#I know our partner will help keep us on track but I'm not sure I'm fit to go to school

[straydogged]

so guess who applied to college yesterday

[xxavengingangelxx]

I am very curious about your version of Graves, I want to hear a detailed run down from you on how he’d be like in a romantic situation, would he commit? would he get married? would he “fall in love”, would he want a trophy wife to show off? I am just very curious and would love to hear you speak about this. I want to know what he’d be like if he actually did commit to a long term relationship or marriage, and what kind of woman would make him commit if so? I personally feel like he’d get married to a woman who works alongside him in shadow company, it just makes sense for him to get with somebody who is on the same level of psychopathy as him and understands his actions and behaviour, more so, he’d love being around a woman like that in my opinion. somebody who is as intelligent and knows how PMC’s work and can help him manage it too.

This is a good question! Sorry it took a while work has been absolutely insane. Like 60+ work weeks and now I have Hurricane Beryl headed my way! I use she/her pronouns just because that’s what I wrote my fic about but I think it certainly applies the other way around, too! 😉 I also found out after copy-pasting I've exceeding the character limit so this is part 1! Triggers for mentions of domestic violence and dubcon.

ALSO: This is my version of Graves based on what I know and based on the limited information we have. Another anon post said I had Graves wrong, a different opinion. Totally okay! We all have our own versions of him.

Graves in a romantic situation. This is a difficult one. I think it would be very difficult for Graves to differentiate between romance/love and possessiveness. In a fic I wrote, Graves decides OC is his immediately upon meeting her. I think he would be similarly inclined in the civilian world. I’m not sure if he could a civilian could handle Graves, to be honest ☹But he would be similarly possessive. When this type of man (narcissistic with a touch of psychopathy/sociopathy, and if I’m honest, just a little sadism) is deeply interested in a woman, he gets her one way or another.

My version of Graves likely wouldn’t give his chosen partner a choice. In the military, he’d use his clearances (and his Shadows!) to keep track of her. He’d treat a civilian the same way. He’d follow her and then act like: “Hey! Weird running into you here!” when in his head he’s thinking, “I better not see you talking with any other men.”

I think he would commit/not cheat but not for the reasons normal people would. He would commit because he’s obsessed. He would commit because stalking someone and making sure they don’t escape you once you have a hold of them is like two full-time jobs even with his Shadows. And if we’re talking about a female I can see Graves being worried about said female trying to seduce a Shadow to let her go. If she’s on the smaller side, there’s the risk of her slipping out somewhere. His mobile job would help in the sense that his wife would be clueless as to where she was most of the time. She would never go anywhere alone. He’s got a PMC to run. And when he has down time, he’s tired.

He would love showing off his wife. In a fic I wrote he does just that. He would marry to legally tie his wife to him. And in COD, to make it a legal barrier for her to testify against him. She wouldn’t have a choice. I can totally see him pregnancy trapping his wife to further trap her with him. He’d say there was no way she’d leave and take his children and she’s not going to leave her children behind so she stays. I can’t say him mentioning his kids too much as he realizes they would be a bigger target for his enemies. Even Graves has a bit of a heart when it comes to kids.

I see Graves having more of a traditionalist especially since he’s a conservative type from Texas. I'm a Texan living in Texas y'all: Graves is typical down here (but most of them aren't as good looking!) I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the type to think: the man works, the wife stays home, raises kids, and spends all her time with her husband when he’s home. However, I can also see him wanting to keep said wife busy so her mind isn’t on escape. After kiddos start entering scene, I see him putting her on intel or something like that. Work from home, ma'am.

Graves would absolutely be attracted to intelligence because Graves is smart. Generally, if there is a big mismatch between intelligence (IQ) between parties, they struggle with not only communication but common interests. I think he would want any children he has to inherit that intelligence and continue his company.

An upside (I guess?): Graves is rich as fuck. His wife would have everything and anything she wants (except freedom, ha).

-OC wants an SUV to transport the kids on base? "Sure, darlin’ I already ordered a top-model Audi/Porche." (By the way, when traveling off base, she and the kids are in a military, armored vehicle with no windows. Graves knows his enemies will try to target them.)

-OC wants to be in a home-like environment on base to give the kids somewhat of a normal life? "Of course, sweetheart. Custom built. Whaddaya want?" (No way they would ever live in a normal neighborhood, too risky.)

-OC asks about schooling since they’re constantly moving around. “Don’t worry about it, love. Paid private school, one-on-one attention online and one-on-one in-person attention in the US. I’m not putting them in the shitty public school system. I want them in military universities.” (Plus, they’d start their military education young.)

I think that Graves, like most full-blood psychopaths/sociopaths as well as those who have a touch of it like Graves, he would equate giving his wife whatever she wanted (except freedom!), any material thing she wanted as well as his kids the best of everything with love. He’d equate sex, even dubcon sex, as love.

Now, more about kids. He’d want the best for his kids but there’s no damn way the kids would get whatever they wanted. He’s got some psychopath in him (see Graves Defragged posts as to why, based on the info we have, he does not score high enough on the psychopathy scale) so he’d literally shape his kids’ (and his wife’s tbh) behavior with positive reinforcement because that is what he responds to. Being a narcissist, he believes everyone thinks like him and that everyone responds to positive reinforcement (but in reality there are other ways of shaping behavior like negative reinforcement, negative punishment, and positive punishment). He literally cannot empathize or put himself in someone else’s shoes (again, see Graves Defragged posts). It’s not that he feels guilt/empathize and chooses to ignore it. This man’s brain is physically wired differently and cannot, cannot, CANNOT feel it. So of course he’d think positive reinforcement is the only way to shape behavior.

Now, Graves’s version of discipline. Yikes. Do I see Graves hitting his partner? Absolutely. Graves is in general not impulsive, especially when it comes to important, long-term decisions. For my Criminal Minds fans, he'd be an organized serial killer, not a disorganized one if that helps. His brain structure is different so his limbic system (the more animalistic part of our brains) can be overwhelming to him and I can see this overtaking his prefrontal lobes (PFC) when emotions are involved. What happens? He will lash out with violence, like, with little warning. (I can write another post as to how most homicides are actually crimes of passion, between people who know each other and not planned out/between strangers like the media/TV shows make it out to be.) He will hit his wife, hard, if she gets (what he deems to be) “out of line.” I can’t really see him doing it all the time. But I can definitely see that if his partner pisses him off enough, that partner can easily spend a few nights in a hospital. Yes, Graves sees his wife as somewhat below him: someone needing guidance, direction, and discipline.

For the kids: He’s the disciplinarian, no doubt and the kids go to mom for comfort. Mom gets in the way? He’ll shove her at the least. I can’t really see him seriously hurting his kids. His kids are half him and he’s narcissistic, remember?

There’s emotion involved and based on what I’ve been trained in, men like Graves can only feel two emotions strongly: joy…and rage. We’ve all gotten angry and done/said something we regretted. Imagine that tenfold with an overactive limbic system and some glitches in the frontal lobes.

Now: In one of my darker fics, Graves writes (and then burns) a letter to OC where he starts to feel some kind of guilt. But, xxavengingangelxx, you said he couldn’t feel that! I know 😉 But we all love somewhat happy endings, right? We all love seeing Graves with somewhat of a human side. That’s why I added that little tidbit even though in real life, he wouldn’t be able to feel that. In my fic he’d continue to blame OC for what she went through because “she should’ve talked when we first got her.”

Wow, ok. Two pages of this. I need to shut up. I went to school for this, I trained in this, I see this every day, and I read on average a book a week on this topic. I’m obsessed fascinated!

Anon, I hope I answered both your questions 😊 Any other questions, let me know!

[wosoimagines]

Tall Tales - Alyssa Naeher/Reader

part one | part two

prompt: part two to Our Own Litle Book Club where Alyssa helps open up a book store.

warnings: none.

words: 1562

i hope you guys like this cause i'm hoping to get back into writing and maybe even setting a schedule for it to help keep me on track since i'm working two jobs and can get pretty busy these days cause i've really missed writing.

Y/N POV

“So, I have a surprise.”

Alyssa furrowed her brow as I pushed the box across the table toward her. I kept a close eye on her reaction as she opened the box.

Alyssa blinked once. Then twice. And then a third time before she reached into the box.

“Are you asking me to move in?”

I chuckled a little as Alyssa held the key up in between us.

“Not yet,” I shook my head. “I bought the place next door with the money I made from my book. Which reminds me, I really do need to do something for Rose the next time she’s in town since she recommended it to all of your teammates and on her Instagram.”

“Why did you buy the place next door?”

I looked down at the table as I fiddled with the mug that had my latte in it. I had wanted Alyssa’s opinion, but she had been so busy preparing for the World Cup and the last thing I wanted was for her to feel like she had to help me with it.

“I want to open a bookstore. Is it a bad idea?”

Alyssa stayed quiet as she put the key back into the box that was sitting on the table. We had only been together for a couple of months, but her opinion on this meant a lot to me. I held my breath until Alyssa reached across the table to grab ahold of my hand.

“I think it’s a great idea. Do you have a name for it?”

“That’s a work in progress,” I said as I grinned at her. “I was hoping that you’d help me with that. And maybe help me fix it up? I’m not in a rush and Arthur said he’d keep me on the schedule until 11 so that I could work on it in the afternoon until it’s ready to open and then we’ll come up with a plan for my schedule here too.”

“How much work needs to be done?”

“I could show you around when you finish that coffee.”

Alyssa shook her head as she turned back to her coffee that was only half gone.

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

I grinned as I stepped back once we had moved the bookshelf into place. Alyssa wiped the sweat off her brow as she joined my side.

“Now we just have to put the books on the shelves.” Alyssa let out a small groan as I waved her off. “I can do it tomorrow with the others.”

“You sure you want the others to put the books up with you?”

I rolled my eyes at that before I tossed the water bottle over to her. Alyssa had met most of the people I had hired but she had insisted that the two of us do the work ourselves to make it our little project.

“You have practice tomorrow and I have the day off from the coffee shop. Besides, it would help if the others know where everything is at so that they can help people find what they’re looking for when we open next week,” I said. I had been training everyone who was hired how to use our system, but it had been easy since a couple of the people coming to work at the bookstore also work at the coffee shop with me. “Besides, you have your national team camp to worry about.”

“I can always tell them that I have personal stuff going on. I want to be here for opening day.”

“Alyssa, you know you can’t do that,” I swatted at her shoulder. We had arguments over the topic that past few days now that I had set the date for my grand opening, and it happened to be while Alyssa was going to be at camp. She’d ultimately be in town as their national team camp was taking place in Chicago, but Alyssa was worried that she wouldn’t be able to stop by for opening day. “I won’t let you put your own career on hold because of me.”

“I want to.”

“And I don’t want you to. What if they refuse to call you up later because you took time away from the team?”

“Let me worry about that.”

“Absolutely not, Alyssa. I’m your partner, it’s part of my job to worry about you. I could never forgive myself if they refused to call you up because you took time for me.”

“So, you can support me as my partner, but I’m not allowed to support you.”

I sighed as I pinched the bridge of my nose. Alyssa didn’t even have a schedule for her camp days yet so there wasn’t any telling if she would have to miss opening day or not.

“Look, the team is coming for the soft launch. It was supposed to be a surprise in case you’re going to be busy on opening day,” I explained. I had reached out to Becky to help me set up the surprise. “You guys will be the first customers that we have. I wanted to make sure that you could still be a part of the opening, but I won’t let you put your own life on hold for me. And we’ll have the first book club meeting when you get done with camp. Okay?”

Alyssa stayed silent as she nodded her head. I was a little upset that I had to ruin the surprise, but if it helped to quell Alyssa’s nerves about possibly missing the opening day then I guess it wasn’t too bad to ruin the surprise.

“We’ll be the first customers?”

“Pinky promise.”

I held my pinky up so she could lock her own around mine. After all, pinky promises were the most important promises ever.

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

I grinned as I rocked on my hills as the girls made their way toward me. I wrapped Alyssa up in a hug when she got close enough. We had been on the phone just this morning, but nothing compared to being able to see her in person.

“You ready to see how it turned out?” I softly asked her.

“You know I am.”

I pulled away from her before turning to unlock the door. I waited for the girls to pile into the store before I turned on the lights. Most of the girls gasped or squealed when they could finally see how the store turned out. I didn’t mind as they started to go about the store.

I did step up next to Alyssa though as I grabbed ahold of her hand. My eyes were drawn to the display that she was looking at. There were quite a few displays about the store. We had mystery book dates scattered throughout the store, along with a banned book display and even one for our employee favorites.

“In the beginning,” Alyssa read out loud. She looked down at me. “Are those the books we’ve recommended to each other?”

“I couldn’t have opened this place without you. I wanted to do something a little extra special for the two of us,” I admitted. I had even gone as far as to make sure that all the books were in order of how we had each recommended them to each other as just another way to tell our own story. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.”

“Good, because you guys are also working opening day as well.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah, you guys are going to come and work opening day. More press for the store and you get to come to opening day.”

Alyssa grinned before she pulled me closer to give me a kiss. I couldn’t help but melt in her arms. I was getting to live my own little story and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

“Hey, (Y/N)!” Sonny called out, causing Alyssa and I to pull away from each other. Neither of us being comfortable with showing too much PDA around Alyssa’s teammates. “How did you get ‘Tall Tales’ for the name?”

“You don’t have to tell her,” Alyssa said to me, but I was already shaking my head at her.

“Alyssa loves telling me all of the national team tales you guys get up to and she’s tall, so it kind of just worked out perfectly.”

“I knew you loved all the shenanigans that we get up to, Uncle!”

Alyssa groaned at that.

“Is ‘shenanigans’ your word of the day, Sonnett?” Alyssa asked. I immediately brought my hand up to cover my mouth to keep the laughter from spilling out. “I’m so proud of you for being able to use such a big word in a sentence.”

“Don’t be mean,” I said as I pushed Alyssa away from me.

“Let’s be realistic,” Alyssa said. She caught sight of the book in Sonny’s hands. “Are you sure you should let her read your book? She might have trouble with some of the words and subtext and all the hidden meanings in it.”

“Hey!”

“It’s okay, Sonny. You can ask me all the questions about it,” I said to the blonde defender before turning to Alyssa. “And you are getting no more kisses until you can be nice to Sonny.”

Alyssa groaned at that as I moved closer to Sonny to talk to her about some of the themes that she would find in my book.

[areyoudreaminof]

Like a Bright New Dream: Feysand 2.0

Did you all really think I wouldn't make a playlist for @officialfeysandweek?

From boot-knocking to their friendship, Feysand just reminds me what I love so much about this series. A couple that are truly partners and bring out the best in each other.

As always, deep dive under the cut!

The Warmth-Paris Paloma

It can't hurt me It's still there, but it can't now, the warmth's returning The warmth is coming back, and now, no, it can't hurt me It's still there, but it can't now, the warmth's returning

Here My Love-Jessica Pratt

He's sincerely worn this weary heart Here my love, near my love Try to keep my worries safe from where they'll do you harm But I can't be sure, endeavors I'm depending on Your love had a tender tone, would ease my own Fear my love, here my love

Head Over Feet-Alanis Morissette

You've already won me over In spite of me And don't be alarmed if I fall Head over feet And don't be surprised if I love you For all that you are I couldn't help it It's all your fault

All In Good Time-Iron and Wine & Fiona Apple

Dancing 'til we both collapse Wishing we could hide our tracks Something wants to eat us all Alive

Moon Girl-Ha Vey

Find me barefoot on the hillside swinging Pray down on your knees I'll keep all of your secrets tied up, up 'Cause I'm enveloped by the stars And I want you as you are Take me easily so far As I can dance to your guitar

Hearts a Mess-Gotye

Pick apart the pieces of your heart And let me peer inside Let me in where only your thoughts have been Let me occupy your mind as you do mine

Your heart's a mess You won't admit to it It makes no sense, but I'm desperate to connect And you, you can't live like this

Snooze-SZA

I'll touch that fire for you I do that three, four times again, I testify for you Long as you dreamin' 'bout me, ain't no problem I don't got nobody, just with you right now Tell the truth, I look better under you I can't lose when I'm with you How can I snooze and miss the moment? You just too important Nobody do body like you do

Black Mambo-Glass Animals

Slow down, it’s a science He’s been waiting to bring you down Snake eyed with a sly smile He can hold you and shake you child Leopards laze each on plush pillows Slender capes of red and chrome Paperback dreams in their deep doze Twitch their toes to black mambo

Witches-Alice Phoebe Lou

You've got this golden way of making my body sway Of making my mind fly away, of making it fly It's the world I love to be in Come on, let's go high above the ceiling Oh, we could be feeling, oh, what we could be feeling

2001-Foals

Oh, now the sun is up, high in the sky Lost in the sugar rush, violet sky Beachside candy cane, blue tongues in summer rain

I've been waiting all day inside Waiting for a summer sky When we run wild, we'll come up for air and go under again I've been waiting all day inside

Strawberry Swing-Coldplay

People movin' all the time Inside a perfectly straight line Don't you wanna just curve away? When it's such, it's such a perfect day It's such a perfect day Now the sky could be blue, I don't mind Without you, it's a waste of time Could be blue, I don't mind Without you, it's a waste of time Well, the sky could be blue, could be grey Without you, I'm just miles away

Adorn-Miguel

These lips (Would you be my f—) Can't wait to taste your skin (My friend, my freak) Baby, no, oh, no (Would you be my friend, my freak?) And these eyes, yeah I can't wait to see your grin (Art dealer chic) Just let my love Just let my love adorn you

Die For You-The Weeknd

Even though we're goin' through it And it makes you feel alone Just know that I would die for you Baby, I would die for you, yeah The distance and the time between us It'll never change my mind 'cause Baby, I would die for you

Love You For A Long Time-Maggie Rogers

Came in like a vision from the old west wind Like a bright new dream that I was steppin' in I saw your face, and I knew it was a sign And I still think about that moment All of the time You know that I could never make this up I found the reason and I'm not givin' it up I felt the fever, and I knew it was mine Oh I'm gonna love you for a long time

TAGLIST: @becandidbeautifully @bunburyahoy @bookishwithathought @foundress0fnothing @itsthedoodle @iftheshoef1tz @kataravimes-of-the-shire @melting-houses-of-gold @octobers-veryown @officialfeysandweek @popjunkie42 @rosanna-writer @romanticatheartt @reverie-tales @secret-third-thing @tunaababee @thesistersarcheron @the-lonelybarricade @separatist-apologist @velidewrites @witchlingsandwyverns @xtaketwox @temperedink @amandapearls @berd-nerd @shallyne @cauldronblssd @witch-and-her-witcher

[words-etched-in-her-skin]

HI! welcome back from your break! we really missed you!!

how have you been? i have not been doing well- i got in a car crash on monday (im not hurt, only bruised up) so ive just been recovering from that. i'd like to request our beloved alcina caring for her fem partner who got in a car accident. ty!!

Hello, there! And thank you, dear 😊 It's always nice to be missed ♥️ As for your injuries, I do hope you've healed up some and that you're feeling better! 🫂

As for your request, here you go! 😁

***

"Draga.. just what is it that you think you're doing?"

You stopped dead in your tracks, only having made it half way across your lover's bedroom before she caught you.

"It's.. it's been three days, Alcina! I feel disgusting and I need to bathe!" You exclaimed with a pout.

The Lady's face softened ever so slightly, giving you a chuckle as she made her way into the room.

"You do realize that I left that bell next to you so that you could call me if you need anything, hm? And that 'anything' includes bathing."

You averted your eyes, doing your best to keep your balance. While you understood that the Countess was only looking out for your best interest, you couldn't help but feel a little guilty for how much time she'd spent looking over you the past couple of days.

"I.. I didn't want to bother you, my lady. And I'm not even that badly hurt! That accident-!"

"That accident could have been much worse, draga! The whole carriage flipped! And the fact that I wasn't there.. that I couldn't stop it!"

Alcina took a deep breath, her fingers coming to pinch the bridge of her nose as she exhaled.

"I can not lose you." She said quietly.

"But.. you didn't lose me!"

Her eyes opened abruptly, glowing in a mix of fear and rage.

"AND I WON'T! I CAN'T. MIRANDA KNOWS I'VE ALREADY MADE SURE THAT INCOMPETENT DRIVER WILL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. IF HE HAD-"

You hobbled over to her, wincing slightly as you took her hand.

"Hey, hey.. darling.. breathe for me."

And she did, squeezing your hand softly in the process.

"I am sorry, pet. I lost myself for a moment there."

"Hey, it's okay. I understand. Would it make you feel better to help me bathe?"

Alcina smiled, the subtle lines at the corners of her eyes creasing and lifted you into a full bridal carry.

You chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Mh.. as if I would ever turn down the opportunity to bathe you, my pet."

"Uh huh."

The Countess placed you down with the utmost of care before helping you to undress - with a sad, far away look in her eyes as her gaze scanned over the many bruises and scrapes that still decorated your body.

"Would you mind if I used some of your eucalyptus oil?" You asked her and she smiled.

"You, draga, may use any of my oils that you see fit."

She hummed quietly as she began to draw your bath, adding the oil you requested along with another she said would be good for the pain. And another that was supposed to help promote healing. It was such a simple act, yet so endearing. And only showcased the Lady's inherent need to take care of those she loved.

"Thank you, Alcina."

She blushed softly. "Whatever for, pet?"

"For loving me?"

At this the Lady chuckled, testing the bath with a single finger before lifting you carefully and lowering you into it.

"Draga.. loving you is the easiest thing in the world."

This time it was your turn to blush, with the indulgent heat from the water already willing a deep flush across your body.

"Charmer." You said, biting your bottom lip.

"Mh.. perhaps."

You could hear the smile that coated her words, felt the tenderness in her touch and the love that encompassed it. Her hands ever so careful as she used the washcloth to cascade warmth over your sore muscles and bruised skin.

"Now.. lay back, my pet. I want you to soak in here for at least twenty minutes. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Mh.. good."

She started to stand and you grabbed her hand, forcing her to look back at you.

"Can you.. can you stay with me awhile?"

She looked down at you with the most tender look you had ever seen, a look that made your heart lurch and your cheeks burn.

"Oh, draga.. I'll stay with you for as long as you need."

"So, forever?"

She paused before nodding, blinking away a single unspent tear.

"Yes, my pet. Forever."

***

I do hope you enjoyed this, dear! And be sure to take care of yourself ♥️

[fishsticksloser]

Definitions

Donnie x gn!reader

Warnings: "the talk," mutual pinning, angst, eventual fluff, aged up, swearing

A/N: I'm rewatching How I Met Your Mother and I thought this was a fun concept for Donnie.

Usagi enlisted the help of Mikey and Leo to lock you and Donnie in his room until you defined your relationship. Usagi had tried to get DonTon to start the conversation, but he didn't like talking about his feelings. So he avoided the talk, defining your relationship. Usagui had enough, you 2 needed to have the talk.

"So..." Leo sighs. "You want to lock Donnie's room... How do you plan to do that? Donnie could simply have Shelldon unlock it."

"I think I can make it to where he doesn't have access to any of his tech while the door is locked, I just need cover." Usagi explained.

"Let's do it!" Mikey cheered.

So they set to work. Mikey and Leo tried to keep you and Donnie out of the lab so Usagi could fiddle with Donnie's tech and lock him out until he turned it back on.

You stayed the night, like you do most nights. In the morning you woke to head home, only to find Donnie's door locked. You hate waking him, but he was the most knowledgeable about his own tech.

"Don, the doors locked." You shake him slightly.

"Why is it locked...? I never lock it when you're here." He yawns. Donnie got up and tried the door, still locked. He grabbed his wrist tech and started messing around. "What the fuck!? I'm locked out!"

"Have the talk." You could hear Usagi on the other side. "The door stays locked until you have the talk and write the definition, slipping it under the door."

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" Donnie asks.

"The talk?" You question.

"Usagi wants us to define our relationship." Donnie scoffs.

"I didn't think we need it... I thought we were on the same page..." You answer.

"And what is that?"

"Donnie's... My... Um... My boyfriend."

"You don't sound very sure. Have the talk."

You sat in silence for who knows how long, maybe hours, you weren't keeping track. But you were getting nowhere. You were no closer to freedom. He continued to pace, whispering to himself.

You sit on the bed, Donatello stands in front of you. He begins pacing, muttering to himself, you can't hear what he's saying.

⋆｡ ﾟ｡☁︎👾｡ ﾟ｡⋆

"Don." You begin. "Donnie? Donatello!"

"Sorry... Sorry." He huffs.

"Usagui is right. We need to talk about his." You continue. "What are we? What do you want us to be?"

"I don't... I don't know." Donnie shook his head, sitting next to you. He rested his head in his hands.

"Me neither..."

"I don't know... I love that you are you when you're with me. I thought things were going amazing... I just want to be enough for you."

"You are! You're already enough for me."

"I can't think of anyone else. I want you all the time. I really really like you..." He huffs, moving to face you. "2 reallys."

"It sucks when you're not around..." You hold his hands, anxious to continue your thoughts. "Does that mean we're in a relationship? Partners?"

"Is that what that means?"

"I'm no expert, but I believe so."

"Then, yes. That's what I want."

"We're dating."

"Yes." Donatello smiles. He leans forward and kisses you softly. The first kiss of your official relationship.

There continued to be no answer. For hours. You were both hungry. You tried to busy yourselves with other things. You laid on his bed, a book left open on your chest as you stared at the ceiling.

Donnie grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down what you had agreed upon. You slipped it under the door for Usagui. There was no answer.

⋆｡ ﾟ｡☁︎👾｡ ﾟ｡⋆

"Sorry!" Mikey stood at the opening door. "We had to make a run!"

"I thought it would take longer." Usagi laughs.

"So..." Leo held the paper, leaning against the doorframe. "Dating?"

"That's what we decided." Donnie shoves past them, dragging you along. "Let's get food."

[guardian-of-fandoms]

"Cole" blinked as he stepped into the sunlight, trying to ignore the dizziness in his head.

"Everyone clear on the plan?"

"Got it."

"All clear."

The group moved through the parking lot, Charlie going over the agreed course of action.

"We'll regroup at the lab in two hours, see what we've got then."

"Be ready for anything."

Cole gripped his cybernetic arm, his face gravely serious.

"I understand you've faced your own version of Morocco, but... Never let your guard down. Never. You have no idea what that monster's done..."

"We'll be careful, we promise. And we'll keep you updated."

Cole nodded, look hesitant, but accepting.

"As soon as i'm back to full strength, i'm going after him."

"You do that, hotshot."

Kade couldn't resist the snark, even as Dani jabbed an elbow into his side.

Cole stared at him pointedly, before pausing in his tracks.

"... Woah..."

The Bots sat idly in the lot, Cole's eyes wide as he stared at them, before glancing away, his face flushing as he cleared his throat.

"Uh... Blades, Boulder, Chase, i... Uh.. I'm sorry about those EMPs from earlier."

Blades was the first to answer, nervously replying,

"Please don't do that again!"

Chase's lights blinked, before he dryly retorted,

"I cannot advocate for such an experience being a pleasant one."

It was Boulder, who held the most neutral stance.

"At least the time limit is impressive!"

Heatwave's lights blinked, the firetruck managing to look suspicious of him even in vehicle form.

"Yeah, that stunt of yours was real clever... Better not think of trying something like that again, or you'll have to go through me."

"I wouldn't think of it..."

Chase's lights blinked again.

"It has left me quite perplexed, why was Heatwave the only one not targeted earlier?"

Cole sighed.

"I said earlier, I owe him."

"Yeah, would love to know what you apparently owe me for."

Cole was quiet, then glanced up, gazing at Heatwave directly, something pained in his eyes.

".... No... No you wouldn't..."

The ominous statement instantly set Heatwave on edge, but Charlie called for attention.

"Alright, Boulder, Graham, Doc, get to the lab and help our guest. Everyone else, let's find this Morocco doppelganger."

Boulder popped his door open, and Graham, Doc, and Cole all squeezed inside.

Charlie slide inside Chase, and as the door popped shut, Chase asked,

"Sir. I hope you do not mind my asking, but I am curious. Why are you so quick to trust this stranger? While the Genetic match may confirm his identity, he has exhibited rather questionable behavior."

Charlie sighed, rubbing his temple as he mused on the situation.

"You could call it... Father's intuition. It's a gut feeling."

"I thought feelings originating from internal organs were an indicator of discomfort?"

Charlie sighed, shaking his head.

"Not like that, Partner.... It's more like... I just know. I can't explain it, beyond just... Knowing, that is my son. Well... I don't know, this is all confusing, but... He may not be MY son, but... any version of him will always be my son."

"... I am not quite sure that I follow, Sir."

Charlie sighed, but smiled softly.

"... I think he's just... a little mixed up, at the moment. Maybe if we steer him in the right direction, he'll surprise us."

-

"I don't think I can handle any more surprises right now."

Kade groaned as he leaned back, absently staring out the window.

"Look... Whatever happened to this guy, it was rough. Cody said he seemed Mixed Up about something, You don't get jaded like that without going through hell and back."

"But you still don't buy him being Cody."

Heatwave's dry tone was blunt, straight to the point.

"No. I just... That can't be him."

"Look.... This is weird. But, you gonna tell me why you're so against this guy being Cody?"

"I just did."

"... Oh..."

Kade glanced down at Heatwave's screen, absently rubbing his chin.

".... Dani and Graham are on my side here. If that guy is Cody, think about it. Why would we ever send him through the multiverse alone?"

-

"We wouldn't."

Dani nodded, scanning the area as Blades flew overhead.

"Yeah.... And then there's the way he acts. He's... guarded. He doesn't seem very comfortable around any of us. Well, except Doc. But... Something just feels... Off. Like being around us... Hurts him..."

"Yeah... If our Cody went to another dimension, of course we'd follow him! So... If he came alone..."

"... I think I have to agree with Kade, Cody wouldn't become so... serious and jaded like this... At least... Not without a reason..."

"... But... Something that horrible..."

"I know..."

Dani ran a hand through her hair, absently fidgeting with her hands.

"... I don't know, maybe we have this from the wrong angle. But... I just.... I don't know...."

Blades was quiet, before timidly saying,

"... That guy, when he fought us.... He knew things only Cody could know... But our Cody would never do that.... Right?"

... Was it possible for their Cody to become this?

-

"Now.... How does that feel?"

The group had set up just outside the lab, accommodating for Boulder.

Doc pulled away from Cole's arm, the visitor examining the repairs, nodding in satisfaction.

"A lot better, thank you."

The metal plating had been replaced in some parts, the wires hidden from view.

He stretched out the arm, testing it's movements, as Doc stole a glance at the implants on his neck.

"I must say, this technology is incredible! A neural link of this caliber, who designed this?"

Cole was quiet, before smirking slightly.

"I mean, you did."

".... ASTOUNDING!"

Doc Greene's eye lit up at the prospect, and Cole couldn't help but chuckle.

"You were so proud of yourself, when you got it working... You and Frankie spent forever working on it, getting the bugs out."

"Frankie? Your world's Frankie, I take it."

"Yeah..."

Something in his face shifted, a melancholic fondness.

".... Both of you... you were really there for me..."

"... Were?"

Cole saw the conclusions being drawn, and winced, clarifying,

"No, No, nothing like that. We just... Haven't talked in a while..."

"I see..."

Graham coughed, trying to break up the awkwardness.

"Uh, now that basic motor functions are reestablished, how about testing the other abilities?"

Cole nodded, and boulder brought over a large battery.

"Everyone stand back, just in case."

Cole walked up to the battery, and after glancing at the trio, pressed the palm of his cybernetic to it.

Instantly, the arm glowed with golden sparks, the battery sparking and shaking, before Cole pulled away, the battery laying drained and defunct.

A ball of electricity trashed about Cole's palm, a slow smirk dragging across his face.

Oh... that felt good...

Graham and Boulder exchanged a small high five, and Doc beamed.

"Commence Shielding Trial!"

Boulder grabbed a small wooden crate this time, taking careful aim.

"Are you sure about this?"

Cole only smirked.

"Give me your best shot."

Boulder chuckled, and hurled the crate at him.

A golden dome instantly surrounded him, the crate shattering to pieces upon impact.

The science trio cheered, and Cole dissolved the shield, a golden glow in his eyes.

Doc motioned to a dummy they'd set up, and Cole took aim.

"Commence discharge trial!"

With careful concentration, Cole unleashed all the absorbed electricity in one powerful blast, the dummy exploding upon impact.

"SUCCESS!!!"

The science trio cheered amongst themselves, but Cole suddenly dropped to a knee, gasping for breath.

"Cole!"

Cole clutched his head, groaning as the trio rushed over to help him.

"You okay?"

boulder gently grabbed him by his back, hoisting him up.

Cole rubbed his head, letting Boulder guide him over to a chair.

"Ugh... I don't understand..."

Doc nervously studied the cybernetic, the glow fading.

"Perhaps I miscalculated, maybe if i-"

"No, it's working fine."

Cole caught his breath, rubbing his forehead.

"When I use too much bio-electricity, it takes a toll on my body. But I don't understand, a charge like that should've been nothing."

Graham mused on it, frowning.

"Hmm... Maybe you haven't recovered from your blast against Morocco earlier... You used everything you had, right? Doctor Mcswain noted a high concentration of Bio-electricity in your system, but for you, maybe that concentration was actually low."

Doc nodded in agreement.

"That sounds plausible. A blast like that must've drained you severely, triggering some natural state of energy conservation.... Do you sustain yourself off this bio-electricity?"

Cole shrugged, and they caught a flash of gold in his eyes.

"I mean... It's not like i can survive solely off it. But it definitely keeps me going for long periods of time. I've gone like a week without sleeping before, just by absorbing electricity here and there. But I definitely have my limits. If i absorb too much, I need to discharge it imeditantly."

"Interesting..."

Boulder frowned, recalling their own history with similar technology...

"Hmm... Looks like you were right, Graham, this definitely seems similar to the repulsor badge."

"Repulsor Badge?"

Cole looked confused, and Graham clarified,

"It's a long story, but... Cody- our Cody- was a Superhero for a little while. Doc built the Repulsor Badge as a means of keeping him out of danger, which, DID NOT WORK."

Doc looked a bit embarrassed, continuing,

"I, ah... I'm afraid that there was a slight issue with the power regulation.... The Badge overheated, and.... ah..."

Boulder sighed, shaking his head.

".... Our Cody..... almost blew up...."

Cole's eyes went wide, and Graham flushed.

"But, it ended better than it could have, at least? Let's just say that was the end of Rescue Boy..."

"Rescue Boy?"

Cole couldn't help but snort.

"No offense to my counterpart, but... Rescue Boy? Seriously?"

Graham shrugged.

"To be fair, I think Huxley came up with that, not him."

"Yeah, sounds about right..."

"I take it this never occurred in your universe?"

Cole nodded, and Doc processed the information, making mental notes.

"Interesting... If that incident never occurred in your universe, then i assume my counterpart had alternative motives for utilizing the hoverboard mechanisms in a similar fashion?"

Cole went quiet, and grabbed his arm.

"... Not important..."

Things went quiet, before Graham awkwardly motioned to Cole's dented chest plate.

"Uh... How about we repair that next? I bet we could reinforce it."

"Sure..."

Cole forced himself to his feet, staggering from lightheadedness, but forcing himself to shake if off.

"Do you have... Another power source? I just need a small boost..."

Doc nodded, gently grasping his arm as he led him over to another battery.

Boulder and Graham watched, before exchanging a look.

Graham whispered in a low voice,

"Do... you think Kade was right?"

".... Do you?"

They watched Doc pull out another battery, which Cole gratefully took, Graham commenting,

"He seems a lot more comfortable around Doc, than us. But why?"

"I noticed that."

Boulder studied "Cole", watching as he gasped the battery, his eyes tinged with gold as he absorbed the power.

"Maybe... It's painful. If Kade's right, then..."

"He's... being reminded of what he lost..."

-

"Anything?"

"Nothing."

"Nope."

Charlie frowned as he listened to the comns, then check the time.

"Alright... Let's regroup at the lab. We'll plan our next move from there, and see if our guest has anymore information for us."

He ended the connection, just as Chase abruptly halted.

Charlie snapped to attention at the abrupt stop, scanning the road.

"What is it, Partner? See anything?"

They'd stopped just in front of the junkyard, everything appearing normal.

"... Apologies, Sir. I thought i saw something, but I appear mistaken."

"It's alright, Chase. C'mon, let's join the others."

They pulled away, and once they were gone, movement stirred.

The shambling mound of wires and metal staggered through the yard, the last remnants of a madman toying with fate, a twisted mind refusing to die.

Morocco's broken face reformed as the mechanical monster shifted and re-formed, going from a staggering beast to a more human form.

His red eyes sparked, jagged shards of metal and exposed wiring sending glitches and sparks as he limped and staggered.

The paneling across his chest was uneven, slightly ajar, revealing a pulsing ball of electricity, irregularly shifting between the purple of the shattered gemstone, and a gold.

A gold power not his own, but one he knew well...

"Cody Burns... You attempt to destroy me yet again... and just as before... You only make me stronger..."

Morocco strode over to the piles of scrap, his stride irregular, but steady.

While discarded, the scrap metals and old technology were perfectly viable, and applicable to his purposes....

"Oh... Clever man, that Doctor Morocco...."

[misc-obeyme]

Hello CC! I hope you don't mind if I come in here to theorize with you about some of my SI/OCs.

I've been a Barbatos guy for awhile and enjoyed many a good thought about how our fictional romance would go. But then I had gotten through enough of the game that I unfortunately started falling for Belphegor too. If only it had been Diavolo! I think Barb and Dia could hold hands nicely. But Barb and Belphie?

So I've made two SIs who are basically identical with separate romantic paths because I cannot imagine those two ever sharing an MC. It may be my limited knowledge of the game that's limiting my imagination on this, which is why I'm coming to an expert.

How would you make Belphegor and Barbatos share a romantic partner? If possible?

Hey there! I certainly don't mind, this is exactly the kinda thing I love to do! dkafljf but man I'm gonna end up with an inflated ego if people keeping calling me an expert lol!

Okay. So. Are we talking about a V triad polyamorous situation? Like Belphie and Barb are both dating MC, but they're not necessarily dating each other? Or is it more of a throuple situation where all three people are dating each other at the same time?

'Cause I think it's always easier if MC is the pivot of the relationship and the other two just have to get along. Though I also think you could make Barb and Belphie fall in love with each other if you wanted to. This could be because I have shipped Barb with every character possible. I just assume that everybody is in love with him because how could you not be? My poor OCs.

ER- anyway, in either situation, MC is the glue that holds everything together. Because even if the two characters can find no common ground, they always have their shared love for MC to bond over.

That being said, I actually think Barbatos and Belphegor are somewhat compatible. They're both relatively calm and they're also both very smart. They can be manipulative when they want to be. And I kinda think they'd get each other.

You could easily create some cute moments between them, too. For instance, if Belphie used his powers of persuasion to get his brothers to help out around the castle. Or if Barbatos made Belphie a new pillow case. Maybe they all have a picnic together and Barb tells Belphie to invite Beel. Since Beel always loves Barb's food and he can be sure to make enough to satisfy him. Maybe they stargaze together.

Where I think they might clash the most is that they're both kinda possessive. And that could be where MC runs into problems, especially if they're in a V triad.

I think Barbatos would be most likely to give in to Belphie, but do it too much and he's gonna get a little restless about it.

There's also the fact that Belphie is very lazy and Barbatos is definitely not. I could see them getting frustrated with each other over this. Belphie being like why are you always so strict about everything and Barbatos being like why are you always so careless about everything?? LOL.

But the other thing about Barbatos is that he likes taking care of people. And I think that Belphie likes to be taken care of.

So in the end, I think those major parts of their personalities blend quite nicely.

Say MC and Belphie end up taking a nap in a weird place. Barbatos probably keeps track of them, so he always knows where they are. And then he makes sure they at least have a blanket. Maybe he even moves them to a safer location. Rearranges them a little so they don't wake up with stiff necks.

Maybe Belphie goes out of his way to bring Barbatos special ingredients for one of MC's favorite dishes. He wouldn't normally make the effort, but since it's for MC. And you know, as thanks for watching out for Belphie and MC when they were sleeping in a weird place.

Hmm yes I feel like you could write a sweet little slow burn between them if they were dating each other as well as MC. But even if that isn't the case, they could end up being friends and getting along. Because not only do they see how much the other one cares about MC, but they have that potential to work well together, too.

Now just imagine what happens if MC gets into some kinda trouble or something. Damn those two would team up to protect or defend MC in a heartbeat and rip to anyone who thought they could mess with MC.

Anyway, I don't know if that helps at all! But this is how I would think about it!

[patrol-partners-batphandom]

Welcome to our Meet the Mods post! Each mod has prepared a short little blurb to introduce themselves with, which can also be found within the server.

I'm Jayden! I use they/them/neopronouns. I'm here to help you all with sign-ups, check-ins, and just generally making sure everything goes smoothly! If you ever want to include other languages in your fics, I'm your guy, and if you send me animal pictures I will absolutely melt into a puddle.

Hi! I'm Gil, any pronouns (I'm used to she/her but I don't mind any tbh), and I'm a logistics mods for Patrol Partners! I offer support in setting up things and manage Dreaded Spreadsheets. I'm allegedly a Wizard. I have 2 cats who can and will start screaming on call.

Hello, I am Chimary, they/them. I am here mostly to help when needed. Last year I wasn't that much around because I had a school final to do (which was creating a TTRPG). I am way more free now that this is done, so hopefully I'm going to be a little more around for this year! Also, I have a cat and he wants you all to have fun this year.

Heya! I'm Gremlin or Grem! My pronouns are Fae/Faer and They/Them. I am new to the team this year and here for logistics and communications!! I help meeting note, keeping the team on track, and reaching out to people for the event!! I keep on stumbling onto different mod teams and projects lol.

Hey there, Dusky here! My pronouns are she/her! I'll mostly be handling the socials and general modding, so if you see a problem with one of the Tumblr posts, please let me know! Like Gil, I also have two cats, though they usually won't scream on call. Overall, I'm just here vibing and surviving ✌🏻

If you have any questions, check the FAQs or send us an ask!

Have a wonderful morning/day/night!

👻 Patrol Partners Mod Team

[fuckmeyer]

Hii

It's for the 500 words commentary, (I'm not sure of the word count sorry)

In this close proximity, I could speak in a low voice and be heard. “Are you saying we can’t be friends?” I tease with a low laugh. 

When his eyes trailed from mine, to my lips, he came to press his forehead to mine and stopped my smile dead in its tracks; my brain turned to scrambled eggs. I inhaled, ragged. Here we were again. Now all I could smell was the spice on his breath, the chill of his skin, the stillness of the air around us.  

“Hm. That is a trick question.”

“Is not.”

“Is so.”

“How come?”

“Because in an imperfectly perfect world—” His throat sounded dry. His hand traced the outline of mine. “In any other world, I wouldn’t want to be friends with you.”

Since my brain hadn’t been receiving oxygen for the last couple minutes, I couldn’t tell whether I simply jumped out of my skin or if I shifted myself even closer to his cold body on purpose. I also couldn’t help myself from saying, “Hold up. Unedit. Are you saying all this because you want to set me straight?” No response. “Or because you want...” My eyelids fluttered open to his. I blushed.

“You know by now that I should set you straight,” he said, watching as our fingers lazily laced in, laced out, reveling in the oxytocin static we produced. “And myself, for that matter. You know that I’ve tried—feebly, of course, but I have tried. At this point, I’m not sure what I can say to keep you away. Or if I would want to say anything at all. But I’m happy to try again, if you’d like.”

“That’s okay. I’ve heard your case,” I told him. “So, then. About that second question...?”

“I can’t answer what you didn’t ask.”

“Fine.” Damn him. I breathed in, heart hammering the air out of my lungs. “In a perfectly perfect world, no ‘trick question’ answer, honest: would you—kiss me? Right now? If I asked you? Hypothetically?”

His hand froze interlaced with mine. “In a perfectly perfect world?” My breath stole away in a shudder that twisted up my spine when Edward brushed my chin to the side with his thumb, placed his lips at the base of my neck. Blood simmered underneath my skin. And he whispered while he lingered there, “I...I don’t know if—if that’s really realistic.” As his nose grazed up my neck, breathing deep at my thrumming pulse point. Brought to you in part by a hammering heart clocking in at a million beats per minute. “For us.” His cool breath splayed across my neck; I shivered.

“Not what I asked.”

As Edward planted a kiss behind my jaw, a lightbulb sparked in my foggy mind. This was how vampires operated. This was how their beauty and smell and touch disarmed prey. He would sell me a dream and pull the bait-and-switch like any rational predator would. The spicy cinnamon scent. The lilting voice, soft hands. The static. If he ripped out my throat, it would take too long for me to notice and be too late for me to care.

All I could think about now was how good it would feel to have him on me, in me—teeth and venom and all.

hii, thank you for the ask!

IN THE AFTERLIGHT CHAPTER 15: MIND OVER MATTER - DVD COMMENTARY

[i was beyond feral when i wrote chapters 15-18. it was 2020. the wildfires had completely blocked out the daylight; the sky was red, the smoke was too thick to see beyond my building, & ash dusted the apartment. my partner had already evacuated; i was alone. too depressed to do my day job, i spent 12-16 hours a day microdosing LSD, listening to ragtime, playing Ms. Pac Man, & writing. & i remember this scene in particular because 1) i was SO excited, & 2) i sat at my kitchen table pounding lagers & listing out every.single.synonym related to electricity (e.g. static, spark, crackle, exploded etc.) & thinking, "holy shit, i cannot think of any other way to word their freaky connection without hinting at them being mates." i was SO nervous to post. early fans may remember my A/N apologizing for my shitty editing; i explained that i had had no time for editing as i too evacuated the area a few days later. askdlasdklsd]

In this close proximity, I could speak in a low voice and be heard. “Are you saying we can’t be friends?” I tease [OMG I'M FIXING THIS TENSE ERROR IMMEDIATELY UGH] with a low laugh. 

When his eyes trailed from mine, to my lips, he came to press his forehead to mine and stopped my smile dead in its tracks; my brain turned to scrambled eggs. I inhaled, ragged. Here we were again. Now all I could smell was the spice on his breath, the chill of his skin, the stillness of the air around us.

“Hm. That is a trick question.”

“Is not.”

“Is so.”

“How come?”

“Because in an imperfectly perfect world—” ["I would be able to kiss you."] His throat sounded dry. His hand traced the outline of mine. “In any other world, I wouldn’t want to be friends with you.”

Since my brain hadn’t been receiving oxygen for the last couple minutes [girl, seek medical attention], I couldn’t tell whether I simply jumped out of my skin or if I shifted myself even closer to his cold body on purpose. I also couldn’t help myself from saying, “Hold up. Unedit. Are you saying all this because you want to set me straight?” No response. “Or because you want...” ["me?"] My eyelids fluttered open to his. I blushed.

“You know by now that I should set you straight,” he said, watching as our fingers lazily laced in, laced out, reveling in the oxytocin static we produced. “And myself, for that matter. You know that I’ve tried—feebly, of course, but I have tried. At this point, I’m not sure what I can say to keep you away. Or if I would want to say anything at all. But I’m happy to try again, if you’d like.” [i got so caught up trying to make Edward respectful of her space that i made him a little too stubborn. it would have been better if they'd kissed in the meadow like i'd originally planned.]

“That’s okay. I’ve heard your case,” I told him. “So, then. About that second question...?”

“I can’t answer what you didn’t ask.”

“Fine.” Damn him. I breathed in, heart hammering the air out of my lungs. [<-ooh! i'm going to steal this description] “In a perfectly perfect world, no ‘trick question’ answer, honest: would you—kiss me? Right now? If I asked you? Hypothetically?”

[here's the song i was listening to while writing all the kisses. and this one. i have a pandemic playlist. oh god i'm getting feral again--]

His hand froze interlaced with mine. “In a perfectly perfect world?” My breath stole away in a shudder that twisted up my spine when Edward brushed my chin to the side with his thumb, placed his lips at the base of my neck. [canon Edward just goes for it. just takes her face & gives her a big ole smooch. what?! if you're afraid of hurting her, you should do some trial runs! practice! a kiss on the neck! a kiss on the cheek! test the waters! anyway, i framed it like this because i wanted to build more tension than there was.] Blood simmered underneath my skin. And he whispered while he lingered there, “I...I don’t know if—if that’s really realistic.” As his nose grazed up my neck, breathing deep at my thrumming pulse point. [<-my top tip for writers: never edit your fanfic when the Air Quality Index exceeds 201.] Brought to you in part by a hammering heart clocking in at a million beats per minute. “For us.” His cool breath splayed across my neck; I shivered.

“Not what I asked.”

As Edward planted a kiss behind my jaw, a lightbulb sparked in my foggy mind. This was how vampires operated. This was how their beauty and smell and touch disarmed prey. He would sell me a dream and pull the bait-and-switch like any rational predator would. The spicy cinnamon scent. The lilting voice, soft hands. The static. If he ripped out my throat, it would take too long for me to notice and be too late for me to care.

All I could think about now was how good it would feel to have him on me, in me—teeth and venom and all. [this section is not part of the original! i edited it & added to it to make it a spicy blurb for the fic's summary. LOL]

send me 500 words of my fanfic & i will give you the equivalent of a DVD commentary on that snippet

[dragonbstoned]

Okay, so I know that this is INCREDIBLY long, but *please* read to the end. Everything is such a wreck that I have no options but to essentially beg for help.

This isn't just long but also kind of complicated to explain, but I'm not going to simply accept possible assistance from complete without giving the full scope of the situation. Honestly, it's next to impossible to understand how it ended up here without the full story anyway.

Literally everything this year has gotten progressively worse the longer it's dragged on and I'm so desperate that I don't know what the fuck to do anymore... I'm fucking broken and out of ideas. I hate asking for help, but I'm literally out of options, and reaching out on other platforms/to the community I've grown up in has been completely useless...

Currently, I'm struggling to just be able to *survive* and at risk of being homeless, which is made even worse by my partner and our cat (who is on a prescription diet and we'd already cut back significantly to make sure he was properly taken care of leading up to this) are in the same boat... I'm disabled and *can't* work while also waiting on my appeal for rejection to be examined by an actual person. It's been over a year since the rejection and subsequent appeal. If that wasn't enough, my partner has been searching for a job for the entirety of the year, especially since their unemployment ran out, but NO ONE is hiring. This isn't an exaggeration either. They've gone on sites, put in applications, and made calls only to be told that they aren't *actually* hiring. They've even gone on interviews that have gone nowhere. They've tried *everything*, working on applications and making calls to follow up on them literally every single day for MONTHS, and it's been useless so far. This is NOT due to a lack of effort. I've seen firsthand how much it's wrecked them, and it even caused *significant* strain on our relationship a few months ago.

They haven't stopped looking for a job either. It just *isn't* happening, and this is where things start to REALLY go downhill...

The man who tries to call himself my father recently received some financial assistance from his parents due to him being out of a job from his own negligence, with the intention of it being for MY rent (this was explicitly mentioned and the funds were offered due to that), only for him to turn around and immediately steal the majority of the money to waste on himself. (About 1200 bucks, 2k was sent, I only ever saw a quarter of it.) He essentially used it to pay off something that was NOT necessary and the only reason I can say it SO definitively is because I've been the one budgeting money for him for the last decade because, despite him being a nearly 57 year old man, he has no idea how to and never has. It genuinely feels as if he intentionally refuses to learn as well. Everyone around him has tried, for 34 years (on the part of my mother anyway), and it's never gone well. To give you a better idea, this man actively REFUSED to apply for unemployment when I was a child, and my mother had to be the one to do this. It's also not the first time he's tried to get out of paying for something he's responsible for/committed to of his own free will.

He's been lording my partner's lack of a job over their head for MONTHS now despite being the one to tell us not to worry about their half of the rent and that he'd cover it for as long as it was needed. To his credit, he did follow through on this until he also lost his job, which was, again, due to his own negligence. During the earlier portion of this period of uncertainty, our bank also suffered a ransomware attack that left us incapable of tracking our finances for the better part of a month. My biological paternal donor also told me that I should simply keep using my own card despite not being able to transfer funds into the account during this... which left me with about $1500 in debt and forced me to take out an emergency personal loan in order to prevent my account from being closed down. He'd promised that he would handle the full thing when he was capable of doing so, only to immediately blame me for the position he forced me into accepting.

On top of that, we've recently learned he's essentially completely fabricated almost every aspect of his life for as long as I've been alive. This has caused a number of issues, the main one being that I've been forced to cut him off as he's turned verbally, mentally, and emotionally abusive towards me for no reason. It's gotten so bad that I actually ended up blocking him on everything so that I could focus on trying to keep my partner and I housed.

I've been working on trying to fix it, but I'm currently behind on rent as I've been incapable of paying this month (November) and most certainly will not have the ability to do so on the first to keep us here another month. We pay 1k per month for a 12'x12' room in a rather hostile house. We've been attempting to leave since before my partner was released from their last job during a probationary period. They got some holiday work at the end of last year, but clearly, it wasn't going to help us out long-term. And as I've said, they've been unable to find a job since.

As if all of THAT wasn't bad enough, my partner's phone incredibly damaged, but now it's gotten far worse to the point that their lock/power button is no longer functioning properly. Their phone has had issues for months, but we haven't been able to afford to replace it as we've been more focused on keeping a roof over our heads... I'm able to get them a new one through our phone plan where we can pay it off monthly. However, we can't even afford the tax on the new device in order for me to do that. I've tried to find a way to make it happen but now it's completely unavoidable. If they don't have a phone, they'll have even less capability of finding a job as they won't be able to contact or be contacted by possible employers.

Honestly, I don't even know how much we need, I'm at the point of taking anything we can get in terms of assistance... Both of us are already getting our respective assistance from the county, but it doesn't really solve the housing problem, so we need to figure out how to get as much of our rent/bills paid as soon as possible because we're due to get an eviction notice at pretty much any moment. There is nowhere else for us to go currently as we still haven't been paired up with our housing navigation specialist through the county so fighting tooth and nail to stay here is literally our ONLY option right now.

I'm going to drop payment handles/links below... I know that this has been a lot to read, and if you stuck it out to the end, thank you so much. Even if you can't help financially, I would appreciate it if you could at least share this around and boost it to as many people as possible... We just need any form of help we can get at this point.

The following are the payment options that I have access to currently, I haven't set up a gofundme or anything (as they do take a portion of the money) and I just *can't* afford to have that happen right now as we've been counting literal pennies for months. I will not provide my Zelle as that is incredibly sensitive information, and I'm not comfortable putting that out there as it could fuck me over financially or even reveal information that I've worked very hard to keep private from certain people who will abuse it. (Please forgive the PayPal username not matching. It's an incredibly old account, and I no longer use the handle for my other profiles or accounts in any way.)

CashApp: https://cash.app/$dragonbstoned

Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/DragonChild42

Venmo: https://venmo.com/code?user_id=2835216225796096270&created=1731911514

Again, I understand if people aren't able to help financially, but PLEASE share this to boost it as much as possible. I'm just incredibly desperate and lost as to the possible solutions here.

[bittybug-sunflower-blog]

Chapter summary: the Marauders learn a bit more about Beka

Warning ⚠️: Mature themes and language, sex, drugs, abuse, blood, death, drinking, suicide attempt, and smoking

Word count: 6341

Rating 21+

Extra: alternate universe story

Chapter 13

Several weeks have passed by now, Beka sat in the library, her usual spot by the window providing a view of the lush garden outside. She had been immersed in writing her song, trying to find solace in her music, when the sound of the television caught her attention.

The TV was tuned to a news channel, and Beka glanced up just in time to see a familiar face on the screen. Her former partner, Seneca, was speaking earnestly into the camera.

"This is Detective Seneca Mori, reaching out to everyone who might know something about the disappearance of Rebekath Hardt. She was not just a friend but a mentor to many of us. She dedicated her life to helping others, and now, it's our turn to help her. We urge anyone with information to come forward. Please, don't give up on finding her."

Beka's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened as she saw Seneca. She quietly mouthed Seneca's name, her eyes fixed on the TV. The words of her former partner were a mix of comfort and pain, a reminder of the life she once led and the people she had left behind. The sense of being missed and the acknowledgment of her past efforts brought a wave of emotions over her.

Wrecker, who had been quietly observing from the doorway, noticed Beka's reaction. He stepped into the room, his expression softening as he saw how moved she was. "Everything okay?" he asked gently.

Beka nodded, though her eyes were still fixed on the screen. "It's just... yeah, I'm okay."

Wrecker came over and sat beside her. "She sounds like she really cares about you. It must be tough seeing this."

Beka took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "Yeah, it is. It's like a part of my old life is reaching out, reminding me of what I left behind."

The news segment ended, but the impact of Seneca's message lingered with Beka. She sat there for a moment longer, reflecting on the good and bad times with her former partner and the weight of her current reality.

Wrecker found Hunter in his office, his expression serious. Hunter looked up from his desk, sensing the urgency in Wrecker's demeanor.

"What's up?" Hunter asked, setting aside the papers he'd been reviewing.

Wrecker glanced around, ensuring they were alone. "I was in the library with Beka. She saw a news segment about that Detective Mori. She might get too close to finding Beka."

Hunter's eyebrows knitted together in concern. "Seneca? She's still looking for Beka?"

"Yeah. She was on TV talking about how she won't give up on finding her. It's been several months though, you think they called off the search."

Hunter sighed deeply. "We need to double-check that we covered our tracks well enough. We need to ensure she doesn't get any closer to Beka. I would hate to hurt someone Beka cares about."

Wrecker nodded. "That's what I was thinking. I need Echo and Tech to keep an eye on her. They should trail Seneca in secret to gather any information she's looking into and make sure no leads get through."

Hunter's eyes narrowed, a hint of grim determination in his gaze. "Alright. I'll give them the order. But be careful with this. We don't want to create more problems than we can solve."

Wrecker nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Got it. I'll make sure they know the stakes."

Later, Echo and Tech gathered in the tech lab, their attention focused on Hunter's latest instructions. Echo looked serious, his expression one of resolve. Tech, as always, was methodical, preparing for their covert operation.

Hunter entered the room and addressed them directly. "Echo, Tech. I need you boys to follow Detective Seneca Mori." Hunter tossed a picture of the detective on his desk. "Keep track of her activities, and make sure she doesn't uncover any information about Beka. Destroy any leads she might have. This is crucial to everyone."

Tech nodded, already pulling up various surveillance tools. "Understood. We'll be discreet. We won't leave any trace."

Echo added, "Consider it done."

Hunter gave a curt nod. "Good. I trust you both to handle this carefully. The last thing we need is for Beka's past to jeopardize her present safety."

As Echo and Tech prepared for their mission, the gravity of the task ahead weighed heavily on them. They exchanged a solemn glance, fully aware of the importance of their assignment and the need for absolute discretion.

"Remember, Echo," Tech said quietly as they made their way through the shadows, "we can't afford to slip up. If anyone finds out about Beka, it could bring everything crashing down."

Echo nodded, adjusting his goggles as he scanned the path ahead. "We'll be in and out before anyone even knows we were there."

They moved swiftly under the cover of darkness, their presence nearly invisible as they approached the police station. The building loomed ahead, its lights dim in the late hours.

Their first stop was inside where they looked for what could be a power control panel, which they found in the supply closet. "Give me a minute," Tech whispered, his voice barely audible in the still night. "I'll disable the silent alarms. We need to make sure there's no trace of us."

Echo stood watch at the door, his keen eyes scanning the area for any signs of movement. "Make it quick. We don't have much time."

Tech's expert knowledge of security systems made short work of the station's defenses. With a simple cut of a wire, the alarms were disarmed. "Done. Let's move." Inside the dimly lit station, the air was thick with tension. Tech led the way to the evidence room, his steps silent and purposeful. As they reached the door, Tech got to work on the lock, his hands moving with practiced precision. "Watch my back," Tech muttered as he focused on the task at hand.

Echo positioned himself by the door, his senses on high alert. "Got it. Just get us in."

The door clicked open, and they slipped inside. The room was filled with shelves of files, evidence bags, and computer terminals. Tech immediately set to work, accessing the system with ease. "I'll handle these first set of files first. You start with any physical evidence."

Echo nodded and moved to the shelves, his hands quickly sifting through the evidence related to Beka. "We need to make sure nothing is left behind. Every scrap of information has to disappear."

Tech's fingers flew over files tearing them into shreds. "I'm on it. This won't take long." He cracked a window and then took a metal trashcan to set any other papers on fire careful not to raise alarms.

As Tech worked, Echo began systematically destroying the physical evidence. Documents were shredded with brutal efficiency, while sensitive items were incinerated in a small portable burner Tech had created.

"Anything left over?" Echo asked, his voice low as he surveyed the room.

"Just a few more files," Tech replied, his eyes narrowing in concentration. "Almost done."

As Tech continued working on the last of the files, Echo moved deeper into the evidence room, his sharp eyes scanning the walls. He paused, something catching his attention in the dim light—a section of the wall adorned with framed newspaper clippings and a portrait.

"Tech," Echo called quietly, motioning for him to come over.

Tech finished typing on the old terminal and walked over, adjusting his glasses as he looked at what Echo had found. The wall was a small shrine to Beka's past achievements. The newspaper clippings, neatly framed and hung with care, detailed her successes as a detective. Headlines praised her tenacity, her sharp mind, and her unyielding pursuit of justice.

"Look at this," Echo murmured, his voice filled with a mixture of admiration and sadness. "They've got a whole wall dedicated to her work."

The centerpiece of the display was a large, framed portrait of Beka, dressed in her detective uniform, her expression one of quiet confidence and determination. The photograph captured her essence perfectly—an image of strength, integrity, and dedication.

Tech stared at the wall, momentarily forgetting the urgency of their mission. "They really respected her," he said softly. "These are tributes."

Echo nodded, his eyes lingering on the headlines. "Look at these headlines, busted longstanding prostitution ring. Serial killers caught one another after another. Saved several who were kidnapped children monsters."

More clippings highlighted her role in solving high-profile cases, taking down dangerous criminals, and bringing justice to those who had lost hope. Each one was a testament to the difference she had made in her community, the lives she had touched, and the criminals she had brought to justice.

Tech's expression hardened as he looked back at the files they were destroying. "We can't let anyone use her past against her. But this... this wall should be preserved."

Echo nodded in agreement. "We'll take some of these with us, maybe give Crosshair a reason to start trusting her."

Tech carefully removed the framed portrait and clippings from the wall, one by one. He handed them to Echo, who wrapped them in cloth to protect them. They worked in silence.

As they finished, Echo glanced back at the now-bare wall. "Let's make sure she gets these back one day."

Tech nodded. "Agreed."

With that, they continued their mission, the weight of their task heavier than before. The operation was methodical, there was no room for error. Every piece of evidence was either destroyed or rendered useless, ensuring that Beka's name would never be linked to anything in the station.

"We clear?" Echo asked getting a bit impatient.

Finally, Tech burned all the files he put out the small fire with some water. "We're clear. Let's get out of here."

Echo gave a curt nod, and they moved swiftly to the exit. As they slipped out of the station, Tech glanced back to ensure they left no trace of their presence. Satisfied, he turned to Echo.

"Mission accomplished," Tech said quietly, a hint of relief in his voice. "No one will ever know we were here."

Echo clapped Tech on the shoulder as they made their way to the car. "Good work. Let's start trailing this Mori girl. The sooner we're out of here, the better

Echo and Tech began their surveillance of Seneca Mori. They followed her discreetly, making use of Tech's advanced tracking equipment and Echo's sharp observational skills. They shadowed Seneca as she went about her day, carefully noting her interactions and the people she met. Their surveillance eventually led them to a quiet suburban neighborhood, where they observed Seneca pulling up to a charming, two-story home with a neatly manicured lawn and a small garden by the front porch. The house was painted a soft, pale blue, with white trim that gave it a welcoming, almost idyllic appearance.

As Seneca stepped out of her car, her features became clearer. Her honey-auburn hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail. Waiting for her on the porch was her wife, Biala Mori. Biala was tall and graceful, with rich, brown skin that seemed to glow in the evening light. Her hair was styled in soft curls of bleached blond that framed her face, accentuating her warm, inviting smile.

She was dressed in a simple yet elegant green dress, its fabric flowing lightly in the evening breeze. Seneca reached the steps, and Biala leaned in, their lips meeting in a tender kiss that lingered just long enough to convey the depth of their connection. Their hands found each other's naturally, fingers intertwining as if they'd never been apart.

"I missed you," Biala whispered, her voice soft and warm her emerald eyes gazing into Seneca's hazel brown ones.

Seneca smiled, her thumb gently brushing over Biala's lips. "I missed you too," she replied, her tone laced with the comfort of coming home.

"Mom! Mom!" a young voice called out, his brown eyes sparkling with excitement. "Did you bring me anything?"

Another young boy, just a year younger and looking exactly like Biala with his rich brown skin and gentle green eyes, followed more slowly, but with no less enthusiasm. "We've been waiting for you, Mom," the other boy added, his tone quieter but filled with the same joy.

Their two sons, Lon and Isaac, appeared at the doorway, each one reflecting a blend of their mothers' features. Isaac, the elder of the two, had his mother Seneca's sharp features and intense brown eyes, while Lon, younger and a bit shorter, shared Biala's darker complexion and warm, gentle smile. As the boys ran up to greet their mother, Seneca's stern demeanor melted into one of warmth and affection.

Seneca chuckled, letting go of Biala's waist just long enough to ruffle the older one's hair and scoop youngest into a hug. "Of course, I brought something," she said, smiling down at them both. "But first, let me just enjoy seeing my boys."

Biala watched the exchange with a soft smile, her heart swelling at the sight of their family together. "Alright, you two," she said, guiding them back toward the house. "Let's go inside and let your mom settle in. We can catch up over dinner."

Seneca looked back at Biala as they headed inside, their eyes meeting once more. The silent exchange between them was filled with love and gratitude—a mutual understanding of the life they'd built together, the family they cherished. She exchanged a few more words with Biala, their conversation low and intimate, the kind that only long-married couples share before she followed her family inside. The door closed behind them, the scene one of domestic tranquility—a stark contrast to the tension and danger that often surrounded Seneca in her other life. The home, filled with love and laughter, was a sanctuary, a place where she could shed her armor and simply be a wife and mother.

Echo and Tech kept their distance, tucked away in the shadows of their car, the dim light of a streetlamp barely reaching their figures.

"Looks like the usual routine," Echo whispered, his voice barely audible over the distant hum of June bugs buzzing, dogs barking, and the typical wildlife getting into the metal trashcans. He peered through his camera, capturing the scene of Seneca's family as they moved through their evening. "Kids are home from school, dinner's on the table. Picture-perfect, ain't it?"

Tech adjusted his glasses, pushing them up on his eyes as he scanned the notes in his worn leather notebook. "Picture-perfect until you realize what's lurking beneath the surface," he muttered. "Seneca's got more secrets than this city's got dark corners. We need to keep our distance, but close enough to catch whatever slips through the cracks."

"Speaking of which," Echo murmured, lowering his camera, "you think she's onto us? Or Beka?"

Tech's eyes narrowed behind his glasses, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "If she was, we'd know. She'd be a fool to tip her hand now. No, Seneca's careful—too careful. But that's where she'll slip up. Sooner or later, the mask always falls."

They continued their silent surveillance until the lights in Seneca's house dimmed. Once their observations were complete, Echo and Tech made their way back to their home. Inside, Tech and Echo began compiling their findings, the sound of typewriter keys echoing through the room.

Echo nodded, as he leaned back in his chair. "We keep this quiet. No one else needs to know—especially not Beka. If this blows up, it could take her down too."

Tech looked up from his notes, his expression grim. "Then we make sure it doesn't. We stay in the shadows, keep our ears to the ground, and make damn sure we're ready when the time comes."

Echo sighed, "Here's hoping that time never comes. This is Beka's friend, partner we're talking about."

Seneca returned to the police station early the next morning, her mind preoccupied with Beka and the ongoing investigation. She had hoped to make progress on the case, but what she found was far from what she had anticipated. As she entered the station, Seneca immediately saw the damage to her case. The usually neat and orderly filing room was in disarray. Papers were strewn about, and the file cabinets were wide open, their contents scattered across the floor. Her heart sank as she hurried over to her desk, only to find that all the documents related to Beka's case had been destroyed or removed.

"Damn it!" Seneca yelled slamming her hand on her desk. All the work she's been gathering for months is gone, all in one night. Seneca's breath quickened as she frantically searched through the wreckage. All the news clippings and a portrait were gone as well. The realization hit her hard: someone had deliberately sabotaged her investigation. This wasn't just a random act of vandalism—it was a calculated move to hinder her progress.

"Detective Mori, what happened?" a colleague of hers asked stepping into the destroyed office.

"I don't know, why were the silent alarms not going off?" Seneca asked looking at the young rookie cop.

"The wires were severed." He said with little confidence.

"Fuck, rookie take Officer Fisto and do a whole sweep of the office."

"My name is Kanan, Kanan Jarrus." The rookie said a bit annoyed.

"Rookie, today is not the day to correct me, go gather evidence. Now!" Seneca orders.

"Yes sir." Kanan took off running to do as he was told.

Seneca sighed and leaned against her desk, thoughts raced. "Who would have done this? And why?" The answer came with an unsettling clarity: Beka was in danger, and someone wanted to keep her hidden at all costs. Seneca's determination hardened into resolve.

She paused for a moment, staring at the ruined evidence, her face a mixture of anger and frustration. The sense of urgency grew as she realized the depth of the conspiracy she was up against. This was no ordinary case—it was deeply personal, and she was determined to see it through to the end. With another sigh, Seneca gathered what little remained of the evidence, knowing that she would have to start from scratch. As she left the station, her mind was already working on the next steps in her investigation. She would not be deterred by this setback. Beka needed her now more than ever, and Seneca was ready to fight for her.

The living room was silent as the news broadcast started on the large screen. Seneca's face appeared, her expression resolute. The room, filled with Hunter, Crosshair, Echo, Tech, and Wrecker, listened intently.

"Good morning," Seneca began, her voice steady, a stern serious voice spoke up. "I'm Detective Seneca Mori. It's come to my attention that the recent events, including the fire at Miss Ribbon Singer's show, are linked to a larger conspiracy. Despite the threats, I refuse to be intimidated. I will continue to seek the truth and fight for justice. I will not give up."

Crosshair's eyes narrowed as he listened. Leaning toward Hunter, he muttered, "We might have to take care of her if she keeps this up."

Beka, who had been in the kitchen, overheard. Her heart pounded as she rushed into the room, eyes wide with panic. "No! You can't do anything to her."

Hunter glanced at Beka, his expression unreadable. Crosshair remained unmoved, his eyes cold and unfeeling as he swirled a toothpick in his mouth.

"Darling," Hunter said, his voice firm but soft. "She can't keep investing or it will be bad for everyone involved, but we'll think this through."

Beka's face flushed with frustration. "Think this through? This is not something you can just fucking think through. She's not just some threat you can eliminate. She's my friend, and probably the only person I can trust."

Without waiting for a response, Beka stormed out of the room, her steps echoing with anger. Wrecker, quickly followed, his large frame filling the doorway as he went after her. Hunter watched Beka leave, conflicted. Crosshair shrugged, unbothered, and returned to his seat. Echo and Tech exchanged worried glances, the tension in the room palpable.

Wrecker caught up with Beka in the hallway, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. We'll figure this out."

Beka shook her head, tears of frustration spilling down her cheeks. "I just— I can't believe they'd even think of doing something to her. I just want to protect what little I have left."

Wrecker placed a comforting hug hand on her shoulder, letting her lean into him. "We'll make sure nothing happens to her. We'll figure something out."

Meanwhile, in the living room, Hunter remained seated. He knew Beka's feelings for Seneca ran deep, and though he was determined to keep everyone safe, he also felt the weight of her plea. He stared at the glass that contained the strong amber liquid of whiskey, contemplating the next moves of the Marauder Family.

Hunter cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Alright, we need to talk about our next steps. Beka's made it clear how much Seneca means to her, and it's affecting her more than we thought. We need to figure out how to handle this without escalating things."

Crosshair leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed. "If Seneca continues to dig into things, she's going to be a problem. We need to think about how to 'take care' of that threat."

Echo frowned, shaking his head. "But we're talking about someone Beka considers family. We can't just ignore that. She's already under a lot of stress."

Tech adjusted his glasses, looking at the screen where Seneca's image was still displayed. "Getting rid of the threat might lead to more complications. We need to approach this delicately."

Wrecker, who had returned after comforting Beka, spoke up. "I agree with Echo and Tech. We need to find a way to get Seneca to stop investigating without making things worse."

Hunter nodded, weighing their words. "I think we should focus on gathering more information. If we understand what we're really up against, we can better decide how to proceed. And we need to keep Beka in the loop. Keeping her out of it could backfire."

Crosshair scowled. "Information's fine, but we need a plan in case things go sideways. If Seneca gets too close to uncovering something she shouldn't, we might not have a choice."

Hunter held up a hand. "We'll avoid taking drastic measures for now. Our priority is to make sure Beka is safe. We'll keep a close watch and adapt as needed."

Echo nodded in agreement. "We can't have Seneca knowing we're involved though. Police and crime bosses don't exactly fucking mix."

Tech tapped his pen on his notebook, "We need to have a strategic plan and execute it safely."

Hunter looked at his brothers, his expression resolute. "Alright, we think of something and something quickly."

As the brothers dispersed, the weight of their decisions hung heavily in the air. They knew that navigating this situation would be delicate, but with a plan in place, they hoped to find a solution that would keep everyone safe and protect the fragile balance within their family.

In the quiet of her room, Beka sat at her desk, pen in hand, struggling to find the right words. The room was dimly lit, casting long shadows as she scribbled onto a sheet of paper. Her emotions were raw, and the letter was her way of expressing the turmoil she felt.

"Dear Seneca,

I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to reach out, not just as an old partner, but as someone who genuinely cares about your safety and well-being.

Things are complicated right now, and I need you to know that I'm okay. I understand you're fighting for the truth, but please, for your own sake, consider stepping back for a while. Your family needs you, and I wouldn't want to see you put yourself in danger over this.

I've always seen you as a sister, and it pains me to think of you in harm's way. Please focus on what matters most—your family. I promise you, I'll be alright. I just need you to be safe and stay with those who need you right now.

With all my heart, 

Rebekath Hardt."

Beka sighed, crumpling the letter slightly. She placed it in a drawer, hiding it from sight, hoping that Seneca would somehow understand her unspoken words.

As she stood to leave her room, Crosshair appeared in the doorway, having been watching Beka. His eyes were hard as he strode in and snatched the letter from the drawer. "What's this?"

Beka's eyes widened. "That's personal. Give it back!"

Ignoring her protests, Crosshair marched out of the room, dragging Beka along with him. Beka struggled, but Crosshair's grip was firm on her arm as he pulled her towards Hunter's office. The corridor felt interminable, each step echoing their tension.

Hunter was at his desk when they burst in. He looked up, his face a mix of surprise and anger. "What's going on here?"

Crosshair threw the letter onto Hunter's desk. "Hardt was writing a letter to Detective Mori. It seems she was planning to rat us out or something."

Hunter's expression darkened. "Crosshair, you had no right to lay hands on her. What's your problem?"

Beka, still fuming, glared at Crosshair. "Read the damn letter first. It's not what you think!"

Hunter picked up the letter and read it quickly. His frown deepened as he finished. He looked up at Beka, a mixture of concern and confusion in his eyes. "So, you weren't planning to expose us?"

Beka shook her head, her voice laced with frustration. "No, I just wanted Seneca to know that I'm okay. I didn't want her to put herself at risk. I'm trying to protect her."

Hunter sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. "Crosshair, you should have given her the benefit of the doubt. Darling, you need to understand that these situations are tense, and our reactions can be extreme."

Crosshair let Beka go and crossed his arms, still displeased but unwilling to argue further. "Fine, you're not off the hook yet."

Hunter turned to Beka, his voice softer. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. But please, we need to be on the same page." Hunter's eyes softened. "We'll find a way to navigate this without anyone else getting hurt."

Beka only walked out of the office. She sighed, her anger fading into exhaustion.

The tension in the house was thick, and even through the walls. Hunter paced his office, his mind racing over the events of the past few days. The door swung open abruptly, and Crosshair stormed in, his face a mask of frustration and anger.

"Hunter, we need to talk," Crosshair said, his voice strained.

Hunter looked up from his desk, his expression guarded. "What's on your mind?"

Crosshair didn't bother with pleasantries. "What the hell is happening with you? Why are you going soft over some random woman? Since when do you let personal feelings get in the way of our operations?"

Hunter's brow furrowed, and he clenched his jaw. "This is about Beka, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Crosshair snapped flicking his toothpick at Hunter's chest. "We've had countless discussions about keeping things professional, but now you're bending over backward for her. Why?"

Hunter sighed, rubbing his temples. "Beka is special to me in ways you don't fully understand."

Crosshair's eyes narrowed. "And what about the rest of us? We're putting ourselves at risk, making sacrifices, and you're more concerned about her feelings than our safety."

Hunter's voice grew firmer. "It's not just about her feelings. It's about protecting those who matter to us. Beka's been a target, and she's part of this now."

Crosshair's anger flared. "So, what, we just let our guard down because you've got a fucking soft spot for her? What happens when she jeopardizes everything we've worked for? What happens if she decides to walk away and spills our secrets?"

Hunter's face hardened. "Beka's not a threat. I won't just turn my back on her because of your paranoia."

Crosshair's frustration reached a boiling point. "You're not seeing the bigger picture. It's not just about her. It's about us, the family. We've worked too hard to let personal issues jeopardize everything we've built. You can't afford to be distracted by your feelings."

Hunter stood up, his posture rigid. "I'm not letting my feelings cloud my judgment."

Crosshair shook his head, exasperated. "You're playing with fire, Hunter. If you can't keep your damn emotions in check, it's going to come back to bite us."

Hunter's gaze was steely. "If standing by Beka means making tough choices, then so be it. I won't compromise on what matters."

Crosshair threw his hands up in frustration. "Don't say I didn't warn you. When things go south, and we're left picking up the pieces, don't come crying to me."

Without waiting for a response, Crosshair stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him. Hunter stood alone, the weight of Crosshair's words hanging heavily in the air. As he sat back down, Hunter resolved to prove that he could navigate these challenges without compromising the integrity of their operations or their family.

"Would you like a drink, sir?" One of the servants asked.

"Make it two." Hunter sighed as he turned his chair to face the window, seeing Beka playfully chase Omega with the dogs barking gleefully. He could hear their laughter through the window.

"Will that be all sir?" The servant asked placing down the two drinks on Hunter's desk.

"Fetch Echo, he'll be taking over the duties for today, I will be required sometime to myself," Hunter said as he stood up and began rolling down his sleeves.

"Yes sir." The servant said as he made a quick exit out the door.

Hunter adjusted his tie and as he began to head outside Echo stepped inside, "You needed me, boss?" Echo asked.

"I need to take over for me today, I need to do my own investigation," Hunter explained.

Echo raised an eyebrow but only nodded. Hunter walked past his young brother and closed the door behind him.

In the soft light of the late afternoon, Hunter made his way to the mansion's sprawling garden, drawn by the sound of laughter echoing through the air. From a distance, he spotted Beka, her graceful figure illuminated by the golden sun as she playfully chased after Omega, who squealed in delight while trying to dodge her.

Beka, with a mischievous grin, finally managed to catch the young girl by the waist, pulling her into a tight embrace. They both tumbled gently into the soft, cool grass, Omega's laughter ringing out like music in the quiet garden.

"Wrecker, save me!" Omega cried out, her voice full of playful desperation.

Wrecker, who was sitting on a nearby bench with a book in hand, glanced up briefly. He chuckled at the scene before him, shaking his head in amusement before returning to his reading.

"You thought you could escape the tickle monster, didn't you?" Beka teased, her eyes twinkling with a playful evil glint. She gently dug her fingers into Omega's sides, eliciting another round of giggles from the young girl.

After a few moments of playful torture, Beka relented, holding Omega close in her arms. She rested her chin on top of the girl's head, her expression softening as she looked over to her side, catching sight of Hunter. He stood there, one hand casually tucked into his pocket, his gaze fixed on her.

"Hey, back when I was a detective, we used to put people in headlocks," Beka said with a small, knowing smile.

Omega turned her head to listen, her curiosity piqued. Beka demonstrated a quick technique, while Omega watched with anticipation. "You should try it on Wrecker. Sneak up on him from behind," she whispered to Omega, who beamed with excitement before rushing off to where Wrecker sat.

Beka stood, brushing off the remnants of grass and dirt from her dress, before walking over to where Hunter waited. As she approached, the distance between them seemed to close not just physically, but emotionally, though an invisible barrier still lingered between them.

"Having fun?" Hunter asked, his voice warm yet tinged with something deeper.

"She's a special kid," Beka replied, her eyes following Omega as she attempted to take Wrecker by surprise. There was a softness in her gaze, a tenderness that spoke of a longing she could never quite express. For a moment, she looked at Omega as though the girl were her own daughter, a bittersweet smile playing on her lips.

"Gotcha!" Omega exclaimed as she leaped behind Wrecker, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck in an attempt at a headlock. Wrecker, unbothered, simply turned another page of his book. "Come on, Wrecker, you're supposed to fall over!" Omega pouted, though she couldn't help but giggle at her own failed attempt.

Hunter watched the interaction with a faint smile before turning his full attention to Beka. "I wanted to talk to you," he said, his tone serious as he looked straight into her eyes, his expression unreadable.

"About what?" Beka asked, her voice calm but tinged with a hint of apprehension. The way he was looking at her, it was as if he could see right through the walls, she had built around herself.

Hunter hesitated, his gaze searching hers as if weighing his words carefully. The garden, once filled with the playful sounds of Omega's laughter, now seemed almost too quiet, the air thick with the tension between them.

"I've been thinking... about us," he finally said, his voice low, almost as if he was afraid to say the words aloud. "About everything that's happened and everything that's... still between us."

Beka's heart skipped a beat. She had spent these last few months guarding herself, building walls so high that not even Hunter could breach them. But now, standing so close to him, those walls seemed to crumble, threatening to collapse under the weight of his gaze.

"What's there to say, Hunter?" Beka replied, her voice soft but laced with the remnants of old pain. "We both know where we stand. What's done is done."

Hunter took a step closer, closing the gap between them. He reached out, his fingers brushing against her arm, sending a familiar warmth through her that she hadn't felt in years. "Maybe that's just it, darling. Maybe we never really dealt with what happened. We just... buried it."

Beka looked down, her eyes tracing the patterns in the grass beneath her shoes. "It's not that simple," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Too much has changed."

"I know," Hunter said, his voice gentle, yet firm. "But some things haven't. I can see it in your eyes, Beka. The way you look at Omega... the way you look at me. There's still something there. Isn't there?"

Beka swallowed hard, the truth of his words hitting her like a punch to the gut. She had spent so long convincing herself that she had moved on. But now, standing here with him, she realized that those feelings had never really gone away. They had only been buried, like the very thing Hunter spoke of.

She raised her eyes to meet his, her defenses crumbling despite her best efforts. "What do you want from me, Hunter?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"I want us to be honest with each other," he said, his hand sliding down her arm until it reached hers, his fingers intertwining with hers. "I want to know if there's still a chance for us... if we can find a way back to what we had."

Beka's breath caught in her throat as she felt the warmth of his hand around hers, a warmth that both comforted and terrified her. Could they really go back? Could they rebuild what had been broken, or was it too late?

"I don't know if we can," Beka admitted, her voice trembling with uncertainty. "There's so much between us... so much that's unresolved."

Hunter squeezed her hand gently, his thumb brushing over her knuckles in a soothing motion. "Then let's start with that. Let's resolve it. Together."

Beka looked into his eyes, searching for the sincerity in his words. Beka felt the weight of Hunter's words, the sincerity in his voice, and the warmth of his hand in hers. But as much as she wanted to believe in the possibility of a fresh start, the wounds of the past still ached deep within her.

She gently pulled her hand away, her heart heavy with conflicting emotions. "Hunter, I... I need time," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

Hunter's expression softened, understanding dawning in his eyes. He nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving hers. "I get that, darling. Take all the time you need. Just know that I'm here... waiting, whenever you're ready."

Beka managed a small, grateful smile, though her heart was still in turmoil. She whispered, her voice barely audible. "I just need to sort through everything... to see if there's still a place for us in each other's lives."

Hunter stepped back slightly, giving her the space, she needed. "I'll be here," he repeated softly. "No matter what you decide."

With that, Beka turned, her eyes drifting back to Omega, who was now wrestling with Wrecker in the grass, her laughter bright and carefree. Beka's heart swelled with motherly affection for the child, but the uncertainty about her future with Hunter weighed heavily on her.

"Beka help!" Omega yelled with laughter.

"You gotta squeeze harder Omega!" Beka called out walking towards them with a big smile on her face.

Hunter watched her go, deep inside he was afraid of what her decision would be.

[pkmnirlevents]

Heyo. Not sure if I should ask this here or if there's a better blog to ask but, do you have any tips for beginner Rotomblr blogs? I have two I'm just starting out and I have no experience with this kind of thing. Thank you.

Yeah you can absolutely ask us! We've answered questions similar to this before and offer a link to flowerliker's starting guide along with a starting resources tag to keep track of it all! We'd recommend starting with the guide and then our tag, then asking specific questions from there, but we can give some general tips for now rather than sending you off with a bunch of reading. That said, we are putting this below a read more for the sake of being easy to scroll past!

Getting started is often times the hardest part because its when you are building momentum. It can often be a discouraging time, but its useful to learn what you want to do with your blog and find people you may want to collaborate with more often. Reblog ask games and importantly interact with others! No man is an island in this community, if you want interactions chances are other people do too and will appreciate it. Mind their rules and their canon though, and be mindful of yours too.

If you're comfortable joining Discords that's a great option to meet people and talk with them both ic and ooc, though it should be said this isn't a necessary step and you should not feel pressured to join any groups.

You are allowed to be selective if you choose to be. This applies as much to others as it does yourself. Being selective about who you interact with on blog isn't necessarily a personal judgement, there might be people you enjoy talking to ooc a lot that have canon aspects that conflict with yours. You don't have to stop talking to them and neither of you have to change your worldbuilding if you do not want to.

Rewrites big and small will happen and they aren't the end of the world, adjust as you need and communicate with your rp partners if its things that effect them. Characters and your writing will evolve naturally over time and that's a beautiful thing!

Know community tags and generally how to use them. If you're someone who benefits from a tagging system, try to start it early on so you don't have to retag a bunch of posts later. The use of the unreality tag is also a good one to familiarize yourself with, especially if you dabble in the multiverses aspect of Pokemon's canon. You're welcome to ask for details regarding this and we can answer any questions you may have.

In regards as to what we can do to help as well is we of course are known for postings of events the community can participate in but we actually do all kinds of other stuff! We can post calls for general roles for upcoming arcs or events (i.e. bystanders, food concessions, rocket grunts, etc.) or specific calls for canon characters (i.e. Professor Kukui, Rocket Admin Petrel, etc.). We have a tag for Discord groups that people are able to promote, though mind their rules and the fact that these Discords in most cases are not ours and we do not have control over if the links are dead or the group is deleted. We boost community made and outside ask games, particularly if they are submitted to us. All kinds of stuff! We are a community resource that strives to add whatever functions we can to help others!

We could add more but we don't want to get too lost in the weeds of details here, if you require any follow-ups please let us know!

[nightthinker-08]

lil DOS2 rant?

Le sighhhhhh Finally finished DOS2 again, and I do adore this game a lot and has easily become my favorite. I love the combat of the game and the implementation of magical and physical armor really makes you think on your builds and strategies. And I know some might disagree cuz not a lot like turn based combat apparently? The story is so rich from start to finish, absolutely no parts of it bored me. The dialogues are fun and witty, catching me off gaurd and making me laugh way more than I thought it would. And the characters are so well written, you fall in love with almost all of them, especially the origin characters and the people you sail with in Lady Vengeance. But for all that praise, whenever I think of the romance in the game I can't help but feel its more than a little lacking. I love the characters to death I, wouldn't've have played the game twice already and have over 200+ hours on it if I didn't- but interactions with them are so few and far between. You don't even have one quiet moment with them. Well... I mean you do get one moment alone with them, but to call it a quiet one would be so... hilariously untrue for a number of reasons Anyway me being me took the little romance I can get in stride on my first play through, thinking "oh if I progress their quest they give me important dialogue!" So I focused a lot on the one person I wanted to romance (it was Sebille) and absolutely eating up any romantic dialogue that pops up (most of them catching me off gaurd cuz again we didn't talk much through out our journey and suddenly she's cozying up on me-). Only to have missed a lot in my first playthrough (not really a big complaint cuz I like you can do a lot of different things to get to the same point), and accidentally not progress one of my companions stories and have a small betrayal at the end. But then by the end of it all, while the ending I got was mostly happy, the ending I had with my chosen partner was absolutely bittersweet. While yes- I did make a lot of mistakes in my first game cuz I had no idea what the hell I was doing :D So it could absolutely be chalked up to me just missing a lot of key things to ensure a better ending with us. Hence why I played it twice in a row, and believe me I missed A LOT especially in forth joy, the first chapter. I tried my best to be as thorough as I can. Exploring every inch of them map, talking to almost every NPC I come in contact with, finishing every quest in my log book, talking more instead of fighting to get more dialogue. And while I can safely say I was absolutely more thorough this time round, I'm pretty sure I still missed a few things. Its a long ass game- there are a lot you need to keep track of, and I can be very forgetful. But I think I completed well enough to know this is the general scope of what an average player—or maybe not even averege, but a slightly more avid player—would get. So what did I get after all that? Well... Roughly the same ending with only minor differences... Was the entire game more different the 2nd time round cuz I knew what I was doing and found a lot of new and cool things through out that gave it more charm? 100%! Without a doubt! Did the companion I got together with get a happier ending? Also yes. But am I still a bit disappointed at romance and how that side plot ended? Sadly yes. Spoilers below for people who haven't played or haven't gotten to the end game.

So somewhere in the late game there's a choice to have Sebille rooted into the mother tree, I dont want to have to overly explain it but it basically bounding her to elven duties for the rest of her days and also she turns in a a tree once she dies :'Dc. Now I was an idiot and actually rooted her even when I had 2nd thought on it cuz I thought that was just her duty. And bit me in the ass at the end and was mostly what made the ending so bittersweet for me. She wasnt free yet we still loved each other so we had to part ways. Of course she said she'd always love me and never forget me before sharing a sweet kiss but it was still sad... Me being the simp I am I made a completely new game just to ensure she gets a happy ending (preferably together with my character) and she did and it was nice but... It made the whole end game conversation with her a lot shorter, it wasn't explicitly stated we'd stay together but in the epilogue nothing about our romance was mentioned. She was just happy traveling and living her best life and don't get me wrong- like Go girl! Live your best life! No need to get tied down! But I just wish the bond you form not just with your romance partner but with all your companions didn't feel like such a forgettable chapter of their life. There could have at least been a mention where at least one, or preferably all, of your party members would gather to together to meet up every now and again in the new world. Maybe its just makes me sad cuz I thought of my party as being a found family towards each other, so to see them be so ready to leave each other, split off and never talk to each other ever again really pained me. The origin characters are one, if not, my top reason I want to keep coming back to this game and replaying it but every time I just keep thinking of how it all ended, my heart sinks.

Minor complaints up ahead.

Poly? Where poly? No poly?? Give me the ability to romance both Sebille and Lohse you cowards!! so like at the end of my 2nd play through I made a save where one onf them I chose to be the new devine, made ifan sad and was generally a more sad ending- but also made me spilt with Sebille again cuz she was like "can a god mingle with us mortals?" and Im like oh shit so this is the wrong choice. So I reload my save and spread the source to everyone. and this time round it was happy again but she was still like " what happens with us is up to you" Like girl what you mean? We're on even playing field neither of us have responsibilities we're both free, what am I missing here? BUT ALSO SHE DOSENT KISS ME IN THIS ENDING?????? maybe I messed up the dialogue?? She says she wants me and love me but doesnt lean down for a kiss like my save before that or in my first game play either so I was left so confused-

another Sebille centered minor problem, after you kill her master her story kinda just ends there- Like there's nothing for her in Arx at all. And before you say it yes, we meet with Saheila when we get there, she's talking about elves wanting to rise up to start that war. And she just dismisses it and chalks it up to Saheila being insane(which you know true) but that's it? you don't want to figure out why your kin who's been through almost the same things we've been through suddenly underwent an over night change?? you aren't going to talk to the hostile elven people in arx?? People's opinion of you after killing the mother tree/ being prime scion doesn't get touched on here??? It just another one of my little disappointments in her story. She was very prominent at the start but nothing in Arx, which despite being the last chapter is still a long one. So to just have her there with nothing important to progress with her or our romance it just left me a lil bumed :/

[findroleplay]

－ 20 year old looking for some fandom roleplays at the moment! some info about me and my rules before we go any further. i am currently in college and working while also having other activities and what not on the side, that being said i can't alway be online! please do not bombard me 24/7 but i always love a good reminder here and there, just not painfully every minute. i'm personally an advanced literate roleplayer so it may take me a bit more time to type up my replies because i love details and details and details! i also write in 3rd person and would prefer my rp partner to be about the same please. just easier that way for me. mostly i'm looking to do ocxcc (me playing my oc) but i'm also VERY happy to double up!! i love seeing other creative ocs and setting both sides around the same time and letting our ocs interact. let's just make sure that both sides are fair and we write the same for both! that being said, please do help come up with the plot. let's get our creative juices flowing and throw out all ideas, no matter how insignificant or dumb you may think it is; i will gladly hear it!! i'm very much someone that LOVES talking ooc with my partners. i love sending tiktoks, edits we make, ideas, headcanons, all outside the rp. i would love for my rp partner to also love those things because it just makes it more fun for us both! nsfw is completely fine and i am more than very happy to do it, let's just not make it something that happens every five minutes you know. i am also fine with more darker/dead dove sort of topics as long as we're both in agreement to what we're comfortable with and not comfortable with. one detail i would very much love to add to the roleplays is omegaverse, but that's not required or anything at all. now for the more fun details! alrighty here are the fandoms i am currently looking to roleplay and what characters i would love to pair with my oc from each of these fandoms! (fair warning some of these i don't have a wiki for my oc, but i do have the important details we will need to start off) - Shameless (as of this being written i am on season 5, episode 7, and i haven't ever seen the show before so i'd love minimum spoilers! i will keep track with you where i'm at in the show ofc as time goes on!) : Philip/ Lip or Fiona Gallagher. off topic but for this show i'd also love to do Ian x Mickey (me playing mickey) - Marvel (this is very broad but so you know, i have seen all the movies; not recently but i have, and i've watched up to the FATWS show. i have seen both Spiderverse movies, the X-Men movies, Daredevil, The Punisher show, Venom, and i'm pretty sure that's it for now) : Logan Howlett, Miguel O'hara, Miles Morales, Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr, Eddie Brock/Venom - One Piece (oh the wonder that is of this anime. i won't lie, i only started it recently and i just got to Skypiea and that arc sooo you will have to be very patient with me on this show 😭) : Vinsmoke Sanji, Roronoa Zoro, Nico Robin, Hawkeye Mihawk - OHSHC (one of my all time favorite animes, i've rewatched this show so many times already. it's such a comfort and i just love it!!) : Kyoya Ootori - MHA (so i'm rewatching the show because i stopped watching after like Endeavor Agency arc i think it was, so it was a long while back. right now i'm on season 2 and JUST started the UA Sports Festival arc so like with One Piece be patient because I have like 3-4 shows i'm watching at the moment LOL) : Toshinori Yagi/All Might, Shota Aizawa/Eraserhead, Shoto Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugou, Enji Todoroki/Endeavor, Natsuo Todoroki

i'm more than happy to move to discord to discuss and roleplay there, but for now that's all. i'll try to get back to every like that i see as soon as possible!

-

[merrock]

ISSUES WITH ACTIVITY!

Mornin', Merrockites! Taking a small break from talking about volunteer week to address the activity notifications. This isn't a glitch/bug, but rather something that Tumblr recently changed (another post here!) -- hopefully with enough feedback, they will see that this is actually detrimental to a lot of people who use their site and change it back, but! Essentially notifications were ... jumbled, to say the least.

In the meantime, we are just asking you guys to be vigilant and careful with replies. If you notice someone has missed something, reach out to them, but also be responsible on your own end! Some things we suggest:

check dash when you can, and draft replies from there. we know that everyone does not have the time to do this all day long, but sometimes even five minutes can catch you up on a day's worth, and help you not miss anything.

subscribe to threads you are a part of, to get notifications. (this method supposedly works!) but please note that the admins have not had a chance to try this out -- I'm not sure what other notifications you might get! this might work best for closed/private threads, more so than opens with others replying.

tag the character you are replying to so that if they check their activity tab, they have a notification! you might not get the pop-up notification, but it should show in your activity feed. (for the time being, if you want to be doubly sure they see it, this might be your best option, and is the most recommended by others!)

track your threads somehow. whether it be with a thread tracker, bookmarking them so you can browse through (ex: bookmarking your writing partner's tagging system for that thread so you can see if they've replied), or just jotting down somewhere who you have threads with.

While we very much so want you guys to reach out to each other and give gentle nudges, I also want to discourage players from throwing in the towel and solely relying on everyone to come to you. But if we all make an effort to just try to keep track of where things are, and implement some of the above methods / ideas, I think we will be just fine (and who knows, maybe Tumblr will fix the situation). Have patience with one another, and please have patience with us, as your admins, as we work hard to help you guys with this.

As a sidenote, we will not be doing an activity check this weekend as planned, as we want to give you guys the chance to mess around with things, get adjusted, see if you need to make any changes to make life easier for you! If you have any questions, concerns or on the flip side, have any ideas to help out, or hear anything through the grapevine, don't hesitate to come drop a bug in our ears! xx