#OK TIME FOR GAMEBOY

[cyanbobaaaaa]

DAY TWO AND THREE OF DRAWING PHIGHTING OCS!!

(cause people need to see the blorbos)

Shoulder Cannon belongs to: @portaldraws (<- VERY good artist!)

GameBoy belongs to: @gummyysharkz (<- HUGE inspo for me!!)

if u want urs drawn send me the ref in asks!! I love any and all characters <333 also if you see me liking your oc ref it’s probs cause ima draw em lol

[overwatch]

My OC Pokemon Trainers

Silver from Pokemon Silver, with 2 Gengars that use Hypnosis+Dream Eater (been doing this Einsten's wife move since Pokemon Stadium on N64). This is also why Silver looks tired bc the fella has 2 Gengars that feed from their sleep.

And Selene from the Hawaii Pokemon game with her water types and chill Raichu who surfs with her.

[professionaljester]

ok i was having fun with the funny sonic game until the final boss battle and now i have eye strain and might puke

[sylveonartbox]

Another color project. Can you tell I’ve been playing pokken tournament?

[three-dee-ess]

i think a lot of people are like "ok now that ive hacked my 3DS what do i do...?" but you need to understand it's more like you are simply unlocking some of the 3DS's potential. It's not like you unlock evil mode and now can play all of the games on enhanced difficulties or anything- it just means that you have more OPTIONS of how you want to use your 3DS.

hacking your 3DS just makes it better at playing games and all of hte things that entails.

Though I think my favorite thing about having a hacked 3DS is the fact that I can download whatever I want to it. All of the shitty games that I want to play forever. I can play all of the bad shovelware I want without feeling guilty about spending money on it. Because I didn't.

I can use all of the amiibo I want in all of the games I want now without having to buy them.

I can use it to take notes. I can use it to doodle. I can use it to spend some time playing games. It's hardy. l can throw my 3DS in my backpack without worrying about it breaking. (Something I can't do with my phone or switch lmao) you go "huh. I wonder if I can do this" and then you spend some time googling it and yeah. Yeah you Can do this. You can watch 3D movies on it. You Can play any gameboy title you want. You CAN download 100 titles and try to make basic pixel art with their icons.

The main thing about 3DS modding is that it just makes playing with your 3DS more fun. I think asking me "what should I do with my 3DS now that its modded" is like asking someone "what should i do in minecraft" the answer is whatever you can think of!!! and the beauty of the 3DS is that you don't need to have any grand ideas or whatever. You can just carry it around. It's not too heavy, its the size of a phone, and it's battery will last long enough for you to keep it in your bag all day.

[jovial-thunder]

Downtimes, module editor, water temple

Happy summer! There's smoke in Portland but it's not too bad. Bless firefighters. Work on Lancer Tactics continues apace.

This month has been mostly focused on the largest heretofore-untouched section of the game: downtimes and the module editor for designing the sequences between combats. We're not planning on doing anything particularly innovative or new in its design — if you've played Banner Saga, Fire Emblem (gameboy versions), or Rogue Squadron you'll recognize what's going on here.

Repair, level up, have visual-novel-style conversations with companions, do some light choose-your-own-adventuring, and pick & launch the next combat. All pretty standard downtime fare — games have pretty thoroughly explored these patterns as vehicles for narrative at this point.

The unique thing that Lancer Tactics is offering on this front is an editor to make your own entire campaigns. Classic games like Warcraft or Age of Empires had incredible scenario editors, but making anything more than a one-mission map was solely the domain of modders. Over the last few weeks, we've gotten a full basically-visual-novel-editor working ingame where you can orchestrate NPC story arcs, clocks ticking, branching paths, and triggered events for all the stuff that happens between combats.

All of the campaigns we ship with the game are going to be made with these same editors, which'll force us to really make sure that they're solid tools. I think it'd be very funny to someday see someone like completely ignore all the mech stuff and just make a visual novel in this engine.

There's no new preview game build this month because adding this big section of the game means too many things are under construction. I'm happy with how fast we've been able to get this going, but making ingame editors is a lot of unglamorous UI piping and data refactoring work. Fingers crossed that it'll come together enough that we'll be able to get the first version of this editor in your hands in time for the next update

Other Changelogs

Carpenter has started re-making the tutorial level from the demo in this new engine, which is pushing us to add a bunch of stuff to the combat editor. I added triggers for playing arbitrary effects on the map, moving the camera, storing arbitrary data to the battle/module states, enabling/disabling/triggering other triggers, AND/OR conditions, and putting execution limits on triggers.

Triggers can highlight UI or actions (so it can be like "use the boost to get through!" and the boost button becomes all shiny)

New "camera start" zone type

Added a "hotspot" zone type that has a little floating title, and plastered the names of other zones on the map (visual style stolen from some Foundry VTT modules)

Added water, whose level can be set via the editor or triggers.

Added unmounted pilots who can mount up into Shut Down mechs. We continue to plan to not have pilot combat be a part of the core game, but it'll be useful for scenario or scripted sequences.

Added activation pips and template icons to the mini healthbar on units.

A bunch more portrait editor assets from Martina, including facial hair. Here's a check Carpenter did where he tried to recreate some official Lancer art ingame. ✨

Schedule update

Taking a look at our original date for the "bones" of the game ("finishing the battle engine, basic character creation, 2 mechs per manufacturer, and an a 'instant action' mode"), we estimated being able to get it done by the end of November. The emotional milestone for me on this front is getting the game to a complete enough state that I feel OK about swapping it in on the itch.io page.

I've been saying that the 3D cataclysm has pushed us back back about 3 months, and I think that's still holding true. Carpenter and I haven't officially made the call yet, but I think it's likely we'll need that time to port more mech content; here's a graph they made that shows about where we're sitting on the PC and NPC mechs for the "bones" target in terms of mechanics and action icon/sprite. 

(This data is pulled from a big table they made that includes ALL talents/gear/traits where we've been marking things off as we've implemented them. Very handy for tracking where we are.)

That's all for now. Tata!

[staticvn]

the foxes : random headcanons (because i need to let it all out somewhere)

• Renee & Matt are both huge fans of atla and the pjo series. Dan likes it as well but not as much as they do. They also tried to convince Allison to watch it with them and despite saying it’s “not her thing” she really likes it.

• Renee keeps her own garden. Mostly plants and flowers though. She tries for some veggies as well but they never grow right

• At some point, Andrew would stop smoking completely. The withdrawals are crazy and he’s cranky as hell through the whole thing but yeah.

• Renee would definitely love visiting churches and cathedrals in different countries. Not only cuz she’s religious but also because she loves the architecture and art a lot.

• also also Renee would keep the coolest looking patterned stuff. Fox shaped & cat paw carved ceramic mugs, knitted sweaters with a lot of patchworks and so on.

• Renee taught Neil ASL. For no particular reason just that it’s a good thing to know. After that she also tried teaching some of the other foxes but mostly just the basics.

• Kind of surprise to everyone, Aaron would be really good at chess. Neil and Matt on the other hand… very much not. He sometimes has chess matches with Kevin but Kev always loses which genuinely drives him mad.

• Aaron knows latin- not just the medical terms that med students have to know but like the language. So you bet that whenever someone gets him angry he starts to yap at them in latin just to make a point of some sort.

• Andrew would like those old/retro gameboys

• Andrew always beats everyone in mario kart with Nicky often being either close second or complete last - no in between.

• Nicky is the #1 pancake maker. He was kind of awful at it at first but after many many tries he perfected it for the twins

• Kev is also the #1 cook in healthy but completely flavourless prison-looking meals (though it is not his fault. i blame the nest.)

• if the foxes would ever have escape room night best believe Neil would be the first to figure it out and in record time as well.

• Kevin is a mosquito magnet and won’t stop complaining about it…like ever. (had to google synonym for bitching btw)

• to fight off the “eboy Andrew” allegations im fighting back with “absolute loser Andrew” where he wears too big sweaters, reading glasses, has crooked teeth, and searches through different cryptid or internet mysteries- related sites for too long (…projecting but still)

• Neil hates coffee. his favorite tea is peppermint or earl grey.

• the monsters watch cartoons in the morning if they don’t have classes i said what i said

• Neil definitely got into photography (or sketching or both) at some point. there is just something so symbolic about that i just can’t wire up my brain rn to figure out why.

• Kevin listens to podcasts instead of music while working out because he is simply that type. sigh

ok im done

[loveephia]

you as nekoma's beautiful manager.

content: (🦷) tooth-rotting fluff, kenma has a small crush on you, reader is as pretty as kiyoko shimizu and alisa haiba, karasuno featured in the bonus.

⚠ warning/s: none.

inarizaki ver. | shiratorizawa ver. | fukurodani ver. | aoba johsai ver.

oh dear

now, it's no surprise that the boys have been wanting a manager for the longest time

and you just so happened to stumble into their gym while trying to look for the girls'

you wanted to tryout

but it's okay! you can still walk out and make it to the tryouts—

wrong.

because once yamamoto saw you in your tracksuit, assuming you'd be their manager, all hell broke loose.

guess there's no turning back now

"PRETTY.. MANAGER.." yamamoto falls to his knees and

ok, now, imagine him crying in the jojo artstyle

yeah, that's him rn

you don't know why, but two people in the back did a high-ten and yelled out, "yakisoba!"

yaku is sO KIND AND CARING although lev could say otherwise

kai helped you adjust to the team's stupidly loud antics 😭

kenma just nods at you and goes back to practice

kuroo recognizes you because you're one of the smartest students in nekoma. your report card, from top to bottom, is all filled with lines of 9 (grades from 90-100)

and it's safe to say that he's intimidated

because you're pretty, intelligent, and totally his type 🫦🫦

inuoka gives you a charming smile and you feel ten times lighter than when you first walked in the gym today

"woah, you're really pretty." lev, honey, yk you can think to yourself, right?

fukunaga welcomes you with a joke

"what kind of streets to ghosts haunt?"

"dead ends?" you respond

oh my gosh, is it you? is it really you?

are you the destined one he's been searching for for all of these grim years?

".. yeah, dead ends." fukunaga mumbles.

it's only day one, and you got the entire team admiring you already

nice kill 💯💯

1 point for nekoma 0 for karasuno

you sign the papers that need to be signed, and BOOM!,($!] you're now on trial!!!

everyone was kind!! they politely asked you for tosses, gave you reassurance and encouragement, and they helped you carry a few things to the gym!!

now they're taking a break, and kenma sat on the floor, pulling out his gameboy

you tried to sneak a few glances at what game he's playing, and you recognized it! it's the game you play in your spare time at home!!!

you try to peek at his level, but it's hard to see due to his hair

"you know, you can just.. ask me questions, right?" he asks

you knew that of course >:(

you sit next to him and ask for his level, and it turns out he's a few levels lower than you

sooner or later, you're giving him tips on how to play the game, and WOW HE'S A FAST LEARNER

he went from 15 levels below you to only 3 now

his motions were swift, and you couldn't help but stare starry-eyed as he played

why's kenma feeling warm all of a sudden

it's not even summer yet

maybe he needs some potassium

kuroo notices you two and is happy that kenma has someone he can share his interest in gaming with, like how kuroo shared him his interest in volleyball

BONUS

nekoma welcomed karasuno at the entrance, having been the only school here that karasuno is familiar with.

then suddenly, nishinoya and tanaka are wailing in the background while yamamoto laughs maniacally. "yes, oh, dear, karasuno! look at our beautiful manager!" you stood there idly. you were just trying to carry some fresh produce to the kitchen before yamamoto pulled you aside..

kuroo facepalms at yamamoto's behavior.

© lowercase intended | loveephia

[snalsupremacy]

Things I got from re-watching the s2 op way too many times

Spoilers for all of s2

ok, so the items inside the claw machine are an unintelligible photo, the pink bear, a Gameboy, and later a gun and a notebook can also be seen. Imma be so real I have no idea what the Gameboy and Notebook mean.

Though it's psychedelic, the liquid pouring out of cheng xiaoshi is def supposed to be blood

I have no idea which scene this photo is referring to. Could it be one of cheng xiaoshi's unseen deaths?

this frame drives me insane. WHY IS LU GUANG SMILING? IS HE SMILING? AM I READING TOO MUCH INTO IT? IT DEFINITELY LOOKS LIKE A SMILE BUT IDK MAYBE IM OVERTHINKING (pun intended)

The pink bear can actually be seen in xixi's hand! And since she was reaching for Cheng Xiaoshi, I can only assume that this op is saying that he and the plushie bear are symbolically the same

which makes this schene the more confusing to me. Is the horse skeleton thing supposed to symbolize death? Is the way it rips out of the plushie bear a way to represent how it is inevitable that cheng xiaoshi will die?

for some reason it took me a million rewatches to realize this giant metal thing is the claw from the claw machine, once again showing that the bear and him are the same

There's a very brief shot in which we can see Emma, Qiao Ling, Lu Guang, and Qian Jin all watching Cheng Xiaoshi fall.

Other stuff I noticed:

In the first half of the op the video is reversed while the song is normal, but once lg and cxs touch the video goes back to normal and the audio reverses. I think this is used to symbolize how they are experiencing time differently

Someone else pointed this out already, but while in the first op they are "diving" back in time, in this one they are straight-up drowning, showing how they lost control

The lyrics are 100% from Lu Guangs POV:

Take back all my regrets And camouflage it like your silhouette

^Lu Guang pretending that he doesn't know cxs is dead

Time is like music Play it 'til the end and then reset

^Lu Guang resetting the timeline every time cxs dies

Knowing it all, am I destined to fall? Like once you did for me

^ Despite knowing what will happen, Lu Guang continues to fail to stop his death

I think everyone noticed this but once Li Tianxi and Li Tianchen's identities are revealed, the hood comes off from the op and their faces are visible. Ops that change midway through to reflect the change in plot>>>>>>>

Conclusion

I'm really not that good in analysis and this op fascinates me just as much as it confuses me. Why is Qiao Ling turning her back on Cheng Xiaoshi's fall?? Why is Lu Guang's face not visible when they try to reach for each other?? What the hell is that notebookk😭what crime scene is in the photo?! So many questions and I genuinely don't know if they are supposed to be un-answered or if I'm just stupid(┬┬﹏┬┬)

Anyway this is my fave op ever. of all animated shows I've seen. and I've watched a lot man. yeah.

[ibrithir-was-here]

If you're taking doodle requests, maybe the Castle Dracula family engaging in a game night due to Jonathan bringing home a pack of cards? He and Quincey start out their games small, using gold coins as chips, then Mina joins in.

Dracula, being Dracula, is caught between turning up his nose and wanting very badly to join/ruin the fun.

All bets are off as to what the ultimate results are when, naturally, Luck > Skill in 90% of these games, and things get Competitive+ when the two resident chess master-Vampires can't simply outmaneuver anyone beyond being able to bluff.

(Jonathan considers just picking up a puzzle or two next time.)

I hope its ok this is all memes cuz that's the first things I thought of for this prompt xD

(The top one is a very self indulgent visual pun about how Jonathan could have canonically played Nintendo, if not the Nintendo Gameboy xD)

Ghost Quincey Cameo!

Dracula throws the whole deck out the window after losing. "Tis a foul bauble of man's revelry!"

[captainzigo]

so unfortunately very few entries here are going to properly be vintage. also what i consider vintage might not line up with what you do. i am not old.

also i am not wealthy. and my family isn’t wealthy. this is an expensive hobby to have. i get most of my stuff from loving it and refusing to throw it away… and digging through the trash at university. you would be surprised with the stuff people throw away. planned obsolescence has nothing on the fact that people can’t be bothered to fix a sour harddrive.

i actually fix computers as a sort of second job. it’s nice to work on computers i can’t afford and that aren’t from the trash. but i love old tech. i love breathing life in to things long dead. i’m a technonecromancer. i am not including pictures of things i haven’t finished yet for the most part. and i simply am not including most things. this is but a fraction of my power

ok so these are all my computers that work. i didn’t include ones that im still working on. they all worked but needed repairs variously. mostly they just needed new hard drives.

my game consoles. again not including ones that don’t work. i actually bought that 3ds, but the rest my parents gave me after they got them used. that gameboy has needed a screen replacement that required soldering. the ds is my little trooper and has needed nothing ever. the wii needed a new disc drive. and the 3ds came in japanese and i hacked it to english.

there’s a back view of my stickers

these are some of my various devices. again not including ones that don’t work. that nano needed a new battery which was actual hell and i’m surprised it survived. that ipad is the first ipad and she works beautifully and one time i fastened it to my tummy for a tellytubby costume. i was slutty lala and i played the old spiderman movie trilogy in glorious VHS quality. i couldn’t find my iphone 3gs for this picture :( but it will turn up. i’ll include an old picture instead of cleaning my room to find it lol

here are some novelties i just like. thats an old radio i swiped from my great grandfather. i got it working but it broke again. i dont know whats wrong with it and its so old that the parts are impossible to find. on the right is the browser for DS which is just so quaint. i love it. it barely works at all but i loaded a wikipedia page one time so xP

this is my terrible stupid tiny phone i got from aliexpress that barely works BUT IT DOES WORK and is technically loaded with all modern smartphone features. i attached a video of it barely playing roblox

this is my og imac. with the og keyboard. i didn’t include it with the working computers because it doesn’t. the harddrive died and im trying to fix it but its really hard. i’ve already sought out two different adapters that haven’t worked

and this is a commodore 64 that i also got out of the trash. it does not work but im hoping to make it work. someone clearly loved it. enough to paint it crazy colors and enough to

write some weird scifi quote on the inside of the case under the RF shield. but maybe they died, or it just became too much of an undertaking.

not included here is:

• several more apple products that i just don’t think look good. all the iphones between 6 and 11 are just so ugly. and i don’t actually like the way apple watches look

• the phone, tablet, and smart watch i actively use

• various bits and bobs like the official speakers for a imac 4, an electronic pocket dictionary, various wii peripherals and so on

• all of my audio equipment

• my iphone 3gs. i just never found it or any pictures of it. i love it tho. it was my first phone (hand me down. i’m not that old) and i have had to repair it so many times and i love taking bad photos with it

• all of my monitors

• my many videogames

• my old fridge that i love and cherish and use

• anything i have fixed and then given to someone else

• a bunch of other stuff

so if you are a beautiful trans woman, are you in love with me yet? or do i need to make a part two

[jelly-fish-wishes]

I’m gonna put it out there because my brain cannot contain my excitement for this idea.

First, let me explain.

When I was around…what…6? I was gifted my first ever Gameboy Advance. I only had four games. Hamtaro Ham-Ham Heartbreak (never found all of the ham chats lol), Sonic Advanced (only ever beat the game as Tails because his flying allowed me to swim out of the water when I was drowning), Super Mario World Advanced, and a copy of Super Mario Bros 3 Advanced (gifted to me the day it came out. Never beat it because I kept dying to the sun on world 2 and then lost the copy)

Ok ok. This was my only source of Mario content at the time besides Mario 64, Sunshine, and Mario Party, so 6 year old me thought the “Bros” in the title meant like “friends”. You know? Like “This is my bro!” So little Jell-O here thought Mario and Luigi were friends, not brothers.

But Jell-O, you might ask. They look the same! Surely you weren’t that dumb? You underestimate my stupidity. But at the same time it made sense as to why I thought they weren’t brothers? Peach and Daisy also looked similar to me as a kid, and they weren’t related. So my confusion was justified!

So as a Hispanic child who was bilingual, when I first heard Mario say “Mama Mia,” I concluded that he was Mexican since that phrase also works in Spanish (fun fact, the direct translation of Mama Mia is “Mother of mine”). I should have taken the hint that they were blood related when I also heard Luigi say the same thing every time he died, but my dumb ass was so convinced that they weren’t related that I assume he was Irish because he was GREEN CNLKDWLKCWSNPKSDNKP. Somehow I knew what Ireland was, but not Italy 💀.

With all of this in mind, I wanna make a roommates AU where Mario and Luigi are NOT brothers. Mario is Mexican with a little bit of a potty mouth and Luigi is a superstitious Irishmen who is weary of mushrooms and ghosts (tbh, not that different from canon Luigi)

Just picture a scenario where they both try to gift each other flags of their respective countries, but they confuse both flags for the Italian Flag 😭

Luigi: *staring at the Italian flag that Mario is trying to pass off as the Irish flag* Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Mario, the flag has ORANGE, not RED.

Mario: *staring at the Italian flag that Luigi is trying to pass off as the Mexican flag* What happened to the eagle?

[marvelfanfics1]

Hi!

Ok, I think Groot would try to be such a good caregiver. Not that he really understands so he isn't full time but he would babysit. Always carrying you around, snatching snacks and trinkets for you (sometimes stealing but he doesn't know that), and covering your eyes when something scary happens.

Could you maybe write a babysitter cg Groot x little reader? Whenever you get the chance. Thank you for reading!

Little Guardian

Pairing: cg!Guardians x little!reader

Warnings: Age Regression, fluff

A/n: This idea is soooo cute! I enjoyed writing it so much, if you have more ideas with the Guardians just send them in ;) I made it like all the Guardians take care of the reader but it's a bit more focused on Groot's and reader's friendship, I hope that's okay and that you enjoy it <3

                                   ⭒𖥸⭒

One day Quill went to the Collector again just to exchange something and when he saw you sitting in one of those cages he knew instantly you were from earth.

Peter didn't care how many Units he had to pay or what the crew would say.

He only had to take one look at you and had the need to take you somewhere safe and help you.

You didn't say a single word when he picked you up and carried you away, you were far too scared and shaking like a leaf, not knowing what that stranger would do to you.

He wasn't scary looking and you somehow felt more at ease when he smiled at you.

"I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe now, I promise"

You sighed in relief and rested your head on his shoulder, finally feeling safe enough to close your eyes.

"Quill, you had one job." Rocket remarked and watched Peter gently placing you on one of their seats, buckling you in without waking you up.

"Could you shut up for a second!" Peter whisper-yelled and motioned his team members to follow him somewhere else where they can talk freely.

"Peter, who is that and why did you bring her here?" Gamora asked and Peter sighed.

"Listen, I know this might sound stupid but I just couldn't leave her there. She looked miserable and I know she's from earth, I don't want to know how the Collector got her in the first place," he said and the others stayed quiet.

Gamora turned her head to look at your sleeping form. She saw Groot placing a blanket over your body and smiled a little when he pat your head gently. Quill was right, you definitely didn't look healthy and she felt bad for you. What you had to go through must have been hard to take in.

"Okay, she can sleep in my bed until we find another solution," Gamora said and kissed Peter on his cheek.

"Thank you."

"So, we're going to keep it?" Drax asked and Quill gave him a 'what the hell' look when he referred to you as 'it'.

"Dude, she's not a pet," Peter told him. "But yes, she's going to stay with us. A new member of the Guardians" he smiled.

One month later

"Y/n, sweetheart, put that down for daddy, yeah?" Peter tried to stay calm while you were giggling and running around with one of his weapons.

"You have ta catch me first!" you shout and suddenly bumped into Groot, who took the weapon out of your hand making you pout.

"I am Groot" he scolded and you huffed, turning to Peter.

"Sowwy I took your blaster, daddy," you said and Groot pat your head two times, you smiled again and took his hand.

Peter was still shocked at how fast Groot handled this situation and Gamora chuckled while walking over to him.

"How is he doing that?" he asked.

"Are we getting a little jealous?" Gamora smirked and Peter scoffed.

"Jealous? Me? Never." he said confidently and they both saw you sitting on Groot's lap, playing with his old Gameboy and squealing in joy. "Maybe a little."

"Just remember who she is going to cuddle with later when it's time for bed" she reminds him, making her way over to you and booped your nose.

                                   ⭒ꕥ⭒

Groot and you had a special bond and would spend a lot of time with him. He's so protective of you that when there's a fight he would rather stay with you on the Milano to make sure you're safe.

Sometimes when you visited other planets you were always allowed to leave the ship but only with one of the others and you have to hold one of their hands at all times.

"Gwoot look!" you pointed at something that looked like a stuffed animal. "It looks funny" you smiled and Groot did so as well.

"Y/n, come on, we have to go!" Peter called for you and you rushed over to him.

Back in the ship you were sitting in your little play area, playing with your toys when Groot stood in front of you with his arms behind his back.

You gasped when he showed you the stuffed animal you saw earlier. You jumped up and took the stuffie, feeling how soft it is.

"Fank you!" you smiled and hugged Groot tightly.

"I am Groot" he smiled back and handed you a juice box too.

You took that stuffie everywhere, to bed, to eat, to the bathroom, and would get upset when you lost him somewhere in the ship and everyone would end up helping to find it.

                                   ⭒𖥸⭒

Taglist

@marvelsguantletkeeper @my-river-lilly @pauntedblacknails @fanfictioniseverything @devilslilbabysblog @buckymydarlingangel @hallecarey1 @daybreakwinter @loveshineslikethesky @wandaslittlewhore @vase-of-lilies @white-wolf1940 @simpingbutch @mischiefsemimanaged @alina02 @teddybearsgrr @doozywoozy @angelbabydoll28 @st3rgirl @glxwingrxse @lilymurphy03 @veryvaughnny @lokigirlszendaya @youngstarfishdinosaur @little--baby--bear @minideathgoddess @rach2602 @aagn360 @gh0stgurl @flourishandblotts-inc

Crossed out are the ones I somehow can't tag!

[justagalwhowrites]

Lavender - Ch. 10

You take Joel and Tommy around the QZ and reconnect while Andrew has misgivings. A continuation of Lavender Ch. 1-9 found on Tumblr here.

Main pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader

Length: 9.1K (sorryyyyyyyy)

Warnings: Smut :D YES FRIENDS JOEL IS BACK SO WE GET SMUT Oral sex, female receiving; unprotected p in v sex (wrap it up kids); no use of Y/N. Minors, DNI. 18+ only

“You’re not OK.” 

You were staring at the doors where they’d just taken Joel and Tommy. You couldn’t stop watching the doors. 

“Hey.” 

Andrew’s hand went over your shoulder. 

“Yeah?” You said, glancing at him for a moment before looking back at the doors. 

“C’mon,” he said. “We should get you out of here, you’re not OK.” 

You looked up at him. 

“Can I stay with you?” You asked. 

“Sure you don’t want to do your place?” He frowned. “I’ll go there…”

“Yours is closer,” you said.  

“By a block!” 

You shrugged. He sighed. 

“Yeah, my place.” 

He put his arm around you and tucked you against his side, staying mercifully quiet on the walk to his apartment. 

Joel was here. In Boston. He was alive, he’d survived all this time. He was here. Sarah wasn’t. 

“Hey Andrew,” his roommate, Steve, was on the couch, playing a GameBoy. He did a double take when he saw you. “Doc! Haven’t seen you in a bit. Thought you guys were doing better on the codependency thing…” 

“Not the night for it, dude,” Andrew cut him off. 

“No, it’s fine,” you sighed, flopping on an arm chair that you’d help them fix. You’d had to figure out an upholstery needle for that one. “You’re right. I’m just a shit show of a person at the moment.” 

“What happened?” He asked, glancing back at you before going back to the GameBoy. 

“Joel’s here,” Andrew said, putting a glass of whiskey in your hand and sitting on the floor by the couch. 

“Wait what?” Steve turned and stared at you. The GameBoy made a sad sound. “Aw shit, that was my last life…” 

“Sorry,” you said, taking a sip of the liquor. It was bad. You didn’t care. You looked in the direction of the clinic. 

“The fuck did Joel come from?” Steve asked, sitting up and tossing the GameBoy on their gouged coffee table. “Five years and he just appears out of the ether? It’s THE Joel, right? The one you’ve been looking for since the outbreak started?” 

“Yup,” you took another drink. 

“And you’ve seen him,” he said. “It’s not like you heard about him showing up in like… Atlanta or some shit, right?” 

“Oh he’s here,” Andrew said, sounding none too happy about it. You frowned. “In holding at the clinic as we speak, had to pry him off her to get him to go back…” 

“You don’t like him,” you said it more than asked it. Andrew sighed. 

“I don’t not like him,” he said. He was choosing his words carefully. 

“Then what’s the deal?” You asked. “I thought you’d be happy for me.” 

“I’m happy he’s alive,” he shrugged. 

“But?” 

“But,” he sighed, looking up at you, clenching his jaw for a moment. “Look, I talk to a lot more smugglers than you do.” 

“Yeah, I really wish you wouldn’t do that…” you said but he ignored you. 

“I know what people do outside the QZ to get by,” he said. “None of it is good. If he’s made it this long, it’s because he’s done some shit. Bad shit.” 

“What are you saying?” You frowned down at him. 

“I’m saying,” he said slowly. “That the Joel you knew? Is probably long dead. Unless the Joel you knew was a killer. Because the one who showed up here is.” 

“We’re killers, too, Andrew,” you said quietly. “I killed a lot of people to get us here.” 

“You killed infected,” he corrected you. “I killed infected. That’s different, they’re dead men walking then. It’s a mercy killing. That’s not the kind of killing I’m talking about.” 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” you said, shaking your head. “There’s no way…” 

“He might have been a fucking raider for all we know,” he said. 

“That’s harsh,” Steve said. 

“It’s true,” Andrew replied. “Steve, you deal with smugglers all the time.” 

“I cannot confirm or deny…” he replied but you cut him off. 

“Come on, I work for FEDRA because I have no other options. I’m not a narc,” you rolled your eyes. “I know you buy pot, Steve.” 

“Oh,” he said. “Then yeah, all the fucking time.” 

“And what do they say about the outside?” Andrew asked. “About the people they trade with?” 

“It’s… rough,” he said. “Even the smugglers have to do some shady shit. But that doesn’t mean he’s a raider…” 

“He’s not a raider,” you snapped. “He’d never have put Sarah at risk like that…” 

“Yeah and he showed up without her,” Andrew said. “Something killed her.” 

“Don’t you fucking dare,” you snapped, jumping to your feet so you towered over him from his spot on the floor. “He’d have never done anything to hurt her, never would have let anything happen to her if he could do anything to stop it, he’d have died for that girl if he could have.” 

“Old Joel, sure,” he shrugged, looking you dead in the eye. “You don’t know this Joel, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. It’s been a long five years. For everyone.” 

You sat back down, staying on the edge of the chair and chugging the last of the shitty whiskey. 

“I just don’t trust him with you,” he said, voice gentle. “You’re fragile…” 

“No I’m not,” you snapped. “I’ve survived everything you have.” 

“Emotionally fragile,” he replied. “You’re better than me that way.” 

You snorted. 

“By our powers combined, we’re almost a functioning person,” you joked. He laughed. 

“I’m just saying, I’m worried the guy is going to wreck you,” he said. Steve laughed, Andrew smacked him. “Dude. Not like that.” 

“Sorry,” he was still laughing. “Sorry, Doc!” 

Andrew sighed. 

“You know what I mean,” he said. “And I don’t want you suffering because you went in all open hearted to some guy you don’t actually know.” 

“It’s Joel,” you said softly. He sighed. 

“Yeah, I know it is.” 

The three of you stayed up drinking for a bit, your eyes always drifting back toward the clinic, where Joel was. 

“Alright, come on,” Andrew said eventually, half pulling you out of the chair. “You need to sleep, I know you’ve been going all day today and tomorrow’s going to be rough.” 

“I’m not sure I’m going to be able to sleep,” you said, looking toward the clinic again. 

“There’s nothing you can do for him right now,” he said gently. “And I think we can agree that the Joel you used to know would want you to get some sleep, yeah?” 

“Yeah,” you nodded. 

“Then let’s go.”

You went to his room and got the pajamas out of the half drawer he’d left for you in the dresser. 

“You know, if we’re actually aiming to break the codependency habit, we should probably not leave shit at each other’s apartments,” you said, changing with your backs to each other. 

“We’re doing better than we were five years ago,” he said. 

“A low bar indeed,” you said, getting in bed. He climbed in beside you. “Sorry in advance.” 

“Yeah, I know what I’m getting into,” he said. “You do the same for me. Wake me up if you need it.” 

He held his arms open and you tucked yourself against his chest. 

“Same.” 

There were planes falling from the sky again. You could smell burning jet fuel and the inhuman sound of infected was deafening, so loud you couldn’t move. You just fell to your knees, hands over your ears, screaming to drown out the other sounds. 

“Help!” Sarah was in front of you, wearing the shorts and tank top she’d been in the last time you’d seen her, July five years earlier. You could see the metal of the barrettes in her hair, reflecting the fire as it burned. You reached for her but she was suddenly too far away, so far out of reach. But her voice somehow carried over the screams of the infected. “Help me!” 

“Hey!” Andrew shook you, snapping you back into reality. It took you a moment to figure out where you were. You were hyperventilating. “It’s OK, I’ve got you…” 

“Fuck,” your tense body loosened into the mattress. There were tears in your eyes. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize,” he said. “Just breathe through it, you’re OK.” 

You nodded into his chest and did the best you could to obey. 

“What time is it?” You asked. 

“Just after 4:30,” he said. “You did pretty good, all things considered.” 

“Look at me, almost sleeping through the night,” you sniffed. “I’m like an accomplished infant.” 

“I’ve been in worse positions with you,” he said. He kissed the top of your head. “This is just what we do.” 

You stayed in bed until your heart rate returned to normal and got up, only then realizing that you didn’t have much in the way of clothing options at Andrew’s place and you certainly didn’t keep the things you liked the best there. It was a stupid thing to be worried about, but you wanted Joel to think you looked good. You wanted to feel like you looked good when you were with him. 

“Want to go back to your place real quick?” Andrew asked, leaning against his doorway. Like he could read your mind. At this point, he probably could. 

“No,” you said, putting on the shirt you had there. “I want to get to the clinic.” 

He sighed but went with you. 

“You’re going to be real early for work if you show up now,” you teased him, trying to focus on anything even slightly normal. 

“I know, it’s a change of habit,” he half smiled at you. “Aren’t you usually making excuses for me?” 

“We all just expect it now,” you shrugged. “You’re lucky I’m such an amazing doctor, they want to keep me sane so they’re stuck with you and your shit.” 

“Should really abuse that connection as long as possible,” he nodded solemnly. “Pretty much the only reason I keep you around, only a matter of time before you get wise.” 

You got to the clinic and he unlocked the front door, no other doctors there yet. 

“You can’t get him for an hour,” he said, leaning against the front counter. “They picked them up at 6 p.m., Lee and Elias won’t let you fudge the waiting period…” 

“Yeah, I know,” you sighed. “But I wanted to be here.” 

You were starting to wonder why you’d ever left the clinic at all. It felt better here, being in closer proximity. You couldn’t see Joel but you knew he wasn’t far, close enough that you could be to him in just a moment if it wasn’t for the walls and guards between you and the holding rooms. You could breathe easier knowing he was close, knowing you were going to touch him again in just a little while. That this was as close to him as you could get and you’d done what you could to be there. 

“C’mon,” he jerked his head and led you down to the doors for the holding rooms. You frowned but he just sat beside them and patted the floor next to him. “My lap’s a good pillow. Try to get some more sleep.” 

“You’re lap’s a shit pillow, actually,” you snorted but sat down beside him, anyway. “You’ve put on too much muscle, you need some pudge. You’re too hard.” 

Your head went into his lap anyway. He ran his fingers through your hair. 

“Bake for me more and we’ll see what happens on the pudge front,” he replied. 

You did manage to drift off for a few minutes, Andrew’s easy breathing and his hand in your hair making you feel secure enough to sleep again. But yelling from the other side of the door woke you up. 

You shot up with a jolt. 

“No,” you breathed, jumping to your feet and yanking on the doors. You knew they would be locked, you couldn’t get into the holding area without a security escort. You kept pulling anyway before you started beating on them. “Let me back! Let me back!” 

Andrew pulled you back and you fought to rip yourself away from him. 

“If he turned, you don’t want to see that,” he said, his arms caging you in. “If he’s turned, there’s nothing you can do…” 

“He’s not dying alone!” You sobbed, straining and reaching for the doors. “I don’t care if he’s turned he’s not dying alone!” 

The doors opened, a guard looking you over. 

“Friends of yours in there, Doc?” He asked. You nodded. “They’re pretty demanding, wanting to see you.” 

“So they didn’t turn?” You asked, going still. 

“Just as healthy as they were when they went in,” he replied. You went limp in Andrew’s arms, relieved. The guard sighed. “They’ve only got half an hour left, want to come sit with them? On this side of the bars, can’t let you back further.” 

You couldn’t seem to find your voice so you just nodded as fast as you could. Andrew released you and you all but ran into the holding area. 

It wasn’t a place you knew all that well, always escorted on the occasions you needed to come back and euthanize someone who came in infected but still lucid. You hated this place, hated being in there, hated that it seemed to reek of death even though you knew it was clean and sanitized. 

Joel was… loud. His voice carried and you were able to follow it easily, running full tilt until you found where he was. They were in separate cells and there was another set of bars separating the passage between the cells and where you were. Tommy noticed you first. 

“I don’t give a shit,” Joel was yelling.”I need to see her, I need to see her right now…” 

“Hey Kid,” he smiled sheepishly from the holding cell across from his brother. 

You gave him a quick smile as Joel realized you were there. His eyes ranged over you, like he was reassuring himself that you were alive. 

“Hey, Tommy,” you said. You weren’t looking at him. “Hey, Joel.” 

“He make enough noise that they went and woke you up?” Tommy asked. You still didn’t look at him but you shook your head. 

“Couldn’t sleep,” you replied. “Figured I’d just come here. I was going to just sit in the clinic but…” 

“Everything OK?” Andrew asked. It was almost reassuring that he hadn’t felt the need to run with you. Almost. 

“Yup,” you nodded once.

“My brother was just causing a scene,” Tommy said, giving him a wave. “I’m Tommy, by the way. That’s Joel. Seems like you’re a… friend of the Kid’s.” 

“The Kid’s?” You could hear Andrew’s frown. 

“What they called me back in the day,” you glanced back toward him. You were right, he was frowning. You looked back toward Joel and smiled a little. “Ten years ago now.” You realized that you hadn’t introduced anyone to someone else in… well, years. “Sorry, this is Andrew.” 

When he didn’t say anything you looked back at him, giving him a look. He sighed and raised a hand. 

“Hi,” he said, tone flat. You rolled your eyes and looked back to Joel. He was pretty much the only place you wanted to look. 

“There’s a lot you have to do when coming into the QZ,” you said after a moment of awkward silence. “I’m going to take you guys through it today, get you housing, into the system to find work, that sort of thing…”

“Gonna be weird to be in a system again,” Tommy joked. You glanced at him. He was watching Joel, closely. Trying to get him to engage. “Course starting out behind bars oughta kick start that process for me.”

“God, I bet,” you said, talking more to Tommy but glancing at Joel. “Should be old hat for you now. I pretty much went from one system to another but hey nothing was as bad as when I was trying to get into that one 400-level bio class my senior year. Remember that, Joel? I had to be on campus at 6 a.m. on registration day so I could get one of the slots? I made you take me so I wouldn’t have to park…” 

“You didn’t make me do anything,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I volunteered. Got to spend the morning with you, worth losing a little sleep.” 

You smiled. Andrew was wrong. Your Joel was still in there. He always would be. 

***

Joel hadn’t slept for shit. The dreams woke him up early. He’d dreamed of you dying before - more times than he cared to count, more times than he cared to think of. It had been a foregone conclusion then. He had the idea that he would have felt it when you died, sensed it somehow. He’d just… know. And he’d felt that way. The day after the outbreak, he’d felt it. 

He stopped looking for you then. Couldn’t handle it, having it confirmed on the off chance he ever found something leading to you. Not that there was any kind of record keeping in the apocalypse but he lived in fear of one day finding out that you’d been infected, that someone had hurt you before they killed you. 

But the lack of knowing left room for his mind to concoct the worst outcomes. You, torn to pieces by infected. You, shot and left to bleed out after your supplies were stolen. You, taken as a commodity by the kinds of men who grabbed power when things went to shit, killed when you were no longer useful. His unconscious mind had filled in every blank except one: you, alive. 

Now that he knew you were, the dreams were a different form of hell. They weren’t images of what had happened, things he couldn’t change no matter how much he wanted to. Instead they were fates that could befall you, things he desperately needed to protect you from. When the dreams woke him up this time, he couldn’t handle it. He had to see you. Confirm that you were alive, whole. And they were keeping him from you. 

He tried to keep it down for Tommy. He tried to ask nicely. It got him nowhere. It felt like he was going to lose his mind if he couldn’t just see you, just for a second, just to confirm that you were OK. The relief when saw you was acute, sharp. Like someone had healed a gaping knife wound in his chest. It took him a moment to even hear what you were saying. 

You kept looking at him, like you needed to see him, too. Only ever pulling your eyes away to glance at Tommy or sometimes the man who’d come in with you. Joel knew he’d heard his name but he hadn’t remembered it. He was just thankful he seemed to be keeping his fucking hands to himself. 

“Alright, step back guys,” the guard snapped Joel out of his own head, stepping forward with keys. He immediately obeyed. He started with Tommy first - probably punishment for Joel’s yelling overnight - and then moved to Joel. You were there, just one more set of bars between you. It seemed like unlocking that last fucking door took hours when he knew it had only been a moment and then he was holding you again. 

You somehow still smelled like lavender. It didn’t make sense, how the fuck did you smell like flowers in the apocalypse? Maybe he hadn’t found you. Maybe he’d finally lost his mind and he was hallucinating in a ditch somewhere. He didn’t fucking care. You were soft and warm and smelled like you and your arms were so tight around him he couldn’t take a full breath and he didn’t care about that either. 

“Can we get the fuck out of here?” Your… whatever he was said. “I hate it back here.” 

You nodded against Joel’s chest before you realized that you’d probably have to speak to answer him. 

“Yeah,” you said. Your voice was muffled by his shirt. “Let’s go.” 

You hand slipped into his as you separated from him, as though touching him was the most natural thing in the world, and you followed your friend out of the clinic. 

It was still dark outside, the city quiet. 

“Welcome to the Boston QZ,” you smiled a little, looking up at Joel. “Your luxury accommodations for the end of the world.” 

Tommy laughed. Joel smiled. You’d kept your sense of humor. 

“Truly the finest,” your friend was walking backwards so he could look at you. Joel narrowed his eyes at him. “Ration cards, FEDRA housing, a black market that occasionally has AC/DC albums. We have it all.” 

“You hid my Beatles CD at the clinic, I know you did,” you said, tone accusing but light. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he tried to look innocent. “I do know that the next time you’re going into surgery and you just absolutely need ‘Hey Jude’ to get through it, it will magically appear.” 

“You’re the worst person,” you smiled as you said it. “Just a kick in the balls personified.”

“How would you even know!” 

“It was a very important part of my training,” you said seriously. “Studied ball kicking very intensely…” 

“You’re ridiculous.” 

You stopped at a side street and your friend frowned. 

“I know you’re tired,” you said. 

“So.” 

“Don’t need an escort, Andrew.” 

Andrew. Joel tried to remember it this time.  

He glanced quickly at Joel then looked back to you. 

“You know why…” 

“And I’m saying I know that’s not a concern,” you cut him off. “I don’t need you to protect me.” 

“Yeah, well, maybe you do,” he replied. “Maybe I know better than you here.” 

“Andrew.” 

He sighed. 

“I’m checking on you later,” he said, pulling you into a hug and kissing your temple. Your hand stayed in Joel’s. He lowered his voice but Joel could still hear him. “Remember what I said. He’s not…” 

“I’ll be fine,” you looked up at him. He quickly glanced to Joel, kissed your temple again, and left. You watched him go for a moment. 

“Sorry about that,” you said brightly. “Andrew’s paranoid. Course I’m paranoid with him too so I guess it’s only fair… anyway, stop one on our tour is going to be my apartment. We can grab something to eat and I can get a few things to make getting you set up easier.” 

You led them another block to a building that had probably once been luxury apartments but those days were long passed. Your place was on the third floor and Joel liked that there were two deadbolts on your door. 

“Sorry, it’s pretty small…” you opened the door for them and turned on the lights. It was small, even by city standards. All one room, your bed against one wall with a small couch at the foot of it. A two seat table just off the kitchen that only had one stretch of counter. What little extra space there was was filled with shelves covered in books and CDs. “I never have more than one person over at a time but you guys take the table, I’ll see what I have here. Unfortunately Whataburger died with the rest of civilization and it never made it this far north to begin with so we’ll just have to make do with what I’ve got.” 

You opened a tin - one you’d painted because of course you had - and put it on the table. Tommy all but dove into it, grabbing an oatmeal cookie and taking a bite, moaning as he did. 

“Fuck, Kid, you still make a mean cookie,” he said, sitting back in his chair. You smiled.

“You just haven’t had cookies in a while,” you said. “Imagine if you could just get a fucking Oreo now?” 

“Yours are still better,” he shrugged. Joel took one, too, looking at it for a second. He hadn’t had anything like this in so long - and nothing of yours in even longer. He took a bite, absorbing it for a moment. Tommy was right. You still made fucking delicious cookies. He watched as you rifled through your tiny kitchen, pulling things out, frowning, considering them, setting them on the counter. You were still… you. He didn’t understand it. How were you still you? After everything that had happened to the world, you’d remained intact. 

“So first lesson in QZ foodstuffs,” you said, setting a few things out on the table. “Lots of shit that’s been preserved. Jerky is, unfortunately, your most reliable source of protein. We get the fresh stuff from time to time but it’s pricy. Andrew’s roommate Steve gets it the most but he usually asks me to cook it because they were teenage boys during the outbreak and couldn’t cook a steak if their lives depended on it…” You shook your head and smiled a little and then blushed. “Sorry, I’m rambling, I just haven’t talked to… Anyway! Dried fruit, I’ve still got some bread left from what I made the other day and there’s coffee. The coffee is pretty rough, fair warning, the beans are all like five years old.” 

You poured them each a cup, grabbed a slice of bread and went and sat on your small couch. Joel frowned, taking a piece of jerky and his coffee and sitting next to you. You just raised your eyebrows at him but didn’t question when he put his arm on the back of the couch and you slid into your place against him, head on his chest. He put his arm around you. This was better. 

“So how’s the ration card thing work?” Tommy asked after a moment of looking between the two of you. 

“They’ve basically just replaced money at this point,” you shrugged, still tucked against Joel’s side. He could feel you breathing. “I think they were intended to work differently than that - I was only in some of those discussions. I helped Dr. Elias set up the medical facilities here at first so I know a lot more about that. Even though that’s devolved a bit, too. I’ve tried to keep the better things going as I can but we’re reliant on what we can get from FEDRA out of Atlanta when it comes to medications and supplies. Originally, ration cards were intended to make it so everyone had enough and no one took too much but of course human nature took hold. I work a lot - don’t exactly have much else going on in my life - and it’s just me, so I’ve got a bit of a stash built up. We can use that to help make sure you guys get set up in a decent place, have food to get you going, that sort of thing.” 

“We can’t have you wasting your money on us,” Tommy tried to wave you off but you scoffed. “The fuck else am I supposed to use it on?” You rolled your eyes. “I’d rather them go to something good than sit with me forever.” 

After breakfast, you made Joel get off the couch and moved it slightly, prying up a floorboard below it. You pulled out an old shoebox and grabbed a few handfuls of cards from it, tucking them into a small bag. 

“Trusting you guys with the location of my secret stash,” you teased. “Don’t go clearing me out now.” 

You looked between them for a moment before something seemed to occur to you. 

“Oh, duh,” you shook your head. “I don’t think I have much here that would fit either of you - Andrew’s a bit on the skinny side - but did you want to shower real quick? We can always come back later, after we get you some clean clothes and whatnot but if you want to clean up now, too…” 

“Later’s fine,” Joel said quickly. He wasn’t sure he could handle being somewhat alone with you in your small apartment while Tommy got cleaned up. Not yet. Not if Andrew had clothes at your place. 

“Then on to the next adventure,” you smiled and led the way. 

You took them through the city, pointing out various landmarks and things of note (“That’s the speakeasy. Technically illegal but FEDRA officers are in there as often as anyone else, really the only safe spot for a drink in town.” “That’s where you go to find work until you can get something steady.” “Market’s here, use ration cards to get what you need…”). Your fingers were always laced with Joel’s. It seemed like everyone there knew you. Everywhere you stopped, someone said hi. Everyone called you Doc, like that was your name. Except one older man who made you practically jump out of your skin when you saw him. 

“Abe!” You called out, waving your arm up high. He spotted you and you started pulling Joel along behind you to meet him. 

“Sweets!” He pulled you in for a quick hug before looking Joel up and down. “Who’s this?” 

“It’s Joel and Tommy,” you smiled so huge your face shone with it. Abe’s eyes went wide. 

“Oh, Sweets,” he hugged you again. Your hand stayed in Joel’s. “I’m so happy for you. How’d you find them?”

“They showed up yesterday evening,” you were still smiling. “I knew they would turn up eventually…” 

“You did,” Abe stepped back from you, lifting your chin with his fingers, smiling affectionately at you. “Just goes to show you shouldn’t listen to an old man like me.” 

He looked at Joel at Tommy for a moment, like he was looking at ghosts, before looking back to you. 

“Take it I won’t be seeing you tomorrow then?” He asked, half smiling. 

“Hey, I said I’d bring you muffins,” you replied. “They just might be a few days late.” 

“You’ve fattened me up enough,” he hugged you tightly. “How about I just see you around. I’m so happy for you, sweetheart.” 

You watched him go for a second before turning back to Joel and Tommy. 

“I’m so sorry, I am so bad at introducing people now,” you shook your head. “I’ve just known everyone for years… That was Abe. He’s the radio operator here. It’s underground, goes to the other QZs but FEDRA turns a pretty blind eye. I’ve been his most regular customer for the last five years.” 

“Why?” Tommy frowned. “Why’d he seem to know us?” 

“I’ve been looking for you,” you replied, starting off again. “I figured if anyone was going to make it out alive, you guys were. And I didn’t think you’d go to a QZ until you either absolutely had to or you decided life outside the QZ wasn’t worth the trouble and you decided to give it a shot on the inside. I knew you’d turn up eventually. So Abe’s been radioing all the other QZs for me twice a week every week to see if you’d turned up.” 

Joel roughly pulled you into his chest, breathing in your hair. You hesitated for a moment before wrapping your arms around his waist. 

“You OK?” You asked, voice muffled. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Got you.” 

He could barely pay attention to anything else that happened. You hadn’t given up on him. You’d been searching, calling around, trying to track him down, certain that he was alive somewhere. You hadn’t given up on him. He’d just given up on you. 

Five years. Five fucking years you’d been almost exactly where he’d told you to go. Had he just gone where he’d said he’d go, he’d have tried Boston almost immediately. And he’d have found you. He could have been with you the last half a decade and instead he’d been wandering the wasteland that had been the United States, finding places to lay low, killing whoever he needed to for supplies, justifying it with survival. And you’d been here, searching for him. 

There were a few changes about you he noticed as you helped them through the process of getting set up in the QZ. One was, you’d become a deft negotiator. You were still you about it - never cold or cruel, all kindness and sweetness as you bartered, leveraging your personality and skills in the process - but it was strange to see you go back and forth with the housing person to try to get them what you thought was a suitable place. You did it, though, counting out the ration cards in your bag and passing them over with a kind smile. 

You did something similar at the clothing shop, chatting with the woman who was putting out new stock to get her to point out where the better stuff was and asking after the cashier’s child (“How’s that incision looking? Still holding food down OK? Need me to come by and check up on him?”) She gave you a discount and you told her to just come by the clinic if she changed her mind about her son, that you’d be happy to make a house call. 

Five years you’d been here and you’d built yourself a life. You somehow managed to have everyone you met wrapped around your finger. It was the end of the fucking world and you’d made everyone fall in love with you. Of course you had. You’d stayed sweet and soft and kind through it all and Joel couldn’t understand it. 

You stopped by the market on the way home and picked up a few things to make dinner and told Tommy and Joel to get cleaned up while you cooked. Joel went first, he needed to try to get his head right before being alone with you. He didn’t know how he was going to handle it, didn’t know what the deal was with you and Andrew, didn’t know what to want from you - what it was OK to want from you. 

He put on the clean clothes and looked in the mirror at himself for a moment. Could you still want him now? Was that even a possibility? Should he just thank you for your help, go to his new apartment with his brother, and try to forget you? He didn’t know. 

You were in the kitchen when he came out. There was a Fleetwood Mac album on and you were unconsciously bobbing your head in time to the music. Tommy gave Joel a look on his way to the bathroom, a look that said ‘don’t fuck this up you absolute idiot.’ Joel just shrugged at him. You glanced behind you. 

“I’m afraid I can’t promise you anything too fancy,” you smiled a little. “But I do have some beer if you want?” 

“Beer is good,” Joel nodded. You nodded back, sucking something off your thumb before going to the fridge. The beer was in large jars and you poured two glasses of it, handing one to Joel and taking a sip of your own before putting a baking dish in the oven. You busied yourself cleaning up the kitchen and Joel took a moment to look around your place. 

“You still have the quilt,” he said, looking down at the bed. 

“Oh,” you glanced at him, giving him a half smile. “Yeah. When I was packing a bag that night, I had some space and I really wanted to keep it if I could… turns out, it survived the trip.” 

You’d had to patch it a few times over the years, some of the small purple flowers much brighter than the others. 

“My mom made it,” you said, rinsing a measuring cup. “When she was pregnant with me. It’s the only thing I have of her, the only sign I have that she thought I might have been worth the trouble at some point, even if it was just for a bit. I didn’t want to leave it behind.” 

He looked at you for a moment. 

“It was her loss, Kid,” he said softly. You just shrugged. He went back to looking around your place, freezing at the photo on your nightstand. 

It was framed - you’d painted it, flowers over the gouges in the wood - and Sarah stared back at him. His heart was pounding. He picked it up slowly, almost in a daze. 

He hadn’t seen her face in years. You’d taken the photo on your hiking trip, just over a year before the outbreak. It was slightly off center. You were the only one looking at the camera. Sarah was looking at you, smiling, and Joel was looking at her. You looked like a family. You’d been a family. It was how it was supposed to be. 

His eyes traced the planes of her face, trying to make sure he remembered everything right. Just where her freckles lay, the way her eyelashes fanned out, the few curls around her temples that were a bit more unruly than the others. 

“Oh, Jesus,” you dropped whatever you’d been cleaning. “Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t think about that, I should have put that away…” 

“Where’d…” he asked, still looking at the picture. 

“I grabbed a few photos as I was packing,” you said quietly. “I have a few of the three of us, one or two of me and Nan, one of me and Becca… I had a feeling I wouldn’t be back so I wanted to make sure I had them.” 

You were quiet for a moment. 

“You can have that one,” you said. “Or one of the others. All the others, if you want. I’m in them, too, but they have… I’m guessing you don’t…” 

“Didn’t grab anything,” he said, setting the photo back down. “It was too hectic. Was just tryin’ to get the fuck out.” 

“I was only able to take stuff because of you,” you said softly, looking down at the ground for a moment before looking up at him. “I’m only alive because of you.” 

The water turned off in the shower. You went back to cleaning up. 

Dinner was surprisingly good. Joel wasn’t sure how you’d turned mostly canned stuff into something good but you had. It probably helped that he and Tommy had been living on shit or anything they could hunt for a while - wasn’t like they had fucking garlic lying around - but it would have been good regardless. 

Tommy was kind enough to keep the conversation going through dinner, asking you questions that had run through Joel’s mind but he hadn’t been able to make himself say it. Like how you’d come to be known as doc. He had an odd moment of pride, hearing how you’d persevered and done what you’d dreamed of doing in the midst of it all. You said you also taught at the FEDRA school during the day before going and working in the clinic at night. The school was understanding when you got pulled away for emergencies - apparently mass casualty incidents happened in QZs, too - and it sounded like you enjoyed the odd balance you’d been able to strike between educator and medical professional. He didn’t, however, ask about Andrew. 

“Well, Kid, I think you’ve spoiled me enough for one day,” Tommy patted his stomach. You smiled. 

“Happy to have the chance to do it,” you said. 

“I think I’ll leave you two to get reacquainted… go start settling in to the new place,” he got up and clapped Joel on the shoulder. 

“If you need anything, you know where to find me,” you smiled. “Seriously, any time. I want to help. I’m happy to help.” 

“Thanks, Kid,” he smiled before looking at his brother. “Joel.” He gave him a nod and then left. You watched him go for a second before taking a sip of beer. 

“You’ve done well for yourself here,” Joel said after a moment of awkward silence. “Better than just survivin’.” 

“Thanks,” you smiled a little. “Figured if I was stuck living through the end of the world, I should do what I can with it, right?” 

“Suppose so,” he half smiled back. He took another drink of beer. 

“Joel,” you sighed after a moment. “I should apologize for what I said yesterday.” 

He frowned. 

“What d’you mean?” 

“Before I left for the night,” you weren’t looking at him, you were staring down at your empty plate. “When I said I loved you… I shouldn’t have said that and I’m sorry. I understand that it’s been a long time, a lot has happened, we weren’t even together when…” 

“Don’t apologize for that,” he cut you off. Your eyes met his. “I… liked hearin’ it.” 

“I just don’t want you to feel remotely obligated to me,” you said. “Not in any way. You don’t need to even be my friend if you don’t want to. I’ll still help you guys get settled, you can even consider it payment for saving my life when the world came crashing down if that makes it better…” 

“I just don’t want to disrupt your life, Kid,” he said, sitting back in his chair. Fuck, you were pretty. “You’ve got a life here. An actual life. You’ve got a career doing something you love, you’ve got people, you’ve got Andrew… I don’t want to fuck it up for you.” 

“You won’t.” 

“Not sure Andrew agrees with that,” he said, grinding his teeth a bit. He thought of Andrew touching you, the way he held you, kissed your head, they way he must kiss other parts of you… 

“Andrew’s being a jackass,” you waved him off. “He’ll come around.” 

“How long have you two…” he trailed off. You frowned. 

“We met during the outbreak,” you said. “Made it to the QZ together…” 

“Is that when…” 

You looked at him, head cocked, confused. It took you a moment to catch up and you laughed, hard. 

“What?” He asked, his turn to be confused now. 

“No, I’m sorry,” you caught your breath. “I’m sorry, I’m still not used to being around people I’m not already around all the time… No, Andrew is not my boyfriend.” 

Joel must not have looked convinced because you kept going. 

“I forget that it must seem odd for people who don’t know us,” you sank back in your chair, beer in hand. “But we’re much more like siblings than anything else. He was 18 when the outbreak happened, I found him in the woods on his own with a broken arm a few days after I left home. I set his arm and he traveled with us. We kept each other alive, saw each other through the absolute worst of it. I’d be dead on the side of the road somewhere in New York State if it wasn’t for him and he’d probably be infected if it weren’t for me. But by the time we got to Boston, we’d gotten so used to needing each other to survive, one of us couldn’t really function without the other. Took a few months before we could sleep apart. We got separate places when the QZ was really getting set up because we realized how we were living probably wasn’t healthy, but we kept doing it, anyway. But no, not the least bit romantic. Or physical. At least, not in that way. We still sleep in the same bed when one of us is overwhelmed or just has a hard day, it’s the only way we can really function. I stayed with him last night, actually. It’s the only reason I slept at all. He’s just… who I have. And I’m who he has. We get each other. We need each other. It’s a bit codependent but…” 

Joel nodded slowly. He got it, in a way. He and Tommy had barely spent 10 minutes apart over the last five years. He had no idea how he’d handle being apart for a day. Even here, he’d be worried about him. Thinking he needed to keep him alive, at least for a while. 

“So do you have… anyone else?” He asked. 

“Are you asking if I have a boyfriend?” Your eyebrows were raised. He just nodded once. You have him a small half smile. 

“No,” you said. “No boyfriends. Been hung up on this ex of mine for a while. Doesn’t make for a great dating life…” 

“Sounds like a fuckin’ fool for letting you go,” he replied.

You shrugged. 

“Well the end of the world kind of happened in there,” you said. “Think he gets a pass.”

He watched you across the table, your hair loose around your face, lips full. It’s not that he hadn’t been with other women since you. He had. If there was someone willing and he had the urge, he wasn’t about to say no. Getting lost in someone else for a bit was one of the few things that made existence worth it anymore. But it had been years since it had been anything but a fleeting escape. It had been since you. 

“Can I get you another beer?” You nodded to his nearly empty glass. He just gave you a nod and you refilled both glasses, moving to your small couch. The Fleetwood Mac album had started over. You gave Joel his glass but walked past him and sat on your couch, one leg crossed over the other. 

“Why do I feel like you’re trying to get me on your couch?” He asked, his eyes roaming over you. You shrugged.

“No one’s making you do a damn thing, Miller.”

He moved to the couch. You are stayed on your side of it, sipping your beer, seemingly happy to just have him close. He reached out and tucked your hair behind your ear, exposing your neck. There were white scars down the side of your throat to your shoulder. He frowned, tracing them. 

“What happened here?” He asked quietly. You set your beer on the small table in front of the couch and glanced at him. 

“That happened a few minutes after the last time we spoke,” you fidgeted with the seam on your jeans. “Nan had turned, pinned me down in my room as I finished getting packed. I’d already grabbed the shotgun thankfully, I had to shoot her to get away.” 

“Oh Baby,” he said softly, pulling you against his chest. You melted into him. “I’m so sorry.” 

You shrugged but pressed yourself closer to him. He enveloped you. You fit against him the same way you always had, like you belonged there. As though he’d been designed to hold you, protect you. But he’d failed at that. You looked up at him. 

“I’m sure we both did a lot of things we aren’t happy with or proud of to get here,” you said quietly. “I wouldn’t have been able to shoot her if not for you. If you’d never called that night, I’d never have gotten the gun. I wouldn’t have known what was happening. I wouldn’t have been able to bring myself to hurt her if I hadn’t been trying to get to you. But you got me here. I’m alive because of you and Andrew. I don’t care what you did to get here, Joel. Only that you got here.” 

He kissed you then, your lips soft and sweet on his. You stretched into his kiss and his tongue dipped into your mouth as he held your body close to his own. His grip grew firmer and your body shifted to align with his, him laying you beneath him, covering you with him. He pulled away from you slightly, searching your eyes. 

“You’ll tell me if I do anything you don’t want,” he said, already breathless. You nodded but bit your lip. “What is it? I can stop, I can go…” 

“No!” You said quickly, eyes going wide. “No, please don’t, I’m just… out of practice. It’s been… a while.” 

He frowned. 

“How long?” 

You blushed a bit.

“Since 2003?” You said it like a question more than an answer. He tried to hide his surprise and brushed your hair back. 

“I’d like to change that,” he said softly. “If you’ll let me.” 

You nodded quickly and his mouth was back against yours. 

He had to fight to go slow with you. It had been so long since he’d been with someone he cared about, so long since he’d wanted someone like he wanted you. But he traced the contours of your body, getting to know you again, what parts of you made you melt into him, what parts made you freeze for a moment. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what caused those moments. He kissed you softly, deeply. It was like coming home, like the world hadn’t ended, like he hadn’t been stupid enough to leave you to begin with. He was right where he was always supposed to be. 

You pulled at his shirt and he took it off. Your fingers ran over his chest, tracing the new scars he’d collected over his years dodging infected and humans alike. You kissed each one gently, your lips staying against each spot on his skin for a moment. 

His fingers found the hem of your shirt. 

“Can I?” He asked. You just nodded. He pulled it up and away, tossing it somewhere near his. You had scars, too. One on your shoulder looked particularly bad. He kissed it before tracing it with his thumb. 

“Bullet graze,” you said softly, sadly. “On my birthday in 03.” 

He kissed it again, his mouth moving down over your shoulder to your breasts, tracing your cleavage with his lips. He reached around behind you, your back arching into him, and he unhooked your bra before gently sliding it off. His memory hadn’t done you justice, you were so much more beautiful than his mind seemed capable of containing. He touched you softly, relearning how your breasts filled his hands, the way your nipples peaked against him. He took one into his mouth, sucking you, holding you as you moaned and ground your hips against his torso. He smiled as he trailed kisses over your chest to your other nipple, sucking you there, too. 

His hands traced over your body, down to your pants. He opened them, kissing back up your chest to your mouth before looking in your eyes. You just nodded and he pulled your jeans and panties down your legs, lifting from you just enough to leave the last of your clothes on the floor. 

He went back to his place between your legs, kissing down your stomach until he reached your slit. Your breath caught and he pressed his lips to your clit, his tongue slipping between to gently tease you until he felt you take a shaky breath against him. 

Joel dipped his tongue into you, tasting you, opening you to him. You moaned, hips working against his face and he smiled against you. He’d forgotten just how damn good it felt to give you pleasure, to make you lose yourself to him. 

He slipped a finger inside you as he sucked your clit, curving it into the place he still knew made you melt and he felt you tighten around him. 

“Joel,” you whimpered and fuck he’d forgotten how good his name sounded on your tongue when you were about to cum. He added a finger, sucked you harder, worked you until he felt you flutter around his fingers, a choking moan slipping from you. 

He’d also forgotten what it was like to be desperate for someone. To want to be inside you so badly he’d shed his skin just for the chance to be inside yours. He was breathless with it, it felt like he’d die for wanting you if he couldn’t have you. Couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this hard, the last time his whole body ached with need.

You were still coming down from your orgasm when he took off his pants and underwear, leaving them on your floor. Your body was pliant as you panted for breath below him. He ran his fingers over your slit, slick and wanting, collecting your wetness and coating himself in you. He notched his head at your entrance and you moaned, reaching for him. 

“Joel,” you keened. “Please, I need…” 

“I know Baby,” he said softly, sinking into you as you gasped. He could only gain a few inches, you were almost impossibly tight around him. You moaned, rocking your hips against him and he almost collapsed against you. “Just let me inside you Baby, just relax and let me inside you…” 

You whimpered, all but incoherent, and he took you by the hips, holding your in place as he worked his way deeper into you, opening your body to him until he was fully inside you. 

This he hadn’t forgotten. He’d sometimes lived in the memory of just how you felt around him, how you felt like two halves of the same whole, how it seemed like you’d been made for him. It was the only justification he could find for anything feeling quite as good, quite as right, as being inside you. His head fell to your chest and he panted for breath, desperate to move but desperate to never pull back from you. 

“Fuck, Joel,” you were gasping, your fingers in his hair. “God, I missed you. I missed you so much, I love…” 

He cut you off with a kiss, pulling himself back from you just enough to thrust forward again, pushing all the way inside you with every stroke, needing to be fully inside you as much as he could. 

“Wrap your legs around me,” he ordered and you rushed to obey. He picked you up - buried deep inside you - and moved you to your bed. His movements became harder, more insistent, your body tightening around him with every stroke. 

“Joel,” you moaned. He wasn’t sure you were even fully aware of what you were saying, your fingers digging into his back, your pussy tightening around him. “Please, need to feel you…” 

He kissed you again, pressing into you harder, moving faster until he felt you start to come undone around him and he emptied himself into you, gasping for breath and all but collapsing on top of you. He held himself inside you, both unwilling and unable to move, you feeling too good to ever want to leave. You held him as your breathing eased, your body lax beneath his. 

For the first time in more than five years, it felt like he was home. 

A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this posted! I've been on vacation this week trying really hard to pay attention to my husband and NOT fictional men. This chapter written in part in a poolside cabana on my cell phone this afternoon :)

Now y'all. This chapter has a happy ending and I need you to know... it's not the HEA yet. THERE'S SO MUCH MORE DRAMA COMING GUYS. So much more for them to work through and so much more to have happen - we haven't even met Tess or Ellie yet. But we gotta have little pops of happy in here, right?

As always, thanks so much for reading, reflagging and commenting, I love you all!

[wisecrackingeric-2]

Random (and somewhat silly) Leon Kennedy headcannons

* Leon is a sleepwalker. I have no justification for it other than I think it’d be funny

* Ironically he’s also a VERY light sleeper

* And to add insult to injury, he snores like a freight train.

* Leon is Transgender. Trust me guys he told me himself

* Also got that ADHD Autism combo. Again just trust me you guys he said so himself-

* Bisexual disaster. Probably leans towards men but every gender gives him Gay Panic

* Luis and Ada were his Bi Awakening.

* ((And probably Wesker too. I mean C’mon just look at the guy))

* And just like every Bisexual he CANNOT sit in chairs normally to save his life. If he even bothers to sit on one at all ((Kinda going off the second headcannon; he also sleeps in the WEIRDEST positions humanly possible))

* Leon has permanent Bad Posture. Both from when he used to wear a binder (Transmasc Tingz !!) and from old age

* He hams up his “”old age”” a LOT just to annoy Chris and Claire

* “Ooooooughhh you guys I can feel my bones turning to dust-“ “Shut UP LEON I’m NOT CARRYING YOU”

* Leon also wore a binder for FAR too long. Like he was fighting zombies and doing backflips all while his ribs were screaming in pain

* “Leon when did you last take off your binder” “why do YOU wanna know huh Chris 🤨” “TAKE IT OFF”

* ((Dw guys he practiced safe binding and got Top Surgery. Eventually))

* Leon dyes his hair blonde. You know I’m right

* It’s also like,, surprisingly soft??? He probably takes very good care of it and uses expensive products (probably the only expensive thing he owns)

* He also purposefully cuts it that way. In fact I recon he cuts it himself

* Much more competent people (Jill, Claire, Rebecca) have offered to cut it for him but he’s always refused

* Its one of the few things that reminds him of when he was still a Rookie cop that isn’t also a traumatic memory

* He’s got some PTSD just don’t worry about it ok

* Leon is N O T good at opening up. Like at all. But when somebody DOES manage to crack him he cries s o easily and he will cry for literal hours

* Chris and Claire are the only two people who’ve ever actually managed to successfully get him to open up to that point though

* He also probably sleeps better when he’s with somebody. But he’d never admit that

* Leon’s love language is probably a mix of Words Of Affirmation and Acts Of Service. He’d love it if for once he could come home to somebody having done the little chores for him

* He’s also probably a M A S S I V E sucker for any kind of physical touch. Again, won’t admit it, but he’s a big cuddler.

* Somebody please please please play with this man’s hair he will fall asleep in your lap in seconds

* Now this may be my own Autism special interest shining through but I LOVE the idea of Leon being a massive Pokémon fan

* His favourite games are Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald. Idk man he SEEMS like a Hoenn boy y’know

* His first starter was Torchic and Blaiziken remains as his all-time favourite Pokémon (he’s absolutely correct Torchic is the best Hoenn starter Fight Me)

* Probably still has his Gameboy from when he was a kid

* Leon’s also into retro anime. He likes to get Chris, Jill, Claire and Rebecca over just to show them his old childhood favourite shows like Astroboy or Sailor moon

* Will pause the DVD every 5 seconds to point something out or ramble on about something for 10 minutes

* Oh yeah he also absolutely keeps a DVD player in his home

* He’s a big sucker for old movies, especially old Queer movies but he’s also into classics like Back To The Future, Star Wars etc

*Probably was a big Star Wars kid

*((His favourite movie of all time is Legally Blonde but he will NEVER say that out loud))

* Leon’s always out of the country on some government mission so his house is probably pretty barren. He probably just stays with Chris or Claire after missions anyways

* Leon also still probably keeps in touch with Sherry and Ashley. He definitely went to their respective Graduations to support them at least

* He likes to collect little trinkets from his missions. Rocks, lighters, photos etc

* Other people have put this on their Headcannon lists too but I also agree that Leon is a MASSIVE Foodie

* The way to his heart is through a really good breakfast

* He’s also got a massive Sweet Tooth. Again, courtesy of other Headcannon lists

* He’s got low blood sugar so it probably evens out

* ALWAYS coming home from missions exhausted. In fact he’s exhausted on the plane. On the car ride there. DURING the mission. He’s an eepy little guy

* His T-Shots also make him Very Hungry All The Time. He thought it’d even out after a year of being on Testosterone but over a decade later and he still eats like a teenage boy

* ((It’s ok though cuz Chris always has his fridge stocked full. It might just be for Leon who knows))

* Leon’s not really either a Cat or a Dog guy. He likes both equally and would definitely have one of the other if it weren’t for his work

* He also prefers warm weather :))

* He likes to go swimming with his friends whenever he gets the opportunity

* Everyone makes fun of Chris for his Hawaiian shirts but Leon ABSOLUTELY has way too many as well

* Wears socks and jandals. I’m from Aotearoa NZ I’m allowed to say that ok

*BIG Mitski & Lana Del Rey fan

*I also imagine he probably likes older music like Madonna or Bowie or Blondie

* He’s not very good at it but he likes to paint his nails

* Or he just lets Rebecca or Claire do it for him

* If he goes a long time without cutting his hair either he’ll also put it up in a lil ponytail :)

* He’s got a big ol toothy, lop-sides grin.

* I recon he also involuntarily bites his tongue when he’s genuinely smiling too

* I said before he keeps trinkets and stuff from his missions but he absolutely keeps more personal mementos too. For example;

* He bought himself an old Spanish version of Don Quixote for Luis

* He keeps his old cop uniform in his closet

* He stole Chris’ shades and never returned them

* Still has one of Adas missing rings, etc etc etc

* Similarly to physical objects, Leon also picks up on the habits of people he’s met from his missions

* He always double-checks the barrel of his gun after he’s seen Chris do it so many times

* Holds his knife in his left hand after Krauser

* Very rarely smokes on occasion to remember Luis

* Picked up more Advanced First-Aid after Rebecca ((she also insisted it would be helpful))

* I could go on forever

* Leon can’t imagine ever actually being able to settle down and retire because of his work, but if he could, he would love to be a Father :))

* One last silly one cuz this list has gotten surprisingly serious; Leon unironically references Vines All The Time. It will drive everyone around him insane

[mallardmonster]

Ok so I think Crystal is haunted. Or something. Um.

I got the N64 set up and working, I booted it on and both the console and Stadium 2 worked all fine, everything’s gucci, so I slapped Crystal into the controller to see if it worked anymore. My save was gone, nbd I was expecting that anyway, and I went into the Gameboy Tower and booted up the game, got through the intro etc

And then it starts me in the fucking Goldenrod Department Store

Like idk my first thought was omg it’s a romhack but I’m. On a cartridge. The fucking cartridge I’ve had since I was a kid?? That’s a perfectly legit copy????? So maybe the rom is like fucked somehow and the map connections are fucked or something I don’t know, maybe I spilled water on it at some point and now it’s gonna do the same shit as that rom of Sapphire that had too much water. I kept playing tho like I wanted to see what else I could break if the cartridge is bricked anyway or whatever

Here’s a list of things that are fucked up

All NPCs speak gibberish

There's no music just sound effects

The menu is missing options including the save menu

Goldenrod loops horizontally now???

The gate up north warps me back to the daycare route when entering it, and the gate to Ilex forest warps me into the Goldenrod gate

I can’t enter the underground tunnels, the doors just don’t warp me there

There’s a guy blocking off the radio tower who I can't talk to

No trainers on the daycare route

I have a weird amount of badges??

Some pics I took:

I walked around for a while to see if I could fuck around and break shit when I came across this

So you know. He’s obviously not supposed to be here. So of course I talked to it. And then it got weird

I didn’t get a pic because it closed the first box so fast, but at first it asked if anyone was out here. After that it asked what year it was and gave me this screen

Idk what this menu was supposed to do in the mobile menu but it lets me input numbers so I put the year in. This is what it said after that

It said it needed some time alone and that it’d call me, I guess with the Pokegear, it better be with the Pokegear that doesn't even exist in my start menu because if this thing calls my actual phone and starts beeping chiptunes at me I think I’m gonna go fucking balllistic or some shit. Like this is not normal dialogue idk where it’s coming from or why and I’m like lowkey freaking out about it? I talked to it again and it asked me to not turn off the console, I guess because the battery is dead

I kinda wanted to turn it off but. Idk I think I’m morbidly curious about this. So like if I never post again I probably got mauled by a ghost or something lmao fuck