#add some new content to the game
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ct-multifandom · 1 year ago
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Forever lamenting that YTTD chapter 1 dropped during the Trump presidency because this meme wasn’t invented yet
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Spent the entire Sara minisode going “it’s joever” over and over again in my head
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ellraiser · 10 months ago
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new friends!
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sunsetzer · 9 months ago
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After seeing your post I think I will probably start my game over in Stardew Valley. I have 200+ mods and that's a lot of updating 😣
Many of my mods are framework for other mods to function (and a couple of those are outdated enough to not work right now before the update even happens) and most of them do single things, but I have some mods that change animal sprites, add recipes, change interiors, and add new content entirely that have me like 😬 maybe starting a modded save a month before the update was unwise. I've heard that Stardrop is helpful for managing mods but I haven't figured out how to use it yet, maybe that will make some easier to update? But yeah it's really easy to get carried away down the nexus rabbit hole because there's just so many delightful mods out there.
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arolesbianism · 11 months ago
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I've been playing the new cotl update and I generally like it but god do I fucking hate like all of the balance changes just let things be strong man
#rat rambles#like Im ok with the dice relics getting nerfed because they were pretty rediculous before#but making them fragile relics is absolutely terrible and unacceptable#I dont wanna be mean abt it but like time and time again theyve nerfed things way too fucking hard and only some of them get unfucked#like I am not even slightly exaggerating when I say this one change has made all of the dice the worst relics in the game#making them a one time use just completely fucked up the balance of them especially when theres other relics that are also deeply powerful#for getting health And are good damage dealers#it also showcases that they do not understand just how bad most of the fragile relics already are#like genuinely I am baffled by this decision its been making this update so much harder to enjoy#also apparently they massively lowered the level cap which? sucks so fucking bad?#like there's ways to let things be strong without being overpowered#like literally just make it harder to level up followers as they get to the stupid high levels thatd be a much better way to go about it#because lemme tell you its obnoxious to go out of your way to pour that much attention into a follower but rewarding#and for the dice and similarly broken relics just add an extra slow charge speed#you can throw kalamars ear into that pile too along with the bomb one since it's never worth picking up as a fragile relic#like I do genuinely like this new update and what it adds so far its just that the actual yknow gameplay got a smidge bit worse#and since I like the combat in this game any negative changes on it hit much harder than most quality of life stuff#also for the actual new content I do like it but I do hope this is the last big content update at least for a while#I worry abt the game becoming too crowded with mechanics to the point it stops feeling like a coherent game#and to be clear in my personal opinion this update is already bluring the lines of those fronts#again I do genuinely rly like this update it just makes me worry abt the future of this game#I hope if they do make another larger update they focus more on expanding upon already existing mechanics instead of making new ones#like I think sin could rly use more things to do with it#like with how many ways there are to generate it its strange that almost all of the things you do with it are cosmetic#although tbf I havent been dungeoning much today so maybe theres some hidden stuff to use sin for there lol#also one huge thing that Im confused by is the choice to put the sewing building on the first tier of the inspiration tree#cause it uses silk. aka the stuff from the last dungeon most players unlock#I feel like itd be more appropriate to put it as an ofbranch of the housing tree#so basically my review of this update is that its fun and I like the new mechanics but they do feel a bit half baked#and Im not a fan of the balance changes and Im also not a fan of the gun but thats more of a me problem
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perenlop · 2 years ago
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pokemon has jaded me so much that when i go to kirby (which id easily claim is the special interest directly behind pokemon in my brain) im like automatically not expecting that much and im actually amazed in the end when it delivers like every time. man i really do need to play more video games. its hard when the only thing i have is a mac and a switch tho :(
#i think the one time i can say i was really disappointed was kirby battle royale bc it wasnt fun#thats like. it. i havent tried many of the side games that have come out like fighters 2#but even with stuff people didnt care for in general like star allies? i cant say i was disappointed at all i have good memories w that game#dream friend wave hype was so much fun for me at the time and i love the lore that came with it#and playing as all the fan favorites is fun. its not my favorite and yeah the balancing was pretty bad but like#i sure as hell enjoy it more than the pokemon games that came around around that time#like i was honestly paranoid that rtdl dx would be a soulless cash grab with no new content and just a bit of pandering to appease ppl#but its not they honestly went all out with it and the magolor epilogue isnt devoid of content at all#or an attempt to cash in on magolor being a fan favorite it feels like a genuine tribute to him and an attempt to redeem him#sure it didnt add quite as much as super star ultra did to super star#but that feels hard to compare bc super star was in need of a remaster and had a lot of room for more content#bc it was framed as a pack of games instead of one long one so they added some more short games#while rtdl is two full length games already in one with like two subgames and the arenas#so epilogue and merry magoland are more than enough for me#i was expecting there to be like nothing and a noticeable downgrade in quality from the original and its not#see pokemon is a good interest to have. it makes me appreciate other games more.#echoed voice
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nekoprankster218 · 2 years ago
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Random Thoughts on CounterSide Origin update
So I don't follow news and updates on my games that often, so I was completely blindsided that this recent CounterSide update was gonna be reworking the entire game basically. Definitely spending a bit more time than usual tonight getting used to what's been moved, what's been changed, and what's been removed. I can certainly see why a lot of this has been controversial with the playerbase.
I actually do think there have been some decent changes tho, like:
LOVE that Dives no longer cost Info (I was broke when it came to Info recently) and that I can do Dives while still having World Missions being done at the same time. Also love getting to grind Dives again without having to wait for the next time I can reset them. Edit: OH AND I SOMEHOW FORGOT! But the new system of how they do the Dive squads- *chef kiss* I was also having a problem of my stronger squads getting burned out and failing the Dive because my weaker squads couldn't pull through, so the new system of a single squad just going until it dies before it cycles to the next squad is so far doing wonders for me. We'll see how I do once I get back to the higher coordinates.
LOVE a lot of the freebies they've been giving out for this update, and the special event giving the chance for free Awakened Units!? I'm already close to halfway for my first Awakened Unit testimonial and the time given for this event is REALLY generous for the pretty big rewards being offered. This is definitely a good time to login in for both new and old players just for collecting all the free stuff and promotional rewards.
I like that there's more space on the home screen to play around with when customizing. While I'll need to re-adjust on where I go to click certain stuff, it is nice that the UI isn't covering some of the characters and trophies I squeezed into my home screen (mainly those on the edges and the right half of the screen).
And I'm so far kinda neutral on how they changed the Dupe system and Limit Fusion system, as well as most of the UI changes. I might need a few more days of play before it gets to me or something. I'm mainly neutral rn since a lot of my units were already pretty upgraded before the update so for the time being Limit Fusion (and by extension Skill leveling) won't be so costly for me.
Oh but I do have a few issues still.
WHY would they think that getting rid of Unit EXP in battles was a good idea. That was how I was leveling most of my units at this point. Not just because of Salary Negotiation mats, but also leveling Units starts to get expensive with Coins! And I liked leveling most units that I'd never use via farming battles since I'd get free Quartz without having to invest mats (beyond the Eternium used for those battles obviously).
The current UI does mean that farming the daily limited battles gets a tad bit longer and more tedious, although that is countered a little if one uses the new "Favorite" feature to pin battles. However, the new UI also generally makes the organization of all the side stories and events messy. I like the timeline idea to illustrate when each story is taking place in connection to the Main Story, but it is annoying to scroll through and some of the branches start to get confusing and messed up.
I'm also a bit confused if Limited Time Event stories are still going to be a thing, and if so, where they are going to be located? I saw some previous LTE stories on the timeline UI, but I'm not sure if that means they've been added as permanent side stories as they are currently locked for me; and if so, if LTE stories going forward will be added to the timeline permanently after their run, or if LTE stories are being retired as a feature as a whole and they're adding all the past LTE stories as permanent content now because of that.
So in summary, pretty monumental update that, while having its downsides and areas of needing to get adjusted to, I don't necessarily think it'll be the doomsday others have been complaining about (although this is coming from someone who is currently not too big on PVP, wasn't too deep in Challenge mode or Shadow Palace when it was still around, and doesn't really understand stats, min-maxing, and the technical aspects of gameplay that much).
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shadowedresolve · 7 months ago
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anyway i am SO ready to add her to my muselist. p5x global release when..........
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sonoda-oomers · 7 months ago
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i discovered stardew valley mods pretty early on playing (but i think i already finished the community center by then) and it irreversibly changed my experience and i still can't tell if it was for the worse or not. like i used the cjb item spawner to get so much gold and got endgame items with it... a few years later i would use the same cheat commands on the same save to have. less gold. to actually have to work towards goals
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lightdeficient · 4 months ago
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Dream Beds Collection
The beds in the Base Game are quite outdated, and don't have enough swatches. I mean, some of us have used them for 10 years now, and they feel very repetitive. The point of this Custom Content is to give the beds, which have a beautiful mesh, new life and increase their usability! You can expect me to update this with more beds, possibly even beds from packs in the future that need a little refresh.
Hope you enjoy them as much as I do... I personally don't like to separate my beds and bed frames, so if you're like me, then this might be what you're looking for! 😊
These are NOT default replacements!
Download (Patreon, FREE)
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Currently Revamps these EA Beds:
*Each bed has 18 swatches and frames matching all EA wood tones + black & gray.
Mod Pod Twin Sleeper
Rustic Dream (my version is unlocked too, with fewer benefits)
Soothing Sleeper
Utopiate
Single Mission *(2024-08-23)
Barnish *(2024-08-29)
Discretion Double Bedsystem *(2024-08-29)
Adds New Beds:
Space-Saver Dresser Bed *(2024-09-13)
Basic Bish *(2024-10-02)
Persian Bed *(2024-10-31)
Dream Gothic Bed *(2024-11-16)
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goldieclaws · 11 months ago
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I'm only a few steps away from the longest section for my horde survival game (1 hour and 36 minutes) but once I'm past that the only other section that's daunting is 58 and 43 minutes and this project will be complete~
The final product will have 8 playable characters (but I would like to add extras ofc) but I'll still want more enemy variation and to add extra levels (potentially even based on scenes from these characters' respective stories) but I do at least have an idea for a demo I could share until I feel it's a project worth selling (especially as I am quite particular about that for any game).
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blacktabbygames · 2 months ago
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We're thrilled to announce that Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut is releasing on PC, Mac, Linux, and consoles on October 24th! Please enjoy this animated trailer ^^
For those of you who aren't aware, The Pristine Cut is a free upgrade to the base game, that among other things:
Expands the game by roughly 35%. This means thousands of new voice lines, over a thousand new illustrations, and 17 tracks of brand new music.
Adds significant glow-ups for The Fury, The Den, and the Apotheosis, each of which has over three times as much stuff to see as they had in the base game.
Introduces three brand new Princesses that branch off of The Damsel, the Prisoner, and the Spectre.
Adds an entirely new ending to the game.
Adds a deep, interactive gallery to help you chart your progress across over 420 unlocks and that brings back your best (and worst) memories with the Princess.
Provides subtitle support for: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, European Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, German, Polish, French, Russian, and Italian.
Brings the game to consoles — PS4 + 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox! And if you're the sort who collects things, both the PS5 and Nintendo Switch versions are getting a physical release, including a collector's edition!
And for those of you who have been waiting for an EU-friendly version version of the collector's edition that doesn't get hit by a ton of import fees, we're thrilled to finally reveal that we have one! Its contents are a little different from the US version of the CE — it swaps out the statue for a poster — but it should be a much more affordable alternative!
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But wait, there's more!
You know how The Pristine Cut is coming out the day after Slay the Princess' one year anniversary? Well... we've also got something for you on 
the one year anniversary itself! Join us, Jonny, Nichole and Brandon for a big ol' livestream on our Twitch channel. Abby will be drawing EACH Princess live (new Pristine Cut princesses excluded), we'll be chatting about what it was like to work on the game, and we'll even be playing through one of the many paths through an expanded Pristine Cut route to give you a little taste of what's to come!
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AND THAT'S NOT ALL!
We've also got you covered on the merch front! T-shirts and optical illusion Spectre keychains are now available on Serenity Forge's website, and for all of you Pin-Heads, we even have some extra Pinny Arcade Princess pins from this year's PAX West. Get 'em while they're hot!
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And finally, a teaser for what's to come. I think you'll all really like what we've got cooking here >:3
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Thank you all so much for your love and support — it's because of all of you that we're able to take big, ambitious swings with our work. If you haven't had the chance yet and you liked Slay the Princess, consider picking up our other Equally Good visual novel, Scarlet Hollow, which will be getting an enormous fifth episode next year!
All the best, Tony and Abby
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yae-35 · 1 year ago
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The ch0ices fandom is trending for the first time in like what years? and one of the first things I see is bootlicker discourse yuck
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paintingpuff · 3 months ago
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So with the terrible Minecraft movie trailer dropping,
I've seen a lot of people bringing up better stories in the world of Minecraft, like Story Mode or the books or the SMPs, but may I add another option that would be a way better use of your time and money than the Minecraft movie (esp cuz its free)?
Animation Vs. Minecraft
(Note: contains out of context spoilers for this series to give you a sneak peek of what's waiting for you)
There's a good chance you've seen the first video, since it's one of the most watched minecraft videos on youtube, made by the same guy who did Animation vs Animator.
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But did you know that the stick figures pick the game back up and continue the series?
There are now three completed seasons packed with fun episodic content that naturally blossoms into a larger, engrossing story that amounts to /several hours of animated content/. It's got fun characters, gorgeous fight scenes, and even musical numbers, all told with next to no dialogue!
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The whole thing is a love letter to Minecraft, with way more passion and knowledge of the game than WBS.
New episodes would show off the latest updates, like when the main characters explored the ancient cities and lush caves before they were officially released.
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There are even homages to the Minecraft animation community, such as the episode featuring Monster School (my favorite part of this is the way they purposefully imitate the old janky animation in Herobrine's movements)
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Not a fan of piglins always being villains? While there's certainly some bad piglins in this series (though I'd argue they're under duress), the main cast also befriends some, include this adorable piglin child.
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Still not over Reuben's death from MSM? Well they've also got a pig (named Reuben by the community), and it both doesn't die, and occasionally does some badassery himself!
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Speaking of the action, this series doesn't just reference minecraft's world and creatures: it expands on the mechanics and worldbuilding, creating avenues for some truly incredible action that can only be achieved within minecraft. It takes full advantage of the medium and world.
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My personal favorite example of this is the team's expansion on the Lucky Blocks mod, exploring the idea of a "randomizer" power to its fullest extent.
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The action scenes are the kind where you have to watch them five times over because each character is doing something completely unique and fun.
Here is all the episodes of season 1 compiled in one video to get you started, though there are also playlists out there:
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All in all, this series is funny, gripping, and adorable, and is worth your attention far better than some corporate schlock.
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joyceisfox · 9 months ago
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Forever Autumn Part 4
Hello!! hope you guys everything is well:)
This time it's a special restroom, suitable for corridors and separate wet and dry bathrooms. 
The Sink needs to match the original animation, so its position is not accurate. please use the "ALT" key to move them. 
Because this month is too busy, I can only bring you these;)
Next month, I will add some bathroom content,
anyway, I hope you like it! 
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Search Forever Autumn or Joyce to find the items
Some items  share the same textures,  please ensure that there is a file ending with 'texture' in your Mods folder
new 21 items
Base Game
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Early Access on March 27th
DL(Patreon): Forever Autumn 4
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TOU:
Please do not claim as your own.
请勿声称创作者是你自己
Please do not re-upload.
请勿重新上传
Please do not re-edit.
请勿重新编辑我的网格
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foxstens · 2 years ago
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rain world has a snow area now...
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charliemwrites · 23 days ago
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Hiiiii! So I’m not super thrilled with this but I’ve been having a time of it at work so I worked on this when I could 🙃
Not sure if there will be a second part yet tbh we’ll see!
Edit: almost forgot to add that the gorgeous divider below is by @gildui they have some absolutely beautiful cod themed dividers.
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Carrion
Reader comes back Wrong
Content: implied/referenced torture, injury, suicide reference/implicated “pact” (by background character), lack of wound care
The breakup was bad.
Not in the top 3 of Simon’s worst nightmare-inducing memories - but likely top 5. He certainly wakes up chest aching and eyes burning often enough for it to be a solid contender. He’s haunted by tears that dripped like acid and the cracks in your voice deafening him.
On bad days, he thinks he can still see you shuffling down the halls, eyes sunken and red-rimmed, dark circles and chapped lips. Anger giving way to resignation giving way to pain and sadness. The rest of the team tight-lipped and wincing, no sides taken, shoulders and ears offered equally in commiseration.
Your misery wanted no company, though.
You didn’t tell Simon that you were leaving. Gaz let slip over a subdued but obligatory game of cards, you’d be gone for a long time - loaned out to Laswell.
Simon didn’t go to see you off. Didn’t ask why you were leaving or accuse you of being too immature to be on a team with him. He didn’t wish you good luck, stay safe with the rest of the team on the tarmac at 0-dark when you took off.
He should have.
Price says you’ll be gone for six months. Just six. It’s better this way, he reminds them when Johnny balks. His eyes are on Simon, though, when he adds that you need to get your head on straight, and you weren’t able to do it with them.
So. Six months.
Simon stops expecting you on his left. Stops smelling your shampoo lingering on bits of clothes he pretended not to notice you steal. He still dreams about you begging him not to push you away.
183 days come and go.
On day 184, Laswell sends word - your temporary team likes you quite a bit. They want you to stay on for one more month… one more mission… one more…
Six months turns to ten.
312 days since you left; since you were home.
The team hasn’t stopped leaving a space for you at their tables, right between Gaz and Price. You miss your own birthday. Laswell says she’ll pass along well wishes.
The situation changes. A target resurfaces. All hands on deck, including yours.
374 days. Twelve months and some change.
They don’t spend the holidays with you, but there’s a stack of presents waiting in Price’s office. Your mugs have collected dust in the back of the rec room cabinet.
Laswell says you’re still deployed on one last mission, return TBD. Soon, though.
487 days. Still TBD. Soon. Really. Just some loose ends to tie up.
561 days. There was some trouble during exfil but you’re alright. Just a bit of recovery.
You’re coming home.
590 days. You’ll land at 0700 tomorrow.
It’s been 591 days since Simon last saw you. Since any of them last saw you.
Laswell has come to deliver you personally, a kind of apology for keeping you away so long. She’s the first off the transport and you’re right behind her.
Your hair is shorter. Much, much shorter. There’s a new patch on your jacket - memento from your temporary team, Simon figures.
Apart from that, you look… almost exactly how you did when you left. Dark circles under your eyes, mouth drawn and tight. There’s invisible weight compressing your shoulders, urging them in and down. But you’re there again. Just the way he remembers.
(Why are you the way he remembers?)
“Long time, no see,” Gaz calls, reaching for you.
There’s half a beat, you blink. Hesitate.
Then you grin and reach back.
“Missed my pretty face, did you?” you reply.
Johnny laughs and brings you in for a hug. You twitch hug him back, patting his shoulder as you pull away.
“Good to have you back, Sergeant,” Price says, shaking your hand.
You turn to Simon, nod in greeting, expression pleasant. “Ghost.”
So that’s how it’ll be? Alright.
“Sergeant.”
That night, you go out for drinks with the team and Laswell. Simon goes along to show there are no hard feelings.
(Not that you seem to need reassurance. It’s not even that you’re not looking at him. You are. Whenever he speaks, the rare times he does, or if he shifts in his seat. Your gaze doesn’t linger or jerk away, you treat him like you do Johnny and Gaz and Price.)
When Johnny mixes up your usual for Price’s, you don’t even seem to notice. But Simon does.
“When did you start drinking whiskey?” he wonders.
You used to swear you’d never like it, claiming it tasted like boot polish and the “Boys Club” wasn’t worth the indigestion it gave you.
“Someone from my other team,” you say by way of explanation.
You don’t ask for another whiskey. Laswell gets the rest of your drinks for that night.
Simon turns into the rec room two days later and finds you already there. There’s only the light above the sink on, and you’re staring at the steady drip, drip, drip from the faucet. A cup of black coffee cools in your hand. You’re already wearing gloves.
“Sugar’s in the left now,” he calls.
Your head twitches, something pops in your neck.
“Oh, thanks,” you chirp, turning for the cabinet. “Sleep okay, LT?”
“‘Bout as well as I ever do,” he replies gruffly, sidling up next to you for the kettle.
You hum. There’s a yellow packet in your hand. (Didn’t you used to like the blue one?)
“I get that,” you sympathize.
He snorts. Since when?
“Do you?”
When he glances down, you’re not looking at him. Instead, you’re trying (and failing) to get the sink to stop dripping.
“You know that’s been broken for ages,” he says.
At least as long as the 141 has been around. You tried to fix it once when you first joined up, too, with no luck.
“Right,” you say. A little too quickly, a little too agreeably. “Well, anyway, enjoy your tea, Lieutenant.”
You leave the packet of sugar behind. Unopened.
You’re back and it’s like it used to be - not just before you left, but before the breakup. Before there was ever anything to break up.
Your time away seems to have given you whatever space from Simon you were hoping for, because you act like there was never anything at all.
He’s half expecting, dreading, that you’ll pull him aside at some point. Ask for a word after dinner, or swing by his room before bed. Talk about the break up now that cooler heads prevail and 19 months have sanded down the rough feelings. Seek closure, maybe.
But you don’t. The weeks pass until a month has gone and you never exchange more than easy pleasantries with Simon. You give him space, give him privacy. Things you never used to give him much of before, for better or worse.
You fool around with Gaz and Johnny, trade quips with Price, and follow Simon’s orders. Train recruits. Write reports.
You’re back, better than ever.
So why does it feel like Simon’s still waiting for you to return?
You’re always dressed now, head to toe. Day or night, rain or shine. From the neck down you’re in full sleeves, long pants, boots and gloves.
It doesn’t occur to anyone until you’re sweating through your compression shirt in the gym. Wipe your shiny forehead for the dozenth time before Johnny says, “why not just take it off?”
“It’s not that bad,” you laugh, waving him off.
When you lie down to bench press, Simon notes the bottom of your shirt tucked tight into your waistband. He exchanges a glance with Johnny - he’s seen it too.
You used to dress in shorts and sports bras during exercise, a towel over your shoulder. In the common room, you’d mill in tank-tops and boxers. Even used to trot down the hall swaddled in a towel or robe, mumbling that you forgot a razor or some other toiletry before showering.
“What, did ye get an embarrassing tattoo or somethin’?” Johnny asks finally.
You blink at him, expression bemused. “A tattoo? Why do you think I have a tattoo?”
“Yer covered up like a nun on Sunday. It cannae be comfortable.”
You snort. “Just because you’re allergic to clothes, MacTavish…”
“Allergic?! Wha’s tha’ s’posed t’mean?!”
Gaz barks a laugh. You grin and continue your workout.
Simon tries not to be disturbed by the name “MacTavish” coming off your tongue for the first time since you met.
It’s your first mission since you’ve been back. You have new gear, a new handgun. Something’s been carved into the side of the barrel in Cyrillic, Simon can’t read it. A new callsign.
(“What kind of a name is Carry-on?” Johnny teases, but he doesn’t quite hide the unease in his eyes.
You snort and lace your boots tighter. The edge of you sleeve inches up, revealing the curve of a glossy scar that wasn’t there before.
“You’re one to talk Mister Maybelline.”)
Someone painted an upside down cross on the temple of your helmet with their finger. You thumb it before stuffing it over your head.
“You ready for this?” Gaz asks, knocking his knee into yours. The two of you have been paired together for this mission. (Was it Simon’s imagination, or did you look annoyed that you would have a partner?)
“Always,” you reply.
Simon doesn’t hear what happens, but Gaz looks shellshocked when you haul him into the helicopter during exfil. You shake him a bit once everything is secure and the bird’s in the air.
“Garrick,” you shout, “c’mon, where did he get you?”
It takes him a second but he blinks, offers his arm for your inspection. You move with a speed even Simon is impressed by, tearing into the nearby med kit almost viciously. Gaz is patched up in record time and you sit back with blood on your hands, barely even seem to notice as you wipe them carelessly on your pants.
(You used to be more squeamish, weren’t you? You used to be the last one they asked for medical care because seeing your teammates in pain made you nauseous.)
“What about you?” Gaz asks after a small eternity.
You yawn. “What about me?”
“You got nicked too, didn’t you?”
Simon takes a second look at you and now that Gaz mentions it, you’re soaked in blood. Wet patches on your vest, your pants, dripping down your boots. It takes him a moment to notice the tear in your thigh, shredded flesh visible when you rock with the wind turbulence.
“Did I?” you wonder, glancing down like you only just noticed it.
Johnny curses, reaches for you - but you wave him off.
“It’s just a scratch,” you reply. “Barely even feel it, no worries.”
Then why is it still bleeding?
When the team lands, you hop off the heli without so much as a wince. Droplets of blood lead all the way back to your room.
(When Simon asks Nikolai about the hand-etching on your gun, he says the word means “promise.”)
In the after-action report, your callsign isn’t “Carry-On.” It’s Carrion.
Laswell takes you off the mission two months later, a joint assignment with KorTac. They send three operators to work with TF141 - Stiletto, Konig, and Nikto.
On the transport to infil, Simon notices the Russian inspecting his handgun in a seat separated from the rest of the squad. He recognizes the Cyrillic carved into the barrel this time: Promise.
It’s an eerie, creeping suspicion. An anxious fog rolling in.
It’s not one single thing that trips an alarm in Simon’s head, but a steady collation of oddities over months. A single arhythmic beat, a note off key. Just once or twice, but over and over until he can’t notice anything else.
You act just like yourself except for all the minute ways you don’t.
You smile big and wide, sunshine bright, when they make a good joke. Your laugh is still the same, bubbling up in your throat, head thrown back. You smell the same when you pass Simon in the hall, shampoo and soap that’s haunted him for a year and a half.
It’s insidiously subtle; he can’t pinpoint what it is for the longest time. Your mannerisms are almost too practiced, the cadence of your voice too measured. A missing turn of phrase you often used, replaced by something unfamiliar.
Simon dismisses it as guilt-laden paranoia. The two of you ended on bad terms with a year and half worth of space between. He’s hardly one to gauge what’s normal for you anymore.
And besides, the few times someone else has noticed at those tiny yet all-too-obvious inconsistencies, you shrug it off as something you picked up while away.
But he catches Johnny’s brows furrow one afternoon as you light up a cig (after swearing for years that you’d never pick up the habit) and Simon knows he’s beginning to see it too.
“You ever notice,” Gaz begins slowly. You’re the only one missing from the rec room this evening, retired with a drawn-out yawn. “That Carrion always mentions being away, but never talks about it?”
Simon stills. Johnny’s eyes fly to Price, who’s grimly tapping at his crossword puzzle.
“The file’s redacted,” he says. He’s seen it too then, tried to investigate for himself.
“That’s normal for a mission like that,” Simon reasons carefully.
“I don’t mean the mission,” Price says. “I mean Carrion’s file.”
“This is a good movie,” you mumble from the armchair you’ve stolen from Price. “What’s it called?”
Simon exchanges glances with the rest of the team. No one points out that this is (used to be?) your favorite.
Price looks into the team you were loaned out to. All were KIA or remain MIA. All but one. His file has been scrubbed too, the only documents readable are discharge orders and a PMC contract, both associated with the callsign “Nikto.”
They’re running out of time.
Less than 36 hours on the clock with only one lead, and it’s a zealot with a suicide pact. Price and Laswell both took a crack at him with nothing to show for it. Even Ghost has gotten hardly anything and he’s running out of nails. With time, he might get something useful, but they don’t have much of that left.
In the anteroom looking into interrogation, you’ve been observing through the one-way glass with your hands in your pockets, head tilted, expression serene.
Price and Laswell are discussing strategy, contingencies. Gaz and Johnny are throwing in their two cents, but Simon… Simon is watching you.
Like medical, torture used to be your Achilles. You were trained like the rest of the team, but there was never any need for you to step into the room yourself. Hell, you were a last resort even for observation or emergency resuscitation. No one blamed you for having a weak stomach for information extraction.
But today, you glance over your shoulder and make eye contact with Laswell.
“I’ll handle it,” you say with an air of finality.
The room goes silent. Price opens his mouth, but it’s Laswell that speaks, voice hard with resignation.
“Do it.”
You don’t blink. “Yes, ma’am.”
You walk out the door without a backwards glance, shoulders loose but each step steady and purposeful.
“What the hell is going on, Kate?” Price demands.
Kate sighs, looks away as you enter the interrogation room.
“Let’s do this outside. It won’t take long to get that intel.”
The only thing she’s able to share is that you and your team were captured. For a long time. And then you’re already stepping out of the interrogation room, wiping your bloodied hands off on an old rag.
There’s an unusual glint in your eye, an unnatural stillness in your expression.
“Got what we need,” you announce cheerfully.
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