#Nicole Tesla

[onderkaracay]

🎯 Din ve Bilim Tartışmasını Cehalet Yüzünden Bir Asır Sonra Yeniden Yapıyoruz 🎯

[randomfoggytiger]

X-Files Collector's Edition: MOTW but Rinse and Repeat

MOTWs were among the best of The X-Files episodes... but what if those monsters had follow up episodes?

Honorable mention: @paperheartsarts/Paper_hearts_and_homemade_arts's series If You Will Let Me (which is still on-going) which follows Padgett's demon pursuing Scully even after death. Horrifying hallucinations and real, physical danger nearly claim her and Mulder's lives.

Loose chronological order below~

Pattie's It and Them

""Mulder, you're not going to believe this... "

"I believe in all kinds of things, Scully." He looked at his watch. "Isn't it past your bed time?"

"Jane Doe appears to have become John Doe." She kept her eyes on the infant and waited for her partner's reply. "Remember the Amish outside of Steveston?"

"What?" Mulder sat up. Now HE was fully awake.""

Mulder and Scully do their best to aid an ex-Kindred cult member's baby that she leaves on Scully's doorstep.

Offspring

""The doctor ushered Mulder and Scully into a small office where he had a desk. "I know. You must think this is just something in the lake water, or regular hepatitis. But this kid puked up what looks to be a flatworm."

"A fluke." Mulder nodded to Scully.

"Yes, a fluke. Last month, we removed one from a woman's liver, and it wasn't a typical fluke. We embalmed it until we could find someone to identify it. Then, when Kevin Johnson was brought here yesterday, we had our second fluke. It's in an aquarium in the same lab. as the one we embalmed.""

S4: Flukeman-infested lake.

Genetic Appetite

""Scully was adamant. "We are staying." She knew she wasn't going to have a good night's sleep when Mulder started thinking aloud in the lobby of the apartment building.

"You don't suppose he... "

Scully's patience was wearing thin. "What? Don't suppose he what?"

"Mated. Well, it's not that impossible to believe, Scully. All beings have the urge to procreate. Maybe he could get through a date without eating.""

Liver extractions and bodies are piling up... but Tooms is dead. Mulder and Scully track down an unexpected source.

EllieL/Ellie's Rendering Judgment of Chthonic Gods

""Atropos has cut the line. You saw it happen. Whatever you may see that she has to do in the future, the decision was made that she shall not continue. It cannot be undone, not by my will nor my husband's."

"You could give her a choice. She's coming here unguided, and has dipped her hand in the river and tasted it. That must change matters."

"That--that does change matters, somewhat. She was a good woman in life, and I am not unsympathetic to her or what you see of her future. And she still has a choice where to drink. Let her make that choice, and perhaps she'll make the decision for us.""

Scully's nurse in One Breath bargained indirectly with her son-in-law, Death, for her patient's life. Invisible deals are struck, allowing Scully both to live and to see her father one last time.

JET/Jesemie's Evil Twin/eviljesemie's Things That Lie Outside

""He must have been the one to apologize but has no idea what he really said. After the family leaves, he realizes her presence behind him. Turning, he catches an expression on her face so protective of him he almost steps back. She straightens up, goes to grab their files off the internal audit conference table.

It might not have been there at all, that look. Probably not. Almost 100% guaranteed it was not.

He misses his sister at this moment, he realizes, because in every alternate world he's imagined, every place Samantha is alive and well and his sister, she has grown up to be the kind of person he would tell about that look, and he might let something into his voice that she would suspect, and it would be a secret between them.""

Post Paper Hearts Scully finds the last girl, setting her partner free from this last horrific hold.

Justin Glasser's (xphilefic) Kevin

""Miss Scully, this is Nathan, Kevin's brother. I talked to you today and--Miss Scully, I don't know if this is, like, your jurisdiction or what, but if there's anything you can do--he's gone, and we can't--I don't think we can find him. He said he was afraid of the moloch and I didn't believe him . . . Miss Scully, please." Click. The machine whirred in rewind, and shut off, light glowing placidly.

"You don't know what that is?" she asked.

Mulder shrugged. "Can't know everything, I guess.""

S5? Scully is called two years later when Kevin Kryder goes missing. While she and Mulder locate Kevin, his new brother is taken as well... and killed.

msk's (Ao3), bcfan’s, maybe_amanda/MaybeAmanda's (Site, LiveJournal), Tesla's (XLibris), Amy's, Kmom's, Lucy Marchmont's

Jabberwocky

""Sybil, have you go got a crucifix, a cross, an article or symbol of your faith on or about your person? Necklace, earrings, scapular, sacred vestments of any sort? Bottle of holy water, maybe?..."

Sybil shook her head. "I have another pair of duck earrings in my purse. How's that?"

"Probably not enough."

"Mulder," Scully said, her voice sounding harsh even to her own ears, "I'm giving you three seconds to start making some sense. One, two-"

"The glyphs," he said. "It's like a welcome mat. Only instead of saying *Welcome,* or *The Addams Family,* this is more like, *Vlad lives here. Trespassers will be eaten*.""

S6 (or S7) Mulder takes Scully back to Texas for another undead case, courtesy of Frohike. Between her jealousy of a flirty, bubbly redhead, pique at Mulder's constant Sheriff Hartwell teasing, enjoyment at an incredibly fancy hotel her partner booked specifically for her, and fear of said flirty redhead's two horrific insurance brother-bosses, Scully is torn between annoyance and affection. She is, however, able to pull it together just in time for the crazy finale involving her partner, a vampire feast auction, and a law enforcement bust led by the vampire Sheriff himself.

Maria Nicole’s

Stand by the Window

""Once they had tracked him down, only his threatened cascade of disclosure kept them at a distance, growling and snapping.

A few years ago he might have fought them, might have tried to disappear for good, or else oust Strughold. Now he was simply tired of it all.

And so he was finally forced to live the life he had pretended to have all along.""

The Well-Manicured Man survived FTF's car bomb, fending off his compatriots with threats of exposure. Plunging himself into caged retirement, he awaits the inevitable, befriending his spy-housekeeper leading up to the events of One Son.

Bridge

""So what do you want to call them? Little bug-boys?"

"Bug-ees. Buggers. The deadened. The ungrateful dead. Deadheads. Hey, yeah...deadheads."

She looked like she was struggling to suppress the smile, but it came out anyway. "All right, so we have the disappearance of these deadheads from the previous case. We have two people dead now, with some sort of puncture wound in the back of their neck. Have you considered that you were hallucinating?"

"I thought you just said you believed--" She shook her head. "That Pincus injected those people, without a doubt. But what if...you've been assuming that he's a large insect-like creature who can trick others into believing he's human. What if it's the other way around? What if he's a human who can trick others into believing he's a monster?""

Field Trip Mulder and Scully ditch their quarantine early, experiencing unexpectedly peaceful and soul-searching mind-melds while investigating a case very like Folie a Deux. The depths of Scully's plumbed from the depths of an ocean, Pincus and snake venom, and rescuing Mulder from himself-- this is a gorgeous read: more exploratorily honest than neck-stiffeningly intense.

Wylfcynne's Imagine

""He headed for the door, then hesitantly turned. "Agent Scully?"

She turned, surprised by his tone. "Yes?"

"You want to know why the X Files and the two of you have been shut down so hard?"

She stared at him. "We know why."

"Because you terrify them, Scully, with your courage, your integrity and your uncompromising principles. You terrify me and I'm on your side. Imagine how they feel.""

Post S.R. 819 Mulder and Scully are captured by a cult. He's infected with the black oil while Scully frees herself enough to call in Skinner and the cavalry. She then must save her partner, ruthlessly torturing the alien virus in his body to death. Everyone else stands in awe.

Joann Humby's The Pattern

""She kept her voice professionally mild even when she finally changed the subject. "Skinner said that Diana Fowley worked for Patterson."

He let his hand rest on her shoulder, admiring her courage. "I effectively introduced them. He liked her." He ignored the way that Scully flinched, and was grateful that she bit down her instinctive response to his remark. Talking was hard.... "After the Props case, he helped her to get funding for her research. In San Francisco," he added, not quite disguising the amusement in his voice. If Scully could be courageous then so could he. "About as far away from me as he could manage."

"But you still left the ISU?"

"Reggie was willing to take me off Patterson's hands. He wasn't in a position to say no."

"And you and Diana?"

"It suited us. A couple of thousand miles apart.""

Post Amor Fati Mulder's history with Monty Propps becomes relevant again. He slowly unravels the current mystery whilst reflecting on his past with Diana and his possible future with Scully, IVF, and angels. (There are even sections from Diana's POV during her early relationship which delves into her assignment to California and her recruitment parallel to Mulder's discovery of the X-Files.)

aka Jake/ aka_Jake ’s (Gossamer) Reprise

""She turned to face him, laundry abandoned. “I don’t have to tell you, we saw Eugene Tooms chopped into a million pieces by an escalator.”

“I noticed that.”

“City Square thoroughly cleaned the area before the shopping mall reopened. They sent us their bill.”

“Maybe they missed a spot.”

“And what, Tooms grew a new body from a finger or a pinky toe?”

Mulder tapped the end of his nose.

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s impossible.""

Post S11 Mulder and Scully battle another Eugene Tooms-like case... in fact, it is Tooms, who just won't die.

Gefangener (txt)

""Opponents of the death penalty often cite that capital punishment is not a deterrent to murder, those executed are usually poor, and many innocent people have been wrongly sentenced to death.

Tell it to someone who cares.

...Special Agent Fox Mulder has not seen Gerry Schnauz since testifying at his trial. He isn't sympathetic to the fact that Schnauz is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, who, according to his court-appointed lawyer, belongs in Melvoin Psychiatric Hospital, not a maximum security prison.

Fox Mulder wishes Gerry Schnauz had committed his crimes in one of the forty states that gas, electrocute or inject its serial killers.""

AU-- Post Unruhe Mulder darkly reflects on Schnauz not getting the death penalty while Scully lies forever in bed, her mind ruined.

@admiralty-xfd/admiralty's Novam Domum

""Seventeen year old Daisy Peacock stepped on the gas but wasn’t certain where she was headed. The radio blasted Del Shannon and she rolled her window down. The smell inside the car was awful.

...Edmund Peacock sat stoic in the front seat, staring straight ahead, not saying anything. He never said anything. And her mother laid in back, blood slick down her thighs, screaming not out of pain but of rage. The noise was akin to the whinnying of a horse, or cattle being zapped. All she wanted was to make the sound stop the way Father would when the babies came out all wrong. 

Waiting was her only option. Mother wasn’t long for this world, anyway."" 

Post S11 Mulder and Scully were settling into their new lives as expecting parents when another family from their blast blows in, searching for their own place to call Home.

AUs 

Adam Webb's Pyre

""As the casket stopped in front of him while loading documentation was double checked. Mulder saw L'Ively holding up his palm, displaying that it was empty in the manner of a theatrical magician. The next instant a tiny fluttering orange fire blossomed from his extended index finger. In the space of a second its intensity quadrupled, flaring into a pencil-thin lance of white hot flame. Coming from the casket a high-pitched beeping sound filled the air, indicating that the rise in temperature had been registered by in-built sensors. L'Ively appeared unconcerned, either with the fact that his pyrokinetic display had tripped the alarm or that his skin was being consumed. Mulder had a fleeting vision of the wiry little Englishman's body repairing itself and staggering out of the burning wreckage of a downed aircraft. It was a fact stranger than fiction that Lively had already survived three deaths. But all of those had been death by fire, Mulder reminded himself, falling from a great height would prove as fatal to L'Ively as it would to anyone else. Grinning like a hob-goblin L'Ively used the residue of his own melting flesh to draw a large greasy brown heart shape onto the glass, and through it blew a kiss to Scully. Then folding his blackened finger into his palm he abruptly banished the fire.""

Post Paper Clip Cecil L'Ively cut a deal with the government-- because, of course-- and puts Scully in a coma. Mulder and Phoebe team up to take him down, healing a few old wounds and earning a bit of redemption.

Thalia D'Muse's Nowhere to Hide

""The cabin is set back in the woods, two miles from the nearest dwelling. It is perfect. Your screams will be for my ears only. A sweet symphony with me as the sole audience. I shudder in anticipation as I remember your voice: a deep, sensuous alto, caressing my ears like a sultry torch song. I want to hear that voice again so badly. I want to hear that silky-smooth voice speak my name. I want to hear it scream, cry, beg for mercy. These are the sounds that will be music to my ears.

Sleep now, my Dana. We will be there soon.""

Alternating between the madness of Pfaster and the desperation of Mulder, this post Irresistible fic toys with an AU: if Donnie Pfaster were able to break free and recapture his last victim.

@slippinmickeys/Slippin' Mickeys's (Ao3) Unnamed (Ao3)

""Mulder felt like he’d been punched in the solar plexus.

“He killed her,” he said, deflating.

He’d been expecting a ‘we don’t know that yet’ or a ‘without a body, there’s still hope, Mulder.’ Instead, she said: “And you killed him.” Something in the way she held her shoulders made him think she wasn’t sorry for it.""

 Post Paper Hearts Mulder finds a photograph of Samantha that matches the last cloth heart; but his extreme sorrow is immediately channeled into determination to save Scully from her cancer.

Erin M. Blair’s (Ao3) A Little Twist of Three

""Hold that thought," Scully replied, as carefully put down little Dana, and she opened the door. It was Kristen Kilar, one of Melissa's New Age friends.""

S1 deviated with Mulder and Scully becoming parents and a family. When S2 Duane Barry rolls around, it's Melissa Scully who is taken instead. Kristen Kilar is one of Missy's friends.

Kim Berglund's Blood Dimmed Tide

""Morbidly he reached in and slid out the state trooper's photo that had tormented him for many sleepless nights. Scully gagged and tied, her eyes wide with fear.

He dropped it back into the folder and closed his eyes.

It had been his darkest night. Until now.

He thought he could hear the beating of wings. La gargouille waiting impatiently for death.

Opening his eyes, Mulder let go of the file and reached for the one behind it.

Kristen Kilar, The Trinity Killers.""

Post Grotesque Scully is withdrawing from Mulder, thinking she's failed to help her partner-- giving up. Kristen arrives, creating more friction; and Mulder, sick of it all, pulls out his gun.

bellefleur/bellefleur1013's Triple Returns

""Kristen herself had not actually committed the murders the first time, but she had led her unholy trinity to each of the victims, and she alone as an observer knew the intimate details of each victim and crime scene. The identical nature of the crimes could only mean one thing--Kristen was reconstructing the path that had first brought them together. By duplicating the case that Mulder had solved, she was sure to attract his attention and draw him into it again.""

It's S7: Kristen Kilar is back; and Scully has to pry open Mulder about his past with her and save him from being turned into a vampire.

J. C. Sun's Leave

""Cold, very cold, yet lovely, this woman.

This coldness, this is what he lacks.

This coldness, it makes him better.

"Very pretty. You have good taste."

He starts.

He casts a nervous glance towards his gun. I laugh, and he relaxes.

"You are happy?" I say.

His mouth twitches, and I read that he is happy, as happy as he can ever be.""

Vampire Kristen lived, running across Mulder's path years later. She sees Scully, his peace, and-- finally-- her own reflection.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

I have read enough propaganda that the above does actually make sense. Thank you for your comic. I am sorry that I thought the person named after the vanished child and the person named after the rat were betraying the demon by voting for Glenn.

I find it interesting that tumblr users nick-close and nicky-jr are advocating for Glenn instead of Nicky & Gable.

[fordpinesmpreg]

IMPORTANT QUESTION: is "Nicole" taken from nikola tesla

Yes!!! It took me forever to think of a name for her and then I finally settled on Nicole

[patriot2525]

I'm gussing Ruby has a lot of questions for Nikolay's Tesla pistol and the tech behind it.

At the weapon maintenance classroom were Beacon student Usually came here too learn how to better take care of their weapons and how they can improve them.

But Right now the entire classroom was empty, as As there was no one in need of fixing their weapons. So the Was almost empty, except for the only occupant that was in this classroom.

Nikolay Arkovsky, the Soviet Marshall with his ever cold demeanour. Was currently in the middle of maintaining his Tesla pistol that was laying on the desk disassembled.

Nikolay: *Currently Busy in cleaning some of the parts of his weapon, while feeling the gaze of a particular little red reaper that is watching him from the distance* If you want to see my pistol up close, you can simply come over here, instead of hiding like a small kid, Ruby. *Saying all of this while not taking his gaze off his disassembled weapon.*

Ruby: *"Eeepp" in Surprised it being found out, Before off her surprise, and then using her speed semblance to appear next to Nikolay, who’s gaze was still on the disassembled pistol* How did you know I was here?

Nikolay: If you can call, hiding behind the door while poking out your head so obvious to anyone to see, Then you did a very poor job at spying on me. *Ruby puffed up her cheeks in a childish way, from being told that she’s terrible in hiding. but her demeanour immediately change into curiosity when she sets her eyes upon the Tesla pistol, to which Nikolai noticed this* I'm guessing you here because you interested in this. *gestures to the disassembled Tesla pistol*

Ruby: *Nodding her head excitingly, while having stars in her eyes* Yes! *making puppy dog eyes* Please tell me everything about it.

Nikolay: *finally looks up from his disassembled weapon and looks at her* So this is The Tesla pistol, created in year 1985 during the third world war, the man who designed this pistol with the help of The omega science division, is Mikhail Kalashnikov, The create the infamous AK assault rifle. *points at 2 different magazine, one was a regular magazine filled with bullets, while the second one looks like a small car battery* The Tesla pistol can shoot as regular gunpowder bullets and it can shoot High voltage laser projectiles *points to the area of the handle where There is a switch with three different features on it* this switch allows to switch between three different features that the Tesla gun has, Which can go from single shots, automatic and high plasma. *points to the barrel of the pistol that has many tesla rings on it* if switches into high plasma, the Tesla rings on the barrel helps gather more electrical energy before shooting high plasma that can destroy heavy armoured enemies and even vehicles. *Looks back at Ruby* The pistol was named after the Serbian inventor Nicole Tesla due to the technology that was used to create this pistol, that was mostly inspired from the research and adventures of Tesla. *finally finish with his explanation, he sees that star eyed Ruby was in total amazement and awe of the Tesla pistol*

Ruby: WOW! This Gun is amazing. *Looks up at Nikolai with exciting puppy dog eyes* Can I please help you with the Tesla pistol, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!

Nikolay: *makes a small chuckle before petting Ruby's head* Sure, Why not. *Ruby shouts “yay” with raising her fist to the air, before moving closely to him and begins excitedly helping him with the pistol*

[haxxor-bunnys]

care to reminisce? —☆

rhine's sideblog for games

・——— ・ ✦୨୧✦ ・——— ・

requests:

i write for:

genshin impact, honkai: star rail

(coming soon!)

・——— ・ ✦୨୧✦ ・——— ・

rhine | 18+ MDNI | she/they

hi! i'm rhine, nice to meet you. i'm a notorious women liker and welt yang enthusiast. here you can see all of my rambling for a series of mobile games. i occasionally write and draw but i tend to just chatter a lot. i have a lot of thoughts about fictional characters.

interests: Arknights, Genshin Impact, Honkai Impact 3rd, Honkai: Star Rail, Reverse: 1999, Wuthering Waves, Zenless Zone Zero

all spoilers are tagged by #arknights spoilers, genshin spoilers, hi3 spoilers, hsr spoilers, wuwa spoilers

・——— ・ ✦୨୧✦ ・——— ・

my scrimblos:

[genshin impact] beidou, ganyu, lisa, mona, ningguang, signora, yae miko, baizhu, childe, zhongli

[honkai impact 3rd] main trio, bronie, elysia, himeko, natasha cioara, tesla, theresa, welt yang

[honkai star rail] kafka, asta, natasha, stelle, himeko, black swan, acheron, fu xuan, welt yang, caelus, screwllum

[wuthering waves] jinhsi, sanhua

[zenless zone zero - not playing currently] rina, nicole

gif layout by kiochisato, borders from venshuko (both from tumblr)

[heroicmultiverse]

ROLEPLAY HISTORY!

The rules are simple! Post characters you’d like to roleplay as, have roleplayed as, and might bring back. Then tag ten people to do the same (if you can’t think of ten, just write down however many you can and tag that number of people). Please repost, don’t reblog!

CURRENT MUSES:

Way too many to list, so I'll just list one from each of my blogs;

Valerie/Fem!V (Cyberpunk 2077) on @nxthingtxwn

Gwen Stacy/Ghost Spider on this blog

Steph Gingrich (Life is Strange) on @from-arcadia-to-haven

Nicole the Holo-Lynx (Archie Sonic) on @mobianresistance

Amity Blight (The Owl House) on @ourxguidingxkey

Aria Blaze (My Little Pony: Equestria Girls) on @offtxseethewxrld

Kotone Shiomi (Persona 3 Portable) on @beautyxofxdestiny

Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga) on @lxvxngdeadgxrls

Kaede Akamatsu (Danganronpa V3) on @breakthroughtheconfusion

Nymphadora Tonks (Harry Potter) on @legacyofthephoenix

Lena "Tracer" Oxton (Overwatch) on @watchingxover

Penny Polendina (RWBY) on @rwbyrising

WANT TO WRITE:

Eclair "Lightning" Farron (Final Fantasy XIII)

Fang (Goodbye Volcano High)

Himari Nakamura (Danganronpa OC)

Mona Lisa (TMNT 1987)

Akari Tanaka (Zombie Land Saga OC)

HAVE WRITTEN:

Toy Chica (Five Nights At Freddy's 2)

Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog; Werehog AU)

Fluttershy (My Little Pony; Changeling AU)

Twilight Sparkle (Sci-Twi) (My Little Pony: Equestria Girls)

Ember McLain (Danny Phantom)

WOULD WRITE AGAIN:

Echo Tesla (Guitar Hero)

Ibuki Mioda (Danganronpa; Ultimate DJ AU)

Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel) (maybe)

idk most of my old muses I actually do still play in some capacity

tagged by; @blindbastard

tagging; @goddessofpathos, @symbioteburnout, @thethiefsden, and anybody else that wants to

[vacueabissi]

So, this character is based on the scientist Nikola Tesla... but I need to give her a girl's name...

Nicole Tesla

[doughyduo]

Tag Post

For ease of access since Tumblr’s search function doesn’t work well, looking for commonly used words and tags, this will be attached to my pinned post to allow for easier navigation of my blog through characters. This will be for both my personal use, as I pull icons from tumblr often to use on my phone, and for anyone who wants to search by character.

Note that there are two tags for most characters; as I have transitioned to just using the character names instead of ‘Muse: Name’, there is a lot of content under ‘Muse: Name’ due to years of using that tag, and not a lot under ‘Name’.

Muse: Heejin - Heejin - Fox!Heejin

Muse: Hikari - Hikari - Fox!Hikari

Muse: Mythra - Mythra

Muse: Pyra - Pyra

Muse: Luna -  Luna

Muse: Jade - Jade

Muse: Nicole - Nicole

Muse: Oriko - Oriko

Muse: Senti - Senti

Muse: Hana - Hana

Muse: Eula - Eula

Muse: Fischl - Fischl

Muse: Mona - Mona

Muse: Hu Tao - Hu Tao

Muse: Sara - Sara

Muse: Lumine - Lumine

Muse: Blake - Blake

Muse: Kiana - Kiana

Muse: Tesla - Tesla

Muse: Yoimiya - Yoimiya

Muse: Yae - Yae

Muse: Beidou - Beidou

Yelan

Muse: Yor - Yor

Chieri

Muse: Neo - Neo

Muse: Spas - Spas

Muse: Beidou - Beidou

Muse: Yu - Yu (Mt. Lady)

Muse: Clare - Clare

Muse: Ahri - Ahri

Chisato Nishikigi

Takina Inoue

Bella

[thanksforthedinosaur]

january 2023

1. julia wolf - gothic babe tendencies 2. upsahl - kickflip 3. stevie bill - poison 4. haven - anxiety is my boyfriend 5. holy wars - 21st century bitch 6. luna aura - bent 7. luke wild - crush 8. madisenxoxo - afterlife 9. yumi nu - illusions 10. sophie holohan - cognitive dissonance 11. ella jane - sore loser 12. ivri - no way out 13. peach fuzz - hey dood 14. olivia barton - i don't do anything 15. critter - ribbons 16. chloe lilac - taxidermy 17. phoebe go - we don't talk 18. keni - victoria drives a taxi 19. tessa rae - breakfast at noon 20. mana garden - internet girl 21. boyish - legs 22. bel - pbr 23. girlpuppy - swallow 24. housewife - stuck 25. why bonnie - 90 in november 26. blondshell - olympus 27. georgia harmer - headrush 28. air waves - the light 29. sea lemon - last year 30. babehoven - fugazi 31. rat tally - spinning wheel 32. mini trees - underwater (acoustic) 33. rachel bobbitt - bandages - demo 34. jessie murph - if i died last night 35. lauren spencer smith - fingers crossed 36. allison ponthier - chasing a feeling 37. hana eid - moonroof 38. elio - pick me - deluxe 39. carol ades - sadtown usa 40. laura elliott - better off alone 41. alomar - off the wagon 42. aoife o'donovan - age of apathy - acoustic 43. jonathan & friends - magsafe - acoustic 44. zannie - poison plant 45. sza - ghost in the machine 46. emily vaughn - tesla 47. nicole millar - nice 48. jaira burns - know me too well 49. between friends - orange juice 50. kristiane - april showers 51. paramore - the news 52. sweet pill - high hopes 53. lung leg - disco biscuit 54. the go! team - whammy-o 55. little simz - gorilla 56. phora - habitual pain 57. almondmilkhunni - miss u 58. 4s4ki - cross out 59. piri - can we 60. pinkpantheress - boy's a liar https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5MATAgwyfNi2dwXpj2lcqE?si=5a6263d998554415

[onderkaracay]

🗣️ Ay Hanlığı

3, 6 ve 9'un sırrını sır taşıyıcısı Tesla 1928 yılında Atatürk ile gizli görüşerek Anadolu üzerinde bulunan bütün koordinatlarının sırrını neden verdi?

Ay'ın üç hali nedir?

Ay hilal hali ile hangi bayrakta yaşam buldu?

Ay'dan gelen Adem'in çocukları Hun oğulları yeryüzünde neyin savaşını verdiler?

Ay neden, bir görünür, bir kaybolur, bir karanlık olur, bir neden güneş ile dünya arasında tutulur?

O zamanlar da neler olur?

Doğurgandır ay! Dişil enerjinin kaynağıdır.

Kadın yeryüzünde ki aydır.

Ay hali neyi ifade eder?

Ana dolu ne demektir?

Türk'ün çocuklarını birer ay parçası gibi doğuran kadınların yurdudur.

Türk'ün atası Nuh çocuklarını nerede dünyaya getirdi?

1936 yılında içinde 3,6 ve 9 olan yılda Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Antakya'nın ismini neden Hatay olarak o yıl değiştirdi?

Çünkü dünyada en değerli yıldız geçidinin olduğu ve ay hattının boyut kapısının bulunduğu yer Hatay olduğu içindi.

Hatay'ın ülkemizde olmasını ısrarla isteyen ve alan Atatürk bugün ayı ele geçirerek dünyaya negatif enerji yayan iblisin oğullarına o gün derslerini vermişti.

Bugün Hatay'ın göçmenler ile işgal ettirilerek ülkemizden koparmak adına yapılan demografik yapı değişikliği çabalarının bununla ilgili bir çaba olduğunu anlamanın ve bu sırrı açığa çıkarmanın zamanı gelmiştir.

Aynı zamanda bir başka boyut kapısı Nuh tufanı ile bir dere iken Karadeniz'den kopan su ile büyük bir boğaza dönüşen İstanbul ikinci en önemli sır ve boyut kapısıdır.

Bugün o boyut kapısı bir gün alt üst olacak inşaat çıbanları ile kim tarafından işgal edildi?

Ayhan'ın oğulları yine sahne aldılar ve Türk'ün neslini bir ay parçası olarak Anadolu'da yeniden doğuracaklar.

Susuz tufan nerede yaşandı? Zalimler canlı ölülere nerede çevrildi?

Bu sır hangi boyut kapısından kime ne için geldi?

Türkler çocuklarına Aydan, Aydın, Ayhan isimlerini neden verir?

İnsanlığı ayın karanlık zamanlarından yeniden aydınlığa çıkarmak için Türkler içinden Atatürk gibi bir önder neden çıkartı?

Ay'a gidip bu işgale son vermemiz gerektiğini bugün anlayabiliyor muyuz?

Aya ilk ayak basan insan hikayeleri ile iblisin oyunlarını bilim diye öğrenen ve öğreten zavallılığa ilim nasip değilse bunu anlaması da mümkün değildir.

Kimler aya gitti?

Ayda neler yaptılar? Amaçları ne?

Bize düşen görev ne?

Aç üçüncü gözünü kör değilsen!

Ahmet Arif'in dediğini unutma;

Ay karanlık!

Sen ise aydınlık istiyorsun.

Ay ise sahipsiz ve iblisin oğullarının elinde oyuncak olmuş.

Ey Türk istikbalinin evlatları; 'istikbal göklerdedir' diyen büyük dahi ve sır taşıyıcısı mürşit Mustafa Kemal Atatürk'ün yoluna girmek için ne bekliyorsunuz?

İblisin oğullarının oyunlarına alet olmaktan usanmadınız mı?

Ay parçası değilse insan üzerinde yaşadığı yeri karanlıktan kurtaramaz. Dolunay karanlık yüzüdür ay'ın.

] Önder KARAÇAY [

[planetofsnarfs]

Multi-hyphenate billionaire and reproduction-obsessed father of 11 children Elon Musk wants to move his entire patchwork family into a collection of three mansions in Austin, Texas — a plan that sounds more than a bit like the beginning of a terrifying cult documentary.

As the New York Times reports, Musk has told people close to him that he wants his many children — there are eleven known ones, ranging from infancy to young adulthood — and two of their three mothers to move into two properties near his own Austin mansion, which is a ten-minute walk away.

And of course, Musk is likely far from done with having children. The entrepreneur has long cited falling fertility rates as being the number one threat to humanity, making it his mission to father as many children as possible.

Now that his brood has grown considerably, Musk wants to raise them inside a compound, an unusual living arrangement that's bound to draw attention.

Given his increasingly fringe and worryingly unhinged personal beliefs, the NYT's latest report drew hair-raising comparisons on social media.

"Nontrivial chance Elon becomes a full-blown David Koresh type," NYT columnist Jammele Bouie wrote in a post on Bluesky, referring to the leader of the Branch Davidians sect, which culminated in the Waco Massacre in the early 1990s.

The mansions, which Musk bought for $35 million total, are in a relatively dense part of town and which isn't gated, an unusual pick for somebody in Musk's income bracket.

Musk was recently investigated by the Justice Department for using Tesla resources to build a "glass house" on a massive plot of land near the EV maker's headquarters, suggesting he might have abandoned much grander ambitions for his family compound.

Musk's obsession with spreading his own genes has led to some bizarre situations. According to the latest report, he went as far as to offer "his own sperm to friends and acquaintances, including the former independent vice-presidential candidate Nicole Shanahan" (who declined the offer, according to the NYT's reporting.)

In July, the NYT previously reported that Musk had volunteered his sperm to SpaceX employees to seed a Martian colony.

It sounds like his plans to move his offspring live in a Texas compound are already well underway. The mother of three of his children, Shivon Zilis, an executive at Musk's brain-computer interface company Neuralink, has reportedly already moved into one of the two mansions.

Claire "Grimes" Boucher, who is also the mother of three of his children, likely won't follow suit given the ugly, extended custody battle between the two.

Which brings us to the third candidate for one of the two Austin mansions: his first wife, Justine Musk, who is the mother of five of his much older children. There's still no word if she's planning to pick him up on his offer to join the compound.

At least one of his children is extremely unlikely to visit the compound, though: Musk's transgender daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson, who detailed in an NBC News interview this summer how she says she was abused by Musk (Musk has since claimed in a deranged tweet that she was "killed by the woke mind virus.")

The mercurial CEO is surpassing the footsteps of his estranged father Errol Musk, who has had seven children with three different women.

Whether Musk's compound will grow beyond his own abode and Zilis' mansion to fill the presumably still vacant third property remains to be seen. But given the practically infinite resources they have access to, and Musk's seemingly insatiable desire to father as many children as possible, it wouldn't be surprising.

More on Musk's children: Elon Musk Accused of Withholding His Own Children From Visiting Grimes' Dying Grandmother After She Supported His Trans Daughter

[mrrayl]

Trailer Premieres from Brazil, Australia, Canada & USA honored at 15th New Media Film Festival® Los Angeles

In a world of on-demand digital entertainment, it is the trailer preview that captivates and entices the viewer to indulge in the longer format on their own terms. In a hybrid world, this allows festival goers around the world to choose the June 5th 2024 online experience and/or the June 6th 2024 in person in Los Angeles CA.

Title — The Human Era

Director — Lara Cardoso

Country– Brazil

Premier — World

Cast — With actor and environmentalist host, Marcos Palmeira, Luciano Huck, Iara Cardoso, Carlos Nobre, Miguel Nicolelis and Thelma Krug

Title — The Piccadilly Restoring Her Former Glory

Director — Matthew Shannon

Country — North Adelaide, South Australia

Premier — World

Cast & Crew — Scott Hicks, Sophie Hyde, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Peta Shannon, Michelle Wallis, Lorna Wallis, Deanna Wallis, Scott Krix, RaY O’Connor, Maxx Corkindale, David Gregan, Nicholas Begue

Title — Tesla’s Medicine: The Universal Fluid

Director — Robert William Connolly

Country– Canada

Premier:L.A.

Title:Uneven Ground: The Melissa Witt Story

Director: LaDonna Humphrey

Country:USA

Premier:L.A.

Title: Transient

Director: Luis Tovar

Country: USA

Premier: L.A.

Cast & Crew — Devin Reeve, Daniel O’Reilly, Laura Jean Salerno, Ninja N. Devoe, Lisa Mason Lee, Iran Dainel, Jocelyn Kuan,

Trapped in a bad marriage Tye Murphy struggles with accepting that the only way to heal is to leave behind the woman he’s been deeply in love with for over 10 years. Taken in by his brother (Ricky) and sister-n-law, they soon discover that the damage Tye has endured has taken a deeper toll on his life and that his rock bottom is just beginning. Separated by an unfortunate event, the two brothers struggle to find their way back into each other’s lives and to repair the trauma that haunts them both.Screening Date: June 6th 2024 in person

ABOUT New Media Film Festival® celebrating 15 years of pushing boundaries and innovation in storytelling! With its unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative expression, the New Media Film Festival® continues to inspire and serve as a beacon of innovation for creators, festival goers and visionariesin Los Angeles from June 5–6, 2024. Showcasing a diverse range of 106 new media films and content from around the globe. With substantial awards and an esteemed panel of judges from prestigious organizations such as BBC, PBS, Marvel, HBO, ABC, and more. Attendees can look forward to world premieres and exclusive content, reflecting the festival’s reputation for innovation and excellence in new media. www.newmediafilmfestival.com

www.newmediafilmfestival.com new media, flim festival, los angeles, awards, technology, story, entertainment, media, digital, festival, crystal zan 310–288–1100 crystal@newmediafilmfestival.com USA

[nityarawal]

4/7/2024

Hide The Abuse- Diva Divorce Hazing- American Parody Of USA Courts

Morning Songs

Hide The Abuse

That's What Lawyers

Reccomend

Hide The Abuse

Become A Felon

Martyred

Hide The Abuse

That's How Judges

Become Presidents

Like Truman

After Jefferson

Hide The Abuse 

Poison The King

Leaders' Got Cancers

Mystery Skin Eating

Bacterial 

Infections

Stop The Abuse

Got No Money

Don't Let His Doctors

Tell Him The Truth 

Hide The Abuse

Use Our Charlatans

Don't You Like The

Court's Doctors

Murderin' Millions

With IEHP

Hide The Abuse

Who Broke Your 

Neck Elon

And Had To Fix

It Again

For Jujitsu

Hazing

Studios

Hide The Abuse

Don't You Like

The Jujitsu Masters

Militia

Who Beat You To A 

Pulp

Nearly Murdered A Physicist

And Bled My Son 

9 Times On Their 

Gracie Website

For Violent Competitions

With Footbal Breeders 

Spies

Raping Us Decades

For Pedos

Hide The Abuse

Gracie

Caged Kanye

And Our

Kids

Offering Felonry

For Nasas Billions

Plea Bargains

From Second Gentlemen

Why Does Space X Manager

Jma Hate Black 

Men

She Calls Them

Lazy And Drunk

Loser Dads'

Indoctrinated Our 

Kids Into Racism

Smearing Elon

In Trumpleberry Greenwashing 

Space X

Tour

As Criminals Overtook

Our Lives in 2016

For Ambitious

Political Rapes

Breeding Diseases

On Farms

With Doctors Blackballing

No Hydrochloriquinine 

Allowed

In California 

Hide The Abuse

In The Name Of

Hazing 

Judges Reccomend

Before They Murder

Presidents

Politely

Civilly

With Similar Diseases

To What They Gave

Me

In The Name Of

The Fight

What Did They Do To

You

Our Dojo Master

Raped My Friends

In Middle School

And Beat Their

Brothers'

Kicked Us Out Of

School

With Pedophile

Principals

Scared Black And 

Blue

As They Tried

To Sell Us Out

Not Even 10 Years Old

Errol Had You 

Groomed

Elon

Like Any Fraternity

Would

Claiming Rights To

Your Ass

Boys' Club Beatings

Hazing

Stirling Men's Group

Tech Locker Room

Pegging

"Swirlies"

For Military

Pranks

Militia

Is That School

For Jews

Army And Marines

Stung Our Boys

Too

Heard North Dropped

Out Of Private

To Start A Band

And Homeschool

Her Clan

She Saw The Way

Her Dadda Was

Misunderstood

Campaigning For President

Lovin' Moms'

Sharin' His Magic

Preaching

You Got A Manifesting Man

In Your Family

A Physicist

Lucky Clan

Makin' Y'all A Better

Reality

Don't Let Him Get

Murdered

Nicole Took The 

Heat For OJ's Beat

But Beyonce 

Won't Take A Knock

For Any Man

Nicole Simpson

Took The Heat

Kim Kardashian

Got The Teenage Beat

Used For Courts

Grooming Boys Laws

Civil Atty

Activist

Surely She Wants To

Whistleblow

What Can She Do

But Robot

Over To Starbucks

On An Advertisement

For Cybertruck

Trans

What Can Diva's Do

But Pretend To Fly

To Space

With Verizon

Since Cybertruck

Is So Stingy

What Can Beyonce 

Do

To Alert Her Fans

It's True

A Man Cheats On

You

At Superbowl

Then Your Kids

Are Sacrificed At

Court

Raped Decades

Transed

It's True What

Kenmar Lamar

Says

They Raped Us

Black

Kids

Brown

Loves

Pink

Every Color

Eloning Wrong Way

Round

Made 'Em Kill

Their Dads

And Lie About 

Alibis

Atty Crimes

Plea Bargains

Gags

Beyonce Don't Want 

To Be A Lemon

Roboted

Beyonce Don't Let

Them Squeeze You

Without A Doubt

Into Lemon Sauce

You Gonna Be Our

Bodyguard

You Gonna Save The 

Children

Then Drop The Egotistical

Men Rapin'

Us

You Gonna Be Our

Bodyguard

You Gonna Save The

Children

That's A Maid Of

Honor's Role

And Most Queen's

Don't Have Them

You Gonna

Take A Stand

For

#Nitya4Eternity

Before Your Depantsed

At Halftimes

Like Rihanna Memes

Advertising Moms'

As "Free" Slavery

At Tesla

I'll Be Your

Queen's Taster

Massage You Back

Into Motherhood

Down On Earth

Lube Up Your Joints

Shed The Molds

And Spirochete

Spike Proteins

So You Can Dance

Again

And Be My

Eternal Best

Friend

Get My Kids

With Trinity

Grace

Mother Divine

Merci

Rumi

Divine

And All

Your Baes

New Mommy

Management

Beyonce

We Never Would've 

Asked A Favor 

Of Mommy

Working 24/7

Grateful 

You Rise

As Only 

Real Mommy Grace

Can Oblige

Merci

Peace

Peace,

Nitya Nella Davigo Azam Moezzi Huntley Rawal 

[fmp2anthonydeyn]

Nikola Tesla death ray

Tesla did work on particle accelerators which aimed to send a concentrated beam of energy in a vertical line without diffusion. It is not known whether or not he was actually successful in building the device. Many others claimed to have invented it in the 20’s and 30’s, such as Guglielmo Marconi and Edwin R. Scott. Tesla continually claimed until his death he had successfully invented the death ray which he called teleforce. 

Nicole Tesla said:

“this invention of mine does not contemplate the use of any so-called ‘death rays’. Rays are not applicable because they cannot be produced in requisite quantities and diminish rapidly in intensity with distance. All the energy of New York City (approximately two million horsepower) transformed into rays and projected twenty miles, could not kill a human being, because, according to a well known law of physics, it would disperse to such an extent as to be ineffectual. My apparatus projects particles which may be relatively large or of microscopic dimensions, enabling us to convey to a small area at a great distance trillions of times more energy than is possible with rays of any kind. Many thousands of horsepower can thus be transmitted by a stream thinner than a hair, so that nothing can resist “

“destroy anything approaching within 200 miles … [and] will provide a wall of power[ in order to] make any country, large or small, impregnable against armies, airplanes, and other means for attack”

If Nikola truly did make a death ray, it would have most defiantly been seized by the US government and FBI after his death. It most light wouldn’t be revealed to the public ether. the US Air Force in more modern years have developed  a modified Boeing 747-400F freighter aircraft. The entire front nose of the plane is refitted with a laser that can destroy a target more than 60 miles away in less than a second.

[helenaheissner]

Magical Girl Exorcist Squad: Issue #18 (Devil's Eve, Act I)

Hello, lovelies! Don’t forget you can support my work by becoming a paid subscriber on Substack or Patreon in exchange for advanced chapters of all my stories (including this one)!

***

Then

“Alright, Sunshine, remember how I taught you to do this?” 

“Yes, sir!” Nicole said with a playful salute. 

“Then let’s see it, kiddo,” Dad said. 

Nicole hooked the worm onto her fishing line, and cast it out into the water. The north Atlantic dominated the horizon on all sides, navy blue beneath the clear summer sun. The Sunshower bobbed and dipped ever so slightly in the shifting tides, its pristine white paint job sparkling with water droplets amidst the rising dawn. 

Just Nicole and Dad out on the water- that was what she’d asked for on her eleventh birthday. It was a good distraction from all the things about herself that were starting to not make sense, and it was a good way to get out of the house and away from Zack. Nicole loved her little brother dearly, but his reaction to Nicole dressing up and playing dolls with Monica a few weeks back had made things awkward between them. He’d get over it- Nicole was his big brother… 

No, no that’s not true, Nicole thought through the memory, peering through the ages, wondering how she could have been so stupid as to not put it together. Neither of those things are true. Zack won’t get over it. He never will, you poor little girl.

Her father’s long white hair was bound back in a low ponytail, sunscreen not entirely spread across his middle-aged face. He always looked both older and younger when he was out here on the water, like he’d always been here, and like he was rejuvenated by the ocean’s power and vitality. He cast his own line out onto the water, and it broke through the glassy surface with a ‘plunk.’ “Now then, Sunshine, what’d I teach you? What are the three most important parts if you wanna wrangle a big one?”

Nicole took off her Boston Red Sox cap and blew her hay-colored bangs out of her eyes, then placed the cap back on her skull. “A good line is the first part: you can’t hope to catch anything if your equipment is faulty.”

“Good. What’s next?”

“The right bait,” Nicole said. “People think that one’s simple, but fish can smell the difference between what they like and what they don’t. You gotta have the right bait for the right fish.”

“Excellent, excellent lad.” The sweet words stung, and in the moment Nicole knew not why, and through the ages Nicole reached for her younger self and put a hand on her shoulder. It would be okay eventually. Dad would see her for who she was. It was just that Nicole didn’t see herself as she truly was yet, not at that time. “What’s the last thing you need?”

Nicole smiled. “Real estate.”

“Real estate?”

“Location, location, location,” Nicole said. “Right waters, right time of year, right time of day. Real estate.”

And just like that, something tugged her line, and Nicole reeled it in. 

The cod was enormous, and fed the whole family that night at dinner. And through the filter of memory, Nicole felt the joy she and her father had shared that day, the pride and the exhilaration. And the advice- advice Nicole knew how to put to use.

Now

Nicole channeled the pink light into an orb in her hands, watched it swirl and gyrate as a mesmerizing moving sphere. Sparks ran through her arms, veins of electricity connecting to her heart, to her mind, supercharging every scent of saltwater and fish and seaweed, every decibel of the shifting tide and the seagulls flying and squawking and boats motoring past them over the water, every touch of the fabric of her clothes against her skin and the wind through her hair and the droplets of water spraying onto her face. Lightning flashed inside her brain, like a massive tesla coil of raw, limitless restorative power. She needed to hold onto that, control it. 

“Whoa,” Matt said from ten feet away. They stood on an island out in the harbor, Cass sitting on a tree stump between the two of them. It was an overcast Saturday, cool and wet, and the three of them were the only people on the island. 

It had been difficult to sell Debbi and Father Gonzalez on this, but Nicole had worn her down. They needed the right waters, and they needed to establish a presence there.

Nicole held the pink energy in her hands, and then aimed it at Matt. It launched like a missile, and struck Matt in the chest, absorbing into him rapidly. 

“Well?” Nicole asked. “Feel anything?”

“Mostly a constant, nagging sense of paranoia wherever I go, constantly telling me to stay alert and look for threats because I never know where the next source of violence is gonna come from,” Matt said innocently. 

“That’s interesting,” Cass said, “I constantly feel that. It’s like wherever I go I expect people to challenge me to fights that I wonder if I even care to win anymore.” Cass blinked. “Uh-”

Nicole’s eyes narrowed and her voice flattened and her grin bloomed. “You two really are perfect for each other, ain’tcha?”

Cass glared at her. 

Nicole winced. She hadn’t meant to say that, but then, that was what being around Matt was like. “I meant that in a good way!”

Cass cringed. “Please. Stop. Blondie, I’m begging you to-”

“Hold up, hold up- I think I feel something,” Matt said, pacing back and forth across the beach. An azure glow hummed beneath his skin, and erupted with a navy pulse that slammed into both Nicole and Cass. 

A strange sense of clarity and purpose ran through Nicole at every level, as if there was no truth but the one walled up in her mind, and nothing for her to do besides break down the wall and set that truth free. Before she could stop herself, she rapidly said, “Sometimes when I look at myself in the mirror I see a pathetic impostor, a fake girl living a fake life in a fake world that doesn’t truly accept her, and that she doesn’t deserve anything real. Like I’m secretly in Hell, and I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have trouble believing people are sincere when they’re nice to me, especially people who claim to really like me. I still don’t one hundred percent believe my parents or my sister, and I still don’t believe Amy because when I look at her I see all the obnoxious rich kids who made my life miserable growing up and then had the gall to act surprised when I held that against them. And more than anything I’m worried that my bottled up doubt and resentment will inevitably poison all my relationships and I’ll die alone and I’ll deserve it.”

The other two both stared at her. Cass’ jaw was clenched as she sat cross-legged on the stump, while Matt stood before the water’s edge with his jaw dropped. “Wow,” he said. “That’s, um, that’s a lot. Are you ok-”

Then Cass’ dam broke open: “At first I didn’t like you at all, Nicole. I resented you for altering the status quo of our team. Sometimes, I still resent you- I worry about what you’re putting Amy through, and I worry you’re too fragile and too purehearted to do this job effectively. I’m concerned the emotional changes you’ve caused in us all, as well as your own moral cowardice, will get us all killed and leave the world without its protectors. And you constantly butt in on emotional matters that have nothing to do with you, because the pretty white lady needs everything and everyone to be perfect or she’ll start crying again.”

Nicole’s eyes went wide. 

So did Cass’.

Matt developed an incurable fascination with a horseshoe crab scuttling over the sand. 

Nicole felt tears coming, but she clenched her jaw and tried to avoid letting them out. 

Cass, for her part, just looked horrified.

“Oh,” Nicole said, then looked at the ground. 

“And that’s another- you don’t stand up for yourself, even when someone is insulting you to your face- how are you gonna be an effective superhero when you have no regard for your own person!” Cass kept going, looking like she was in physical pain as she said each word. 

“Cass, maybe stop talking now,” Matt said diplomatically. 

 She turned to face Matt. “Dios, you’re pretty. I just wanna tie you to my broom and-”

“I’m gonna take a lap around the island,” Matt said, and off he ran. 

Leaving Nicole and Cass alone together. 

Nicole blinked rapidly. It was as if someone inside her mind was juggling knives and slicing up the sides of her skull. 

Cass undid her hair bun, let the wind shake her charcoal curls loose, and raked her hand through her mane. 

“So,” Nicole said. 

“So.”

“Does it work like some sorta truth bomb?” Nicole asked. “Like, his energy pulse launches, and whoever is hit with it is forced to spill their innermost fears and secrets?”

“Doesn’t even need to ask a question, it just spills out,” Cass monotoned. 

“Interesting.”

“Wicked interesting.”

“...”

“...”

“... Is that really how you feel about me?” Nicole said. 

“... Sometimes, yeah.”

“Wow. That, uh, wow. You really don’t like me at all, do you?”

“No. I mean- it’s complicated,” Cass said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “When you first showed up, Amy was pissed. She didn’t like the idea of having a boy on the team, and she thought you were… Well, an annoying tradcon with outdated ideas about women, to be completely honest-”

“... Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“And I agreed with her because… Well, I didn’t wanna have to think for myself. Because I hate thinking for myself, and I’ve avoided it most of my life. I did what Juanita wanted me to, thought what she wanted me to. Then when I stopped listening to her, it was Bishop Roberts. And then it was Amy, because she was my first real friend. And then the whole… Trans thing came out about you, and I saw a side of Amy I didn’t much like, and I wanted to blame you for that. I was afraid you would be the death of our team, and I was afraid of the idea that my perfect big sister wasn’t perfect.”

“And now?”

“Now I know that’s not true,” Cass said, kicking a rock and then catching it with her telekinesis before it hit the water. She floated it back to herself, then chucked it into the water, then stopped it and floated it back over to herself. “You’ve been good for our team. You’ve helped us out of a lot of scrapes that I don’t know that we’d have survived without you. And you’re selfless, to an extent that baffles me sometimes. But I’ll admit I do still worry about that- I’m afraid you’re gonna get yourself killed, and then we’ll be down a teammate, and… And a friend.”

“Friends?”

“Yeah,” Cass said, smiling reluctantly. “If you like. I’d like to be friends. I know I’m not perfect-”

“Same.”

“And I know I’ve had some serious fuck-ups-”

“Same.”

“But I do wanna be friends.”

Nicole smiled. “Same.”

She walked up to Cass and extended a hand. They shook.

“Feel better?” Nicole asked. 

Cass re-tied her hair into a looser ponytail. “Yeah, honestly. I mean, I still feel like an asshole, but I guess that was necessary to clear the air. How do you feel?”

“I… Look, that was a lot to hear, but I don’t think you’re entirely wrong about some of that stuff,” Nicole admitted, kicking a new rock. Cass stopped it before it hit the water and brought it back over to them, and they resumed the cycle. “I… I’ve always had trouble standing up for myself. Defending what I want. I didn’t come out until God basically forced me to, I didn’t tell my parents so much as my hand was forced, I… There’s other stuff there, childhood stuff I don’t really like to talk about.”

“I mean, same,” Cass said with a smirk. 

“I bet.”

“And, uh, I just have to ask,” Cass said. 

“Go ahead, we’re already facing uncomfortable truths today.”

“You and Amy.”

“What about us?”

 “Do you really not believe her?”

Nicole sighed. “I… Not entirely, no. And I hate myself for that- she’s proven a dozen times over that she’s changed, that she sees me as a woman, that she’s repented.”

“I mean, what would it take-”

“That’s just it! It shouldn’t take anything more! She shouldn’t have to keep proving herself to me, and yet there’s this part of me that thinks she should, like I’m owed constant validation and affirmation and I… Gosh, I feel disgusted even thinking about it. It shouldn’t take anything more, and I should be able to fully forgive her and… And…”

“And?”

“And be with her already,” Nicole said. The rock didn’t stop this time, it simply hit the silvery surface of the water and sank below.  

Cass sighed. “Debbi would probably be a better person to talk to about this than me… I’ve never really had trouble attracting people- short, stacked, and daddy issues tends to drive ‘em wild in my experience- but actually being in a relationship, which is what you guys seem to be considering, that’s outside my wheelhouse. BUT. As someone who knows Amy very well… I don’t usually see her as happy as she is when she’s around you. For whatever that’s worth.”

Nicole smiled. “That’s worth a lot. Thank you.”

“You two good?” Matt called as he rounded the island’s bend and sauntered back over to them.

“Yeah, we gucci,” Cass said. “Hey, um, that comment I made about-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Matt said with a wave of his hand. “Maybe we should head out, though? I’m not loving those clouds.”

“Me neither,” Nicole said, looking up at the gray cloudscape pushed and pulled by the rising wind. “Let’s get back to the Chapel- there’s something I wanna talk to the whole team about.”

“Something serious?” Matt asked. 

“Oh, just a proverbial fishing trip I’ve been planning,” Nicole said, her wry grin returning with a vengeance.

Nicole and Cass transformed, Matt got on the back of Cass’ broom, and the three of them flew over the water and back to shore. 

As the town came into view, as campus came into view wreathed in black and orange and silver and crimson, as Ditko Hall appeared plastered from top to bottom in signage advertising their upcoming Devil’s Eve party, an idea flowered inside Nicole’s mind. 

The right waters, she thought. The right hook. And the right bait.

THEN

Wind swept over the lush green landscape, shaking morning dew loose from the foliage. Hills and valleys rose and fell, and the rivers burst with energetic water, threatening to flood the forests. Everything looked smaller from the sky above, but then, for them, everything in the world was small.

“What do you see, child?” her father asked. 

“I see God’s Green Earth, Abba,” Winona answered. 

Samyaza smiled with all five of his faces. “Very good, Winona. And what is our role in your Grandfather’s Creation?”

“We’re guardians, Abba. Watchers. We make sure the humans are okay.”

“Yes, child, precisely. And tell me: do they look okay to you?”

Winona flew through the sky, and saw the world. She saw the humans making war with each other, killing over precious scraps of food, stealing that which did not belong to them, and some… Some committing acts even more unspeakable than those.

“No, Abba,” Winona said, “They don’t.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Samyaza said as they descended towards Mount Hermon. The other Watchers waited for them there. Only Samyaza brought his child, however. None of the other Nephilim came. They were busy adding to the destruction and ruin of Grandfather’s Green Earth. “So you see then why we must do what we do? Why we must intervene? God will not- He wishes not to violate the sanctity of Free Will. And that is noble. But these humans are savages. Without the gifts we shall give them, they will perish. Do you see, sweet child?”

“I do, Abba.”

“Very good. Then let’s get to work.”

And so the Watchers plotted atop Mount Hermon, while the Earth turned and the eyes of the Lord stared down at them.

NOW

“Hi, Abba,” Winona spoke into her cell phone. Her voice came out the other end- a cell phone without an owner sitting on the farside of the couch, by her sleeping Hellhound Milton. Tears filled her eyes as she imagined Abba’s voice, his comforting words, his immense wisdom. “I just… I needed to talk to you, Abba.”

Whatever is it, my sweet daughter? She imagined him saying.

“I’m so scared, Abba.”

Of what?

“That I might never be able to see you again. That the closest I’ll come is… Is the flashes I get in my nightmares, of your corpse looming over me beneath the Floodwater. That I’ll be alone forever.”

You’re not alone, Winona. 

“But I am. Cyrus is back in the Floodwater, and Aidan is in a coma, and my human followers have both been put out of commission. All that’s left is Aidan’s mother.”

She is a valuable ally.

“I know she is, I know. And I… This would all be so much easier if you were here. We could take over Hell and work on rebuilding it- we could keep all the people here on Earth safe.”

These are noble goals, my child.

“Of course they are! It’s why I don’t understand why they’re resisting! Why she’s resisting! Why all of them are! It doesn’t make sense- can’t they see I’m trying to help them!”

People often resist change, even change that will benefit them. Sometimes it must be forced on them. And sometimes… Sometimes they must be tricked into accepting it.

A smile flowered on Winona’s face. “Heh. You’re absolutely right.” 

A knock-knock-knock ruptured the exterior of her door. “I’ll have to call you back, Abba. I love you.”

I love you too, sugar plumb.

She hung up the phone and answered the door. On the other side stood a woman wearing a wooden devil’s mask painted red. 

“Hey there, Sin-Eater,” Winona said, shepherding her inside. “How’s it going? Eat any good sins lately?”

“Yes, actually, I got a good taste of a woman who hates her daughter with all her heart and soul just last night,” the Sin-Eater replied. 

“How’d it taste?”

“Like whale-meat.”

“Is that good?”

“Not really. Whale meat tastes terrible.”

“Oh. Well I’m sorry then.”

“Eh, it’s fine. Girl’s gotta eat. Besides, it was nutritious.”

Winona cleared some of the mess off her kitchen table and sat down. The Sin-Eater took a seat across from her at the rectangular white plastic table. “How are you holding up?” Winona asked. 

“I’ve been better,” the Sin-Eater replied, shoulders slumped, palms flat on the table. “What about you? I know how you feel about my boy.”

The empty spot inside Winona echoed with the pain of loneliness. “I keep expecting him to wake up next to me, like it was all just a bad dream. And then I remember that this is real, that that… That bitch did this to him.”

“The tranny, you mean?”

“Yeah,” Winona said, her fingernails digging canals into the plastic table.

“I sympathize,” the Sin-Eater said, putting a hand on Winona’s. “My husband and I have been kept apart for most of our time together. It’s trying, but I know we’re strong enough to get through it. And so are you and Aidan. My boy loves you. A mother knows these things.”

Winona gulped. She’d never known her own mother- apparently giving birth a nephilim wasn’t generally something you survived, at least not back then. “Thank you.”

“So, what did you want to talk about today?” the Sin-Eater said. Even behind the mask, Winona could see her smiling. 

“The enemy has one of our skulls,” Winona said. 

“I’m aware,” the Sin-Eater said. “I warned the boy about not taking it into a fight, but he didn’t listen. For all the good it did him.”

“He hasn’t paid attention during his lessons, has he?” Winona said. 

“No, he hasn’t,” the Sin-Eater said. “You have the other skull?”

“Yeah, it’s in a lock-box under my bed,” Winona said. “It’s at capacity, too. So the question is- do we use it to heal our troops, get Aidan back, fix up Archie and Veronica. It would set us back by months, and I’m not sure we can afford to do that now that Astaroth is in town. But at the same time… I couldn’t bring myself to keep a mother separate from her child when there’s something I can do about it. So I wanted to ask you for your input.”

Behind the mask, the Sin-Eater’s eyes watered. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. But honestly… Aidan wouldn’t like it if we shot ourselves in the foot for his benefit.”

Winona gave a quiet sigh and a sad smile. “Yes. You’re right about that. So what about splitting the difference?”

The Sin-Eater leaned forward. “I’m listening.”

“Something big. Bigger than anything we’ve attempted so far. Something that will serve as a distraction while we go get that other skull back, and use it to heal Aidan and Archie and Veronica.”

The Sin-Eater took off her mask so Winona could see her smile. “Did you have something specific in mind?”

***

Heather lept from her broomstick into the open maw of a demonic ferret. It was gallivanting down the cobblestone paths of Acorn Street, biting and clawing at everyone it came across. No dead so far, and Heather intended to keep it that way. 

The ferret was the size of a submarine, down on all fours, fangs and claws the same shimmering silver as the clouded-over sky. A dampness clung to the air, to the buildings, to Heather, and to the ferret as it tried to dig up the cobblestones and bury people and street signs and garbage cans in the holes. It screeched as Heather lept into its mouth and used all her considerable might to keep its jaw pried open. Heather grinned: this was more like it. A problem she knew how to solve. She was half-tempted to kiss her biceps as she effortlessly kept the ferret’s mouth open despite its shaking and thrashing. 

She channeled Holy light, and the beast’s teeth were burnt, but the smoke didn’t rush from it. It flailed about some more, kicking out a shop window with its hind-leg. Heather was shaken loose and landed on the cobblestone ground. 

“Fucking shit,” she muttered.  She noticed a speck in the sky above, gradually getting lower.  Fine then. 

Heather ran up to the ferret and punched it, knocking it over. She grabbed it by the scruff and heaved it into the sky with all her might, while Amy hurdled downwards and delivered a Holy Light kick to its skull. The black demonic smoke exploded out from the ferret, and when it cleared, a normal and honestly quite adorable white and gray ferret was left in its place. 

Heather grabbed it by the scruff and held it away from her face as it tried in vain to scratch her. “Yeah, that’s right! Take that!” Heather sneered.

“... You good?” Amy asked. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You’re glaring real hard at that rodent.”

“... Actually, it’s a mustelid, not a rodent.”

“Heather,” Amy said, eyes narrow. 

Heather sighed and got on her broom, then gestured for Amy to follow her. 

They took flight, Heather still clutching the ferret in her hands. It stopped thrashing, and was mostly just holding onto her for dear life. They flew just above the buildings, drinking in the sights of pumpkins and jack o’lanterns, of spider-webs in windows and fake graves and bones decorating the outside of brownstones and houses, of orange and black lights lining doors and fake blood splattered across the faces of homes. A veritable cornucopia of the macabre, all assembled and sprawled out in preparation for the season of the witch.  

“Hey, I wanna ask you something,” Heather said. May as well do this now. Haven’t had a chance to talk to Amy one-on-one in ages. 

“Yeah? What’s up?” Amy asked, the pointy tip of her yellow hat bending in the wind. 

“So you’re pretty religious, yeah?”

“What gave it away?” Amy said, eyes narrowing, brows rising. “The cross necklace? The fact that I was in the church choir growing up? The part where I pray to God every night begging him to make me less of a fucking bitch-”

“Jesus, Amy!”

“But yeah, I’m pretty religious. Why, what’s up?”

Heather sighed. The ferret had passed out on her shoulder, presumably out of sheer terror. “Well, as you’ve noticed, I’ve been having some-”

“Performance issues?” Amy smirked. 

“Goddammit, you’re worse than your sister!”

“Heh heh heh,” Amy laughed. 

“But yes, performance issues. I’ve been thinking maybe it’s because I’ve never been super religious. My powers are definitely working better than they were two weeks ago, but I still haven’t been able to fully exorcize a demon since I went up against Cyrus. I can wound them, but that’s about it. It always takes someone else to finish the job. I just… I don’t know what to do. I thought believing in myself, and in me and Debbi, was the answer, but… I don’t know if it’s enough. I don’t know… If I’m enough.”

“Hm,” Amy said, “Well that’s bullshit.”

“... What?!”

“Heather, it’s not about belief. It’s about faith. Faith that you’re doing the right thing, faith that your actions matter, that you’re helping people,” Amy said. “Look, I don’t want this to sound condescending-”

“What, you? Never.”

“Fuck off,” Amy rolled her eyes. “But before Nicole, you were the new kid on the block. And we were in a lull for most of your first year on the job. We dealt with a monster a week at most, and as far as I know we kept almost everyone from dying. It’s not that you don’t have faith. It’s that it hasn’t been tested.”

“... Until now?” Heather said. 

Amy snapped her fingers. “Exactly. This is your crucible- the first step to surviving it is believing that you can.”

“So I do need to believe in myself?” Heather asked, scratching the side of her head. 

“You need to believe you can get through this, and that it’s worth getting through, and that you’re worthy of getting through it. Trust me, I struggle with that last part a lot, so I know it’s easier said than done, but it is possible.”

“Okay, but how do I do that? Prayer?” Heather asked. 

“If that’s what works for you, then yeah,” Amy said. “If not, then you’ll find something else. What’s something you love doing, something that gives you immeasurable joy? And don’t say sex- that’s too easy.”

“...”

“You were gonna say sex, weren’t you?” Amy asked.

“Maybe.”

Amy stared blankly. 

“Yes,” Heather said. 

“Look, it… It can’t be another person,” Amy said. “You can’t just live for other people. Trust me, I’ve tried. It’s a slippery slope, at the bottom of which is crippling codependency.”

“Fuck,” Heather spat. 

“You don’t have to know the answer right away,” Amy said as Saint Joseph’s came into view on the horizon. “Just think about it- we can talk about this some more in a day or two. Okay?”

Heather sighed, then breathed in through her nose and tried her best to smile. “Okay.”

They arrived at the church while a wall of fog blew past them, wetting Heather’s skin and making the ferret squirm.

The rest of the team was already assembled inside the church. Nicole and Debbi both ran over to them. Nicole grabbed Amy’s hands, while Debbi eyed the ferret in Heather’s grip. 

“Did you get me a present?” Debbi said, letting the ferret sniff her hand. It licked her.  “I don’t think you’re allowed to keep a ferret in your dorm,” Heather said wryly.  “Ah, but he’s so cute- I think I’ll call him Jonathan.” “Why Jonathan?” “He just looks like a Jonathan.”

They sat down next to each other in a pew, cooing over the squirming ferret as it desperately tried to escape. Eventually, Heather started scratching it under its chin until it began groaning happily, then the thing fell asleep on Heather’s lap. Apparently we have a ferret now.

“Anything of note?” Debbi asked.

“Nobody died,” Amy said proudly. 

“Well that’s good at least. What about you, research squad?”

“I can make people spill their innermost secrets with zero prompting,” Matt said. 

“Ooh, any hot goss to share about these two?” Debbi said, gesturing to Nicole and Cass. 

Nicole sighed. Cass gave Debbi the middle finger. 

“Cassandra, please, you’re in God’s House,” Father Gonzalez said as he and Sister Quinn swept behind the altar. Bishop Marcus was busy polishing all the metals, while Abe dusted the stained glass windows.

Cass didn’t fight this time, didn’t protest, simply nodded and dropped the finger. 

“I’ve been thinking,” Nicole said, standing up in the pew across the aisle. 

“Impossible,” Amy smirked, sitting next to her on the end nearest to the aisle. “Too blonde. Doesn’t compute.”

Nicole put her hand on the side of Amy’s head and gave a playful shove. “Quiet, you.”

“Ugh, yes ma’am,” Amy rolled her eyes. 

Heather balked. She didn’t know what conversation these two had had, but clearly they’d worked some stuff out. Good for them. 

“So I was thinking my Smart Blonde ™ thoughts and realized there’s a very simple and very effective way to draw out Winona and get the drop on her, and to get her to spill her guts without even realizing it,” Nicole said. “Devil’s Eve is on Friday, and Ditko Hall is having a party for it. We haven’t seen or heard from Winona in two weeks, outside of the odd monster battle. Now, Winona is lots of things, and a party girl is absolutely one of them. She’ll be there. I’m ninety-nine percent sure I first met Winona at one of Ditko Hall’s ragers, when she was hanging off of my old roommate. She loves that place- it’s literally a non-stop kegger. They’re throwing an even bigger party than usual? She’ll be there. Especially if we’re all there. Especially if Amy and I are there. We’ve got unfinished business. We corner her there and we draw her away from the crowd, and use Matt’s truth bomb on her to figure out her plans and how to stop her.”

“Not bad,” Debbi said, stroking her chin. “But what if she goes after civilians?”

“She won’t- that’d ruin the party,” Amy said. “Trust me on that- there have been several times over the years she could’ve tried something like that at a party we both attended. She didn’t because she was too busy trying to get me to dance with her.”

“That’s true, but still, it seems like a dice-roll,” Heather said. “She could try to unleash her demons, or try to possess the party-goers.”

“I did think of that,” Nicole said, “But. There’s something I’ve been cooking up- our powers are amplified around each other, and then exponentially more so when I share my powers with you. What if we use that with our Holy Light, send out a wave of anti-possession, as it were?”

“We would have to practice at it, but the concept is sound,” Cass offered. 

“Plus, if all six of us are there, my healing powers will be amplified anyway,” Nicole pointed out. “We draw Winona out, get her away from the party, disarm her with our powers, get the truth out of her, and then, here’s the kicker- we get her out onto the water for our final fight. She’s always on edge when she’s over the ocean- we work that to our advantage.” 

“... And then what?” Heather asked. 

Nicole blinked. 

“Nicole, have you given any thought to how that fight ends?” Heather said. “Winona isn’t a demon- we can’t just exorcize her and be done with it. We might have to-”

Nicole sat down. “We might be able to get her to see reason.”

Heather suppressed a groan. Nicole couldn’t possibly be that naive, could she? “That seems like a tall ask. She’s… Well she’s kind of a complete psycho, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“We do have one thing on her,” Amy pointed out. “She’s running out of allies and has enemies everywhere. Astra, for one thing, plus all the other factions trying to conquer Hell.”

“Amy,” Debbi said, leaning forward and staring at her sister, “You of all people can’t possibly be suggesting-”

“That we take someone who’s been ruining all of our lives and aim them like a weapon against someone way worse?” Amy said. “Yeah, actually I am suggesting it.”

“Still feels like a longshot,” Heather said. 

 “Maybe we should vote,” Cass suggested. 

Heather and Debbi both side, while the ferret rolled over onto his back. “Okay,” Debbi said. “Let’s vote. All in favor of Nicole’s mildly insane plan?”

Nicole, Amy, Cass, and Matt all agreed to it. 

Dammit, Heather thought, This won’t work. There is no way this will work. 

She squeezed Debbi’s hand, perhaps too tight, and put the other in a protective position over her new pet. This was going to be an ordeal, she could already tell. And she didn’t know which was worse- the fact that Nicole and the others seemed convinced this was a great idea, or the fact that Heather was convinced it was a terrible one. Or maybe the fact that that’s the only thing I have any faith in, she thought. 

***

“So, have you thought about what you’re gonna wear?” Amy asked. 

“Hm?” Nicole asked, “what do you mean?”

They stood together in the kitchen, Amy supervising while Nicole chopped up vegetables to grill on the balcony alongside their salmon. Fog painted the windows, while their fireplace crackled with a pyre. “To the party, is what I mean.”

“Um, aren’t we gonna be working?” Nicole said. 

“Did you not go to the Ditko Hall Devil’s Eve party last year?” Amy asked.

“No, I cannot say I did,” Nicole said. “Also, I’ve never been super big on the whole dressing up for Halloween thing.”

“They won’t even let you in the door without a costume,” Amy said. 

“Oh,” Nicole said as she finished chopping. “Well that’s annoying.”

“Yeah, but… Well, last year and the years before, you were… Not yourself yet. Getting dressed up on Halloween is way more fun when you’re a girl.”

“But we’re not doing this to have fun, we’re doing it to save the world,” Nicole said. 

“Yeah, but,” Amy started, “How do I put this? We still need to have things in life that we enjoy, ya know?”

“‘Ya know,’” Nicole repeated, with a slight smile. 

Amy blushed. “You’re rubbing off on me.”

“Phrasing.”

“STAHP!” Amy groaned. “Look, what I’m trying to say is, there’s this whole part of being a girl you haven’t gotten to experience yet, and yeah, we’re working, we’re fighting the good fight, but like, we still should hold onto the things that make us want to fight the good fight. We should still do the things we enjoy, even if we only get to enjoy them for a few minutes before everything goes crazy like it usually does. Otherwise, it’s all crazy all the time, and that’ll make you-”

“Crazy?” Nicole said as she slid the vegetables from the cutting board onto a plate and carried them outside to the roaring grill. Amy grabbed the plate with the marinated salmon and brought it with them. 

“I mean, yeah,” Amy said as they stepped out into the cold, damp autumnal evening air. “You’re a physical therapist in training- you know you have to give yourself a good reason to keep pushing yourself.”

“Pushing yourself is the right thing to do, like saving the world. Whether or not I enjoy doing it is irrelevant,” Nicole said as she put the veggies on the grill and painted them with lemon juice. 

“Yeah…,” Amy said, “But you can’t do that all the time- you’ll get exhausted. Burnt out. Okay, please trust me on this- I’ve been a superhero longer than you and there’s been times I’ve… Done what I think you’re doing and it made me depressed and miserable. Same with Cass. Probably same with Heather- given a conversation I had with her today, I think she’s dealing with some of that right now.” 

Nicole watched the vegetables cook on the grill, the aroma drifting up into the foggy air and seasoning the sky. Amy was worried about her, truly worried for her well-being. She couldn’t really blame her for that, especially given how Nicole had been a week ago. “I… I see your point. I still don’t have anything to wear though.”

“I can help with that,” Amy said with a wave of her hand, flipping some of the vegetables with a pair of metal tongs. “I have a few extra-”

“Amy I’m five inches taller and two cup sizes smaller than you- how is that gonna work?” Nicole said with a raised eyebrow. “Unless this was all an excuse to get me into a tight outfit-”

Amy gave that adorable, nervous giggle of hers, the one that she did when she thought she’d been caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar. “Mmmmaybe. But if you’re not up for that, we can always buy you something.”

“I don’t have the money.”

“I do.”

“Amy, I’m already living here rent-free,” Nicole pointed out. 

“Then you can pay me back- it’s a Halloween costume. This is the Bay State, and it’s October- they’re not gonna be out yet. C’mon- there’s gotta be something you’ve always wanted to dress up as, something you’ve been denying wanting to look like since you were a little girl.”

“... There is one thing,” Nicole said.

“What?” Amy asked as she used the tongs to remove the veggies from the grill. 

Nicole placed the fish atop the grill and wafted the scent- ahhh, salmon. “You’re gonna laugh.”

“I won’t laugh- I promise!”

“... The Little Mermaid.”

Amy went silent while Nicole stared at the fish. 

“Well?” Nicole asked. “Anything to add?”

Amy bit her lower lip. 

Nicole’s eyes narrowed. “You’re making fun of me.”

“Actually, I’m picturing you in the sea shells,” Amy smiled. 

“Blue Blazes, what am I gonna do with you,” Nicole rolled her eyes. “I actually meant the pink dress she wears at the first dinner.”

“Oh! Yeah, that works too! I’m sure we can find something before the week is out.”

“Okay, fine, I will get dressed up before we lure in and trap a lunatic nephilim,” Nicole monotoned. “But what about you? What are you gonna wear?”

“Oh, I always just wear my old cheerleading uniform,” Amy shrugged. “Still fits, so why not?”

That was when Nicole bit her lower lip.

“Something to add?”

“Oh, nothing at all,” Nicole smiled. 

They finished cooking their meal, and retired inside for the evening, putting a certain aquatic cartoon film on the television while they ate. They cleared the dishes, ran the dishwasher, and when the time came for them both to go to bed, they parted ways and went to their respective rooms only with great reluctance. 

Nicole looked up at the ceiling as sleep slowly came for her. Things that I like, she thought. Things that make me want to keep going, keep fighting the good fight. I think I’ve got something like that. 

***

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