#fellas there are so many women out there don't worry

[cupidstolemyfoot]

I'm taking notes

P. Ovidii Nasonis Ars Amatoria, 1.61-228

[msfbgraves]

(when Michael assured him that the omega, Anna, was never with Terry's pup and was now mated to a Chicago musician, with young pups of her own.)

You did NOT just allude to Terry McCain and Anna from Excessive Force!! GASP. So clever!! It all makes sense now, she really was the really beautiful female version of Daniel. I guess Terry Silver made such a huge impression on her that she had to marry his long-lost twin lol. Happy ending I guess…? At the same time it shows that though Terry was so disgustingly inebriated, he still went for the closest thing that resembled Daniel. Says a lot.

(As for Terry's people - everyone who didn't know does now, and that was excruciating... but they were all on his side.)

I’m dumb, but I’m kinda confused at the working here—when you say they were all on his side, do you mean on Terry’s side or Daniel’s?

I hate that so many people know about Terry’s infidelity (and no one except Anna knows how far it really went…ARGH. But I am glad he didn’t do all this when Daniel was with pup, that would have made it EVEN WORSE. And that Anna didn’t get knocked up. THE HORROR. Thanks for snooping, Michael! It does make me sad that things weren’t normal between Daniel and Terry for months after the 16th anniversary fail-night. I guess it shows how worried and hurt Daniel really was by all this, plus the added stress of not knowing if Terry got someone else pregnant.

If Terry had, and Michael had found out, how would Daniel feel? What would he do, what would Terry do?

Do the older pups know that Daddy cheated on Mama?

Love that Danny boy had his Name Day celebration and everyone came out in support. Baby boy <333 T_T Hope Terry felt ashamed and horrible <333

My bad - everyone who heard about Terry's cheating at the wake was on Daniel's side. Jaysis, what a mess, so it was! Drink and grief is a terrible combination that way. You can't even blame the poor fella who forgot himself, can you?

I don't think Terry would have done all this had Daniel been with pup, he would have been attacking his own pup, evolutionary speaking that would have put the brakes on. I think Alphas have the same brutal instinct as we do in wartime, that getting an 'enemy' omega or beta woman with pup is a power move, but assaulting your own pregnant women and omegas is too horrible to think about. I feel that people are collectively most protective of visibly pregnant women (and indeed most aggressive towards them when they are battle mad).

But he wasn't with pup.

Also, part of the 'months' mentioned was before the anniversary, but yeah - do we expect him to take everything? Nice deflection of Terry attacking his supposed lack of loyalty, but Daniel is right, keep doing this and even his capacity forgiveness may hit a limit. Peversely, Terry may have been right not telling him, because had he known straight away, Daniel might have nodded when the Don suggested murder.

This is, also, why his family didn't mention anything before. Michael has known about Anna for years, as has Pop. No way they didn't keep tabs on Terry from the second sweet Daniele turned up on their doorstep. It's the first thing the Don ordered Michael to do after putting the fear of God in him - damage control. The further damage being Anna, and had she been with pup, to 'take care of it', make her disappear. When they knew she wasn't with pup, they would have gotten her out of NYC except that John Kreese was ahead of them there. (John would not have had Terry's pup killed, because Terry. Michael would absolutely have had Terry's pup killed, because Terry.)

If Terry had and Michael would have found out, what would Daniel feel? What is there to feel, Daniele? She died before anyone could ever be sure. Yes, an accident, Piccino, those things happen. Don't torture yourself, you know kitties like this meet the wrong people, they are strung out on God knows what sometimes. Did we have anything to do with it? Daniele, baby, it's none of our business. And would any Alpha kill their own pup? Of course not.

Do you swear, Michael?!

Don't insult me. I know you're in pain, Piccino. But don't insult me. Come here, now, give me a hug. It's over, you'll be fine, I promise.

Had Terry found out about a potential pup he would have had to go directly against Michael stop it and Amanda was busy enough thwarting several "accidents" that could have befallen Terry in Sicily as it was. He would have lost, he knows he would have lost, and Terry might feel some kind of primal ache at the idea but he never would have risked it. It's a cold world he lives in.

But! Anna is alive and happily mated and out of the business, she and her mate run a bar. Apparently the guy got kicked out of the force but like Michael cares. Chicago is not their turf, Terry handles new markets.

Do the older pups know Terry cheated on Mama? It's the biggest open secret in the world, but even Eli has enough self control to not even hint at it, especially after Sam had that little talk with Daddy. They were too young, and people say things when they're drunk. We DO NOT TALK about it, Anthony, shut up. No. Shut up! I don't care what you heard, who said anything anyway, I'll shut that bastard up for you. Oh, no, don't? Then stop trying to be clever, little egg, you weren't even alive yet.

I...don't think Terry feels easily ashamed in spite of it all. He has that sureness of his convictions that is just this side of quite sane. He's not sorry he's done it, he's sorry about the effect he's had. He wouldn't have been ashamed if he'd never been found out. Again, you couldn't go around murdering people if you weren't somehow above what other people want in your own mind. So that nameday celebration? He knows why and yet he takes it completely at face value in demeanor. Of course they should celebrate his mate. They should have sooner, come to think of it.

[busterpoint]

Sequel to the previous post for all the fellas who enjoyed the previous one! Still takes place just after the events of painful, debatably just after the start of jpyful too now?

The reading is again, below the cut.

---

So a crow and a cat walked into a bar. Nah he's kidding. The crow cackled, cleansing his hands clean at the nearby water pump. The heavy scent of diesel hung in the now still air. Only the sounds of his laugh echoing in the distance.

He was certain his new friend would be chilled to hear him. The cat was still plenty weary of him, as one should be. The crow was always worried he would lose control at a moments notice. He couldn’t blame him. Not to mention a whole army wiped out in a matter of minutes. Must've been traumatizing. This world is an abuser for decent folk. Turning the most clueless into cannibals and the kindest into beef stew. Niceties had no place. No how are yous. No more, my day was good thanks.

Actually, he didn't feel so bad. Those memories were fuzzy and distant. No more than a previous life's intuition still echoing in an amnesiac's mind. The flash takes all, doesn't it? Not just women, but memories. God, the crow couldn't remember anything about who he was. Should he seek this past out anyways? Was it worth it? Or was the monster truly him, before he became what others would call as such?

There he goes, holding on too much. Getting lost in thoughts like this gets you killed, Sergei. The task at hand was more important. To seek out a ration for Clint and maybe something to tend to his wounds. A lighter would suffice if he had any holes to be closed. The crow's array of sewing supplies had medical uses too, uses he's thanked many times.

The dead driftwood-esque walls made him claustrophobic. He supposes it was to shift with the times. Eyeless creeps enjoyed these closed halls. They stank, stank of sweat and men. The smell of sleep left in the linen on the grounds. The stench of death rotting away. Antiseptic lingering faintly. A hospital of sorts. A dark, dank one. Straight out of a horror film or a voice that told him it felt like silent hill. Whatever hill this was, which it wasn't, was far too nasty.

The pros of being here, however, was the likelihood for supplies. As long as the dead didn't feel like rising. Bones, maggots, fungi, and whatever else shouldn't bother him. He rumaged through creaky cabinets. Nothing nothing nothing. Ah. Bandage roll. Free of moths, looks clean enough. He slipped it into his secret pocket of the poncho.

Having only one arm had its benefits. Like having a secret pocket to pretend he still had another limb. But that's where it ended. The poor stub left over was worth looking a little more normal. Better than dragging around heavy, dead, cancerous looking weight. Pain hadn't felt the same since he'd changed. That wasn't important now though.

The crow sighed, rumaging around further. Still nothing of use. Would the cat eat raw meat? No, he couldn't force him to do that. As monstrous as he felt, he wasn't that horrible. The cat didn't deserve going through what he had too. Ah, horse jerky. That'll do.

Returning to him, the crow knelt down beside him. "Can you stand?" The cat shook his head. "I'm... Not sure... Everything hurts..." The cat made a move, but the crow stopped him. "Clint. Don't hurt yourself further. I fetched some supplies to help tend to you, I just wanted to see if we could get out of this literal blood bath so I can look at you better."

He patted the cat's head, careful of the spike, before getting closer. "I'm not strong enough to carry you, but if you want to try to get up now... I'll help, Clint." He flinched away, uncertain. The crow understood, but knew if he wanted to be patched up he'd have to put some trust in this stranger. "Clint, please."

The way his name rolled off the tongue felt strange, but the crow felt as if a name held weight against someone. Not in a bad way necessarily, but to keep them focused. Repeating his name multiple times was key to gaining his trust, to show he cared. In which, some would say he's heartless since the crow debated on leaving him in the first place. This cat could be a nice ally though, he lived. That's what mattered to him.

"Sergei... Just... Give me space. I can get up myself." Bold, the crow thought, backing off of the cat. Using his name no less. Second in command, right? He must've been jealous of Rando, no? The crow hadn't known much about the army, but who hasn't heard of Rando? Maybe, he was overanalyzing things.

The cat got up to one knee, before shakily standing again. The crow reached to help, but a swat of a hand told him otherwise. "Alright. Where to, Sergei?" That voice never faltered, hm? Consise, clear, unwavering, and loud, but not yelling. Even in this state, the cat's voice held strong. Impressive.

"There's a cave just down the path, if I'm not mistaken. We can camp in there and I can take a look at you." The crow started moving along, passing by the cat. He stared for a few moments before getting the message and following. The masked man stopped for a few moments, looking back to make sure he wasn't too far behind.

Thankfully, it was smooth sailing outside of there. Past the carnage was an old building. Inside was a pained monster who lie in defeat. It reminded the cat of Rando. Master Armstrong, or whatever that man had once meant was long gone now.

And there it was, the little gap in some rocks. In the blue of the landscape it was like an abyss. A dark navy spot in a clear and... "Welcoming" ocean. The ocean wasn't very welcoming, actually. Let's not dote on shitty metaphors like that, thought the crow.

It's less dim inside than it looks. An empty little hideaway free of human interference. It wasn't big or anything. Just large enough for maybe cramming 4 people in, it could house 3 people shoulder to shoulder. It was fine for just the two of them. As long as it did the job. The crow sat down, checking his belongings. The car warily sat on the opposite end of the small area.

Caves felt rather relaxing compared to old homes. Just the hum of the wind by the entrance, lacking the dust hanging in the air and yellow-eyed freaks of nature. It was cool inside, the walls are dimly lit by the outside light. Though, it wasn't pitch dark! Just enough to see, that's all it needed to be.

"Clint." The crow pulled the horse jerky from his poncho. He kept his back leaned against the wall due to a lack of an arm. The cat watched, reaching forwards and taking the offering. "Eat something, then I'll look at your wounds. I can stitch up the real bad ones the food won't cover."

Now that he says it, the crow finds it odd how food works now. Never in his fuzzy past could he recall any food that magically patched up gunshot wounds. Of course, food doesn't help when you're decapitated... Not now. This wasn't the time to think about ripping heads off in one fell chomp.

The cat realized what he was given, and started to eat, stopping halfway through. "I don't have any open wounds, just burns." Good. That takes the discomfort of stripping off the list. The cat had started looking a little more lively now too. His motions didn't shake or creak, nor were they slow from pain and uncertainty. Ah the wonders of this new world. Not that he remembers living before it, oh well.

"Need to be patched up or anything?" The crow offered, his hand ghosting over his pocket in preparation. "No Sergei. I'm good now. I just need proper rest." He has his attention, it was strange hearing his voice relax now. "Then rest. I'll stay and watch, sleep is the last of my worries." The crow watched his movements carefully. His gaze said he wanted to say more.

Silence began again. The crow stared at him, waiting for him to speak. The cat laid down, as if he decided against it. Oh well, it wasn't worth looking into, it's not like the crow would ask for a pillow either. They didn't have any. That's what he'd assumed, not wanting to assume anything more. "Sleep well."

[rottendecomp]

It doesn't matter who made the post, it still enforces shitty gender stereotypes. (With "trans" in front of it.)

I don't have explicit context on why this Tiktok was made. I don't think it's trying to make the point that "it can be extremely dangerous for trans women to go out into the world not 'passing' completely" - That's true, but I dont think that was the videos goal. I think it's supposed to be a funny haha that you don't think too deeply about.

And yeah, while YOU PERSONALLY are of the mind you have it easier than trans women/fems, you do not speak for everyone. These personal anecdotes of "Oh, I have it easy compared to this group" can VERY EASILY balloon out into gross generalization. You may be able to throw on whatever and only worry about maybe getting called butch¹- That is not the reality for a significant number of transmascs, including myself- Another trans guy living in the south. Transmascs and trans men do NOT have it easier than transfems and trans women, and I'm sorry if that wasn't your intention, but it does come across that way.

(¹Butches also experience many Not Great things by virtue of being identified as butch, no matter their personal identity)

Individuals can have it easier/harder depending on race, class, disability status, location, and a million other factors- BUT AS GROUPS. There's not one subsect of trans people that have it easier than the rest. Not to mention huge overlaps we share in our experiences. And again, sorry if it wasn't your intention, but there's a large swath of transmascs who dismiss all of their own struggles as well as the struggles of fellow transmascs just to say "Oh well trans women have it worse, we should listen to them and not take up any space." WHICH SUCKS FOR EVERYONE. INCLUDING THE TRANS PEOPLE YOU'RE TRYING TO DEFER TO.

Not to mention NONE OF THIS IS EVEN THE POINT OF THE POST. The point is "Oh women take forever to get ready am I right fellas" and "Ugh men don't care about their appearance" are VERY OBVIOUS VERY ESTABLISHED STEREOTYPES. WHY ARE WE BEING WOKE ABOUT IT. I think this stereotyping is shit- and honestly I'm offended by the notion I can just put on men's clothes and suddenly people respect me. So many people AGAIN INCLUDING TRANSMASCS think that's how it works- FOR A VERY LARGE SWATH ITS NOT. I'm glad you are able to be yourself without that sort of pushback, that is wonderful, genuinely. But I think it's really dismissive to just say oh well I'm fine we should just let the trans women speak and only listen to them. (<- at least that's how it comes off to me.)

NOTE: Just because I'm saying transmascs can have it hard, that DOES NOT MEAN I think transfems have it easy. We're not opposites. Being trans can be very difficult for ANYONE. That's the point I'm trying to make. We are equals. If I don't make this extremely clear someone will say I think transfems ever face any problems ever. Also if this is disjointed, I just got off work. I'm not rewriting this.

[ID: two screenshots of text from a tiktok video. the first reads "trans femmes taking 2 hours 2 get ready vs." and the second reads "trans mascs throwing on their 'going out flannel'". end ID.]

this is just gender stereotypes with the word trans in front of them

[emoshep]

starting something new

i've recently had some spiritual/religious type stuff going on.

i don't quite know how to explain it without, in some way, stepping on someone's toes (apologies if i do), but i'll do my best to keep it clear and diplomatic.

the long and short: i come from a christian background. big shocker, i know. another big shocker, most of the church's teachings? yeah i don't vibe with a lot of them. there are the obvious things that i straight up refuse to even entertain, such as many (though definitely not all) church's attitudes toward lgbtq+ people, the idea that women are subject to men, and all that other totally fun stuff we all just love to think about. many christians also don't vibe with these teachings, and actively counter them with their own knowledge and scholarship and all that, and i like them for that. progressive christians, you're great, keep on rocking \m/

thing is: there are other things which i don't vibe with, things which in my eyes would kinda push me out of most church groups. the biggest among these, which i've been feeling a sort of pull towards recently is polytheism. not the kind that goes "everything comes from one God who is the source, including other gods." i'm not going to invalidate people who experience that kind of spirituality of course but, after some reflection i've found that i simply don't vibe with it anymore. i find that i'm coming to vibe with a more, i guess you could say "regular" polytheistic outlook, one i could summarize as "there are many gods, and the one i followed all my life is one among many."

(there's an obvious question of how one would handle this idea coming from a strictly monotheistic religious background. y'know, "one creator" and "jealous god" and all that. the simple truth is that i don't know. i don't have a satisfying answer to that, perhaps i'll find one, perhaps i won't.)

a lot of the things i've come to accept in my heart and mind, simply put, would get me excommunicated if i was an official church member, even from the more liberal denominations (well, the ones that aren't Quakers but that's another conversation). but i still like jesus. a lot of his teachings, especially on things like social justice, make sense to me. and though accounts and perspectives are varied, from what i've learned and experienced myself in a spiritual sense tells me that he's a good fella to look up to. jesus does, in fact, pass the vibe check.

this shift in perspective of mine toward a more, let's say "open minded" spirituality leaves me with a lot of questions and worries though, so i picked up a book to get some new perspective. "jesus through pagan eyes," it's called. if i remember to, i'll share some of my thoughts here for any who wish to see them. maybe even assure someone else going in this seemingly odd direction that they're not alone.

okay that's all, i'm done, gonna get to it now. thank you for your time.

[tsuki-sennin]

Hirogaru Sky! 29 and 30~!

Back on the wagon~! Or I suppose in this case, the plane. Or Elle-chan's weird crib gondola thing.

First, a story about a missing doll! Second, a Beach Episode! Just as summer winds down! Funsies!

Spoilers, I guess...

-Raaaaaaaain!

-Goddamn I am so sick of rain. Had my power knocked out this evening. Spent half of my cooking time totally in the dark.

-Who dat?

--nya? Hummy??

-Neko-san~!

-An alive neko-san!

-"Did you have fun in the rain? :)"

-"MASHIRO I WAS ALMOST DEVOURED BY A GHOST CAT SOMEBODY CALL THE JSDF-

-In shambles! Completely and totally spooked!

-"Sora, stuffed animals don't speak. Not like birds."

-Man, with all these huge European-style houses that're only occupied by ghosts or villains, a Pretty Cure Town's real estate market must be insane.

-...Hmmmm... I wonder how low the property values can get?

-For villains who live in the Cures' worlds, do you think somebody like Westar fires rent lowering gunshots? Or am I thinking a little too American?

-Ohhhhh, Tsubasa's a believer now.

-Obakeeeeee~!

-Gap moe! Sora's got phasmophobia~!

-Sealed the kitty.

-Elle-chan :)

-What a cute little fella, huh?

-The first step to overcoming one's fear is acknowledging it!

-Yoyo confirmed horsegirl.

-Speak to us, kitty.

-How sweet :)

-Sora had no time for such simple pleasures.

-...put it like that, you don't forget your first friend, huh Mashiro?

-A drone can be as cat-shaped as it wants, I'm knocking that bitch outta the sky.

-"D-don't mind me! My daughter's got a strong arm on her! She should try out for the baseball team~!"

-Ohhhhhhh, the kitty's a dream weaver.

-...man, something about a toy being abandoned and forgotten really hurts me. Doesn't matter if it's Toy Story or the Fresh PreCure movie or even that story TomSka told about that time he buried all his Thomas the Tank Engine toys on holiday in Fuerteventura. You wanna get me to cry, you give an artificial being abandonment issues.

-Neko-san... :(

-Minoton Spotted

-Enter

-"The game is afoot, Pretty Cures!"

-AN ENTIRE HOUSE

-THIS MAN TURNED AN ENTIRE FUCKING HOUSE INTO A MONSTER

-Step into the Hell House!

-This is badass, what the hell

-Oh!

-Breakin' out the colors early, huh Butterfly?

-Get clocked.

-Raaaaanborg!

-Oh shit

-Thanks, cat.

-Sky's athleticism is something to be admired.

-"Nigeteeeeeee!"

-Kick that bubble!

-Goodbye, Monster House.

-Oh man, I don't envy Tsubasa, it must hurt to pick that many splinters outta there.

-"Until we meet again, Pretty Cure."

-Marron-chan...

-Oh, that's sweet... That's too sweet...

-Hello, Summer~!

-...Hey wait a sec, you already got your cameo!

In the summertime, when the weather is hot~! You can stretch right up, and touch the sky~! When the weather's fine, you've got women on your mind. Have a drink, have a drive, go out and see what you can find.

-Anyways yeah, it's the ass end of August, it's been raining and thundering a shit-ton where I live when it isn't absolutely infernal, and apparently God himself.

-The ocean~!

-It's really FUCKING big!

-Very cute swimsuits.

-It'll be close to 90% ocean when climate change finally kills all of humanity for the sins of the 1%~!

-That run was the gayest fucking thing I've seen all month, and I just finished Season 2 of Good Omens. /j

-I see Tsubasa goes for the Sonia Nevermind wetsuit style. And Ageha... hoo...

-Brined like a fish.

-Beachy beachy~!

-Sora's got built in Iron Boots. She can do the Water Temple no problem.

-Lotta Sora focus these two episodes!

-...Tsubasa, are the Puni Birds supposed to be penguins?

-...is that why you can dance? Are you just Happy Feet?

-Idk how you expect her to do all that, but okay!

-Swimmer friend~!

-Wingless.

-Half an hour.

-Wipe that :3 off your :3, Mashiron!

-Ah don't worry Tsubasa, summer's practically over already.

-I suppose Mashiro's teaching would be much better by default, but goddamn. Sora really saw her gf in the water and dove right in.

-"My unconditional surrender is all but guaranteed!"

-Rubber ducky...

-Kani-san...

-I love the crabs, little dudes.

-Jesus, that's a shit ton of fish. Is Gran Ocean just a few nautical miles away?

-Floatieeees~!

-I love those.

-Watermelon energy~!

-Summer vacation, baby~!

-Now this is podracing!

-HOoooooooo

-Minoton about to make me unwise.

-I have to wonder how many hot single moms (and dads, of course) see Minoton and feel seen.

-"AH-!"

-Ah, I see Minoton put his clothes back on.

-Good thinking, I think it'd have gotten a little weird if he hadn't.

-Life preserven't!

-Game on!

-SKY-

-Immediately fell into the ocean.

-His ass is NOT fightin'.

-Get deflated, idiot.

-Ironically, I think if Sora asked Minoton to help teach her to swim, he'd have gone for it.

-Goddamn, the ocean's so terrifying. Even in relatively shallow waters like these.

-Sora says "My save!"

-Who needs floaties when you've got lifeguards on duty!

-Baywatch PreCure!

-...man, Mitch Buchannon would absolutely somehow have been a Cure in the past. And yet somehow still be both an armored skeptic debunking every Scooby Doo mystery he comes across and a foremost expert on paranormal investigation who has fought mutant alligators, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and even a climate change-induced apocalypse.

-Incidentally, if you're in dire need of some quality TV cheese analysis, might I recommend Allison Pregler's Baywatching?

-It's part critical commentary, part abridged series, all peak comedy.

-...something of an influence on this program, fun fact~!

-Sunset time~!

-What a fun summer~!

-Oh ye gods, it's raining again, better wrap this up soon.

-PRECIOUS

-Okay, guess we're getting all the previous cameos again. ...I'm not spoiled on anything coming up, I am a good boy, I like surprises, I haven't the damnedest justification to offer as to why Precious wouldn't show up again, shhhhhhhh.

-You are a good bean, Yuin. Sorry the only beach food highlighted was watermelon, but tbh you wouldn't mind at all.

-Right okay, we're done here, I gotta jet! Catch you later~!

[voidrifter]

“Okay!” The girls quickly pull her in and shut the door. They all glance between each other. They appear to be a bit older than Kiana, a little gruff and hardened by work. “Search away as you need. No one in here took the sheets. We saw someone sneak in to take ‘em. But all the guys here are creeps so we like watchin’ em fight.”

Kiana is, momentarily, stunned. It's the alcohol probably, that turns her smile a little dopey and sends a wave of heat creeping up her neck. Anyone in their right mind would be a little flustered, okay? Not her fault.

"Fair enough," an awkward half-laugh chokes its way from her throat, and she tries to salvage it by moving towards one of their trunks for her 'inspection.' "I'll be quick about it, promise. was the uh... the person that snuck in, did they work here, too?"

“Oh, no. He don’t work here. Well he kinda did. He said he needed some sheets for someone at the jail and we pointed him to Johnson and Jenson’s room.”

In what is a rather unconvincing display of interest towards her supposed job, Kiana rifles around in one trunk. It's all a bunch of nothing, normal stuff, and if anything weird had been in there she certainly hadn't paid enough attention to notice before she shuts it and carries on to the next.

"So you know him? Must be a good guy if he's stealing sheets for someone without 'em."

“I mean he’s okay I guess. A bit of a Narc but like he’s okay. Not many people round town like him but like he’s okay I guess.”

This earns a blink of surprise, snow-white head swiveling to look at the girl who says it. She's pretty, though, and Kiana has to look away again just as quickly.

"Uh... care to elaborate on that or...?"

They all glance back and forth, worried about properly saying who it was. "No." A shake of their head. Another girl from behind calls out, "For the love of God, it was the Sheriff. My lord!"

Another blink of surprise, this one as she's lowering the lid on the trunk. Sobering a moment, Kiana's brows furrow. The Sheriff going out of his way for a prisoner? Odd. It could be nothing, maybe the jailhouse is out of sheets. Damn, they must have a lot of occupants if that's the case.

"Oh, the dude with the wife, yeah. Who's he got to bring sheets to? You'd think a guy like him could get sheets without, well, stealing them."

“Well he didn’t mean to steal em, we kinda told him no one was usin’ them. There are spare sheets at the end of the hall too.” A dumbfounded look between them all. “Think they were fer a new prisoner. Big fella, he said.”

Ah, well there goes her fleeting idea of a beautiful girl wooing the man from behind bars. She hums, thoughtful.

"Huh," she moves on to another trunk, halfheartedly fishes around, "weird. Oh well, sure he probably needed them more than those guys anyway."

“Yeah. So like, you’re not gonna tell yer folks right? We can trust you?”

"Who, me? i don't care, your secret's safe with me." She turns her best, good-natured-idiot smile towards the asker, then winks for good measure.

“Thanks cutie.” A wave as she’s guided back to the door. “Stop by any time!”

Her cheeks are bright pink by the time the door has closed behind her again, woefully between a room of beautiful women and her actual responsibility. Kiana gives the doctor a sheepish look out of the corner of her eye, then clears her throat.

"They didn't have them," she says, "guess it remains a mystery, then."

A Peck of Gold

Overture 2024: Hellwalker | Week 1: Kiana, Dr. Ratio, Gallagher

[heart-forge]

I know you do Not want dozens of messages about the dreaded game but as someone with too many hours in it... I agree with all your initial points (let me specifically say the voice determining pronouns/gender selection is the BANE of my existence) And I know everyone has a hard on for the w_tcher nowadays (I played all 3 too I’m licensed to say this) but the writers still have a penchant for brutalizing women and being as misogynistic as ever, nothing new obviously. There’s one big questline in this game that left me feeling hollow for more than a week and shit in media Never bothers me. It was so excessive and poorly handled. A lot of sloppy writing all around. For bringing this crud into your inbox I offer you my most sincere apologies. You can send me ugly telepathic thoughts in retaliation

Nah it's fine I'll tag it as something and promise that if you don't want to see me dissect a video game then you don't have to. TAG TO BLOCK IS: hfcb. extremely specific so it won't hit anything else, stands for heartforge cyberpunk. also I'll go ahead and shove it under the cut.

And again, for people who are worried I'm just sitting around to dunk on this game, my impression is still: I understand why people would enjoy this, but I'm getting the impression that fan content will forever and ever be more nuanced and genre-savvy in a real way than the original material will ever be.

Okay, full stop, didn't like the witcher that much either. like at the time I found geralt to be very novel in the sense that I always had the impression he was very typical macho hero, which was proven wrong in some ways: enough ways for me to like the story, but the game was kind of....well, agonizingly granular as I'm coming to understand is CDPR's speciality.

I think I made this point on my main but cdpr has been taking prewritten things and adapting them: and believe you me as someone who recently adapted a novel into an IF, it's still a lot of writing, but also take my word for the fact that you have the opportunity to fix a lot of stuff. If something rubs you wrong or if you want to push it further or reel it back you absolutely can, and I agree with your point that CDPR didn't bother with the witcher let alone cb. They could have easily just quietly nixed the "all sorceresses are sexpots because they choose to be because when given a choice all little girls want to grow up to be sexpots, and they all happen to have precisely the same idea of what constitutes a hottie with a body because women are all the same", but they didn't.

The good things about the witcher imo were already kinda there. They didn't invent Ciri or Yenn or Jaskier (frankly imo the show invented Jaskier but that's a different story). CDPr just added things like female characters constantly having their nipples out, an agonizingly in-depth level up screen, a crafting section that was so much work I just never bothered with it.

And I think that's what I'm hitting up against with cb. All the interesting things about cyberpunk as a genre are already there and it's very fun to experience them! I love body mods, I love scanning with your eyes, I love the whole cyber rebel against the world thing, and they did integrate that...but like, I hate how every conversation takes for fucking ever because while I'd normally love to sit and chat, my V can never say anything because I don't think cdpr knew what to do with a blank slate mc. The heist portion with Jackie was one of the best parts of the game so far, because 1) things happened faster, and 2) V got to be angry and scared instead of just kind of cynical and indifferent. There was real momentum and tension: same reason I loved meeting Johnny for the first time in the apt.

Also what was up with them making Kerry gay? Everyone on the TL was going on about bi kerry and I was like fellas aren't we usually very firmly against making gay men bi but then I looked into it and he was bi in the original game. why is he gay now. he's gay because they have two straight ROs and needed two gay ROs because again their understanding of gender and sexuality is about as nuanced as the main page of reddit (which is also a really apt metaphor for a certain aftertaste I'm getting from some of this writing: very you epic le win the internet, sir!).

[urlocalfrogmammy]

i like this boy, and he likes someone else—donald malarkey

inspired by

donald malarkey was the love of your life. but he belonged to someone else. the nights in the pubs of aldbourne become less and less appealing, and skip muck decided enough was enough.

i’m soft as heck for my little ginger baby. warnings: major feels. proceed with caution. word count 1.6k.

the first time you realised you were in love with donald malarkey was in toccoa. when sobel wasn't watching, he'd hauled you over the wall when he could see you were struggling during the obstacle course. his smile had been soft and warm and it made you feel like you were floating on cloud nine. the second time you realised you were in love with donald malarkey was at fort benning. you'd hurt yourself on a practice jump, and the concern in his eyes was genuine as he helped you up, and even offered to carry you when he notice you wince. you failed to mention your legs were like jelly because of him. the third time you realised you were in love with donald malarkey was boxing day 1942. you'd all received your jump wings, and to celebrate the PX tent was full. the party was in full swing, but you found yourself gravitating towards the quiet corners of the room. don insisted you dance, despite your constant reminders you had two left feet. he left you blushing profusely after you'd trodden on his feet one too many times.

you finally admitted you were in love with donald malarkey when you were on your way to england. the feeling of don's hands around your arms, gently steering you forward from behind, made you feel safe. but what really caught you off guard was the way he'd punched that dog company soldier when he'd grasped you tightly and refused to let you go. malarkey gave him one look before hitting him straight in the eye. your stomach was doing cartwheels, and you declared then and there you would never find a man like him. of course, as with most things, there was a catch. donald malarkey belonged to someone else. a broad waiting back in oregon for him. how you were jealous of her. you would spend each night, eyes closed, dreaming of her place being taken by you. dreaming. it would never be more than a dream. you learned to accept that early on, though it pained your heart to think of him writing to her, telling her how he was feeling. you wanted that more than all the money in the world. aldbourne had only complicated matters. the horrible feeling of being surrounded by beautiful women made you feel extremely self conscious of your appearance. admitting there was no use in clinging onto hope, you slowly began to back away from malarkey. there was no use hurting yourself more than you needed to.

you sat in the dimly lit pub alone, enjoying your own company. the bitter beer was hard enough to stomach, but much to the men's horror it was served warm. "hey kiddo, mind if we sit?" it was bill guarnere, followed by toye.

"no, no of course." they both shuffled into the booth and you took a sip of your beer. joe must have seen your pained expression because he laughed to himself. "what?"

"still not used to beer, y/n?"

"never will be." you said it with a half smile. the two men were soon joined by george luz, then perco, then penkala, then skip, then finally donald malarkey. you found yourself a tad bit squashed between bill and george, and you tried to smile through it politely. much to your disappointment, don noticed this and said: "you need some help y/n? you're looking a little squashed there." you smiled in a helpless way and shrugged to motion you had no idea how to get out. "come on fellas, move, let her out." one by one, half the booth stood up until you were free to leave it. you could finally breathe clearly again, without the scent of heavy testosterone fanning your nose. "better?"

"much. thank you." you the addressed the table. "i'm gonna call it a night." all the men frowned and begged you to stay, and insisting you really were tired, they let you go. "i'll walk you back."

"don, you don't have to—"

"i want to, y/n."

"thank you." you smiled softly.

you both walked silently though the streets of aldbourne. watching don look up into the sky, you smiled as he smiled, and he declared that the sky was too cloudy for stars. you looked up too, and he was right. a thick layer of clouds shrouded you from above. two girls in dresses and kitten heels, linked at the arms, were staring at you and whispering to each other. after they giggled, you felt an arm wrap around your shoulder, don whispering: "don't take any notice of them."

"i can't help it."

"they're not a patch on you." you're not a patch on his broad. that's what you had to keep telling yourself, though tonight you would make an exception, allowing his arm around your shoulder. even after the girls had walked past, he didn't slip it away, instead he started to rub it slowly. the barn you all shared came too quickly. you sighed as he stopped, pulling his arm away and smiling at you, hands in pockets. "be safe. i don't think the fellas are in there, and i don't think they'll be back for a while."

"i'll be fine. thank you don."

"you're welcome y/n. don't be a stranger."

you hadn't been to that pub since. two weeks later, you instead opted to have an early night in the barn rather than go drinking with the guys. it would only break your heart, make you want him more, when he wasn't yours to have. the men begged, luz even getting down on his knees at one point, for you to come with them, but time after time you told them no. after all the men had cleared out, you lay down on your cot and sighed. "y/n? please come?" skip had come back to plead with you. turning to face the wall of the barn, you told him no. "oh, y/n. come on! come to the pub."

"i don't want to skip."

"you've not been yourself the past few weeks." skip nudged you. "it might cheer you up." you didn't reply. rolling over to face him, you sighed heavily and sat up.

"what's the matter with you? really y/n, we're all worried about you."

"i like this boy..."

"yeah?"

"and he likes someone else." you thudded back down into the flimsy cot.

"it's not the end of the world—"

"that's easy for you to say. you have sweet faye tanner waiting at home for you, and he has someone waiting back home for him—"

"don and his broad aren't a thing no more." there was a silent minute. your heart was thudding and your hands were shaking. "how did you know?"

"it's obvious. the way you look at don... it's the way all fellas wanna be looked at." you scratched the back of your neck. "does... everyone know?" skip laughed and nodded. "oh god. i'm a mess skip i can't impress anyone in this state." you attempted to run a hand through your hair in order to demonstrate your point.

"give me a comb, huh?" skip said softly, "i'll fix you up real nice."

skip really did fix you up. your hair was down and (due to a lack of rouge) you'd pinched your cheeks as hard as you could to mimic a blush. guarnere smiled this great big grin and nodded with approval. "you don't scrub up so bad, y/n."

"thanks bill." he lazily slung an arm around your shoulders, and offered to buy you a drink. "i don't like the beer."

"then let's drink something else, huh?" three vodka shots in and you were both sloppily dancing around the pub. the men and women taking their dancing seriously didn't approve of you and the philly spinning round at a hundred miles per hour, him giddily lifting you up and swinging you around. after you were both out of breath, you allowed yourself the luxury of settling back onto a seat, panting and smiling madly. donald malarkey sat facing you, and you grinned at him. "you having a nice time, doll?"

"yeah... do you want to..." you motioned to the dance floor.

"sure. anything for the lady."

don knew you weren't a good dancer, but as he watched you spinning wildly, he couldn't help feel a warmth rising in his chest. god you're beautiful. reaching your hands out for him to join you, he grasped them and pulled you into his chest. the benny goodman was soon changed to a vera lynn song. swaying gently together, don leaned down. "you look lovely tonight."

"so do you! not that you... don't look good all the time... i was..." he watched you trailing off, eyes locked with yours. you were giving him the biggest puppy dog eyes he'd ever seen, smiling lazily but contentedly. for a moment, he thought you were about to kiss him, but you leaned your head into his shoulder. he shook his head as skip gave him two thumbs up, penk mouthing go get em.

“y/n?”

“yeah?”

“i’m in love with you.”

the words that left don’s mouth made you feel as though you’d just been given a congressional medal of honour. “i’m in love with you too.” you didn’t give him time to reply, leaning in and pressing your lips against his. the men cheered and whooped, but you barely heard it. the world seemed to have slowed in the most wonderful of ways. as you both pulled apart, don instantly grabbed your hand and made his way out of the pub. the cheering intensified, and you just grinned and waved at them before slipping out the door, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.

[ms-rampage]

Eden's Gate: Left Behind Chapter 9 - Man's Best Friend

Warnings: Swearing, few insults towards women, a few Supernatural moments, Demons.

Word count: 2.4k

Summary: Kate and Morgan investigate the bodies of dead and animals. Kate debates on breaking up with John. Haley the German Shepard to the rescue.

Bonus: Kate makes a few hints that exist (only;to me at least) outside the FC5 universe. 

*************************************************

NIGHTMARE

Getting dragged towards the water by some peggies.

Unable to fight back or resist.

John holding a white book staring down Kate as she gets dragged closer to him. 

“John please!!” she pleds. “Please, I love you, don’t do this”.

He grabs her arms aggressively.

“John please, don’t do this” she cries, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“You will be cleansed. Let the water purify your ugly soul.  Either way God, and myself will leave you behind” he says, and his eyes go black. Like a demon, before she could protest.

He pushes her head under the water. Drowning her.

She tries to fight back but he overpowers her.

He pulls her back up, and all the peggies behind him. 

Their eyes are completely blackened like demons.

“I never loved you. I just used you. You Winchesters mean nothing. All you do is cause trouble. You’re the reason for freeing Lucifer! You should’ve said “Yes” to Lilith instead of killing her, now look at you, trying to play hero?. You are not a hero. You’re just a weak human!”.

Demon John says before pushing her head back underneath the water.

Her screams muffled by the water. Filling her lungs.

Drowning her. Suffocating her. Killing her instantly. 

John pulls her back up, and the demon leaves his body.

Leaving John with a dead Kate in his arms.

“Kate?!” he cries out. He slaps her cheeks to wake her up.

“Kate!!!” he yells, shaking her, tears forming in his eyes.

He bridal carries her out of the water, and performs CPR on her.

He pushes down on her chest, blows into her mouth, again pushes on her chest.

He repeats this a few more times, and realization hits him.

He drowned his girlfriend. The one he loves dearly is dead because of him.

He cries violently into the crook of her neck, holding her closely to him.

END OF NIGHTMARE

Kate wakes that morning to the sound of Morgan singing “Heat of the Moment” by Asia while making breakfast.

She gets out of bed, goes to the bathroom. Looking into the mirror.

“I look like fucking shit” she says to herself.

She looks down at her hands, and sees she still has some blood on her hands. 

She tries to wash off as much as she could, and she did.

Leaving the bathroom, and the smell of bacon fills her nostrils.

Kate stops dead in her tracks, and sees Morgan dancing to the song.

“What are you doing?!?” Kate asks, laughing. 

“Rise and shine Katie!!!” she says, over the music. 

Kate laughs at this sight. This is something that Paige would do.

Morgan and Paige had always got along, they were practically the same person.

So it was kinda like living with Paige, a blonde, shorter version of her with the same temperament as her. 

Kate sits down at the table as Morgan cooks scramble eggs while singing along to the song.

She laughs at her best friend’s stupidity. Morgan puts a plate on bacon, scramble eggs and toast in front of her.

“Is this the Costello special?” she asks, laughing. 

“Sorta. Not enough bacon, lack of hash browns, and waffles” she says, laughing. 

After breakfast they get dressed and leave for the bridge. Taking Haley along with them.

They park the car next to the O’Hara Haunted house, and walk towards the bridge.

“So where were the bodies dumped?” Kate asks.

“Underneath the bridge near the water” Morgan answers. 

“So is there a pathway we can take to get underneath the bridge?!” she asks.

‘Yeah we just need to cross the road, and go underneath it. Towards the water, careful it gets steep as you go down” she says

“Isn’t that a fishing spot?!” she asks, trying not to fall forward.

“Yep, I’m surprised the bodies weren’t called in” she says.

“Well I’m sure everyone in Hope County is used to seeing the dead carcusses of humans and animals” Kate chuckles. 

“Huh, yeah for sure” she chuckles. 

They get to the edge of the water, and find the dead, rotten, decaying bodies of 3 cows.

“Oh god” Kate gags, covering her mouth and nose.

“Yeah this screams demon” Morgan says, covering her nose.

“So now what?!” Kate asks.

“Well, we can kick the bodies into the water, but they look like they’re one with the ground now” Morgan says.

“Yeah, or we can-” Kate gets interrupted by Morgan’s phone vibrating. 

She sighs loudly. 

“What is it?!” Kate asks, concerned. 

She shows her the message on her phone, “Another body was found. But this time, it’s the body of some lady, and it’s in the Whitetail mountains”.

Kate sighs, “Another case?”.

“Yep, lets go!!’ she says. 

They get into the car, and drive off to the Whitetail Mountains.

Kate driving, Morgan in the passenger, and Haley in the backseat with her head out the window.

“So where was this other body found?” Kate asks, keeping her eyes on the road.

Morgan sighs, “Underneath that bridge next to the Silver Lake Parking lot”

“Clagett Bay?” Kate asks.

“Yep” she answers. 

“Alright. What is up with these demons dumping bodies underneath bridges?” Kate asks.

“I don’t know. Probably a crossroads thing” she replies. 

They drive down the road, past the Henbane River Chalets, on their left they’re about to go past the Bridge of Tears. 

“Don’t be surprised if you get a message about a body found underneath the Bridge of Tears” Kate says, sarcastically. 

Morgan scoffs, “Yeah, no shit”. 

They drive further down the road, past Eden’s Gate Outreach Center.

“That place is a fucking joke” Morgan says.

“What is? The outreach center?” Kate asks.

“Yep, pure fucking shit. A massive shithole” she says. 

“What is it anyway?” she asks.

“They “help” you, and you become “reborn”, and all that religious bullshit” she says, flipping off the place as they drive by.

Kate laughs.

They drive onto the bridge leading them into John’s region, near Dutch’s region.

“The Power of YES. Take the leap!!’ Morgan mocks the sign as they drive past it.,

“Take the leap Kate!!. Take the leap!!! Say YES!!!. 

Kate laughs at her obnoxious impression of her boyfriend John Seed. 

“No thank you. I don’t want to take the leap” she laughs. 

As they drive down the road past Rae-Rae’s farm, a billboard sign catches Morgan’s attention.

“John loves you Kate. He’ll take you!!!” she mocks the sign.

“He’s already taken me already” she says, not realizing what she had said.

“Oooh so John has taken you” she says, teasing her friend.

Kate looks at her, and does a double take.

“Oh no, no, no. Not like that” she tries to explain. 

“You know I’m messing with ya” she says, hitting her on the shoulder. 

“Yeah I know” she says. They cross the Silver Lake bridge leading them into the Whitetail Mountains.

“Welcome to the Whitetails” Kate says. “Wait, isn't the Wolf Den not far from where the bridge where the body was dumped?”.

Morgan gives her the googly eyes, “Oohh does someone want to go visit their other boyfriend?!?!” she teases.

Kate scoffs.

“So when you break up with John for being a founding member of the cult. Are ya gon’ date Wheaty?!” she asks. 

 “I don’t know, probably. I don’t know how to tell John that I wanna cut things off with him” she tells her.

“Don’t worry you’ll figure out a way, I’ll help ya. But first we need to solve this case” Morgan tells her. 

They get to the bridge, park the car on the side of the road. Approaching the bridge they each check both sides of it.

“Oh shit. Morgan!!”Kate calls out.

She approaches her, and they see the body of a woman.

Haley barks at them, digging at something near the water.

They check to see what she was barking at, and they find an amulet necklace buried underneath the dirt. 

“What is that?!” Morgan asks.

“It’s a protection amulet. A cousin of mine had one. It’s an Egyptian safety symbol” Kate says. 

“Come on let's get a better look”

They both go down to the water, and examine the body.

A woman who looks around the ages of 25-30 years old, brown hair, green eyes.

Has stab wounds on her abdomen, chest and left shoulder. 

“Looks like she was murder” Morgan says.

As they’re examining the body, a man approaches them from behind.

They don’t see him but Haley senses him, and starts to growl in a defensive manner.

“What is girl?!” Kate asks, not turning back. Morgan looks back and sees the man approaching them. 

“Hey, hey” she whispers to Kate, gently hitting her shoulder. She turns around, and sees the man in a well tailored black suit, and looks completely out of place. 

Haley’s growl turns into a defensive, threatening bark as he gets closer to them.

“I see you’ve found my latest artwork” he says in a friendly tone. 

Then his eyes turn completely black.

“Demon” Kate mutters to her, and pulls their guns out. 

Aim at the demon.

He chuckles at them, “Now, now ladies, I’m sure we can all be civil, and make a deal”

“Yeah, not a chance” Morgan says. 

“What the fuck do you want?!?” Kate asks aggressively. 

“I want you Kate” he says, taking a few steps closer to them

“What is up with every guy wanting you?!?” Morgan asks, turning to Kate.

“Sorry, I don't date demons” she says sarcastically. 

He chuckles, “Yes, yes. I know. I also happen to know you’re with that Seed fella. Good looking, tattoos, bad temper, lawyer”. He sighs.

“You have a very interesting taste in men, young Winchester” he adds. “Does your mommy know you’re in love with a psychopath?!”  he asks in a childish voice. 

“Fuck you” Kate says, and shoots him in the chest. 

The shot only annoys him, and does very little to no damage on him.

“Okay, how about we start from the beginning. My name is Saleos, and I’m a demon”

Kate shoots him again, and this time it does damage to him. Making him go down.

“Come on let’s go!!!” Kate yells, they run to the car, and speed off home.

“Shit!!. Fucking shit!!!” Morgan yells, looking back.

“Once we get home, we’re warding off the house. Who knows how many demons there are in Hope County” Kate says. 

Once they get home, they put up demon warding sigils, hex bags and all other stuff they can think of to keep demons away, and keep them off of demon radar. 

After what felt like several hours, and it's almost close to dinner time.

“Dude, I’m fucking hungry, and I’m too lazy to cook” Morgan says, 

“You wanna order out?” Kate asks.

“Yeah sure, what does the Spread Eagle have?” she asks.

“Chicken wings, cajun fries. You want some Rocky mountain oysters?” Kate says, laughing. 

“Not in the mood for bull testicles in my mouth” she jokes

 “Burgers, I haven’t really been there so I really don’t know the menu, or know if they deliver”

“Cheese burger, cajun fries and chicken wings” Morgan says, she hands Kate her debit card, “I’ll buy dinner”. 

Kate phone orders their food, and for some reason goes to pick up the food instead of having it delivered. Even worse she’s walking to go pick it up because she’s “tired of driving”.

She arrives at Spread Eagle Bar, and leaves Haley outside. 

She grabs a hex bag to keep her ass off of demon radar, taking Haley with her as back up because she helped out with the demon from a few hours earlier. 

“Stay” she tells her in a command voice.

She walks in, and approaches the counter with Mary May behind it. 

"Hey Mary, I'm here to pick up my order" she tells her. 

In the corner of her eye Kate sees an older man who is probably a truck driver sitting at the end of the bar, eyeballing her, which makes her a bit uncomfortable. 

She turns around, and fixes her order together. While she’s doing that Kate looks around the bar, it isn't too busy just the usuals, music playing some old country rock music. 

She looks away, looking at the flyers on the wall next to her. 

"Hey girl" he calls her in a slurred voice. 

"Hey look at me when I'm talking to you". 

Before she could even turn her head to face him. He yells at her again in a slurred voice. 

"Who the fuck do you think you are?!?!" he yells, almost throwing his glass at her. 

She looks around in a "I hope you're not talking to me" kind of way. "Can you let me turn around first you jackass!!" she yells at him, trying to make herself sound threatening. 

"Hey Darryl, leave her alone before I kick you out" Mary tells him but ignores her. 

He gets up from his seat stumbling, almost tripping over his own feet. "Fuck you, you stupid whore" he yells at Kate.

She looks at him with a death stare and yells. "Excuse me? Who the fuck do you think you are??!" 

"Darryl sit down, and leave her alone!!!" Mary yells at him. 

Mary hands her take out order "Here you go hon. I'm so sorry about him".

Ignoring her once again, slowly approaches Kate with a violent rage in his eyes. A few of the locals in the bar try holding him back but he pushes them away causing glasses to fall and break. 

She quickly leaves the bar. She’s had enough trouble for today especially with that damn demon, and she doesn’t feel like having anymore with some drunk asshole. 

“Come on Hale” she tells her, motioning her to walk forward. 

The drunk asshole grabs her by her hair ripping out some of it while yelling out. "You stupid whore, you little-" Haley cuts him off by lunging at him. Locking her jaw on his arm. Trying to take him down. His arm bleeding out.

Before she could punch him in the face, knocking his lights out. 

He screams, and kicks her off of him. Kate is in full on John Wick mode for that asshole hitting her dog.

John let's go of him, throws him to the ground "You better stay the fuck away from her" he says to him, almost in a whisper.

John comes out of nowhere. Grabs him by his shirt, pushing him against a wall. "What the fuck do you think you're doing Darryl?!?. Huh? You're gonna beat up a woman?!?". Too drunk to even say anything clever he mutters, "Fuck you Seed" 

He turns to her, his blue eyes piercing into her soul. "Are you okay?" he asks, placing his hand on her cheek and the other on her hip. 

She nods her head. "Yeah I'm fine, thanks" she says, voice trembling a little, he places a kiss on her lips. 

Mary May sees this, and a confused look appears on her face. "Why is John Seed coming to Kate's aid, and why is he kissing her?!?!" she thinks to herself. 

He pulls away from her lips. "I'll take you home" he tells her, putting his arm around her lower back. 

Escorting her to his car. Pulling up in front of her house. He walks her to her front door, Morgan who is inside sees this, and is beyond confused 

She’s about to open the door, he cups her face and says to her. “I’m gonna come by tonight and pick you up. We’re gonna spend time together. Okay?”

Morgan hears this, and is concerned. “Okay, that sounds good” she says, with a slight smile. 

“What was that?!?” she asks, concerned.

“Good” he says, with a smile, and he kisses her again. Kate goes inside, and is greeted by Morgan.

“To be honest, I don’t know anymore. I’ll explain it over dinner” she says. 

“Okay so what are we gonna do about that demon?!” she asks.

Kate sighs, “I don’t know but in the wise words of that same cousin I mentioned from earlier “When in doubt. Eat”. 

[bluem0use]

It's about time I introduced you to the cast of The Crackin'-Up Studios. Don't worry. You'll be seeing them again, especially in the mini-comics!

**In order from top to bottom, left to right**

Billie Bob Willie-Nillie Black Sheep: The overall face of The Crackin'-Up Studios itself. She is the ring leader to the whole circus. The pilot to all the flight attendance. The manager to a corporate office. You get the whole idea. She's one poppin' fire-cracker (A.K.A. has a short temper) that's all for the business, but doesn't mind getting silly from time to time. On screen, she is the definition of unpredictable and crazy, fun and silly. She's a gun happy country gal that started off small and came out big with her talents for making people laugh. She worked hard to get her way to the top. And all of it has obviously paid off. If someone was to use words to describe her, it would be fun, loving, friendly, brave, courageous, generous, the list could go on and on. This gun-loving  little lady, no matter where she goes, always somehow seems to change people's lives. And for the better.

Poochie Pooh Poodle: Billie's partner-in-crime. Her bestest friend since her younger years. Her ride or die buddy. Poochie is the main co-star to the series, and a serious eye-candy to men. While Billie is featured as the funny, wacky, unpredictable, quirky character on-screen of the trio, Poochie is often featured as the sex-appeal. The sex symbol. The hot mama. She also models as a little side job whenever necessary. She's the sweetest sweetie-pie you will ever meet in your life. However, proceed with caution. When provoked, she's one sassy gal and won't hesitate to give you a mouthful (and probably a gun wound) if you mess with her, or her friends.

Wolfie Blackfang Wolf: What's the three musketeers without a male in the picture? Wolfie may not have known these two women as long as they've known each other, but their his closest family he's ever had since he left the orphanage. He is also the main co-star to the series, accompanied by being the musical genius of the three. Since a young boy, Wolfie has practiced music as not only his hobby, but his life. His alluring ability was able to trap the young black sheep and poodle in a trance on a fateful night in a club where he worked to try and make a living, thus landing him a job and a ticket to materialization through the ladies. From there, he has always acted as the stud of the three, protecting them whenever they needed an extra hand and also charming women with his attractive voice along the way.

Candy Bat: This "monster", this "usually nocturnal creature of the night", this "mysterious shadow" is nothing but a sweet treat in the eyes of many who travel far and wide to Nightwalk Bay to get a taste of his sweet treats at the local candy shop. At least, that's what Billie, Poochie, and Wolfie will tell ya. Famous for his line of business, Candy Bat is a harmless, humble candy man..err..bat that seeks nothing but to fill the mouths of the fortunate with a sweet after-taste. His delicious pastries, frozen desserts, and fizzy drinks aren't the only thing that appeals to the eyes of many. He's also a support character at The Crackin'-Up Studios during the day and a friendly (but hissy, due to his uncontrollable excited hisses whenever he meets someone new and/or is excited) candy shop-keeper at night.

Scratches: Whoa, watch out for that web! There's a BIG spider up there! And his name is none other than Scratches, yet another support cast character for The Crackin'-Up Studios. When in the presence of my six-armed friend, be cautious. Scratches loves the ladies and will go through extreme lengths to entangle you in his web, if he deems you a worthy enough mate. Don't worry fellas, he doesn't swing that way. Though..spider's gotta eat, right? What? Spiders only eat insects? Not this playful, flirtatious one. Note that this spider is dead, and has been ressurrected after a deal made by Ozzan (scroll down to reference Ozzan's bio). Therefore, Scratches likes human flesh too. Dont worry too much though. He's too busy chasing both Poochie and Billie around the studios, trying to declare his love for them. Though...something about a huge demon spider just..turns those two ladies off.

Honey Hyena: As the name implies, this hyena is sweet as honey! Raised on a bee farm, this little lady never expected to end up being a supporting cast character to The Crackin'-Up Studios. That was, until a little Black Sheep mozied on over and decided to offer her the position and the materialization process just like everyone else. She figured the nice lady would need the money boost besides "Milkin' bees all day long" - Billie. Honey loves bees. In fact, on her days off from woking at the studios, that's all she does! Is work, work, work at her long-descended family bee farm, making honey and selling it for some dough (money) as a side job. She is also the motherly figure to all the cartoon ladies on set and often tries to share her knowledge with them in hopes she can help guide them on the right path. I mean, not everyone is perfect, right?

Bon Isabell Bunny: Daughter of a long deceased magician (who was, ironically a white bunny), she has seeked to find more support by becoming a supporting cast character to the TV series. However, though, she wasn't looking to be a supporting character when offered the job by Billie Bob. Bon has a bit of a...strong hatred for Billie Bob. Bon saw how much love and respect the black sheep got, even from her "enemies". So, what does this tempered (its just as bad as Billie's, trust me), quick-to-anger, grumpy gal do? Well, it's like they say, "Kill the sheep, take her wool!". That is...if she could catch her first. Forever caught in this game of cat-and-mouse on screen and off screen, Bon decided to settle into this position for now. Hopefully one day, her magic tricks and traps can pay off and actually earn her a spot in the lead position.

Bon Iseah Bunny: Twin brother to the other Bon Bunny, this bunny seems the complete opposite of his sister. This magic bunny doesn't mind being a supporting cast character, and instead enjoys making others smile with her magic tricks and qurkiness. After all, its what his deceased magician father would have wanted. He admires Billie and everything that she does not only for everyone else, but herself. He just hopes with time, his sister can see that. For now, this calm bunny will just have to play as yin to his sister's yang (A.K.A., trying his best to calm her in her most stressed and ferocious moments).

Molly Cow: Before her rise to fame as another member of The Crackin'-Up Studios crew, Molly Cow, the half-pig half-cow offspring, could not keep a job to save her life! She was lazy, less focused, often slacking or ducking off, and/or giving up before she even set foot in the door! The funny thing is, she wouldn't care, and just go back to living with her parents. Seeing as though Molly's confident and care-free attitude was a necessity to bring on some laughs, all Billie had to do was offer a hand to the voluptuous, intriguing young woman and for some odd reason, this cartoon has managed to keep the job ever since. Side note, if you ask her what her "other" job would be whenever she brings it up, it would be shopping. She is ALL about the fashion!

Malachi (formerly known as "Michael Jamesking"): Yes, Malachi is actually an angel. AND, he is also a featuring asset to the team whenever needed. With the help of one of Veronica's potions (scroll down to reference Veronica's bio), he has the ability to shrink down to size on command. He also is a good line of defense if life-threatening danger ever be-falls the company, for even if he is a judgement angel, he is considered very powerful against a mortal (unless demon weapons are used against him). He is pure, friendly, and kind, however, you must not associate yourself with the presence of evil upon first meetings. He IS a jugement angel after all and will be quick to judge you and shame you for your choice of sin and avoid you like the plague while also be-littleing you. Ironically, the only exception to this treatment is Ozzan (his best friend in all universes) and Bendy (in the head-canon canon universe). Also note, Malachi was never always Malachi. Malachi was once Michael, a regular, normal, working business man who unfortunately got hit by a car on his morning rush to work.

Ozzan: Oh boy. This one's a bad one. If you thought Scratches (scroll up to reference Scratche's bio) was bad, wait until you get a load of this one! This foul-mouthed, ill-mannered, obnoxious, flirtatious pervert is somehow a necessity to The Crackin'-Up Studios. His crude sense of humor and anctics tend to get a good laugh out of adults more than oblivious children. He will flirt with anything, sleep with anything, hell even risk catching some sort of SEXUAL DISEASE for anything that has legs. This man lives, breathes, and embraces everything that is bad at every cost, every time. Its possibly why he was so close to Lucifer (the Devil) back when he was in Hell. Though, take caution. If you piss him off (which isn't really hard to do), he WILL tear you to bits and peices with his bare fists. Also, beware of tentacles and trendils ladies. He has them everywhere and can use them not only in battle, but also for...other things. So beware and..make sure your doors are locked.

Veronica Bat: Born "Daddy's Little Monster", Veronica is the daughter of Candy Bat and Valentine Naxxremis (formerly Bat)(She will be referenced in the next ref). For most of her life, she has lived with her mother and embraced her witch-hood, which usually ends up with the little gloom and doom bookworm getting bullied for being a "half-breed". However, her luck gets turned around when she meets Billie Bob (like a lot of these people's do) who helps instill in her to be happy to be herself and to screw what everyone else says..and to also get back at them at all costs. She looks up to Billie and Poochie as her "Aunties", though, has trouble getting along with her father. She was raised to believe she had left her and her mother and never really loved them. Which, is obviously not true, but, she has a hard time believing that. Once welcomed to the cast, Veronica is a huge hit with the goth little teen girls who aspire to be like her: beautiful and mysterious. Let's just hope she gets he powers under control first, for she struggles with that a great deal on screen for comical effect and off screen.

Patricia Greene Pig: (A/N: She probably has had the MOST change out of all of them, so beware) Patricia is Delloris's (scroll down for Delloris's bio) bestest friend since childhood. Snobby, rude, sassy, class. All of these combined makes her perfect for scenes where she's the girl that thinks she's too good for the male trying to win her heart. Likes are, their only trying to "woo" it for her money. Oh, did I mention she's very wealthy? Her and Delloris aren't friends for nothing. You have to have some sort of status when it comes to getting in goods with the mayor's one and only daughter. Also note that Patricia is an EXTREME germo-phobe and will pelt you down with germ-x if you've so much as TOUCHED an un-sanitized door knob.

Hank Kat: Hank Kat has been an aspired musician since he was a little boy. He has really known the struggles of what it's like to be broke from both of his poor parents. So, as a way to raise some money, he went out on the streets and played his father's old rusty trumphet for some pocket change. Crowds were so awed at his talent, before long, Hank was hitting the clubs to try and win over some cash to take care of his parents once he became of age. Similar to Wolfie, Poochie had just so happened to stumble upon him. Though they didn't exactly see eye-to-eye due to species war, they were able to put their differences aside the night they had spent together, dancing the night away. As they danced, Poochie would listen to this party-goer's story and become sympathetic for the poor fellow. Thus, she figured his wallet could be fed a little more and thus offered for him to be a support character on the team. With his toe-tappin', feed stompin', hand wavin; jams that he can play on trombone, trumphet, pretty much just about any instrument he could blow into, he would become not only a major asset to the supporting cast, but also the music, both at his day job at the studios and his night job in the clubs.

Puncho: This "unstoppable brick wall" can take a punch and also pack it. After all, they don't call him "Puncho" for nothing! Though he's not much of fan favorite unless it comes to his famous boxing episodes, Puncho is a well-served supporting cast in the crew. He's often seen alongside his partner, Scraps Skunk (scroll down for Scrap's bio), no matter what the situation. He has a temper just like Billie, girl Bon, and Ozzan, however, instead of unleashing it by yelling at coworkers and throwing large objects (Billie), chasing someone down the hall with a chainsaw (Girl Bon), or spewing a bunch of curse words that's enough to make a sailor blush (Ozzan), he lets out his steam in the ring. He is the undefeated champion (if you don't count his and Billie's first brawl in one of her posters) within the boxing ring and anyone who dare wants to challenge him in taking his belt, well. Better be prepared for the pain. Bring a lot of ice.

Scraps Skunk: A timid, shy soul who is pure and good at working the ring as a referee. He plays fair though, he always will support his bestest friend, Puncho no matter what. His often scared, frightened, shaky attitude is welcomed on screen whenever needed. He was often bullied through his childhood and unlike those who have toughed up from it, he only seemed to soften. Hell, even Billie has chewed him out for his overly push-over nature. Though, she gives up. For nothing can change this poor man's soft heart and kind ways.

Wallis Moose: What else to say about this guy besides him obviously being a horrible detective? After his first appearance as one in one of Billie's episodes, Wallis fell in love with the idea of being one and even off screen, tries to solve "mysteries" wherever he is needed. However, he always slips up short and makes himself to be a fool. How did he even earn a spot on the team? Well, to put it simple, Wallis is a stone cold, hard drunk. He drinks and drinks and drinks, and when he's hiccuping and stumbling all over the place, Billie couldn't help but find it amusing the first time they met. After all, the first night they met, they both danced drunkinly through the streets of Nightwalk Bay, where they somehow met. As kooky as it sounds, it actually happened. Believe me.

Chico Georgina Chick: This once poor broken flapper was able to leave her broken past of having to prostitute herself on the streets and go some nights starving behind. Coincidentally, Chico was given another opportunity at a better life by Hank Kat (scroll up for Hank's bio), who happened to run into her at one of the clubs and show her a much better life than what she was living by offering her a position at the studios and materialization through the machine. Now a re-born, classy lady, this former flapper...heh...well, let's be honest. Girl loves to party and dance like there's none tomorrow, is ready to bring all the club's joy and bump to the table on screen. Hank is often seen by her side, playing away on his trumphet while she dances on top of a table. Nothing too promiscuous or provocitive. Want to keep the adult's attention but not as much. She's known as the party girl out of the group and also knows a thing or two about fashion. Also, keep her as FAR away from Molly (scroll up for Molly's bio) as possible..they fight a lot.

Delloris Acorn: Delloris is the beloved daughter of the mayor of Toon City, within the alternate world where cartoons "live". Her mother died giving childbirth and though she never knew her mother. She was always expected to act lady-like and proper, is why she carries herself that way. Though, the day Billie met Delloris and her father and was allowed to spend the day with her, Billie turned her upside down and all around. To the point Delloris came home, dress cut into a tank-top, short short overalls, knee-high socks, messy hair, and busted shoes. Billie's excuse was they were pig wrestling (no pun intended Patricia). Her father was awfully upset and almost demanded Billie to be arrested, however, Billie's sly deal to offer Delloris a spot at the studios was the only thing that saved her from some jail time. Now, while away from her rich and perfect life as the mayor's "little princess", she's allowed to get down and dirty. Especially on screen where down and dirty are necessary for some laughs.

Mad Mouse (also known as "Maddison K Mouse"): Why is this mouse so quiet and mysterious? Why does he never speak or even take off his goggles? Wait, is this mouse even a "he" at all? Well, yes and no. To put a long story short, back in these days and times of the early 1900s, women weren't taken seriously. Even toon women. Born a genius, the only way to get people to notice her freakishly large brain talent is to disguise herself as a man and as to go as "Mad Mouse" instead of "Maddison Mouse". However, her little secret couldn't be kept that long, for an incident in her labs caused her to lose part of her disguise and have to come clean to Billie, Poochie, and Wolfie. It was through them who helped her realize that, no matter who you are, your voice deserved to be heard no matter what. From that point on, this support cast member decided to cease wearing the disguse and be her actual self. Though, I wouldn't mess with this quiet little genius. She's a little...mad (crazy), as the legends and cartoons portray her as.

[quitepossiblyknot]

This especially rings true for men who wash their hands and make contact with women. Having worked retail(which is why many establishments no longer offer/permit usage of their facilities) and in the healthcare department, I've respectively witnessed and been told* how ladies**(by men and women)* leave bathrooms filthy and have had the question presented about whether they can wipe themselves properly with long nails, and have observed practicioners** who weren't guys(and were) handle patients in private areas without gloves to only take a paper towel, if that and wipe their hands without water and/or soap or they just splash water and shake their hands, NO SOAP. Both are negligent in hygiene in areas neither exposes, so to this, I say, both of you, wash your hands, wipe your genitalia after excreting waste, and maintain nails as to not be a carrier for germs. The world is sick enough, we don't need extra to worry about. Also, phones, don't handle them while you go, and if you do, clean them regularly after each use as to not spread further filth. A large main cause of mental illness, especially in the depression department is, if you don't keep your internal and external environments well kept/clean it will bring about increasing bouts with spiraling episodes and leave you prone to judgment, argument, conflict, verbal abuse(issuant+receiver), disdain, and discontent. A part of mental wellness that We can ALL take part in is to clean up our act. Wash your hands, don't use your phone in bathrooms, pick up after yourselves, communicate messes/issues to employees in the establishments as soon as you see them so that it can be tended to by maintenance. Lavatories are a serious affair, no matter where you are, place covers on seats/substitute with tp, wipe properly, WASH YOUR HANDS, and do not put paper towels in toilets or stalls, FLUSH, you can use toilet paper to push the levers and buttons. No physical contact has to be had with handles. Carry wipes with you, there are eco-friendly options, Google and research. Aim! Inform employees of spills. Drink lots of water, if you're having issues with constipation or habitual clogging, your colon is backed up, reduce consumption of processed food+meat(this includes fish+crustaceans). Eat more fruit and greens, respectively, they massage your organs and aid in digestion, while pulling out heavy metals and breaking down foods that the human body has difficulty digesting. Much of our sickness, in behavior(in the mind) is a result of the ills in our gut. Detox. Cleanse. It helps to do intermittent fasting and exercise, to get circulation going, both of blood and oxygen, which is helpful for the brain and gives your digestive system a rest. There are solutions for nearly any and every problem, the problem is we don't stop what we're doing that causes the problems. A healthier gut is a healthier brain, and a healthier brain is normally more inclined to listen and act, sensitively, responsively, in kind, within reason, to end cycles of these epidemics humans have grown comfortable in partaking in and participating in. It all starts with US. And there is u in you. Begin with you and use your voice.

Before I forget, clean eating also is beneficial to women in decreasing heavy menstrual flows and cramping. there are herbs and herbal supplements, too, use what is available to you to feel better. Love and take care of yourselves, ladies. Do your due diligence. There are sister circles and healing circles, support groups that encourage growth. Accountability buddies are a place for budding relationships. When we're rooted in recovery, healing, growing, maturing, many things correct themselves.

Fellas, you're included. Prostate cancer and urinary problems are in line with what you eat. Alcohol not only destroys brain cells, those added sugars effect gut health, causing bloating, damaging kidneys and livers, same goes for smoking. Tobacco is deadly, it decreases libido and lowers testosterone levels, which can cause hair lose and increase stress, leading to aggression and hostility. Artificial coloring causes hyperactivity. Read labels. Hyperactivity can lead to mania and hypersexuality, unconscious behaviors, memory loss(from overproduction of dopamine), those highs can result in drops that bring you to lower lows that throw you into fits of spinning in spirals of cyclical behavior, making the same mistakes over and over again and defending against them with justifications, all symptoms of mental disorder, to which there are solutions. Remove refined salt and processed sugar from your eating habits. Alternatives such as local wild/raw honey(or Manuka), date sugar, or dates(improves digestion and iron levels) can help you to transition, some others suggest agave, get organic where you can. More folate to account for damage in the area of short-term and long-term memory, rosemary, sage, kale, watercress, it will also relieve pressure in the brain. Walnuts protect the lining of the brain, and blueberries are backed by studies in helping patients with dementia. Many men suffer from neurological issues and it is never addressed, therefore, this is here to show you are not unloved. It may seem that no one loves you, yet, there is a possibility in loving yourself, despite the opposition and oppression, set a standard, higher and higher, this is climb, rise from the depths, the bottom, go above and beyond the vitriol. Take care of yourselves, even if no one taught you how. Regardless of abuse suffered by the hands of your mother, father, family, peers, there is a way out of darkness. Start with you. Make your health a priority, mentally, physically, financially, emotionally, spiritually(if you relate), tend to those psychological wounds so that you're capable of attending to and addressing the neglect you've been shown by society. Now is the time to pull yourself from the wayside and find a way. Make peace with your predators. Make peace with those who've assaulted you sexually, let go of haunted thoughts of aggressors who coerced or forced you into situations you did not want to engage. Manhood and tradition are paradigms constructs to keep you limited, they're only attacking your mind because they see how precious you are. Watch how you talk to yourself. Give yourself compassion, an act of kindness reminds us that we are human. You've probably been treated like an animal and accessory all your life, a disposable thing. You're not. Time to get the kinks out. Get clean on 'em. What you'll learn about hate is that it is a projection of another's ineptitude in communicating what's at the root to heal and produce what moves. No one speaks to your heart. Heart health is important, treat yourself kindly, get a move on. Start decluttering, decompress, destress, disconnect from severe internet+video game interaction. Separate from the masses. Gather yourself. You are what you eat, this includes what you listen to and read. Entertain cleanliness, check magazines and articles, take notes, go to your local library and go through books on enhancing and upgrading your life and lifestyle. Be the parents and family you never had. Take care of yourself. Be the lover you never had. Love yourself. Be the teacher you never had. Educate yourself. Be the person you need. Know yourself. In a world where you think everyone is against you, it is your advantage, it separates you from the rest, rest assured, this alone time is growing time, mold yourself to shape up and break the mold of what others think you are, what you think you are. The roles you've been assigned are to shrink you. Outgrow them. Get your priorities straight, to evade the hate, get clean. wash the slate. Make amends. Tend to your mind. Design a life like no other.

Equality is addressing both+all sides equally, onus on the individual, responsibility and accountability of each human/spirit/whatever you identify as. Your identity is not a scapegoat from reality, truth, facts, nor will it absolve you of your part.

Other than that, make sure people have and get consent before physical contact, not everyone wants to be touched. Kindness and being polite are not invites. Be well everyone.

Friendly reminder that if you shake hands with a guy you shouldn’t eat or touch your face until you’ve washed your hands.