#Bike Demo Release

[1207cbc]

I'm excited to announce that "Take Care of Yourself", the soundtrack to "SWOLLEN TO BURSTING", will be released on all major streaming platforms and digital storefronts on the 25th of October!

The album features a number of brand new songs! I've posted the cover above.

All the proceeds made from the album's digital sales and streaming royalties will be donated to UNICEF's Gaza Appeal for Children in Crisis.

I've made a page on my website with further information on the fundraiser:

https://december7th.neocities.org/UNICEF_fundraiser/fundraiser…

If you purchase the digital download of the album through Bandcamp, you'll gain exclusive access to 8 bonus tracks! So you'll be supporting a good cause, and getting some fun demos.

The album will cost £15 which I think is quite reasonable for 32 tracks and 8 bonus tracks.

I'll be posting pre-saves and pre-orders for the soundtrack in the time leading up to the 25th, as well as teasers for some of the new songs.

Thanks for reading. I hope you'll stream and buy the album. Here's a bit of a new song called "Let's Steal Some Bikes".

[v-i-r-i-d-i-a-n]

The main question: What was after Will Byers?

(And a second more important question: what did it want?)

The show obviously wants us to believe that it’s a demogorgon, on first watch anyways. I believe we can infer there was a demogorgon in the shed with him- at least in the upside down. Even considering everything I’m going to talk about- I still agree with that, strangely. But before that? I’m calling bullshit.

(For reference this is technically the second thing I wrote about for the first episode, BUT I’m releasing this BEFORE that because it’s a more well thought out analysis, and can exist more as a standalone, I will probably add to this in the future. This is also technically unfinished? I don’t have a definitive answer to the questions I ask. I’m simply trying to bring more attention to it.)

🚨SOMETHING TO NOTE‼️ I HAVE NOT WATCHED A SEASON OF ST IN LIKE 6 MONTHS, PROBABLY MORE, IF ANY QUESTIONS I ASK GET ANSWERED IN LIKE AN EPISODE, DON’T BE A DICK ABOUT IT, I DONT REMEMBER EVERYTHING🚨

Also just one more thing before we get started, I’m sorry this post has a lot of exposition- I know that some of the things I say have probably been said before, hell the analysts in this community have talked about and seen this show far more then I have and I have nothing but respect for anyone whose put in that much effort- and I truly do not mean to copy or steal anyone’s work- if you feel like I’m not giving credit where credits due, or like I’m stealing something PLEASE tell me- i’ll @ you or cut something out- I don’t want anyone to feel disrespected by what I talk about, but I also don’t remember every post I’ve ever read or that’s on this app, this is merely supposed to my own fun twist and thoughts about the events

NOW, I know, I know, fifty billion other people have talked about how weird Will’s vanishing is, how it doesn’t make any sense and there’s something else going on, BUT, if I’ve learnt anything from this fandom, it’s that we love to read and write the exact same things over and over again. And!! That’s how discovery is made, so I’m doing it anyways >:3

Its hard to decipher where exactly to start with Will’s vanishing, because the entirety of it is completely jumbled and twisted and doesn’t make sense, whenever I think just a little too hard about it I feel like I’m being so completely mindfucked, like even now I’m sorting out things and every other sentence I realize something else and have to figure out where to put it- ANYWAYS

So I’m just gonna start at the beginning! In the Wheelers house.

Now, the first bit of strangeness we get in this sequence is when they’re all going home (I could also argue the DnD game has some weirdness, but that’s for another time, as we’re focusing something else right now) more specifically, when Mike waves Will off and his garage light starts flickering.

I think that’s supposed to be because of the like “town wide electrical problems” that are happening because of the gate opening up, and most likely not because of something already being at the Wheeler’s house.

i’m gonna argue there’s something there later in a different analysis I’m complying, because, I don’t believe that the thing following Will is the same being that killed the scientist in the lab, hell, I don’t think it was a demogorgon AT ALL, honestly I’m a little skeptical that the thing that killed that scientist was even a demo BUT that’s for my first analysis to cover >:))

I want you to think about this for later however, because I am desperately trying to stay on track, but I just have way too many thoughts about this little stupid show.

The sequence of Will Byers Vanishing

(And all the fuckery is includes)

For this segment, I’m going to take you through Will’s vanishing, and all the little discrepancies and “plot holes” that I’ve seen on my rewatch

The vanishing starts with the light on Will’s bike going out, he looks down, momentarily taking his eyes off the road, and looks back up to the “demogorgon” standing suddenly in front of him. We don’t see any obvious gate, or anything of the sort really, it just sort’ve appears (unless we think that for some reason it’s been stalking through the real world…which doesn’t make much sense considering how demo’s hunt.) And the thing that tickles my brain the most about this scene is that…the demo just sort’ve seems to be standing there? We only get a few seconds of it on screen, but the way it moves makes me feel like that it doesn’t even really know what it’s supposed to be doing. Like, it got zapped down from some alien spaceship or something.

Will, in response to seeing a horrific nether monster, veers off the side of the road, like any child would, and gets up slowly, which again, its sort’ve strange he’s able to get away with that? Most of the time, when a demo gets its eyes on a target, it’s pretty quick to act, not quite the “lie in wait” type of hunters when they’re in the regular plain. He gets up and just sort’ve stares for a second, and we don’t really get to see what he see’s, instead, we just a hear growl, which sends Will running in a panic.

The next few things are fairly normal in the sequence, he gets home, locks the door, pets his dog a little (me too bro), and runs around looking for his brother and mom.

He runs quickly back to the window, after he can’t find them, and as he’s looking through the clothesline…wait-

*wipes glasses*

Nope, I’m seeing this shit right WHY ARE THE CLOTHES THERE?? THATS NOT WHERE THEYRE SUPPOSED TO BE. Why is it so close to the window??? With how the lines are set up we should’ve seen them when he’s running into the house- but we don’t. They’re actually at a completely different location in the next scene at the Byers house in the morning.

(Put a pin in that)

Anyways, in the distance through the classic horror fog we see the demogorgon slowly walking up towards the house, on its back legs again. Looking like a person stalking through the night. Like some weird Jason knockoff, I half expected it to try and get through the door with a hatchet on my very first watch through.

WHICH AGAIN, isn’t how they act. Even back in the lab, in the very first scene it suggests that whatever is after the scientist is fast, he’s running, he’s hitting the button over and over again to try and get the elevator to come faster, he’s outwardly panicked and looks desperate to get away. He’s looking over his shoulder to make sure it’s not there yet. And then after that whenever we see a demo chasing someone, they’re quick to chase after their prey. They don’t slowly walk up towards a house.

It reminds me WAY more of how a human hunts their prey, slowly following and tracking it until it wears itself out. However, I’d argue it’s less like whatever is chasing him is actively hunting him, and more so like it’s corralling him, herding him. Attempting to manipulate him to go where it wants him to. If it wanted to kill him, it could’ve done so already (especially if we take into account the whole telekinesis thing). It had plenty of chances, especially when Will was in that ditch after he fell off his bike, that’s when a human hunter would’ve attempted to kill him. It’s as if, whatever was on that road, whatever is following Will, actively wants him to go to the Byer’s shed. To the demogorgon lying in wait ready to pounce.? That doesn’t sound quite right either.

All of these analysis are gonna be me going “that’s not quite right, that shouldn’t do that” over and over again LMAO

When you take everything into account, I think there’s a quite a bit more evidence that this thing didn’t want to hurt Will at all, at least not physically, at least not in this exact instance. Whether it was corralling him in hopes of figuring something out, or actively wanting the demogorgon to feed on Will. I have no idea. But you cannot decisively say that whatever was following Will had the active intent to kill him with its own hands.

Will gets scared once more and attempts to call someone, it doesn’t work and instead he just gets the static-y growling sounds of the upside down. Which is a tad bit strange considering that the reason Joyce hears that later on is because Will’s actively trying to communicate with her. But what number is that? Like 55 of “things that don’t make sense in Will Byers vanishing?” Oh, and then immediately after we get the whole DEMOGORGON USES TELEKINESIS SCENE. 56.

(Put a pin in this as well)

Will runs into the shed, and we know (WE DONT.) what happens from there, there’s a demo in there with him(?) and he’s somehow he’s pulled into the upside down- without any real evidence of a gate there. Unless you take…the slime in the shed the next morning that Hopper finds as proof. But I’ve learnt not to hold a suspension of disbelief here. (“Did Mike see it? Then it doesn’t count” worst vibes y’know? Gotta see it to believe it.)

There’s also the whole thing with instead of the light flickering it just gets really bright. Which is another thing I don’t believe we see often- especially if we assume the light glowing bright is because of a gate opening.

I’d actually like to talk about that point for a sec, because it genuinely doesn’t seem or feel or look like anything we see after that. The way that nothing really happens, and that’s what’s so terrifying about it, we don’t hear any screams or even see the signs of a struggle. He’s not dragged through a portal by vines or a demo.

Will just vanishes, he’s not taken, or kidnapped, he vanishes. It’s truly the only word that can describe it. And it truly doesn’t make any sense. We don’t see anything like it again really, at least not that I’m aware of or can remember right now. He’s there one second, and then he’s gone. The only thing I can really think of like it is El killing the demo at the end of the season and vanishing.

All and all we get back to the same point I started with and a point I think pretty everyone agrees with. Whatever was after Will was not a demo.

But then…why does it look like one? And sound like one? Well my curious little reader, I THINK I ACTUALLY HAVE A LOGICAL SOLUTIONNN

We’re being fucked with.

(And as much as it might sound like it, I’m very much NOT joking here.)

Remember everything I told you to put a pin into? Yeah this is the section where I want you to think about it more.

By now, I’ve described the entirety of the sequence of Will’s vanishing. I don’t want to say disappearance or kidnapping because I don’t believe that’s what it was. The oddness of the demogorgon, the strangeness of his surroundings. And I’ve come to only one seeable conclusion, which probably isn’t good on a scientific aspect, but it’s the only logical solution I can come up with.

Will is being fucked with, and since we’re in his eyes for this scene, we’re being fucked with.

Will has always been my favorite little unreliable narrator.

Now, what exactly could be happening? I don’t know yet, I’m still at the beginning of the series after all in this rewatch- these are all just thoughts I’ve been having after the first episode. I can’t present a de facto answer to whatever’s going on here because I don’t think we’re supposed to know yet.

My main guess? Some sort of upside down shit. With everything we know about timeline fuckery, and illusions, and visions, and memory sequences even being untrustworthy- isn’t it possible we’re being shown something that didn’t happen? Or maybe more accurately didn’t happen the way we’re being shown?

It might be a problem with the actual timeline, like somehow false memories were implanted and the universe itself is being tricked. Or, some sort of upside down related nightmare sequence only Will see’s- maybe Will got planted into another timeline directly who knows. MAYBE- it’s even Brenner’s fault (especially with all the TFS Brenner vs Will Byers stuff) Because I will find a way to blame that man for everything.

With all of the characters saying constantly that things are a nightmare, or that it isn’t real, we can’t trust what we’re seeing on screen.

The Duffers, don’t want their audience to know what’s happening. They’ll tell us when they want to.

So, if it wasn’t a demo after Will what was it?

A person, probably

Though in this show, it’s hard to tell exactly what that means.

God. Where do I start? There’s just so so many possibilities for this one instance that I can’t fully wrap my head around it. Now I’m going to say this again, I don’t have a definite answer to what’s going on, and my opinion will probably change as time goes on and I reread other analysis posts and rewatch the show- I’m small potatoes in the analysis community and I think this is actually the first analysis I’m posting(?) wow that’s crazy actually. So my thoughts are gonna be especially jumbled for this part because at this very moment it’s a pretty big question mark.

I will say this though, I don’t think it’s Vecna. At least not the Vecna we’re shown on screen.

Why do I say this? Mostly because it doesn’t really feel like Vecna gives too much of a shit about Will- if anything, the MF seems much more interested in him.

And I know that’s like the main theory in part of the fandom, that for whatever reason Vecna is super into Will but I just don’t agree with it. There is some substance to it but I think a lot of you forget that Vecna and the MF are two separate beings (Hell Vecna and HENRY are two separate beings). Vecna is not controlling the MF, even if he believes he is. That’s pretty much proven in the VR game, if you’re willing to look deeper at it than what it’s putting forward.

Remember, we cannot trust what we see. We’re actively being fucked with at any point in time. The Duffer’s do not care about tricking their audience, they want to. So it’s almost never going to be the obvious answer.

I guess this section just turned into me saying “I don’t know exactly whats happening but it’s NOT Vecward”

I wanna say Brenner, trying to find out something about the upside down or Will himself, but the whole telekinesis thing is really throwing me off. Hell maybe it is Henry trying to disrupt the timeloop by stopping a TFS William Brenner from forming.

Everything I try and think about and put forward just doesn’t really feel quite right, I don’t have enough evidence or backing for any of my theories right now to definitively say one thing or the other- so if anyone has any idea’s they’d like to bounce off of me I’d appreciate it, because I’m kinda at a loss at this exact moment.

None of it was real

(And what that means)

This is the only thing I’m really sure of right now. Nothing about what we see is what really happened. Maybe it’s how Will remembers it, maybe his memories were actively altered by the MF or Brenner or Owens or something.

But if nothing that we saw with Will was real, then how do we know anything we’ve seen is real. Especially through Will’s POV. Throughout the entirety of the story Will has always been an unreliable narrator, from the very beginning.

That also means that this show built itself around unreliable narration. There is a reason that the one of the first big scenes we get doesn’t make sense. There’s a reason it feels like it’s built on a shaky surface.

Id argue, that the literal first scene is unreliable, but that’s again for another time.

TL;DR Everything is fucked and nothing makes sense, and everything will continue not making sense until the Duffers decide to let it make sense, oh and Will was definitely not being followed by a demo no matter how much the show wants you to believe it

If you made it this far, thank you so much for listening to my relentless rambling! Sorry the format is kinda fucked again this is my first analysis I’m actually posting. Again I’ll probably add onto this in future- but for now I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, hope y’all have a good day <33 !!

[filtharchives]

My brain decided to go into "what if the MC in the OL games were disabled" ? And (un)fortunately you got picked by my brain to ramble with and hear opinions

Like imagine Cove with a deaf/hard of hearing MC, as kids they struggled a lot to communicate but when he got a bit older, Cove tried so hard to learn sign language so he could better communicate with MC. Hangman being their personal choice to communicate regardless of age being such a given that Cove is so happy for since it gives him time to articulate his thoughts !

Also if they use a cochlear implant, MC could just go "You're not worth my batteries" to Jeremy as kid so they were the only one chill with Jeremy since they didn't hear his rude words anyway(but still would have taken action in Miranda's birthday depending on Cove's reactions, I'm particularly into the punching or party whistle option)

Meanwhile on OL2 the MC being a wheelchair user sounds weirdly fitting to me, like obviously the house would have to be adapted with ramps on the porch and the MC's room being on the bottom floor but still, imagine Qiu going to ask if they have a bike or something, both just staring at each other(with Tamarack laughing in the background) until Qiu realized the wheel part of WHEELchair

The Walks moment having the MC preferring to go down the hill through the grass rather than the stream like the Boy's club did, but only when it's time for them to leave that they realize that they can't go back up on their own....cue to everyone helping push the MC uphill, maybe Darren complaining a bit while Baxter finds it amusing since he never had to do anything like that

Also both Tamarack's grandparents and Qiu's parents silently agreeing to also have ramps on their porches so MC can visit anytime

I never played Baxter nor Derek routes to properly think on them(my eyes are only on Cove) ;;;;;

I don’t know anything about physical disabilities so I don’t think I can say much on this

also never played the OL2 demo since I’m waiting on the full release 🙈

BUT I HAVE PLAYED BAXTER AND DEREKS ROUTES

I specifically imagine Step 2 w derek and his brothers and I think it’d be so cute like one day yall r hanging out in the big park and maybe nico wants to sit in ur lap while derek pushes ur wheelchair around as fast as he can like

“this is great! I can train my strength and speed like this!”

meanwhile jorge is running beside him trying to keep up 💀

and nico’s having the time of his life be what rambunctious little kid doesn’t love going fast on wheels

tbh kinda blanking on baxter lol sorry b-man

OH but in the same vein as cove learning asl for a deaf/hoh reader, I think I mentioned once in a previous ramble with @/sugar-omi that I like to imagine he’d learn a second language if u have one, especially if u learned it for ur culture

if u have kids and want ur kids to be bilingual like u, cove would be cool with speaking ur second language at home and stuff so the kids adapt

that goes for all the OL1 boys I think cause they’re all sweet like that

[ohmyrosiexo]

what you gonna do when i come come through with that that uh uh huh

Basic Information

Full Name: Roseanne Park

Stage Name: ROSÉ (로제)

Nickname(s): Rose, Rosie, “Pasta”

Age: Twenty Seven

Date of Birth: February 11th, 1997

Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand

Current Location: Seoul, South Korea

Ethnicity: Korean

Nationality: Australian

Gender: Cis Female

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Orientation: Heteroromantic & Heterosexual

Occupation: Singer

Living Arrangements: Penthouse in Yongsan Prugio Summit

Language(s) Spoken: Korean, English, Japanese

Physical Appearance

Hair Colour: Blonde, naturally brunette

Eye Colour: light brown

Height: 5'6

Weight: ~110lbs

Tattoos: a tiny h

Piercings: ears, three holes on her left ear, and only two on her right.

Favorites'

Season: Fall/Autumn

Colour: blue

Movies: disney,

Sport: cheerleading, bike riding

Beverage: healthy drinks

Family, Relationships & More

Family: Mother, Father, older sister & Hank (her dog)

Relationship Status: Single

Love Interest: N/a

Past Relationships: Mingyu (ex on good terms)

Extra

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff

Discography

Without You Collaboration with G-Dragon September 15, 2012

Square One Debut Single Album August 8, 2016

Square Two Single Album November 1, 2016

As If It’s Your Last Single June 22, 2017

Blackpink Japanese Debut Mini Album August 30, 2017

Just Dance Soundtrack / Demo with VINCE October 29, 2017

So Hot (THEBLACKLABEL Remix) Remake Single December 25, 2017

Re:Blackpink Japanese Repackage Album March 28, 2018

Square Up Mini Album / EP June 15, 2018

DDU-DU DDU-DU Single July 23, 2018

Kiss and Make Up Collaboration with Dua Lipa October 19, 2018

BLACKPINK In Your Area Japanese Mini Album  November 23, 2018

BLACKPINK Arena Tour 2018 “Special Final in Kyocera Dome Osaka” Japanese Live Album March 22, 2019

Kill This Love Mini Album / EP  April 5, 2019

BLACKPINK 2018 Tour [In Your Area] Seoul Live Album August 8, 2019

Kill This Love (Japanese Version) Japanese Studio Album October 16, 2019

Awesome Samsung Galaxy A71 Soundtrack January 9, 2020

BLACKPINK 2019-2020 World Tour In Your Area – Tokyo Dome Japanese Live Album May 6, 2020

Sour Candy Collaboration with Lady Gaga May 28, 2020

How You Like That Pre-release Single June 26, 2020

Ice Cream (with Selena Gomez) Pre-release Single August 28, 2020

Kiss and Make Up (Remix) (Mixed) Collaboration with Dua Lipa, The Blessed Madonna August 29, 2020

The Album Studio Album October 2, 2020

-R- Debut Single Album March 12, 2021

BLACKPINK 2021 ‘The Show’ Live Live Album June 1, 2021

The Album (Japanese Version) Japanese Studio Album August 3, 2021

Sour Candy (Shygirl & Mura Masa Remix) Collaboration with Lady Gaga, Shygirl, Mura Masa September 21, 2021

Ready For Love Collaboration (with battle royale video game PUBG Mobile) July 29, 2022

Pink Venom Pre-release Single August 19, 2022

Born Pink Studio Album September 16, 2022

The Girls BPTG Soundtrack August 23, 2023

I-LAND2 : N/α Signal Song Soundtrack April 4, 2024

Fun Facts

She is Korean, but she was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and raised in Melbourne, Australia, where she attended Canterbury Girls Secondary College.

Pre-debut, ROSÉ used to be a cheerleader in Australia

She can play the piano, the guitar

She also likes drawing

She is left-handed

She really likes kimchi stew

She's very sensitive, and cries very easily

[falconarr0w]

Motordoom (Demo) | Hobo Cat Games | PC / Steam

(Full game releases August 3rd)

Nothing bears than riding a bike with a chainsaw on the back, shooting demons and landing sick tricks and combos. Metal as fuck 🤘

So keen for the full release next month!

[empireofstarsandsmoke]

LIFE AND GAMING UPDATE

So big news, I finally have a job!!! It took me 3+ months after graduation to find a job. I haven't started yet but the paperwork is in the process so that's good.

Also, I finished Cyberpunk 2077 yesterday. I played on my PS5 and I played a female V. I did all the side quests that I could find and I beat it in about 90ish hours. I decided to play it once it was mostly fixed due to the bugs and crashes at launch. I also bought the piggyback guidebook, but I did not look through it until after I beat the game. I would rate the game 9/10. I would recommend it to people who want to experience it or even those who played it at launch and were discouraged by the bugs. I will queue up some last posts and then edit my Cyberpunk screenshots to post around the time of the Phantom Liberty DLC release.

Thank you to everyone for all the support!!! I will be playing Final Fantasy XVI next (I tried the demo and it was amazing!! 😁🎮) If you want to read more about my Cyberpunk play-through, it will be down below to avoid any spoiled for people who still haven't played or beaten the game.

If you want to talk about Cyberpunk or other video games feel free to reach out. :D

-Cyberpunk 2077 spoilers below-

So like I said I played female V with female voice acting. I thought my V was fire. She was a badass punk with a good heart with a nomad background. I romanced Judy. When I saw her in the game trailers it was love at first sight.

For the ending, I went with Panam, once a nomad always a nomad. I also chose to save V and let Johnny go with Alt. I did not think the ending was going to hit me this hard but man Night City really did leave a mark. I loved how the city was, the NPC's and the side stories were amazing. I cried at the end when I realized that my time in Night City was up. Yes I know I could play the game again but the first time is special. I really liked Johnny. In my playthrough, he and V were friends (in my head at least). I also liked Takemura as a character even though he is an Arasaka kiss ass lol. In the epilogue credits, he told V to go to hell because Hanako died. Also in the Panam ending I did not expect Saul to get his face caved in like that. F*ck Smasher. I killed him for Johnny because I promised him I would do it.

I really liked the Kerry side missions. They were my favorite from all the romance side missions. They were fun and deep. I also really liked Kerry's guitar song that he plays on the yacht. After the mission, I went to YouTube to find it. How Kerry talked about living. I also liked Brendan the SCSM. I wish there was an ending to Brendan's story where he would not get reset. I also liked the psycofan gig by El Padre. I liked how it involved Johnny and Kerry. I feel like it made Night City more alive, idk.

My favorite apartment was the first one in the Megabuilding. I liked how you could change the appearance of it, also Nibbles was there lol. My favorite vehicles were the black Rayfield Caliburn and Jackie's Bike. (Yes, I liked that they were fast lol).

If you chooms (;D) wanna talk about a specific mission/ or part of the world feel free to message me. Thank you for reading and for your support. <3

[fanficfanatic000]

Eddie munson x female reader

Chapter16 (the distraction)

Story name( i just moved to hawkins )

Warning 18 plus Spoilers ahead Goes with s4 kinda

Chime in the distraction! Lukas and max shouted to us after Robin Steve and Nancy gave them the signal. You're still outside by the speakers. Then Eddie comes up to you he plugged his guitar into the Amp.He was so embarrassed he couldn't look you in the eyes. He started to strum his guitar and you saw him get even more confident by each second. The master of puppets eddie munson, man this guy he's sweet, kind and so much more I bet he thinks I don't like him. But I do, I really like him. The demo bats come for us like they're supposed to. Eddie:"get in the trailer! " we rushed inside and shut the door. Dustin: "Okay i think its holding them out"There's noises clunking getting louder. "Climb up the rope". Dustin climbs up theRope made of blankets. Eddie:"i think we should distract them more." He gulped then he picked up an axe. Eddie:"step back."Dustin:"Noo! Dont do this guys come on think about this!." Eddie swung the axe and cut it in two. "I Love you dusty!" Dustin: "i love you ". You and eddie ran out of his trailer and you and him got on his bike and rode away the bat's still following us. Until He stopped. "Eddie why did you stop!?". He said nothing he just stood there. He grabbed his shield and blocked the wave of bat's. You just stood there behind eddies protection. The large bat swarm was hitting his metal shield one after another. Eddie stood his ground for quite sometime then he pushed you out of the way and he got knocked back still only thinking about you. Demobats biting eddie the sound of his screaming brought something out of you. Rage, anger, love and insanity.You screamed the most blood curdling scream and you released the power trapped inside of you. The bats got blown away with your abilities. You sprinted towards him, heart pounding, mind racing and tears falling from your eyes. You finally reached him. His blood stained the hellfire shirt he has been wearing his eyes closed bandana that was tied on him fell to the floor. "Eddie?....... eddie? Please just wake up eddie! Eddie?".He was still like a rock "eddie please i-i love you!! Please eddie. P-please im sorry i should have kissed you but i was nervous.... please come back to me." You waited but he just was still. You search for signs of any life until he opened his eyes "y/n" he said softly.

[golvio]

There’s a box set of 1/6 scale blind box ball-jointed dolls I ordered a while back that I’m really looking forward to getting in the mail once they release. They’re plastic instead of vinyl, so their knee joints are chunkier than non-blind box bjds like the YoSD series, but they have a good range of motion and a surprisingly good paint job for a solid plastic BJD. Their inset eyes seem to be higher quality than the more expensive TinyFox brand the website also sells. They’re decent enough quality that you could probably swap out their sculpted plastic hair pieces with an actual wig cap you’d see on a higher-end BJD and it wouldn’t look too out of place.

What I’m most excited about, though, is that based on a video I saw demoing the prototype’s range of motion, the body itself seems so sturdy and well-balanced that they’re really good at freestanding even if you cross their legs in a very loose approximation of a ballet style plié pose. Of course, the hair pieces and the clothes might shift their actual center of gravity a bit, but they seem bottom-heavy enough that I don’t think a little extra weight on their heads would make them tip over like some of the Penny’s Box dolls. They seem like they’d be lots of fun to pose for photo shoots. If I was more ambitious as an animator, I’d take advantage of their ability to stand in order to do some stop motion photography with them!

I only have two complaints. First, in the motion demo video, there’s a gap that appeared where the upper thigh connected to the pelvis when the demonstrator extended the doll’s leg all the way out in front of her. Not sure if that’ll be there in the final product and it doesn’t necessarily interfere with the overall range of motion, but it looked awkward. Second, I don’t like how short the skirts on the outfits they come with are. I wouldn’t have had as much of a problem with the skirt length if these blind box dolls didn’t have a tendency to not include underwear with their default outfits. 😬 I wish the skirts were either closer to knee length or their traditional/historical-themed outfits were cheongsams instead of a two-piece shirt and miniskirt set. I ended up buying some color-coordinated Curvy Barbie yoga pants in advance to give them some (hopefully) matching leggings to cover up with.

Someday I’d like to get practiced enough at hand sewing that I could take these gals’ measurements and make them some simple bike shorts or even some frilly bloomers. I’d love to design some cute layered casual outfits for them if I can ever work my way up to drawing my own patterns for miniature shirts, jackets, pants, and hats. Maybe if I get confident enough and learned how to embroider or glue embroidery onto the hems and collars, I could buy some small squares of really nice patterned silk and make them some proper dresses?

[chorusfm]

Johnny Stevens of Highly Suspect

Recently I was able to catch up with lead vocalist/guitarist of Highly Suspect, Johnny Stevens, to discuss the band’s great new album that released today, called As Above, So Below. In this interview, I asked Johnny about where the album title originated from, the lyrical inspiration behind key tracks, and the songs he feels will translate best to the live setting. Today, Highly Suspect has released a music video for “Plastic Boxes,” and the band will be on tour starting this September with tickets on sale here. Your new album, called As Above, So Below, releases on July 19th. What is your range of emotions as your band gets ready to release these songs to your fans? So I got on the bus to Nashville today and listened to it front to back and broke out in tears. I don’t know how I’m feeling but it didn’t feel real until today. Listening to it, and knowing the world is listening to it with me…I guess I didn’t realize how much pain I’ve endured these past few years. Like I knew but when I hear it all summed up…it was a really powerful experience. I know for a fact this album is gonna help some people heal. But yeah, it’s been a tearful day. Tears of sorrow. Tears of joy. I can’t believe it’s finally out, I feel like I’m watching my life as a movie from the outside when I listen to this album and I understand why everyone is having such a meaningful and positive response to what they are hearing. It’s out of body, I’ve never felt this during a release. I love the single from the new record called “The Blue-Eyed Devil.” Can you share what was the lyrical inspiration behind the track? Thank you. Well on that one in particular I was in a mood where I was really fed up with not having control over my life, and in that song you hear me taking the power back. I had just met the woman that would soon be my girlfriend and the song starts off kind of about me and her being Bonnie and Clyde on a dirt bike. For some reason at the end the song switched up and I was crying out to my father who I hadn’t spoken to in seven years. I don’t know why the song went there but it did and I wasn’t gonna argue with myself. Just said what I needed to say. At this stage of your musical career, what are you most proud of accomplishing and what do you feel like you’d still like to achieve? A. This album. hands down, it’s not even close. B. A solo album and a year by myself backpacking through Asia.  How does Highly Suspect do most of its songwriting? How has that evolved since the early stages of the band? Honestly there is no rhyme or reason. A lot of times I’ll get a song done on an acoustic guitar or demo it out on Ableton and bring that to the band. Sometimes we rent out air bnb’s and set up makeshift studios and jam together. Sometimes Matt will have a cool riff or Ryan will have a beat or something or Mark or Rich will have some piece of a song and we will go from there. Sometimes shit comes out at sound check, so we’re all over the place. But the lyrics usually are written after the music is fleshed out to a workable degree and then I take my motorcycle somewhere quiet and dive into my head and try to bring out my truths. What songs from As Above, So Below do you feel lend themselves best to the live setting? This whole album top to bottom is gonna be so fun for us live. I can’t speak for the audience, what they will like most. I guess we’re about to find out, but I know that for us. There isn’t a song on this album we’re not looking forward to playing. Can’t say that for any of the other albums. There are usually a few songs that I think are best kept studio only, but this one was recorded live and with the intention of playing all of them live. --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/features/interviews/johnny-stevens-of-highly-suspect/

[linuxgamenews]

Parcel Corps: A Demo for the Exciting World of Bike Messengers

Parcel Corps demo delivers a samples of the freelance bicycle messenger game on Linux and Windows PC. Thanks to the inventive team at Billy Goat Entertainment Ltd. Due to make its way onto Steam. Ready to dive into some awesome news about an upcoming game? Let’s talk about Parcel Corps, a delivery adventure with its demo from Billy Goat Entertainment and published by Secret Mode. Mark your calendars for September 3, 2024, because that’s when this title is hitting the masses. So, what's the scoop? At the Future Games Show Summer Showcase, they confirmed the release date and released a fresh trailer. The trailer highlights the solid bond between the developer and publisher, showing off some never before seen settings. There are also quirky characters you’ll meet in the game. Think older ladies dressed as giant teapots and some very original fishmongers. Can’t wait to get into this freelance bicycle messenger title? Good news! There's a free Parcel Corps Steam demo available on Linux right now. You can jump in as one of nine bicycle couriers, zipping around town to make those deliveries and earn big money for your company. Choose from three rival courier companies, and show off your skills in delivery missions. You can also try the fast-paced Delivery Rush mode.

Parcel Corps demo comes with a Release Date Trailer

In the title, you’ll be riding through the sunny streets of New Island, where three bicycle courier companies are battling it out to become the top business in town. Pick your side and get ready for some intense two-wheeled rivalries as you fight for market share. Along with influence and also a decent paycheck. But here’s where Parcel Corps gets interesting in this demo. Enter Rich Villainé, the CEO of Polar Petroleum PLC, an oil exploration company with big political ambitions. His plans put him on a direct collision course with the bike couriers of New Island. As Villainé’s evil scheme unfolds, it’s up to you to save the world. Yep, you read that right. While delivering food, parcels, and important documents in under 32 minutes, you’ll be the hero this city needs. So, gear up and get ready for an epic ride as a freelance bicycle messenger. Parcel Corps is coming your way on Steam September 3rd, so try the Demo. Don’t miss out on this wild, high-speed fun, wacky characters, sharp satire, and, yep, some tough working conditions. It’s coming to Linux and Windows PC on September 3, 2024.

[all2collectmore]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Sealed new PJ Harvey - 4-Track Demos [New Vinyl LP].

[timmywhisperer]

FOR MY FIRST TRICK, I will post this early map draft that lives in TFBW's files.

There's a lot to unpack here - firstly, an extra row of houses on the left, containing a bunch of locations that didn't make it, including Scott, Timmy, Wendy & Filmore's houses, the last of which had a cut quest tied to it, which had a specific battle theme tied to it that was later reused for Stephen's fight, alongside a bunch of one-time, non-boss fights.

Where Nichole and Mr Slaves' house is in the final game, Tweek's house was supposed to appear, next to Red's house. The MFC & Raisins buildings were originally placed left of U-Stor-It, underneath the farm, before being moved to the left side.

To the right of Kenny's house is a dump, which is reused in Danger Deck as a battlefield. If I were to make a guess, this would have been home base of the 6th graders (in fact, I believe they reference this in the DD menus, but I'm not sure). There's also mention of Dump interior cells, which would've probably looked similar to the sewers in TSOT. Bike Creek is also there, acting as a bridge between the homeless camp and the street behind it, probably being replaced with the old train station in the final game.

Instead of Shady Acres', the old people's home, there's a Red Lobster. lol.

Yet again, the Graveyard was originally accessible, but was cut later (this time being reused in Danger Deck as a battlefield). There was also a cave on the south side of Stark's Pond, while a geology station would have been accessible from the north side. Hell's Pass Hospital is on the left of Mephesto's lab.

The circles also paint a much different plot than what we got in the final game. Judging by Stan's (in red), which follows an almost identical path from night 2 in the final game, we can deduct that they map out key placements in specific sequences. It also lines up with my theory that the U-Stor-It was one of the earliest, if not the first, sequences developed for the game that survived to the retail version.

The circles in green are labelled "Scott (Night 1)", which also lines up with when he appears in the final game, and the circles are in similar locations to where he takes us in that sequence too, though they linger near the police station rather than the Peppermint Hippo. (It's also worth noting that the night 1 Peppermint Hippo sequence was used as the 15 minute demo in the pre-release stage, which tells me this was also an early part of the game).

The blue circle, labelled "Mysterion (NAMBLA)", sits somewhat close to Mephesto's Lab, suggesting a possible callback to Cartman Joins NAMBLA. The yellow circle, labelled "Butters (POLICE)" appears to the left of the elementary school. Neither of these really offer much substance, but it's fun to speculate on what they may have entailed.

Ooh, here's the full map for reference:

[sbknews]

Bring Your Heat With The All-New GASGAS MOTO Urban Cruiser

One-size-fits-all cruiser for maxing out the fun, unveiled at EUROBIKE 2023. High energy, vibrant, and pure fun! The GASGAS MOTO is a play bike that will inject excitement and thrills into your daily ride. - GASGAS announces MOTO urban cruiser at Eurobike 2023 - A one-size-fits-all cruiser for maximum fun on daily rides - Legend Troy Lee to perform live GASGAS MOTO paint session at the GASGAS booth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLWvLmGC5cMInspired by the iconic California beach cruiser-styled bicycles, GASGAS has taken the much-loved concept and raised the bar. By adding our own touches, the MOTO is bold, daring, beautiful and unique. With an open mind and guided by decades of two-wheeled manufacturing history, the GASGAS MOTO is the first bike in the urban cruiser segment to develop a contemporary styling with supermoto aesthetics. Where traditionally urban bikes follow function over form, the GASGAS MOTO proves you can have both. Ensuring simplicity in design, the durable, and very red, steel frame creates a relaxed riding position that’s ‘one-size fits-all’ thanks to its extra-long seat bench. Supermoto inspired 20” wheels compliment the look and feel of this two-wheeled party bike! Pedal-assisted, with a powerful rear hub motor and up to 672Wh battery option, it meets all-day riding needs. A special US version featuring a throttle grip will also become available for the North American market with a maximum motor output of 750W. To get the GASGAS MOTO party started, we’re lifting the covers on this urban cruising game changer at Europe’s largest bicycle show, Eurobike in Frankfurt, Germany. And the legend himself Troy Lee will be on hand to help us do it. During Eurobike, Troy will do a live paint session with the GASGAS MOTO creating a unique, one-of-a-kind cruiser. We’ll also have some MOTO demo bikes to test ride too. GASGAS MOTO �� Highlights - One-size-fits-all urban cruiser - Supermoto aesthetics - Fitting for 160 - 190 cm riders - Extra-long and comfy seat - Sturdy, robust steel frame - Strong hub motor - 20” fat tires for massive comfort - Display with Bluetooth connection allowing smartphone connectivity Naturally, the GASGAS booth will be busy with lots to check out. We have the first ever public showing of our ECC prototype eMTB, the bike that helped GASGAS riders Alexandre Fayolle and Alex Marin secure fifth and sixth respectively at the most recent round of the UCI E-Enduro World Cup in Leogang, Austria. With three rounds still to be contested in 2023, the ECC prototype will continue to be put through its paces at the highest level of eMTB competition. Models current and new, including some yet to be released non-e MTBs, will also be on display at the GASGAS Eurobike booth. So, come and find us at Hall 12.0/A14 and we’ll tell you more. Bring Your Heat! Additionally, at the GASGAS booth visitors will get a first view of these models: GASGAS ECA Fresh full-suspension enduro offering ft. 160mm travel. GASGAS MXA Agile fully E-MTB with 140mm travel. GASGAS TRA Full-suspension 130mm travel E-MTB with weight-optimized alu frame. GASGAS TRA Hardtail E-MTB with weight-optimized alu frame. GASGAS TR GASGAS’ first bicycle ft. 150mm of travel front and rear. GASGAS TR Efficient hardtail bicycle ft. trusted componentry on an alu frame. For more GASGAS news check out our dedicated page GASGAS News or head to the official GASGAS website gasgas.com/en-gb.html

Read the full article

[bmpmp3]

oh shit a cove!!! thats a cove!!!!!!!!!! there he is

[otomelavenderhaze]

Yes! That's it, you got it right. Do it as you prefer

Sweet. Just to make sure ppl know what we're talking about in this ask: "You're asking me what I think happening during that 4 year time skip between High School and University Life with Kentin's, Lys' and Armin's lifes right?"

Lysander -

Probably the one that had it the hardest with the death of his parents and with choosing what to do with the farm (together with Leith for sure), maybe that's why he decided to hold on to it, it's something that he could control, take care of and see grow with his own effort (so I don't think it was a that bad of choice).

Now I also like to think that isolation and bucolica life inspired him to keep writing poetry and lycris for songs. He probably would try to learn how to play the piano and acoustic guittar, to make his compositions more complete (collabs with Castiel and the Crownstorm for sure happened at that time, when they would sleep over or even work remotely).

Maybe Rosa and Leigh pushed him to try strive for a publication of his poetry too, one thing would let to the other, and in the end he got a deal with a publisher for a poetry book - that pushed him to actually (I guess two years after High School) strive for a major in literature.

Kentin -

After so many fights and disagreements with his father, Kentin decided to move in with one of his uncles on his mother's side. With a more stable father figure, he likely started going to therapy and redirecting his frustrations with hiking with Cookie - then he got into a local hiking group and made some dope friends that also did other sports like surfing and biking.

Then he started to work in a pet shop which makes him realize how much he loves animals and how much way he got with them - which lead him to decide go for a major in veterinary.

Ge got his glasses back, learned how to be more laid back now, he bikes everywhere but want to get a car so he can take Cookie more often to the beach and in his travels. At certain point, he finally got to sit down and have a honest conversation with his father and they both are trying now to have a more close relationship.

Armin -

He resisted going to college at first, but in the end he decided to study programming and take a technical course in technology science on the side - studying is fun when he gets to create and challenge himself.

Didn't give up on his dream of becoming a game developer - but also, he found out how fun is to streaming games on his free time on Twitch (is still somewhat a small creator, but it's from streaming/youtube that he pays his bills with). Have been working for a long time now in his first game with a friend and after 3 years, they got to finally release a demo.

Lives with Alexy after their relationship improved with time, Evan sometimes comes back to crash in and spend some quality time together. Armin also have put together a long furret/hamister tunnel around the place for Rocket activily move around - his most succecful project in years.

------

Yes, for me they all somewhat got better lives and sort out most of their hardships at that point, they all in college and they're all striving for their best lives.

[thetriggeredhappy]

day 3 of sniperscout week lets GOOOOOOOO

[[Day 3: Distance | Touch]]

@sniperscout-ship-week

-

Sixteen years after he first killed a man for money, twelve years after he signed a contract to work for Mann Co., eight years after that team disbanded, seven and a half years after they came back and he found his parents and died and was brought back to life again by a mad doctor, seven years after he was officially released from his contract, and he still couldn’t convince himself that the team meant nothing. That his time there meant nothing. But at the very least, he’d gotten better at not thinking about it.

He heard Medic had fled to Russia with Heavy (to work on more medical experimentation and weapons testing, respectively), and that the Engineer just went back home to Texas (selling his inventions to the next highest bidder and apparently not signing on for long-term projects anymore). Pyro disappeared into the wind, as did Soldier (although Demo apparently heard from him now and then). Last he’d heard, Spy was still working with Miss Pauling (apparently owed her the favor), and Demo had quit drinking and moved to the Midwest to work some respectable job somewhere. And by the time Sniper packed back up and left, Scout was still kicking around the base, hadn’t even headed home yet. He didn’t say a proper goodbye, not to anyone but Miss Pauling. She’d nodded and told him his last paycheck would be sent to his house and wished him good luck. He’d nodded and wished her the same. She deserved that, at least.

And for seven years, he regretted that he didn’t say goodbye to everyone else too, but not much could be done. He’d already thrown himself back into freelance assassin work a week later.

As it turned out, his tenure with the team had given him a wider set of skills than before, and he very quickly found himself climbing the ranks among the criminal underground as not just a crackshot, but a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, able to passably handle most fights, most combat situations. And his poker face was alright, and his manners passable for short periods of time, but he didn’t quite have the interpersonal situations down pat. They called that his weakness. He would agree, if that wouldn’t make him lose face.

He got hired on to smaller crews for shorter periods of time—no experimental medicine or miracle machines, mostly just other specialists for heists or elaborate assassinations or hits or gang conflicts. He tried to stick to a few rules with himself—to steer clear of the mob, to not work with police (public or secret), to not take on a job that would last him more than five months. And it made his life much more simple, overall. He didn’t make many enemies, he didn’t make many friends, all he made was a respectable name for himself as a professional and a considerable amount of money.

Not that he had much to spend it on. Mostly it just piled up in one of his several international accounts, gathering dust, making him wince whenever he checked on it.

All of that said, he did see the occasional familiar face.

The contract of the day was for a bloke who only went by the alias of Nines. A heist on some bloke he used to work with, and they needed someone on the roofs to cover the escape and provide reconnaissance, and someone who wouldn’t flinch at the idea of popping a few heads. There were five other people on the heist team, including Nines himself. Two for going in to find the vault, two to hold down the fort and hostages, one to drive the second getaway vehicle in case things went south (which Sniper understood by then to mean the person who would be driving all the way out to pick him up).

He met three of the five, Nines (to get the first half of the money) and the two who would be taking hostages. All of them were about as expected—built, tattoo’d, scarred. Not as scary as some of the Aussies that he worked with, but intimidating regardless, except for the fact that he had a good half a foot on Nines and a few inches on the other two. Nines admitted that he’d expected someone buffer when he’d tried to hire an Australian. Sniper—or Mundy, as he went by those days—said that he got that a lot.

He was told how to recognize the team from afar (so he didn’t accidentally pop a head they needed), by the bright orange apparel they all had, in the form of scarves or bandanas or gloves or, in the case of the getaway driver, a biker’s helmet. He agreed to wear a bandanna hesitantly, although he knew it probably wouldn’t matter.

And three days before the heist he did his reconnaissance work, and the day of the heist he climbed up two hours early and settled in to wait. And he got the go message over the walkie-talkie, and he stared down his scope and waited.

He saw the four enter the building. Fifteen minutes in, he heard the first gunshot. Ten minutes later, distantsirens. Thirty seconds later, a car he didn’t recognize screeching around the corner towards the building. He had to pop two tires to get it to careen off course into a fire hydrant, and one more bullet through the windshield had the horn laying on.

A car he did recognize peeled off around the building and floored it down the street, and Sniper managed to down the two people who got out of the first car before they could fire a shot.

“We’ve got what we need,” came a voice through the walkie-talkie—Nines, he was fairly sure. “Meet back up at the third drop point.” 

Third. That meant things had gone rather well, but not spectacularly. They’d be running from the police for quite a while. “Right,” he said, voice raised a bit as the sirens got closer, closer. “My own way?”

“No,” said Nines, and he heard distant gunshots, then the same rhythm through the radio on a delay. “Backup, get Mundy. South of the building.”

Sniper inhaled, exhaled. Slung his gun over his shoulder and bolted for the fire escape.

He hadn’t even made it out of the alleyway before he heard the screeching of tires, and a motorcycle peeled around in an uneven spin, coming to a stop near the mouth of the alley, and the person on the back frantically gestured for him to hop on. It was possible they were shouting something, but he couldn’t hear through the helmet and over the sirens, the lights starting to flash against the buildings behind them, putting them in silhouette. But if he squinted he could still tell the helmet was bright orange, so he vaulted onto the back, already reaching into his vest for his handgun before he even secured his free hand in the back of their jacket—leather, apparently.

He’d give the backup driver one thing—the bugger knew how to weave.

Only took them about fifteen misses (and ten near-misses in terms of almost getting hit by oncoming traffic) and half an hour before they’d effectively lost the police and could safely beeline towards the third drop point, out just past the city limits behind some condemned building—maybe once a convenience store.

He allowed himself to take a deep breath when they finally came to a stop, to knead at the bridge of his nose and start working through the headache all the noise and dodging and adrenaline had given him. Hell, maybe he was getting too old for this. He got off the bike and moved to check over his gun for damage.

The rest of them weren’t there yet. Would probably be another hour or so, assuming they did the smart thing and decided to lie low and steal another car to make their way over to the drop point.

The bolt was sticking on his gun, but that wasn’t too strange. It happened.

He looked up. The person on the motorcycle was staring at him. Openly, obviously staring, visor fully turned towards him. Now that he had a moment to look, he could tell it was a bloke, the leather jacket big enough to add some bulk, but on closer inspection he was clearly smaller than Sniper. And he was just sitting on the bike and staring.

He was hit with understanding, and moved to pick up his walkie-talkie, hitting to broadcast button. “This is Mundy, you lot awright?” he asked.

Nothing for a few seconds. “Nines, and yeah. Some wounds but we’ll live. Gonna lie low, patch up a bit, loop out past city limits, steal a car, be there in forty,” was his response, crisp and unwavering. “You?”

“No injuries,” Sniper said, glanced up at the driver, who didn’t respond at all, so he assumed he was right. “We’ll wait here. Updates welcome any time.”

“Good,” Nines said, and cut off, and it was silent.

And the driver was still staring.

Sniper glanced away awkwardly, pulled off his bandana, shoving it in his vest pocket. Checked over his gun again, slung it back onto his back, checked his handgun. After a moment of consideration he took the magazine out and flicked the safety, storing both away.

The driver was still staring.

Alright, then. Sniper squared his shoulders, tilted his chin up, and stared right back.

Leather jacket, some patches he didn’t recognize. Pins, too. Shoes good for running, busted half to hell. Jeans. Maybe a bulletproof vest, he wasn’t sure.

He squinted at his hands, there on the handlebars. At first he thought there were bandages on them, but after a moment he recognized it as grip tape. Odd. He hadn’t thought this bloke was meant to go in with the rest of the crew, and there he was gearing up like he was about to get into a fistfight. Overprepared, maybe. Couldn’t exactly fault him for that—better safe than sorry—but most people would rather just carry a knife if they thought they’d be in close combat, not wrap their hands. He hadn’t met many people who went to that trouble unless they knew for sure they’d be in a scrap. And even then they usually wore gloves, not just the tape. Or brass knuckles.

It was odd to him in a way he couldn’t entirely articulate, put a strange little hole in his chest.

And then the driver moved to pull his helmet off, and the hole widened into a crevice.

“Snipes?” he said, phrased like a question, but there was certainty there.

“Holy dooley,” Sniper managed, throat suddenly tight. “Scout?”

He looked different. Older, for one, face shaping out to be a little sharper, although his eyes were still bright, cheeks still dotted with freckles, front teeth still big and ever-so-slightly goofy. There was a scar just above his eye and just below his eyebrow, and one of his ears was crinkled with a scar, and he had a piercing through his lip. He’d grown his hair out a little at the top, although the sides were still cut short.

“Recognize that piece’a shit gun anywhere,” Scout said, and the piercing flashed as his mouth crooked into a grin.

“Oi,” Sniper defended, voice hoarse as he fell automatically back into a decade-old rhythm. “Still aims straight, don’t it?”

And Scout laughed, and it was familiar, and the rift in his chest threatened to split him in two.

Before he could figure out exactly what to say, Scout was reaching into his own jacket, pulling forth a squished, dented carton and shaking a cigarette out of it. Sniper frowned, and Scout misread it, pausing before he put it back away. “Want one?” he offered easily.

“Nah,” Sniper said, and Scout shrugged, and moved to light it. “Pretty sure I always told you to never start smoking, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, then you ran off on everyone overnight,” Scout hummed easily around the cigarette, shielding the lighter from a passing chilly wind as he lit it, and Sniper flinched a little. Scout glanced back up once he had it lit, and the quirk of his lip was a little sadder. “Hey, I get it, man,” he said, a bit halfhearted, straightening back up. “Just, y’know.”

He did know.

Scout leaned back against the motorbike, moved to start spinning the ring of keys on his finger. “Kinda wish you’d said goodbye, at least. Left a phone number to call. Address to write to. A fuckin’ handshake, even—“

“I’m sorry,” Sniper cut in.

Scout went quiet, looked at him. Sniper couldn’t quite look back.

“Didn’t… want to get your hopes up,” Sniper tried.

“Didn’t want me to slug you a new one, more like,” Scout quipped.

Quiet for a few long moments.

“Like, you know the guys have been tryin’ to stay in touch, right?” Scout said next. “Been meeting up again every year or so. Pretty much everyone shows up.”

“Pretty much?”

“Well, one year Doc and the big guy didn’t show up because Heavy had a family thing, and Spy’s always a douche about it and barely sticks around, and Miss P can’t usually make it, but… yeah. Everyone but you at least writes.”

He was a little surprised to hear that.

Scout looked at him, and sighed after a second. Drew his hand back through that new haircut. Stared off towards the road. The street lamps flicked on as evening approached. A passing wind made Sniper pull his jacket on a little tighter, adjust his hat. Scout didn’t shift in the slightest. Always said he was built a little better for the cold. And it was quiet.

“We all figured you were dead, man,” Scout murmured, and Sniper crumbled a little. “Like, most of us stayed in shady jobs like this, but you went totally off radar. What did you think we’d figure?”

He knew that ‘sorry’ wouldn’t cut it. He didn’t know what would cut it. Luckily, Scout wasn’t the type to play guessing games.

“Next reunion is next month. We’re meeting at Hardhat’s. He’s making barbecue,” Scout said, tone firm, only wavering the slightest bit to give away that he was more upset than he let on. “And you’re gonna go, and you’re gonna eat the damn barbecue and tell us all where the hell you’ve been and where the hell you’re goin’ and then you’re gonna write down some numbers and call goddamn somebody every few months so we know you didn’t get your dumb ass murked, and you’re gonna listen to Heavy rambling about his nieces and nephews and Hardhat rambling about his twenty dogs and then you’re gonna do the same fuckin’ thing next year, got it?”

“Heavy has nieces and nephews?” Sniper asked a little weakly.

Scout nodded, crossing his arms. “Like five of ‘em, last I checked. His sister and Soldier haven’t got any yet, just raccoons, but his other two sisters got married a couple years back.”

“Good on them,” Sniper said, a little surprised.

“Yeah, lots happened. Demo was dating for a while, Hardhat too, haven’t heard anything major. Miss P has a girlfriend, probably gonna get engaged or somethin’.”

“Yeah?” he asked, wincing a little, trying to scan Scout’s expression for any bitterness or disappointment.

“Yeah,” he nodded, and he saw none. “She’s pretty cool. She makes Miss P take breaks from work and everything, so, they’re pretty good for each other.”

“Have the Doc and Heavy…?” Sniper trailed.

“I mean, shit, do you wanna ask?” Scout said, and there was a hint of a laugh in his tone. “You remember what happened any time anyone tried to get in the Doc’s business. Demo’s lucky he got that liver back.”

Sniper’s shoulders shook with a laugh.

“They’re still livin’ together last I checked, so, we can guess some stuff,” Scout said. “And we are not talking’ about Spy, and what the fuck Mumbles is doing is anyone’s guess at this point. Only ever talk to Hardhat anyways.”

“What about you?” Sniper blurted, and held his breath.

Scout looked at him. Chewed the inside of his cheek for a second. Pulled the cigarette from between his lips, tapped the ash out off to one side. His piercing glinted.

“What about me?” he asked, clearly trying to keep his tone level, but there was that little furrow to his eyebrow that always gave him away.

Sniper swallowed back as much nervousness as he could handle. “You… have any life changes?” he asked slowly. “…Dating anyone?”

He chose those words carefully. Didn’t use ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend’. Left it open to interpretation. By the deepening of that furrow in his eyebrow, it was clearly interpreted.

“Not right now,” he answered, and on one hand it didn’t say much of anything and on the other it said far too much, and Sniper berated himself for daring to feel jealous. His eyes were locked on a street lamp. “Tried. Got broken up with a few times, y’know, the works.”

“Why?”

“Well, either they didn’t like my job, or they didn’t have the patience to put up with me,” Scout said, and there was the bitterness he’d expected earlier, and Sniper wasn’t sure if it was aimed at those people or at him.

“You’re not that frustrating,” Sniper tried.

“Yeah, well,” Scout said, and crushed out the last of his cigarette beneath his shoe, shoved his hands into his pockets, “thirty-somethin’ years I’ve been kickin’ around and apparently you’re the only person who’s ever thought that, and you still ran off.”

Scout let him simmer in that for a long few minutes, staring off at nothing, letting him pick his words. Before, on the team, he probably wouldn’t have had the patience. But he’d mellowed out, it seemed like. Or maybe just hollowed out. He had dark circles under his eyes, visible now with him looking off towards street lamp.

“If it’s any consolation, I wish I hadn’t.” Sniper finally said. Scout snorted a laugh. “Scout, I mean it.”

“Whatever, ’Mundy’, sure,” Scout all but spat. “That’s why you didn’t call, or write, or what the hell ever else—“

“I just,” Sniper cut in, and he wished he had time to think his words over, but he didn’t, so he just said the first thing he could think of—the truth. “The longer I was away the more scared I was that I’d call and you’d be dead. It was easier to miss you and think you were alive than to miss you because I knew you were dead.”

Scout looked at him. The furrow was gone.

“And—and I did,” Sniper said, sure his face was red. “Miss you, I mean.”

“Yeah?” Scout asked quietly.

Sniper nodded.

It was quiet for a few seconds. Scout was chewing on the inside of his cheek again.

“You haven’t been in town long, right? I would’ve heard about you,” Scout said. Sniper nodded again, a little confused by the subject change. “There’s this bar right outside of town. We should go.”

Sniper nodded again, feeling assorted muscles in his back relax, relief washing over him.

Scout checked his own watch, rolled his eyes. “If Nines ever fuckin’ gets here,” he muttered, shoved his hands back in his pockets exaggeratedly, feigning true annoyance, and Sniper chuckled at it, the way he always had.