#figured cassie would b doing

[orcelito]

I guess I should start looking into apartments for next year. I don't know where I'm going to be working after I graduate yet, but I'll have a car by then, so it shouldn't matter too much. And I'm hesitant to move when I don't know where I'm going to end up... but I will be honest, I cannot live in this place for another year. They've increased the rent by a literal 50% since I started living here 3 years ago, the air conditioning doesn't work, I have to do laundry by *coin operation*, and worst of all there is no patio or balcony to speak of. I need outdoor seating!!! For my mental health!!!! Adding in the fact that it's far too cramped with all the furniture I got from my dad...

Yeah. Even if I only live there for a year, I Got to move.

Gonna be working on sorting through all the shit in my apartment, especially the boxes from my dad. Once I get a car, I wanna make it my personal project in the next year to cut down on the shit that I own. Go through my old clothes and donate anything that I Never wear and Never would. The goal being that by the time I do move, I want there to not be a fucking boatload of shit to move. There's still all this furniture but like. Eh. Ya kno. Still wanna make it better than it could be.

[so-much-for-the-seashells]

The Strawberry, The Sheriff, and the Cartel Sheriff Beau Arlen (Big Sky) x PI!Reader

Chapter One: Welcome to Big Sky, Mt!

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~Before we Begin~

A/N: this is part one of an ongoing series. If you like the story and would like to be part of a tag list: please let me know, either through dm or comments. Still looking for a beta reader, dm if interested! :) Icons are by me! As always, any and all interaction is appreciated!

I really love Big Sky, even for all its faults. And to be honest, I was genuinely hoping for a season four. Since we aren’t getting that, I’m writing this. I’m no expert on PI/Detective work, but I’m doing my best. This is a work of fiction after all.

Anyway, I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’m not going to give any background and let the story speaks for itself. :)

Content/Content Warning: Nothing too crazy yet, but I’d rather a 16+ audience on this series for what might happen later. References to drugs and kidnapping. Cursing. Canon typical violence will occur.

~Without further ado, Welcome to Big Sky, Mt!~

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

Who commits real crimes in Montana, anyway? I guess I’d always figured that there wasn’t enough of us to do so in the first place. But, as it turns out, no place is too small for shitty people. Go figure.

Part of me has always hoped for a big case. Something high stakes, something that might actually make me think. I had always been resigned to the throes of missing pets and cheating partners. Maybe a B&E or a purse-snatching here and there to spice things up. Sure, those are still crimes, but a kidnapping tied to a cartel?

Now we’re talking.

Wait. That sounds bad. Of course I feel bad for the victims, I’m not a jackass. It’s just that this is where things in my career finally get interesting. Where if I solve the case, I’m solving something bigger than Whitefish. Which would really make me feel better about myself, if I’m being honest. I don’t really feel like I’ve made a difference with any the cases I’ve solved. Sure, it’s good to see Mary-Jane get her cat back or tell Kathy-Lee that James was in fact cheating on her and seeing her so liberated after breaking up with him. But none of that is bigger than Whitefish, where I’ve been since I was born. I needed something important, something big.

And this certainly is that something big.

Something big enough that I’ve had to travel almost seven hours from my hometown to Big Sky. Bertha, my truck, needed to get out of the house anyway. But seven hours… damn. Especially considering Whitefish could be renamed ‘Small Town’- I don’t think I’d had driven more than two hours till then.

Something big enough that literal drug cartels were involved.

No one would expect Montana to have so many ties to cartels. It’s so random, right? I mean, who even thinks about Montana in the first place aside from hikers and outdoorsy people? I know I wouldn’t if I didn’t live here. But I guess that’s the draw for these weird mob families. There’s not much of a radar to be on up here.

Big Sky had barely cleared out the Bhullar family maybe six months ago. A friend of mine, a fellow PI named Cassie Dewell, had told me all about it. She had been involved; her friend Undersheriff Jenny Hoyt had been one of the major players in taking them down. But in the end, as I understood it, the family had more or less taken themselves down. Serves them right.

But when one pot empties you’ve got to fill it with something new, I guess. That’s where I come in.

See, I’m a PI because I couldn’t be bothered with the how rule-abiding proper detectives have to be. Rules don’t get things done in the justice system, in my opinion. I’ve seen too many people either go down or get off when they shouldn’t because of it.

Rules are good guidelines, but just that- guidelines. Something to guide you, but not something that’s always right. If you want to get things done, you need a little more independence.

But with that independence comes cases that folks in the Sheriff’s Department wouldn’t even have come across their desks. Like the cheating, or the missing pets. So be it: I get paid more; and anyway, sometimes the “dumb” stuff is what’s best to get you ready for the “good” stuff.

María Almería had been the one to reach out to me. Her and Felix, her husband; as well as her three kids, Anna, Josue and Carolina; are neighbors of mine. They’re good people, and I’m pretty close with the family. I like them a lot, from the parents to the kids.

Usually I get hunches about people- its why I’m good at my job. When Kathy-Lee asked me to investigate her husband, I could’ve told her off the bat that he was cheating. Not because I’d explicitly seen him, but for whatever reason I could read it on him. It’s like a sixth sense.

That sense must’ve been dormant every time I went to the Almerías’, though, because I had never once gotten a bad vibe about Felix. María’s husband was always kind, a good father- his kids would attest to that, a good husband- María never once had anything bad to say about him, and he actually carried his weight around the house. Cleaned dishes, did laundry… yes, the bar is low, but he is certainly better than most of the fish in the world’s hellhole of a sea. Not to mention that he was always genuine: never a bad word about anyone or anything, not even about cockroaches (those damned things are my mortal enemy). And you could see that genuineness his eyes, which are usually what gives someone’s story away if you know how to look at them.

Honestly, he was the last person I was expecting to go missing. I couldn’t even fathom the thought of him having enemies. With most people in cases like these, there’s at least one aspect about them that makes their disappearance make sense. Maybe it’s in how they act, or maybe it’s in the people they were most often around. I could rule out the first one: Felix has never had any senility issues, nor would be one to be prone to just run away from his family with no explanation. But that leaves the second option, the harder one.

When you know your client and the person that’s gone missing, things are immediately both easier and harder. Easier in that you know the client, and they know and trust you. Sure, that’s not every case, but in this case I was 99% sure that María nor her young children had anything to do with his disappearance. You’ve always got to have that slight doubt though, even if it’s just one percent. That’s detective work rule #1.

But in the same breath, it also makes it harder- the expectations and the stakes are higher. And also, you realize just how much you don’t know about people.

I had exhausted my every resource in Whitefish for a week, but there was absolutely no trace of Felix. María had even called him in missing to me before she could to the police- damn the wait 48 hours rule- and yet I still couldn’t get the jump on the blues.

The story was that María had taken her daughters clothes shopping while Josue was staying over at a friend’s for a sleepover. When they came home, Felix was gone. However, his phone was sitting on the table and his wallet and keys still on their kitchen counter, and the idea of him not taking any of those things was preposterous. He was one to always have them on him. That was why she called him in as missing after he didn’t return for a few hours. Her and her kids’ alibis checked out with both me and eventually the Whitefish Sheriff’s Department.

While researching Felix I had come across the name Bobby Ramirez. They had been in a news article together, set in Big Sky. And something about this Bobby, even from the pictures, didn’t seem right. His smile was just a little too crooked, his eyes betraying something stronger than mischief.

When I had asked María about his next of kin, she had said there was no one. But this Bobby looked so similar to Felix, to the point that I just had to ask. Apparently Bobby Ramirez’s real name is Roberto Almería, and he’s Felix’s estranged brother who lives in Big Sky. Never would’ve guessed.

Apparently the brothers had had a terrible relationship because, in María’s words, Bobby is “a nightmare.” I didn’t really get much more information than that, but the look in her eyes told me more than enough, along with the fact that she was visibly trembling. And the last time she saw him, before she even had kids, he had talked about going into a lucrative business (presumably drugs- fentanyl, maybe?) and promptly dropped off the grid. He’d asked Felix to join him and he had given a hard no, and I guess the falling out was so bad that the kids didn’t even know they had an uncle on their dad’s side. Once she had even gotten the feeling that Bobby could be involved in this, she begged me to back off. Even though her beloved husband was at risk, she begged me to back off. But I couldn’t: this family had shown so me far too much kindness in the past for me to just give up on Felix.

Bobby Ramirez apparently owns a repair shop in Big Sky. Bob’s Motors. Super creative, I know. It’s been open for about ten years- probably since around the time of the falling out. But from the shitty reviews online I have a good feeling it’s a front, since it’s still open, and the best lead I’ve got. María had mentioned that Bobby was in with a weird crowd, and that he was friends with Kory Jefferson. That’s where the presumed drug involvement comes in.

Kory, or KJ as he’s known on the streets, was and is bad news. He’s managed to weasel his way out of at least five arrests despite being a part of multiple drug cases. You know how? By being a CI for the police against his own employers in exchange for full immunity. It’s honestly impressive how many times he’s gotten away with the stunt, but I guess people wrongly figured him to be unimportant. Bobby being tied to him and Felix going missing just as KJ was buying mass property in Big Sky… it’s too much of a coincidence not to investigate.

Hence, the seven hour drive in the truck I’ve had fifteen years. Got it at the end of high school, a gift from my dad. But she was only supposed to last ten years. Emphasis on supposed to, cause my intention is to run her until she drops dead.

Thankfully my dad was a mechanic and he taught me how to fix just about any problem with the engine and the car in general. So, just like a truck that’s actually within its warranty, the only thing I usually have to worry about is me being a dumbass.

And a dumbass I am.

I had wisely decided to test the limits of the infamous last bar of gas- look, I only had to stop once so I was thinking maybe I could make it.

I thought wrong.

“Whoops,” is what I most definitely did not say when my car actually stopped just a few miles beyond the “Welcome to Big Sky, Mt!” sign. What I really said was a string of profanities so colorful and vulgar that I genuinely would rather not repeat them. I had smacked the hazards button, and then stepped outside and kicked the tire with enough force to almost break my toe, because one dumb decision wasn’t enough for me that day.

So yeah, that’s about where we are right now. I’m standing outside of my car with one hand on my hip and the other holding my phone, weighing my options. The nearest gas station is naturally twenty miles away, and one thing’s for sure is that I’m no marathoner. It would probably take me until tomorrow to get there. On the other hand, I could do the normal thing and call a tow truck. But if there’s anything my frugal mother taught me, it’s that you shouldn’t pay for anything unless you absolutely have to. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but it’s sort of ingrained in me, and in this instance, I don’t really want to call a skeevy tow trucker.

Of course; there’s always the third, very rational option: I turn into the Hulk and push the truck. Obviously that’s the most plausible of the three.

Just as I’m getting ready to be a normal person and figure out a towing service to call does a sign of life appear. Up until now, somehow, literally nobody had passed through this road. It’s another truck, burgundy and bulky.

I wave, my face still stuck in a scowl as the driver approaches. It rolls to a halt near me on the opposite side of the road, before the hazards flash and the driver steps out.

“Car troubles, I’m assuming?” a strong Texan drawl greets me.

“You’re assuming correctly,” I smile sarcastically, taking in the stranger. He’s handsome, classically so, and he sure does fill out those Wranglers. Looks straight out of a Clint Eastwood movie, sans the cowboy hat.

“What seems to be the issue?” he cocks his head cordially, taking a step closer. Normally I’d be one to back away, but I don’t have a bad feeling about this guy. He’s wearing sunglasses, so I can’t read his eyes, but something tells me I don’t have to.

“Ran out of gas,” I mumble, more than a little embarrassed to be admitting it out loud.

“Hey, we’ve all been there,” he assures me. “Do you want me to take you to get gas?”

“I don’t usually step into stranger’s trucks,” I tell him warily. As kind as he seems I can never be too sure. Ever.

“Well if it helps any, I’m the Sheriff around these parts.” He pulls his jacket to reveal more of his belt, showing off his Sheriff’s badge pinned to it. He taps it once, for emphasis. Oh, wait, this must be… “Beau Arlen,” he introduces, interrupting my thoughts. He outstretches a hand and I shake it. His hand is huge compared to mine, callused but still soft somehow.

“Your reputation precedes you, Sheriff Arlen,” I tell him, letting go of his hand.

“That so?” It’s endearing how he perks up at that.

“I’m friends with Cassie Dewell,” I explain.

“Oh! Cass is the best! How do you know her?”

“I’m a PI- we all know each other.”

“Huh, y’don’t say.”

“What, you sheriffs aren’t like that?”

“Can’t say we are.”

“Shame,” I say melodramatically. He chuckles.

“Can’t all be PI’s, now can we?”

“True that.”

“Soo, that ride?” he tilts his head towards his truck.

“Yes, thank you,” I say sincerely.

“Anytime.” I follow him back over the middle line of the road to his truck, where he opens the door for me and offers an arm to help me step up. Huh, chivalry. Refreshing.

He stars his truck and drives a little down the road to make a u-turn before presumably heading towards the nearest gas station

“So what brings you to Big Sky?” he asks, making small talk.

“A case, actually… it’ll probably be on your radar soon enough. I’m thinking cartel, not a hundred percent sure yet.” I decide to keep the details to myself; there’s just too much at stake here.

“Another cartel? In this county? Y’know the last one ended with the boy killing his pops. And the pops had left the kid for dead too. Not to mention that the daughter was a pain in our ass, moonlighting as a real estate agent… but don’t get Hoyt started on that Tonya ‘cause she still can’t stand the sight of her… sorry, I’m ramblin,’” there’s a faint blush on the apples of his cheeks, and it’s adorable. But frankly I don’t mind his chatter, he’s nice to listen to. I like how he gets lost in his own stories.

“No worries, I like listening,” I shrug. My dad always said ‘listening lets you hear the things you wouldn’t’a heard if you weren’t.’ It’s sort of a ‘no shit’ phrase, but it’s true.

“There’s a first- Cass and Jenny like to get on me for talking too much,” he muses, no offense in his voice.

“That’s ’cause they don’t know ‘too much.’ I once had a client who told me his entire life story from birth to present day,” I reminisce, not even hyperbolizing. “I learned all about the std he got from a prostitute back in the 60s at Woodstock, and about his five wives: Maryanne, Georgia, Gina, Kevin, and Sade.”

“Kevin?” he laughs incredulously, taking his eyes off the road for a second to look at me.

“Yep. That was during the eighties though, so apparently it doesn’t make him gay,” I laugh, knowing how ridiculous it sounds.

“Wait, what was the STD?”

“Chlamydia,” I answer, without missing a beat.

“Wow, you have a good memory, huh?”

“Just for cases.” Which is true: in my daily life I would probably forget my head if it wasn’t attached to the rest of my body. I genuinely couldn’t tell you what I ate yesterday, but I do know that at 11:25 am I booked the motel I’ll be staying at. You know why I know that? Because I had just made the KJ break. See?

“That’s damn useful in your line of work,” he compliments.

“Yeah.” We ride in silence for a little bit because my dumb ass can’t hold a conversation. It’s not my fault that my only friends are my mom. Well, and Cassie Dewell, I guess, but I don’t see her all that often.

“Okay, so the accent- Texas?” I ask. Trying to bring back the conversation.

“Born and raised,” he confirms, emphasizing his drawl. I smile at the effort. I like his drawl, it compliments the deep and roughness of his voice.

“Cowboy country, nice,” I say.

“Hey, not all of us are cowboys!” he defends playfully.

“The first thing I thought when I saw you was ‘cowboy,’” I tell him matter-of-factly.

“Touché,” he laughs. “Truth be told I was literally raised on a ranch, so I can’t really be talking. Y’know, I had a really nice dog named Juniper. She herded the cattle, while I would pretend to “help.” By “help” I mean stand towards the side, scared of getting stomped on cause I weighed little more than a plastic bag from the grocery store.” More stories- I have a feeling he could write a book.

“Puberty must’ve hit you like a truck,” I mused, referring to the last part of his story.

“That or the gym,” he laughs.

“You a gym rat, Sheriff?”

“More or less,” he takes one hand off the steering wheel to flex his jacket-covered bicep. I wolf whistle, and he laughs. He’s a very large man, from his stature to his statuesque physique.

“Is there even a gym around here? I feel like I’m in the middle of nowhere, and I’m from fucking Whitefish,” I joke, referring to the fact that the only signs of life we’ve encountered are the gorgeous trees bordering the open road.

“Preaching to the choir,” he smiles.

“So, why’d you stick around, then? I heard you were just an acting sheriff,” I inquire, wondering why the cowboy-or anyone, for that matter- would want to stay here.

“I’ve got my ghosts in Houston,” his voice turns subtly melancholic, telling me not to pry. So I don’t, knowing the feeling. “But back to your question, there is a gym,” his tone returns back to its lightheartedness.

“It’s abandoned, isn’t it.”

“Well, there’s me. And uh, me. And sometimes Denise, who I think just wants an excuse to see my ass,” he laughs.

“Denise Brisbane? From Dewell and Hoyt?” I only know the name, nothing more.

“Yeah, she’s sweet- she cooks for me too, even though I’m a grown ass man.”

“Someone’s got a fan club,” I tease.

“Population one,” he retorts.

“Well maybe I’ll see you or you and Denise there at some point.”

“I’d like that… hey, you’re not joining the fan club are you?” he raises a brow from behind his sunglasses.

“In your dreams, Sheriff,” we both smile, and sit back for a second, the silence less awkward this time, at least for me.

“Y’can call me Beau, y’know. If you want to, anyway,” he tells me, breaking the half a second of quiet.

“Mk, Beau it is.” I like the way his name feels coming out of my mouth. And what a fitting name it is… he is objectively gorgeous.

“Hey, I just realized I never got yours,” he says suddenly.

“Huh? My what?” I say confused. Look, the road trip’s got me exhausted.

“Your name,” he clarifies.

“Oh. It’s Y/N. Y/N L/N.”

“Y/N- that’s a really nice name,” he compliments.

“Thanks,” I can’t help but be flattered.

“Where’s it from?”

“My dad- it was the name of some book character.”

“Cool! That’s a lot more creative than how my kid got named,” he laughs.

“You have a kid?” I ask, mildly surprised. Not that I think he’d be a bad dad after the half hour of knowing him, but just because since I don’t have kids I don’t usually expect people my age to either.

“Mhm. Emily- she takes after her mom, though.”

“You’re married?” I don’t see a ring, that’s the only reason I’m asking.

“I was.” There’s that melancholy tone again… something tells me there’s more to this cordial cowboy than meets the eye.

“Well in any case, Emily’s a pretty name for what I’m sure is a beautiful daughter,” I say, changing the subject.

“You callin’ me handsome?” he teases.

“All I’m going to say is that your mama was real on the nose with the name… Beauregard.” I decide to mix the compliment a little bit.

“You really think that’s my name?”

“No,” I confess, giggling.

“Good, I was hopin’ I didn’t come across as a”-he shudders comedically-“Beauregard.”

“Cmon, it’s not the worst name,” I chide.

“Well it’s certainly far from the best,” he retorts, and I shake my head with a smile. “Alright, we’re coming up on it now.”

I look up ahead, taking in the sight of this gas station that’s literally the only building in sight. It’s a bit on the dinghy side, half of the letters in the neon sign don’t work, so it says “De Ass Ton” instead of Del’s Gas Station. Go figure for this town.

But wait…

“What the fuck?” we both say in unison, taking in the sight before us.

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Until Part Two, dear reader! <3

[thr-333]

I just realized. I don't think I've seen anything about April in OaaHF. Where is she? What does she do in the resistence? How aware is she of Leon's situation?

Set while Leon is recovering from his first facial scar:

“No, no way!”

Leon groaned as the yell woke him, sound getting choked out by the bandages wrapped tight around his neck. Constricting his airway making it so he could never get a full breath, was always light headed. Although that could be the bloodloss.

“We need his portals, its not a-”

“I don’t care if it’s a transport mission, I don’t care if he’s at the very back line, you are not getting him out of that bed,”

Leon scrunched up his face so he wouldn’t have to deal with the light of day. Or the light of med bay. He wanted to go back to sleep and it wasn’t even the yelling that was stopping him. Pain flared along his face and shoulder in tandem with his heartbeat. Bandages pulled meticulously tight making every throb worse.

“It’s not an active mission, I’ve mapped out the points all Kraang will be avoided-”

“Then you do it!”

That voice, Leon knew it even past the haze pain. Probably helped that there were no painkillers available to keep him floaty. He sighed his big sisters voice was always soothing, well when she wasn’t yelling at him. Although he supposed she technically was.

“Ape’s I’m needed here,” Leo reasoned, his voice was deep and raspy. Huh Leon wondered if his voice sounded closer to it now, “I can’t up and leave the resistance without aleader for a minor mission,”

“So you admit it’s a minor mission!” April accused, Leon tried to open his eyes. The best he could make out was a couple of blurry figures until the light forced him to shut them.

“Minor but needed, lives are at stake here April,”

“His life is at stake!” Leon opened his mouth, but his throat was raw and the skin of his cheek pulled weirdly threatening to make him throw up if he tried. He tried anyway, why should be matter? “If he moves that wound, the wound you gave him is going to tear right open, he won’t survive that a second time,”

“April it was an accident, my hand slipped,” 

His future self was right of course. After all he had been the one to sacrifice his scarf to keep as much blood inside Leon’s body as possible. He had literally held Leon’s life in his hands. You didn’t do that for a person you were actually trying to kill… no matter how much it looked lik you wanted to seconds before.

That was fine. It was an accident. Leon shouldn’t have baited him.

“Bullshit, also I don’t give a crap, he’s not ready for field work!”

“The doctor cleared him,”

“Which you know they shouldn’t have!” April screeched, ugh Leon wished she wouldn’t, “Come on Leo you're a medic, just look at him!”

There was silence. Leon held still pretending to be asleep. Which was easy as he was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. Only the jabs of pain and his sister keeping him present.

“It’s between him and them,”

“Him, everytime, my little brother should come first everytime,” Leon’s heart didn’t know if it should skip a beat or clench. It was the answer he wanted to hear- but one he was completely undeserving of.

“I can’t play favorites,”

“Plaaeesseee,” The pure amount of sarcasm poured into the tone would have shot three men dead, “Is that why Mikey’s locked up in the underground bunker within an underground bunker, deep fried and finished with magic?”

“April-”

“Or how about Donnie’s lab, which is enforced with thirty percent of our titanium stores?” Leo would have rolled his eyes if they wouldn't just keep rolling back into his head. Obviously it wasn’t a matter of favoritism, his brothers were simply more important than him, “And how me and Cassie keep getting shortlisted missions? Junior hasn’t left your side in months and you haven't left this safehold in a year? Yet guess who’s going on missions every other week?”

“It’s all a matter of circumstance,” Leo’s voice took on a cold and harsh tone, “I’m trying to keep everyone alive for the sak-”

“Everyone but Leon,” 

She called him Leon… when had he become Leon? When has he started solely thinking of himself as Leon? Why was his futureself exclusively Leo? The thoughts were to hard to capture, slipping through his hands like sand. He wasn’t sure he wanted to dwell on them anyway.

“Well sucks for you but I care about keeping him alive, even if you don’t,” 

That wasn’t fair, he cared about Leon he did, as much as he could. Leon didn’t make it easy, after… after everything he caused. He couldn’t blame his future self for being a bit weird. He cared where it counted. Leon would’ve been dead three times over now if he didn’t.

“This mission is needed-”

“I’ll go then,”

No, April

“April, No,”

“If it’s so important you need to drag him out of bed and risk reopening the slice you put in his neck then it’s important enough for I, commander O’Neil to take over,”

“You’re not who you are in the future, you’re not Commander O’Neil,”

“And I never will be if you keep coddling,” April spat, “Besides I don’t care about being a commander right now, I care about being a sister, so it’s either I take the mission or you cancel it,”

The silence stretched on. Leon grasped onto his threads of consciousness. Purposely twitching his shoulder to get the fiery pain to keep him awake. It was amazing how something could fill him with so much dread yet he still selfishly felt hope that they would go through with it. Because he was selfish, rather stay hidden away in bed in a back room of the stronghold while his big sister fronted all the danger.

“Fine,” Relief and dread, unfortunately not in equal measure, “You come back alive understand?”

“Oh darn, there go my plans,” April tossed back, a shade closer to her usual teasing tone but still tense.

Leo didn’t answer. Because he was Leo, even in Leon’s own mind. But the older turtle huffed. Leon listened to his footsteps fade as Aprils got closer. The dip in his bed bit him to open his eyes.

“Heya blue, you awake?” April’s hand gently brushed his forehead, Leon cringed as he opened his eyes, “How’re you doing?”

He couldn’t answer, not really. So he leaned into her palm. Flinching as the small movement pulled on his wound from neck to cheek. He hissed through the pain. Tight bandages around his throat feeling suffocating as he would have struggled to breath even without them.

“Sorry, sorry, just wanted to check in,” The details of Aprils face were hard to make out pain blurring them out, “I’m going away for a mission,”

“Do… t,” Leon tried to sound out, it didn’t come anywhere close, but hey look at that: His voice was raspy.

“Don’t worry about me, it’s my job to worry about you,” She pat his cheek, thumb rubbing soft circles under his eye, “Seriously, please, it’s ok to care about yourself, you should, once in a whil- actually all the time,”

Leon shook his head imperceptibly. She was wrong. He had done that, over and over again. Each time they lost so much. He couldn’t, not anymore. Why couldn’t she understand that? 

Leo understood that. He knew what it was like to sit with that guilt, that self hate. He knew how to work for others to ease that feeling even a little bit. As losses stacked everyday and crushed him under their weight.

“I bet your thinking something stupid right now,” April pinched his opposite cheek, the unscarred one that showed off his brilliant red stripe, “I wish you were better so I could beat my love into your skull, but we’ll have to save that for when I get back,”

Leon plucked up the strength to use his right arm. Greaspoing Aprils loosely. He needed to get his point across, even without words, he had to.

“I will be alright, you rest up,” April moved from his grasp to instead thread their fingers together, “I’m your big sister, I’m always going to look out for you, even if I have to do that by not being here,”

No, no that wasn’t what he meant. Leo jerked to grab her again. White hot flares shot through his shoulder. Fuck, wrong arm. Darkness clawed at the edge of his vision, plusing in time with the pain searing through him.

“You’re so………. Don’t let anyone convince you…..” April's voice faded in and out, “ We have always…….. None of this………… alright Leon?”

Leon, that was the last word he caught before his world faded to black. The last thing he heard his sister say. 

When he woke up.

She was gone.

[cobalt-axolotl]

I plan on doing art RQS (request not the remnant queue system)

I would love if you submitted your head cannons and ask me my own.

About me

I am a pansexual cis male

I fictionkin Cassidy

Cassidy is my main blorbo

My prounouns he/him

My name is Austin but I also go by cobalt, charlie (my middle name is charles), and that mother fucker

My favorite fandoms are the following: homestuck, COTL, scp, fnaf, dsaf, Dhmis. Danny phantom, megaman, creepypasta, glitch productions, Minecraft, Ben 10, omori, undertale, sonic, gravity falls, Pokémon, bendy, TcoA&L, analog horror as a whole (especially Mandela catalog, angel hare, and Midwest Angelica), gr3gory88, helluva boss, hazbin hotel, TF2, moral orel, half life, half life VR but the AI is self aware, bioshock, 5YL, Spooky’s Jump-scare Mansion, The owl house, epithet erased, amphibia, Steven universe, Henry stickmin, disc world, AO ONI, pizza tower, and various tokusatsu

My favorite animal is the axolotl

I mainly post incorrect quotes and art but I do run an ask blog for my AU’s

I am a simp for papyrus undertale

Minecraft is my favorite video game

I run an 14+ blog

By the time I am making this edit I am 18 years old.

My OTPs are Evan x Cassidy and marlie

DNI (do not interact)

Transphobes

Racist

Sexist

TERFs

Homophobes

Pedophiles

Trolls

Stupid people (people who refuse to learn)

List of my AUs and they’re connected cannons

Golden children (fnaf)

Shattered souls (fnaf)

Malefactor malfunction (fnaf and Ben 10)

Glam it (fnaf)

Triple M (scp)

Xanthophobia (fnaf)

GMTC (fnaf and undertale)

B&P (fnaf and dnd)

NUCN (fnaf)

SBR (fnaf)

Under void (undertale)

Fazrune (fnaf and deltarune combo)

Like it never even happened (fnaf)

List of oc’s and ther connected AUs

Nick (my fnaf AUs)

Virgil (under void)

List of my AU’s with songs that describe them

Golden children: just gold by Mandi pony (I don’t like the guy I just like his music)

Shattered souls: creepin towards the dirt by griffinila

Malefactor malfunction: the ben 10 theme song (just replace the words Ben 10 with Cassidy)

Glam it: this comes from inside by the living tombstone

Triple M: secure container protect by madame macabre

Xanthophobia: look what you made me do by taylor swift

GMTC (give me the child): collared by vane

Bears and pizzerias: your the key by Kyle Allen music

Nicks ultimate custom night: replay your nightmare by hard ninja

Stuck in the back room (my alive AU): I’m still standing by Elton John

Under void: gasters theme by Toby fox

Characters in my AU’s

Cassidy Noelle Carter (died at 14 in golden child au) (in the golden children AU she becomes Fredbear and in the shattered souls, glam it, xanthophobia ,and malefactor malfunction AU she doesn’t die) (can speak German) (learned German so she can figure out what’s bothering Nick and calm him down) (in xanthophobia nicks death drives her to the point of insanity and causes here to become a serial killer “super edgy I know”) (in shattered souls she marries Evan but doesn’t change her last name due to her hatred for William) (learned Korean from her mother and is fluent it)

Evan afton (crying child) (died at 12 in golden children au but not dead in malefactor malfunction, glam it, xanthophobia, or shattered souls Au) (loses all sense of empathy after the bite of 83 in xanthophobia “a head injury can do that to you right?”) (marry’s cassidy in shattered souls)

Benny afton (Cassidy’s and Evan son biological son in shattered souls) (an analog to golden children Cassie)

Goldie (he’s here he’s there he’s everywhere who you gonna call psychic friend fred-bear)

Gregory afton (Vanessa’s brother in the golden children au) (trans gender FTM)

Cassie Maxie Carter (nick and Elizabeth’s adopted daughter in the golden children AU) (named after her aunt)

Kasey Roxanna Carter (Cassidy’s twin sister) (nicks older sister) (lesbian) (cares for Nick as much as Cassidy but is unable to understand him at times) (neli’s ex girlfriend) (posses Roxanne wolf) (currently dating Susie) (learned Korean from her mother and is fluent in it)

Gaberiel grim (died at 10) (died in 1985) (possesses Freddy)

Jeremy grim (died at 11) (died in 1985) (posses Bonnie)

Fritz smith(died at 3) (died in 1985) (posses foxy)

Susie McCarthy (died at 14) (died in 1985) (posses chica) (Kasey’s current girlfriend)

Adrian smith(died at 5) (died in 1987) (part of the second mci) (posses mangle)

Millie fitzsimmons (died at 18) (died in 1987) (part of the second mci) (possesses toy Bonnie)

Markus Murphy (died at 17) (died in 1987) (part of the second mci) (possesses toy Freddy)

Nelli Twain ( died at 16) (died in 1987) $part of the second mci) (possesses toy chica) (Kasey’s ex girlfriend)

Jake McCarthy (died at 6) (died in 2016) (used to posses stitch wraith along with Andrew)

Andrew Montgomery Emily (died at 16) (died in 1987) (part of the second MCI) (posses Monty in the golden children au) (used to possess stitch wraith along with Jake) (was besties with Cassidy and Evan)

Charlie Emily / Charlie afton (not dead in the golden children or Xanthophobia au) (is dead in shattered souls) (marries Mike in the golden children au)

Mike afton

Vanessa afton (Mike and Charlie’s daughter in golden children au)

Elizabeth Clair Afton / Elizbeth Clair Carter (doesn’t die or posses baby in the golden children au) (died at 8 in the shattered souls & malefactor malfunction AU’s) (is nicks best friend) (dies to circus baby in shattered souls au) (takes Evan’s place in shattered souls au) (born in 1979 in the main 2 AU’s) (married to Nick as an adult in the golden children au) (going to college to become a psychologist in the golden children au)

Malary Emily ( Henry’s wife) (Charlie and Sammy’s mom)

Henry emily (dies at 63) (championed for better treatment of autism in the golden children AU)(mentored Nick in robotics after Edd’s death)

Clair afton (died at 20 due to suicide) (Williams ex)

Loralai afton (Williams current life) (survives in every AU I made) (her name is also a pun on Ballora) (Evan and Elizabeth’s mom)

William Afton (Dies at 36)

Dave miller (nicks therapist) (named after book and DSAF Dave)

Nikki Carter (Nick, Kasey, and Cassidy’s mom) (Korean immigrant) (left while Nick was too young to remember) (may or may not have indirectly been the cause of David’s abuse to towards Nick)

Malcom faraday zanaflex (main protagonist of my scp au)

Dr Elias Munro (died at 79 on the year 1981) (original owner of fredbear’s sing’n show) (was a father figure to Henry and William) (was their boss before he retired in 1955)

Zachary Munro/nightmarionne (not dead) (became a mutant after a remnant injection) (immortal) (grandson of Elias)

Garret schmit (basically Garret from the movie combined with Mike from the movie)

Abby schmit (just Abby from the movie)

Jeremy Fitzgerald

Sammy Lewis emily (is younger than Charlie in these AU’s) (like around nicks age) (non verbal until his twelfth birthday) (good with Rubik’s cubes) (dies in xanthophobia and takes charlottes place as the puppet)

Billy (AI created by William afton to watch after evan while he worked on his projects)

Jack Kennedy (named after the one from DSAF just nota corpse) (Bonnie mask Bully) (gave Nick the spring Bonnie mask) (was much less willing than mikes other friends during the bite of 83) (mikes right hand man)

Maddison Simmons (jacks girlfriend) (chica mask Bully) (was much more willing than her boyfriend)

Jerry Mann (Freddy mask bully) (just as willing as Mike & Emilia)

Vinny (literally just exist to be Sammy’s boyfriend because I don’t like Sammy being forever alone)

Nickolas Alastair Carter (Kasey and Cassidy’s younger brother) (has a red Bonnie plushi named mr Marvo) (is a paranoid schizophrenic) (was raised by his sisters due to them having bad parents) (takes Cassidy’s place in shattered souls au) (works at the pizzaplex in the glam it au) (born in 1983 in the main 2 AU’s) (has a slightly un healthy obsession with Bonnie the bunny) (was hired on by Henry during the events of fnaf 1 in golden children AU) (often wore a Red Bonnie halloeeen mask as a child) (can speak German but only does it when he’s extremely angry or when he finds a certain word to be extremely funny) (autistic “like me”) (he’s also really defensive about his intellect) (died in a ball pit in shattered souls au) (acespec panromantic) (post ffps his soul transfers into eclipse in the SS Au)

Edwin Alastair Carter (Aka. Grandpa eddy) (Nick and Cassidy’s grand father) (their only parrental figure that isn’t abusive to Nick) (was hired by Henry and William to design the springlock suits) (built the mimic as a friend for Nick) (also made the old man consequences AI)

David mobi carter (Nick, Kasey, and Cassidy’s father) (abusive towards Nick in specific) (Cassidy is his favorite) (ignores Kasey) (is manipulative towards Nick)

Old man consequences (an AI that acts as a sorta therapist to Nick in my AU’s)

Nightmare (before being possessed by half of nicks soul it was the first working springlock suit known as proto lefty) (not one of the nightmare animatronics) (half of nicks soul)

Marvo Marvelous (half of nicks soul in the shattered souls au) (a red magician hare)

NYX

Glitchtrap (separate from mimic) (had his consciousness put into a roomba)

Captain poncho (nicks imaginary friend) (scares Gagleon)

Stitch wraith (possessed by Andrew and Jake)

Fredbear (possessed by Cassidy and Evan in golden children au)

Plush trap (in the golden child au he is a little drone sent out by null trap)

Null (second spring Bonnie suit that William place Evans body in after he died) (possessed by Evan in the both AU’s)

Mxes the hare (in the au he is named after mr mxes) (the au version of him looks more human in the AUs) (in golden children au he was first an animatronic for the fnaf 1 location that filled the same role as the then defunct security puppet) (created my nick)

RWQFSFASXC (all of nicks insecurities in physical form) (main antagonist of the GMTC AU) (shadow Bonnie)

Shadow Freddy

Mr mxes (has half of Cassidy’s soul inside of it in golden child au) (is choc full of agony from Nick)

Mimic (nick and Cassidy pretend he’s their older brother as in all three AU’s he just lives with the two)

Nickolai (animatronic human built by Henry as a third entertainer at fredbear’s family diner) (starts wearing a Fredbear Halloween mask after the mci for… “reasons”)

Void Bonnie (shattered souls spring Bonnie) (has a shadow variant name dark trap) (this Springbonnie is possessed by Nick not William afton as he simply feeds off of William’s agony) (heroic counterpart to Springtrap) (takes golden Freddy’s place in shattered souls AU) (born from Nick’s corpse being put into a certain ball pit) (name after the void between the physical and spiritual plains)

Mangle

Miketrap (the pit creature before metamorphosing into pit Bonnie) (a Monroe experiment)

Salvage (an old springlock suit given life through mysterious means) (a Monroe experiment)

Nightmarionne (a nightmare version of the puppet) (a Monroe experiment)

Remnant Queue System (the shadow’s child)

Night-watch (machine built by Mike to hunt down what’s left of Fazbear entertainment and destroy William once and for all) (-the rebuilt endo of Fredbear)

The classics

The toy animatronics

The withered animatronic

Springtrap (not darktrap) (in shattered souls darktrap used the spring locks to curve his violent tendencies and forget about him being a killer) (in shatttered souls his charge goes from being a humanized billcipher as William to a dsaf Dave miller and gruncle stan combo as Springtrap)

The nightmares (evil versions of the twisted ones in the golden children au)

The fun times

Ennard the clown (the in between of the fun times and glamrocks with his blood lust being replaced by a humanoid level of sapience) (has a shape sifting gimmick which he uses to entertain kids)

The Glamrocks

The twisted ones (in the my AU’s they’re good guys and built by Mike along with night-watch)

The hellfire animatronics (upgraded versions of the twisted ones)

The night terror animatronics (scrap’s, night terror Freddy, night terror Bonnie, night terror foxy, and night terror chica,)

The salvage animatronics (salvage Monty, salvage freddy, salvage ennard, and darktrap) (constructed from broken animatronics) (end is are exposed) (partially inspired by the ignited animatronics)

And the omori charecters are cannon to the malefactor malfunction au cuz why the fuck not

The springlock animatronics (fredbear, spring Bonnie, and Alastair)

Villains for malefactor malfunction can be found here

How the AU’s work

Each au has four version (book style in which it falls into silver eye’s continuity, game style in which it falls into game continuity, movie style in which it falls into movie continuity, and amalgam style in which it combines all three continuity’s into one)

In xanthophobia Cassidy is the villain (William afton die’s extremely soon in the AU and for once in his life never comes back)

So in my most of my AU’s the souls are able to grow old despit not being alive which explains any shipping you might see. Most of it isn’t my doing though

Elizabeth x Nick is only cannon in golden children

Unless its Evan x Cassidy or Mike x Charlie

TF2 is cannon in the golden children au (i mostly just wanted to make fnaf 2 Jeremy TF2 Jeremy)

The golden children au takes place in the late 80s to early 90s with flash forwards towards the pizzaplex era while the shattered souls au takes place in 1991 and the malefactor malfunction shifts the entire time line to start in 2000 GMTC takes place around 1999 to 2018 xanthophobia takes place in in the 2000s and 2010s

In shattered souls Springtrap is much nicer due to him losing his murdeous tendencies after getting spring locked

malefactor malfunction is a Ben 10 fnaf crossover with Cassidy having a version of the omnitrix called kaizotrix

The blog itself is cannon in all AU’s

This is a link to the malefactor malfunction aliens list for all of Cassidy’s kaizotrix transformations

As well as facts about the malefactors

Also a timeline for my main AU

*Warning*

Some times I can be very cringe

Check these people out too

@sparkledogzvomit

@sotogalmo

@asksamanthalawrence324

@hearts4ggy

@therealprismcat

@afton-family-askblog

@midnight--motorist

@corpserabbit

@sassysoulstranger

@harley-angel

@simply-icarus

@fredbearcassidy

@wind-the-music-box

@kriemhild-kafka

@dommarhooober

@sea-menace

@ask-basil-omori

@amilotta

@apocalypticjay

@shywizardflower

@beardedstrangerdreamland

@ilovelawrencee

@kaycrowley

@lizzie-get-in-the-robot

@vinyl-lol

@viarayy01-blog

@ghosts-cant-die-twice

@it-came-from-mount-ebott

@idsfantasy

@childo0p

@thecryptidart1st

@the-smiley-blue-axolotl

@museumoftinyhens

@i-live-in-your-basement

@serpentdragon777

@ramunehana (if you 18+)

@artistmediocore

Also check my alts

@cobal-axolotl-undertale

@tokucross-fanproject

@red-documents-redo

@nick-and-cass

@nightmare-from-fnaf4

I also put Nick official design down here

Here is my creepypasta and uncharacteristically ask blog

An here at my character designs so far https://www.tumblr.com/random-world-64/735868089007259648/all-my-major-chararacters-so-far

And here’s some fanfics I’m working on

her is my sona AXOL

Lore alarm

The blog itself is also a cross over point for my AU’s and in multiverse it’s ran by the characters

[princess-tulip-writes]

Heyaa! I was reading your azriel x bimbo reader stuff and I was wondering if you could do the same sort of thing but with Cassie? I just feel like he’d thrive with a dumb little mate who cares more about her lipgloss than knowing how to read 😩😩I can just imagine Cassian trying to calm reader down after throwing a temper tantrum because of a bad hair day or running out of her fav perfume😂😂 btw I love your writing! It gives me life, whenever I’m sad I’ll come and read your fics and it immediately cheers me up ily! 💞💞

i think i'm going to make an actually imagine out of this one! i hope that's okay :)

it was the most monday of all mondays; you woke up late without a kiss goodbye from cassian, the overnight curlers in your hair didn't work correctly, there wasn't enough tea left for your morning cup and your lash glue refused to dry. it was already two in the afternoon, yet you were still hunched over your vanity trying to get ready for the day with frustrated tears leaking down your cheeks, leaving a black mascara streak in it's wake– which only made you cry harder.

by two thirty, you were a hysterical puddle on your bedroom floor, hoping your mate would arrive home soon to take care of you and fix everything like he always had.

a hiccuped sob fell past your lips as you analyzed a strand of the flat curls, discouraged that the hair you had planned the night before didn't work out, and your heart dropped at the reality.

"i wanted to look pretty today." you whined to yourself.

teary eyed, you looked up at the messy vanity, taking in the scattered makeup that covered surface and sighed deeply at the sight. the last thing you wanted to do right now was clean, let alone in front of a mirror to be reminded of your crappy appearance.

so instead, you stayed put, curled up in a little ball as you cried until your mate came home.

a gust of wind breezed against your back, the bare skin raising goosebumps as you shiver softly.

it had been hours now since you got up or did anything other than cry and hug yourself tightly, seeking the comfort from something other than the empty house. but now, you could feel it, could feel him close by and your bond sung happily inside of your chest.

heavy footsteps sounded from downstairs, and you knew the sound all too well.

"i'm home, sweetheart."

you sniffled as you stood on wobbling legs, anxious to just run into his huge arms and cry to him to fix everything.

"where are you, pretty girl?"

the sound of loud steps echoed through the halls as cassian made his way upstairs, guessing that if you didn't greet him at the door, you were busy doing something else in the bedroom– most likely touching up your makeup or hair.

"in–" hiccup. "here."

he frowned at the fragile state of your voice and his wings hung ever so slightly behind him as he formulated a plan to solve whatever it was that you needed, no matter how difficult.

you stayed put standing at the edge of the bed shyly as your tears continued falling freely down your flushed face as he neared the room, his heavy feet quickly stomping into the hallway.

within moments, cassian's broad figure appeared in the doorway, sweaty from training with a soft furrow in his brow as he took in your shaking body.

"princess, what's wrong?" he asked gently.

he stepped into the room without hesitation and immediately made his way to you. the second his rough hands caressed your wet cheeks as he attempted to direct your eye contact to his own, you couldn't help it and you threw yourself into his chest, letting it all out for him as his arms wrapped around you tightly and rested his chin on your head in comfort.

"it's okay, baby." he soothed, stroking the top of your head gently as he spoke into your hair. "i'll fix it, don't worry. everything'll be okay."

"b-b-but, my ha-ir is ruined."

cassian fought back a chuckle at your lack of faith that he could once again, fix your hair. it seemed that no matter how many times he had doctored up failed attempts, you always assumed they couldn't be helped. how adorable, he thought.

"oh, it's not that bad." he said. "just needs a little help perking up, is all. i could fix it in no time."

you sniffled as your sobs slowed down at his reassurance, and you glanced at his face momentarily.

"r-really?" you asked, and it took everything in the male not to kiss your raw cheeks until you shooed him off. "you really think it's not that ba-d?"

he smiled and nodded before taking a strand between his fingers, stroking the soft bunch with his thumb softly.

"nah, you could actually just wear it like this to dinner and no one would be able to tell; not even mor." he was lying of course, the second in command would definitely be able to notice, but you didn't have to be aware of that.

you sniffled once more before slightly lifting your head off of his chest in hope. the new position caused you to get a clear look at his face and the string connecting your souls pulsed at the sight of him. a faint smile grazed his lips at the shared feeling down the bond as he finally gazed into your teary eyes.

"you-you promise?"

cassian chuckled softly, the rumble of his chest vibrating against your cheek, although the feeling felt safe to you– like home.

"i promise, my princess." he said before placing a soft kiss to your crown. "always."

[mysticstarlightduck]

Incorrect Quote Tag!

I wanted to do this tag again so here we go! Going with some characters from Supernova Initiative and Scrapyard Boys for this one <3

I had a lot of fun with this lol, enjoy! (:

The Generator

SCRAPYARD BOYS

Quince: What do you want for breakfast? Josh: I WISH TO DEVOUR THE UNBORN. Quince: (Visible Concern) Erin: (Done with Life) ... Erin: He wants eggs.

Rhys: Quince! Help! I’m bleeding… Quince: Oh god… what’s your blood type?! Rhys: B positive… Quince: (holding back laughter) I’m trying to but you’re bleeding-

Adrien: Well, I'm very sorry to hear about your mother. Max: Eh, we aren't really that close. Adrien: Oh, good then. 'Cause she's a bitch.

Any authority figure: Could you be anymore annoying? Valen: Yes.

*Adrien and Rhys are texting* Adrien: Who are you? I think Gwyn changed the names in my phone. Rhys: What did they change my name to? Adrien: Chosen One. Rhys: Don’t change it back. Adrien: BUT WHO ARE YOU?!?! Rhys: I’m the chosen one. Adrien:... YOU SON OF A BITCH! IT WAS YOU?!!! Rhys: Smugly leaves that message On Read

Damon: You’re insane! Josh: I know I am, what’s your point?

Josh: Why does my arm shake and turn bright red when I’m eating dirt?Erin: ... Erin: Why are you eating dirt? Josh: Did I ask you if I should eat dirt? No, so answer my question.

Kay, after getting a library card: Now I know what true power feels like.

Gwyn: What’s it like being tall? Rhys: Is it nice? Can you reach comfortably for the cupboards? Adrien: We live in constant fear of the short ones who, in my experience, will climb four chairs, two boxes, a small coffee table, and six oddly placed stools to get what they want.

Thomas: Damon, I swear I didn’t know Emily was coming over. I always ominously clean my weapons on the coffee table like that. It had nothing to do with that!

Luke: You read my diary? Valen: Look, at first I didn't know it was your diary. I thought it was a very sad handwritten book.

Josh: I'm not funny, I'm just really mean and people think I'm joking.

Gwyn: Why should I make my bed, when I'm just gonna unmake it to sleep in it anyways? Adrien: Why should I feed you if your just gonna die anyways? Gwyn: Gwyn: I'll go make my bed-

Valen: My bad, It’s a knee jerk response. Damon, holding Thomas's unconscious body: WHOSE KNEE JERK RESPONSE IS TO START THROWING BRICKS AT SOMEONE???

Max: What state do you live in? Quince: I live in a state of constant anxiety.

SUPERNOVA INITIATIVE

Artemis: Everyone thinks you suck. Deimos: I think you have the wrong number… Artemis: Kye? Deimos: Nope. I'm Deimos Artemis: Well, you probably suck too…

Meridian, carrying a box: What would you say if- if I, hypothetically, came home with 7 kittens one day? Jack: … Jack: What’s in the box? Meridian: What woul- Jack: (sighs) Meridian, what’s in the box? Meridian: I think you know.

Cassie (in Act 1-2): Hey, are you alright with swearing? Asking for a friend. Deimos: ...Yeah? Cassie: Bitch. Jack, stuck in the middle of this situation:... I hate my life

Vesper: Murder literally doesn’t hurt anyone! Jack: What are you talking about? Of course— Kye, holding out a hand to shut Jack up: No, no, wait. She has a point—

Noctus: Meridian is late again. Cassie: How did this happen? I called them at 8 o’clock this morning and pretended it was 11. Aleks: I printed up a fake schedule for them saying we were starting at 9 instead of noon. Vesper: I set their clock to say PM when it’s really AM. Jack: Oh boy. We may have overdone it. *Meridianbursts through the door, panicking* Meridian: WHAT TIME IS IT?

Jack: (hesitant) Have I ever told you that you cook well? Cassie: Awww, no, you haven't! Jack: (nearly in exasperated tears) So why do you keep cooking?

*Artemis and Kye are fighting* Gabi, taking aspirin: I have a headache! Can you guys just be cool?! *Artemis and Kye keep fighting, now while wearing sunglasses and riding skateboards*

Elysia: What’s your biggest fear? Jack: I am incredibly arachnophobic. Elysia, under her breath (confused, never heard that word in her life): You don’t want spiders to get married?

Lyorna, singing, unaware there's anyone nearby: I don’t want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need— Kye: An actual family. Vesper: A better love life. Jack: Mental stability. Meridian: *clueless* Bagels?

Aleks: I may be stupid. The Squad: ... Aleks: Oh, did you think I was going to finish that sentence?

Jack: Why were you up yesterday until 3am? Cassie: How did you know I was up until 3am? Deimos (walking in with an absolutely exhausted face and two cups of coffee): Because we all could hear you clapping to that sitcom intro every 25 minutes.

Vesper: Do you want to be the Sun in my life? Deimos: Yes. Vesper: Good, then stay 92,935,700 miles away from me :)

Aleks: That sounds super! Doesn’t that sound super, Noctus? Noctus: No. Aleks: I think I speak for Noctus when I say it sounds really super.

Jack: Yesterday, I overheard Meridian saying “Are you sure this is a good idea?” and Cassie replying “Trust me,” and I have never moved from one room to another so quickly in my life.

Kye: Two truths and a lie, I’ll start! Kye: I’ve killed people, I will kill again, and I hear screams when I'm alone or sleeping. Meridian, visibly nervous: I don’t- I don’t know if I like this game.

Jack: *points at Tarah* A human turtleneck, *points at Kye* a narcissistic monster, *points at Aleks* and literally the dumbest person I’ve ever met. Aleks: And who am I? Describe me now.

*The gang's thoughts on stabbing* Meridian (mortified): Would never stab anyone. Deimos: Would stab someone in retaliation. Cassie: Yells "I won't hesitate, bitch!" first. Kye: Would stab without warning. Vesper: Would stab as a warning.

Jack: I don't need to go to bed. I'm not tired, I'll be fine. Lyorna: But, darling, I'll be so lonely without you. Come curl up in my arms so I can feel whole again. Jack: O-oh. Well. Are you trying to charm me into healthy sleeping patterns?? Lyorna: Is it working?

Kye: I'm feeling it! What am I feeling? Death, probably.

Gabi: My future partner must be brave, strong, intelligent, successful and organized. Elysia: *steps on a caterpillar and proceeds to drop to her knees and sob while apologizing profusely* Gabi: That one. I want that one.

Tagging (gently): @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab, @winterandwords, @eccaiia,

@the-letterbox-archives, @illarian-rambling@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart,

@little-peril-stories, @thecomfywriter

@ray-writes-n-shit @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess,

@forthesanityofstorytellers, @finickyfelix @i-can-even-burn-salad

@cauliflowermaterial @thepeculiarbird,

@clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes,

@starlit-hopes-and-dreams @differentnighttale

@wyked-ao3 and OPEN TAG

[isfjmel-phleg]

I'm always curious about how the original readership of comics responded to what they read--how they interpreted stories and characters. Here are some examples of early responses to Young Justice 1998 from the letter pages of #5-7:

"At the risk of having an angry mob burn down my front door, I don't care about Damage." Wow, harsh.

This same guy thinks that the three original members are an ideal team, but he will tolerate an addition to the group only if she is female. Because having a romantic interest will separate the boys! "See? Even with a new character, all the interest leads back to the Big Three."

(I hope this guy felt very silly when three, later four girls were added to the team and ended up with plotlines that a. were given more attention than the boys', b. very seldom involved romance but focused on these girls as individual humans and heroes in their own rights, and c. never once divided the boys.)

(oh, and apparently this guy is now a comic book critic!)

Someone else was initially excited about this team book with "great art" featuring Robin, Superboy, and Impulse, but was filled with "dismay" that it was "nothing but jokes and parodies" that "made a mockery of the book's three central figures, especially Robin, who has always been a serious hero." He says he will stick with each character's solo book instead. The editor assures him that the book can get serious when it needs to.

(Kon's and Bart's solos, although they could deal with more serious topics, generally had light-hearted, comedic tones in keeping with their protagonists' natures, so I'm not sure what's bothering this guy?)

Another guy, from England, strongly approves of the book and advises them, "don't bring in any unknown or second-string heroes into this book" since it "should be a team for established sidekicks."

He has a list of suggestions, including that each member should be sponsored by a specific adult hero who would train them. He thinks that Mary Marvel should join, that Wonder Girl might be allowed to but "she would have to get a cooler costume or Superboy would not be seen in the same room with her," and that Arrowette might also if she were sponsored by Green Arrow. The editor counters that the kids are doing fine on their own without constant mentor supervision, that Arrowette doesn't need Green Arrow because she's doing fine on her own, and "The current membership is filled: 3 guys, 3 girls and an android."

Another guy (are you seeing a theme) is excited about the addition of girls to the group because it will cause complications like dating and crushes. He asks for Cassie's costume to be changed--he "adore[s]" her, but her homemade costume and wig are "driving me crazy" and she should wear a version of Donna Troy's costume instead. The editor informs him that Cassie's look isn't changing and that it gives them "something unique" because she's "the first bona fide nerd super-hero." She's still adjusting to her role and will get the chance to change and mature over time.

(what is it with these guys and their obsession with female characters as divisive love interests only and hating on poor Cassie's costume?)

Another reader (female, for once!) writes a long letter examining the boys' interactions and how they "still have their rough edges." She critiques Kon in #3 for not realizing that Tim didn't need interference and for being a bad influence on Bart, who tends to follow rather than trying to lead "which is probably for the best. He's much less mature than his teammates." She appreciates Red Tornado trying to stay involved in his daughter's life and hopes Traya will be a regular supporting character.

She is concerned about Traya being out on Halloween by hereself, wonders how anyone is familiar enough with Robin to ask him to host a party since he's supposed to be an urban legend, and supposes that most people in-universe must assume that Kon leads Young Justice. She says that Wonder Girl reminds her of Kon and that "The bragging contest between these two should be amazing." She approves of Stephanie being included,* thinks Cissie is "a good character" and "a bright girl with heroic potential," and is pleased to see Secret again. She asks when Secret and Superboy will get real names. The editor assures her on most of these concerns, including pointing out that "Superboy only thinks he leads the team."

This same reader would go on to write a very nice letter regarding Kon's receiving his name in Superboy 1994 #59. It was good to see her name come up again.

*Steph, for reasons that I'm not sure of, was featured in the Secret Origins special that introduced each member of the team, but she of course turned out to be only an occasional guest star.

[percyaugod]

Gluncle Mike: Help Wanted 2

Finally got caught up on the game and some theories and now have some new ideas. Most of them are me considering a different end with Cassie's dad in the AU.

For the most part, the stuff I had with Cassie's dad would stay the same. He and Mike were close when they were younger but he was scared of what people would think of him and Mike being friends, reconnecting with Evan when Cassie and Gregory become friends, Evan telling him what happened to Michael, etc.

In this path, that's why he started working as a technician. This way he can work on the animatronics and constantly check if there's any unexplained behavior or …surprises inside. If William is as persistent as they say he is, and Michael isn't here to try to stop him, it's up to them to fend him off. There's no running away this time.

Cassie's dad going through the trouble of getting the figures and putting them together because Helpy says it'll help bring Mike back. Helpy who Michael put somewhere safe from the fire. Helpy knew that Michael would come back if his father did. Helpy knew chances were it would end badly for Cassie's dad and so many other people, but Helpy just missed Michael so much.

It does end badly for Cassie's dad and he ends up in the mask bot. The absolute pain of being forced to give his daughter that mask in Ruin.

When Gregory, Freddy, and the others are gathering the other animatronics on the way back after defeating the mimic and probably some kind of rabbit for the hundredth time Freddy sees the mask bot. He doesn't know who it is, but he can see that someone is in there, so they're coming with him.

There are a couple of ways this can go after.

A. Glamrock Bonnie was beyond repair, AI unsalvageable. The Endo and parts that they could use being used to make a new Bonnie that note holds Cassie's dad. A lot easier to move and talk but Bonnie might not be his favorite anymore.

B. They just use some spare Bonnie parts to make a new Bonnie. Now there are two of them. Evan hates it, but Freddy is now a bear that has two Bonnies and he will never let anything happen to either of them.

Either way, Cassie's dad was surprised at how well Evan took finding out it was him. What do you mean Michael is possessing Freddy? Are we looking at the same bear? He's letting Gregory ride on his shoulders, Evan!

They also bring back Helpy and Cassie's dad hates the little rat, but if what Evan said is true it has kept its promise. Loathe as Cassie's dad is to admit it, he did it to himself. It's not like Helpy forced him to do anything. If it tries anything again though, Cassie's dad is dropping a bowling ball on it.

[camzverse]

fnaf spider-man au....................

-what are ness and greg's spider names?

-what do u want their suits to look like?

-does freddy + ellis tony and cassie know? do they help keep gregory and vanessa's secret?

-are the animatronics villains in this au??

-do you know how crazy this au is making me? /j

GIGGLES. FNAF SPIDER-MAN AU.....

-ok sooo. i havent decided what i want vanessas spider name to be yet but ive been calling her spider-van in my head lolzz. i literally cant pick what i want it to actually b tho.. i have no idea </2 (i would gladly accept any suggestions though Blinks rapidly.) andddd gregs is "spidey" ! (storytime. so its bc like. the press had just been calling him "spider-kid" and he thought that name SUCKED ((plus he thinks it makes him sound like hes some child and hes 15 in this au)) so he came up with it on the spot so that theyd start calling him anything but that and the name just stuck ^_^)

-i drew a little basic design 4 nessas suit actually!!

SO SOMETHING LIKE THIS !!! ill probably change it somewhat bc im not that happy with the colors n stuff but likee. :333 . its kinda based off the vanny costume (and ghost spider) ! also i realized . vanny has that same eye shape and bald ass head every spider-man has its really funny to me

anddd i havent drawn gregs suit yet but i was thinking it would look like the standard spider-man suit but the blue and red switched !!! and lighter shades!! so like a lighter mostly blue suit with red parts. ykwim ??

-cassie is the only one who knows ^_^ she was actually there when greg got bit and also when his powers kicked in. They were freaking the fuck out together<2 . at first she only knew ab greg but then she accidentally ended up finding out vanessas identity too lolz. anyway cassie keeps their secret LIKE NOBODYS BUSINESS. shes covering for greg so well she deserves a medal. ellis and tony have noo idea theyre cluelesssssss. they def find out eventually but thry have no clue for a long time lmao. also tony would totally be obsessrd with trying to figure out the spider duos secret identities. hed have a blog about it i feel it in my soul. Alsooo frankly im not even sure how ill fit freddy into this au. I REALLY WANT TO but i havent thought of anything. hm maybe fred has kind of like a reformed villain thing going on and ends up teaming up w spider duo to help them out. hmmm i actually like that concept.. if i do smth like that with him he'll most likely know their identities then

-ya the animatronics are villains!!! ill probably fuse some of them with the classic spider-man villains so like theyd be similar to those villains while still mainly being the animatronics if that makes senseeee

-vanny do u know how crazy this au is making ME. we will simply be crazy together

[liaromancewriter]

Singled Out

Premise: Max and Sienna are in a predicament when their son is excluded from a birthday party.

Book: Open Heart (post series) Pairing: Sienna Trinh x Max Valentine (M!OC); feat. Noah Valentine (OC) Rating/Category: Teen. Angsty Fluff Words: 1,575 TW: Bullying, use of an ethnic slur

A/N: This fic was requested by @jerzwriter. Submission for @choicesjunechallenge prompt "children"

Noah Valentine was excited to start first grade and wear the navy blazer that was part of his uniform. It was like the ones his father wore to work, and it made Noah feel like a big boy. It was just too bad he didn’t have to wear a tie. Then he would really be like his dad.

On his first day at Briarwood Academy, he waved a hurried goodbye to his parents. He rushed into the classroom, sure that it would be the best day of his life. It was, and it wasn’t.

He supposed the teacher was nice but not as friendly as the ones in his Kindergarten with the colorful walls and ice cream on Fridays. He liked the kids in his class and was happy no one had stolen his crayons.

Aunt Cassie had warned him to be on the lookout for crayon thieves. His dad just rolled his eyes and told her to let it go already.

But there was one boy, Samuel, who kept staring at him. He was bigger than the rest, and the mean look in his beady eyes made Noah feel funny in his tummy.

When the bell rang, the teacher, Miss Penny, led them outside and told them it was time to play. Noah waited in line to go on the slide when Samuel pushed past, shoving him to the ground.

“Excuse me?” Noah said, expecting an apology the way his parents had taught him to do if he bumped into someone.

Samuel didn’t even look at him, just muttered something Noah didn’t understand. He puzzled over what ‘half-and-half’ meant but forgot all about it later when his parents asked him about his first day at school.

But from that day on, Samuel made it a point to pick on him, and Noah tried to ignore the bully. School tried his patience, he thought, remembering the word his mom often used after a long day at work.

A few weeks later, all the kids were bubbling in excitement as Samuel handed out invitations to his birthday party during the break. When Noah stepped up to receive his, the other boy stared at him with a nasty look.

“You aren’t invited to my party,” he sneered. “My parents say mixed blood is worse than being a Chink.”

Noah didn’t know what the words meant, but it sounded bad. He walked away, holding back tears until he was out of sight.

As soon as the school bell rang, he quickly left the classroom, ignoring Miss Penny’s voice behind him, telling everyone to have a good weekend. Tears slowly rolled down his cheeks, but he didn’t care who saw.

Mrs. Banks was waiting outside, chatting with their driver, Danny. She glanced over when he ran out the doors and down the steps, her face falling as it had when he’d skinned his knee in the park during summer break.

“Noah!” she exclaimed in shock and rushed toward him. “What’s wrong, honey?”

Noah threw himself into her arms, big, heaving sobs escaping. He shook his head when she questioned him again, and he heard her sigh. He felt Danny pick him up and carry him to the car while Mrs. B patted his back.

As they drove away, Noah decided then he was never going back to school.

Later that day, Sienna anxiously paced the floor before the elevator waiting for Max. He’d texted to say he was leaving the office. Sienna calculated the drive time, factored in traffic at this time of day and figured he should be arriving any minute now.

When the doors slid open, she breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn’t stopped along the way.

“Hey, you.” He flashed her a smile as he stepped off the elevator. “I wasn’t expecting a welcome party, but I’ll take it.”

Max leaned down to kiss her lips but stopped halfway, concern furrowing his brows. “What’s wrong?��

“It’s Noah,” she replied.

Needing comfort, Sienna slid her arms around his waist, rested her head on his chest and proceeded to tell him everything she’d managed to extract from their son.

Noah had been inconsolable since coming home from school. Worried he’d been hurt physically or worse, Sienna held him in her arms, gently coaxing him until the full tale of Samuel’s bullying and the birthday party snub had come tumbling out.

The latter didn’t bother her as much as the unkind words. She had hoped the world would’ve changed since she’d faced her share of name-calling, casually racist comments and discrimination. Perhaps she’d been naïve in thinking her children would be spared.

“…this has been going on for weeks. He didn’t say anything to me or Mrs. Banks,” she said, and her expression became crestfallen. “You had Man Day last week. Did Noah—”

“I would’ve told you, Sienna,” Max said, tilting her face up so she could see he was deadly serious. “He was quieter than usual but in good spirits.”

Sienna sighed, tears pooling in her eyes. “I knew our children would be biracial, but I really thought society had evolved enough for it to not matter anymore. What kind of parents tell their child it’s okay to say such horrible things?”

“I can’t pretend to understand what it’s like for you,” Max said, brushing his thumbs along her cheeks. “But our kids will always be part of two worlds, and we’ll have to teach them to navigate both.”

She burrowed into his embrace, seeking his strength, her voice muffled against the fabric of his jacket. “I’m a bad mom. I’ve been so busy with work lately that I didn’t notice our son was being bullied.”

“You don’t get to take this on yourself,” Max snapped, letting frustration leak before he controlled himself.

“Sorry. I’m just…” He inhaled and exhaled deeply. “Let’s go inside. We need to talk to Noah together and figure out the next steps. Informing the school and his teacher is step one, and then….”

Sienna leaned back in his arms, her eyes narrowing at the shrewd expression on his face.

“Why do I think you’re already planning retribution?” she said warily.

“The kid is six, Sienna,” Max said, rolling his eyes, amused. “His parents, however, are another matter.”

He unlocked the front door, and they walked inside. “It’s never a good idea to piss off a shark.”

That night Max tucked Noah into bed, handing him the stuffed dolphin plushie—a gift from Cassie—he refused to sleep without and switched on the night light.

“Hey, Dad,” Noah called out just as he started to close the bedroom door. “Were you ever bullied?”

Max turned back and sat down on the side of the bed. He reflected on the difficult conversation he and Sienna had with Noah earlier and thought being a parent was harder than anything else he’d done in his life.

“Yes,” he said. “Remember how Aunt Cassie and I lived in different places growing up?”

Noah nodded. “When you were little like me.”

“Yes. We were often the new kids in class, and sometimes that meant other kids would pick on us,” he said, keeping his tone deliberately neutral. “I remember there was this one kid who said we were lying about being twins because twins are always identical, and we were not.”

“Did you beat him up?” Noah asked with a frown.

Max grinned. “No. My dad taught me there’s only one way to handle people like that.”

“Grandfather Robbie?” he said in awe, eyes widening. His grandfather was one of his favorite people in the world.

At that moment, he looked and sounded so much like Sienna that Max felt his heart lighten. They had agreed before not to overwhelm Noah, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt for him to learn how to deal with bullies now.

“Do you want to know what your grandfather told me?” he said, smiling inwardly at Noah’s vigorous nod.

“Well, bullies like to see you react. It makes them feel powerful,” Max explained. “So, you ignore them. Turn your back and walk away, pretend you can’t hear them. They'll lose interest in you when they see their words can’t hurt you.”

Noah seemed to be thinking over the advice but didn’t say anything. Max lovingly stroked the side of his son’s face, adjusted the bedcovers and started to stand.

“I don’t want to go to Samuel’s birthday party because he’s mean,” Noah said, yawning loudly. “But all my friends at school are going, and I feel left out.”

“I know, and I’m sorry about that, Noah,” Max said gently. “Maybe we can do something special that weekend. You can invite your other friends, your cousins. Have your own party. Or we can go somewhere, maybe a weekend on the beach at St. T?”

“Can we go to St. T and Disneyworld?” Noah said excitedly. “It’s on the way, wouldn’t take long.”

“Both in one weekend? You’ve definitely inherited the Valentine overachiever gene, not to mention our art of negotiation,” Max chuckled. “But let’s pick one thing, buddy. Save the rest for another time.”

“Okay…” Noah yawned again and closed his eyes. “I’d rather have a party. And it’ll be even bigger and better than Samuel’s.”

Max coughed, swallowing back laughter at the stubborn determination in his son’s sleepy voice.

An overachiever and competitive to boot, he thought as he closed the door behind him. The kid was a Valentine through and through.

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

All Fics & Edits: @annfg8 @bluebelle08 @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @doriopenheart @genevievemd @headoverheelsforramsey @lucy-268 @jamespotterthefirst @jerzwriter @lady-calypso @mainstreetreader @peonierose @potionsprefect @queencarb @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @socalwriterbee @takemyopenheart @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction

Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Max & Sienna only: @aallotarenunelma @storyofmychoices @kyra75

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Eleutherophobia Deleted Scene

@eomund42 #might have to post as a DVD extra or whatever  

Yes please!

[This fragment was originally part of Chapter 6 of How I Live Now.  I got rid of it because a) the conversation around Jake’s table was getting too long, b) the tone doesn’t work given how the chapter opens, and c) I accidentally left Rachel and Effilit unsupervised in the yeerk pool, so I needed to retcon that the Tobys were guarding her while everyone else was at the house.]

“Food?  They had enough kandrona for years.”

“Not the yeerks, the hosts!”  I stood up, pacing as I talked.  I couldn’t believe I hadn’t spotted it before.  “The Blade ship only had space for a few months’ worth of food storage, and I know that at least some of that was taken up with bark for hork-bajir or taxxon meat for taxxons.”

Marco made a gagging noise which I ignored.

“Visser Seventeen didn't bother restocking those stores or even checking them.  Humans are omnivores, that’s a big part of what makes us so useful,” I continued, “and the yeerks always assumed that they could feed a human body just about anything that didn’t poison it and it would keep going.”  I turned around, making eye contact with Eva.  She was nodding slowly.  “But what if that’s not the case?  What if they ran through the human food supply they had on board and couldn’t find any alternatives that had all the vitamins or amino acids or whatever that a human body needs?”

“They really don’t know as much about humans as they think they do.”  Eva offered me a tight little smile.  “Edriss wrote up most of the intel they have on us and... Well.  Edriss wasn’t a disinterested party, given that her life depended on her ability to convince the Council that humans were worth the Empire’s time.”

“That would explain why the Blade ship hasn’t been back sooner,” I said, resting both hands on the back of the empty chair.  “They’ve probably been hopping around between planets this entire time searching for a plant or animal source that’s close enough to Earth food.”

“Until they got desperate enough to come back here,” Cassie said.

I nodded.  “Humans can digest just about anything, but that doesn’t mean they can live off it indefinitely.  The yeerks probably found a few partial food sources, and they might have bought themselves some time by forcing one of the hosts to morph a large animal, become a nothlit, and then—”

Marco made his stop-talking-about-cannibalism gagging noise again, this time louder.

“Anyway,” I said, conceding the point this time.  “Maybe there’s no vitamin K in the universe in a form humans can use.  Maybe there’s no calcium.  I don’t know, but whatever it is they’re missing, they’d get desperate enough and have to come back here.”

“So this is a quick trip.  A grab and go.”  Cassie exchanged a glance with Jake.

“Which means that if Rachel doesn’t come back within a few hours they’ll probably leave without her,” Jake concluded.

“And that brings us back to Tom’s original point,” Eva said.  “We need to figure out where the rest of them are hiding.  Immediately.”

<Rachel can tell us right now if we figure out a way to get that thing out of her head,> Tobias pointed out.

Having arrived firmly back at square one, we all sat there in frustrated silence for several seconds.

“Could you contact your illusionist?” Eva said.  “Make, I don't know, a hologram vanarx to threaten it with?”

I glanced over at her.  That wasn’t a bad idea.

“Illusionist?” Marco said.  “What illusionist?”

“Your person who makes the holograms,” I said impatiently.

“We don’t have a person who makes holograms.”  Marco glanced at Jake, who gave a slight nod.  “I mean, maybe if Ax-man asked the Dome ship nicely they’d be willing to whip something up, but that’d take too long.”

Eva leveled a long, unamused stare at Marco.  “I may have been born at night, querido, but I wasn’t born last night.”

Marco looked away, shoulders hunching.

“Eva,” Jake said.  “Please trust us.  We’re telling the truth that we don’t have an illusionist.”

“I know perfectly well that you six did not whip up an entire fake hork-bajir valley in less than three hours using parts you found at Radio Shack,” she said flatly.  “Humans still don't have that kind of technology.  Probably not the andalites either.  So.  Who helped you?”

“Technically...” Ax said.  “Eck.  Nick.  Lally.”  He trailed off.  That appeared to be all he was going to say on the subject.

I looked at Eva.  Eva looked at me.  We were adults, I reminded myself, in a room full of kids.  There was no need to bristle with defensiveness, no need to feel like the only two losers out of the loop.

“You could make a hologram on that scale, with that level of sophistication, right now?” Eva said to Ax.

And now none of the Animorphs were looking at her.

<Those were special circumstances,> Tobias mumbled.

“And the current situation doesn't count as special circumstances?” I looked slowly around at each of them.  Jake wouldn't meet my eyes, but Marco leveled me with a hard, defiant stare.

<No, just…>

“You just can’t have the zombies knowing about it?” I asked.

Cassie stiffened.

Jake held up both hands in a placating gesture, looking between me and Eva.  “It isn’t possible, okay?  So leave it.”

I shoved forward to brace both hands on the tabletop.  At least three of them flinched.  “Just like it’s not possible for you to pull an exact copy of Cassie out of your collective asses?  Cut it and it’d bleed, but scan it for life forms and it’d pop up as inorganic.  Hang onto it for over two hours and it wouldn’t demorph, but take your eyes off it for a second and—”  I snapped my fingers.  “It’d disappear into thin air.  You mind telling me how you pulled that one off?”

There was a long silence.  Tobias had developed an apparent fascination with straightening his own feathers.  Cassie just looked annoyed with me.

“Didn’t think I’d notice that, did you?” I asked them, voice flat.

“To be honest?” Marco said.  “No, we didn’t.”

“It's not our secret to tell,” Cassie blurted. “We swear.”

Marco glanced at Jake again.  Jake looked at Cassie, who looked from Tobias to Ax and then back to Jake.  Jake looked back at Marco.

“Since Tom and I are clearly the only ones who give a damn about actually helping Rachel,” Eva said, “perhaps it would be best if we left the room.”

“Chee!” Marco shouted.

We all looked at him.

“That's whose hologram tech we were using,” he said. “The chee.”

It was progress, anyway.  “What’s a chee?” I said.

Jake muttered something about there not being time for all this, but looked up at me and said “There was this species called the pemalites.”

“Yeah, everybody knows about pemalites.”  I frowned.  “Wait, you’re telling me they’re not extinct?”

“They are,” Jake said.  “But they built robotic companions before they died.  And those companions, those chee, were specifically designed to look and sound and even feel like anything they wanted.  The chee can’t commit violence, not even to save a life.  But, yeah, they can make a copy of Cassie — or the hork-bajir valley — on command.”

“Please, you can’t tell anyone,” Cassie said.  “Their existence depends on their secrecy.”

I shrugged.  “I so do not care that the pemalites left behind a bunch of sex bots, and don’t think anyone else will either.  Can they help us?”

“Sex bots?  Sex bots?” Marco spluttered, twisting around to glare at me.  “They're not sex bots, you absolute sixth-grader.”

“’Chee’ literally just means ‘friend,’” Cassie said.

“And you can program them to look like anyone you want because…?” I raised my eyebrows.

Cassie opened her mouth halfway, and left it open.

“Jake?” Marco said imploringly.  “Tell me the chee aren’t sex bots.”

Jake patted Marco on the arm.  “The chee aren’t sex bots.”

“See?” Marco said to me.  “You are a disgusting human being, and oughta be ashamed to open your mouth.”

“Always am,” I said, smiling angelically.

<Anyway, it’s a moot point.>  Tobias glared at me.  <The chee wouldn’t spit on us if we were on fire, even if we could contact them.  Which we can’t.>

“Why, what happened?” I asked.  

Jake suddenly became fascinated with the grain of the tabletop in front of him.  Cassie made a noise of annoyance in the back of her throat, also looking away.

“He was fine,” Marco said loudly.  “Jake did nothing wrong.”

“Who was fine?” Eva asked.

“No one!”  Marco waved his hands.  “I mean everyone!  Everyone was fine.  So don’t worry about it.”

I made eye contact with Eva.  Yep, right back to the feeling we were the nerds being tolerated by the cool kids’ table but not allowed in on the joke.

“Tobias is right,” Cassie said.  “We’re wasting time with this discussion.  The chee are well-hidden enough that we couldn’t find them if we tried.  And even if we did they wouldn’t help.”

“You can’t even ask,” Eva said tiredly.  “You don’t think it would be worth trying to ask for help.”

“They can look like anyone.”  Marco did look genuinely apologetic now.  “Anything.  Trees, rocks, the wall behind them.  They don’t want to be found, and so we’re never going to find them again.”

“Okay.”  Jake ran a hand over his face.  “Okay.  An illusion is a dead end.  We’re on the right track, though.  How else could we get a, um, a yeerk-eating-thing?”

“Varanx,” I provided.  “And we even if we had one for real, it’d just eat Rachel’s brain right along with the yeerk.”

“So that idea’s a bust, but…”  Jake looked around the table.  “But…”

<Is there another way to get it out by force?> Tobias threw in.  <Brain surgery, something like that.>

I winced.  I knew of 10 or 12 people who’d had yeerks removed by force.  Two had survived.  One was in a vegetative state, and the other was, well... Spacey Gervais.  Who lived up to his name.

“Is there anyone among our allies qualified to perform brain surgery?”  Ax looked at Jake.  “Your father, perhaps?”  Then he twisted to look at Cassie.  “Or yours?”

“Not on a human,” Cassie said, even as Jake shook his head.

“That’s also likely to be a dead end.”  Eva was leaning more heavily against the wall, but glared at me when I tried to nudge my empty chair over to her.  “Human brains are strange, and poorly understood by humans and yeerks alike.”

<Rachel’s a morpher.>  Tobias looked from Eva back to Cassie.  <She can heal from any amount of damage that doesn’t kill her instantly.>

“Or leave her comatose,” Cassie said.  “Or otherwise unable to make a mental image of an elephant and then will her body to become that.  And I don’t think Ben Carson himself could get an entire yeerk loose without taking apart most of the host brain as well.”

“No surgery.”  Jake rested both hands on the table, closing the discussion.  “No varanx, real or imaginary.  It seems like we keep coming back to persuasion as the best way to get it out.”

I hated persuasion.  Because I had an idea for persuasion, and I was going to pitch it to the group when hell froze over.

Hell froze over… or Rachel’s life was on the line.

I sighed.  “Yeah.  Fine.  I’ll do it.”

Cassie looked up at me.  “Do what?”

[caseylynnxo]

Reckless

Chapter Four

~ JJ ~

JJ pushed open the door of John B's chateau, holding tightly onto Cassie's hand as he led her up the steps and inside. "Are you still okay?" He asked, flicking up the light switch, the room instantly lighting up. Cassie nodded, sitting her shoes down on the floor before placing her small crossbody bag on the table next to her. "I'm okay. I just need a shower and some water and I'll be way better."

JJ nodded, opening up the refrigerator door to grab a bottle of water for her. He twisted the cap off, handing her the bottle. She lifted it to her lips, chugging half the bottle down. "I'll get you a towel and stuff so you can shower. The rest of the crew shouldn't be back for a couple of hours, so you'll be in the clear to have the bathroom to yourself."

JJ started down the hallway, Cassie following closely behind him. As they reached the bathroom, he turned on the light and pulled open the clear shower door. He turned the hot water on, opening the cabinet then to grab her a towel and washcloth. "Here." He said, standing over top of her, their bodies only a mere inch apart in the tiny bathroom as he reached down to hand them to her. JJ hated the way his body ignited from how close they were to one another right now; the way he towered over top of her with his tall height. It made him feel like he needed to protect her. She was so small compared to him. "Go ahead and get in. I'm gonna go grab you something to wear. Do you have any preferences?"

Cassie took the towel and washcloth from him, setting them down on the sink. "I usually sleep in just a T-shirt, if you have one I could borrow?"

JJ's dick twitched a bit at her words. Just a T-shirt. Meaning no pants. No bra. Probably just underwear underneath. Right. That would be fine. Totally fine.

"Yeah, I'll get one. Be right back."

"Hey, um, JJ." Cassie said, reaching out to grab his arm before he could leave. Her touch burned through his flesh, his heart rate picking up from the feel of her skin on his. "Thank you. You know, for this. And for back at the party. I know you only just met me, but thank you for helping me. Really." She stared up into his eyes, for just a second too long. JJ swallowed hard, nodding before turning away from her to leave.

JJ slipped out of the bathroom, walking across the hallway to his bedroom to grab a T-shirt out of his dresser. He grabbed the one right off the top of the stack; his grey and navy blue Pelican Marina shirt. His favorite T-shirt. Of course he was definitely giving her this one.

He walked back out of his room to the bathroom door, pushed halfway shut. He could hear the water of the shower running, so he knocked lightly on the door before pushing it the rest of the way open.

And he stood frozen. All he could see was the figure of Cassie standing in the shower through the somewhat see through shower door; completely naked, her eyes closed as she let the water run down over her face and the front of her body. He could see the outline of her bare breasts, although not perfectly clearly, it was enough to get his insides riled up. Even though it was just the outline of them, he could tell how full and perky they were. He needed to pry his eyes away. He needed to get out of here before he did something stupid; like ripping off his clothes and jumping in the shower with her just so he could take her from behind. He swallowed, shaking the thoughts from his mind.

He shouldn't be thinking like that.

He quickly sat the shirt down on the toilet before getting out of that bathroom as fast as he could.

●・○・●・○・●・

JJ laid sprawled across his bed, staring up at the ceiling fan as it went around. He heard the water turn off in the bathroom about two minutes ago, as he laid there fighting off a boner the entire time Cassie was naked in the bathroom, trying to brace himself for impact when Cassie was done. He was already fighting off a bad case of horny from her; he didn't know what he was going to do when she came out of that bathroom. Wearing his shirt.

He needed to gain control.

He rolled over and leaned down, reaching for the bong that was slid underneath the nightstand, knowing there was still weed in it from last night. He held it in his hand as his other reached for the red lighter sitting beside it. He raised it to his lips, the cold glass feeling soothing against his mouth. He tilted his head back and felt his body instantly go limp as the weed went to his head, feeling his high coming on instantly.

As he flicked on the lighter again and inhaled, his smoke session was quickly interrupted by the bedroom door opening.

Cassie stood in the door frame, holding her clothes in one hand and her water in the other. And damn, did she look good in his shirt.

She tossed her clothes down on the bedroom floor before looking back to JJ.

He couldn't keep his eyes from scanning over her. His T-shirt hung over her body, slightly too long so it landed at her mid-thighs, showing off her long legs. And just like JJ suspected, no bra. Her breasts poked through the material of the shirt, seeing the outline of her nipples so nicely to the point of not being able to look away from them. He tried to pry his eyes away, but he just couldn't. And he knew he needed to. He was crossing major boundaries by letting his eyes roam.

"Are you getting high?" She asked him, eyeing up the bong still in his hands. JJ instantly noticed the way her eyes were still slightly glassed over.

He nodded his head over to the spot beside him, his hand patting the spot beside him on the bed. "You can join me if you want."

She licked her lower lip as she walked over to the bed and sat down next to JJ. "I love smoking." She said. His breath hitched as she leaned over across his lap, setting her cup down on the stand. A very innocent move, with zero intentions behind it, but JJ instantly had to send a telepathic message to his dick to calm the fuck down. She smelled good, like vanilla and strawberry, and he couldn't help but notice how close her body was to his, again, in this moment. Do. Not. Touch. Her. He stated it over and over to himself in his mind, trying to maintain his self control.

As she started to lean back over JJ and back to her spot on the bed next to him, he grabbed onto her waist, stopping her from moving. He didn't know what he was doing in this moment; but he couldn't stop. He wiggled the bong back and forth in front of his chest, giving her an invitation, and then watched her intently. Her eyes looked down to it, then back up to his. She smirked before throwing her leg over the side of him in one swift motion, straddling his lap before leaning in and placing her lips against the bong. An instant thought crossed JJ's mind: how sexy she looked with a bong pressed against her lips. But she looked even sexier right now as his buzz and his high coursed through his veins. How sexy she looked straddling him right now. He smirked back down at her as he flicked the lighter on once again, lighting the blue marbled glass for her, watching as she took a deep inhale.

She looked back up to JJ, his eyes staying locked on hers as she blew the smoke out of her mouth. JJ felt his cheeks heat as he realized rather quickly that her face was only an inch from his now, for what felt like the hundred time tonight, and his eyes flicked down to her lips.

Without hesitation, JJ's hand reached up and tucked the loose strand of hair dangling in her face behind her ear, his hand staying rested on the side of her head. A line into dangerous territory he just allowed himself to cross. Her face turned slightly into his hand, and he couldn't stop himself as he pulled her head down to him and pressed his lips against hers, feeling a sharp intake of breath from her mouth as their lips met.

JJ felt the eruption in his stomach as his mouth moved against hers, tongues dancing with one another, and he couldn't believe what was happening. That little voice in his head kept telling him to stop, that this was wrong. Stop JJ. You're both intoxicated. You only just met. But the feeling from kissing Cassie did a pretty good job of blocking that voice out. His entire body felt like it was ignited.

●・○・●・○・●・

~ Cassie ~

SENSITIVE CONTENT

Cassie's hands ran through JJ's dirty blonde hair, pulling him closer, trying to feel him with every cell of her body. But it wasn't enough. She slowly began to move her hips, feeling JJ's erection against her core, losing herself in the kiss as her tongue danced with JJ's. A moan escaped her as JJ pulled away from her lips and began to slowly suck on the delicate skin of her neck, his hands resting on her hips as they moved against him.

"Is this...is this okay?" JJ asked her, pulling away from her for a moment to meet her eyesi, using his hands to stop her hips from moving against him. Cassie had no idea what she was doing, the alcohol making all of her decisions for her; but right now she didn't care. She was insanely attracted to JJ and wanted this more than anything right now. Would she regret it tomorrow? Maybe. But right now, she wanted this.

"Yes. Yes." She panted, picking her movements back up as she went back to grinding herself against JJ, then stopping briefly to stroke his length through his shorts. And holy hell, he was huge; she could feel the thick, long length that she longed to feel inside of her.

JJ let out a groan, tilting his head back as his eyes rolled back along with it. Then, with a swift motion, he pulled her hands from his throbbing length and reached down to pull his boxers down, allowing himself to spring free. "Are you completely sure?" He asked her again, and once she nodded, JJ grabbed her hips again and guided her down onto him, inch by inch, her hips sinking slowly until he was buried completely inside. Cassie gasped, the sensation overwhelming as her body trembled.

Cassie brushed her lips against JJ's in a soft, lingering kiss. His lips curved into a smile as he kissed a trail down her jaw, his mouth hot and insistent as it traveled to her neck and shoulder. His hands explored her body in slow, deliberate strokes, squeezing her waist, before his fingers found the hem of his shirt, tugging it up and over her head, baring her breasts to him. And JJ was right; they were full. And they were perky.

His hand cupped one breast, thumb teasing the sensitive peak as his mouth descended on the other, lips and tongue circling her nipple in a maddening rhythm. Cassie moaned softly, arching into him, her back curving as she placed her hands on his shoulders for balance. JJ's mouth shifted, giving the same tantalizing attention to her other breast, biting gently, his tongue flicking.

Unable to hold back any longer, Cassie kissed him again, their mouths colliding in a heated clash, and she slowly lifted her hips. The first movement sending a jolt of pleasure that rippled through her body like electricity. JJ's hands gripped her hips, guiding her, bodies moving together in a sensual rhythm.

With each rise and fall, Cassie felt the fullness of him inside her, the friction driving her closer to the edge. JJ's hot breath fanned against her neck, his grip tightening as she began to ride him harder, pace quickening. A deep growl escaped his throat, the pressure building as she moved up and down on him harder, feeling him hit that perfect spot inside again and again.

A moan tore from Cassie's throat as pleasure washed over her like a tidal wave. Even as her orgasm crashed through, she could feel JJ thrusting inside her, his movements becoming more frantic as her body tightened around him, pulling him closer to the edge. And before she knew it, his head was thrown back again, a groan escaping his lips, his body quivering.

Cassie went limp in his arms, every nerve ending alive with sensation, as if lightning bolts coursed through her veins, leaving her breathless and quaking with pleasure.

[hall0wedwyrm]

SPOILERS FOR HELP WANTED 2!!

I'm talkin about some late game minigames and things so if you don't wanna see any spoilers dont loooook... but also its just me asking a lot of questions lmao

So i think there's kind of two questions i have ... and i dont have answers lol

Who do we play as??

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ENDING???

So for 1, its definitely someone who's got something special about them. Both Circus Baby and Moon make the comment "What makes you so special?" which... the combo of characters is soooo weird. what kind of connection does Moon/Sun have to Baby??????

The ending.... they Little Nightmares'd our asses. 'Oh you thought you were any old joe??? SIIIKE youre THIS CHARACTERRRR' like WHAT. But also i think this rules out us being Vanessa, since IN RUIN Gregory says a friend helped him, and she's also escaped from Glitchtrap's influence. This game absolutely is a prequel to Ruin, since we show up as the bot during the game. It also excludes Mike i think too... if Mike is Glam Freddy, or still alive,

SPEAKING OF?????? OH MY GOD HES HERE????? HES STILL HERE??????? Why??? if this is a second game... how did he get here?? unless the first game (in universe) was used as a reference for this game...? meaning he'd be transferred across.

MISC THOUGHTS:

So. Much. Emphasis. On. Moon. not Sun. Moon. He's in so many games and hes in the PQ ending and hes everywhere when he doesn't need to be and they could have used other characters or not even used any at all.

Same with Lefty... lots of Lefty love... because they're the Puppet?

Honestly the combo of characters is kind of wild... Sister Location to Ruin.

AstralSpiff buying an ENTIRE PS5 AND THE VR SET FOR MYSTIC HIPPO just for it to be A COMPLETE SCAMMMMM oh my god. HE STARTED AN ARGUMENT WITH THE STAFF BOTS IM CRYING

Glamrock Freddy remembering that you're retrying and loosing at his minigame... makes me think this is some kind of training game for staff... but then all of the Ruin and references that outside characters wouldn't understand (the Scrap crew and basically anything in fnaf 6, Ennard)

MatPat staring at the pictures on the walls for like 10 minutes trying to figure out the Timeline lore. He's got some good points thought. The Funtimes, The OG 4 and Moon all being in the same place (the carousel)

MAT BOUGHT THE HEADSET FOR THE HIPPO TOO????? IT'S JUST A TECH DEMO-

CANDY CADET!!!! i bet hes got 3 stories like last time (ive heard 1 and a half of them so far)

last thing:

WHO'S 'THEY' (this is the screens in the private room nights)

LAST MINUTE EDIT: about the 'who are we'

Carnie (the blue Lefty in fazerblast) says "You look like you've got kids." At this point, who in the franchise a) has kids and b) is alive in some way to be able to be in the headset?? Cassie's dad? but i feel like they would need to have more knowledge about the rest of the franchise and not just a technitian...? idk

[spacestationstorybook]

okay i finished a playthrough of‏‏‎ ‎hush‏‏‎ ‎hush and while many of the Problems persisted it was pretty cute and i do think the girls' storylines were all well-written and fairly respectful though mileage may vary. i do kind of wish there was more to discover in future playthroughs other than just new endings because usually the fun of dating sims for me is discovering all new paths when pursuing each character but in this one you basically have to be doing all paths at once. i'm still gonna be doing a playthrough for each girl though. anyway under the cut is how much i think each girl's story was coded for sapphics

cassie: she seems to want the most traditionally masc love interest so for people who want to be femme4femme with her you're at a disadvantage but i can see her as the kind of gal who just wants a classic butch/femme relationship with someone to spoil her and act all chivalrous for her. also mel is a suuuper butch name to me so i imagine her as a butch if that means anything. she seems to have been the most significant figure in cassie's life in the past so maybe that did something for her. 5/10

mio: has the most references to liking women on her route, you can talk about dressing up as‏‏‎ ‎samus, and one of her lines on the beach implies you are both wearing bikinis (though likely unintentionally). however her stalker guy refers to you moving in on "another man's territory" at one point which was probably also unintentional but one of those annoying hetero freudian slips that seem to pop up in every dating sim ever made. 8/10 though

iro: i'm biased because i cannot imagine any version of‏‏‎ ‎rainbow‏‏‎ ‎dash‏‏‎ ‎or any character even partially inspired by her liking men but she explicitly mentions having an ex-girlfriend, she flirts with and calls other girls hot on multiple occasions, also doesn't feel weird about accidentally being topless in front of you on your first meeting (though that could also just be interpreted as her being confident in her body). i do feel like the way her dad acts around you is more coded for a guy though if she dated a girl previously he probably already knows she's into girls and maybe that changes things. though i know the real reason was it was probably written by a man :( 8/10

elle: her storyline archetype is suuuuper lesbian coded (i mean they Do do straight versions of it but they're always way more boring. if you're doing breaking tradition and rebelling against your stifling conservative family don't just make the love interest another conventionally attractive cishet white boy who's just A Little Edgy) but dorian feels misogynistic as hell so i feel like he'd treat a woman noticeably different from a man. elle gets bonus points though for having a‏‏‎ ‎crush‏‏‎ ‎crush‏‏‎ ‎line where she awkwardly asks if you like women "in the special way" which is usually not the sort of thing you ask a man you're already in the awkward flirty stage with. 7.5/10

quill: her route has the least references to gender of any kind so it's really hard to make any judgements here. her route makes me a little uncomfortable for Reasons but i would be hard pressed to call it gendered at all. in‏‏‎ ‎crush‏‏‎ ‎crush‏‏‎ ‎when you start officially dating her she says "we are the girlfriends! yay!" which is meant as just a silly line but feels a lot easier to get from point a to point b if there's no guy in the picture. 6/10

[hearts401]

gregory for the headcanon thing if you havent? :3c if you have thennn cassie

-cross

ill do em both why not

Gregoryyy

a: He likes racing games. i mean, he likes first person shooters and arcade games so why not? plus theyre silly he can play w his friends

b: He reads by skimming and im not projecting at all (lying). he probably reread tonys story like five times before he caught how close he actually was. like at first it was a "oh yeah hes getting a little warmer" and glitch is like "dude he literally knows ur secret code thingy. ur stupid ggy thingy. READ THE STORY."

c: He literally loses so many people in his life its scary to not have them around because they would vanish and he wouldn't even know why. he'd be so fucking lost and alone because ppl close to him just kept going missing and hten he figured out it was him all along so its scary to have people just. not be around suddenly. especially if its a foggy day for his brain. even though he knows the mimic isnt there anymore its still so terrifying. and then all his fears come true when cassie dies whether he dropped the elevator or not. he couldnt find her, and then by the time he reached her, it was too later. Props to the mimic for undoing at least a year of mental work on gregory!!

d: He likes to knit and cook and draw he likes to enjoy mundane things he doesnt even have to find htem fun hes just so happy to have the people he does in his life that anytime hes around them they can do anything they want. his love language is quality time for sure.

and cassie!!!

a: She doesn't like monty (thats basically canon but. yk.)

b: She plays minecraft so casually normally but if she wants to build a cute house in survival her ass is NOT turning on creative SHE WILL GRIND FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS DAYS WEEKS MONTHS-

c: She always knew something was up with the people around her. Her father, Gregory, the pizzaplex. she never could tell what it felt like a secret she wasn't in on and it was terrifying and it made ruin's events so much more terrifying because what didnt they tell her what was happening its dark down her and shes scared but shes smart she can pull through if she can just get to the elevator.

d: She's also autistic and transgender. AUTISM BEAM GO!

[baelpenrose]

Nihilus Rex 35: Escalation

Nils crosses one of his first major lines here. That plan about swatting a hate church comes to fruition. TW for gun violence. Also we're gonna repeat the disclaimer that we feel increasingly obliged to as Nils keeps escalating. Especially since this is probably one of the few actually imitable atrocities he commits. Hey, I know I harbor a massive hate for evangelical churches but don't do this in real life. It's awful, and just like in this chapter? It will hurt innocent people. Afterverse Studios does not endorse anything with this kind of collateral damage. The hate preachers may deserve it, the families they're brainwashing don't. Do not do this. If the morals don't convince you, the legal rammifications might. You will get caught. Nils & Co. have villain protagonist powers, you don't.

Co written by @canyouhearthelight.

Do you believe in God?

Written on the bullet

Say yes to pull the trigger

Do you believe in God?

Written on the bullet

And Cassie pulled the trigger

“Cassie”, Flyleaf

Nils

It was a few days after the party, and the preparation for the SWAT attack was ready. Gray had been in constant contact as we’d prepared the attack to turn the churchgoers against the government, give the Christians an actual persecution to be afraid of - and escalate the armed contingent against the police.

Now, I sat in our little abandoned mall, behind a wall of VPNs, and prepared to ignite something that set fire to my veins with an excitement I couldn’t believe I felt at what I was about to do.

Shot up gay clubs. Kids kicked out of their homes. Kids committing suicide because of peers and parents who couldn’t accept them. People dying, the word “faggot” or “dyke” or “tranny” the last they’d ever hear.

Today, retribution. 

Somewhere, some spoilsporting part of my mind recognized that I was about to cause a mass shooting, and I could hear a voice that sounded suspiciously like Father Rivera’s speaking that old proverb. Something about how those who make use of the devil's tools shall, by degrees, come to serve his ends.

They should have listened to you then. Today their tools are mine. 

I keyed off the bot that started the SWAT call. Pre-recorded. A hostage situation in the church. Then another. Another. VPNs would cluster the calls as coming from that area. After about four or five, with more and more 911 calls that rapidly hung up, I terminated the bot, and waited, my eyes on the screen.

“Keep an eye on online chatter, everyone. Things are about to get real exciting.”

The church’s own livestream let us watch what unfolded. SWAT burst through the doors, and the pastor found himself interrupted. A fanatic right wing pastor who had spent years swearing the deep state would eventually come for Christians, who swore up and down that Trump would save them. A gun toting flock, allowed to carry in church. Cops charging in, keyed up to fight.

I didn’t see who fired the first shot. I don’t know that anyone did. I don’t know that history ever would know, as we never figured it out.

What mattered was that in minutes, the screen was consumed with a brutal firefight between an armed SWAT squad and dozens of armed church goers. Before anyone was doing more than reacting to the chaos,  three of the dozen armored officers and a score of the churchgoers were down, some silent and some thrashing and screaming, blood covering them. As the Evangelicals were diving behind the pews and shooting, they began catching other churchgoers in their shooting, randoms getting it in the backs, the legs. A flashbang caught a section of pews on fire, and the pastor caught a round high in the chest, gore spattering the wall behind him.

Lash looked away, turning so she couldn’t see the feed from even the corner of her eye.  She hunched over her laptop, pointedly focusing on online chatter.  “Mass shooting reported… Nothing about SWAT, which is wild.”

I didn’t take my eyes away from what we’d - I’d - done. “Give it a sec. News will have to break the story. Bishop - what are you seeing? And can you seed anything? Ghosts of Ruby Ridge, maybe?”

Gray’s voice came over the call. “No need. Already there. Bunch of people screaming about how this is why they need guns in church, government coming after worshippers. There’s already a few militia types moving towards that church to fight SWAT if they can get there in time.” His voice was smug. “I thought you were full of shit, but you weren’t kidding. The perfect gambit to give the right what it needed to finally decide playing nice with police was making them weaker, not stronger.” 

My attention snapped. “Bishop, monitor police bands.” This was gonna get real good, real fast.  At this point the SWAT team was falling back toward the exit, though it was apparent that more damage had been done in the church by its defenders than by the SWAT team - something that would be left out by the online reports - the ones that would be believed by Gray’s crowd, the side we were going to be using for our muscle.

Bishop snapped up. “Police closing on location, more SWAT, normal officers.”

I took a breath. “We may have brought more fire that we intended on this one but no sense in stopping now. Drop away from live feed - follow comments. We don’t need to draw attention to the fact that we were paying attention.” I disconnected from the live feed and switched to news coverage - it was supposedly a “breaking story” and CNN was already scrambling to fill the air with as much talking-head-speculation as they could to draw eyeballs for ratings while they waited for reporters to get to the scene and for facts to come in.

“Left wing chatter is coming down pretty harshly.  The kindest thing I’m seeing is ‘thoughts and prayers’, escalating all the way to ‘how are those guns in churches working for you’ and ‘at least no one will protest these funerals’,” Lash updated from her view. “The trolls are out in force.”

Gray snapped. “Better than the lack of guns at most left-wing gatherings usually go, apparently.”

“Not really. This entire plan relied on undisciplined shooters in the crowd starting a firefight, which wouldn’t have worked in a left wing crowd.” Bishop said, mildly.

I listened to the arguments among them for a second, then snapped back. “Police are reporting they had multiple localized calls about a hostage situation in the church and are already looking into this. They state they are still looking into who fired on them.”

Gray smirked. “Of course. That’ll do them a world of favors in a community that believes the government lies like it breathes and knows most mass shootings are false flags. Who just survived a government attack on a place of worship. Them being told a terrorist who hates them took advantage of their weapons to get them to fight the police, and that it wouldn’t have worked out if they’d been unarmed? They’ll just believe that’s obvious government attempts to manipulate them into disarming. Thanks for the suggestion, Bishop.”

Lash smacked her headset to mute it and started muttering in at least two languages I didn’t understand.  I was still pretty sure she was either swearing profusely or wishing a lot of ill on Gray.

I muted myself and turned to Lash. “Okay, that keeps our pawns in line, but this is gonna keep the FBI on us, or on our general direction - this is the second time police and right wingers have fatally drawn down because of some kind of digital manipulation. FBI lady is gonna come around here again. We need to have Weasel trussed up and ready for her when she gets back. And we need to be ready for whatever bullshit she’s gonna pull on either of our families. Let the skull collecting enthusiast worry about the gun nuts for a minute.”

She turned to me. “We still haven’t solved for how we are planning to frame or hack the ‘King of Icebreakers’.”

“Socially, at a guess. Behold, our mark: A single, college age man, who would be a reasonably attractive twink but for his repulsive personality and lack of personal hygiene. Technically brilliant. We have multiple instances of stochastic terrorism in the last few months - and by right wingers who spend too much time online. Some of whom clearly acted out of a sense of personal despair and a desire to make a mark on the world. What other instances of stochastic terrorism does this sound like?” 

“Elliot Rodger,” she answered, immediately realizing where I was going with it. “It’s Isla Vista all over again.”

“Right. Now, with shit this high profile, especially if they didn’t already get us for the banks, the higher levels of the Bureau are probably looking for a way to close the case - that whole thing with the Anthrax back in 2002, when there was no way to figure it out but they needed an answer. It got pinned on a dead man inside the Bureau who no one liked, despite the fact that weaponized Anthrax was a closely guarded Soviet secret that American intelligence never quite reverse engineered. And, wouldn’t you know it, Weasel’s icebreaker was used for the bank job. We just need to socially hack him through some other means to get him to stick his neck out, a little, in a place where FBI lady might see it. The rest takes care of itself. Weasel’s a coward - he’ll dust himself in a panic when the fibbies come for him. Guilty party dead, no further attacks, peace and victory in our time. We’ll lay low and launch more attacks later - and they won’t be looking for the same pattern.”

Lash drummed her fingers, thinking. “While we lay low, we should take the time to expand our network to other countries.  Keep doing small hacks here - the kind of stuff we did before that just didn’t hit the radar - but also scale so they don’t seem as connected.  You got anyone overseas?”

“Uh…One in Japan, one in the Netherlands, two in India, a German, and I had one in Algeria but haven’t heard from her in ages.” I left it at that, leaving unsaid that anyone in this business who suddenly went silent in most of the colonized world had probably been caught and wouldn’t be back.

“North Africa, Mumbai, Philippines, and China.” She offered in a distracted tone. “Clean water initiatives invite those types, surprisingly.”

“The German and Japanese guys are both ‘ethics in tech’ types who really wanted to work on preventing surveillance technology. Both Indians were people who liked the stuff I was doing with education access - neither originally came from money. Side note, whatever we do here still needs to get enough notice we can keep recruiting - I need on the ground left wingers so our eventual plays here have people who answer to you, so we’re not just stuck with minions who break shit for Gray.” 

“Keeping that in mind and already have feelers out.” Shaking her head to snap out of her daze, she looked at me with laser focus. “Pronatalists, yes or no? We need to decide that early on, because they are growing in non-religious tech spaces.”

“Of the ‘people should have resources to reproduce instead of being barred from doing so because of poverty’ type, sure, of the ‘I need 80 children for my ideology, religion, race, or whatever so that my particular neurosis can be soothed or politically dominant’ not only no, but no in a phrasing that implies we think everyone doing that should be sterilized.”

“We’ll have to closely vet them… if you throw a rock in a Pronatalist crowd, you’ll hit one of each.  Probably the same person, to be honest.”

Bishop groaned as he stretched. “Advocating for access to housing and resources to have big families is going to draw them in.  You’re going to get them either way.”

I grunted. “Same bucket as Gray’s goons, I suppose. Problem for tomorrow.” 

I slapped my headset. “New shit, Gray?” 

“I’m already playing. Check the boards.” 

I groaned internally and pulled up the boards Gray frequented. Same trick - new accounts. One account was clearly meant to be the idiot - playing up the heel leftist, who was mocking the victims for being stupid enough to have guns in a church.

Another was playing a conspiracy theorist who was claiming that he’d heard a left wing terrorist had done this as a false flag to get the right and the government to fight each other because the heavily armed church would shoot at the cops and the cops would shoot back. A third person was already arguing with that, pointing out that the government was already auditing that church’s taxes, and the deep state had never liked pro-Trump churches. 

A fourth guy was saying the police were sick of the right getting wise to false flags and were going to try to make up a ‘false flag’ narrative for them to buy into that would end in them seeing guns as an exploitable weakness. Unsurprisingly, this was the most popular comment - a bunch of responses about how already they’d heard rumors that a terrorist had tried to set up the fight to get cops and churchgoers killed. 

I seethed for a minute that he’d gambled on that - then reflected that it had worked. Using nothing more than something that would be counted as wild speculation in court, plus police reporting, he’d turned the crowd’s hostility back on the government.  I was surprised it was working, on one level - you’d think they’d go in on ‘cultural Marxists used us and the government against each other’ but then I realized why they wouldn’t. Not one of them would ever accept that they’d been fooled or tricked. 

And I was perfectly happy to see Gray making himself useful. Making the truth a joke but in a way that would make these people useful to us. Picking up enough momentum we could hijack these people and make them ours. Beginning the countdown to retire himself from relevance. I was perfectly aware that keeping him around too long increased the risk of this whole plan going wrong, of him corrupting our goals, and I needed to make sure he was dealt with well before things really got going.

“Alright. Fibbies next.” 

Bishop shook my shoulder and gestured at the newsfeed. “Hey, Nihilus,” he said, carefully emphasizing my handle as though to remind me to tailor my reaction. Gray was still listening. “Prelim casualty figures.”

I looked at them. 

Sixteen dead, thirty-three injured. One of the dead and eight of the wounded were children.

“Oh, God,” I heard Lash gasp.  “They were babies.” Before I could say anything, she was on her feet and out the door, all equipment left behind.

I felt like I was falling, but I forced myself to not react. What had we done?  What had we just done?