossing over that teehee~ But seriously, I also really appreciate your respect of my time cuz I feel much less pressured and more seen as just a lil human doing art things, so thank you! 🌟

And lastly, I totally understand ya and I couldn’t agree more. It’s honestly better when I see other artists capture emotions cuz I just eat that up aaughh yes!! Ahem..I just hope that I can capture at least some emotional accuracy in my art, especially considering how dialogue is not my strong suit by a long shot hehe…

Awwwee! Thank you so much!! It was really fun sketching a silly lil moment like that, so I couldn’t be more grateful for the idea that inspired me 🤗

And finally, that’s where it gets complicated cuz…it’s honestly just complicated for me and my lil gremlin brain. I really do enjoy answering lil prompts and putting my own spin on them, but I can’t make it like…an official thing…? If that makes any sense. Like, I think I’ve seen a few artists on Tumblr put out a post for prompt asks, but that idea, for me, makes me very nervous. I naturally try not to think too much while I draw, I just feel my emotions, really. I dunno…maybe that’s a lame excuse gah..- but, as it stands, for now, I’m ~okay~ with answering the occasional prompt ask, but I won’t be making a post about it or anything. I’m just a little um..paranoid..?..after the whole spontaneous sticker war thing heh…

One last big thank you to you, anon 🙌🙌 I seriously appreciate it so much 💙✨

[multiplicity-positivity]

I only have 2 headmates and idk how to get along with them :(

For context they're both OCS (one old, I made her in 3rd grade and one is new- made very recently) and they unfortunately know that. The issue is that all of my ocs have bad things happen often and I imagine they hate me for that

They also hate each other's guts for other reasons but it just sucks not having any peace

Hmm… we know it can be really really hard to get along with other headmates sometimes! And your headmates being OCs probably really complicates the situation, huh?

We have a little note that we keep with us when we’re feeling overwhelmed and stuck in memory time:

(ID in alt text!)

This really helps us when we’re starting to feel guilty for not handling our childhood trauma better, or feeling like we’re never going to be good enough because of what happened to us, or trying to bear the weight of our history on our shoulders all the time! Our therapist told us the mantra and we wrote it down to keep handy :3

This helps us deal with painful childhood memories… But! we really feel like this sort of message may help people with exotrauma or painful exomemories too! >w<

As writers and creators, it’s okay to put your characters in difficult or traumatizing situations!! It comes with the territory of being an artist!! And you shouldn’t have to put a stop to that or feel guilty about it just because your OCs developed into headmates!!

But for your headmates…. It makes sense that this stuff will bother them! It makes sense that they might have to process exotrauma because of some decisions made by their creator (you!). It’s possible to allow them space, to support them on this process, and to recognize that you may have made choices regarding their histories… but that doesn’t make you at fault even one bit!!

Exotrauma can be really tricky and also icky to navigate! We have alters with exotrauma in our system and it’s been a wild ride helping them process it while other members process real-life trauma! But being willing to help and listen, not judging your headmates for feeling certain ways about their circumstances, and understanding where their apprehension comes from could all really help you be there for them when they need it!!! Does that make sense to you? Idk if I’m using “apprehension” right lol but I mean like their wariness or cautiousness or unwillingness to put the past behind them and get to know you!

Speaking of getting to know you… maybe y’all should try conducting interviews to get to know each other!!

I made this headmate interview form a while back! it’s a fun, laidback way for headmates and alters to start learning about each other as they are now, not as they once were!!

Could y’all perhaps spend some time conducting lighthearted, low-stakes interviews to figure out what each other likes and what they are like? And once you have a good idea, you can start going out of your way to do nice things for each other!!!

If we’ve learned anything in therapy, it’s that kindness, apologies, forgiveness, and compassion can be amazing tools for coming together as a team!! Our frequent fronter group is able to work together the way we do because of this!! Like this time last year, I never would’ve dreamed I’d ever cofront with Kandi to work together on art or posts and stuff… but here we are!! And it’s all thanks to learning more about each other and daring to show each other compassion even when we didn’t want to!! :333

So in the end, we don’t know for sure what will help y’all reach a mutual understanding and stop hating each other…. But we can give you advice for what’s helped us in the past! We still have alters who hate each other (ahhhhh) but at least we’re making progress!!! And that’s what counts!! We Can Move Forward!! And we believe y’all can too!! >w<

💚 Ralsei and 🦇 Alucard (or Kandi - bats got two names and likes them used interchangeably!)

[themissingnumbers]

Hey, Guys! It’s been awhile and my brain won’t shut up, so you know what that means—It’s Theory Time!

Ok, hear me out, y’all. I’m about to ramble on about this, and I’m either going to be making a lot of sense, or sound like a complete madman. Try to follow along, because I write things down in the order they appear in my brain, so it’s probably going to be a little sporadic. Please enjoy my yap session.

Ahem- Todays Topic: Red and MissingNo. (This is sort of building off of my last theory about them, so just keep that in mind.)

I want you all to know that if this actually happens, I called it- But, this entire theory came from this idea. And that idea is both very simple, and very complex:

My Idea is that MissingNo has already done to Red what Red will (inevitably) do to us.

And what is that, my fellow theorists? Use us.

Yes—I firmly believe that Red will try to use us should we ever prove ourselves to be trustworthy. After all, he’s already used/manipulated Professor Ace Maple. So, why wouldn’t he also try his hand at manipulating the Players? What reason would he have to not try and use us?

Now, you’re probably all thinking: “Wow, Red’s a crazy evil scheming little bastard-“ BUT NO! Hear me out- Red is not the villain here. No, Red is not completely innocent in all this; and Yes, Red is mentally unstable—how could he not be after spending upwards of 28 years alone in the broken remnants of his home—but Red is not the bad guy. MissingNo is. Ketsuban is the scheming bastard.

Are you still here? Good! Lock in right about now, because I’m about to get more rambly than a raccoon. Things might seem a little wack here, but just remember—these are my thoughts. Nothing here is concrete.

Alright! Hear me out y’all- Let’s talk about MissingNo, or at least, what I think about MissingNo. My initial observation about the Glitch was that MissingNo was a parasite, but now, I’m starting to think that Red and MissingNo have a more “symbiotic” relationship.

What I’m thinking here, is that MissingNo has invested in a long-term plan by latching onto Red. Think about this: MissingNo can’t get out of the distortion on its own. It needs help to reach the new world, to be summoned or pulled out by other means. If Leaf and Red met in Glitch City all those years ago, MissingNo must have seen that escape is not impossible them. After all, Leaf got out. So perhaps it’s taking a chance by latching onto the only other Player Character in hopes that, he too, would escape—and take it with him.

Think about this, too. Let’s take a moment to look at Red. Red is super skinny and malnourished, so he’s probably physically weak. He’s isolated and alone, which likely makes him mentally weak. And (while this is just an observation on my part, mostly taken from context clues and other pieces of art) Red can’t die. He’s weak, mentally beaten down, and cannot die. That would make Red THE perfect host for MissingNo—especially if MissingNo can play its cards right by manipulating him.

I believe that MissingNo has been plotting on Red’s downfall since day one. I believe that MissingNo has latched onto Red and allowed him to believe that he’s the one in control—when it’s really the Glitch that’s been pulling the strings.

Red has his own goal when it comes to escaping Glitch City—and that’s to go back home. He wants to go back to his family, his friends, his loved ones. But MissingNo doesn’t care about that. MissingNo doesn’t care about what Red wants. MissingNo only cares about what MissingNo wants. And what MissingNo wants—is out.

Red’s so mentally broken that he probably can’t see what’s going to happen. And if he can, he’s probably too desperate to care. Maybe he thinks he can handle it somehow, but I don’t know how he could.

We are Red’s ticket to freedom, just as Red is MissingNo’s way out. I think that Red, upon escaping, will backstab us, betraying us no matter how many promises we make with him—only to then turn around and be backstabbed by MissingNo, who will abandon him, leave him weak and alone, forced to watch as he corrupts and destroys the world Red wanted to desperately to be a part of again.

In short, freeing Red is not the problem. Red is fine. It’s MissingNo that makes it an issue. MissingNo is Red’s plus one, and it doesn’t look like it has any intention of letting him go until he’s outlived his usefulness. Trust and believe that I want Red to be free. I want to give Red his life back. But if MissingNo gets out—it’s GAME OVER for EVERYONE. Red included.

If MissingNo is allowed to go free, then the world of Missing Numbers and its characters are doomed. Fire would be doomed, Leaf would be doomed, Blue would be doomed, all of the other characters that we haven’t even met yet would be doomed. All of it. Red would be able to do nothing but watch as his only other place to belong is turned into a duplicate of Glitch City, as the people he knew and loved were reduced to nothing but a mess of glitches, forced to listen to broken sound bytes of his family’s dying screams on repeat forever as he gets put right back where he started—but with no hope of returning home and left with a crushing feeling of guilt, knowing that everything he cares about is gone and it’s all his fault.

But think about if Arceus saw all of this happening and decided to reset the whole world. Who’s to say he wouldn’t just get rid of Red for real this time? Everything that would have proven his existence to other characters would have been destroyed by MissingNo, so if Red goes and the world is reset, there would be nothing to say that he ever existed. Nobody would remember him, and Missing Numbers would be as close to modern-day canon Kanto as possible. It would just be FireRed, Leaf, and Blue. Just like it was supposed to be.

Hoo boy- Okay. I… think that’s it? Probably. If not and I left some gaps In my sleepy, 3 am brain ramblings, I’m sure y’all can fill in the gaps. Again, this is just my thoughts and ideas. It’s a theory. You don’t have to like it, or you could just take bits and pieces from this—it’s your choice. I’m just rambling about what I think.

Last minute ramblings about things before the end:

Hey look guys, it’s a theory that wasn’t about Fire for once-

Okay, on a serious note—can we NOT push the envelope with Leaf? Seriously. Like, pushing her for answers is like making an attempt on her life. We gotta play the game. We gotta be in it for the long con. Everything that we need to know has to come out with time—either from her or from other sources. She knows that we know. And she knows that we know that she knows. We’re aware. So let’s just chose to ignore it for now and try to be friends with her. After all, lying about what we are to each other just makes things easier for us both, right?

OKAY! That’s actually it this time. If there was anything else, I’ve since forgotten it because I’ve been writing this for a couple hours on and off. That’s all my ramblings for now. Sorry that got so long. Have a good day, y’all!

.

[writinandcrying]

Sexuality / gender preference (if you aren’t comfortable with labels)

HI OMFG OKAY

This can be any version of the TMNT preferably bayverse or 2007? I don’t mind do your thing fr fr LMAO

straight / I enjoy men / she/her

5’1/gym rat so I’m a lil muscular/usually curly hair but I have braids in right now/glasses/ lots of piercings & a few tattoos :) but we follow each other on ig so idk why I just gave you my physical description LMAO

INTJ :)/im pretty funny if I do say so myself/very independent/sarcastic/I have a weak social battery but depends on which group im with/impulsive

My love language has to be touching or cooking- No in between :,)

Y’all know I love me the 2007 TMNT movie as bad as it is/im going to college to be an English prof :)/my dream job would have to be one of the nicest schools where the area I live in is suburban & I get a fun lil house to myself that I can host parties in >:)

I really love horror games/art/working out/cooking

I think one of my toxic behaviors is that I fall out of love as quick as I go into it, so if someone does something I don’t like it’s sort of a deal breaker for me

Pet peeves: guys that chew with their mouth open/guys that yell to get their point across/uneducated men/Pisces men/guys that aren’t into or against spiritual things like saging rooms or crystals or incense :,)

Deal breakers: if he’s rude to other women or doesn’t respect his parents/doesn’t have an education/is very anti-weed to the point that they’ll break up with someone over it (like bro it’s never that serious)/if he doesn’t take care of himself physically and mentally

How do I usually act: I don’t ever ask for anything, im very independent so I never ask a guy to buy something for me or pay for something :)

HIEEE omg im so excited for this one hehehe

i really need to thought this one through but like..... Jas i need to be 100% serious..... you are 100% perfect for rottmnt leo fr like idk i think you both would have such a nice time together lmao

i match you with..

Leo

Surprise!!!! no but seriously- honestly this could go either Bayverse or 2007, i know rottmnt is extremely different from these two, but like... i can recognize all those personalities being different and still making it work with you! ur a leo girl what can i say lmao

I usually don't focus or comment much or physical appearance, i only ask bc its easier for me to visualize the match up, but since i do know how you look like, how your voice sounds, i can 100% confirm he would be down BAD by first glance (mikey would too, but like its mikey he gets crushes left and right) specially with bayverse, Leo is a an adrenaline junkie, he's too introspective borderline shy to actually voice it, but like..... tattoos, piercings, everything that society would deem as a "rebel" look(? do i make sense i hope so) Leo would be into it. He can deny as much as he wants, but he's into badass looking people idc yall can fight me on this one (this also applies to rottmnt, although i kinda see Rottmnt Leo being a bit... like almost every version of Mikey, he gets crushes easily on a wild range of people, but he most def LOVES when someone knows how to use slangs and has a funky lingo going on, and you DEF have that, he would 100% fall for you ever harder after exchanging a few words with you)

Every Leo version deserves a funny s/o. Bayverse and 2007? they NEED to laugh, a light hearted relationship is perfect for him and i def see that going on with you two (: he loves how you can effortlessly can deliver a punch line when he least expects it, my personal head-canon is that all Leos like to joke around, due being introverted, the oldest sibling and the leader, Leo closes himself a lot around his brothers, the only one chill enough to truly explore that side is Rottmnt Neon Leon, so if he ever decides to test the "imma make you laugh" waters with you, thats a sign he not only trusts you, but wants to impress and deepen your relationship with him

Thank GOD you can cook cuz this man cant LMAO

Leo's Love language is def Quality time, he will need some time to adjust into physical touch as your way of showing appreciation, but soon enough he looks forward to it! loves to mindlessly caress your hand, back, tights when you are hanging out, gives killer massages! likes to hear about your day as you both lie down on his futon and your head is in his lap or your you are both lying down and your legs are above is tights, soon enough he will discover he's actually really into gentle touches, give him time to ge used to it tho cuz he never really considered even having a s/o, so, baby steps regarding physical affection is the way to go!

He's so interested in your major, i shit you not he asks to see your assignments and homework. Leo loves to read, and if college was a possibility for the turtles, i can see him either doing something related to Linguistics, maybe Anthropology (def more focused on Japanese culture) he def likes to dive in those topics and he geeks the f OUT with you regarding your college major

The bumps on the road; 1-he cannot deal with someone impulsive. We all know his relationship with Raph, and we ALL know he can be controlling on his worst days, you both would have to compromise during missions or even daily tasks, he wants to be part of the planing, he wants to know whats going on, but at the same time he cant micromanage you like shit that sucks a LOT. 2- he needs someone steady. he fall in love extremely slow, so for his to work out, he would either have to speed the process up or you to pump the breaks with falling out of love rapidly 3- ..... give him time to be more pro-weed please LMAOOO (although i know this points can be """solved"""with loooads of talking, and thats something nice about your relationship, at certain stage, both of you are completely honest and open about your issues, and both can be understanding of each others limitations and personal growth that shall occur on future)

"if he’s rude to other women or doesn’t respect his parents" Leo gotcha, and honestly? he feels the same, if you cant show respect to the elderly (aka master splinter) wtf you doing?

"guys that aren’t into or against spiritual things like saging rooms or crystals or incense" Leo def knows anything related to Japanese culture and i think he (and mikey.. and Donnie) would be the most open-minded towards new healing / spiritual activites and techniques? although there are different reasons to each one of them; Donnie is bc he's curious about well- everything, Mikey is bc he always wants to try new things and lowkey finds it cool, And with Leo, he wants to be part of your life just like he wants you to be part of his, so please be open towards learning Japanese costumes and he shall participate in your costumes as well.

Loves that you are independent, he likes being there for you don't get me wrong, but.. he's a busy turtle, if you cant handle yourself once in a while, that might be a deal breaker for him. Chivalry is kinda big for him tho, so let him treat you when he can, he likes to woo you sometimes so just let him lol

Ok so i know Raph is like, the gym king or whatever but if you ever briefly mention you would like to use it the one the boys have around the lair, he will "randomly"show up there, Raph will def tease him if he tries to help you out on a machine that you and Raph combined know way more than he ever could lmao. He does asks you if you would like to join him into his training sections at the dojo, he's way more comfortable in there and he swears is not as stinky as their gym after Raph uses it, really looks forward to the day you accept his invitation into teaching you some self defense moves here and there

Ok you didnt mention this like...he loves how you always reply REALLY FAST!! like at first he's taken back cuz? usually april or casey take a few good minutes even hours to respond, humans have their things to do on topside and he gets it you know? he's also relatively busy most days, so when he almost automatically gets a reply from you, Leo def got surprised on the first chats he had with you, he begins to love it how fast you can come back to him with texting, he doesnt have to worry if you are in danger after escorting you to your home, or when you are leaving college, work, yadda yadda, he knows its not extremely healthy to be on your phone 24/7 but when you are away from him, he loves it he can have almost imidiate contact with you

Over-all: Really chill relationship but still has some fire into it??? at the same time?? both of you just gets eachother, and he feels free to show his funny, daring, flirty / teasing self he almost NEVER shows to anyone, so lucky you!

hope you liked it!

match ups are closed for now

[gingerylangylang1979]

Any recommendations for Soft Romantic stories (books or movies) featuring Black Women?

I hope I don’t offend anyone and this is not meant to be a rant against all white women or anything. I also don’t expect every creator to create specifically for me, how can they if they don’t all get my experience? I’m just tired, y’all. 

I recently finished the Normal People limited series. I liked it at first but towards the middle I was really unimpressed and the end left me cold. No, I will not read the book. I think the thing that struck me most is how much I just don’t want to engage in any more romantic story lines that involve privileged white ingenues. I just can’t for the love of humanity watch a self absorbed girl rocking the nonchalant French girl aesthetic and strain to find her relatable. I live in Brooklyn. I know these girls. I just can’t relate. But they are not someone who’s inner life I need to get to know better. Maybe this is why I had no desire to ever watch Girls. I have a few white girl friends, they are not like these girls, like. at. all. I also recently watched The Boy Downstairs and The Worst Person in the World. See a theme here? Basically, I have Hulu and was struggling with finding modern romance to watch, thus this losing streak of irritating protagonists. I think Rory Gilmore is perhaps the archetype of this girl? I didn’t make it through the first season of that show. I just didn’t get the hype. 

Anyways, this got me thinking that I really, really, really would love to have some GOOD romantic entertainment that features someone that looks like me. But what I don’t want is a soap opera or a typical romance novel formula. ( I can get down with a good telenovela style epic drama, but I want a different flavor here). I think the appeal of genre of films I mentioned is that they try to go deeper, they try to be smarter, nuanced, layered. I get the draw. It’s just none of these characters are that interesting to me and people seem to fall at their feet for no discernible reason. But I want the fluff, the softness, the allusions to great literature and art, the camisoles worn ever so gracefully, travel, and promise. I just don’t want the sense that no matter what these girls are going to be ok and land on their feet. Maybe they have some trauma, but honestly I have trauma, too and I still have to be a Black woman that is still struggling to be valued in relationships, in the work place, in society at large. So no, one shitty parent and sibling is not the totality of my lived experience and the extent of my angst. There is a whole lot of other shit going on. I don’t have a trust fund to fall back on that can also finance all the self care, elite higher education, and travel I desire. I also still live with roommates. See what I’m saying? If you get it, you get it, if you don’t, you don’t. 

I’ve been writing a fanfic based on Carmy and Sydney from The Bear. It is so fluffy, but also deep, sensual, witty (at least I think so). Sydney is coming into her full womanhood, defining her career, loving a man who is wounded, and guess what, she’s broke ass fuck but still looks cute and has fun. I need that, but someone else to write it so I can enjoy. Props to all the other fanfic writers! Can we get something like this published or on the screen? FYI, I do not care if the romantic interest is Black, white, Asian, whatever. It does not matter to me. I want intelligent writing and a protagonist who is not aloof, who is vulnerable, delicate, actually works a challenging job, and inspires adoration not just because, but because she is seen. I swear if I have to sit through one more scene of a boring white girl in a perfect messy bun take a half bite of a pastry in slow motion I’m going to scream. Or watch a racially ambiguous girl get fawned over because of course she would because she’s slightly exotic and safe. AKA, she cannot be light skinned or mixed for the love of God! 

Side note: I do recommend Good Luck to You Leo Grande (the ending was a bit meh, but the rest excellent and my goodness Emma Thompson always makes me cry) and Enough Said (who knew James Gandolfini was a great romantic lead). Maybe middle aged and older white women are better viewing than millennials and Gen Z?

Anyways, who has recs for my rant?

Edit: I think I found the vibe of what I’m looking for. Imagine all of the love songs from The Sea and the self titled albums from Corinne Bailey Rae. That’s it. 

[tippett-in-a-robe]

Ok senario I've been rereading it turned good au lately and....

Ok so what if a child were to live with them

Maybe they have a shinning and like the others and don't find them scarry how would everyone react?

(btw you're art is looking gorgeous as per usual and I love matruins design!)

@xvx-lucifer-is-a-cat

Hello!^^ 👋 I am so sorry I didn’t see this earlier! 😭😭😭

.

OMG I LOVE THAT AU SO MUCH! 😭❤️❤️❤️

And I have actually thought about what could happen if Penny and/or his friends were to come across some lonely shining child who needed some joy in their life! XD

If a child were to live with them, it would probably start out like this:

Penny would most likely be the one to find the child since he’s the only one who lives part-time on Earth. Said child (whatever age, gender, situation, etc. they may be), would obviously be more aware than other kids since they got the shining powers, and that is what would catch Penny’s attention.

In my AU, Penny is not a child-eater! XD (He still eats people, but only the ones who deserve it lol). So, he really would not ever have eating the child on his mind. He would simply observe the kid for a few years possibly, and try to refrain from helping the child out through hard times. Penny doesn’t usually “help” humans out, so being a sort of guardian Angel to the kid would not have been on his agenda… not at first, at least.

But, over a period of time, he would start to become intrigued by the kid. He would start to “help out” here and there by scaring off some bullies, killing off any intruding creatures who may feed on shining kids, or invisibly make sure they don’t fall when they trip over something.

The kid would start to suspect greater forces at play, and could sense them. Eventually the kid would become sure they were being observed, especially after they would swear they saw a clown’s face staring at them through the sewer drain. The kid would not have been afraid though, and that actually would intrigue Penny even more.

I don’t wanna make this post too long, but let’s just say that Penny eventually decides to talk face-to-face with them and eventually makes good friends with them. Penny almost becomes a parental figure to them, and would probably start to doubt himself a lot. Though, he ultimately would decide to truly “take the kid in,” and that doesn’t mean to live in the cavern under the sewers. It means “to the Dark Tower.”

Penny: “Hey, Bessa! Say, what would y’all say if I kinda just… brought a shinin’ kid here to live with us?”

Bessa: “What’s behind you, Penny?”

Penny: “…”

Bessa: “Penny, what’s behind you?!”

Penny: “… I think you know.”

His friends would obviously need major explanations, and probably wouldn’t be all that willing to take care of a mortal child. Eventually though, they will see that Penny has finally gained some sort of friendship with this kid, and they will eventually warm up to the idea as well.

Soon, they all consider themselves the guardians of the kid. Gan and Bessa would probably be like the parental figures, Maturin would be the soft and kind uncle who has life lessons for days, and Penny would be the chaotic, fun Uncle/older sibling who would let them curse! XD

.

Thank you, @xvx-lucifer-is-a-cat for the ask! This was seriously a whole lot of fun to come up with ideas for!^^ And I am so glad that you enjoy my art and designs, it means a whole lot for me to hear! 😭❤️❤️❤️

I hope you have an amazing day, and thanks again!^^ 👋❤️

[myherowritings]

PART 3. ACCIDENTAL SUGAR DADDY?

SUMMARY. Todoroki Shouto was a wealthy, young CEO who inherited his father’s enterprise. You were a barista at a local cafe who wouldn’t mind some extra cash. One day, Shouto came in during an early morning shift and tipped you such a large sum of money, you were certain it had to have been an accident. To your surprise and complete pleasure: It was not.

PAIRING. ceo!todoroki shouto x barista!reader

WORD COUNT. 2.4k

GENRE. ceo/barista au, fluff, eventual smut

WARNINGS. none in this chapter

A/N. happy new year y’all! :3 i hope you have a good 2021 and here is some flirty ceo!shouto for u to enjoy as we enter the new year hehe ;) thank you for reading and i hope you enjoy! xx sof

SERIES MASTERLIST

© myherowritings — all rights reserved. reposting, modifying, copying, or translating of any kind is not allowed. do not read my writing as asmr. do not plagiarize.

“I heard you dropped by this weekend,” you said as a greeting, a playful smile on your lips. “Looking for me?”

If the tips of his ears didn’t tinge pink, you would have guessed Shouto was completely unaffected by your words. 

“Mn.” He drew his attention away from your gaze and pointedly adjusted his cufflinks. “Good morning to you too.” 

You laughed, accepting you wouldn’t get anything out of your attempt at teasing. “Morning, Shouto. How was your weekend?” 

The cafe was quite busy this hour, but Miyazaki took over the other register to alleviate the stress (though, what she really said was so you and pretty boy—who happened to be rich rich—could talk). Whatever the reason, you were glad for a small break whenever you could get it.

“You could say it was busy,” he replied, sounding a bit tired. For the first time since you met him, you actually noticed how exhausted he looked. You wanted to put cucumbers on his eyes and lay his head down on your lap to coax him to sleep. Nonetheless, he smiled softly at you. “And yours? I hope you were able to have time to rest and relax.”

You nodded. “I just slept a lot and caught up on the shows I missed throughout the week.”

“The real way a weekend should be spent.” 

His voice was teasing but he didn’t sound mocking. Just...somewhat playful. There was something about his tone that made you want to hear it again.

“Something tells me you need a weekend away where you could just relax and do nothing,” you commented, tapping the back of your pen to your chin. “Do you not have any days off at work?” 

He considered this. “Depends what you mean by day off.” 

“If you have to ask that, that probably means you don’t have a day off, huh?” you said with a frown, holding your hand over your chest as you sighed dramatically. “You poor thing. Overworked and tired. Maybe I should steal you away one weekend and get you to just relax.” 

You were only half-serious.

“Maybe you should,” agreed Shouto, sounding full-serious.

“Maybe I will,” you blurted before you could stop yourself. Maybe you could if you actually had his number… Then, feeling shameful you said, “But, ah, anyway, what can I get for you today? We actually have cheese danishes again!”

His face brightened. “You do? I’ll take five dozen.”

With a laugh you took down his order. You really weren’t sure where all these pastries were going when he bought it, but judging from his expression, you figured it must be somewhere good. 

“And for your drink?”

“This time I’ll have a large green tea with almond milk, please.” 

You nodded but tilted your head to the side in question. “No coffee with extra shots of espresso today?” 

“I add too much sugar and creamer to my coffee,” he admitted sheepishly. “And with all the baked goods I’ve been eating I realized I may have had an excess amount of sweets lately.” 

With an understanding laugh you patted his hand that was resting on the counter woefully. “I can definitely relate to that. If too many sweets are bad for you they shouldn’t have made it taste so good.”

Shouto glanced down at where your hands touched, an expression you couldn’t quite discern on his face. Averting your gaze, you quickly pulled your hand back. Was that inappropriate of you? Did he find it too pushy?

“Oh— Sorry about that,” you said, rubbing your elbow with your opposite hand. “Got a bit ahead of myself there.”

“No, it’s fine.” He blinked once. “I didn’t mind.”

Unsure if he meant anything by that and unsure if you were reading too much into things, you simply brushed the topic off and moved on to getting his order in telling him the price. 

“Paying by card again, I’m assuming?” you asked before hitting the appropriate button on the screen.

“Correct.”

By now the sight of the sleek and pretty credit card was one you grew rather fond of as he scanned over the payment terminal and signed his name. Was it weird you wanted to examine his signature more closely? Shouto seemed like the type of person who would have a fancy signature that somehow looked like art. 

As per routine, you told him his order would be ready for pick up at his right and, before he left the register, he thanked you and gave you another $100. 

Did it feel any less strange than the first time he tipped you? Not really, no. But you still weren’t going to complain about a generous tip from a willing customer.

Before he left with his cheese danishes and cup of tea in hand, he stopped by next to you with a small smile. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N.”

You grinned back. “Can’t wait, Shouto!” 

— ✩ —

This went on for a whole other week. By this point, he had given you over $1,000 in tip and you were starting to feel like you should give him something in return despite him assuring you he didn’t expect anything. 

When you told your friends about the nice guy you met while you were working and they asked for the details, the first thing they said in response to your situation was, “Sugar daddy?” 

Before they planted that thought into your head, you just took it as a rich businessman who hated the rich and believed in redistribution of wealth—you couldn’t complain about that. That made him even more appealing, if you must say. But once Kaminari and Ashido whispered those two words, you couldn’t help but see the comparisons. 

You had no issues with sugar daddies or sugar babies; as long as they were two consenting adults, what did it matter to you? It just wasn’t something you were looking for at the time and you didn’t want Shouto to get the wrong impression or involve yourself in something you weren’t ready to. 

As you commuted to work for your next morning shift, you told yourself today was the day you’d thank him one final time for the tips, but tell him you couldn’t accept anymore. You were sure he’d be understanding but you also hoped it wouldn’t deter him from coming to see you. That was the last thing you’d want. 

“Mrs. Miyazaki,” you said between customers. “When Shouto comes in, do you think I can step away from the register to talk to him for a little? I promise it’ll be brief!”

She waved her hand dismissively. “That’s not a problem. Are you finally going to ask him out or something?”

You scratched the back of your neck. “Or something, yeah.” 

Thankfully, by the time Shouto arrived today, it was later than he normally came, meaning rush hour was almost dying down. 

“Good morning! Someone’s a little late today,” you teased. “Overslept?” 

“I wish,” he sighed wistfully. “I had a meeting early this morning and it just ended. Didn’t have a chance to pick up some coffee or pastries beforehand.” 

You frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope whoever was hosting the meeting at least provided you guys drinks and snacks!” 

He paused. “He did, but… I just thought yours were better.” 

Smiling at the compliment, you preened. “Well, I can’t say I’m not surprised. And I’m glad you were able to drop by still. Would’ve missed you too much otherwise.”

Again, you were only half-serious.

“Hm. I would’ve missed you too.”

And again, he seemed full-serious. Not that you minded. 

After taking his order and watching him pay, you pulled him to the side, looking over at your boss so she knew what was going on. She gave you a brief nod as you turned your attention to Shouto. 

A lapse of silence went by and he spoke up, “Did you have something you wanted to say?” 

“Yeah, actually.” You wrung your fingers nervously, hoping you wouldn’t say anything to offend him since you knew his actions were coming from a kind place. “I just wanted to say… I’m not really looking for a sugar daddy right now.”

He blinked once. Then twice. “Pardon?” 

You stared at him, unsure what to say. 

“I— Sorry. I wasn’t… It’s not my intention to be a...sugar daddy either.” Shouto’s face flushed a bright pink that made your own cheeks warm up in response. 

“But the—the money? I just… I guess I thought…” You winced.

So he wasn’t trying to pick up a sugar baby… Well, this was awkward. But regardless, you think you’ve gotten close enough to him to the point where it would feel weird accepting money from him. 

“I’m sorry if I was unclear. It really is just a tip to show appreciation for your service here.” 

You shook your head. “No! Sorry, that makes sense! My friends just said… And then I…” you trailed off, feeling a million times more flustered than when you started. “Sorry about that. The sugar daddy mishap aside, I still wanted to say that I really appreciate the tips you gave, but I don’t think I can accept them anymore.” 

Slowly, he nodded, adjusting the collar of his dress shirt. “I understand. Did something happen?”

“No, nothing happened!” you were quick to assure. “I really am thankful, but… I think we’ve gotten too close for me to be comfortable accepting that much money, you know?”

Shouto tilted his head to the side, listening intently. 

“Like,” you tried to explain, fiddling with your apron, “over the past few weeks I just think we’ve gotten to know each other more and I think of you as a friend of sorts now.” You peered at him through your lashes, hoping your words were making sense. “I think as a relationship develops—for me, at least—adding money into the mix can cause weird power imbalances if not communicated properly. And I just don’t want that for us.” 

He thought through your words for a while before agreeing. “I get what you mean. I wouldn’t want to unintentionally make you feel like you owe me anything, so if you’re not comfortable with it, I can stop.” 

“Thanks, Shouto,” you said with a beam, glad he was so receptive. Really though, what else did you expect? From your interactions with him you took him to be kindhearted and open. Of course he wouldn’t be upset over this. “But just to be clear, this doesn’t mean you should stop coming! Right? I don’t want to stop being your friend or anything!” 

With a small laugh, he nodded. “Sure. I wouldn’t want to part with my favorite cafe. And I’d like to keep being friends as well.”

Those words warmed your heart. You really were nervous about this confrontation earlier; you didn’t want voicing your opinion to mean ending your friendship. (Although, if you sharing what you were comfortable with was enough to end a relationship, then you supposed it was bound to be a toxic and stifling one in the long run and it was good to know in the beginning to end it before it could grow.) Turns out, however, that you didn’t even need to worry about that. He was understanding and sweet and you were glad to have gotten this out of the way.

“Well, as new friends,” you said, gently nudging his side, “maybe we should get to know each other more? Exchange numbers… Hang out outside of this cafe…” You ran through some suggestions, almost bouncing on your feet in excitement. “I mean, I know you’re always so busy and might not have much free time to hang out. But— If you’re ever free one weekend…” 

“I’d enjoy that,” he cut in, saving you from blabbering your mouth off and accidentally embarrassing yourself. “Didn’t you say you’d steal me away from work to relax? I’m still holding you to that.” 

The beginnings of a smirk formed on his face as he looked at your flustered expression. Was he teasing you?

You huffed, pretending to be insulted by his playful mocking. “Guess I’ll really have to do it then.” 

“Guess so.”

“Maybe you should give me your number first so we could plan it.” 

“Okay.”

He handed you his phone and you handed him yours, both of your adding your numbers to the contact list. Smiling, you held the phone in front of the two of you to take a contact picture of yourself for Shouto’s phone. To your complete surprise, he laughed before promptly following suit and taking a selfie for his contact image. 

“Cute,” you said when he handed you back your phone. 

“You too.” 

Placing your device back in your pocket, you looked at him, hand on hip. “Since when did you become such a smooth-talker? Am I going to have to guard my heart now?” 

His only response was a shrug, but you could see hints of a smile playing on his face. The two of you seemed to be smiling a lot lately, you couldn’t help but notice. 

“I should probably let you go to work now—and I should go back to mine.” You gestured to the growing line at the front of the store. Your manager looked like she had things under control, but you didn’t want to take advantage of her kindness. “You should text me later though. If you want.”

“I’ll do that,” Shouto promised, picking up his drink and pastry boxes from the side counter. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N. And… I’ll message you soon.” 

As you watched him leave the store, you were certain you had a silly look on your face as you stared in a trance. 

“I’ll turn my phone off silent just for you!” you said to his back, hoping he understood what a momentous occasion this was. Your phone was always on silent (unless you were playing a game, of course). But for Shouto, you could handle hearing the obnoxious ringtone and text tone. 

With an amused expression he nodded before waving goodbye.

Later on that day, at the end of your shift, you noticed a new message from a certain someone that made your stomach flutter.

Shouto: Hi there. It’s Shouto :)

You never knew those four simple words would be enough to keep the grin plastered on your face up until the moment your head hit your pillow to fall asleep. But, damn— Were you glad that happened to be the case. 

a/n: whY WAS SHOUTO AND Y/N EXCHANGING NUMBERS SO CUTE idk that scene got me all blushy and :DDD HFJDKSF like taking a selfie with shouto and getting his number? only goal in life BFHFGF,, also y/n said no more tips how we feeling? ;o 

what to expect in the next part:

an unwanted visitor ಥ_ಥ

shouto has a...proposition for y/n 

FLIRTING FLUFF SO MUCH CUTENESS U MIGHT CRY

y/n struggles with their fEeLiNGs~

[nrrrdgrrrl2002]

Time to dump my Tmnt 2012 anthology au series, “The Horror Of It All” because knowing me, it’ll be a while before I write cohesive series for these and I don’t want people to be mega confused when I dump a random one shot for any of these

starting with the one, the only, Five Nights At Freddy’s!!

This specific au is called “ Five Nights At Leos“ to not give away too much of any of these aus, I’ll simply be giving character lists for now

( the main man) Freddy- Leonardo

( the one always associated with a••hole older brothers) Foxy- Raphael ( my favorite turtle)

( the one who gets unjustly uwued the most) Bonnie- Donatello ( or murdertello if you prefer)

( why is she the only og kid we ever get to see?!) Chica- Mikey ( is also unjustly uwued)

( this motherf••ker) Golden Freddy- April ( this girl deserves better)

( the absolute best character in fnaf) the puppet- Casey ( the absolute best character in 2012)

( let this man rest!) Michael Afton- Middy ( a 2012 oc of mine ( you’ll hear about her a lot))

( why won’t this f••ker stay dead?!) Springtrap- Splinter ( again. Will you stay dead?!)

Next up, my absolute favorite indie horror game that makes me unfairly salty with the actual route it went, Bendy And The Ink Machine!!

This here au is called “ Casey And The Ink Machine” ( take a guess who’s bendy in this) I’ve actually posted art for this one, but here’s a character list anyways!

( should’ve been the real bendy) The Ink Demon/ Bendy- Casey ( if you know me, this isn’t a surprise)

( he deserved better 😭) Boris ( more specifically, Buddy Boris)- Donnie ( oh, I’m about to put this boi through hell)

( cool, but could’ve been better) Alice ( specifically, Susie Alice)- April ( this girl gets too much hate, I swear)

(Note about these 3; they’re all the actual cartoon characters brought to life, not people possessed by weirdly choosy ink)

( why did this guy have a voice if it wasn’t to question s••t?) Henry Stein- Raph ( raph is canonically an artist. I swear this choice makes sense)

( probably one of the coolest batim characters) Sammy Lawrence- Mikey (… this ones really hard to explain)

( this b••tard should not have gotten away with no consequences, I swear to god..) Joey Drew- Leo ( because Leo’s my least favorite of the main 6, so I’m gonna keep making him an a••hole)

bonus for dark revival; Middy as Audrey!

And last but definitely not least, probably one of the best indie horror games, Doki Doki Literature Club!!

I swear this isn’t a joke. This one is a little more…. Loose with the canon, so some au clarification will probably be required

( best horror antagonist) Monika- Leo ( see what I mean)

*technically* Sayori-Mikey ( his story follows fairly close to sayoris)

*technically*Yuri- Donnie ( isn’t as crytic nor nasty, just very obsessive)

*technically* Natsuki- Raph ( is still technically a tsundere, but thats all he really shares with Natsuki)

( april and Casey are other love/ friend options with some of Natsuki and yuris traits utilized)

April ( an “ intuitive“ girl who gets more crytic as the game goes on)

Casey( a reckless guy who secretly has an abusive household like Natsuki)

The Main Character- Middy ( middy in the “ real world“, midnight in the game)

there may also be crossover stuff with these and my slightly rewritten ver of canon Tmnt 2012

Thats all for now, folks! Y’all got question, I’ll answer to the best of my ability! Hope you enjoyed, and have a lovely day!

[wordsnwhiskey]

As It Should Be | Chapter 12: Blood in the Water

Pairing: Agent Whiskey x F!Reader x Frankie Morales

Summary: The crew is reunited, but with loyalties in question, you and Frankie head down a brutal path that will have consequences later on.

Rating: M - Dead Dove

WC: 6.3k

Warnings: Dead Dove, torture, gore, a knife, guns

A/N: Life has been an absolute shit show but I can at least say that the next chapters won’t take nearly as long! Thanks to everyone who’s still reading for hanging in there. This is not a happy chapter but I hope y’all enjoy! I can guarantee though that the next chapter is well on its way and will be out much sooner than this one!

Thank you so much to mi esposa @danniburgh for beta-ing, for her patience with my Spanish and all the help and encouragement. Also, shout out to DA for all of the encouragement in general. Y’all have been absolutely amazing through everything that’s been going on!

Vocab: Magazine - also known as a “clip” where ammo is stored and fed into the gun automatically. For pistols, it slides into the grip of the gun.

Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Ch 11: It All Falls Apart | Taglist Sign Up | AO3 | AISB Art

10:15

Water droplets trickled from Frankie’s hair, dripping down his cheeks, and he cursed the lack of visibility in the rain. Straining his neck, he squinted through the water and mud spattered windshield, desperately scanning the airfield for a glimpse of you as he crested the last hill. Tequila had commed Ginger to see if she had an update on you and Jack at some point while Frankie was tearing through the thick of the jungle.

According to her, you had a head start on them and should have already made it to the airfield. His breath caught in his chest when he spotted another vehicle parked haphazardly next to the abandoned hangar. Frankie slammed down on the accelerator, hope and relief blooming in his belly, and fluttering up into his chest.

The sound of an engine roaring made you snap your head up; your heart was racing, and your body coiled as you took stock of the truck careening towards you. Your fingers flexed around the grip of Jack’s Colt in anticipation as the truck came to a skidding halt, but you couldn’t quite make out the occupants in the rain.

All of your tension dissipated the moment you saw Frankie jump out of the truck before it had even come to a full stop. You scrambled out of the car and towards him across the wet ground, grunting as you collided with each other.

“Mi amor-”

“Frankie-”

A smile quirked the corners of your mouth at the way you had both spoken at the same time and fell into each other. You clutched at the rough, wet fabric of his tactical vest, fingers catching on the stitched nylon straps as you breathed him in, breathed him back into your senses. Breathed him back to life. Frankie smelled like fresh coppery blood, like wet Earth, like the adrenaline and sweat that clung to his skin and stained him. He smelled alive. He was alive.

“Fuck… baby.” Frankie’s voice was thick with sudden unshed tears. “I-I was so worried...” He reached up and gingerly cupped your cheek, afraid you’d vanish.

You pressed into his palm that was somehow still warm despite the rain leaving the rest of his skin cool to the touch.

“I was worried too, Frankie.” You whispered, feeling like anything louder than that would shatter the glass fortress of calm in his arms.

Your eyes closed in the comfort of his touch relaxing you for just one half of a second before the images of Jack, dead on the floor, haunted the backs of your eyelids, making them startle back open.

Frankie leaned in and kissed away tears from your cheeks you hadn’t even realized were falling.

“A-And Jack?” Frankie asked, brows knit together and brown eyes full of cautious hope. “Tequila says we can bring him back?”

You pulled back, frowning at the alpha gel that was now smeared across his vest and cheek from where it had clung to you. Your unease, relief, and your worry mixed in with the gel and seeped into his skin. A grimace contorted your face; you hated seeing it on Frankie, even if it was just transference.

“What is this shit?” Frankie asked as he wiped the sticky substance from his face, then scraped it off on his cargo pants.

“It’s called alpha gel.” You turned to Tequila at the sound of his rushed steps, as he jogged towards you, his hat already outstretched for you to take. “Statesman developed it in the event of a head wound.”

Frankie followed you back to the car as you spoke, and opened the car door, revealing Jack in the backseat. “The gel protects the brain and then they do the rest in the lab.”

His whole body stiffened at the sight of Jack laying askew in the backseat, a mess of fluids and blood matting his hair. Frankie’s fingers gripped the car door tightly and kept him from collapsing when his knees buckled as the sickly sweet, iron laden stench hit his nose.

The smell never seemed to bother him before, the errant thought floated through his mind along with the smell.

Frankie trembled as he fought off the nausea of seeing the man he loved so far away from life, and let his anger fill the void his nausea fed off of.

You noticed the change in Frankie’s demeanor and quickly moved to wrap Tequila’s alpha gel pack around Jack’s head.

“The problem is…” Your voice was strained as you maneuvered Jack’s heavy and awkwardly limp form. “Whoever shot Jack also put a bullet through his Stetson, which housed his alpha gel.” The activators popped out from Tequila’s hat and you plunged them into their respective ports, then watched as the blue and orange fluid swirled together once again.

You tossed the activators onto the floor of the car, then turned to face Frankie, you noticed the way his face had darkened. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as his gaze darted from Jack to his ruined Stetson, then back again.

He glanced over his shoulder towards Tequila and Pope, who seemed to have the good sense to give the three of you some privacy. Frankie caught Duke’s frightened gaze and clenched his jaw, looking for all the world like a wolf staring down a cornered rabbit. He couldn’t quite place why he felt the deep, twisting unease in his gut, but he knew well enough by now to trust it. Something felt off.

“Where the fuck is Vodka?” Frankie’s heavy gaze snapped back to yours as he half-growled, half-spat the question.

You saw the doubt and suspicion swirling in his deep brown eyes. The softness in them disappeared as the distrust took root in his chest. You knew the unspoken accusation wasn’t directed towards you, and you also couldn’t deny that the same suspicions had been clawing at your skull.

“He never called in after the charges went off.” You looked over at Duke as you spoke, your posture mirroring Frankie’s: tense and predatory. “You think…?” The question hung bloated and heavy in the air as your voice trailed off.

“Yeah, and so do you, Halcón. This shit was…” he trailed off for a moment and shook his head in frustration. “This shit was too easy until it wasn’t.” The words dripped from his tongue, low and raspy in his throat, as if he was tasting every word, pondering each one even though his tone was firm in his certainty. He knew the weight of what he was implying. Frankie ducked his head and leaned in, lowering his voice even more. “What if someone at Statesman is playing both sides?”

You nodded slowly, and a muscle in your jaw twitched as your thumb absentmindedly stroked the wood grip of Jack’s Colt. Things had happened more than a little too conveniently, and too few agents at Statesman were briefed on the mission for it not to cross your mind.

It was also a concern that you and Jack had shared with Champ some months prior. There hadn’t been a single event that had made you suspicious, but then again, you knew there wouldn’t be if it was someone at Statesman; they’d know how to tiptoe around protocols and where Statesman’s resources would be focused. None of you could fathom who it could have been, though. Champ had hoped that by keeping Ginger from promoting to agent that she’d be to head off any major moves that the double agent might make, or at the very least she’d act as a deterrent. Hardly anything made it past her.

You trusted Tequila with your life; he was as loyal as they come, and if you were working under the assumption that the operation was compromised, the four of you were going to have to move fast.

“Champ, Ginger, and Tequila are safe, but I don’t know who else we can trust if we bring Duke in to interrogate.” A sigh fell from your lips and you crossed your arms as you threw another glance towards Pope and Tequila.

From the way Duke was practically snivelling, you knew he’d make the trip to the jet even more of a pain, assuming the jet was still even there; and who was to say there was only one mole in Statesman, just waiting for you to make it back before launching another attack?

“We don’t have to wait.” The pointed tone in Frankie’s statement brought your gaze back to him.

You took in his stance, tense and buzzing with the need to act and exact his pound of flesh. His meaning washed over you like a bucket of ice water, and you recalled times where you had similarly doused prisoners, leaving them shaking, sputtering and desperate. You felt equally desperate, caught between the need for answers, your own desire to exact revenge for Jack, and your morality.

It was the cold, pragmatic choice, it made sense, but you weren’t sure if you could go through with it again. Each time you had inflicted pain, left physical scars with your blade or psychological ones with the scenarios you and your team engineered, you left a mirror image of those scars on your own soul. You knew it had done the same to Frankie and the other guys as well.

“We’ve both done it before.” Frankie pressed on, coaxing you in a way that was firm yet almost gentle as his hand fell to rest on the pistol holstered on his hip and he shrugged. “It’s like riding a bike.”

You raised an eyebrow at what he was suggesting, and deep down, beneath the coldness that was wrapping its way around your heart, you winced at the hollowness in his voice, as if he was commenting on the weather, the Sunday night football game, or the ambiance instead of suggesting torture.

The two of you looked over at where Duke sat on the ground squirming between Pope and Tequila, terror in his eyes. Like any prey animal, he seemed to understand that his life hung precariously in the hands of the predators before him.

The both of you had been on missions before that required… more creative methods of persuasion on the fly; had seen the dark emptiness in each other. The ease of going there and the struggle of coming back was a push and pull you were all too familiar with. This was for Jack, though, and there was nothing you and Frankie weren’t willing to do for him.

“Like riding a bike.” You echoed, your tone equally hollow, and nodded.

Consequences be damned.

Santiago assessed the two of you as you and Frankie approached them, noting the resolute determination in your posture, and the grim line pressed into Frankie’s lips that mirrored your own. He was fairly certain what the two of you had agreed upon; he knew you both, and he had been with you on those missions that had required the team to push aside their humanity for the greater good.

Pope knew you were both willing to go much farther for someone you cared about.

Tequila stopped the examination of his shotgun and looked up as you came nearer. “Well,” he paused as he gratefully took his hat back from you and planted it firmly on his head. “Looks like y’all have decided on somethin’.” His eyes darted between the two of you. The glittering tension that bounced between was nearly tangible. “Mind sharin’ with the class?” There was a bit of a teasing quality to Tequila’s question, a futile attempt to diffuse the increasingly grim situation.

“We think the op is compromised,” you deadpanned to Tequila. “Not sure how deep it goes, but we’ve got someone here who might.”

You gestured to Duke, who whimpered, only to be silenced by a glare from Frankie.

Tequila’s face twisted with confusion, then concern. Duke was their only genuine lead now that the rest of the heads of the cartel were in the wind; they couldn’t risk losing him.

“Are you two sure?” Tequila shifted uncomfortably under the weight of your stare. “I mean, I know they got Jack, but that’s a serious accusation you two are throwin’ ‘round, Bourbon.”

“Like I told Halcón, Tequila, this shit was too easy until it wasn’t.” Frankie shook his head and gestured at Duke venomously as he continued. “And the stunt they pulled at the gala wasn’t your usual cartel shit either.”

The deadly glint that Tequila had noticed in Frankie’s eyes when they were storming the compound had settled in and hardened his gaze. The stench of death clung to both his and your demeanor and Tequila worried that despite the likelihood of you and Frankie being right, this was a disaster in the making.

“We’re professionals, Tequila.” Frankie shifted his gaze from Duke to Tequila and he read the clear hesitancy on the agent’s face. “You can supervise if you want,” he shrugged nonchalantly. “But we’re doing this. We can’t risk transporting him just to deliver him to a dirty agent.”

There was the briefest moment of tension where it seemed like Tequila might push the matter further, but then you stepped forward, and pulled Jack’s mangled Aviators from your pocket and held them up to Tequila.

“I recovered these when I-” you paused and swallowed the image of the pool of blood that came to your mind unbidden. “See if you can get these working and get the video to Ginger on a secure line so she can try to repair whatever footage they got before…” You cleared your throat and stepped back after Tequila took the glasses. “We’ll set up, then you can look in and record using yours.”

The finality in your voice was just as concrete as Frankie had been, but in giving Tequila something to do, you had effectively settled the matter. Tequila nodded, then headed just inside of the hangar where he could get to work without the distraction of the rain.

Frankie turned to Pope, he wasn’t expecting the same resistance from his friend, but even through the selective clarity his desire for revenge had afforded him, Frankie had seen the concern in Santiago’s eyes. However, one glance at Pope, and Frankie knew that his brother-in-arms would see this through with them to the end, whatever that may look like.

“In the hangar?” Pope questioned you and Frankie as he hauled Duke up to his feet.

You took in your surroundings and nodded; while the relentless rain could have worked in your favor, it would be best if the interrogation was done in something as close to a controlled environment as you could get.

Santiago gave you a quick nod in confirmation, then started dragging Duke into the hangar. You watched as he squirmed and complained about the pain in the leg that had been shot, as if that mosquito bite of a gunshot wound would compare to what he was about to endure. As they disappeared into the hangar, Frankie unsheathed his knife and held it out to you hilt first, knowing you had a preference for blades in this kind of situation. He watched for a moment as you took it in your hand and felt it. The familiar weight of the weapon sent of a bloom of electricity across your palm and little frissions of anticipation through your chest.

After a few moments of admiring you with the weapon, Frankie gave you a small, almost rueful smile. Then he followed Pope, his shoe prints swallowing the muddy trail left behind by Duke. You took a deep breath, then followed suit into the darkened hangar.

Tequila glanced in your direction as you walked past him, the red cherry of the cigarette dangling between his index and middle fingers stood out in the dusk created by the gloomy overcast outside as it met the dimly illuminated hangar, while he explained the situation to Ginger. He still didn’t seem happy, but Ginger held his attention enough that he didn't argue further.

Up ahead, Santiago had put Duke down on an empty crate and used old cargo rope and nylon webbing he found lying around to tie Duke’s hands behind his back. Electricity in the hangar had been a thing of the past, but as you walked around, avoiding the small waterfalls cascading through the holes in the roof, you saw an additional light source ahead. Based on the high-powered flashlight set facing towards the ceiling, and what looked like a Statesman branded duffle Pope was rifling through, you guessed Ginger had the good sense to send some emergency supplies along with the helicopter outside.

Frankie was leaning against another stack of crates, looking over his pistol and checking the magazine when he heard your soft footsteps echo in the hangar. The sticky tension clung to the air around you, thick and heavy in anticipation of what was to come. This was wholly and completely different from any interrogation he, Pope, or you had conducted. All of the previous training and missions they had gone on were part of a job, devoid of a truly personal connection. There was no such separation here, no mental barrier or final emotional threshold to be crossed to ready yourselves before it began.

You took that final step forward, bringing you into the hazy dome of light and just a few paces in front of Duke. His attention was drawn to and fixated on the blade that gleamed in the artificial light. Duke blinked, his gaze darting to Pope, then Frankie where they stood just outside of the illuminated circle, until he settled on you. His eyes widened. The light cast by the flashlight draped you in shadows, contorting the angles of your face into something out of a nightmare.

“Do you know who I am? ¿Sabes quien soy?” Your tone was as sharp and cutting as the blade in your hand as you questioned Duke. You brushed your thumb over the edge of the knife, noting the coppery rusted echoes of blood smeared over the belly of the blade from when Frankie must have used it earlier and a small thrill ran down your spine.

“N-no?” Duke shook his head hesitantly, eyes drawn in fear, and you could see the desperation in them as he searched your face for some trace of familiarity, hoping to appease you. As if that would help his situation now.

“¿Conoces a ellos, sí?” [Do you know them?] Your words were quiet yet far from soft as you paused and waited for Duke to nod before continuing.

“¿Sabes lo que pueden hacer?” [Do you know them? Do you know what they can do/what they’re capable of?] You gestured towards Frankie and Pope with a wave of the knife, then tipped Duke’s chin back with the tip of the blade as you waited for his next response.

“Si, si estaban en el ejército y…” [Yes, yes they were in the army and…] A bead of sweat slid down his temple, over his cheekbone, and down his jaw as he tried to keep his movements to a minimum and avoid nicking his throat on your knife. “Y mataron a Lorea.” [And they killed Lorea.]

“Bueno.” [Good.] You smiled down at him, the corners of your mouth lopsided into more of a smirk that didn’t quite reach your eyes. “Mira… hago lo mismo que ellos y acabo de ver a mi amigo en el suelo, muerto en un charco de su propia sangre.” [Look… I do the same as they do and I just saw my friend on the floor, dead in a puddle of his own blood.] Your smirk deadened into a contemptful sneer as you dragged the tip of the blade across his Adam's apple and down his throat.

“Tú socios lo mataron,” [Your partners killed him.] You stopped the descent of the blade at the hollow of his throat, pressing just enough to leave a mark but not enough to draw blood. “Pero, no te vamos a hacer nada, si contestas unas preguntas. ¿Entiendes?” [But we’re not going to do anything to you if you answer some questions. Understand?]

Duke nodded, but there was apprehension etched into his features despite your promise that no harm would come to him if he cooperated.

“Bueno, pues no tenemos mucho tiempo, vamos a empezar con algo fácil.” [Good, well we don’t have a lot of time, we’ll start with something easy.] You leaned down, so that you were both eye level as you crowded his space. “¿A dónde fue Isabella? ¿Cuál era el plan si necesitaban huir?” [Where did Isabella go? What was the plan if you needed to flee?]

Duke shook his head, then swallowed thickly. “No sé a dónde fue.” [I don’t know where she went.]

A frown darkened your face, and you shook your head in pseudo disappointment. You let out a sigh as you pulled the knife away from Duke, noting the small exhale of tentative relief he let out before you stepped forward, moving lightning fast to grip the collar of Duke’s shirt. The knife caught on the expensive silk for a second, then the sound of the fabric tearing and splitting under the edge of the blade filled the air. Duke’s chest rose and fell rapidly as you pushed his shirt back on his shoulders, then stepped back to stare at the canvas of skin before you.

“Duke… estoy muy decepcionada de ti. ¿Crees que no voy a usar esto?” [Duke… I’m very disappointed in you. Do you think I’m not going to use this?] You asked, gesturing at the knife in your hand.

Without giving him time to respond, you leaned in and carved a shallow, thin line down his chest to his bellybutton. Duke cried out, pitching forward against the hand you had braced against his shoulder to keep him still. He crumpled as you released your steadying grasp on him and he doubled over in pain, crying as you wiped the blood on the knife off on Duke’s shoulder, staining his suit jacket. It was a relatively superficial injury, but would bleed enough to impress upon Duke the gravity of the situation he was in. You sighed and stepped back again, brows drawn together in concentration as his pain filled the air around you.

Neither Frankie nor Santiago flinched at the action, and although Tequila, who now stood next to Santiago, didn’t say anything, the way he crossed his arms, furrowed his brow and rocked back on his heels, spoke volumes of his discomfort.

You gave Duke a few seconds to feel his pain and catch his breath before grabbing his shoulder and pushing him back into an upright position.

“Ay, mira lo que me hiciste hacer.” [Ugh, look what you made me do.] A sigh of mock disappointment trickled from your mouth and your lips pouted in faux regret. “Te dije que solo necesitabas contestar unas preguntas y nada te pasaría.” [I told you that all you had to do was answer some questions and nothing would happen to you.]

Duke’s eyes watered and somewhere deep, deep down, you knew you should find what you were doing abhorrent. What you were doing went against every moral fiber in your body, the due South to the True North of your moral compass.

The part of you that cared, though, the part of you that would hate yourself for what you were doing was so far buried, completely iced over, that not even a flicker of doubt or concern permeated your consciousness.

“Otra vez, ¿dónde está Isabella?” [Again, where is Isabela?] You asked again, and this time your words made Duke flinch.

“Hay-hay algunas casas que tenemos si necesitamos huir.” [There-there are a few houses we have in case we need to flee.] Duke’s voice trembled, the words rushed forward and spilled from his mouth like the blood from the wound you had cut in him that had begun to seep into the waistband of his trousers. He was almost babbling in his eagerness to appease you. “Puedo darles las direcciones.” [I can give you the addresses.]

“¡Eso, Duke!” [There we go, Duke!] A leering smile split your lips and you gently patted Duke’s cheek. “Eso no fue tan difícil, ¿eh?” [That wasn’t so hard, eh?]

Duke shot you a withering glance before looking back down at the floor. Your eyes flickered over to Frankie whose gaze was fixated on you; the makings of his prideful smile spurred you on.

“Ya sabemos que tienes otros socios,” [We already know you have other partners.] You crouched down in front of Duke, ducking and tilting your head to meet his eyes. “¿Cuántos hay?” [How many are there?]

Duke blanched at your question and his frightened gaze met your steely one; the fearful denial etched on his face before it left his lips.

“N-no hay otros. Eran los Weisels, Isabella y yo.” [T-there aren’t any others. It was just the Weisels, Isabella and me.] He stuttered under the weight of your stare and you let out an irritated sigh.

“¿No me oíste o qué?” [Did you not hear me or what?] You stood up straight, anger roiling beneath the surface of your skin, muddying your objectivity, thin as it was. “¡Ya sabemos que hay más!” [We already know there are more!]

Your fingers twitched around the handle of the knife as you flexed your control over your temper.

“No es difícil, Duke. ¡Dinos!” [It’s not hard Duke. Tell us!] The fear in his heart kept a firm grip on the hesitation that held the answer on his tongue and you hissed, impatience crawling over your skin.

“¿Qué crees que pasará?” [What do you think is going to happen?] Your eyes flashed as you raised your voice and paced a short line in front of Duke. “Estamos aquí solos en la puta selva y nadie viene por tí.” [We’re here alone in the damn jungle and no one is coming for you.]

“Mira,” [Look,] You stopped in front of him, switching tactics as you evened out your voice. “Podemos ayudarte, Duke. Tenemos recursos-” [We can help you Duke. We have resources-]

“¡No sé nada de otro socio!” [I don’t know anything about another partner!] He cut you off with his hurried declaration and you drew in a sharp intake of breath.

“Un cabrón como tú…” [A bastard like you…] You shook your head and did nothing to hide your disgust as you spat the words in Duke’s face. “No lo merece, pero te podemos ofrecer protección.” [Doesn’t deserve it but we can offer you protection.]

“Solo necesitas contestar: ¿Quién es tu otro socio?” [All you need to do is answer: Who is your other partner?] You rocked forward, jaw clenched, your annoyance bleeding through into your voice as it rose with each gritted-out syllable until you were near shouting.

Duke’s nose twitched like a rabbit’s, as if he could smell the rage building within you; and his eyes widened as if he could see the tenuous, fraying strands of your self-control that kept a leash on your knife-hand.

“¡Dinos quién es!” You yelled. Another strand snapped, and you reversed your grip on the knife so that the flat of the blade ran alongside your forearm, then you pressed both the edge and your forearm into Duke’s throat.

“¡No, no por favor! ¡No puedo, no puedo decirte!” You scoffed then pushed off from him, standing up and staring down at him, eyes full of contempt “¡Me van a matar! ¡Me van a matar si te digo!” [No, no please! I can’t, I can’t tell you! They’ll kill me! They’ll kill me if I tell you!] Tears and snot flowed from Duke’s eyes and nose, painting a pathetic, babbling portrait of the man before you.

You snarled, your exasperation and frustration breaking through the veneer of your control. Every moment spent dealing with Duke was another moment that Jack wasn’t in the medical wing under Ginger’s care. You lunged forward, your free hand wrapping around the sweat-slick skin of Duke’s throat.

“¿Y qué? ¿Crees que nosotros no lo vamos a hacer?” [And what? You don’t think we will?] Your fingers squeezed around his neck, as your voice rose, then lowered to a seething hiss. You used the knife to split the gauze wrapped around Duke’s leg from where he’d been shot, then sunk the blade through the bullet wound, into the meat of Duke's thigh. There was a sickening squelch as the blade tore through skin and muscle followed by a strangled, stomach churning cry of pain that tore itself free from Duke’s throat.

Frankie perked up at the sudden act of violence. From where he stood across from Tequila and Pope, you were crowned in a halo of artificial light, making you look like a terrifying angel of war come down to deliver vengeance. The dark, violent side of him was in awe of the taste of your ethereal ruthlessness. Your eyes caught his, and you nodded, finally giving him permission to join. A nonverbal order. Finish it.

He nodded back, then took the handful of steps needed to bring him to your side, eyes searching yours for confirmation. Everything was still. The only sounds in the hangar were the echoes of Duke’s pleas for mercy and the pitter patter of the rain on the metal roof.

There was a shift in the air before there was a shift in Frankie. A change in the energy of the room, as if the very room itself was holding its breath and every cry, every babbled plea, sucked the air out of the room until its lungs were burning, begging for air. It was suffocating.

“¡Ya! ¡Para con todo este ruido!” [Enough! Stop with all this noise!] Frankie snapped, and the room seemingly took a breath.

Santiago saw it a half second before it happened, and Tequila realized just a beat after; the way Frankie’s eyes deadened, seemingly unfocusing, then refocusing, and narrowing. Then he pulled his pistol, barely looking away from you before shooting Duke through his shoulder.

The gunshot pierced the room, reverberating against the walls and then giving way to Duke’s blood-curdling scream. Santiago grimaced at the howl of pain, noticing that Frankie didn’t even blink as a fine mist sprayed back at him from the entry wound and speckled the left side of his face in crimson freckles.

“Si no te callas… ¡te vuelo la cabeza!” [If you don’t shut up...I’ll blow your head off!] Frankie seemed bigger, an avenging force of nature, as he growled out the threat; his low, gravely voice somehow rising above the shrieking.

“¿Quien. Es. Tu. Otro. Socio?” [Who. Is. Your. Other. Partner?] He bared his teeth and wrapped a large hand around Duke’s right shoulder, thumb pressing into the wound, coating it in wet, crimson blood, as he brought the cool metal of his gun’s muzzle to rest on Duke’s forehead.

“¡No sé!” the man cried out, tears dropping one after the other “¡No sé su nombre, solo dijo que-que se llamaba Belvedere!” [I don’t know! I don’t know his name, he just said his name is Belvedere!] Duke whimpered, the words coming out in stuttering gasps.

“Does he mean that vodka brand?” Pope asked, his eyes flickering with familiarity.

You glanced at Frankie, then turned to Tequila, your head tilting at the incredulity of the code name.

“What the fuck, Tequila… He wouldn’t be that sloppy, would he?” Your voice was brimming with disbelief.

“He always was a cocky son of a bitch, Bourbon.” Tequila clenched his jaw and shook his head. “An’ he’s always goin’ on about it being the best damn vodka there is.”

Just like that, one word, a name, brought the air back into the room, breathing fury, fire, and righteous validation into all of them.

“¿Hay alguien más?¿ Un otro socio del Señor Belvedere que conozcas?” [Is there anyone else? Another partner of Vodka’s that you know?] Frankie pressed into Duke’s shoulder again, but you couldn’t find it in you to feel sympathy for him.

“No, solo erámos cinco,” [No, there were just five of us.] Duke’s mouth opened in a soundless sob and he shook his head weakly. “Y nadie estaba con él cuando nos reunimos para hablar de negocios.” There were no more tears left to stain his cheeks, and he looked near faint from everything he had endured.

Frankie stared emptily at the blood that had dripped from his thumb and down his wrist for a moment then wiped it off on his vest, not caring to wipe his face off just yet. He blinked himself back into the present then stepped back and looked over to Santiago, nodding for him to come over with the med kit. Santiago moved without hesitation and took small comfort in the fury flickering in yours and Frankie’s eyes; at least it was better than the ice that had frosted over and deadened them earlier. None of Duke’s injuries would prove fatal. Despite letting your frustration get the better of you, your strike had re-pierced the non-fatal gunshot wound and missed the femoral artery.

Tequila approached once he disconnected from the secure line he had established with Ginger and tilted his head towards the entrance, gesturing for you and Frankie to follow.

“I updated Ginger an’ sent her the video.” He paused and let out a sigh when another scream echoed behind them as Pope was likely removing the knife you had embedded in Duke’s leg. “She’s prioritizin’ what she can get from Jack’s glasses t’ see if she can find out where Vodka an’ Steven went.”

You nodded and Frankie, absentmindedly, did too as he looked out towards the helicopter that sat beneath a camo tarp.

Hazy, blissful memories of what followed after Jack helped him with an almost identical tarp just a week prior speared his heart. Now, on a mission deep in Colombia, Jack, the man he loved dead to the world, and having just tortured someone with you, it felt like a lifetime ago.

“We need to head out as soon as we can move Duke.” Frankie crossed his arms in front of his chest, his eyes narrowing slightly, deep in thought. “He would have told us if there was another partner, and since Vodka wasn’t there when we came up with the helo plan, he won’t be expecting us to get back to the jet by air.”

“Yeah, and I don’t think Vodka would trust anyone besides himself at Statesman’, so we ought to be able to hold Duke without worrying, but we still need to get there.” You pinched the bridge of your nose and closed your eyes for a moment; images of Jack’s bloody lifeless eyes now replaced by Duke’s agony twisted face and the warmth that bloomed up your arms when you plunged the knife into his thigh. “They may not be expecting us to come in by air, but they will be expecting us to try to make it back to the jet.”

“Ginger said she’d get Cranberry on a secure line." Tequila offered, his hand falling to rest on his belt buckle as he shifted his weight. "She ought t' have been followin' protocol an' keepin' the jet locked down so she'll be able t' cover our approach."

Santiago came up beside you hauling a worse-for-wear, but bandaged Duke behind him.

“We good here?” Pope asked, grunting a bit as Duke stumbled and he supported Duke’s weight. “He’s good enough to travel when we’re ready… as long as we don’t have to run for it.” He looked at you and Frankie pointedly, and you couldn’t do much more than shrug in return.

“Ven, bonita.” [Come, beautiful.] Frankie motioned for you to follow him, then nodded to Pope and Tequila. “We’ll get the helo ready, be ready to leave in 10 minutes.”

He glanced outside the hangar, making sure everything was clear, then quickly made his way to the helicopter. The two of you made quick work of the tarp, and even despite everything going on, Frankie allowed himself a quick second to appreciate the bird before him. The moment was over as you finished folding and stowing the tarp, and you looked up to find Frankie seated comfortably in the pilot’s chair.

You ducked out and jogged over to your car, waving Tequila over to you so that he could help you get Jack onto the helicopter. As you waited, you grabbed everything else you had thrown into the car, including your bug out bag, wanting to leave as little behind as possible. Once you and Tequila got Jack loaded onto the aircraft, you grabbed a thermal blanket from the emergency supplies cache onboard and wrapped it around Jack, hiding him from view.

Frankie wrapped up his pre-flight check, then looked back and saw Santi securing Duke to a seat. Frankie's brown eyes warmed slightly when they found you and you slid into the co-pilot’s chair.

“We’re all good back there.” You spoke into your headset. “Ready to take off when you are, Fish.”

Frankie nodded, “Copy that, taking her up.” He called out, then began their ascent; focusing more than he really needed to on their flight, something he could just about do in his sleep. There was something heavy that seemed to rest at the base of his skull and hadn’t been there before, or at least not for a while. If he stopped for a moment, he could put a name to it and bring torturer back to the top of the list of words that described him, but he shoved that back down deep in his subconscious. It had all been for Jack, and he’d do it again in a heartbeat; the rest could be sorted out later.

The flight looked familiar in some parts to Pope, even though he knew this wasn’t the same path they had taken years earlier. Still, the ocean of trees below them took him back down memory lane. It called him back to that feeling when they thought they were nearly there and the worst was behind them. It reminded him of how wrong they had been, and how, yet again, they would be returning one man down.

Thank you so much for reading and to all of you who have stuck with me and this story! Reblogs and comments are much appreciated!

[commanderfoxdeservesbetter]

Clones in college thoughts? You’re awesome btw

It’s funny cuz I’m in college now skjskjskj so I guess you can say I’m an expert 😏😂 but yesssss I got some thoughts on this (also thank you!! My confidence really going up with these 😭 you’re awesome too!! And I hope you enjoy - also I apologize y’all but I’m American so this will be based on American college types 😬)

Fox is a business major. He hates it more than anything but at the very least, he wants to know the ins and outs of everything so he can take advantage of those who prey on the innocents (cough bring down the corporations cough)

He’s also the type of college student who’s a homebody and prefers to stay in versus going out and drinking

Thorn is also a business major but he’s that one dude who’s in a frat (Chi Sigma) that throws the best parties!! Everyone loves him and he’s chill with almost all the professors

Everyone wonders how they are friends as they are the complete opposite but it works

Quinlan Vos is a one of their professors and he makes deez nuts and that’s what she said jokes but his class is super hard to pass so no matter how chill he is, everyone still has to study for his class 😫

Cody is a horticulture major. He drew a sun on his armor - I can see him definitely being into plants. He gets made fun of by his brothers but he already has a job lined up for him after graduation so who’s laughing now Rex!

Bly is a elementary Ed major. He changed his major because he met a cute girl who was in that major and he wanted to talk to her more. Jokes on him because he ended up falling in love with teaching

Also the girl ended up transferring but he met his fiancé Aayla later that semester so it doesn’t matter

Hound would be an animal science and pre-vet major. He loves animals and knew he wanted to work with them since he was little. Grizzer is his service animal (I’m thinking a Boxer) who is trained to watch out for his epilepsy

Wolffe is a psychology major - he doesn’t exactly know what he wants to do but he knows he wants to help people. He choose it after being discharged from a mental hospital for attempted suicide

Howzer is a political science and pre-law major. He’s really into Social Justice and wanting to make a change. He’s already done internships for law firms and volunteering for getting people signed up to vote. He plans to go to Law School after graduation

Howzer is also in a fraternity but a different one to Thorn’s (Kappa Chi). This frat is more lowkey and chill

Kix is a nursing major. He likes to say he isn’t like other nursing majors but he’s often found in the library surrounded by piles of books and cups of coffee

He’s in the same fraternity as Jesse (Delta Alpha Kappa) and they go partying every Thursday

He somehow still has a GPA of a 4.0 and is in the nursing honor society

Coric is a kinesiology major who often hangs out with Kix at the library. He prefers the country bars over the other bars in Coruscant and is apart of the Rodeo Team

Hardcase is a sports business major and a student athlete. He’s on the football team (American football 🏈) and is the middle Linebacker

He is often times late for class because he sleeps in so often but he also brings an extra coffee with him as penance so most of professors don’t care

Jesse is on the basketball team and in the ROTC program; he is one of the most involved people on campus that almost everyone knows his name from Orientation to Tour Leader to President of his Frat to an officer in another organization ALL WHILE working two jobs

Rex doesn’t know how he does it all but if he’s hanging with Kix, it makes sense

Rex is an digital media major with a minor in photography. He just really loves art however he worries about not finding a job after graduation and have started talking to Fox to help him with getting connected to employers

Fives and Echo are those STEM majors. Fives is a biochemistry and pre-Med major and Echo is a computer science major.

Fives is a total nerd for chemistry and would have chosen that as his sole major but the biology major would better help him for the pre-Med track or so his advisor says

A lot of people have underestimated Echo in his ability to do his job due to his prosthetics however he has created many apps and programs for different companies and hasn’t even graduated college yet

He has a job lined up for a top company after graduation

Tech is his STEM study buddy whom he joins with at the library

Tech is an double engineering and physics major and he creates his own robots for fun. Echo thinks he’s slightly crazy and swears he’s never seen the man sleep

Tech does but only like a maximum of 3 hours a night

Gree is a English major with a focus in literature and creative writing. He wants to publish his own books one day but right now is focusing on trying to get a job at a publishing company

He has won 2 writing competitions and has one short work published in the Coruscant Fiction Journal

This is all I can think of right now but yea