#NEWScaps

[queenburd]

How about dressed as a JC Leyendecker ad?

Hard to pick one, since his career spanned so many decades, but I took this as a style challenge as well and I am always down to style challenge

Choose your fighter

[oiladgivememoney99]

The Shy Guy, SCP Rewrite

“Horrible! I haven’t seen a mission go from Good to FUBAR since the 90s,” The General yelled at the four soldiers stood within his office: Cory, Hooper, Triana and Nikole

“But sir, that’s not fai-” Triana was cut off.

“It’s not about fairness Lieutenant, your team failed to capture the Skip, the only thing you did right was barely not dying! None of you even entered the cave before the Serpent’s Hand assault,”

“Hey, I went in!” Cory interrupted/bragged.

“I- you did? By yourself? Why?”

“Well uh… I was scouting ahead for y’know… intel and stuff,”

“Alright, that’s fair,” The General cleared his throat. “You four are being sent on a new mission, don’t fail me this time, dismissed!”

---

“That went not horrible… pretty shocking,” Nikole shrugged and took a swig from a flask as the four walked back to their quarters.

“Yeah, thanks for not telling The General about our hazing,” Triana thanked. “We’d probably be shot if you did,”

“Yeah, thanks for that Cory,” Hooper thanked.

“Don’t mention it guys!” Cory smiled. “So, where are we going?”

“Back to our barracks, so you can meet the rest of the team,” Triana explained. “Then we go on our next mission,” She finished as she opened the door to their barracks.

---

Within the barracks was two more people to meet: The first was a woman with short, blue hair hunched over a computer wearing a yellow sweater vest, and a guy with a goatee and frosted tips, wearing the same uniform as the rest of the squad; he was eating a burger near a table stacked with weapons.

“Hey Lara!” Triana calls out to the blue haired girl, who jumps in surprise, earning a chuckle from Frosted Tips Guy.

“Sup Tri,” Lara says as she turns her chair over to Triana. “You brought new people?”

“I didn’t bring them the Foundation did,” Triana sighs. “Cory, Hooper, this is Lara, our Tech Girl,” She points to Blue Hair. “And this is Scott, our Armourer,” She points to Frosted Tips Guy.

“Sup? Try not to die horribly on your first week,” Lara attempted to joke.

“U-Um, we won’t, I think… will we?” Cory panicked.

“Don’t mind her, she’s just reeeeaaaally bad at social situations,” Scott chuckled.

“I heard that…” Lara grumbles.

“See? Eavesdropping, her Mama did not raise her right at all!” Scott rolled his eyes, Lara did too, Triana briefly glared at him.

“Alright, now that you all know each other, we have a new job to do,” Triana clapped to get everyone’s attention. “SCP-096 has breached its containment in Antarctica and is rapidly approaching New England, we are going there to recontain it,”

“The Shy Guy?” Hooper asked.

“The very same,”

---

Cory, Hooper, Triana, Nikole and Scott were in a helicopter, flying away to wherever in New England this “Shy Guy” was.

“So uhhhh, who is this Shy Guy?” Cory sheepishly asked.

“Cory! I explained this before we got in here, did you-”

“He slept through the briefing,” Hooper added.

Triana grunted. “All you need to know is that you can’t look at its face,”

“Why?”

“Or it’ll tear ya limb from limb!” Scott raised his hands like a dad telling a scary story.

“And it’ll scoop out what’s left of your brain,” Nikole said. “And… I dunno eat it or something,”

“Wh-what?” Cory mumbled in genuine fear.

“You two, quit making the Private shit himself,” Triana ordered. “We’re landing.

The five stepped out into a town, or at least what remained of it; torn up buildings, houses, shops and utter silence greeted them.

“J-Jeez, 096 did all this?” Cory asked.

“I can barely believe it neither,” Hooper shuddered. “How are we gonna recontain this thing?”

“The Skip is pretty docile as long as no one sees its face,” Triana explained. “We’re gonna find it and put a bag over its head,”

“We’re gonna Guantanamo this thing,” Scott simplified, chuckling to himself.

“Speaking of Guantanamo, any volunteers for bagging duty?” Triana asked as she pulled the cloth bag from her pocket.

Everyone answered no, Nikole was more particular with her wording (She said “Fuck no,” as opposed to just no,)

Triana sighed. “Guess I have to choose, you Cory, you do it,” She handed the shaking man a bag.

“What? Why me?”

“You-

“You’re face is a camera,” Nikole interrupted. “Maybe the thing won’t think you’re lookin’ at it,”

“Kaminski!” Triana shouted. “That’s… actually not the worst idea I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth,”

“I really am the most valuable member of this team,” Nikole smirked.

“No one’s ever said that,” Triana grumbled as she shoved the bag into Cory’s hands. “C’mon, let’s get moving,”

“You don’t know that,” Nikole grumbled.

And so, they moved deeper into the town, walking past torn up buildings, destroyed lampposts, and the occasional dead body that made Cory nearly puke every time he saw one.

“Sure you don’t need some more time in training?” Nikole asked with a “helpful” tone.

“N-No, I’m fine guys,” Cory attempted to reassure, his shaking hands nearly dropping the bag in his hand.

“Well that’s good, cause I’m pretty sure it’s close,” Triana said, as sobbing and crying was heard in the distance. “Bluejay, where is the approximate location of the Skip?”

“14 Forpixel Lane, end of the street,” Lara spoke over the radio.

“Thanks ho-,” Triana cleared her throat, earning a smirk from Nikole. “Bluejay, rest of you, follow me,” Triana ordered as the soldiers ran towards the house, the sobbing got louder and louder as they got closer and closer.

---

Once they were at the door, the troops surrounded the door.

“Alright, men, when we enter look down; Cory, walk towards 096 as quietly as humanly possible,” She looked sternly at the blonde man. “Do, not, get, its, attention,”

“A-Alright,”

“G’luck Cory,” Hooper said.

“Th-Thanks Hoop,”

Triana gently opened the door as-

“Who’s there? Who the fuck are you?” There was a man in the house, yelling at them.

Everyone’s eyes quickly darted to the floor.

“Woah dude, chill out, we aren’t here to-”

“I can’t chill out, this fucken’ thing just tore apart my- God, ‘calm down’ do you even hear yourself right now!?” The man yelled, interrupting Scott.

“Sir, stop yelling, you’re going to-”

“Get the fuck out of my house!” The man stood up, and suddenly the already ear piercing sobbing from within the house got louder, the sobbing turned into crying, and the crying turned into screaming and.

“Shit, turn around!” Triana ordered as her squad nearly broke their necks to avoid eye contact.

The man began to scream as something tore it limb from limb, he screamed and shouted as the creature babbled and cried, until there was nothing left of him to scream.

The screaming of the creature stopped, turning back into mere sobs as it sat down, its head in its hands, sitting next to the man it had just mangled.

“I-Is it over?” Cory asked.

“I think so Private, good luck in there,” Triana said.

“W-Wait, can someone else do the ba-”

“Nope, you’ll be fine, just don’t look at it,” Triana shut the door on Cory. “If you die, we’ll do our best to recover the bag… and your body,”

“O-Oh cause that makes me feel so much better,” Cory mumbled sarcastically, as he put his eye to the floor and began to tiptoe in the general direction of 096’s crying.

---

“Don’tcha think that’s a little cruel, LT?” Hooper commented.

“Maybe, but it was the only way to get him in the house, he’ll probably be fine,” Triana attempted to reassure.

“Ewww, I stepped in blood,” Cory loudly complaining was heard from within the house, Triana felt the hairs on her body raise.

“You sure? Cause I do not wanna be the one who has to clean up Blondie,” Nikole took a sip from her flask.

“One hundred percent Kaminski, thanks for asking,” Triana said through gritted teeth.

“Just makin’ sure, pal,” Nikole shrugged

---

“Why didn’t I just do accounting? At least pencil pushing means not getting my… everything ripped off by a horrible monster,” Cory whisper yelled to himself.

The horrible, gangly monster in question continued to sob even louder to itself.

“Okay now I feel kinda bad…” Cory mumbled as he tiptoed further towards the thing, keeping his head fully down looking directly at the blood of the former man that the creature had torn apart. “Alright maybe not,”

Cory took a breath and hoisted the bag over his head with two hands, lifting his face slightly as he…

looked directly at it, the creature turned around, and he looked it right in the eyes and froze, completely still and waiting for the thing to.

Do absolutely nothing? Cory’s shock became confusion as the creature went back to weeping curled up, he shoved the bag over the pale thing’s head so hard that he hit its shoulders to no reaction and practically jumped out of the house-

“Agh! Cory the Hell?” Hooper shouted as the blonde man landed head first in his chest, breathing heavily.

“Private, did you manage to contain the Skip?” Triana asked.

“Y-Yeah, the bag’s on its head, but-”

“Sounds good to me,” Nikole shrugged. “C’mon let’s head back to base… this shithole is freezing,”

“I’m kinda hungry too… I know this place that sells some of the best pretzels I’ve ever had,” Scott reminisced like that one scene in Ratatouille.

“Pretzels!?” Cory jumped off of Hooper’s chest, completely losing his train of thought about the… whatever was on his mind before.

“Schhhhhhmloney’s, right?” Lara asked over the radio as the ground crew walked towards a landing helicopter.

“Yeah! How’d you guess?”

“That place is a front for The Foundation,”

Scott and Cory both looked dejectedly at the ground, Cory with complete seriousness as opposed to the frosted tips haver’s more joking demeanour.

“Every time…” He muttered as the team entered the helicopter.

---

Cory was forced awake from his nap by-

“Private! Quit napping we’re back at the base!” She shouted as she shook the blonde man awake, they were the only ones in the helicopter.

“I have a name…” He mumbled as he yawned.

Triana cleared her throat as she let go of the man. “Private Crater, get back to the barracks before I kick you all the way there,” She said, sternly.

“Yes ma’am,” He instantly got up and rushed into the facility.

Triana sighed as he left, and then a few moments later she heard the door open.

“Hey Tri,” The soft voice caused the Tri in question to turn around.

“Hey Lara,”

“You didn’t come to the room, something got you stressed?” Lara said, leaning against the wall.

“Huh? No, of course not…”

“Okay something has one thousand percent got you stressed,” Lara walked towards Triana leisurely. “Is it the usual ‘Nikki being an asshole?’ Or is it something else?”

Triana let out a heavy sigh as Lara stood in front of her. “It’s the new Private,”

“His kinda annoying incompetence?” Lara turned her head curiously.

“Attentive as ever,” Triana chuckled as Lara kissed her cheek. “I’m” The Lieutenant sighed. “Just worried that his luck will run out at the worst time possible,”

“Awwww, you care about him…” Lara then realised how comically dickish that sounded. “Like you should, y’know like a good leader,” She raised her hands in-

“I know, Hun,”

“Okay phew…” Lara smacked her lips, thinking of the point she was going to make before she rudely interrupted herself. “I’d uh… recommend making it more obvious that you care about him, y’know try to ease him into this whole MTF thing,”

“I mean… I just don’t want him to think this is easy,”

“He heard some guy get torn into a puddle, Tri,” Lara chuckled. “It hasn’t been very long since the containment breach,”

“I-I know, I’ll try to be a little less shouty,”

“That’s a start,” Lara giggled as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s waist. “Maybe show him a bit more of the soft n’ squishy side of you,”

“That’s!” Triana blushed as she quickly wrapped her arms around Lara’s waste. “...Only for you, you know that,” She mumbled, smiling.

Lara giggled. “I know,” the blue haired woman smirked.

[disconnected-from-reality]

Fanfic rec: Bones B&B

Hi~! After so many years, I'm back with a new set of fanfic recommendations! This time it's for a different show, one near and dear to my heart, which is pretty much a give away from the title of this post. I've been a fan of Bones for more than a decade now, I've known the show way before I've known Sherlock. But it has only occurred to me this 2024 that Bones might actually have some fanfictions out there. Lo and behold, there are quite a number around, and the next thing I know, I've read enough for a post like this!

For now, I'm listing some of the fanfics that really spoke and hit my heart. Maybe in my next post I'll try to categorize them in some way.

As usual, all works are complete unless stated otherwise. Happy reading!

Quicksand by MoreBonesPlz [Words: <46,783 | T: Suitable for teens] What if after the infamous B&B conversation in the truck during The Doctor in the Photo where Booth told Brennan she'd missed her chance, Brennan didn't acquiesce? What if once opened, she no longer found it possible to close the Pandora's box with respect to her feelings for Booth?

The Whole in the Sum of the Parts by fourth_rose [Words: 21,933 | Mature | Also available in Ao3] Children change things – sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, and sometimes from the very beginning. Season 1 AU.

The Passenger Seat by cortexx [Words: 3,345 | Teen And Up Audiences | Also available in FFN] Four times someone adjusted Brennan's seat in Booth's car over the years, and the one time she did it to Booth.

Servare Vitas by newscaper [Words: <101,948 | T: Suitable for teens] To Save Lives. A Bones Novel. Brennan helps Booth try to lay old ghosts to rest as he becomes a sniper for the FBI, a decision with life and death consequences that could change everything. 

The Science Teacher in the Public School by FictionWriter91 [Words: <47,114 | T: Suitable for teens] Story is AU with a mix of canon. What if Temperance and Russ were taken with their parents instead of being left behind? What if Brennan is now a well loved science teacher at a public school like her father used to be? Brennan loves her work and her students, especially Parker Booth, who is very talented and adores her. Things couldn't be better. Then she meets Parker's father.

Right from the Start by Christi Whitson [Words: <265,871 | M: Mature] Season 1 re-write, tweaking the details and one of the tertiary characters. Because I think that under the right set of circumstances, BB would have fallen for each other right from the start. Peter is a threat to Brennan, and Tessa doesn't exist. More drama than angst. 

An Aggregation of Maladjusted Companions by jazzyproz [Words: <251,013 | M: Mature] Suffering from a declining solve rate following their returns to DC, Booth and Brennan are forced to attend a team-building convention. Neither of them think they need the workshops or exercises, but it's apparent to everyone around them that if they don't do something, the whole team will soon be falling apart. Can they fix their broken partnership?

Stupid Alpha Male - Ardialene [Words: <9,292  | Suitable for more mature childen] No matter how many times Booth denies it, Brennan knows that her partner is a true alpha male. And she has evidence to prove it.

Let the Games Begin by TRUSSELL33 [Words: <159,075 | M: Mature] What would Booth do if Brennan suddenly came on to him? Written as a challenge on another site but am thinking of turning it into a short story. Let me know if anyone is interested.

Wise Mind by naelany [Words: 13,416 | Teen And Up Audiences | Ao3 Account Required] Temperance had made the - perfectly logical - decision to rebuff Booth’s advances not once, but twice. After all, she was a mundane and he was an online, high order Sentinel and would one day find his Guide. To her mind, there was no point in starting something with the man, no matter how attracted they were to each other, because in the end he would leave her.

Confessions from a Bottle by MoreBonesPlz [Words: <27,052 | T: Suitable for teens] Booth believes he is happy in his relationship with Hannah until an intoxicated Brennan reveals her true feelings for him and makes him question what happiness really means.

Problem Solving, the Booth and Brennan Way by Hannah Taylor1 [Words: <384,802 | T: Suitable for teens] Brennan has a problem she's not sharing.Booth wants to help fix things,as always,only to find the conversation skewing in a direction he'd never expected. Set several months post-The Boy With the Answer.

How My Heart Behaves by mia101 [Words: <57,376 | M: Mature] Brennan thinks she understands what sex is all about...until Booth gives her a glimpse that makes her think otherwise. But who's teaching whom? And what will they learn...?

The Heart Won't Lie by razztaztic [Words: 16,531 | T: Suitable for teens | Also Available in Ao3 | Ao3 Account Required] Alternate ending for 6x09 "The Doctor in the Photo." What if Booth hadn't been there to save Brennan and she was hit by the car?

The Heart of the Matter by fourth_rose [Words: 7,546 | Mature] "What do you mean, you know you can't have me? It's not like you've ever asked!"

The Intern by cortexx [Words: 1,766 | Teen And Up Audiences | Also available in FFN] Brennan is trying to choose a new intern, and is slowly weeding out the ones who are unacceptable candidates. A case of mistaken identity narrows down the competition when one candidate makes an inappropriate comment to Parker about Bones.

Maternal Instinct by tempecameron [Words: <20,878 | T: Suitable for teens] Dr. Temperance Brennan can handle remains that are thousands of years old, but can she keep up with one small child? BB fluff, Parker cuteness, relationship drama, weird author's notes.

Snowed In by Imagination-Parade [Words: <23,752 | T: Suitable for teens] Booth and Parker get snowed in at Brennan's apartment after Parker insists that they spend Christmas with her. Set after 3.09 "Santa in the Slush"

Let me know what you think of this list. I'd love to have some feedback! I'll be back with a new list soon, hopefully!

Looking for other fanfic recommendations? I might have something you're interested in, or if you have requests feel free to ask!

[novelnewscap]

A free thing is now out!

[ameliapodcast]

Intern is having A Week so let's play the best playing ever!!!!

Amelia, Arthur and Kozlowski.

Fuck, marry, kill.

Chose wisely and please ELABORATE

Can we do Hug, Marry, Kill please? I am very very ace.

Hug Kozlowski. Elaboration? Hemi gives incredible hugs. Kozlowski is so tall he probably gives the best hugs. Can properly squeeze. 10/10. Only issue, gotta find him and get him out of the basement - but if Alvina manages to have breakfast with him, I'll manage to ... locate him. I'll just shout something that's inaccurate medically, that should work.

Kill Arthur. I love him, and given I have the constitution of a victorian orphan child in a newscap, whatever I try won't work anyways. He'll laugh. 10/10 evening. Bonus Points: It might also get Kozlowski out of the basement.

Marry Amelia. Full Stop. I'll make coffee.

[princess-josie-riki]

Clucky's - Trick or Treat!

Another Halloween pic.

In this pic, random person is freaking out in horror because they saw a giant vampire-witch-mummy-zombie-monster-ghost hybrid frog abomination. Little did that person know that it was just Roofus Ribbit, who snuck out of Clucky's to go trick-or-treating. Let's hope a certain rooster doesn't have a cow when he finds out that Roofus has snuck out.

He looked really spooky in that monster mashup costume.

To make him look scarier, I gave him makeup that made him look like he's dead.

I also added blood to give him that chilling look too. I even made him look so much darker.

Made with Microsoft Paint and Photopea

Clucky's (c) Newscape Studios, Gametoons and Roblox

Roblox (c) Roblox Corporation

Idea and artwork (c) me

[sprawlingants]

i have so much traditional cory art.. what has this camera faced human done to me 💔💔 all my posts r about newscapepro cory.. all i draw is cory newscapepro all i do is for newscapepro cory all i think IS ABOUT NEWSCAPE PRO CORY!!!!!! RAHHHH CORY NEWSCAPEPRORPEO!!!!!!

CLAWS AT THE BAR OF MY ENCLOSURE!!!!!!!!*

GAHH G GSHAHE!!!!!! RAH!!!!

[madcatdaderpydrawer-blog]

No, it’s an issue of there’s no real substance. Plot and characters are shallow, I know they made all the human forms white twinks, and also I remember the guy who rubs GameToons... NewScape Pro aka Cory, I used to watch his old Minecraft rp channel and Minecraft Undertale series (was deleted). There’s only, like, one or two people who worked with him back then who still associates with him. I stopped watching his stuff years ago because he was posting videos about scummy shit like harassing his neighbors irl and invading girls-only MC servers.

Oh I did not realize that, that sucks

[cartoon-buffoon]

Late night, can't sleep, am bored. I'm gonna list off YouTubers that I watched growing up and some words on them.

Newscapepro—I can do a full rant on this channel/Corey alone and I'm devastated he privated or possibly DELETED his Minecraft roleplay series. I loved all of it, undertale, BATIM, FNAF, all his MC roleplays and minigame videos. The newscape team was a key part of my childhood and I still follow Unicomics, Ashlie9596, Nick, and Jon now that they are doing their own things (the first 3 still play together which is super nice). I'll forever miss those old videos (especially the FNAF ones, I miss bittybab and Uni as lolbit/Funtime Foxy).

Popularmmos—Pat & Jen were like parents to me and seeing them break up was devastating. I laughed to their videos all the time and they always cheered me up, so glad Jen is doing well for herself rn and although Pat went off the deep end for a bit he seems like he's doing okay although I'd love for him to return even if it doesn't look nor sound like Jen will. Him alone would make me happy.

VanossGaming/The Banana Bus Squad—Yes, I was an edgy little fuck, still am, shoot me. Anyways, yeah no all these guys were great (expect for Pablo and the bunny), they made me laugh just as much as Popularmmos yet their videos were obviously a lot more adult oriented. Thanks to them I developed a similar sense of humor to the stupid shit they did/said and my favorite crew members gotta be Marcel and Wildcat to this day, I do love Moo and Terroriser though yet both their jokes/bits were always hit or miss yet when they hit THEY HIT!

H2ODelirious—Adding him separate from the Vanoss crew as he was the only one who made content by themselves without the Vanoss crew that entertained me. If we're gonna be technical delirious is my absolute favorite crew member yet by himself is where he shined. His and Toonz' friendship is also by far one of like the most wholesome things ever and even when they'd yell at each other their camaraderie was unmatched and the chemistry made delirious' videos a joy to watch with Toonz in them. As I said before delirious also by himself is where he shined because he's a total goofball and sometimes stupid while also being incredibly witty and funny. His GTA character model of a clown perfectly represents him because he juggles the stupid and clever perfectly, still watch him to this day (proud member of the delirious army)

Dorkly—As stated before I was an edgy fuck and them video game parodies were as edgy as ever back then. Sonic for hire particularly was hilarious to me and I still characterize a lot of Sonic characters but their for hire counterparts and the phrase "Fryin' and Buyin'!" Lives in my head rent free. Not much to say

Tony Crynight—Fnaf animation man.... The FNAF animation in question being the one that was a love triangle between Foxy, Mangle, and chica where chica maims mangle. Honestly I do not regret watching those videos at all as they are genuinely better than half the movies I've seen in my life.

Balena Productions—This channel is on the list because he made mother fuckin' SONIC ZOMBIES! FUCKING SONIC ZOMBIES! Ong, Knuckles & Espio are still better gay representation than most of the shit they be putting in TV and movies. I absolutely loved the Sonic Zombies series when I was young and watching it now some of the jokes still do hit despite them being from a bygone era.

Jacksepticeye—This was his super high energetic era and I remember binge watching his happy wheel videos 3 times over, the entire series. Safe to safe I absolutely loved Jack and although I stopped watching him he holds a place in my heart as one of my favorite feel good YouTubers who were upbeat and wanted to bring joy for the sake of joy. And of course the "*WAPOOSH!* TOP OF THE MORNIN' TOO YA LADDIES!" Is legendary for a memorable intro.

Markiplier—wasn't a giant fan of Mark yet I did undeniably watch him growing up and binge a lot of his videos. Him being the king of five nights of Freddy's is obviously unforgettable and I also watched him during his "energetic era" where his montone and dull start of the videos would devolve into him getting overly into the game he was playing. So cool to see what he's done since then and now he's directing a movie, it's awesome.

FusionZGamer—was and still is the goat of FNAF content. Consistent uploads and is still getting scared for the sake of our entertainment. Not exactly as entertaining as Jack or Mark and he's obviously a more of a niche YouTuber but bro has been doing what he's been doing for awhile and found his audience. Kinda moved away from him for a bit yet I still go back and watch some of his older videos or binge his newer stuff as he hasn't changed a whole lot, he still plays horror games and cracks jokes whilst not actually getting in the way of gameplay, he knows when to be quiet and I appreciate that. A lot of YouTubers don't know when to shut up and appreciate a game and it's tension/moments yet he usually does and can wait like 3 seconds speak his thoughts or make a joke. Will say tho in his recent videos he do be getting a bit more wild yet I appreciate it as he started off not very family friendly yet moved more towards not cussing yet he's been getting a lot more loose with it. Whatever he wants to do he can do it though, just saying it seems like he's comfortable doing more stuff now.

That's all I can think of, this actually tired me out & goodnight?

[rosetheocto]

🐙 Super Cool Intro Post 🐙

Hello!! You can call me Rose! I’m a giant nerd over a lot of things that only like 10 people know about! I’m also a self taught artist! (that barely posts art)

Dunno where exactly on the Aro/Ace spectrum I’m at, but it’s definitely somewhere!

I have Autism, ADHD, OCD, and probably some other kinds of anxiety disorders with a bit of other mental health issues mixed in!

She/Her, I’m a minor!

Feel free to send me asks about anything!! I’m more than happy to have an excuse to yell about my interests, headcanons, and AUs!

Watch me and a group of nerds play Miitopia!

‼️ Please immediately tell me when I do something wrong!! I have good intentions, but I’m also not the smartest person out there! I tend to be unaware and forgetful at times, so I may not realize right away when I say/do/support something really stupid!! ‼️

Interests, DNI’s, and Some Other Things under the cut :]

Some Stuff I Like!! :0

Failboat (more specifically, Failboat’s Miitopia series, commonly shortened to “Failtopia”)

Splatoon

ChipDoesThis (I’m actually a moderator on his livestreams!) + The Chip Cinematic Universe (a Fanfic Thing made by me and other members of Chip’s unofficial discord!)

Eeveelution Squad (Webcomic by EV-Zero)

Among Us + Among Us Logic (I don’t support GT/Newscape nowadays, but AUL always has a special place in my heart)

Spooky Month

The Henry Stickmin Collection

My Little Pony (both FIM/G4 and ANG/G5)

Pokémon (but almost exclusively Gen 6/Kalos, love those lil dudes)

That’s far from all of them, but those are some of the main ones rn! (i have a ton of interests)

Obligatory DNI List

Basic criteria (homophobic, transphobic, aphobic, ableist, racist, MAP/pedo, antisemitic/islamophobic/anything similar, pretty much just “don’t talk to me if you suck”)

Supporting any kind of genocide or mass murder/imprisonment of a group of innocent people. (this should be obvious. Not gonna get too political but we can all agree stuff like that is very messed up right?)

Support ships with pedophilia, incest, and other things of that nature. (i just simply don’t like that kind of content, and i do think can affect reality.)

NSFW accounts (i am a minor, self explanatory)

NFT supporters + Most AI Art/Writing/Voice Acting supporters (really depends on context for me, but a lot of the time it just takes away from actual creators)

Treating real people like fictional characters (giving real people “headcanons”, shipping real people, etc. especially when they have said in the past that they are uncomfortable with it)

Some Other Things

I use tone indicators! And I’d appreciate it if people use them with me! (If that for some reason is something you don’t like then uh, idk do what you want lol)

I’m a multishipper!! (I love shipping. I love shipping sm. Especially Failtopia ships, for some reason)

I occasionally reblog FNF and Steven Universe stuff! (I know how some people feel about those fandoms, so I’m putting this out there!)

I am critical of media I like! (I promise I genuinely love the stuff I criticize most of the time, but being a hater can be fun lmaoo)

I may sometimes reblog donation asks! (I’m not gonna flood my blog with them, but expect a few to pop up)

The Tags!!

Rose’s Super Epic and Cool Art (art tag)

Ask the Octo (ask tag)

Chip Server Shenanigans (unofficial chipdoesthis discord tag)

Chiptopia/CCUtopia + Chip Cinematic Universe (chip server’s miitopia lets play + silly au/fanfic thing tags)

(Last edited October 24th, 2024)

[xiathiau-myshif]

Physically restraining myself from looking up Newscape SCP or Favremysabre Steve Saga

[oldshowbiz]

NewsCap CityLine

[scpwiki-official]

chat remember the scp newscape pro series

[studiousfish]

YOU. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CREEPYPASTA PHASE. I AM INTRIGUED.

OKAY OKAY BUT YOU HAVE TO PROMISE NO JUDGING.

I cant exactly pin point what started it but it started when I was literally in middle school and I’ve been reminded of it recently cause the fandoms kicked up again on Tiktok.

There’s practically zero record of it online (thank god) cause I didn’t use social media the way I do now but my creepypasta phase was basically fuelled by “how I became a creepypasta” gacha life mini movies and Pinterest fan art so can you tell it was a “omg the creepypastas live in the slender mansion together like a Nickelodeon sitcom” type of thing and not an actual liking to scary stories 😭.

I remember watching the “I Eat Pasta for Breakfast” and “Frozen Creepypasta” comic dub series on YouTube and those Minecraft Newscape-pro creepypasta roleplay videos too. My favourite was Ticci Toby.

I also had an edgy creepypasta OC 💀.

[novelnewscap]

It's out! It's free!

Thank you so much to @gh0ulunatic and @laurabsantiago for their art contributions.

[druidgroves]

Chapter 03: Hit the Road, Jack

Fandom: Fallout 4 Words: 6,509 Characters: Georgia Tate (Canon Divergent Sole Survivor), RJ MacCready, Piper Wright Notes: here comes a special boy here comes a special boy here comes a special boy

ch. 01 / ch. 02 read on ao3

December 26, 2287

What MacCready wouldn’t do for a bullet between the eyes right now.

Just when he thought that finally, finally the Gunners had let him be, here came Winlock and Barnes, strolling into the Third Rail like they damn near owned the place. A dark cloud seemed to follow them into the VIP room, MacCready’s stomach sinking but not showing on his face. He grit his teeth, sat up a little straighter, and talked to them the only way he knew how.

“I was wondering how long it would take your bloodhounds to track me down, Winlock,” he snarked, flexing his hands. “...Don’t tell me you’re getting rusty. Should we take this outside?”

MacCready really wasn’t looking to start a fight, but his tongue had gotten away from him before he could keep the words behind his teeth. Him and his big fucking mouth, always. Winlock leveled him with a glare as the two men stopped in front of him.

“It ain’t like that,” the Gunnerman sneered. “I’m just here to deliver a message.”

MacCready stood up to look Winlock in the eyes, tried to make himself look bigger than his scrawny form allowed, his brow furrowed and his mouth a thin line as he spoke, “In case you forgot, I left the Gunners for good.”

“Yeah, I heard,” Winlock replied, starting to subtly size MacCready up, but not so subtly that it didn’t go unnoticed by the sniper. “But you’re still taking jobs in the Commonwealth. That isn’t going to work for us.”

A flicker out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He let his eyes dart toward a woman who had appeared in the doorway of the VIP room. She had glasses and blonde hair, wearing a denim jacket that seemed to swallow her. Behind her, a woman with dark hair hidden under a newscap and a bright red coat looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but Goodneighbor. Finally noticing the two Gunners currently threatening him, the first woman made a surprised face and attempted to quietly back out of the room, only to run into the other woman that had been on her heels. If his life weren’t currently being threatened, he might have laughed. He let the two women bicker in the hallway before quickly turning his attention back to Winlock and Barnes.

“I don’t take orders from you, not anymore,” MacCready snapped, clenching his fists at his sides. “So why don’t you take your girlfriend and walk out of here while you still can?”

“ What?! ” Barnes demanded, stepping towards him and making MacCready take a step back. Winlock threw out his arm and barred his companion from getting any closer. “Winlock, tell me we don’t have to listen to this shit!”

Winlock sent a look towards his fellow Gunner, a not so subtle knock it off in his glare. Turning back to MacCready, he stepped forward, putting himself close enough to make MacCready tense. When it came down to it, Winlock had several pounds worth of muscle on him that could easily fuck his entire shit up in close range.

“Listen up, MacCready,” Winlock growled, dropping his arm from Barnes’ chest. “The only reason we haven’t filled your body full of bullets is that we don’t want a war with Goodneighbor. See, we respect other people’s boundaries…we know how to play the game. It’s something you never learned.”

“Glad to have disappointed you,” MacCready snarled back, and he meant it. The Gunners’ idea of “respecting other people’s boundaries”, as Winlock liked to put it, was bullshit. He hadn’t yet signed on with the Gunners when Quincy happened, didn’t even know about the whole thing until after he joined, but it was proof of what the Gunners thought of boundaries. For them, there were no boundaries to cross if there wasn’t anyone left to enforce them, and that had never sat right with MacCready. He had hoped to never come face to face with the Gunners again, but then again, he’d never been all that lucky.

“You can play the tough guy all you want,” Winlock said with a low chuckle before the humor dropped from his voice entirely, “but if we hear you’re still operating inside Gunner territory, all bets are off. You got that?”

MacCready set his jaw and didn’t even blink, “You finished?”

Winlock slowly stepped back, but kept his eyes trained on him, “Yeah, we’re finished. Come on, Barnes.”

The two men turned and began to walk out, pushing past the women still in the hallway, who both ducked their heads down to avoid looking them in the eye. After they passed, the dark haired woman quickly shooed her friend into the VIP room.

“You, uh, do whatever it is you need to do, Blue,” he heard her say. “I’ll…I’ll just hang out here for a bit.”

The blonde threw her friend a dirty look, something like why are you abandoning me? clear on her face, but the expression disappeared when she turned back around to face him. A pristine smile with straight white teeth was directed at MacCready and he knew with a mouth like that, she had to be a vault dweller. No doubts about it. The question now, was which one? He ran through the mental list of local vaults in his head; 114 was full of triggermen last he heard, 75 and 95 were clubhouses for the Gunners, and he knew that 81 sent out traders every now and then, but they usually kept their vault suits on. Not the smartest move in his book seeing as the bright blue eyesores made for easy targets. The woman before him, he could tell she wasn't that stupid.

You see, when you got to be as good a merc as MacCready was, you learned how to pick people apart real easy, how to read them before they ever opened their mouths. For example: he saw that the left sleeve of her too-big jacket was slightly bulkier than the right, hiding a PipBoy he could see the cuff of whenever her arms swayed. No armor that he could see meant that she actually was stupid, or she had a death wish, but when he caught a glimpse of a leather chest piece buried behind the crumpled collar of her jacket, he knew for sure she couldn’t be stupid. Her boots, however, were really the dead giveaway. There wasn’t a born and bred wastelander out there with boots in as good of a condition as hers. A little bit of road dirt clung to them, but a super mutant could’ve stepped on her toes for all she’d feel through the thick black leather. If the theory forming in his mind was correct, she couldn’t have been out of whatever vault he knew she came from for very long. She still had that green look to her that he’d seen on plenty of vault dwellers before.

 The wasteland would eat this woman alive , he decided as she approached. She probably had no idea what the Commonwealth was really like. Which meant she was probably looking for someone who did. Enter MacCready.

“Look, lady,” he started, “If you’re preaching about the Atom, or–”

“Preachin’ about the who?” she asked, cutting him off with a distinctly not-from-around-here drawl that nixed his theory that she was from a local vault. Before he could open his mouth again, she shook her head and waved away her own question and started speaking again. “Nevermind, not important. Daisy down at the general store pointed me towards you. You’re MacCready, right?”

He must have let it slip the last time he talked to the ghoul that he had been pinching caps. He’d have to thank her for sending business his way though, bless her fucking soul.

“That would be me,” he confirmed with a nod. “I take it you’re looking for a hired gun?”

“Yessir, I am,” she said without a hint of irony. God, was she green. “Before we get anywhere, would you mind tellin’ me the deal with those men that were in here earlier? Sounded like they were givin’ you trouble.”

“Just a couple of morons looking to climb the ladder of success by stepping on everyone else on the way up,” MacCready replied bitterly with a roll of his eyes. “Shouldn’t be surprised, though. That’s how it is when you run with the Gunners.”

A dark look crossed the woman’s face, suddenly serious as she asked, “You’re with the Gunners?”

It wasn’t the first time someone had asked him that exact same question with that exact same tone, but now that he was out, he felt compelled to reassure her. Maybe she had some sort of personal beef with them, but he wasn’t going to let that get in the way of him getting a job.

“I used to be,” he clarified quickly. “But not for very long. Stuck with them for a while ‘cause the money was good, but I never fit in. That’s why I made a clean break and started flying solo.”

“And they were threatenin’ you for it, huh,” she gathered, expression softening at his assurances. “I’ve heard the Gunners don’t like pickin’ on people their own size. Sounds like a runnin’ theme.”

“Understatement of the fu–freaking century,” he agreed, catching himself. They may have been on the same page about the Gunners, but he needed to be sure. “Now, what about you? How do I know I won’t end up with a bullet in my back?”

“Are you always this suspicious?” the woman mused, resting her weight on one leg and crossing her arms.

“Hey, you approached me,” he pointed out. “And frankly, I’m taking a huge risk being out here in the Commonwealth in the first place, so I’m not about to leave anything to chance. Which brings me back to my original question…can I trust you?”

“All I can give you is my word,” she said simply. “But from what I heard, I don’t think one of us can afford to be too choosy right now.”

Damn, how much did Daisy tell the woman? He’d really have to talk to her now.

“Do you want someone to watch your back or not?” he finally relented, and she had the gall to laugh at him. He frowned.

“What’s your price?”

“Two fifty up front. And no room for bargaining,” he tacked on. The woman smiled.

“Oh, c’mon, everything’s up for negotiation. Tell you what, MacCready,” she said before he could argue, “what about this: I’m actually lookin’ for somethin’ long term. I need someone to watch my back when I’m on the road. I can give you a hundred and fifty caps right now, and if you stick it out, I can guarantee some sorta…weekly paycheck in either caps, scraps, or ammo. What d’you say?”

MacCready’s jaw could have hit the floor. It was the best god damn offer he’d gotten in months . Still, he had to be careful. He didn’t know what kind of shit this woman got into.

“What kind of work do you do where you can guarantee that?” he asked cautiously.

“You familiar with the Minutemen?”

MacCready couldn’t hold back the snort that came out of him. There was no way this lady was with the same Minutemen that had started making a comeback in recent months, nuh-uh, no way. From the gossip he picked up in Goodneighbor, as well as the new frequency on all the radios broadcasting their return, MacCready had heard they even took back the Castle. This woman, this vault dweller , she looked way too soft to have been part of all that.

“So you are,” she replied dryly to his doubtful snort.

“Yeah, I’m familiar with the Minutemen,” he said with a dismissive chuckle. “But you don’t exactly look like the type to join their ranks.”

Now it was her turn to laugh.

“What would you do if I told you I’m their god damn General?”

MacCready balked. Surely not?

As if on cue, she pulled her jacket back just enough for him to get a look at the dinky little tin star pinned to the inside. The words Commonwealth Minutemen were hammered into it, followed by the word GENERAL in big letters.

“You. You’re the General of the Minutemen,” he deadpanned, not quite sure if he believed her. He couldn’t have misjudged her that badly. No way he was that rusty.

“I sure am,” she nodded confidently, satisfied in having pulled one over on him. “Now, if you wanna back out–”

“That’s not what I said,” he stopped her, holding up his hands. If she was really the fucking General, well, that opened up a whole new book of possibilities. Sure, he wasn’t really one for the goody-goody work the makeshift militia was known for, but shit, if she could guarantee that much pay, every week , then he might be willing to turn over a new leaf. As an added plus, if the Minutemen really were back in full force, then maybe, just maybe, that could help him keep the Gunners off his back…hopefully. Either way, if he stayed in Goodneighbor or signed on with her, he was taking a lot out on chance.

“One fifty up front and weekly pay after that?” he asked to really confirm her offer and she nodded. He took a deep breath, then let it go. He guessed he was doing this. “You drive a hard bargain, but you just bought yourself an extra gun.”

He watched as the woman–he realized he still didn’t know her damn name–seemed to relax a little, like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders and he had come along and taken it off of her. She smiled at him with those perfect white teeth as she pulled three jingling pouches of caps from her jacket pocket and tossed them to him.

“They should all be there, I counted ‘em myself,” she said ( did she have this planned out the entire time? he thought as he caught them). “My friend is probably waitin’ for me at the bar, so I need to get goin’, but you can meet us at the Rexford in the mornin’. We’ll need to drop her off in Diamond City, but that’ll give us a chance to resupply and for me to take care of a little business. After that, you’ll be helpin’ me make good on a favor I owe and then we’ll start hittin’ some settlements. Sound like a plan?”

“Sounds like a plan, Boss,” MacCready nodded absently, poking through the pouches to make sure she wasn’t cheating him.

“Oh, christ, I forgot to introduce myself,” she said, shaking her head before sticking her hand out to him. “My name’s Georgia Tate, but you can just call me Georgia, you don’t have to call me ‘boss’ or anything like that.”

MacCready looked up from the pouch and grimaced a little, but shook her hand anyways. As far as he was concerned, this was strictly a professional relationship, no need to get too familiar too fast.

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather just call you Boss.”

The Boss shrugged, unoffended in the slightest as she said, “Well alright. I’ll see you in the mornin’? Say, six o’clock?”

“See you then.” He’d been an early bird before–the Gunners kept a tight schedule.

“Perfect,” she grinned, and left him in the VIP room as she went to find her friend. He finished counting the caps as she disappeared down the hallway. All one hundred and fifty of them tucked snugly inside, fifty in each pouch. No more, no less.

If things were finally starting to look up, he was about to have one hell of a letter to write for Duncan.

The next morning, MacCready was waiting for his new boss and her friend bright and early. He didn’t want to start off by being late and having her decide she was better off just leaving him there. This was the cleanest break he was going to catch for a while and he wanted to make sure it lasted, at least for Duncan’s sake if not his own.

“Mornin’, MacCready,” came the Boss’ drawl as she descended the stairs with the dark haired woman in tow. She had on a dusty cowboy hat when she came into view, and her glasses were hooked on the collar of her faded purple sweater. She nodded toward her friend as she said, “This is my friend Piper, though you might already know her.”

“Piper Wright, Publick Occurrences,” the woman said briskly. Even in Goodneighbor people were familiar with her paper. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I've heard of you before," Mac replied as the reporter examined him with an unimpressed expression. He'd even read the paper a few times when it made its way into Goodneighbor with the rest of Diamond City's unwanted.

“So you’re Blue’s new merc, huh?” she asked, circling him like she was inspecting him for some perceived flaws or shortcomings. It made him antsy.

“Guess I am,” he replied with a shrug, turning his neck to watch her. The Boss had her chin in her hand, watching Piper with a patient amusement. "That a problem?"

There was an edge to his voice, the one he got when Winlock and Barnes came into the VIP room. The one he got when he was tired of people underestimating him.

“You'll have to do,” Piper said finally, to which the Boss gave a snort of a laugh. “I’m almost a little sad that she's kicking me back to the curb. Glad she has someone else to watch her back, though.”

“Like you’re not dyin’ to go back home and hack away at that terminal ‘til your fingers bleed,” the Boss retorted, taking her glasses and unfolding them to sit on her face. “Now, let’s hit the road. I wanna make it to Diamond City before noon.”

The sun hadn’t yet peeked over Goodneighbor when they left. The streets of old Boston were suspiciously quiet, enough to make MacCready put his head on a swivel until they passed a building with half a dozen super mutant corpses littering its choke points.

“Still can’t believe we managed to catch these guys with their pants down,” he heard Piper mutter close to the Boss’ shoulder as the two walked in front of him. Had the two of them really taken out a gang of muties?

“Or their loin cloths,” the Boss replied, making Piper cover her mouth to keep from laughing too loud. Then, she turned to look at him over her shoulder. “The way should be clear for another day or two ‘til the next pack of mutants or ghouls or whatever move in. You can relax a bit.”

“I’ll take my chances,” MacCready replied, readjusting the grip on his rifle. He wasn’t about to be caught unawares just because the Boss was a little cocky. In his line of work, cocky got you killed.

The rest of the walk to Diamond City was aggravatingly uneventful. MacCready had been alert the entire time, looking for spots that would make a good sniper’s nest. Lots of high up vantage points in the city. It made him nervous. Unfortunately, his awareness ended up being for naught as the gates of the Commonwealth’s great green jewel finally came into view some few hours later.

They got through security without much fuss (MacCready noticed a particularly watchful guard, but that was nothing new) but it was when they entered the marketplace did people start really paying attention to them.

“Hey, it’s the lady that rescued Nicky!”

With that, a small crowd of people began to approach them, some of the guards too, reaching out to shake the Boss’ hand or thank her for apparently rescuing Diamond City’s premiere synth detective. MacCready heard someone mention Skinny Malone as he stood separately from the crowd, something about how he tucked tail and ran. The crowd eventually put Boss and Piper in the middle of it and MacCready wondered what the hell else the woman had been up to before she met him.

“Really, it wasn’t a problem,” the Boss deflected, shaking her fourth hand before pulling away and slinging an arm over Piper’s shoulder. “Couldn’t have done it without Piper here. Not a chance.”

Piper rolled her eyes, but there wasn’t any annoyance in the action. MacCready watched as the reporter leaned into the Boss’ one-armed hug.

“Aw, Blue, you know just what to say,” she laughed, then turned back towards the crowd now that she had their attention. “If you want to hear about it, look out for the next edition of the Publick–it’s gonna be a good one.”

From the edge of the crowd, MacCready spotted a young girl with a startling resemblance to Piper push her away through people, causing several of them to look down at her as she stepped on their feet or hip checked them.

“Move it, you’re all in my way–Piper!”

As soon as her face appeared between the arms of those closest to them, Piper grinned and the Boss began herding people away.

“Make sure y’all pick up that next edition of the paper now,” she reminded them as the group dispersed, then turned towards MacCready. “C’mon, got someone waitin’ on us in Piper’s house.”

He raised an eyebrow at her as she began to follow Piper and her sister into a nearby shack. Once inside, all he could smell was the distinct scent of ink and paper, but before he could even comment on it, he was suddenly on the floor with something big, soft, and a little wet on top of him. He couldn’t stop the yelp that came from him as he went down.

“Oh, god, Dogmeat, please,” he heard the Boss say, though she sounded more amused than anything. He managed to push up a little on what he realized was fur, coming nose to slobbery snout with probably the friendliest dog he’d ever seen. The dog, a proper wasteland mutt from what MacCready could tell even from his position, gave him another lick on the cheek. The Boss chastised the animal again, and when he didn’t let up, a clear, sharp whistle echoed through the shack and Dogmeat was off of his chest and sitting obediently at his owner’s side.

 The Boss looked down at him on the ground, laughing a little as she offered him her hand, and helped him up in one swift motion.

“Sorry about that,” she apologized, looking down at Dogmeat by her feet. “He gets a little excited meetin’ new people. But hey, at least he likes you.”

MacCready looked down at the dog, big brown eyes staring at him with his tail wagging a mile a minute, but he didn’t make to disobey the whistled command he’d received. He grinned a little, reaching out to scratch behind the dog’s pointed ears. It reminded him a little of the mutts that would hang around Little Lamplight; he’d always had a soft spot for them.

“Good thing I’m a dog person,” he said. “Isn’t that right, boy?”

Dogmeat gave a short bark, tail still wagging.

“Now,” the Boss started, clapping her hands once, “Piper’s gonna wanna catch up with her sister and start on her article. I’ve got to check in with Mr. Valentine, so you’re free to do whatever you want. I just need you ready bright and early tomorrow mornin’. Can you do that?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” he affirmed, wondering vaguely at what sort of business she had with the detective. The thought wasn’t enough however, to stop the tiny, burrowing voice in the back of his head needling him to ask why she seemed so eager to get rid of him already. He bit his tongue, feeling the new weight of caps in his pocket, and remembered he was on a job even if it hadn’t technically started yet.

“Great,” she replied, shouldering off her pack and dropping it on the couch. Dogmeat followed her and jumped up on the couch to guard it. “You can leave your stuff here if you want, Piper won’t mind.”

MacCready tensed a little, fingers tightening on the strap of his pack. “I’m good. Feel a little more comfortable keeping my stuff on me.”

The Boss shrugged, “Suit yourself. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

She gave him a grin before shouting a goodbye for Piper, who had disappeared up the stairs of the shack along with her sister, before exiting through a side door. A moment later, MacCready followed.

Back out in the marketplace, the Boss had disappeared by the time he made his way over towards Arturo’s shop. The caps were burning a hole in his pocket already, but he made a firm mental note to not go crazy. He still had to send some off to Duncan and his caretakers.

The two talked shop for a while and MacCready came away with a good price on two cases of his usual .308’s. He hated paying full price if he could help it.

The day went on rather quickly after that. He mostly stuck to the marketplace, resupplying as he saw fit. It wasn’t until dinner time did he steer himself to the Dugout Inn, weaving through the people of Diamond City until he was bellied up at the bar.

At the other end, the familiar form of Vadim Bobrov stood pouring another customer a drink. MacCready rapped his knuckles against the wood, catching the man’s attention along with a large, crooked smile. Vadim finished pouring the drink and made his way over.

“Vadim! Still killing people with your moonshine?” MacCready laughed, leaning onto the bar. It had been years since he’d been in Diamond City and had the man’s liquor.

“MacCready!” the man cried out enthusiastically. “Is good to see you, tovarisch . How is Lucy? She still as beautiful as I remember?”

A sinking feeling started in MacCready’s chest and he hated the way Vadim’s face fell as he shook his head. His fists reached down to ball up in the fabric of his duster, trying to will away memories desperate to surface. “No…she didn’t make it, Vadim.”

To his credit, Vadim knew not to press for any more details and held up his hands, “I’m sorry, mouth tends to be faster than brain. Tell you what, I give you drink on the house. For old times.”

“Thanks,” MacCready said, though the heaviness in his chest wasn’t dissipating fast enough for his liking. “You were always a real stand-up guy, Vadim. Let’s drink.”

After picking up a plate of well-done brahmin steak and a free beer, MacCready tucked himself away into a corner where he could eat in peace. Eventually, once his plate was clear and his warm beer half drank, Vadim made his way over.

“I am sorry again for earlier,” he said as he took the seat across from MacCready. He had a drink in hand, no doubt his own moonshine.

MacCready waved him off, shaking his head, “It’s fine, you didn’t know.”

Vadim nodded before quickly changing the subject. “So what brings you back to Commonwealth?”

“Work, mostly,” he answered, keeping it vague enough that he didn’t have to get into it. He didn’t feel like dragging up more unpleasant memories.

“Is good work, yes? Lots of caps to be had here.”

“You’re telling me. Started a new contract yesterday promising a whole lot of ‘em,” MacCready nodded.

“Tell Vadim who you are running with now, so he knows who to ask if you turn up dead,” the man laughed, taking a strong sip of a moonshine. “Not that I think you will go down so easy.”

MacCready’s mouth quirked at the corner. “She calls herself the General of the Minutemen, but I don’t know if I believe it. Payout’s gonna be good with her, though.”

He watched as Vadim choked on his moonshine. He coughed and MacCready hammered him on the back until he held up a hand. He cleared his throat roughly before speaking again.

“She is that friend of Piper’s, no? She has come in here before,” Vadim said, and he nodded. Then Vadim thought for a moment. “She is a pretty lady, very polite to Yefim and I. You will have no trouble with her.”

MacCready shrugged, but it was reassuring to hear about the Boss from someone he knew. Though, with the crowd that had surrounded them when they stepped into the city and the way Vadim talked her up, he realized she was more of a known quantity than he originally thought. She definitely seemed like a people person, so that probably helped.

The two men spent a little while longer chatting and catching up, but eventually someone at the bar called Vadim back over for a drink and the conversation ended there. MacCready talked to Yefim for a room and after shoving his pack safely under the bed (the Dugout was probably the only place in Diamond City he felt safe leaving his shit), he made his way back outside.

The sun had dipped further into the west, making the sky an array of faint pinks and oranges. MacCready fished for the inside pocket of his duster, pulling out a half-crushed pack of cigarettes and a rusty flip lighter from his pants pocket. He lit one up, holding it in the corner of his mouth as he walked. There were less people walking about, though some of the settlement’s younger residents were still running around playing an intense game of tag. One of them almost ran into him, shouting out some sort of apology before running off again, but it made him smile a bit as he found himself back in the marketplace.

A few of the shops were closed at that point, though Myrna’s piercing eyes were still scanning everyone who walked by and Moe Cronin was harping on about swatters to some unsuspecting trader. Then, he caught sight of a familiar form sitting at the counter of Power Noodles. An empty bowl and a Nuka-Cola bottle sat in front of the Boss, who hadn’t seemed to catch sight of him yet. She didn’t have her PipBoy on or her cowboy hat, just looked like any other person passing through Diamond City. For some reason, MacCready felt compelled to hang back and watch her as he smoked.

She didn’t go out of her way to start conversation with anyone, but smiled and sometimes even waved at anyone who looked her way. A few of them gave her odd looks in return, but some threw back equally as generous smiles. A couple sat down at the other end of the counter, leaving a seat between them and her, and MacCready watched as her ears seemed to perk up. He could tell she was eavesdropping, just a little, from the way her expressions morphed and changed. Whatever the couple was talking about must have been a bit too much for the Boss, because she ended up turning away trying to hide how wide her eyes had gone. As she did, she caught sight of him and started waving him over.

He breathed a laugh through his nose, ashing his cigarette as he walked over.

“Hey,” she said quietly as he approached. He didn’t take a seat, instead leaned his back against the counter on the other side of her, away from the couple, and nodded at her in response.

She laughed, eyes flickering to the burning cigarette hanging from his mouth, though he hadn’t said anything.

“They say smokin’ is bad for your health, y’know,” she said, pushing her glasses further up her nose. For a moment it made her look like some know-it-all nerd, but he didn’t feel any judgment coming from her.

“Well, most of life’s joys are, so,” he answered, shrugging. The Boss laughed again, pulling out her own pack of cigarettes from the inside of her jacket. It was in much better condition than his own, not dirtied and crumpled up. She accepted his lighter when he offered it, and when she lit up, a faint, minty scent began to permeate the air. They sat like that for a bit, silently smoking next to one another until MacCready finished his cigarette and tossed the butt somewhere over his shoulder. The Boss made a face at him as he did, but she didn’t chastise him.

“Did you know they stopped makin’ these two weeks before the bombs dropped?” she said instead, flicking the ash off her cigarette into the dredges of her noodles. He caught a look at the label on her pack, Grey Tortoise Menthols . He shook his head. “No idea why. It’s why they’re so rare now, though. I’ve always liked ‘em, but it was so hard to find them after I–when I started smokin’ again.”

Her stumble didn’t go unnoticed, but he didn’t call her out on it even though a tiny part of him was curious. Her personal business was her business, and his was his. No need to sour their working relationship before it even started, which reminded MacCready that he’d been wanting to ask her something.

“So, are you gonna tell me how you got to be the General?” he asked, crossing his arms.

The change of topic seemed to please the Boss, because she answered with a dazzling smile as she blew smoke over her shoulder, “Why? Still don’t believe me?”

He gave a noncommittal shake of his hand. “It’s just that you’re…”

“What?” she prompted, almost too eagerly.

“Nevermind,” he said, shaking his head, but she kept pestering him.

“No, c’mon, you already started, you can’t stop there or I’ll bug you forever,” she laughed. “I won’t get mad, promise. I just wanna know what you were gonna say.”

“Fine, jesus, lady,” MacCready relented, though his grin betrayed him. “I was just saying that you seemed a little too green to have shot up the ranks like that.”

When she laughed this time, it came out more like a snort.

“You don’t get why that’s funny, but it is,” the Boss said without any further explanation. “I know I might not look it, but I can take care of myself.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” MacCready said, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Yeah, well, you’re gonna be in for a surprise tomorrow when we go take care of the favor I mentioned,” she said, piquing his interest.

“What kind of favor is it exactly?” he asked.

“Clearin’ out some super mutants,” she replied, taking another drag of her cigarette and blowing the smoke downwind of the light December breeze drifting through the marketplace. MacCready pulled the collar of his duster up, but it didn’t make much of a difference.

“Sounds easy enough,” he shrugged. “Where are they holed up?”

“Boston Public Library,” she said, eyes flicking over towards him to catch his reaction. His nose shriveled up in displeasure.

“Sounds like Daisy did more than just send you my way, she got you to agree to that crazy as–crazy job,” he said, shaking his head. The ghoul had tried talking him into it a couple times, but he was just one man and snipers weren’t so useful in enclosed spaces. He took care in reminding the Boss of that fact.

“I’ll do it because your caps are good, but I don’t know how useful I’ll be,” he said. “Can’t exactly snipe from behind a bookcase.”

“Oh, don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of room for you to shoot,” the Boss reassured him. “Place is full of high ceilings and long rooms for the most part. There’s even a courtyard.”

His brow furrowed. “How do you know? Been in there already?”

“A long time ago, yeah,” she replied quickly, “before the super mutants. Anyways, I’ll think we’ll do just fine, because guess what?”

“What?”

“It’s full of protectrons,” she said giddily. “And I think I can get ‘em on our side. It’ll make clearin’ out the mutants a piece of cake.”

The Boss seemed confident in what she said, enough so that it made MacCready a little more confident in turn. With the robots, they’d possibly stand a chance.

“Just to be on the safe side, though, do you have anything else besides your rifle?” she asked. He shook his head.

“Never really needed anything else. Long range is more my style,” he said.

“Hmm,” she mused, getting a look like she was thinking over something in her mind. Then, her hand flew to her hip. “You can borrow my ten mil, just in case. I had help moddin’ it out to do a little more damage, so it should be alright in a pinch.”

“You won’t need it or anything?” he asked, just to be sure. If she was willing to hand it off to him without much consideration, he wasn’t about to say no.

She shook her head, unstrapping the pistol. “I’ve got a huntin’ rifle. Has a shorter barrel that makes it good for mid-range, and up close it doesn’t feel as clumsy as your sniper rifle would. I try not to let them get too close, though.”

“Sounds like you have it all planned out then,” MacCready said, almost amused as she handed him the gun. He tucked it into his waistband; he’d put it in his pack later.

The Boss fawned a little under his words, throwing him a cheeky smile as she said, “What can I say, I like plannin’. Everything usually turns out alright when you put in a little bit of forethought.”

Conversation started to peter out after that, and as the rest of the marketplace began to close, save for Myrna swapping out Percy for the night shift, MacCready could feel the subtle ache in his bones telling him he was starting to get tired. Tonight, hidden (mostly) safe inside the walls of the great green jewel, he could afford to listen to it. The Boss watched him fight off a yawn, causing her to hide her own.

“Well, better turn in,” she said. “You have somewhere to stay, right?”

“Yeah, got a room at the Dugout,” he nodded. She smiled.

“Good, good. Vadim’s a good guy,” she said, standing up from her stool and stretching. “I’m stayin’ with Piper and her sister, so we can meet outside there tomorrow. Bright and early, same as yesterday.”

“Bright and early, Boss,” he echoed, pushing up from the counter. He saw the corner of her mouth shift as the title left his mouth before they walked out of the marketplace, splitting up when they got near the Super Salon. The Boss gave MacCready one last wave and he nodded back, then watched as she disappeared into Publick Occurrences.

Back in the Dugout, he slept the best he ever had since he got into the Commonwealth. Things were starting to look up.