#fair enough the last time that happened (last winter/spring) i was in a shitty place mentally anyway

[theflyingfeeling]

fanfic rambling in the tags, nothing interesting really, just me talking to myself lol, okay to ignore or read as you please ✨

[mldrgrl]

How Stella Got Her Groove Back

by: mldrgrl Rating: PG-13 Summary: Just a little something to celebrate spring...and Stella’s birthday!

They left Connecticut in September, with a fair amount of reluctance to go, but they needed to return to the city.  Becca had already gone and though both Karen and Fish insisted they were welcome to stay longer, stay forever if they had to, at a certain point, Hank and Stella had just been missing their loft and their life in New York too much.  Of course, they knew that what they were returning to was not the life they were accustomed to, but they would have to learn to adapt to the new normal.

Winter was long and brutal.  They did spend two weeks over Christmas and New Years back in Connecticut again and that was the first time they’d seen Becca since July, and the last time they would see her until spring.  Karen had tried to coerce them all to stay again and Hank and Stella nearly gave in.  If not for the fact that Stella left a project behind she’d been working on for her classes and if Hank had brought the pages he’d been working on for his new novel, they just might have done it.

When they got back to New York, and in a cabin fever-induced moment of weakness, they hired a landscape architect to design their rooftop terrace and though the noise of construction aggravated the hell out of both of them, they were both pleased with the results.  They now had an artificial lawn of soft green turf, an outdoor patio daybed in the shape of a cube with canvas shades on all four sides, a wet bar, strategically placed heating lamps, and a wood burning fire pit.  Unbeknownst to them, when Fish had heard their plans, he’d called the company they hired, ordered them a charcoal grill, and told the contractor to keep it a surprise.  They were very surprised by the barbeque that was suddenly part of the design, but it looked nice, even if it wouldn’t get any use.

Finding ways to fill the time with nowhere to go and no one to see was extremely difficult.  Neither of them were very much into television or movies.  The terrace, as welcome as it was, wasn’t finished until the end of February.  Stella had the classes she was teaching and the child psychology classes she was enrolled in to keep her fairly busy during the days, but Hank could only write for so many hours at a time and he found that he actually missed helping Fish with the guitar lessons.  He grumbled to Stella that ‘that damn Trout’ bewitched him somehow and then begrudgingly called him up and asked if he could still help out remotely.  Fish was delighted by the request and sent him an iPad and a teaching schedule.  

The close quarters had caused a few squabbles, though nothing major.  They took a few online cooking classes together which produced some mediocre meals and a testy exchange on the appropriate amount that constituted a ‘pinch of salt.’  Beyond that, they managed not to take out any frustrations on each other.

It was April 1st when Stella wandered from the bathroom to the bedroom in her t-shirt and sweatpants, rubbing lotion into her hands and arms.  Hank was in bed, perhaps naked, or perhaps wearing jockey shorts, she couldn’t be sure.  He had his guitar across his lap and his head back so that he gazed at the ceiling while he plucked lightly at the strings.

“Hank,” she said, leaning into the foot of the bed with slightly bended knees.

“Do you think ‘oral’ actually rhymes with ‘clorital’ or is it cheating?” he replied.

“You know that next week is my birthday.”

Hank splayed his hand out on the guitar and looked at her.  “Is this a trick question?”

“Not at all.”

“So, if I say ‘yes, of course, your birthday is April 7th and I already know I’m not to mention it to anyone,’ is that the wrong answer because I’m not supposed to acknowledge it in the first place?”

“I am aware that in the past I have requested that my birthday be treated as any other day.”

“Mmhm.”

“I’ve been thinking that perhaps...I might like to celebrate this year after all.”

“Oh, I get it.  April fools.  You could’ve just put plastic wrap on the toilet or secretly replaced my regular coffee with Folgers.”

“I’m serious.”

“Ah, so the one year it’s impossible to throw a party, you want to have a party?”

“God, no.  Parties are awful.”

“Well, what then?”

“Brunch?  With Becca?  This weekend, or the next, perhaps.  There are more places opening up now.  We could-”

“Absolutely, Sherlock.  Whatever the suggestion, I am all in.”  He pushed his guitar aside and she was mildly disappointed to discover that he was in his jockey shorts after all and not naked. He scooted forward to the end of the bed and wrapped his arms around her hips.

“A walk in the park, maybe?”

“Not sure if my legs remember what walking is at this point, so it’ll be good to remind them.”  He moved his hands down to the backs of her thighs and gave them a squeeze and then cupped her ass.  “Why the sudden change of heart, Sherlock?”

“I’ve just been thinking lately that it’s perfectly acceptable to want to celebrate being alive.  After the year we’ve had.”

“I agree, but as long as I get to have my breakfast in bed in bed that day, I’ll be happy.”

“It’s my birthday, I’m not bringing you breakfast in bed.”

“Oh, honey, you are the breakfast,” he growled, wrapping his arms around her again and pulling her into him as he fell back onto the bed.

*****

The Saturday before her birthday was Easter weekend.  There was no rain in the forecast and Becca was available, so it was perfect.  They took a Lyft to the upper west side and met her at a French bistro that had outdoor seating.  Stella could tell right away that something was bothering Becca, that she was putting on a false front of cheerfulness, which was very unlike her, but if she did know her stepdaughter, she knew the girl could not keep up pretenses for long.

They ordered and waited for their food over bottomless mimosas and miniature ham and cheese croissants served as an appetizer.  It wasn’t cold, but a cool breeze would drift by every so often and Stella was glad she had left her hair down so that her ears were covered.  She wished she’d been a bit more practical though and worn pants.  She’d just felt like dressing up and at the last minute, put on an olive-colored dress with small printed white flowers on it, but at least it was long-sleeved and she had a white sweater.  Becca and Hank were like twins in their matching leather jackets and dark jeans.

“Are you working on anything?” Becca asked Hank.

“Almost finished,” he answered.

“Oh.  What’s it about?”

“A couple that’s been married for fifteen years, but they’re on the brink of the divorce when the pandemic hits and then they go from spending almost no time together to all of their time together and it’s disastrous at first, but then they end up learning a lot about each other.”

“So, they save their marriage?”

“No, they end up getting divorced anyway.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“It’s fiction, sweetheart.”

“People like happy endings.”

“People are stupid.  I didn’t say it didn’t have a happy ending though.  Are you working on anything, Daughter?”

Becca sighed and picked at her nails.  Stella put a hand on Hank’s knee under the table.

“Is something bothering you, Darling?” Stella asked.

“No.  Yeah.  No.  I don’t wanna ruin your birthday or anything when it’s the first birthday we’ve ever celebrated together.”

Stella gave Becca a brief smile.  “I don’t know if your father has told you why I’ve always been rather reluctant to celebrate my birthday.”

Becca shook her head.  Hank stretched his arm out behind Stella’s chair and put his hand on her back.  She gave his knee a squeeze of appreciation.

“My father passed away on my fourteenth birthday,” Stella said.  “So, Darling, you have a high bar to overcome if you think being in a low mood will ruin my birthday.”

“That sucks about your dad, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”  Stella looked to Hank for a moment and then back to Becca.  “I’ve spent many years trying to ignore the date as though if I didn’t acknowledge it, it’s like it had never happened.  I don’t think I really understood until quite recently that one is capable of being sad and grateful at the same time.  And that life should be celebrated.  Especially now.”

“I guess I’m just...when we were up at Mom’s house, everything was so easy and nice and I had a really hard time writing.  That’s why I wanted to leave.  It was way too peaceful.”

“You know if I had a dollar for every time Becca claimed my shit was fucking her up, I’d be richer than that fucking Amazon guy, and now it sounds like she wants to file a grievance that we’re not fucking her up enough.”

“Am not.”  Becca rolled her eyes.

“Don’t listen to him,” Stella said.  “He’s been so mired with boredom lately he has regular calls with Fish.”

“No!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Hank protested, putting his hands up in defense.  “There was and will only be one bromance in my life and that’s with one Mr. Charles Runkle, that follically challenged motherfucker.  No better pairing existed except for maybe Bert and Ernie, or Sid and Nancy.”

“I think we should let Becca continue with what she was trying to say.”

“Thank you.”  Becca put her hand up as though she was blocking Hank from her view and he reached over and slapped her palm away.  “As I was saying, I left because I thought the serenity was blocking me in some way, but since I’ve been back, it’s like the opposite.  It felt so apocalyptic at first and desperate.  It was like impossible to sit down and put words together when there were so many shitty things happening outside.  What if...what if the next thing I finish, people will be like oh, she was just sitting inside writing while everyone else was dying?”

“There will always be shitty things happening outside,” Hank said.  

“Great advice, Dad.”

“I don’t mean to bitchslap you with reality, but the world being shitty isn’t a reason to give up.”

“I’m not giving up.”

“Good, because you are way more fucking talented than I could ever even hope to be.”

“I just don’t know if it matters.  If anyone should care.”

“Why should you concern yourself with that?”

Becca glared at Hank, clearly annoyed with the answer.

“I know you think I’m being facetious,” Hank said, quickly.  “But, I’m not.  If all anyone wanted to read was about things that ‘mattered’ that 50 Shades of Hot Garbage would never have sold a single copy.  You don’t know why people read what you write.  Maybe they want to escape the shitty things happening in the world.  Maybe they want to laugh or cry or be turned on.  Maybe they just need something to pass the time.”

“Five minutes ago you just said people were stupid for wanting happy endings, now you’re saying I should just give them garbage, if that’s what they want.”

“Yeah, I’m a fucking hypocrite, what else is new, but I just want you to be happy with what you’re doing.  You want me to buy you a new laptop?”

“I’m not twelve anymore.  You can’t just buy my happiness.”

“Worth a shot.”

“Becca,” Stella finally interjected.  “I think it’s obvious by now that your father may possibly be the world’s worst motivational speaker.”

“Or the world’s best unmotivational speaker,” Hank said.  “You see what I did there?  I turned a negative into a positive.”

Both Stella and Becca ignored the comment.

“I think I may understand what he’s trying to say though,” Stella said.  “I’m not a creator, but I’ve been a consumer.  When I was reading for pleasure, I certainly wasn’t reaching for mystery novels.  And I think that...popularity and quality are two different things.  Certainly, one would hope for both, but it isn’t always the case.  I know you and I know that quality is important to you, so perhaps you should only focus on if what you’re working on is the best that it can be and not on whether or not it matters.”

“Can I add something to that?” Hank asked.

“Not if you plan on fucking up everything Stella just said,” Becca answered.

“I’ve done at least a dozen online events this year and at every single one, someone has asked me when the next Rebecca Moody novel is going to be released or they want to know what you’re working on.  I’m not even entirely sure all of them are there to hear my Q&A or if they just showed up because they know I’m your dad and they think you might make a guest appearance.  And if one person takes umbrage with you for creating something during a time of utter hell, fuck them.”

“Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable,” Stella quoted.

“That sounds so much hotter when you say it than George Bernard Shaw,” Hank replied, rubbing his hand across Stella’s upper back.

“Okay, I don’t want to spend this day being miserable,” Becca said, shaking her head and shoulders like she was trying to rid herself of negativity.  “Thank you, Stella.”

“You’re welcome, darling girl.”

“Hey, what about me?” Hank asked.

“There is this jacket I saw online that I want,” Becca answered, cheekily raising one of her eyebrows and tilting her head.

“I’ll text you my credit card number later.”

“Thank you, Father.”

*****

Brunch was followed by a stroll in Central Park and it seemed that at least half of the city had the same idea.  It was interesting being in a place so crowded and yet also so open.  The decent weather and the cherry blossoms in full bloom probably had something to do with it.  What also would have felt strange a year ago, seeing everyone wearing face masks and wearing them as well, was oddly comforting.  When Stella had put hers on that morning before they walked out the door, Hank told her she looked like a sexy brain surgeon or cardiologist, whichever one was smarter or made more money.

When they came upon Bethesda Fountain, there was a small band playing salsa music and a few couples dancing.  Hank tried to imitate the steps and then grabbed Becca’s hand and spun her around under his arm.  She laughed and tried to break free of him, but he pulled her back in and tried to get her to dance.

“Da-ad,” Becca protested.

“Dance with me, Daughter.”

“I don’t dance.”

“You’re no fun.”  Hank let go of Becca’s hand and then grabbed Stella’s.

“Oh, no,” she said.

“Come on, Sherlock.  I know you’ve probably got some moves I’ve never seen.”

“I assure you that’s not true,” she answered, letting him spin her away though and then laughed as he gyrated his hips dramatically as he stepped back towards her.  “Whatever it is that you’re doing does not resemble the salsa in any way.”

“Let me see you do better.”

Stella looked past Hank to the other dancers and mimicked the forward and back steps.  She put a hand on Hank’s chest to keep him at arm’s length and prevent their knees from colliding as he tried to fall into the same step with her, moving forward when she stepped back, and back when she stepped forward.  What he lacked in grace, he made up for with enthusiasm.  As soon as they fell into sync, he grabbed her hand and lifted her other arm in a more formal dance frame like the other dancers had.

What followed was probably the worst and most amateurish version of a salsa that had ever been danced, but Stella laughed so hard it brought tears to her eyes.  When the music ended, Hank stopped and pulled Stella’s face mask down under her chin before lowering his own and then kissing her through both of their laughter.

The dancing couples broke apart and drifted back into the crowd.  Becca went over and dropped some money into the cup on the ground in front of the band and thanked them for playing.  Stella took Hank’s hand and then Becca linked her arm with Stella’s as they continued on.

Later that night, when Stella came out of the bathroom as she rubbed lotion into her hands and arms, she stopped at the foot of the bed and watched Hank read over the latest pages of his novel.  When she was finished, she climbed onto the bed and walked over to Hank on her knees until she was straddling his lap.  He threw his pages down, took his reading glasses off, and pulled her close with his hands on her ass.

“Thank you,” Stella said, as Hank kissed the side of her neck.

“For what?”

“This truly was the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

“Your birthday’s not until Wednesday.”

“Perhaps next year we’ll even be able to invite Karen and Fish to town.”

“We’ll make The Trout christen that barbeque he forced on us.”

“It does look nice though.”

“It really does.  You want your present now, or should I wait until Wednesday?”

“I might be interested in a preview,” she said, sliding her hand down his chest and then into his shorts.  “A little peak at the package ahead of time.”

“You just assumed I was talking about fucking when I said I had something for you?”

“Weren’t you?”

Hank paused and then grinned.  “Yeah, I was.”

The End

[thiswasinevitableid]

88. I dropped my watch in an open grave, jumped in to get it, and while you were visiting your dead grandmother, you saw me climbing out of the grave (credit to @enchantedcass)

Indruck, sfw or nsfw, please!

Here it is! This is technically SFW, though there's some discussion of sex and a bit of steaminess at the end.

“Here, these are fresh.” Indrid sets the wildflowers on the small, stone marker, so covered with moss and worn with age that no one can read it. He only knows where to find her because he watched from the Barrens as she was put in the ground.

Temperance Leeds. His grandmother, the one who narrowly avoided accusations of witchcraft, the only human who ever set foot deep enough in the trees to bring him food, to drape blankets over his shaking shoulders. She never forgot him, and he shall return the favor as long as he lives.

There’s a thump of earth behind him and he whirls; it’s midnight in a graveyard, who could possibly be here? The ghosthunters usually wait for darker nights to come. In his periphery, a hand rises from an open grave.

Great, if the dead rise he’ll probably be blamed for that too.

“Fuck” A young man pulls himself from the grave, staring at his cell phone, “c’mon, please don’t be fuckin cracked.” Light illuminates his face and sighs, “thank fuckin christ.”

The light disappears and he blinks, eyes adjusting to the dark. Indrid, too caught up in working out why he’s in the ground, hasn’t bothered to hide as he should. The human notices.

“Uh. I. Uh. Dropped my phone checkin the time. I, uh, definitely wasn’t smokin in the off limits, uh, fuck, graveyard I, uh, I fuck, promise I’ll clean up my beer bottles I mean, uh, fuck.” He scratches the back of his neck, “please don’t call the cops?”

“Can you see me?” Indrid cocks his head.

“Yeah?”

“And you are worried about me alerting the police?”

“I mean, guess we’re both breakin the rules but I kinda figured you were staff here because of the clothes.” He gestures to the ensemble Indrid cobbled together from clothes lines.

Indrid stands, stretches his wings, flicks his tail and watches the human slowly notice the color of his eyes and the outline of his horns.

“Fuck. Look, man, whatever you are, I swear I won’t tell, I’m just tryin to keep busy, please, my folks are already worried about me-”

“I’m not going to harm you.” Lightning cracks through the sky, flashing his shadow across the frightened human, “I just wanted you to see me clearly.”

Rain patters on the leather of his wings. The man looks up at the sky, face seeming even younger as it fills with resignation. Indrid recognizes it’s source.

“You have nowhere to go, do you?”

“No. I, uh, decided I wanted to get outta town and never come back, made it as far as here before I ran outta money.”

Indrid offers his hand, watches the man’s face zero in on the claws, “You may spend the night with me, if you wish. My home is a ways into the woods, but it is dry and warm.”

“Okay.” The young man replies softly, letting Indrid help him up as the dirt turns to mud. Indrid shelters him as best he can with a wing until they reach the cottage. Indrid kneels by the fireplace, lumps kindling into a pile as the young man sets his backpack on a chair.

“Nice place. Gotta admit I was expectin somethin more dilapidated. On account of the whole, uh, y’know.” He gestures to Indrid’s horns and cloven feet.

“It was much like you expected, once upon a time. But a human named Arlo Thacker took pity on me and helped me build it with the aid of a few friends. There.” The fire flickers merrily, “that should keep us warm. You may--ah, what are you doing?”

The young man has removed his jacket and shirt, revealing what Indrid recognizes from human magazines as a sports bra. His hands are now on the fly of his jeans.

“You said I was supposed to, uh, spend the night with you?”

“Yes, in that you may sleep here to be safe from the weather and any who might wish you harm. Not so that you may keep me warm. So to speak.”

“You’re not gonna fuck me?”

Indrid flicks his tail, surprised, “You would offer yourself to me, looking like this?”

The man nods in a way that suggests he’s run a calculus in his head and decided Indrid’s desire was less abhorrent than some other option. Indrid crosses the small living room, bringing them face to face. He reaches out a hand, runs his claws through black hair until the human closes his eyes. Then his hand slides to cup his cheek, one nail tracing fond little shapes on the skin as the man sighs. Against his better judgement, he tilts his head down to nose the dark locks; smoke lingers there, just as alcohol hangs on his breath. He’s so warm, so willing and so very soft. Indrid wants nothing more than to undress him further, carry him to his cozy bedroom and discover what sounds come when he fits their bodies together.

“What’s your name?”

“Duck. It’s a nickname.”

“A charming one. But no, Duck, I will not take such advantage of you. I may be called a devil, but I do not believe in making one trade their body for basic kindness. Come along, the bedroom will allow you more privacy.”

“Thanks.” Duck sways, and Indrid senses a weariness he’s not certain a good nights rest will fix. Tomorrow he will be sure to be gone when Duck awakens, leaving his dry clothes and a map back to town outside his door so that he can do what Indrid can dare to; leave the Barrens and find a life waiting for him in the world beyond.

-----------------------------------------------------------

There are some days when Duck thinks his encounter in the woods was a dream. The hand-drawn map he keeps folded among his books tells him otherwise.

He’d come home after that night, made his peace with Kepler for a few years more, and often awoke from dreams where he was pushing through brush in pursuit of a strange shadow. He never cites these as a reason for his taking a job at a state forest in New Jersey that includes the Barrens.

Now, he’s decided to upgrade from his apartment to a house in the woods that’s been listed for over two years and is a goddamn steal because of that.

“As you can see, there’s another residence across the clearing; that’s why the company that built this lovely dwelling was able to do so. They intended to build a nice little community here.”

“The fact that ain’t happened got anythin to do with the reason I gotta stay the night before I make an offer?”

Ned’s smile falters, “Indeed, dear boy. I like you, so I’ll be forthcoming; we’ve never seen anyone in the other house. But they have most certainly seen us.”

Duck settles in for an uneventful afternoon and evening, reads his book and considers whether he could fit some windowboxes on the house for garden space. It’s not until it’s pitch black outside that it starts; footsteps on the roof, followed shortly by red eyes peering in through the living room window.

He opens the front door, the undergrowth rustling hurriedly to his left.

“Uh, hey there. You may not remember me but, uh, we’ve actually met before. About ten years ago. You uh, you let me stay the night?”

Only some crickets, unaware of the tension in the air, reply to him. Then the bushes grow two, ruby red flowers.

“Duck?”

“Yep. Y’know, you never told me your name. If we’re gonna be neighbors, feels like I oughta know what to call you.”

A shadow moves from the trees, stopping when it reaches the light spilling from the windows. He’s as Duck remembers him; short horns sprouting from a mop of silver hair, claws on his fingers and black wings folded on his back. His skin is a swirl of ashy grey and ember red. And his face, while striking, is human. That was the part that always tripped Duck up; the Jersey Devil was always drawn with a goat or horse face, making him question whether that’s who he met all those years ago.

“Indrid. My name is Indrid.”

“Nice to see you again, Indrid.”

The other man smiles, and Duck knows what will replace the mad hunt through the brush in his dreams, “Likewise.”

-------------------------------------------------

“You know, she had three more children after me. None of them suffered the same curse.” Indrid kicks idly at the long decayed remains of his family home. Their nightly walk brough them close to it this time around, and Duck had been curious. His interest is never prurient or morbid; Duck wants to get to know Indrid, not his legend.

“That fuckin sucks.”

Indrid chuckles, “I do enjoy how you put things so plainly.”

“I’m serious, what kind of folks put their kid out when it’s a baby? I mean, mine weren't always the fuckin parents of the year but at least they understood lookin after me was part of the deal.”

“It was a different time.”

“Fine, but I’m still judgin the hell outta them.”

Indrid looks fondly down at the human, “That’s as fair a fate for them as any.”

---------------------------------------

“It don’t weird you out?” Juno indicates Indrid’s house from where she and Duck are sitting on his front porch. The twin Adirondack chairs are a new addition, as the warmer months mean he and Indrid spend ample time trying to see the stars through the treetops.

“Nah. Indrid’s a real good neighbor when he’s around. He’s uh, from an old family so he don’t gotta work. Part of why he keeps such weird hours.” Duck wishes he could introduce them; it’d be nice for the three of them to have dinner before Juno heads south again. But Indrid has several centuries of shitty human encounters that dig under his skin like splinters, and Duck will never push him to ignore that pain. Besides, there will be other visits.

The summer and fall pass in much the same ways last winter and spring did. Duck works in the park, visits friends in town, runs errands, and generally goes about all the mundane moments that make up a life. Then he spends his evenings in one of the two cottages, or walking alongside Indrid on long-overgrown pathways.

The hardest part of it all is not mentioning Indrid in every single conversation; Duck is already tempting disaster being unable to lie and the neighbor of a cryptid. He doesn’t want to also drive his friends up the wall talking about said cryptids art, or his laugh, or the little herb garden Duck is helping him grow.

They’re in the stretch of days between Christmas and New Year, and Indrid has just finished opening the gift Duck brought him; a thick, soft sweater that Duck stitched a “I” into the front of along with a few little pine tree patches. Indrid smiles at him and notices that Duck’s sweater is done in a similar fashion (in fact, everyone in the Newton family wears one like this). The grin turns bashful and Indrid rubs his cheek against the fabric.

“Thank you, Duck. I, ah, I’m sorry I do not have anything to give you. Holidays are not my strong suit.”

“Just gettin to see you is enough.” Duck stands to refill his tea, Indrid’s gaze caressing his back as he moves through the room. He almost hadn’t gone home, had offered to stay and keep Indrid company. But his friend insisted, reminding him that while it felt odd to be without each other, they both had spent plenty of time apart and been fine. All the same, when he got home yesterday Indrid was knocking on his door before he even put his bag down.

Duck didn’t mind at all. No more than he minds when Indrid sleeps with his head in his lap or strokes his hair while they read on the couch.

The cryptid stokes the fire as the snow gives way to sleet, streaking the windows with icy drops.

“Goodness, what a frigid night.”

“No kiddin.” Duck sets his mug down, turns just as Indrid gets to his feet, “can’t say I mind, kinda reminds me of the night we met.”

The colors of Indrid’s skin make a blush difficult to spot, but Duck’s learned which dip of his head and quirk of his lip means it’s there.

“‘Drid? Did you ever think about that night? Because I did. I, uh, I do.”

“Yes.” Indrid’s tail twitches.

“What do you think about?”

“I, ah, I...you first.”

Duck crosses the creaking floorboards, looking up into red eyes, “I think about how safe it felt when you brought me here. How when I woke up, I felt like this was some kinda weird sign, that I needed to rethink some things and that’s how come I went home, which turned out to be a good call. And” he smirks, “I think about how I was drunk and desperate enough to ask the fuckin Jersey Devil if he was gonna fuck me.”

Indrid blushes once more, studies the ground as Duck touches his shoulder, “I must say that is the part that dominated most of my thoughts. Not right away; for the first few weeks when I thought of you I only hoped you were alright. Then I would let myself imagine that I had been devilish indeed.”

Gently, Duck raises Indrid’s hand and cradles his cheek with it as they did that night, “What would you have done, devil of mine?”

A snicker, “I will answer that only if you tell me whether you are angling for the demonstration that I think you are.”

“Damn right.” He closes his eyes, heart swelling and skin prickling as Indrid steps closer and nuzzles the top of his head.

“I would have asked if you were tired of running. If you wanted a home. And would you like to make it here, so that we could keep each other company. I know in my heart this would have been a selfish offer. I am glad I did not make it, did not trap you here, resign you to a fate that was not what you would have chosen freely.”

“I’m pretty fuckin free these days.”

“And that all on it’s own fills me with joy. But yes, there were nights where I wished I’d been selfish.”

Duck tips his head up, brushing their noses together, “Say you made that offer and I accepted. What then?”

Indrid cups his face with both hands. The kiss is chaste, Indrid sighing against his lips as he twines his claws in his hair. Duck wraps his arms around his waist, lightly teasing the edge of one wing.

“Then” Indrid murmurs, “I’d carry you to bed.”

“Yeah, that part woulda been easier when I was seventeEEN” he laughs as Indrid scoops him into a bridal carry with ease. He’s never been in Indrid’s bed, so he giggles again when he discovers it’s ten times squishier than his own. The cryptid sinks onto it with him, guiding him so they’re face to face on their sides.

“May I undress you?”

“Knock yourself out, darlin.” Affection deep and warm as a thermal spring wells up in him as Indrid carefully removes his sweater and shirt before dainty setting his claws to work on his fly. When Duck is down to his boxers, hunger enters Indrid’s eyes for the first time.

“Oh you are divine.” One hand strokes his leg, pausing at the crease of his thigh each time it reaches there. The other curves along his belly up to his chest before caressing his face, the black claws making his skin seem oddly pale and very fragile in comparison.

Duck touches the hem of Indrid’s shirt and the cryptid freezes.

“‘Drid? Is this okay?”

“Do you...truly wish to see me unclothed?”

Duck surges forward to kiss him as he rucks up his shirt, the movement a sufficient answer for Indrid to raise his arms and let him pull the sweater and battered shirt beneath it away. His skin here is the same swirl of colors as the rest of him, but there’s a dusting of peach fuzz fur across it. It’s delightful under Duck’s tongue, though the little keen of pleasure from Indrid is even better.

“It’s strange” Indrid traces hearts and zig-zags with his claws along Duck’s sides as the human continues kissing his chest and neck, “I thought that seeing you like this would so overwhelm me with need that I’d beg to have you this instant. But it seems I feel much the same way I did in my fantasies of that night.”

“Oh” Duck reaches up to toy with the base of a horn and Indrid groans happily before continuing.

“Had you stayed, knowing you were now mine, I’d have taken my time. Nestled you under the blankets, opened you up on my tongue until you were weak from pleasure. That way it would be easy to take you when I was ready. Perhaps on your back, so you had me to hold onto if you needed. Or on your belly, so you would be even more sheltered from the cold, cruel world by my body and wings. And I’d stay there for hours, make up for decade after decade of touch starvation by glutting myself on your young, willing body.”

“Holy fuck, ‘Drid.” Duck pulls him down into a kiss, “christ that’s a fuckin good image.”

“Mmmm” the cryptid licks his cheek, “it is, isn’t it. But since you are not going anywhere, and we are not limited by the confines of my imagination, I am even less inclined to rush. Will you indulge me with just kisse tonight?”

Duck brushes silver hair from his forehead, planting a kiss there when he’s done, “Of course.”

----------------------

The morning brings several feet of snow and announcement that those who can stay in their homes and shelter from the ongoing storm should. The pines drop heaps of white across the ground, and frost makes the windows so icy it’s better to draw the curtains and stay curled up in the dark.

Duck doesn’t mind at all.

[nastybuckybarnes]

French Fries

Pairing: Alpha!Bucky X Omega!Reader X Alpha!Steve

Summary: Being a pregnant Omega isn’t exactly a walk in the park. And when your mates become too much to handle, you lose your cool, letting them know just how unreasonable they’re being. And now they’re determined to make it up to you.

Warnings: Language, Minor Angst, Fluff

Word Count: 1.3K

A/n: I love a/b/o. Might make this a mini series but idk

MASTERLIST

~*~

Being an Omega is hard.

Being a female Omega is even harder.

Being a pregnant female Omega bonded to two crazy alphas is probably the hardest thing you’ve had to deal with in your life.

You love your alphas to bits, but at times they can be a little overbearing.

“(Y/n)? Where are you, sweetheart?” You pinch the bridge of your nose as the pups inside of you squirm and kick, excited to hear their father’s voice.

“I’m in my office, Steve. Where I’ve been for the past four hours.” He pops his head through the doorway and smiles, the smile fading as he sees what sits on your desk.

“Honey, I thought we told you nothing too high in salt!” You glare at him. “But I wanted fries!” You exclaim as he picks up the box of deep-fried goodness.

“(Y/n)? Are you okay? What’s happening?!” Bucky runs into the room, a spatula in his hand.

“You let her go get fries? Buck, we’ve talked about the diet she has to stay on!” You pout in your office chair as the two of them argue.

“I never let her go get that! I wouldn’t! I know how important proper nutrition is during pregnancy. Well, based on what I’ve read, anyway.” Steve sighs and rubs his temples. 

“No more junk, (Y/n). No more going for walks by yourself, no more staying up super late, and no more work. You need to relax. The babies are going through crucial development right now and they need you to stay healthy and relaxed.”

A growl rips out of your throat and you spring off the chair as fast as you can, glaring at your two alphas.

“No! This is my pregnancy, my body, and my pups! If I want to go for a fucking walk because the air in the apartment makes me sick, I’m gonna fucking do it! If I want to eat pizza and pickles or ice cream and chips, you can’t fucking stop me! If I want to continue doing my goddamn job, I’m gonna do it and there’s nothing you can do about it! This is my pregnancy and I’m having fucking twins, and you two are acting like I’m a fucking porcelain doll. I’m not!”

They’re taken aback by your sudden outburst.

“I’ve been walking on fucking eggshells around the two of you. If you weren’t so caught up in being a textbook good parent, you’d see that you’re being shitty mates right now! Yes, I know I should be asleep at three in the morning, but does that mean my fucking children will sleep then? No! I’d much rather have you comforting me than telling me what the fuck to do all the time. Stop treating me like I’m a goddamn child!”

You storm past them as angrily as you can with your large bump, grabbing your jacket, hat, and mitts off of the couch and opening the front door.

“Don’t even think about asking me where I’m going. Don’t call, don’t text, don’t follow me. I need a break from you two because you’re fucking suffocating me! When I get back things have better be changed, or else I’ll spend the last few months of my pregnancy away from the two of you. Understood?” The two alphas stand dumbfounded by the door, nodding their understanding and genuinely afraid of you.

You’ve never really shown them how much what they do is bugging you, and now they feel like absolute shit because you’re one hundred percent right. They’ve been so caught up trying to be good parents for their unborn pups, that they’ve been neglecting their duties as your mates.

Determined to fix things, they discuss how the Hell they’re gonna make it up to you.

~

You walk around the quiet neighbourhood around your cozy house, hands shoved deep in your pockets as you think about everything you impulsively yelled at your mates.

You couldn’t help the sudden onslaught of emotions; it’s part of the pregnancy.

You rub your stomach gently, trying to calm yourself down enough to think about having a civilized conversation with either of them. You know you’re not in the wrong here.

Well, maybe you’re a little in the wrong, but they’ve been totally one hundred percent unreasonable.

Not once have you gotten to actually enjoy your pregnancy. You’ve been too busy looking over your shoulder making sure they’re not about to jump down your throat for some stupid reason or another.

After about a half hour more of walking, you head home, determined to make yourself a mug of hot cocoa and ordering some nice pizza. Or Chinese food. Whichever you’re craving more when you get home.

~

Your alphas watch as you walk into the house, slipping out of your winter boots and hanging your outside gear up in the closet by the door.

They say nothing as you make yourself a mug of hot chocolate, their eyes on your body as you bustle about in the house. When you finally sit down on the couch, a few take out menus in your hand, they approach you.

Steve takes a seat on the wooden coffee table in front of you, bring your feet up into his lap and massaging them while Bucky sits beside you, trying to take little whiffs of your scent.

“We’re so sorry, Omega. You were right. You aren’t as fragile as we’ve been treating you. We haven’t been letting you do anything you want and that’s not fair of us. So for the next little while we’re gonna be letting you do what you want, so long as it’s not dangerous or anything like that.” You look over at him then down to Steve, trying your hardest not to cry.

“I just… this is my first pregnancy. And I’m sorry for yelling and everything but a couple of French fries aren’t going to be the end of the world. You guys… I don’t know. I just want us to settle down a bit. I know you guys are nervous, but imagine how I feel! I’m carrying our pups inside of me and I’m growing in ways I don’t want to be and I’m getting chunky in all the wrong places. My back hurts and my boobs are tender and I can’t sit down without feeling like a manatee… and on top of that, I have two crazy protective alphas who aren’t giving me space to breathe! I just-” you stop and take a few deep breaths.

“I‘m growing people. Inside of me. So I’d like it if you guys could calm down a little bit. Please.”

The two of them nod, Bucky ducking his head to nose at your bonding mark.

“We will. We promise. We’re sorry for being so… horrible. Looking back I want to punch myself and Bucky for the way we were acting. We were hardly treating you like a person and we’ll do anything to make it up to you.”

You raise your eyebrows at Steve’s words.

“Anything?” You ask, your voice low. “Anything,” they both whisper, kissing your skin wherever they can. 

You smile wickedly and nod.

“Bucky, go down to the bakery around the corner and pick up some fudge brownies, and Steve, go get some pizza from that place that we always get from but makes us feel horrible for eating. Also, a milkshake and a jar of pickles. Pronto.” They laugh and each kiss your lips once.

“You’re a handful, omega,” Bucky says while grabbing his coat.

“Yeah, but you love me.” They both nod, smiling at you.

“Yes, we do.”

~*~ Fin

TAGS:

Forever:

@smolbeanbucky  @wildefire @inumorph @impalatobakerstreet @nanna022 @mummy-woves-you @m-a-t-91 @wtfholland @bookgirlunicorn @beautifulwisdom2001 @deep-sea-glitter @mrhiddles-81 @iamwarrenspeace @bitchacho25 @escapetheshackles @i-know-i-can @buckyssoul @avnngrs @swoonhui @destiel-artemis @frozenhuntress67 @unlikelygalaxygiver @agentlokidottir @viarogers @dumblani @mypassionsarenysins @mapreza1 @courtmr @paradisiacalsparks

Marvel:

@look-to-the-stars-and-wish  @maladaptive-ninja-returns  @april-14-blog @momc95 @shakzer00 @inkedaztec @cal-ifornication @heartislubbingdubbing @my-suga-kookies @imaginewhoever @soryuwifeyxx

Steve:

@an-anonymoususer @patzammit @fandom-princess-forevermore @jetaimeamore

Bucky:

@chuuulip @nerd-without-a-cause @natashasnight @dragonrosegardens @saharzek @fandom-princess-forevermore @jetaimeamore

[embracetheapocalypsewithme]

Cursed Land, Part 2: September

This is the second part of a multi-chapter fic for @ladylorelitanyfanfiction‘s / @ladylorelitany’s Monster Mash challenge. Part one is here:

Part 1: The Black Box

Part 3: The Call of the Void

Part 4: The Abyss

Summary: Rebecca begins to read Negan’s private journals from his first few days on the road after the world ended. What could have happened to him while he was wandering to make him so fearful of a certain part of the region in the northeast that he won’t even mention it? Perhaps the journals will reveal more of his past...

Word Count: 3,354

Warnings: Language, horror, and (hopefully) this is legitimately frightening.

Part 2: September

September 7

Writing this in a nice, fresh fucking notebook, like it’s the first day of school or something. Shit. Maybe it would have been the first day of school today if the world hadn’t ended, huh?

I don’t even really know why I’m writing this shit, or who I’m writing it for. I’ll probably be one of those dead fucks soon enough, wandering around trying to take off people’s faces. I guess I just want to keep track of the days. Today was the end of the first day on the road, and it’ll be hard to keep track of time without some kind of log.

I couldn’t stay in that house alone anymore. Too many memories for me there. The road is more dangerous, for sure, but it’s also new and open. I feel like I can breathe again out here.

But I’m lonely.

Dead fuck sightings: 25.

September 10

Wandered for the last few days. Finally made it out of the city this morning. No more tall buildings. Now there’s just suburbs, parks, and McMansions all around me. Fucking ugly ass, overpriced shit architecture…Lucille hated that shit just as much as I do.

Fuck I miss her a lot. It’s hard to think about her too much. Fucking fuck this sucks.

Camped out in the middle of a playground. Feels wrong to light a campfire here, but fuck it. Not like there are any kiddies around to burn their little hands in it or something. No homeowner’s association to bitch me out for it either. Ha! Bet those prissy fucks died on day one of this shit. Who’s laughing now, Mr. McMansion Motherfucker!

Dead fuck sightings: 12

September 12

The suburbs are getting decidedly less suburb-y. The houses are further and further apart, and are either big and expensive-looking, or run down little shacks. Looks like I’m starting to hit the rural areas. That’s probably not a bad thing since less people = less dead fucks coming at me.

At least, that’s what I fucking hope!

I guess a bunch of them could form some kind of roving mob ‘o’ flesh-eaters and swarm onto the road at any minute. Wouldn’t that be a fucking fun way to go? At least they’d probably tear me apart so that I wouldn’t come back as one of them. Maybe.

Dead fuck sightings: 9

September 15

Yep. I fucking knew it. I’m in the woods now. The houses are basically miles apart and most of them are really fucking shitty looking. There are thick-ass woods everywhere and let me fucking tell ya: they’re spooky as fuck.

Less walkers around here though. So, I guess I’ll take spooky woods over actual danger.

I’ve always been bad with directions, but I think I’m headed north east. There’s really no rhyme or reason to my wandering; I’m just trying to stay the hell away from the cities. They’re fucked.

It does get kind of lonely at night, and I hope that I meet an actual living fucker here soon. Could use the company.

Dead fuck sightings: 5

September 17

Someone’s following me.

They think that I can’t tell, but I can totally fucking tell. I may look big and stupid, but whoever-the-fuck is a really shitty stalker. I mean, at least try to cover up the sound of your footsteps, right?

I can almost feel them watching me right now while I write this over the fire. I don’t know why they don’t just approach me. Better not mean me any harm because I will sure as shit put a stop to that ASAP.

And, yeah, I just heard a twig snap behind me. Fuck fuck fuck.

Write write write…just a big dumb fuck pretending to write his fucking journal. Blah blah blah. Come get some you stupid fuck. I fucking dare ya!

Dead fuck sightings: 3

Creepy stalker sightings: 0, but I know you’re there motherfucker!

September 18

Creepy fucking stalker made contact this afternoon. 

Turns out, creepy fucking stalker is a not-too-bad looking woman who’s scouting for a group a few days from here. She goes out looking for other survivors while the rest stay in a little place in the woods. Doesn’t seem super fair to let her go out all alone, but maybe everyone else is feeble and would only slow her down?

We’re heading back to her camp now. We should be there soon. Maybe my luck has finally turned around! I could use a fucking break and some company. If we can fortify the place and start growing food, maybe we can all get through this. There’s safety in numbers and in time we can start rebuilding a little.

Fuck, I wouldn’t mind trying to repopulate the world with my new companion. She’s looking not too bad sitting across the fire right now…

Dead fuck sightings: 1, but it was mostly harmless, so does that count?

September 19

My former stalker’s name is Gail, by the way. We’ve been getting to know each other during the trip back to her camp. Not like that…well, not yet anyway…

Any-fucking-way, Gail says that she’s originally from a small town not too far away from this camp she’s in now. Evidently, the place is a ghost town called Falling Creek that she used to visit for kicks as a teenager in the “before times”

(Doesn’t that just sound so fucking dramatic? Before Times? But, I guess the situation is a tad fucking dramatic, after all).

The place was abandoned way back in the early 1940s. Like, the town was bustling one day and then winter came and by the next spring everyone just kind of fucked off. She says that there are a lot of creepy stories about why everyone left, but what good ghost town doesn’t have spooky stories about it?

The place probably just lost their source of income and everyone decided to go to greener pastures or whatever the fuck.

Anyway, Gail and her group decided that it would work well as a base because no people = no one to get infected and try to eat you. I like the way she thinks.

Seems to be working out too because we haven’t seen any deadies in days. Oddly enough, I can still smell them though. It seems like that dead body smell just follows us everywhere we go. Maybe it’s all in my head…some kind of PTSD maybe? I just wish my symptoms weren’t so fucking gross.

The weirdest part is that Gail says she can smell it too. Here’s hoping that the camp has cleaner air than these woods. We should be there tomorrow if we keep making good time.

Dead fuck sightings: 0

September 20

Fuck yeah, motherfucker! We are at the camp now! 

Just arrived this afternoon, and the folks waiting around here seem pretty relieved to see Gail. I’m relieved to see a goddamn bed, even if it is pretty vintage and crawling with dust mites.

(Don’t think about the dust mites, Negan. It’s better than whatever crawls around you all night when you sleep in the woods anyway…)

So, these are the folks here at the camp with me:

Gail: Of course, my lady stalker. Really nice, no-nonsense kind of a gal. Saved my ass from probably starving to death in the woods. Gail’s pretty fucking cool, if you ask me. Nice butt too. (I’ll stop now…)

Max: One of Gail’s neighbour’s kids…well, former neighbour.  Poor kid’s mom got eaten and Gail took him with her. Cute kid. Thinks he’s tough, but he can’t be more than 50lbs soaking wet.

David: Another neighbour of Gail’s. Dude had a pretty good gun stash (because that’s how small town folk do, I guess?), so when shit went real sideways, Gail hauled ass to his place with Max in her pickup. After a few days she and David decided to jump back into the truck with his boom-sticks and they came to Falling Creek to get away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis of Maple Pass. (just kidding…who the fuck has ever heard of that place?) I high-key think he wants to fuck Gail. But then again, who doesn’t? (I lied about stopping.)

Alan: David and Gail picked him up on their way to Falling Creek. He was just walking along like I was, minding his own business. Must have seemed harmless enough. He’s a quiet guy. Hard to tell how old he is – got one of those faces where he could be 28 or 48 and both would make sense. Says he’s half Native American on his mom’s side. Spent time all over the place and never really settled down until things got all weird with the dead rising and stuff. Guess that’s as good enough an excuse as any to stay put for a while.

Mary: Teenage girl they found in the woods a few weeks ago during one of Gail’s expeditions. She doesn’t really talk. Like, at all. Poor thing is totally fucked up and traumatized by whatever it is she saw before Gail found her. She just kind of walks around like one of those dead fucks most of the time. I don’t even want to think about what she witnessed to make her like that. Truth be told, she kind of gives me the creeps, but I’m trying to at least talk to her (…at her?) ...Maybe eventually she’ll snap out of it.

Speaking of creepy, Falling Creek is pretty eerie in and of itself. Gail says that she used to come here with her friends to drink and fuck as a teenager. Seems legitimate to me. The place is 100% deserted, and nature has started to take it all back. Everything’s crumbling and overgrown with weeds. It’d be the perfect place for kids to come and be sure no one else would follow them.

Who the fuck would come here otherwise?

Dead fuck sightings: 0

September 25

Missed a few days of writing. Just trying to get used to being around people again, I guess. It’s weird to have someone to talk to…

Gail is great at conversation. She’s just so warm and nice. Like a pair of fucking undies fresh out of the dryer cradling my balls. Soothing. Maybe this is the start of something good for us?

It’s fucking hard to talk sometimes and be open with people again. I was never really good at it. Even with Lucille. Sometimes I wonder if I made her worse in the end. She spent every day trying to bust down my defenses, and what the fuck did she get for it? Cancer!

I know that’s not how cancer works, but there are moments when you have to wonder if things could have been different.

Dead fuck sightings: 0 (ghost towns for the fucking win!)

September 27

Gail wants to go out on another of her expeditions. I told her that there was no way I would let her go out there alone, but she shot that right the fuck down. Says I’m too big and noisy and that she can sneak around a lot better alone. Makes sense, but I am 100% still not keen on the idea.

No one else seems to share my trepidation though, so I guess I should have more faith in the lady. She knows these woods pretty well and she can handle herself. Not like there are any dead fucks in the woods around here anyway.

(Side note: That’s a little weird, isn’t it? I know that this place is a ghost town, but you’d think that at least a few would wander in from the surrounding communities…)

I guess I’ll just twiddle my fucking thumbs and wait for her to come back. She leaves tomorrow morning…

Dead fuck sightings: 0

Found written on the back of the previous entry’s page in Negan’s handwriting:

The weeds will take it back. Nature will always take it back.

Everything goes down to dust in the end.

Ashes. Ashes.

Now all fall down.

September 29

Went to write today and found the fucking poetry or whatever the fuck written on the back of the last entry. It’s in my handwriting, but I don’t remember writing that at all.

Do people sleep-write like they sleep-walk? Is this some kind of weird trauma thing?

Whatever. It’s fucking weird. Not surprising though, given the circumstances.

Gail has been gone for a couple of days. She’s due back tomorrow, and I think I’ll feel a lot less stressed once she’s here again. She’d better show up because I don’t want to go skulking through the woods for her if she doesn’t. They’re fucking spooky as shit at night. And dark.

Alan and I have been getting along well. He’s telling me all kind of fun facts about the area. Old stories passed down from his grandmother about the place. Some Native American legends and stuff mixed in. Real interesting stuff.

Makes the time pass faster anyway.

“Life is very long…” Who wrote that. Was that T.S. Eliot? In The Wasteland? Or The Hollow Men? Maybe it was Oscar Wilde? Who the fuck knows anymore!

Dead fuck sightings: 0 (surprise, surprise!)

October 1

Last night was super fucking weird. And, to be clear, I mean super fucking weird in a world that is already really fucked. So that must tell you about the level of fuckedupedness that went down. I’m trying to think of where to even start with this and it’s hard to pinpoint.

I guess the first thing was that Mary started whistling.

It was just around sundown when I noticed it. Kind of a faint and soft sound; it was a melody I didn’t recognize, but it was the first real noise I have ever heard her make, so I thought it was pretty fucking cool.

I walked outside of the main building and saw her sitting on a bench beside the doorway, just whistling away. She was looking into the woods, which were already dark as fuck by this point. I sat down next to her on the bench and just listened to the sound.

It was kind of fucking pretty.

It was around this time that I noticed that the dead body smell had come back.

Less pretty.

I wanted to quiet her down since sound seems to draw them to us, but by this point Max had come out and sat down on her other side. I didn’t want to be a dick and discourage the poor thing from making noise, so I just kept an eye out for anything unusual.

After a few minutes David joins us and starts asking Mary about the song. Stuff like, “What is that you’re whistling?” and “Where did you learn to do that? It’s awful nice!” Of course, she doesn’t answer. Doesn’t even really acknowledge any of us being there. Just keeps on fucking whistling to herself.

Her eyes were just staring out into the tree-line. It was almost like she was looking for something. Maybe she was trying to call one of the deadies to us for shits and giggles?

Mary ends the song, but holds the last note for a long time. It’s high-pitched and almost hurts my ears just thinking about it. Like a tea-kettle that’s boiled and waiting for someone to finally take it off the burner. The sound just keeps going and going. It seems like forever, and I’m honestly getting a little fucking weird-ed out. I swear she never even blinked or took a breath the whole time.

All of a sudden the door slams open and there’s Alan looking like he’s seen a fucking ghost or something. He runs up to Mary and before I can stop him he’s shaking her and telling her to stop. He’s not mad…just like, panicked? He’s got a hand over her mouth by the time I get up and drag him off.

Mary stops and just looks up at him with these big, brown eyes. It’s almost like she didn’t know what she was doing, or didn’t remember. The girl looked genuinely confused as shit.

Alan apologizes to her, and then says something like: “You can never whistle like that at night. Do you understand? It calls them to you. Please, never do that again, Mary.”

She nods like she understands and just gets up and goes back into the building. Everyone kind of starts to move away from Alan except for me. I sit back down on the bench and he does the same.

We sit in silence for a few minutes just looking out at the trees that surround the town. Eventually I say, “Do you really think that whistling draws the dead fucks to us? I mean, I haven’t seen any of them since I got here. It’s actually a bit weird.”

He answers, “It is weird, isn’t it? No dead things around, but you can smell the death, can’t you?”

“Yeah. Honestly, I was starting to think it was all in my head. Real fucking relieved that you can smell it too, buddy.”

“I don’t know if that’s cause for relief or concern, to tell you the truth,” he mumbles to himself.

“What do you mean?”

“I’d better not talk about it. It’s something that...” he trailed off like he was trying to find the right words to explain, “In my grandmother’s culture, there were things that you just don’t talk about. You don’t even think about them. They’re that powerful. Things that live in the woods. Things that can be called to people who seek them out without realizing, until it’s too late and they’ve laid their own trap. Whether through greed, or curiosity, or just plain old bad luck.”

“You talking about fucking ghosts or some shit, Alan? I don’t really believe in this kind of supernatural shit, you know.”

He looked at me, “Yeah, well…in a world where the dead walk, who’s to say that ghosts aren’t real. And for the record: No. Not ghosts. Ghosts would be infinitely better than what I’m thinking of right now.”

At this point I’m getting exasperated with the guy. I mean, if you’re scared of some shit just say it. Don’t play coy with this “Oh it must not be named aloud!” bullshit. I was about to call him out on this when the bushes to our right started to rustle.

Look, I’m a big fucking guy and I can hold my own in a fight, but I’m not too big to admit that I just about shit myself when that happened. I think that feeling was mutual for Alan because we both got up real fast and spun around to see what was making the noise.

It was Gail. Of course it was. In all of the weirdness of the evening I almost forgot that she was due back that afternoon. She grinned at us and her face was cast in an orange glow from the setting sun. She looked tired and a little worried, but hot as fuck in that moment.

“Hey fellas!” she called out at us, waving, “Sorry to startle you. And sorry for being late. Had a little bit of a hold up in the woods. Got turned around for a couple of hours.”

This actually made my heart skip a beat. I mean, I’m not in love with the lady, but she did save my ass and I feel like I at least owe her one. The idea of her lost out there alone really fucking freaks me out. Especially since she knows these woods so well.

After a few minutes of me playing the concerned guy who needs to know “How did this happen?” and “How can this never fucking happen again?!” she calmed me down and we all went back inside for some food and more conversation.

Here’s hoping that she at least takes someone with her next time she’s out there.

Dead fuck sightings: 0, but at this point I’d welcome them over weird whistling girls and Alan’s creepy bullshit.

[internetdetectives]

11/13/19 - Chat with BUP

mfgreth 9:53 PM: "A glitch e day”

BUP 9:58 PM: "BUP”

BUP 9:58 PM: "Was i pinged”

Xenquility 9:59 PM: "Probably not”

BUP 9:59 PM: "Ok then”

BUP 9:59 PM: "Xenquility”

Xenquility 10:00 PM: "?”

BUP 10:01 PM: "Its a nice moon out”

BUP 10:01 PM: "What is your season?”

Xenquility 10:01 PM: "Winter?”

BUP 10:01 PM: "You were born in winter?”

Xenquility 10:01 PM: "Indeed”

BUP 10:01 PM: "Ah hah”

BUP 10:01 PM: "Interesting”

Xenquility 10:02 PM: "Why is that interesting?”

BUP 10:02 PM: "Depends on what you believe in I guess”

Xenquility 10:03 PM: "How so”

BUP 10:03 PM: "Just making small talk”

BUP 10:03 PM: "Ancient beliefs would dictate that your strongest positive aura is in winter”

BUP 10:03 PM: "and your strongest negative energy is in summer”

Wolfcat 10:05 PM: "whose this guy”

otherLiam 10:05 PM: "actually you were pinged”

otherLiam 10:05 PM: "i pinged you”

otherLiam 10:05 PM: "hi”

Xenquility 10:05 PM: "This guy took over babel”

Wolfcat 10:05 PM: "oh nvm”

otherLiam 10:05 PM: "I was asking about your game proposal.”

Wolfcat 10:06 PM: "sup bup”

Xenquility 10:06 PM: "Auras? Sounds like something a certain celestial body of fire was talking about”

BUP 10:06 PM: "Okay well I legit dont know what you mean”

BUP 10:06 PM: "Anyways if you care about that sort of thing it means you would gain most beneficially from acts of kindness in winter and acts of self interest in summer”

Xenquility 10:07 PM: "What season were you born in?”

BUP 10:07 PM: "Spring”

otherLiam 10:07 PM: "you wanted to do some kinda speedrun challenge or something, and if we won we get information. but w/e if it wasn't serious”

Xenquility 10:07 PM: "Spring?”

Xenquility 10:07 PM: "Ah. So acts of self interest in the fall”

BUP 10:08 PM: "Oh the right the game”

BUP 10:08 PM: "If you can even manage to pull it together.”

BUP 10:08 PM: "I wasnt TOO worried about that”

BUP 10:08 PM: "I thought it would be fun :wink:”

otherLiam 10:09 PM: "I mean, we like knowing shit.”

otherLiam 10:09 PM: "We know so little shit.”

BUP 10:10 PM: "You know a lot of shit”

BUP 10:10 PM: "But not all the shit”

otherLiam 10:10 PM: "We know enough to get ourselves in trouble, I guess.”

BUP 10:10 PM: "I know all the shit”

otherLiam 10:11 PM: "And the way to know your shit is to... speedrun Breath of the Wild? or are there other options?”

BUP 10:11 PM: "Didn't have to be that”

BUP 10:11 PM: "What shit again specifically? I don't remember.”

BUP 10:11 PM: "Like i said i know it all”

BUP 10:11 PM: "Well almost.”

Xenquility 10:12 PM: "Stuff bout ghosty”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:13 PM: "the way bup talks is awfully familiar”

otherLiam 10:13 PM: "What you said before was you'd spill all of GhostBabel's dirt, although if you really know everything there's probably some things we'd rather know.”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:13 PM: "is it? “

BUP 10:14 PM: "Is it”

BUP 10:14 PM: "???”

otherLiam 10:15 PM: "I wouldn't know.”

BUP 10:16 PM: "Lost in his theories”

BUP 10:16 PM: "Last accusation was that I was SKM”

Xenquility 10:17 PM: "He's actually simple fucking flips”

BUP 10:17 PM: "Squaddie Kids Meals”

BUP 10:17 PM: "SKM true lore unlocked confirmed”

BUP 10:17 PM: "Just kidding”

otherLiam 10:19 PM: "Why "BUP"?”

BUP 10:19 PM: "Its funny”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:19 PM: ":BUP:”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:19 PM: "bup”

otherLiam 10:19 PM: "Man I'm gonna be sad if SimpleFlips is a cultist.”

BUP 10:19 PM: "But im a jevil”

BUP 10:19 PM: "Apparently”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:20 PM: ":Jefault:”

Xenquility 10:20 PM: "Jumbo Jevil”

BUP 10:20 PM: "I mean honestly its not a bad analysis based on how im handling this antagonist role”

otherLiam 10:21 PM: "I mean thus far you aren't much of an antagonist. You locked us out of talking to GhostBabel, whose been dark for months anyway.”

BUP 10:21 PM: "Wait i forgot the creepy meme line”

BUP 10:21 PM: "I'm a bad guy :wink:”

BUP 10:21 PM: "Ok ocd fixed”

BUP 10:21 PM: "I mean thats true”

BUP 10:21 PM: "Then maybe i should threaten something more drastic”

otherLiam 10:21 PM: "Sounds fun.”

Xenquility 10:21 PM: "Not really”

otherLiam 10:21 PM: "But then to keep your jevil status”

otherLiam 10:21 PM: "you have to offer a larger reward, too.”

BUP 10:22 PM: "Do i?”

Xenquility 10:22 PM: "That's a terrible idea”

otherLiam 10:22 PM: "Gotta keep your game fair and balanced.”

Xenquility 10:22 PM: "We dont need a bigger threat”

otherLiam 10:22 PM: "See, Xen's freaking out already.”

BUP 10:22 PM: "Or wouldn't it be more evil to just”

BUP 10:22 PM: "Alter the deal”

otherLiam 10:22 PM: "pray i do not alter it further” 

ADULT_LINK△ 10:22 PM: "jevils whole thing is that he's like. aware of reality on a layer higher than the player characters”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:22 PM: "and he's chaotic”

BUP 10:22 PM: "I mean”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:22 PM: "not neccicerrily evil”

BUP 10:22 PM: "Thats accurate”

Xenquility 10:23 PM: "Bupgm”

otherLiam 10:23 PM: "nah if you really want antagonist status you gotta be like Jigsaw or some shit”

BUP 10:23 PM: "Okay then”

Xenquility 10:23 PM: "No you don't”

otherLiam 10:23 PM: "otherwise you're just like any of these other clowns we gotta roll our eyes at”

Xenquility 10:23 PM: "Liam shut the hell up”

otherLiam 10:24 PM: "Jigsaw's classy, he's got rules and clear rewards and consequences”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:24 PM: "caliborn was based off shitty jigsaw memer from mspaint forums”

otherLiam 10:24 PM: "he's so good his franchise is still living off his rep despite his canon death”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:24 PM: "i say bup seems more gamzee-like, pretty chill so far but likely to go apeshit later on”

BUP 10:25 PM: "I'm only here because someone has been swatting the chessboard”

BUP 10:25 PM: "And it's pissing off the other pieces”

otherLiam 10:26 PM: "Who's that?”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:26 PM: ":hylotl_eyes:”

Xenquility 10:26 PM: "Some guy named wolf maybe”

Xenquility 10:26 PM: "Or ghost”

Xenquility 10:26 PM: "Someone messing up others plans”

BUP 10:26 PM: "Gost is smalltiem”

BUP 10:26 PM: "This is big brain hours”

Xenquility 10:27 PM: "Ay bup I got a question”

BUP 10:27 PM: "I have answer but i might not share”

BUP 10:27 PM: ":wink:”

Xenquility 10:27 PM: "Are you actually working with the bad guys, or are you just  messing with us for fun?”

otherLiam 10:27 PM: "lol which bad guys”

Wolfcat 10:27 PM: "Hey guys”

Wolfcat 10:27 PM: "Whoa, lotta new people”

Wolfcat 10:27 PM: "Why aren't we on Skype again?”

otherLiam 10:28 PM: "...”

otherLiam 10:28 PM: "shut up, wolf.”

Xenquility 10:28 PM: "Fighting words”

BUP 10:28 PM: "@otherLiam correct”

BUP 10:28 PM: "Or i mean”

BUP 10:28 PM: "That is the right question”

Wolfcat 10:28 PM: "OI”

otherLiam 10:28 PM: "Any way I can get a straight answer?”

Xenquility 10:28 PM: "Alright, which bad guys?”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:28 PM: "im just shitpostin lmao”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:29 PM: "unless....?”

BUP 10:29 PM: "Well the answer is both”

BUP 10:29 PM: "I am bad and also trolling”

BUP 10:29 PM: "But only cause i want to be”

BUP 10:29 PM: "This is an active decision I'm making”

otherLiam 10:29 PM: "I meant, a straight answer to "Which bad guys are you with"?”

BUP 10:30 PM: "The ones i assembled”

Xenquility 10:30 PM: "Which ones did you assemble?”

otherLiam 10:30 PM: "Oh man, we got a leader.”

otherLiam 10:30 PM: "This really is big brain hours.”

BUP 10:31 PM: ".img big brain hours”

BUP 10:32 PM: "Ok well”

BUP 10:32 PM: "I wont tell you because that spoils my whole game”

BUP 10:32 PM: "Not the little ones right now i mean the like big shebang”

Xenquility 10:32 PM: "Do you plan on ending the world?”

BUP 10:33 PM: "No”

otherLiam 10:33 PM: "Wow what a question.”

Xenquility 10:33 PM: "Cool”

Xenquility 10:33 PM: "So no Luna bullshit?”

BUP 10:33 PM: "Of course there is”

Xenquility 10:33 PM: "Damnit”

BUP 10:33 PM: "Its just not my personal goal”

otherLiam 10:33 PM: "Man that's refreshing, a villain with a plan beyond "Im gonna drop the moon".”

Xenquility 10:33 PM: "I know. I love this guy”

otherLiam 10:34 PM: "Can we fight you forever?”

BUP 10:34 PM: "You already have”

BUP 10:34 PM: "So to speak”

BUP 10:34 PM: "Well not 'forever'”

BUP 10:34 PM: "Ok well”

otherLiam 10:35 PM: "What you're saying is we've met before.”

BUP 10:35 PM: "I'll give you this then”

Wolfcat 10:35 PM: "Why why why why I don't fight you a lot forever?”

Xenquility 10:35 PM: "Sounds tenebris-esque”

BUP 10:35 PM: "I killed Yuuki”

BUP 10:35 PM: "Not directly”

BUP 10:35 PM: "I mean I didn't strangle her myself”

BUP 10:35 PM: "But i mqde the decision that led to it happening”

Xenquility 10:36 PM: "Oh my”

BUP 10:36 PM: "*made”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:36 PM: "haha oof”

otherLiam 10:36 PM: "Well that does narrow it down.”

BUP 10:36 PM: "Does it?”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:36 PM: "does it?”

Xenquility 10:36 PM: "Why did you decide to kill her?”

otherLiam 10:37 PM: "Kinda. Puts you in one of the two universes.”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:37 PM: "*four”

Xenquility 10:37 PM: "circle pizz off”

BUP 10:37 PM: "Now you're questioning where and who i am based upon a timeline theory”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:37 PM: ":angerymista:”

Wolfcat 10:37 PM: "She won't die.”

Xenquility 10:37 PM: "This guy could transcend timelines for all we know”

Wolfcat 10:37 PM: "Not if I can stop it.”

otherLiam 10:37 PM: "Wolf she's already dead.”

otherLiam 10:37 PM: "Bad news.”

otherLiam 10:37 PM: "We didn't stop it.”

BUP 10:38 PM: "@Wolfcat cry more”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:38 PM: "this is the wolfcat from the alternate universe where he has alzheimer's”

Xenquility 10:38 PM: "LMAO”

Wolfcat 10:38 PM: "You'll be the one crying at the end of this”

BUP 10:38 PM: "Good luck”

otherLiam 10:38 PM: "There's no need to be rude to BUP.”

Xenquility 10:38 PM: "Wolf don't be sad you still have Erika”

otherLiam 10:38 PM: "Just because he's our enemy doesn't mean we can't be friends.”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:38 PM: "would explain the skype avatar and asking why we arent on skype”

BUP 10:38 PM: "Hooe it goes better than last time wolf”

BUP 10:38 PM: "Hope*”

otherLiam 10:38 PM: "he's just wolfposting”

BUP 10:38 PM: "Man i am a typomaniac”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:38 PM: ":ZoomEyes:”

Wolfcat 10:39 PM: "I am preparing a place for her”

Xenquility 10:39 PM: "Can we stop trying to fit each person into a damn timeline and just accept we hardly have any clue if any of our theories are correct”

Wolfcat 10:39 PM: "A nice little home for us to live in”

Wolfcat 10:39 PM: "Forever”

BUP 10:39 PM: "Gross”

BUP 10:39 PM: "Hey wolf”

Wolfcat 10:39 PM: "Me, me, him, and her”

Wolfcat 10:39 PM: "yea”

otherLiam 10:39 PM: "yikes.”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:40 PM: "literally how do you think i wasn't shitposting last night”

Xenquility 10:40 PM: "I've lost so much faith in humanity I can't tell the difference anymore”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:40 PM: "i have lost the ability to tell who's being serious and who's fucking around in this server”

Xenquility 10:40 PM: "^”

otherLiam 10:40 PM: "I’m always serious.”

otherLiam 10:40 PM: ":wink:”

otherLiam 10:40 PM: "Oh wait”

otherLiam 10:40 PM: "“Cus I’m a good guy :wink: “”

Xenquility 10:41 PM: "i vote song of time lets go save yuuki guys hurray hurrah”

Xenquility 10:41 PM: ":BUP:”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:42 PM: ":BUP:”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:42 PM: "when the fuck did emojis get so big”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:42 PM: "why is my bup emoji so scuffed”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:42 PM: "one of the recent updates”

Xenquility 10:42 PM: "my bup can beat your bup”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:42 PM: "the update i got today broke my bandadged betterdiscord :c”

Xenquility 10:42 PM: "You got your bup on my bup!”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:42 PM: "i dont have any of my plugins”

Xenquility 10:42 PM: "No, you got your bup on my bup!”

Xenquility 10:42 PM: "Buput bupper bups”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:43 PM: "where did you get your bup”

Xenquility 10:43 PM: ":BUP: me baby”

Xenquility 10:43 PM: "hey @BUP do you own the M channel now?”

BUP 10:44 PM: "no”

Xenquility 10:44 PM: "cool”

BUP 10:45 PM: "Hey wolf”

Wolfcat 10:45 PM: "yes”

Xenquility 10:45 PM: "△”

Xenquility 10:45 PM: "-BUP”

Wolfcat 10:45 PM: "I'm already here”

Xenquility 10:45 PM: "Hey Greth posted that in the premiere chat”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:45 PM: "?”

Xenquility 10:46 PM: "Greth posted △ in the premiere chat for The End”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:46 PM: "ready for an outlandish alternate timeline theory that i wholeheartedly believe?”

Xenquility 10:46 PM: "(The Start Life video)”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:46 PM: "YES”

BUP 10:46 PM: "I'm ready”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:46 PM: "bup is AO helper”

Xenquility 10:46 PM: "of course”

Xenquility 10:46 PM: "genius”

BUP 10:46 PM: "god you wish”

Wolfcat 10:46 PM: "wholefartedly”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:46 PM: "lmao”

Xenquility 10:46 PM: "wholefeetedly”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:46 PM: "except he's not helpful at all”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:46 PM: "and is evil”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:46 PM: "but like”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:46 PM: "otherwise literally the same person”

Xenquility 10:46 PM: "bup is au luna”

BUP 10:46 PM: "oh!”

Xenquility 10:47 PM: "Wait”

BUP 10:47 PM: "guess what!”

BUP 10:47 PM: "that's super wrong”

Xenquility 10:47 PM: "https://images.homedepot-static.com/productImages/930c2484-4b61-4b34-9e86-d8d4858cf565/svn/backyard-x-scapes-fake-rocks-hdd-rof-rocsb-64_1000.jpg”

Xenquility 10:47 PM: “die fool”

Xenquility 10:47 PM: “bup is au Alex Hall”

Wolfcat 10:47 PM: "Helper is an ancient primordial being”

Xenquility 10:47 PM: "His master plan of evil was stealing our money”

Xenquility 10:47 PM: "Digital Fireside is his way of kidnapping celebrities to rule the world”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:47 PM: "bup is actually alex hall shitposting in ID and tyler is going to be very angery”

BUP 10:48 PM: "Tyler is angry anyways”

Xenquility 10:48 PM: "BUP is actually au BEN”

Xenquility 10:48 PM: "My evidence?”

Xenquility 10:48 PM: "Bup is three letters”

Xenquility 10:48 PM: "Ben is three letters”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:48 PM: "clearly bup is me but evil”

Wolfcat 10:48 PM: "BUP Soteetos”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:48 PM: "and uses capitals”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:48 PM: "the face from soteetos needs to be an emoji”

BUP 10:48 PM: "Wow i love how this entire dialogue is just speculating on who i am

and nothing that could actually hold my interest”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:49 PM: "bup is literally a toad”

BUP 10:49 PM: "you all are shart”

Wolfcat 10:49 PM: "They always ask who you are”

Wolfcat 10:49 PM: "But not how you are”

Xenquility 10:49 PM: "Specishiting”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:49 PM: "im not actuallu speculating i'm just fucking around”

Wolfcat 10:49 PM: "How are you tonight Bup”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:49 PM: "they always ask who you are”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:49 PM: "but never why you are”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:49 PM: "why are you bup?”

BUP 10:49 PM: "that's like asking for all the answers at once”

BUP 10:49 PM: "and you dont even know it”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:49 PM: ":sBup:”

Wolfcat 10:50 PM: "When are you Bup?”

BUP 10:50 PM: "now”

Xenquility 10:50 PM: "Do you want us dead?”

BUP 10:50 PM: "no”

Xenquility 10:50 PM: "Do you want Tyler dead?”

BUP 10:50 PM: "me personally?”

BUP 10:50 PM: "no”

BUP 10:50 PM: "actually not at all even”

BUP 10:50 PM: "well kinda but not really”

BUP 10:50 PM: "this is difficult to explain”

Xenquility 10:51 PM: "Are you worried about the fact the lc/ao people could very well end the world and all the fun in it if they succeed in calling down Luna?”

/Mr. Circle\ 10:51 PM: "this conversation is the ID equivalent of the extended version of that scene where weasel tells deadpool what his face looks like”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:51 PM: "lmao circo”

BUP 10:51 PM: "how many layers are you even on bro”

otherLiam 10:52 PM: "bro i leave to eat and suddenly yall are just throwin weird shit”

otherLiam 10:52 PM: "what does hold your interest, BUP?”

BUP 10:52 PM: "because that could all happen and me and my squad would go”

BUP 10:52 PM: "'ok well that was one way of our game ending'”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:52 PM: ":heckasmug:”

BUP 10:52 PM: "well game is putting it lightly”

Xenquility 10:52 PM: "Other than you, have we previously encountered anyone in your Squad?”

otherLiam 10:53 PM: "squaaaaaad”

BUP 10:53 PM: "literally everyone you've ever met”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:53 PM: "are you from the other ID”

BUP 10:53 PM: "is part of someone's squad”

BUP 10:53 PM: "and you dont even know it”

otherLiam 10:53 PM: "calling on the power of an ancient moon goddess #squadgoals”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:53 PM: "squadfam”

Xenquility 10:53 PM: "Is that eoeoeoeoeo guy affiliated with you?”

BUP 10:53 PM: "no”

Wolfcat 10:53 PM: "low leveled layer fools”

Xenquility 10:54 PM: "Oooo”

ARGDov 10:54 PM: "oof wow ok I missed some shit”

otherLiam 10:54 PM: "we’re just chattin with bup”

BUP 10:54 PM: "i mean there's the main squad”

BUP 10:54 PM: "and the we each separately have our own squaddies”

BUP 10:54 PM: "to play our games”

ARGDov 10:55 PM: "huh”

ARGDov 10:55 PM: "whats the main squad?”

BUP 10:55 PM: "i am using analogy”

ARGDov 10:55 PM: "well, ok”

BUP 10:55 PM: "because i have to be mysterious”

ARGDov 10:55 PM: "what squaddy are you a part of?”

ARGDov 10:55 PM: "pfff”

otherLiam 10:55 PM: ":ghost: spooky”

Xenquility 10:55 PM: "Why does everyone have to be mysterious”

BUP 10:55 PM: "i am the master of my game”

Xenquility 10:55 PM: "No matter how it's presented the schtick gets a bit old”

otherLiam 10:55 PM: "one day we’ll meet someone that gives us a straight answer”

ARGDov 10:55 PM: "because the other way is no fun”

otherLiam 10:55 PM: "i have faith”

ARGDov 10:55 PM: "for them”

ARGDov 10:55 PM: "@BUP what game?”

Xenquility 10:56 PM: "WELL MAYBE THEY SHOULD THINK ABOUT OUR FELLINGS FOR ONCE ;-;”

Xenquility 10:56 PM: "(I'm kidding if that wasn't implied)”

BUP 10:56 PM: "okay do you remember kingdom hearts”

ARGDov 10:56 PM: "yes”

BUP 10:56 PM: "how those two idiot kids played chess”

Wolfcat 10:56 PM: "yes”

otherLiam 10:56 PM: "Oh no.”

ARGDov 10:56 PM: "I dont remember that but whatever”

otherLiam 10:56 PM: "It’s in the latest one.”

BUP 10:56 PM: "and then they xanatos gambited half the universe into simple and cleaning their way into death”

Wolfcat 10:56 PM: "xehanort and eraqus”

otherLiam 10:57 PM: "Yes.”

BUP 10:57 PM: "okay i am one of those guys in this situation but there are more kids with bad haircuts playing chess”

Xenquility 10:57 PM: "lmao any chance we could win the game?”

BUP 10:57 PM: "and its not actually like kingdom hearts at all”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:57 PM: "i dont know kingdom hearts”

otherLiam 10:58 PM: "I get the feeling we’re losing so badly at this point that it’s like in Mario Party when you’re in 4th but can steal a star to decide who wins.”

BUP 10:58 PM: "not really”

BUP 10:58 PM: "you saw how things are going in general”

BUP 10:58 PM: "at some point when lines blur”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:58 PM: "we just gotta hope BUP isnt Hard DK”

BUP 10:58 PM: "fun things sneak in”

Xenquility 10:59 PM: "Any chance you could tell us who eoeoeoeoeo is and/or if we've previously encountered him?”

BUP 10:59 PM: "you know fuck mario party honestly”

Xenquility 10:59 PM: "Mario party is awesome how dare you”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:59 PM: "wait you never answered”

ADULT_LINK△ 10:59 PM: "are you from the other ID”

ARGDov 10:59 PM: "wait when lines blur”

ARGDov 10:59 PM: "what do you mean lines blur”

Xenquility 10:59 PM: "Lines are pretty blurry right now and BUP is pretty fun”

ARGDov 10:59 PM: "and I thought he said he wasnt?”

BUP 10:59 PM: "i am from every ID”

Xenquility 10:59 PM: "Hey yugi”

ARGDov 10:59 PM: "EVERY ID?”

BUP 10:59 PM: "ye”

ARGDov 11:00 PM: "wait do you mean from every one of us as individuals”

BUP 11:00 PM: "no”

ARGDov 11:00 PM: "or every iteration of the group across the dimensions”

BUP 11:00 PM: "lmao”

BUP 11:00 PM: "kind of”

BUP 11:00 PM: "think broader”

BUP 11:00 PM: "but dont actually”

BUP 11:00 PM: "ive said too much”

ARGDov 11:00 PM: "ok”

BUP 11:00 PM: "my spider sense is tingling”

Xenquility 11:00 PM: "No you haven't”

ARGDov 11:00 PM: "headache forming”

ARGDov 11:00 PM: "and why is it tingling?”

Wolfcat 11:01 PM: "damn you spoiled the end of jid”

Xenquility 11:01 PM: "EPONAS SONG WE MUST STABALIZE HIM”

Xenquility 11:01 PM: "no jk”

ARGDov 11:01 PM: "lets not”

ARGDov 11:01 PM: "I guess hes gone?”

ARGDov 11:01 PM: "....ok then”

Xenquility 11:01 PM: "how did he spoil the end of jid exactly?”

BUP 11:01 PM: "what”

Wolfcat 11:01 PM: "i was talking about the roblox pic”

ARGDov 11:01 PM: "oh no you're still here”

ARGDov 11:01 PM: "shows what I know”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:01 PM: "we must become powerful”

otherLiam 11:01 PM: "wut”

ARGDov 11:01 PM: "@BUP why are your spidey senses tingling”

Wolfcat 11:01 PM: "damn”

BUP 11:01 PM: "from saying too much on that topic”

ARGDov 11:02 PM: "oh damn”

ARGDov 11:02 PM: "anyways hmm”

Xenquility 11:02 PM: "Think you could tell us about eoeoeoeoeo?”

BUP 11:02 PM: "i cant”

ARGDov 11:02 PM: "also- why are you here?”

BUP 11:02 PM: "because i dont know”

Xenquility 11:02 PM: "fuck”

Xenquility 11:02 PM: "oh”

BUP 11:02 PM: "not my purview fucko”

Wolfcat 11:02 PM: "more like purrview”

BUP 11:02 PM: "shut up furry”

Xenquility 11:02 PM: "more like purrvore”

BUP 11:03 PM: "okay goodbye”

ARGDov 11:03 PM: "still not answering my question”

Wolfcat 11:03 PM: "this guy knows whats up”

ARGDov 11:03 PM: "why are you here?”

Xenquility 11:03 PM: "something about he likes fun and games and shit”

Xenquility 11:03 PM: "Because every evil being likes to fuck with us”

Wolfcat 11:03 PM: "isnt that why we're all here?”

Xenquility 11:03 PM: "Can't blame them we're the epitome of retardation”

Wolfcat 11:04 PM: "we are homo ludens”

otherLiam 11:04 PM: "yall you gotta banter with bup”

ARGDov 11:04 PM: "we have been”

Wolfcat 11:04 PM: "no”

otherLiam 11:04 PM: "else they get bored”

Wolfcat 11:05 PM: "answer my question”

Wolfcat 11:05 PM: "answer my question now”

ARGDov 11:05 PM: "we'll Im trying to anyways”

Wolfcat 11:05 PM: "youre not answering my question”

otherLiam 11:05 PM: "no youve been interviewing him”

ARGDov 11:05 PM: "I cant just force banter”

Xenquility 11:05 PM: "Cool mr let's get bup to raise the stakes”

BUP 11:05 PM: "like CHILDREN”

BUP 11:05 PM: "ok what”

BUP 11:05 PM: "what is it”

BUP 11:05 PM: "god”

Xenquility 11:05 PM: "interviews are fun”

ARGDov 11:05 PM: "lol we are like children its true”

Wolfcat 11:05 PM: "@BUP”

Wolfcat 11:05 PM: "hi bup”

ARGDov 11:05 PM: "interviews are only fun when they're with vampires who may rip your head off if you arent careful”

otherLiam 11:05 PM: "wut”

BUP 11:06 PM: "that's true”

Xenquility 11:06 PM: "Are you assuming he's not a vampire?”

BUP 11:06 PM: "that gives me an idea for a game”

BUP 11:06 PM: "how about you interview me and if i don't like the question”

BUP 11:06 PM: "someone dies”

Wolfcat 11:06 PM: "sounds reasonable”

Xenquility 11:06 PM: "How about no?”

otherLiam 11:06 PM: "will it be someone important”

BUP 11:06 PM: "maybe”

BUP 11:06 PM: "maybe not”

otherLiam 11:06 PM: "can i call first dibs on dying”

BUP 11:06 PM: "no”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:06 PM: "can i die”

BUP 11:06 PM: "i have someone in mind”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:07 PM: "oh damn dibs got called”

Xenquility 11:07 PM: “That's ominous”

Wolfcat 11:07 PM: "damn”

Wolfcat 11:07 PM: "im starting to realize”

otherLiam 11:07 PM: "I mean I’d be down if you set rules for what you “don’t like”.”

otherLiam 11:07 PM: "Otherwise you could just say you don’t like every question.”

BUP 11:07 PM: "okay then”

BUP 11:07 PM: "1. yes and no / true false questions”

BUP 11:07 PM: "- none of these, i don't like em”

BUP 11:07 PM: "2. stop asking my identity”

BUP 11:07 PM: "3. No asking about Tyler”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:09 PM: "wait fuck thats a yes/no sorta”

Xenquility 11:09 PM: "Not really”

Xenquility 11:09 PM: "I thought it was good”

otherLiam 11:10 PM: "(please for the love of god submit these elsewhere for approval)”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:10 PM: "i mean he could literally answr with "yes" or "no" and refuse to elaborate”

otherLiam 11:10 PM: "(he’ll kill someone)”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:10 PM: "man, not asking a question that could be asnwered with a yes/no is hard”

ARGDov 11:11 PM: "ok fine, better questions than”

ARGDov 11:11 PM: "@BUP can you tell us what SKM and his brother have been up to?”

BUP 11:12 PM: "working with a group of hackers”

ARGDov 11:12 PM: "what on?”

BUP 11:12 PM: "computers”

otherLiam 11:12 PM: "pfft”

Wolfcat 11:12 PM: ":hmmm:”

ARGDov 11:12 PM: "hahhaha”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:12 PM: "do you have any suggestions for getting dried blood off a nintendo switch”

ARGDov 11:12 PM: "What are the hackers doing o nthe computers?”

otherLiam 11:12 PM: "soap and water thorin”

otherLiam 11:12 PM: "it’s hard plastic, not a fucking couch”

BUP 11:13 PM: "nail polish remover”

BUP 11:13 PM: "be careful”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:13 PM: "hm”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:13 PM: "aiight, thanks man”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:13 PM: "i'll look into getting some nail polish remover i guess”

Xenquility 11:14 PM: "What are Nocta and crew currently working on?”

BUP 11:14 PM: "try regular isopropyl rubbing alcohol first”

BUP 11:14 PM: "nail polish remover can sometime strip color from plastic”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:14 PM: "oh yikes, yeah i'll try rubbing alcohol first for sure then”

ARGDov 11:15 PM: "lmao we've lost track of the questions again”

ARGDov 11:15 PM: "that was fast”

otherLiam 11:15 PM: "I mean here’s an obvious question. Why are johnisdead.com and lunarchildren.com locked down?”

BUP 11:15 PM: "@Xenquility nocta is hiding”

ARGDov 11:15 PM: "why is he hiding?”

BUP 11:15 PM: "@ARGDov”

BUP 11:15 PM: "because of you all”

ARGDov 11:15 PM: "wait what did we do to scare him?”

otherLiam 11:15 PM: "Ooo we got him running scared.”

otherLiam 11:15 PM: "I mean we played a buncha magic songs at him and are actively trying to dig into his secret safe space”

Xenquility 11:16 PM: "What's going on with archives guy?”

ARGDov 11:16 PM: "eh, Im hoping for specifics”

BUP 11:17 PM: "archives guy is lost”

BUP 11:17 PM: "lost to me anyway”

BUP 11:17 PM: "i'm damn near omniscient but he went deep”

ARGDov 11:17 PM: "daaamn”

ARGDov 11:17 PM: "so hes still around”

ARGDov 11:17 PM: "good to know I guess”

BUP 11:17 PM: "somewhere”

ARGDov 11:18 PM: "Im still wondering what we did to scare off nocta”

BUP 11:18 PM: "well”

BUP 11:18 PM: "you didnt scare him off”

BUP 11:18 PM: "what you caused scared him off”

ARGDov 11:18 PM: "meaning....?”

Xenquility 11:18 PM: "Elegy”

BUP 11:18 PM: "that's part of it”

ARGDov 11:18 PM: "maybe let him answer before guessing lol”

ARGDov 11:18 PM: "ok, well, whats the rest of it?”

BUP 11:19 PM: "hmm”

otherLiam 11:19 PM: "If we did that, you’d be the only person asking questions.”

Xenquility 11:19 PM: "Posting the song of time or whatever on their forums probably didnt help either”

BUP 11:19 PM: "not sure that's safe to talk about here”

BUP 11:19 PM: "even for me”

ARGDov 11:19 PM: "well then y'all should ask some good ones too lol”

BUP 11:19 PM: "not that i'm scared”

ARGDov 11:19 PM: "ok,well, noted”

otherLiam 11:19 PM: "What exactly did the Elegy do?”

Xenquility 11:19 PM: "What keeps preventing people from talking about the stuff we need to know about?”

BUP 11:19 PM: "release an entity into that realm”

BUP 11:19 PM: "dont ask me what because i dont know”

BUP 11:19 PM: "rather, i dont care”

ARGDov 11:20 PM: "fair I suppose”

BUP 11:20 PM: "you can blame slinky”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:20 PM: "do you have any suggestions for our next move?”

Xenquility 11:20 PM: "Why are our two greth's in the past?”

BUP 11:21 PM: "@ADULT_LINK△ no”

BUP 11:21 PM: "@Xenquility because i thought it'd be useful”

BUP 11:21 PM: "and it was”

ARGDov 11:22 PM: "wait”

ARGDov 11:22 PM: "you did that”

Xenquility 11:22 PM: "For you, or for us?”

ARGDov 11:22 PM: "damn your powerful”

BUP 11:22 PM: "you know”

BUP 11:22 PM: "i am, and i'm really not”

ARGDov 11:23 PM: "ok, other question- should we be afraid of you?”

BUP 11:23 PM: "if only you could truly understand”

Xenquility 11:23 PM: "uh”

Xenquility 11:23 PM: "dov”

BUP 11:23 PM: "i think you should be afraid of any stranger willing to tell you what you want to hear”

ARGDov 11:23 PM: "thats true but I suppose wasnt my point lol”

BUP 11:23 PM: "it is.”

ARGDov 11:24 PM: "either way Im sure the point is moot”

ARGDov 11:24 PM: "hmmm ok other questions”

ARGDov 11:24 PM: "where is Tyler now? our universes tyler”

BUP 11:24 PM: "ding ding ding”

Xenquility 11:24 PM: ".....”

Wolfcat 11:24 PM: "welp”

Xenquility 11:24 PM: "DOV”

Xenquility 11:24 PM: "BOMB PLANS 3.0”

ARGDov 11:24 PM: "?”

Xenquility 11:25 PM: "3. No asking about Tyler”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:25 PM: "dov you dunce”

ARGDov 11:25 PM: "shit”

ARGDov 11:25 PM: "my bad sorry”

Wolfcat 11:25 PM: ":turboass:”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:25 PM: "welp you just killed someone”

ARGDov 11:25 PM: "what no I didnt”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:25 PM: ":rip:”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:25 PM: "yeah”

Xenquility 11:25 PM: "The punishment for asking a question he didn't like was someone dying”

ARGDov 11:25 PM: "FUCK”

ARGDov 11:25 PM: "IM SORRU”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:25 PM: "https://gyazo.com/a1beaf63b6873604c4424185a1835051”

Xenquility 11:25 PM: "Kill? yes”

otherLiam 11:26 PM: "Are you”

otherLiam 11:26 PM: "fucking”

ARGDov 11:26 PM: "@BUP sorry please dont kill someone :c”

otherLiam 11:26 PM: "serious.”

ARGDov 11:26 PM: "I FORGOT”

ARGDov 11:26 PM: "SORRY”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:26 PM: "dov you're like”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:26 PM: "a huge murderer now”

Wolfcat 11:26 PM: "kill dov in their place”

otherLiam 11:26 PM: "It’s THREE RULES.”

ARGDov 11:26 PM: "I WAS TRYING TO THINK OF QUESTIONS”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:26 PM: "you nearly killed people with bomb plans, you voted yes instantly on the kill vote, and now this”

Wolfcat 11:27 PM: ":hmmm:”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:27 PM: "oh shit is there more?”

ARGDov 11:27 PM: "no”

ARGDov 11:27 PM: "the runes didnt get anyone KILLED”

ARGDov 11:27 PM: "ok fine”

ARGDov 11:27 PM: "Im out of questions”

ARGDov 11:27 PM: "you fuckers think of something”

otherLiam 11:27 PM: "YOU THINK?!”

BUP 11:27 PM: "desperation makes me smile”

BUP 11:27 PM: "tbh”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:27 PM: "the bear jew strikes again”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:27 PM: "i uh. think the questions are over”

Xenquility 11:27 PM: "Who just died?”

Xenquility 11:27 PM: "lmao”

Wolfcat 11:27 PM: "you're out of questions”

Wolfcat 11:27 PM: "im out of time”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:27 PM: "unless we get to kill more people”

ARGDov 11:27 PM: "Im an otter actually.”

otherLiam 11:28 PM: "I have questions but I’m pretty sure you just game over’d us by spamming them.”

ARGDov 11:28 PM: "too skinny to be a bear”

BUP 11:28 PM: "I'll give you a choice”

BUP 11:28 PM: "how about this”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:28 PM: "you see, this is a reference to both the homosexual male lifestyle and the 2005 quentin tarantino film "inglourious basterds"”

BUP 11:28 PM: “I could kill someone you love, but is of little consequence to you now”

ARGDov 11:28 PM: "clearly you dont know your gay body types well circle”

BUP 11:28 PM: "Or i could kill someone you hate, but it would set you back far”

ARGDov 11:28 PM: "shit”

ARGDov 11:28 PM: "you mean to us as a group”

Xenquility 11:28 PM: "Alright who do we love?”

ARGDov 11:29 PM: "Im not picking this”

Xenquility 11:29 PM: "We love Tyler”

Xenquility 11:29 PM: "Moonman”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:29 PM: "the only person from the group that i like. hate”

Xenquility 11:29 PM: "Greth”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:29 PM: "kill mugen”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:29 PM: "woul dbe mugen”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:29 PM: "i swear to fuck if mugen is neccecarry”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:29 PM: "WHOM”

otherLiam 11:29 PM: "Who the fuck is this now”

Xenquility 11:29 PM: "Let's balance our options”

Xenquility 11:29 PM: "List off people we love”

otherLiam 11:29 PM: "look the choice is obvious here”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:29 PM: "whom'st dide”

Wolfcat 11:29 PM: "oh please give him some ideas”

otherLiam 11:29 PM: "we can’t afford any more setbacks.”

ARGDov 11:30 PM: "I know who we should pick”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:30 PM: "i was joking please do not kill mugen”

otherLiam 11:30 PM: "We already have tons.”

ARGDov 11:30 PM: "yeah we need to be calculating”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:30 PM: "hehe dide sounds like died”

ARGDov 11:30 PM: "

ARGDov 11:30 PM: "actually yes”

ARGDov 11:30 PM: "next time someone asks a bad question”

ARGDov 11:30 PM: "kill mugen”

otherLiam 11:30 PM: "Fuck our loved ones, necessary sacrifices.”

Xenquility 11:30 PM: "I concur”

ARGDov 11:30 PM: "im inclined to agree with Liam”

Wolfcat 11:30 PM: "kill someone we love”

ARGDov 11:30 PM: "although Im worried”

ARGDov 11:30 PM: "bloods gonna be on my hands now :c”

Xenquility 11:30 PM: "If we get set back anymore, we're fucked and all our loved ones die”

otherLiam 11:30 PM: "YEAH NO SHIT”

ARGDov 11:30 PM: "oh fuck off Liam”

BUP 11:30 PM: "well it's done”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:31 PM: "dov this is like the eighth death you're responsible for”

ARGDov 11:31 PM: "someone else wouldve fucked it up if I hadnt”

ARGDov 11:31 PM: "....”

ARGDov 11:31 PM: "name the other ones”

otherLiam 11:31 PM: "Do we get to know who’s dead?”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:31 PM: "are you sure about that”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:31 PM: "technically maybe more”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:31 PM: "i'd like to know who we just killed as well” 

ARGDov 11:31 PM: "same”

otherLiam 11:31 PM: "Yeah but like, which loved one”

BUP 11:31 PM: "you see it's funny when you can play with the rules”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:31 PM: "hold on, someone's knocking at m”

ARGDov 11:31 PM: "if its greth Im going to be extremely upset”

ARGDov 11:31 PM: "NO”

BUP 11:32 PM: "because to you”

BUP 11:32 PM: "theyre already dead”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:32 PM: "lmao fuck off circle”

ARGDov 11:32 PM: "......oh SHIT”

ARGDov 11:32 PM: "PARADOX”

Xenquility 11:32 PM: "uh”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:32 PM: "WAIT HOLY FUCK”

otherLiam 11:32 PM: "Oh ffs we just killed Yuuki.”

ARGDov 11:32 PM: "YUKI”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:32 PM: "DID WE JUST KILL YIKI AGAN”

Xenquility 11:32 PM: "LMAO”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:32 PM: "YUUKI”

otherLiam 11:32 PM: "In the past.”

ARGDov 11:32 PM: "GAAAAAAAH”

BUP 11:32 PM: "i told you before”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:32 PM: "that would explain earlier lmao”

otherLiam 11:32 PM: "@Wolfcat dov killed your waifu”

Xenquility 11:32 PM: "Well that was better than I expected”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:32 PM: "wait have we done this before”

ARGDov 11:32 PM: "SHHH LIAM”

ARGDov 11:32 PM: "SHUT UP]”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:32 PM: "jesus christ that was a masterful setup”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:32 PM: "is this some time loop shenannigans”

ARGDov 11:32 PM: "so wait”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:32 PM: "also hot damn that was really good”

otherLiam 11:33 PM: "DOV”

otherLiam 11:33 PM: "FFS”

Xenquility 11:33 PM: "(lmao what if it was john)”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:33 PM: "did bup talk about anyone we disliked earlier?”

Xenquility 11:33 PM: "The interview is over”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:33 PM: "JOHN HOLY FUCK”

otherLiam 11:33 PM: "STOP ASKING QUESTIONS DOV”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:33 PM: "thats not a question for but thats for the room”

ARGDov 11:33 PM: "what are you talking about theres nothing there”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:33 PM: "DOV KILLED JOHN”

Xenquility 11:33 PM: "big brain”

otherLiam 11:33 PM: "jesus god”

Wolfcat 11:33 PM: "god fucking damn it dov”

ARGDov 11:33 PM: "ok so fuck it”

Wolfcat 11:33 PM: "She'll △lways live”

ARGDov 11:33 PM: "we killed Yuki”

ARGDov 11:33 PM: "and thats it”

BUP 11:34 PM: "I killed Yuuki”

BUP 11:34 PM: "Not directly”

BUP 11:34 PM: "I mean I didn't strangle her myself”

BUP 11:34 PM: "But i made the decision that led to it happening”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:34 PM: "dov is the whole ass reason we're in this mess”

ARGDov 11:34 PM: "no one else”

ARGDov 11:34 PM: "no one asked any other bad questions”

ARGDov 11:34 PM: "shhhhh”

otherLiam 11:34 PM: "Alright so uh”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:34 PM: "someone shittily photoshop dovs face onto this”

otherLiam 11:34 PM: "do we get to keep asking questions?”

ARGDov 11:34 PM: "LIAM”

ARGDov 11:34 PM: "THATS A YES OR NO QUESTION”

BUP 11:34 PM: "you're lucky i didn't stomp on the mouse instead”

Xenquility 11:35 PM: "Doug?”

otherLiam 11:35 PM: "That’s not to him.”

otherLiam 11:35 PM: "Chill.”

BUP 11:35 PM: "that wouldve caused real problems waaaaay back”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:35 PM: "mouse?”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:35 PM: "wait”

Xenquility 11:35 PM: "Mouse = doug”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:35 PM: "PLEASE LEAVE HIM ALONE”

Xenquility 11:35 PM: "maybe”

ARGDov 11:35 PM: "letschasethemouse”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:35 PM: "CURSOR IS A GOOD BOI”

otherLiam 11:35 PM: "I didn’t do anything silly like ping him.”

Wolfcat 11:35 PM: "He's being a bitchass”

Xenquility 11:35 PM: "Holy shit cursor”

BUP 11:35 PM: "@Wolfcat”

BUP 11:35 PM: "gunna cry?”

ARGDov 11:35 PM: "...”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:35 PM: "i think dov could have just murdered instead of bomb plans

maybe cum a little?”

otherLiam 11:35 PM: "@BUP How can we get the login creds to johnisdead.com or lunarchildren.com?”

otherLiam 11:35 PM: "There’s a question.”

Xenquility 11:36 PM: "(I'm not asking Bup this) Does that mean that Doug will be immediately useful to us?”

otherLiam 11:36 PM: "Get this back on track.”

Xenquility 11:36 PM: "(To clarify I'm asking the group that)”

ARGDov 11:36 PM: "not necesarily”

ARGDov 11:36 PM: "he couldve picked him”

ARGDov 11:36 PM: "which means hes not useful to us atm either”

Xenquility 11:36 PM: "We don't love doug”

Xenquility 11:36 PM: "nescessarily”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:36 PM: "bup seems to not be linear in time”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:36 PM: "doug a bitch”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:36 PM: "since dov just killed yuuki in the past”

BUP 11:36 PM: "well she was ascended”

BUP 11:36 PM: "but i told them to do that”

BUP 11:36 PM: "i needed an excuse for our game”

otherLiam 11:37 PM: "REMEMBER THE RULES”

BUP 11:37 PM: "oh you think we're still playing?”

BUP 11:37 PM: "you want to risk more people?”

BUP 11:37 PM: "lmao”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:37 PM: "nah not really”

Xenquility 11:37 PM: "P sure it's over”

BUP 11:37 PM: "bloodthirsty”

otherLiam 11:37 PM: "I’ll risk it.”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:37 PM: "i figured dov murdering someone was the end”

otherLiam 11:37 PM: "It’s not a risk if you just think before sending.”

ARGDov 11:37 PM: "pffff”

Wolfcat 11:37 PM: "You're risking your own chess pieces”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:37 PM: "do we really want to risk killing another person when we've asked so many fuckin yes/no's”

ARGDov 11:37 PM: "no we dont”

otherLiam 11:38 PM: "who the fuck is we”

BUP 11:38 PM: "my army is larger”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:38 PM: "the group as a whole, duh”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:38 PM: "the hell you think i mean by we”

ARGDov 11:38 PM: "whod have thought that someone with a toad avatar would be so twisted”

Xenquility 11:38 PM: "I vote we fuck this game and go back to the No-Rule Questions But Bup Probably Won't Answer system”

otherLiam 11:38 PM: "Cus i aint asked any dumbass questions”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:39 PM: "you've asked like 2 or 3 yes/no's since dov killed yuuki”

ARGDov 11:39 PM: "lol yup”

BUP 11:39 PM: "this is fun”

ARGDov 11:39 PM: "ALSO STOP SAYING IT LIKE THAT”

otherLiam 11:39 PM: "I asked one to the group.”

BUP 11:39 PM: "i can make a simple game”

Xenquility 11:39 PM: "Can we all shut up and stop arguing?”

BUP 11:39 PM: "and turn this place into a battle royale”

BUP 11:39 PM: "you all turn on each other easily”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:39 PM: "me lmao”

Xenquility 11:39 PM: "Bup is obviously enjoying this”

otherLiam 11:39 PM: "Fuck these guys I’d like to still play.”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:39 PM: "we playin realm royale now?”

Xenquility 11:39 PM: "We fought over Erika and now we're fighting over a mistake”

Wolfcat 11:39 PM: ":jack_o_lantern:”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:39 PM: "where we droppin bois”

ARGDov 11:39 PM: "ACTUALLY FUCK”

BUP 11:40 PM: "Erika was a mistake”

ARGDov 11:40 PM: "why?”

ARGDov 11:40 PM: "why was she a mistake?”

ARGDov 11:40 PM: "where is she now anyways?”

BUP 11:40 PM: "im kidding”

BUP 11:40 PM: "i dont care”

ARGDov 11:40 PM: "fuck”

ARGDov 11:40 PM: "I just realized we couldve asked him about her”

ARGDov 11:40 PM: "oh well”

otherLiam 11:40 PM: "We could’ve asked about a lot of things.”

otherLiam 11:40 PM: "Erika was on my list.”

otherLiam 11:40 PM: "But I was waiting for you to be done.”

ARGDov 11:40 PM: "pfff”

ARGDov 11:40 PM: "well”

ARGDov 11:40 PM: "Im done now”

otherLiam 11:41 PM: "We’re ALL done now.”

Xenquility 11:41 PM: "Dwelling on the past won't help us in the future. Dov screwed up, we all realise that, and he's been made fun of. If we keep arguing, we get nowhere”

otherLiam 11:41 PM: "That’s why I want to keep playing his game.”

ARGDov 11:41 PM: "ugh ok”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:41 PM: "aiight i'm gonna be back in a few minutes, i gotta piss and getting around with crutches sucks ass”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:41 PM: "kill dov next”

ARGDov 11:41 PM: "lets hope SKM can be a bit more clear whenever he gets in contact with us”

otherLiam 11:41 PM: "Cus all we got were the answers to your followups.”

ARGDov 11:41 PM: "in fairness we got some info”

ARGDov 11:41 PM: "and Yuki was destined to die anyways”

ARGDov 11:41 PM: "so it couldve been worse”

BUP 11:42 PM: "was she?”

otherLiam 11:42 PM: "@BUP Is continuing to play still an option?”

ARGDov 11:42 PM: "I mean in our timeline, she'd already gotten killed”

otherLiam 11:42 PM: "And yeah I know, but we aren’t playing rn.”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:42 PM: "one thing we've learned is that bup does not seem to play linearly in time”

ARGDov 11:42 PM: "well, not in our timeline”

ARGDov 11:42 PM: "but anyways”

ARGDov 11:42 PM: "shed already died for us”

ARGDov 11:42 PM: "so really”

ARGDov 11:42 PM: "me askign the wrong question was destined”

BUP 11:42 PM: "gee”

ARGDov 11:42 PM: "and out of my control”

BUP 11:42 PM: "i wonder where you had heard”

BUP 11:42 PM: "of something like that before”

ARGDov 11:43 PM: "like what?”

otherLiam 11:43 PM: “Dov has a doctorate in rationalization.”

ARGDov 11:43 PM: "Im Jewish”

ARGDov 11:43 PM: "we are trained to argue”

Xenquility 11:43 PM: "Did Bup go back in time and take over Yuuki's account or something”

ARGDov 11:43 PM: "and I have just argued my way out of blame for death”

ARGDov 11:43 PM: "so yeah”

ARGDov 11:43 PM: "Im good”

otherLiam 11:43 PM: "not really no”

Xenquility 11:43 PM: "To say the whole "This is inevitable" thing”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:43 PM: "nah you still killed her”

otherLiam 11:43 PM: "we’re just ignoring you in favor of bup”

ARGDov 11:44 PM: "ok but I had no choice in it”

ARGDov 11:44 PM: "it was destiny”

ARGDov 11:44 PM: "but anyways”

ARGDov 11:44 PM: "MOVING ON”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:44 PM: "i mean”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:44 PM: "you did”

otherLiam 11:44 PM: "okay murderer”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:44 PM: "dov could have decided not to ask but that would have caused problems temporally”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:44 PM: "it coulda been any of us idiots who did it”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:44 PM: "but you ended up bein the one who did”

ARGDov 11:44 PM: "exactly,circle”

ARGDov 11:44 PM: "not my fault”

Wolfcat 11:44 PM: "You're giving bup too much credit”

Wolfcat 11:44 PM: "assuming he actually planned this from the start”

otherLiam 11:44 PM: "Hey BUP. How can we play your game again?”

BUP 11:45 PM: "honestly you all got me laughin”

BUP 11:45 PM: "plus someone died”

BUP 11:45 PM: "all in all good night”

ARGDov 11:45 PM: "so yes”

ARGDov 11:45 PM: "we should be scared of you”

ARGDov 11:45 PM: "great.”

Wolfcat 11:45 PM: "he doesnt have power over time, he has power over coincidence”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:45 PM: "since from our perspective she was already dead, it doesent really matter when we ended up getting her killed”

BUP 11:45 PM: "nah im just gonna give link a reward”

BUP 11:45 PM: "for thinkin with portals”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:45 PM: "o shit really?”

BUP 11:45 PM: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI_fltggv6E”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:45 PM: "literally why does anyone think it's a good idea to continue?”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:45 PM: ":o”

ARGDov 11:45 PM: "lmao”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:45 PM: "oh my fuck”

ARGDov 11:45 PM: "Liams the only one who thinks so”

otherLiam 11:46 PM: "I’m less pissed about Yuuki getting killed and more about the game being over and not getting any more info.”

Xenquility 11:46 PM: "bup is kaiden”

Xenquility 11:46 PM: "confirmed”

BUP 11:46 PM: "nah”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:46 PM: "imagine for a second”

BUP 11:46 PM: "kaiden was the other option”

BUP 11:46 PM: "actually you guys like him now”

ARGDov 11:47 PM: "ahahahhaha”

BUP 11:47 PM: "but you didnt then”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:47 PM: "bup being mugen”

BUP 11:47 PM: "weird how that works”

ARGDov 11:47 PM: "why do we like him”

Xenquility 11:47 PM: "We like Kaiden?”

ARGDov 11:47 PM: "we havent spoken to him much really”

otherLiam 11:47 PM: "Kaiden’s adorable”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:47 PM: "cursed idea, circle”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:47 PM: "cursed”

BUP 11:47 PM: "but i told you who i was”

BUP 11:47 PM: "just now”

BUP 11:47 PM: "sort of”

otherLiam 11:47 PM: "I don’t think he likes me very much tho”

ARGDov 11:47 PM: ".....wait”

BUP 11:47 PM: "it doesnt reveal much but”

Xenquility 11:47 PM: "are you”

Xenquility 11:47 PM: "IIII”

BUP 11:47 PM: "it also does”

BUP 11:47 PM: "no”

ARGDov 11:48 PM: "are you kaiden”

BUP 11:48 PM: "no”

Xenquility 11:48 PM: "You the dark lord from the rp or whatever?”

ARGDov 11:48 PM: "I was kidding so thats a relief”

otherLiam 11:48 PM: "man it’s a good thing we aren’t playing anymore”

BUP 11:48 PM: "”You the dark lord from the rp or whatever?””

BUP 11:48 PM: "kind of!”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:48 PM: "i know who you are and i am incredibly uncomfortable”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:48 PM: "i'm gonna go now”

otherLiam 11:48 PM: "wait wut”

ARGDov 11:48 PM: "what the hell”

ARGDov 11:48 PM: "@/Mr. Circle\ WHO IS HE”

Xenquility 11:49 PM: "The one Kaiden teamed up with or the one they were against?”

ARGDov 11:49 PM: "YOU CANT JUST SAY THAT AND LEAVE”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:49 PM: "he's me”

BUP 11:49 PM: "oh”

BUP 11:49 PM: "you wish”

BUP 11:49 PM: "nice try”

ARGDov 11:49 PM: ".......”

Xenquility 11:49 PM: "denied lmao”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:49 PM: "damn i tried tho”

Wolfcat 11:49 PM: "I'm you”

ARGDov 11:49 PM: "Ive got a feeling he's not someone we know”

BUP 11:49 PM: "oh”

BUP 11:49 PM: "i am”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:49 PM: "the baby is he”

BUP 11:49 PM: "again sort of”

ARGDov 11:49 PM: "....of course sort of”

ARGDov 11:49 PM: "inb4 this is the alternate universe version of me”

ARGDov 11:49 PM: "No tha would be stupid”

BUP 11:50 PM: "god you all just want”

BUP 11:50 PM: "to be me”

BUP 11:50 PM: "so bad”

ARGDov 11:50 PM: "Im kidding”

ARGDov 11:50 PM: "Id hate it if I were you tbh”

ARGDov 11:50 PM: "Id be disgusted with myself”

Xenquility 11:50 PM: "wow”

Xenquility 11:50 PM: "rude”

ARGDov 11:50 PM: "shame on me”

Wolfcat 11:50 PM: "oof”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:50 PM: "i mean”

Wolfcat 11:50 PM: "cutting deep”

ARGDov 11:50 PM: "Id want to slit my own wrists”

Xenquility 11:50 PM: "I mean it makes sense if you're slightly him”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:50 PM: ":THINKING:”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:50 PM: "your jevil and bup stuff is on brand for me”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:50 PM: "so”

Xenquility 11:50 PM: "jk”

ARGDov 11:50 PM: "and by my own wrists I mean your wrists that is lol”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:50 PM: "wouldnt be too bad of a thing if you were a me”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:50 PM: "or if i were a you”

Wolfcat 11:51 PM: "dov is just obsessed with killing”

/Mr. Circle\ 11:51 PM: "dov wants to murder you”

BUP 11:51 PM: "the funny thing is”

ARGDov 11:51 PM: "I AM HERE”

ARGDov 11:51 PM: "AND HE IS ME”

BUP 11:51 PM: "i straight up”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:51 PM: "idk ¯\_(ツ)_/¯”

BUP 11:51 PM: "gave you the answer to my identity”

otherLiam 11:51 PM: "Dov’s just mad he fucked up and killed Yuuki, don’t mind him.”

Xenquility 11:51 PM: "So if Bupman IA or the "Okay soul contract time" guy”

BUP 11:51 PM: "i honest to god 100% did”

Xenquility 11:51 PM: "*is”

ARGDov 11:51 PM: "I AM HE AND HE IS ME https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Uf4sjX8RE”

BUP 11:51 PM: "you just cant connect the dots”

ADULT_LINK△ 11:51 PM: ""didnt like him then, but do now"”

Wolfcat 11:51 PM: "3?”

ARGDov 11:51 PM: "nope”

Wolfcat 11:51 PM: "△”

[reesesxxpieces-blog]

Johnny William My Brother’s Keeper:

There are some sounds in this world that defy all others for no other reason than their implications. They deny all reason or logic. They are no louder or stranger or in any way more pleasurable to hear. Yet, they make ones ears ring with their conception and leave themselves nestled in your brain stem. Senses alive and time slowing. The scent of hot asphalt and sweat. The sun beating down red hot against light skin that seemed to only know the rise and fall of 28 winters. Eyes open yet seemingly blind to the pass of scenery as he was only reacting. All human impulse of reason and propriety gone in that windless day but his ears, his ears were still alive. His son was screaming. Muffled through the closed and locked window and door where he could still hear those little lungs belt. His oldest child who had seen too much left to see further and screaming for his father as if he knew what was going on outside. Knowing that an odd and primal sense of nervousness was most likely eating away at him as the little boy became able to compute more and more each day yet what he was seeing in truth could not be understood by him. He heard the swing of air as yet another weapon slashed the air in his direction. Interjecting as his pupils seemed to dilate at the sight of the sharpened fire poker being forced at him. Breaking the direction of the firepoker as he had seemingly three dozen times since as he forced the three foot level with all the force he had in a baseball swing into the ribs of the man who held it. Dropping him immediately where he’d complete that swing to nothing but wind.

Blood covered his t-shirt and jeans. An outfit he had never meant to dirty in such a way as it was all purely accident. A blackening eye, a cut lip. All minor injuries on a man wearing the blood of others who had come in multitudes. Five packed cars holding four to six rival gang members each that had come out of thin spring air. Dozens upon dozens of men all charging the front lawn at different speeds taking on only two men. Attempting to make up the difference with a construction level, a baseball bat and resolve. The James boys were by no means new to this sort of thing. They had been getting jumped since they could walk. Beaten up in school, church and every place in between. It had given them thick skin and thicker knuckles. Learning how to fight as they learned their letters. One of which taking better to the physical arts than the school ones. The other one liked words but he never completely forgot who he was. Never more so than in that moment when the truth was literally punching you in the face. They were James’ and they always would be. No matter how many millions were or were not in their bank account. No matter how many awards or accolades decorated the fireplace and how many children called them ‘father.’ This was what they were born to and this was what they were to be or lose it all.

Allowing his back to slouch briefly, Johnny was catching his breath in the interim as he watched the injured and bleeding masses crawling back to their cars. Round after round of this. Numerous knocked clean out scattered the front lawn of the same man’s family home. His kids and wife inside somewhere while the front door was barricaded shut from the outside and locked from within to keep the woman from running out for him. Wanting his kids to be secured and nothing else as the two of them had the outside. Leaving the backdoor open in the case they’d need to evacuate. The Pagans were familiar with the low-ranking Hispanic gang leaking in from the perimeters of New Jersey yet keeping them off of their shores. Yet, there they were and taking advantage of the first Pagan they saw. Getting two for the price of one on that memorial day weekend in what was intended to simply be a jumping. A message. It was all now a full out brawl. A royal rumble on a front lawn where for once, the two had never asked for it. Both of them were watching to see if a new round of the men would charge. All held together oddly by a female who seemed to be leading the attack.

Discharging a man who’d wrap around one of the cars. The fight was now drawing the attention of all of the neighborhood as Johnny finally dropped his level. It all seemed to be dwindling. Wiping the blood from his nose with his sleeve before Judas’ eyes caught a figure drawing in from the blindside of his younger brother all while one crept up on his own. “John!” he’d call sharply, pointing towards the approach where a knife was being swung at his side. Ironically, the same side he already held marks of such an attack on. He’d turn sharply, intercepting a swinging arm with one of his own. Blocking a forearm with one of his own before sharply head butting the approach. Disorienting him for long enough to take a sharp upper cut to the ribs. Another one and another one after that until he could wrench the knife from his hand. Doing what he should have done a year before and tossing it off into the grass as the opponent dropped before there was one of those sounds. One of those sounds you’d never forget. One that he’d never forget for as long as he lived as he had never heard it before and those true rare firsts were incredible in itself for such a versed man.

It wasn’t a scream or a yell but it wasn’t quite a groan either. A volume-filled grunt of sorts followed by the sounds of glass shards raining onto the ground. Almost knowing not to turn around. Time stilling and slipping through his fingers as another sound was given. Knowing the sound was erupting from the vocal chords of his brother. Johnny had been the strength of his brother for so many years. So many overdoses and sicken nights turning to days. The shivering, the violent retching when there was nothing left. Carrying him from streets to hospitals and back again. Holding his blood and bones inside of him. Judas knew he’d be dead without his brother but it was in that moment that the debt was paid and now Johnny would be dead without Judas’ watchful eye that had warned him while distracting himself. He’d turn around to spot the woman scrambling from the scene. The same who had abandoned her mission to scramble up the side of the lawn and throw a now broken beer bottle that littered the scene. Attempting to get up, to run off. The sounds of police sirens ripping through the block as one by one, her cars were leaving her. One remaining idling as the door was left open but John was having none of it. Grabbing the firepoker from the ground and filled with a blind rage that could only be known as protective and filled with his failure, he approached the woman leading operations. For once, no care as to the state of her sex as a heavy boot at the ribcage launched the woman onto her stomach. Two hands at the firepoker as he drove it over his own shoulders forward. Directing all his force into the iron that drove itself through flesh like a hot knife. Slicing through sinew and tissue and pinning the ground on the other side of her. For once, he had missed. A strike intended for the heart and ribcage forced through a shoulder that would no doubt let the woman live but keeping her pinned to the scene as he dropped to the side of his brother on his knees. The last car taking off as he pulled the larger man onto his back. Balled into his knees with his head to the ground, hands to his face where he could see the blood filling through his knuckles. Pulling him back where the man protested in an entirely unfathomable cry of pain.

“Judas…Judas…” John would scream at the man who he had never failed before. A man whose everyday was filled with pain yet he’d never let it lose. Knowing it had to be bad as he gripped one hand. Attempting to force it back where he would not give. Allowing him but little sight he could get where the bottle had hit his brow bone and send shards of glass collecting against and around his eye. “Judas, I need to see!” he’d yell at him again, needing to know if he was applying pressure on something or leaving it alone but he was ungiving. Another pain filled howl as his Judas’ own realization set in at the blood filling his sight.

“I can’t - I can’t see.”

Spencer James A black dress wasn’t something Spencer had ever associated with sadness.  It was a staple in most women’s closets, referred to affectionately as a ‘little black dress’.  It was something that went along with heavy make up and flashy earrings.  Shoes were carefully selected to go with it, but weren’t ever limited to only being in the same color.   A black dress meant drinks.  A black dress meant a good time was to be had.  A black dress meant conversation and often times led to sex.  But on May 28, 2017, a black dress meant a funeral.  It meant sadness.  It meant loss.  It meant regret.  

The phone call had come in as Spencer returned home from an already shitty day.  She hadn’t even gotten to express what had happened there or what was to come before she was answering a phone call that would bring her entire life to a screeching halt.  The thing was, she knew she wasn’t fair to her mother.  She knew her mother had only ever wanted what was best for her.  Her mother had only ever wanted to hold her family together in whatever way that she could, which was something Spencer could relate to first hand now that she had a family of her own.

Addison Spencer Reese had lived in a world that was not exactly what it once was.  At one point in time, her husband was an esteemed police officer and she was a kindergarten teacher.  They lived in a nice, suburban home, and had fought for years to have a child.  It was an endeavor that had been long and strenuous, filled with losses of its own, but in the end, they would have their little girl who she would give her own maiden name to as her first name in tribute to her line while pairing it with her husband’s last name to form a name that would forever have questions beside it as to whether the child was male or female, but it always seemed to suit her just right.  When Brock was injured in the line of duty, everything changed for Addison.  She went from living a comfortable life to wondering how the next bill would be paid.  Every dime the two had, had gone into their daughter, not leaving much by the way of savings, thus throwing them all into financial despair when her husband’s medical bills started flowing in beyond even their insurance’s coverages.

The daughter they had raised so well would pull through for them in ways that Addison never could thank her for.  An adult herself, she had moved home to save money and allow all of her own income to flow into the family’s fund.  She picked up extra shifts and worked security at night.  There might have never been a time they were more proud of their daughter than in those first months after Brock’s injury.  It continued on until there was no more that could be done for her husband there in Dallas and the two set out to go to Philadelphia, encouraging Spencer to stay, to keep her position in Dallas, to be where her home was, but their daughter wouldn’t hear any of it, once again proving just who this little girl turned woman was, finding it all to be a testament to how she was raised.  There was much Addison Reese didn’t know, but perhaps the biggest thing she didn’t know, nor would she ever fully understand was just how it was that the move would change everything.

Within a few months of moving to Philadelphia, living in an apartment that was less than fitting of the family, their daughter had dropped the news that she had married a man that had never asked for Brock’s permission and thus was the beginning of the divide between the two people she loved the most in this world.  It took months to get the two to speak once again, but finally repair was being made until all at once, the fragile glass walls would be shattered once more in a hospital hallway when Brock and Spencer had gotten into it over her husband once again, Brock’s intentions always of Addison’s understanding, yet his mannerisms on the topic were never on point.  That day, they found out they were expecting their first grandchild, of which they’d never get to meet.  

In hindsight, Addison would have done something in that moment to change the trajectory of all that would take place over the next few months.  She would have done something to keep her husband away from the hospital that day and given their daughter time to come around.  She had been so sure that she would come around, as she always did.  Family was engrained in Spencer from her earliest moments and to that, Addison knew her daughter would return.  It was just going to take time.  But time was limited and would expire long before she was ready to admit.  In the first few weeks of Brock’s incarceration, Addison would reach out to Spencer, attempting to speak with her, to help her understand what her father had been doing and why it had gotten taken so far, but Spencer would hear none of it.  She was as strong willed as the man that now sat behind steel bars and she could turn her emotion off in exchange for the heat of her hatred at any given moment.  Addison felt the heat even through phone lines, knowing her well enough to know not to push further, but she couldn’t stop herself.  She was fighting for her family when it was clear her family wouldn’t fight for each other.

When the call came in just a week ago, Spencer had expected it to be confirmation of death, but not the death of her mother.  She had expected it to be the call telling her that an investigation was officially being opened against her again, for the third time in two years.  She expected to be told that her suspension was now termination.  She had many expectations of that call, but she did not expect to be wearing a black dress that went to her knees, lacking heavy make up, lacking flashy jewelry, with matching shoes.  It would be the first time she’d face death so close to her and as the only child of the woman, with no spouse available for such arrangements, they all fell to Spencer to figure out.  Navigating a world that was foreign to her, an obituary was fashioned with the help of a funeral home director.  A funeral was planned, though it would be small at best.  With no plots purchased, nor ties to Philadelphia, Spencer would make the decision to have her mother cremated as her wishes were not known, thinking she could return to Dallas and return those ashes to the place her mother had been born and raised.

Two days later, Spencer was more than ready to do something that would take her outside of her own sadness.  Although she wasn’t entirely herself, she was putting on a good enough front for the boys and anyone else she might come in contact with, allowing the depths of her sadness to only be seen by the man she knew would hold her as she cried and offer no judgment on the tears that would stain her cheeks.  But today was meant to be a good time.  

Family these days meant John, River, and Rhys, as well as Judas and his new wife, Sophia, as well as Jade, whenever she could make it by.  It was a relatively small group, but it filled the James home with laughter and story telling, a bit of sibling rivalry and shit talk, as well as the happiest people under three feet tall.  Sophia’s stomach seemed to grow more and more by the day now as it was clear that very soon, there would be another in the mix of things, though she was keeping tight lips on the sex or if a name had been chosen yet, keeping a bit of mystery about the entire thing if only to entertain herself with something being just hers and Judas’ for the moment.  Jade had come and gone in true Jade form, and a short while earlier, Sophia had felt ill and had Judas take her home.  It wasn’t until they had gotten back home that she’d realize she’d left her bag there at the end of the sofa and Judas agreed to go back for it, to which Soph was fairly certain it had something to do with those two little boys that he couldn’t seem to get enough of.  

Spence had been cleaning up in the backyard from the cookout earlier as the boys were upstairs taking their naps, or supposed to be anyway.  Rhys was fast asleep while River was ‘reading’ to himself in his bed, but both were occupied and taken care of while Spencer helped John with the clean up.  Not long after, Judas had returned and John had gone to greet him at the door while Spencer was picking up the last of the paper plates left on the patio table and disposing of them, making her way through the house with a trash bag when the door was abruptly closed.  It didn’t take long before she’d see just what it was that had prompted John to close the door that way.  It was locked and secured, but half of her heart was on the outside of the door, with no protection and no real weapon.

River started to fuss as the door slammed too loudly and he associated it with his father leaving for work or Spencer doing the same, but either way, a closing front door meant someone had to go and their family was incomplete.  Spencer ran up the stairs, leaving a bag of trash on the floor by the front windows to grab River and check in on Rhys.  Her heart raced as she drew River into her arms, rubbing his back as she whispered softly to him.  “It’s alright.  Daddy doesn’t have work tonight, and neither do I.  We’re all home tonight, buddy.  He just had to go outside with Uncle J.”  Her words were soothing enough if they were only words, but paired with that nervousness in her throat, they’d come forth jagged to which the little one would easily pick up on and feed off of, inconsolable as she held him, pacing the upstairs floor with him.  Knowing he’d wake Rhys, she had to get River to the lower floor or she’d have two crying little ones and there was no way she was putting one down for the other at this point in time.  She drew a breath and walked down the staircase carefully to the lower floor, her eyes to that window where she could catch a glimpse of that which was taking place on the lawn, yet keeping River’s eyes from seeing the sights outside of their home.

The only thing she’d see that had any relief in it for her was the fact that she had yet to see a single firearm, though she was witnessing her husband and brother in law taking and giving a beating that sent pains through her stomach at every blow.  Trying to calm River, it would be to no avail, but she wouldn’t give up trying.  She could have called the cops, but she knew how this went well enough by now.  No cops.  And if they were called, it would be by another bystander, and not by John’s wife.  She knew it would only be a matter of time, but she couldn’t help but hope that it would come to pass sooner rather than later, knowing that it would send the others fleeing before the police could arrive, and put an end to that which she was having to watch through a double paned glass window with a sobbing toddler on her shoulder.

Just as she knew it would be, sirens were heard in the distance and vehicles started fleeing, but not before Judas went down and John was making quick steps across the yard wielding a fire poke at his shoulder.  She knew those steps he would take.  He was determined and outraged and it was no longer about the situation as it was.  On the receiving end was a woman, something that she knew to be off limits to the man, yet as she watched him drive the fire poke through her shoulder, pinning her to the ground, she knew the man had seen nothing but red in that moment and the fact that she was a woman hadn’t even mattered.  Spence’s eyes clenched shut as she turned her back to the window, not meaning to allow River that sight, but thankfully his own eyes were closed as tiny tears rolled down his cheeks with the soft word ‘da’ at his lips only wanting his father to come back inside.  

The next time she turned around, it was to find Judas on the ground with John there over him, the older James boy clearly injured though Spencer couldn’t tell from where she was just how severe it was.  With police now coming onto their lawn, an ambulance was radioed for and would arrive in minutes,  while within the house, she was there at the door, unlocking it and pushing against the exterior to find that she couldn’t force the door to move.  John was smart.  Too many people didn’t give him credit where credit was due, but the man knew his wife could not be contained by just door locks and would attempt to open that door at some point in time.  River’s cries seemed to stop as Spencer got to the door, knowing that she’d open it and they would find his father, and yet as much as she tried, that door would not give.

-May 30, 2017