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lttawnymadison · 7 months ago

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TGCF Revised Version Afterword by MXTX

Since I kept seeing snippets of this, I wanted to read the whole thing for myself. I'd already bought the book on JJWXC and did an MTL for this. It's so wonderful that she's back and sharing new things and that the revised is finally done! - Tawny --------------------------------------------- The author has something to say:

Seeing the small red clay stove again.

———— Afterword of "Heaven Official's Blessing" 2022

■ Finally done!

Long time no see! It's another afterword starting with "finally." Without further ado, seasoned readers would know that I make substantial revisions. For instance, scenes like the Bai Feng Mountain Hunt and the ending recognition of Sizhui in the serial version of "Mo Dao Zu Shi" were not originally there.

The revisions in "Heaven Official's Blessing" are the most extensive of all my works. It was a huge project, as it is also the longest in terms of length, serialized over eight months. Due to poor health and other reasons, the revision process was interrupted for a long time before I picked it up again, and it sporadically took about five to six months over several years.

In the era of web novels, there are endless new entertainments, and honestly, not many people re-read a story. Plus, some problems in the serialized version are structural and can't be changed, but I still tried my best to address my regrets. After all, when I was serializing it, I was almost always in a feverish and sick state, barely pushing through. Additionally, I often enjoy comparing different versions of my favorite authors' works back and forth, finding pleasure in the process. So, for readers, discovering "Wow, this part has changed!" is like starting a new journey with Easter eggs in a second round.

■ The new revised version includes about 100,000 words of new content!

These 100k words are mainly concentrated in the latter half of Volume 1 and Volume 3, but there are plenty scattered throughout the text. For example, I fulfilled a promise to A-Hua, giving him several new outfits. Seeing A-Hua dressed beautifully in a new hairstyle to meet his gege made me happy.

In terms of the intensity of revisions, personally, I feel it goes like this:

Volume 1 and Volume 2 > Volume 3 > Volume 5 > Volume 4.

Additionally, the new version cuts some redundant words and plots that weren't very meaningful. However, I tried to keep all the original interactions between Hua Lian as complete as possible. If some minor interactions are missing, they weren't deleted but moved around.

■ One day, I suddenly dug out something.

An antique from 2017, a folder called "Heaven Official's Blessing Setting Collection."

Curiously, I opened it and read with interest.

● Comparing the original setting outline and the main text, the highest fidelity is in the main storyline between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian.

A-Hua, restored at a ratio of 1:100.

Hua's character setting is the most detailed, and virtually every point made it into the main text, including details like "ghosts don't like the sun, so Hua Cheng sometimes drapes a red cloth over his head"...

Points not used, listed a few:

As a child:

· After being saved from falling off a city wall, he foolishly followed a parade over and over again, grabbing people to ask, "Who is that? Who is that person?" People told him, "That's the royal son, the future Celestial God, the most outstanding Crown Prince of Xianle Nation ever!"

(This point couldn't be used because in the text A-Hua was held in the Crown Prince's arms after being saved)

· At home, he was often punished to stand or kneel, not given food, and wore old clothes, accused of stealing money. Whenever he argued with his family, he would stubbornly sleep in the Prince's temple overnight.

· Went to Mount Tai Cang to volunteer sweeping red leaves at Huangji Observatory, just to sneak peeks at his future wife happily swinging.

After becoming the ghost king:

· One of his hobbies is buying and building houses everywhere.

· Very protective of his leather boots, would (badly) polish them until they shone.

· To other devout followers of Xie Lian, he said: "You have good taste."

· Secretly prepared many betrothal gifts for his beloved god, wanting to marry him!

The character setting of Xie Lian as a teacher in the serialized version compared to the initial draft, the serialized text subtly differs. The initial draft was more... exquisite and elegant, very serious. The serialized text is more... humorous. I think perhaps because some plot points were tragic, Xie Lian thought he should be happier to make the readers more relaxed, so he drove me to adjust his mental state! But due to the spiritual oppression at that time, the character's depth was not enough, while in the new revised version, I hope he can show a more self-content state on the same core basis.

Excerpts from the unused original setting:

· Super easy-going. Easy-going means: if given fifty bucks, he would happily dress in drag and dance. Accepts haggling. Thirty bucks works. Twenty bucks too!

· The observatory is small, the house is broken, wants to grow flowers. Leaks during rain, so he uses a bucket to catch rainwater.

· Because he can't afford a caretaker, he cleans himself, and also feeds chickens. Chickens eat flowers. Keeps a cat.

· Completely engrossed in discussing serious matters, he unknowingly finished all the broken sweet dumplings!

● Water, Earth, Wind original setting:

The highest fidelity is the main line between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian, followed by the Water, Earth, Wind subplot.

The main conflict hasn't changed. Just... how could the original setting of Water, Earth, Wind be so dark and terrifying!

The character morals in the main text improved a lot, otherwise, the original Black Water would be sheer scheming + murderous! The ending for the Wind Master would have been more tragic.

The Venerable of Empty Words suddenly became an improvised character. It seemed like an ancient fable-like monster, making the main text more interesting than the original setting.

Overall, the formal version is a bit better written than the original draft.

● The unfortunate life of Lang Ying:

Lang Ying? Is there such a character? I don't remember!

Ah? It seems there was such a person, but I don't remember any of his plotlines.

This is most people's feeling towards the character of Lang Ying. It's not a delusion because he barely had any significant plot. In fact, any valuable scenes could have been replaced equivalently, so in the new revised version, I deleted this character.

But, in the 2017 setting collection, I suddenly found that I had actually opened a separate document for Lang Ying, and his role was defined as a "growing-type BOSS!"

I was silent.

And immediately opened the document, curious about my initial setting. A "growing-type BOSS," how did he become someone whose deletion went unnoticed...? (I even don't know how to address him!)

Who knows, perhaps out of excitement, I accidentally pressed the wrong shortcut, and somehow it became irreversible, leaving only an empty document for me to stare in disbelief. The once "growing-type BOSS" has now forever become a mystery!

This is the unfortunate life of the deleted Lang Ying.

· There was another document in the setting collection called "Swordsmith." I opened the document and read it with interest.

I was shocked. Because I completely forgot I had conceived this story. Why didn't I write it?!

Darn.

I know why I didn't write it. This story... it had no ending!

——————— Thus, the magical glimpse into the "Heaven Official's Blessing Setting Collection" concludes!

■ I like men with stories!

Maybe because I watched an outstanding work as a child. It was a memoir, the protagonist in the biography was gentle and affable, and the protagonist in the memories was cold and ruthless. The story was scattered with the poignant fragrance of white plum blossoms amidst bloody and stormy circumstances.

This almost perfect work deeply influenced my aesthetics, leading me to be most interested in the memory parts of characters in various works. Although many viewers prefer the present scenes, often asking when the memories will end, I actually find these intense and painful memories to be the most fascinating!

A story is the history of a character, as well as the key to their personality. A person with a story stands before me like a puzzle. The way to solve this puzzle is to understand their story. Because the biography makes one curious to know more about a character they like, loving them more now because of their past. When serializing "Heaven Official," my greatest pain initially was telling myself, "This time I don't want to write a memory slaughter," deliberately trying to avoid a structure similar to previous works, yet I still hadn't found a better way to express it, resulting in my deep dissatisfaction with the later part of Volume 1. I was also hesitant to fully commit to the memory scenes in Volume 2, and with the heavy mental burden, this part was very painful to write. When revising, looking at Volume 2 was almost unbearable, because I'm the type of person who, as a child, would immediately switch channels when a TV show's protagonist was about to be wrongfully accused or embarrassed. I couldn't help but knock on a friend's door and ask:

Me: Was the author suffering some kind of mental trauma at the time? This negative energy is too horrifying, the protagonist is so pitiful, I really admire anyone who could read through Volume 2 completely.

Friend: Do you even have the right to say that?

But the memory slaughter in Volume 4 was much freer, written in one breath, so the revisions for this volume were also the least.

So, will you still write large segments of memory slaughter?

Um, well, we'll see, haha, hehe...

■ Closing Remarks:

Lastly, I'll address the question some asked me, "Will the new revised 'Heaven Official's Blessing' be more torturous?"

Me: You're talking nonsense. 'Heaven Official's Blessing' is a sweet pampering story, thank you!

Acknowledgments:

Shi Nai'an wrote in the preface to "Water Margin": "On snowy nights, about five or six people listen to my storytelling; on rainy days, about seven or eight; on bright and sunny days, about ten. I read, everyone listens, and we are all happy, with no other thoughts." When I read this as a young person, I was delighted. What divine days! Writing first to entertain oneself, then to entertain others. Self-expression and self-acceptance are certainly primary, but the affection of others is also a significant positive feedback. Thus, first, I thank the steadfast readers who have accompanied me all this time. I've thought about just walking away amidst the noisy disputes; abandoning the account amidst the tumultuous world! It seems not bad. But looking back, I can't bear to leave some truly sincere readers.

I've had authors I liked disappear from the internet, and I always feel like a part of my youth has vanished, a feeling quite distressing, reminiscent of overly grand and harsh things like the tears of the era or the torrent of history. So, I want to accompany my readers as long as possible, hoping that the day of parting comes later. Perhaps I'm not good enough now, but I will strive to be better in the future. Or perhaps you've never truly understood what kind of person I am, or even completely misunderstood me, but as long as you genuinely like my stories, we can sit down and chat.

And, I must mention my friends, who can be described as having the courage of a hero. Long time no see, Teacher Changyang's illustrations are still as beautiful as those of a celestial being, I hope Teacher CAS can go to bed earlier and worry less, and Teacher Kuohao, who despite a heavy workload, still fully honored our agreement. The "Heaven Official's Blessing" radio drama is really fantastic! It reminded me of the original intention of writing this story, and I was very moved. If it weren't for the silent companionship and efforts of these old friends, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu might have stopped writing back in 2016, disappearing from the world of martial arts, and thus, "Heaven Official's Blessing" would not have been born. I look forward to retracing the paths we once walked together when gathering ideas. And many friends who reached out to help and encourage me, thank you for accompanying me through the snowy nights.

#tgcf #tian guan ci fu #hob #heaven official's blessing #mxtx #mo xiang tong xiu #天官赐福 #tgcf revised version #The Tawny Vault

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ceaselesswatchersspecialboy · 12 days ago

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Okay here we go

Does Stanfraud's eye still bleeds, like when Bill was possessing Ford or doesn't because of his bigger connection to Ford's body?

Is Stanfraud an uncle/big brother figure to Soos, like Stanley is his dad figure? Does Bill even care about him even a little😢

I know that the main focus of this au is on Bill, but since Stanley didn't try to pretend to be Ford, how did Stanley's and Filbrick's first meeting went after the whole "getting kicked out" thing"? Especially since both Stan and Ford were definitely broke at the time

You mentioned that Bill still has access to a little portion of his powers, what are they exactly?

Anyway your au is genuinely awesome and seeing it on my dash is always a huge treat 💛💛💛

Okay the first question I really want to answer because I’ve been thinking about this:

— His eye definitely bleeds on occasion. Even though he is far more connected to Ford’s body here, he’s still a demon possessing a host. He shouldn’t be there. There’s some outer force keeping him trapped. So I have thought about the fact there would probably be some lasting impacts on the body due to possession exposure for so long, such as the eye bleeding becoming a regular problem and gradual loss of vision in that eye. There may also be other physical impacts, but I’ll work on those when I manage to get down an official design for him.

— Great News! He is like Soos’ weird uncle! That may be where he learned to be somewhat decent around kids, honestly. He absolutely tried to mess with him at first, make jabs, tell him the date of his death, attempt to drive him to madness just a little (this is why Stan had to get rid of the last handyman), but Soos proved to be incorruptible and took all of Stanfraud’s weirdness in stride. Bill does end up caring about him. He goes as far as to liking their conversations. Soos keeps up with his chaos! Even Bill isn’t sure what’s going on in that head of his (when he gets his own body back he’s going to find out).

— Though Bill is the main focus of the plot-change, the other aspects are equally as important and so I’m glad they also have people’s interest! Their first meeting is… tense, to say the least. If Filbrick has any regrets, which I think I’ll leave up to interpretation, he’s far too stubborn a man to show them, and would rather dig himself further into a hole than admit he made a mistake. Stan desperately just wants to ignore all the scathing comments and get this little reunion over with, until Filbrick makes a comment about Ford, then Stan snaps. You can insult him, he probably deserves it, but not his brother. Sure, they may not be his brother right now, but the intent is there, and that’s what counts.

It cuts everything short, with Stan grabbing Fraud and telling him they’re leaving (He doesn’t complain).

With Filbrick, I do kind of want to explore their dynamic over the years while he’s still alive, especially with Stan, but also with how he’d treat ‘Ford’ and his odder behaviour. I don’t want to just make Filbrick a one-dimensional character though, as I think there’s a lot to be said about the cycle of abuse and parental projection so. While the AU may be based around the question ‘what if Bill got stuck possessing Ford?’ The answers it has lead me down a lot of different paths to explore — such as this!

— The powers he has access too lessen over time, but currently he is somewhat capable of seeing potential future outcomes (ciphervoyance), pyrokinesis, telekinesis, faster healing factor and teleportation. Note that all of these are in a much weaker state and drain Ford’s body and by extension Bill heavily — especially teleportation. Doing that once can cause him to pass out, so it’s more of an emergency thing, most his abilities are honestly. Too much focus is required.

And I’m so happy to be a little treat on your dash!! I hope you enjoy all this just as much!

#gravity falls #gravity falls au #not who he seems au #stanley pines #bill cipher

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cirilla-fiona-riannon · 7 months ago

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Act 4 Prologue (Matias Asbrink)

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors and inaccuracies.

At the same time, in Acroite.

Large snowflakes fluttered down like flower petals, painting the traditional stone-built streets white.

The main street, illuminated by street lamps, was bustling with crowds of people. However, there were no troublemakers here, no drunken shouts or fights like in other countries.

In this country, governed by the strictest laws on the continent, those who disturb the peace are quickly apprehended and held accountable for their crimes.

Yet amidst the orderly and well-maintained streets, there was a corner where women gathered unnaturally.

Woman 1: “Please join me at the lovely party I’m having tonight.”

Woman 2: “That’s not fair. Please also come to my party.”

Woman 3: “Where are you off to at this hour? If you’re interested, would you like to join me for dinner?”

Matias: “I have work to attend to. Please excuse me.”

Slipping smoothly out of the midst of the women, with his golden hair gathering the twilight’s glow and snow-shadowed eyes tinged with melancholy, was Matias, the guardian of Acroite’s law.

Though his appearance and demeanor were stern, there was an alluring aura about him that made the women gaze at him dreamily.

Matias: “Haah.”

With a sigh, he casually brushed back his smooth blond hair, eliciting another round of cheers from the women behind him.

A colleague, a judge, then playfully tapped his back as he swiftly walked away to escape their intense stares.

Lars: “Quite the charmer, as always, huh? Matias.”

Pushing up his round glasses, the man smiled teasingly at Matias, and his expression changed to a more relaxed one.

Matias: “Lars, if you saw that, you could’ve helped me.”

Matias: “You know I struggle with women.”

Lars: "I know, but having too many admirers is honestly a problem I envy. I wish I could trade places with you."

Matias: "You wish you could trade places with me? Did you see those women? They had the eyes of warriors determined to annihilate their enemies."

Lars: "I think they were all beauties, though."

Matias: "Whether they're beautiful or not doesn't matter. The only woman I need is my soulmate."

Matias: "She doesn't need to dote on me or stare at me like those women. All she needs to do is wish me luck, fix my tie, give me a kiss, and wave goodbye before I head to work."

Lars: "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I've heard about your embarrassing fantasies more than a hundred times, Matias."

Lars: "Are you alright, though?"

Matias: "I've been saying it since earlier, but I'm not okay. You have to back me up next time."

Lars: "I meant about the trial. The defendant this time is your friend, right?"

Matias: "Ah, yeah. We were roommates for a while back in the Royal Academy. We enlisted together and served in the same unit."

Lars: "You were close then."

Matias: "He was a good guy. Cheerful, smart, and quick-witted. He was good with women too, effortlessly handling situations like earlier."

Lars: "I see. Matias, about that..."

Matias' snow-shadow-colored eyes gaze straight at his colleague, looking somewhat uneasy.

Matias: "It's fine."

Matias: "I'm a man of the Asbrink family."

The Royal Court, which determines the nation’s justice, was filled with a solemn atmosphere tonight.

The defendant and his defense attorney, the government officials prosecuting his crimes, and numerous citizens in the gallery all watched with bated breath as the five judges, especially the guardian of the law, sat atop the judicial platform.

Matias: “I’ll now deliver the verdict on the suspicion of unauthorized leakage of classified Acroite military information.”

Matias: “Defendant, step forward.”

The defendant stepped onto the witness stand.

Though looking severely worn out, his eyes, fixed on the guardian of the law, held a faint glimmer of hope.

It was well known among some circles that the defendant had a friendship with the guardian.

As everyone sought to interpret the meaning behind the intersecting gazes, the sound of the gavel resounded.

Matias: “Death penalty.”

After delivering the merciless verdict, the courtroom fell into a brief silence before erupting into chaos.

Defendant: “Matias, are you really going to kill me!? Me, who ate, slept, and fought alongside you? We're friends, aren't we!?”

Defendant: “You can’t do this!”

While the defendant cried out in despair, Matias appeared entirely unaffected.

Matias: “That does not excuse your crime.”

Defendant: “Isn’t a death sentence too heavy for a single mistake?”

Matias: "The law is justice. If you are a citizen of Acroite, obedience is absolute."

Matias: "All you can do is comply with the verdict that has been passed down."

With a detached voice, Matias continued to gaze directly at the collapsing defendant, seemingly in despair.

Matias: "The execution will be carried out in five days, at noon."

Defendant: "M-Matias..."

As the defendant was taken away, Matias watched them with his snow-shadow-colored eyes.

To dispel the murmurs, he struck the gavel twice.

Matias: "This concludes the session."

As the people left the courtroom in silence, he stood alone.

It was unusual for him to stay in the courtroom after it had adjourned, without a clear reason.

Walking to the spot where the defendant had collapsed during the trial, he gently touched the witness stand with his fingers.

Though his snow-shadowed eyes flickered slightly, he murmured with the same emotionless voice as during the trial.

Matias: "I did the right thing."

Matias: "I'm Matias, the next king of Acroite, a proud man of the esteemed Asbrink family."

Matias: "Until all evil is condemned, I cannot afford to stop."

☆ Ikepri Masterlist

#ikemen prince #ikepri #ikepri spoilers #ikepri jp #ikepri translations #cybird #matias asbrink #ikepri matias

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dollyyss · 1 year ago

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The idea of the main four + butters and how they comfort you when you’re sad and distant?

Idk I be in my feels lately 😭🙏 BUT UR WRITING IS SO GOOD PLEASE

I’m actually getting some requests and I’m so fucking thrilled you have no idea, but I’m trying to push this one out as soon as possible to try and cheer you up!!

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

The main four + butters comforting reader who’s been sad and distant.

Established Reltionship ₊ ⊹

All characters are aged up! Highschool AU! ‧₊˚✩彡

Kyle, Stan, Kenny, Cartman and Butters 𐙚

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: mentions of being sick in Stan’s part,

Kyle 🐇𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒🪐

- He’s the problem solver, the “tell me what it is I’ll fix it” rather then the one to comfort right away. Kyle isn’t so great with emotions, right away at least.

-He’s probably confused at first. He try’s to give you your space as that’s what you seem you need since you’re being so distant from him. But even when he is giving you your space, any class you two have together he’s glancing at you from time to time to make sure you’re okay. He’ll take down extra notes for you if he notices that you’re just not participating.

-He’s worried for you, when school is over and you won’t even let him drive you home like he usually does? That’s when he speaks to you.

-He finds you in the crowd of high school students getting ready to go home, on your phone putting your earbuds in to walk home until a large hand grips your shoulder “baby what are you doing?!” You look back at Kyle in slight shock not exactly knowing who was touching you at first. “Home?” It was the first time you spoke to him today and though he was worried about you he was at least happy you finally spoke. “Well I waited by your locker.. and when you didn’t show up I figured you’d be at my car, let me take you home please” he grabs your gloved hand and leads you to the car and once you arrive you take your hand out of his. This causes him to close his eyes tight and turn to look at you “look. Y/N I have no idea what is going on with you today okay and I’d love to help you but you can’t push yourself away from me. I understand if you don’t want to tell me but please don’t ignore me. When you’re ready to tell me we can fix the issue.” You look up at him with slight teary eyes and he’s a bit taken back “can you just hold me..?” Your voice is what breaks him. “I’ve just been really tired.. I’ve been stressed I just.. was having an off day..” Oh. He feels bad now for looking at the more logical side and wanting to fix it when all you really needed was for him to just be there. He slowly leans his back against the passenger door and pulls you in by your arm, his hands gripping onto you tight and pressing his chin to your head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you just needed me..” you snuggle into his open jacket, his warmth engulfing you as his thumbs rub at your back. “I love you, yknow that? But don’t ignore me next time please.”

Stan .° ༘🎧⋆🖇₊˚ෆ

- I think Stan gets a bit distant himself when you get like this. He doesn’t understand why you’re closing him out and not speaking to him so like Kyle he kind of lets you be. But I think it’s more due to his own insecurities. Wendy was like this before they broke up officially. So seeing you get cold on him.. he wants to throw up but not out of butterfly nerves no out of actual fear that you’re just breaking up with him. Buts it’s not the case, you’ve just had a really shit day and honestly all you wanted was Stan.

- once he’s done throwing up out of actual fucking fear he’s shaking to find you because it hits him that.. you’re just upset. And he shouldn’t be freaking out like this.

- “Jesus Christ Stan.” Kyle wraps Stan back up in his jacket as he stands back up, wiping his bottom lip and flushing the toilet rid of his vomit. “Just talk to them, I’m sure they’re just upset, maybe all they need is a hug, I don’t know maybe some time with their boyfriend” Kyle notes as he grabs Stans hat off the floor and swallowing slightly disgusted at how damp it was from Stan sweating so much from getting sick. “Maybe dude I don’t know they’re not usually like this when they get upset they’ve never been so cold to me like this.” There was silence as they walked out of the boys bathroom “there’s no harm in trying.” The ginger stated as he handed back Stan’s hat and walked off to get ready for his next class. When Stan found you, you were closing up your locker and running your hands through your hair. It was clear you were tired, your eyes had almost been weighed down, your hair was slightly messy, your coat seemed baggier, you just looked. Sad. Stan approached you softly taking you into his arms ��Stan, there are like.. a shit ton of people around us right now.” He only sighed and placed his head in the crook of your neck “just, stand here for a minute please. I know you’re upset and I’m sorry I hadn’t realized sooner” he swayed you side to side for a moment, taking in his cigarettes and cologne before looking up at him. “Thank you..” he hummed gently before placing a kiss to your forehead, pushing back your hair “come to my place after school? We can watch a movie, anything you want. “Sure Marsh..” you paused for a moment “did you.. get sick.?” You looked up at him with curious eyes before he placed a hand on your face and pushed you softly “shut up.”

Kenny ₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉

-there is no being distant with Kenny. He knows when you’re upset and he acts on it so fucking fast. The minute he sees your eyes have changed in demeanour he’s there in a heart beat.

-He’ll never pry you with questions, he’ll never make you talk about It if you aren’t comfortable in the moment. He lets you take your time and he’s there for you to use to feel better. He’s always aware when something is off with you, he knows when something is too much for you, or you just need a moment. Kenny may be a little ass hat but he’s very aware and caring when it comes to you.

-“ Clyde you’re actually such a fucking dumbass” Kenny spoke up. His arm had been around your shoulders, both sitting in the cafeteria while Kenny spoke to his friends. The toothpick between his lips twirled between as him and Clyde went back and forth ripping on each other, for no reason at all. “You really think Bebe still likes you? News flash pretty boy she doesn’t, should have seen her at the party last night trying to get with every fucking jock she laid her eyes on” Clyde and him both laughed as Clyde punched his arm in a playful manner. As the rest of the boys chimed in Kenny softly looked at you. “Hey you, you’ve been quiet you okay?” His hand softly rubs at your shoulder, taking his toothpick out of his mouth and placing it on the food tray. You slowly nod your head before looking down at your hands; fidgeting with them. “No you’re not.. is everything too much for you right now? Too loud?” You look at him a bit teary eyed and he had his answer. He got up with you grabbing your hand and grabbing your book bag to walk with you through the back of the cafeteria doors that lead to some stairs behind the school. Once he got to the steps he set your book bag down, sat you on his lap and took his parka off to place over your body. “Kenny you’re gonna catch a cold.” You stated sniffling as he shook his head “don’t worry about me pretty baby, you’re what’s important right now” you rest your head on his shoulder, your arms coming to wrap around his neck and you cuddle into him. He lets you sit in silence with him, closing your eyes and relaxing into him.

Cartman 🎧✮🧺✧˖°

-Mm. Rather then the hugger he’s the stupid fuck that does stupid shit to make you smile. He’ll kinda go to outrageous lengths to get your attention, because he’s an attention whore for you so shut up.

-he honestly doesn’t like when you’re upset because he says it kills his mood but he also just wants you to be happy with him. So what’s better then to ruin someone’s else’s day just to make you feel better. He may or may not also buy you some food and a stuffed animal to cheer you up.. because him dicking around gets him a scolding from you.

-“.. what? What do you want me to say? I’m not saying sorry. That Jew totally deserved it.” You cocked a brow at him, arms crossed and foot slightly tapping on the ground as you looked up at him. Cartman swallowed. “Babe.. babe listen to me okay? I’ve always hated that ginger devil spawn anyway okay it was coming to him sooner or later” he said in a soft tone to cheer you up in which you only rolled your eyes at him. He sighed and looked down “I’m sorry.. here..” he grabbed the large bear and McDonald’s from the porch and placed them in your hands. “Now do you forgive me..? Will you be you again, you’re kinda killing my vibe here” “cartman you stupid fucking idiot.” A laugh escapes your lips when you take the food and bear and place them on your stairs. You pull him into a hug and kiss his cheek “I’m not an idiot..” he mumbles but smiles ever so slightly into the hug knowing that he was able to make you happy even if it wasn’t him doing some stupid shit to Kyle. At least he managed.

Butters ˚☆🐈*๑

-…He’s crying. I mean it. He’s balling his eyes out. He doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know what to do when you won’t talk to him and you distance yourself from him. The boy is about 10 seconds from having a god damn panic attack.

-he’s gentle with you, he’ll pull out some colouring pages for you to do because he knows how much they calm him down and put him in a better state of mind so he lets you colour some. He’ll even print out any specific ones you like. And he’s there. At your hip. Not leaving your side until you have a smile on your face.

-he becomes really touchy, when you tell him you just aren’t having a good day he understands and he pulls you in close to him, his head resting in yours while he listens to your rant about anything that’s bothering you.

- “darlin.. your quiet, very quiet” his hands interlock together before pulling apart and his fingers then pick at his other fingers. “Well I don’t quite like you like this..” he mumbles to himself before he’s biting his lip. You look up at him with a gentle look, teary but gentle and he could fall apart right there. He almost starts crying with you “oh dear! Oh gosh heaven above!” He’s rushing towards you instantly his hands quickly finding anything warm to wrap you in and pull you to his chest “you wanna colour! It’ll help you stop thinkin’!” He brings up the option and if you say yes he’s practically flying towards his colouring sheets, many having intricate designs and patterns and some being simple. “Pick which ever one you’d like” he grabs some art supply’s and displays it all on his bedroom floor for you. “Butters..” he cocked a brow looking up at the sound of his name “hm?” You look at him gently and place a kiss to his chin “I’m sorry if I was being distant, just not having a good day is all..” you lean against him. “Well that’s alright! We all have those days, you can’t have good ones without em, you just scared me a little that’s all.. heh” he pushes some hair out of your face and squishes his cheek against yours. “You uh, you wanna talk about it?” With a quick nod he immediately is sitting criss cross beside you, his arms around you as you colour and rant to him about how you felt. His lips press to the back of your shoulder and he watches you contently listening to every single word that poured out of your lips. His hands rub your sides and he’s staring as lovingly as possible at you.

#eric cartman x reader #eric cartman x y/n #eric cartman x you #kenny mcormick x reader #kyle broflovski x reader #kyle broflovski x y/n #south park x reader #south park x y/n #south park x you #stan marsh x reader #butters x reader #sp butters #south park hcs #south park headcanons

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sunflowersteves · 1 year ago

Text

just to see you smile || m.o.

pairing || Miguel O'Hara x f!reader

summary || as Spider-Man, Miguel was forced to be prepared for many situations, like multi-universal travel, but losing you and Gabriella wasn't one of them.

author's note || do i only know how to make angst for this man bc damn

warnings || grief, main character death (reader), heavy angst, some fluff, potential spoilers, gabriella isn't the reader's child, miguel is anti-therapist, non-canon (sorry miguel ik)

masterlist

“I thought I might find you here,” Peter says. Mayday makes grabby hands at Miguel beside her, little chubby fingers grabbing onto his soft sweater. Peter looked down, taking note of the fresh, bright marigold flowers and the sweet, sugary bread that sat on top of the gravestone.

Miguel’s eyes closed—breathing in and out of his nose as if to control the space around him. It was getting harder and harder, though, as time passed on.

It had officially been three years. One-thousand nine-hundred and five days.

Miguel didn’t say a single word. He just stared at the gravestone in front of him, hoping that Peter would leave. If Mayday wasn’t here, he definitely would have left by force, if needed.

“C’mon, I’ve told you before.” Mayday giggled and babbled at her father’s words. “You need to talk to someone about this stuff.”

He paused, gauging Miguel’s softened expression on the engraved stone. “You already know the damage you’ve done—t-to Miles.”

This time, Miguel just scoffed. He turned to Peter, and his eyebrows furrowed at the sight of his friend. Miguel had large bags under his eyes and a familiar pain that was etched across his face—one that Peter knew too well. “Yes, I’m sure Ezekial Sims from Earth-616 will solve all of my problems and grant all of my wishes.”

Peter just sighed and subtly rolled his eyes. They stood in silence, with the occasional babble from Mayday. Peter, though, just continued to stare at the man in front of him.

He was broken—pieces of him scattered across the memories of you and his daughter. It was all he seemed to think about in the shining sunlight or the dark, drastic moonlight.

“All I need is them, Pete.”

Peter nodded in understanding. He knew. He understood that kind of deep-set pain never went away, but Peter also knew that everything eventually got better. No, it wasn’t time. Time doesn’t heal all wounds, as the saying goes.

Miles helped Peter. Miles dug Peter out from the sinking hole that he had been placed in by life and the atrocities that continued around him. It wasn’t time. It wasn’t sulking. It wasn’t crying in the shower.

It was Miles. The goofy, talented, and crazy smart kid made Peter realize he needed to take that leap of faith. He got therapy, cleaned himself up, and he got better. Honestly, for Miguel, Peter wasn’t sure the last time he saw the brooding man laugh—let alone smile at anyone or anything.

What Peter didn’t know was that Miguel smiled quite often.

He smiled when he looked at the glass-shattered photo of you in his bedroom. He smiled at the video of you and his daughter making a mess in the kitchen. He smiled as he daydreams about what you would do if you saw him now with every single Spider-person in all of the universes. He smiled at the video he took of you on the beach with the sand scratching against your leg and wind blowing against your dress.

So in his defense, he smiles all the time.

“C’mon, Miguel, stop!” You laughed. It was loud and boisterous against his ears, and he wanted to cherish the sound for all of eternity.

He held onto you even tighter, the waves crashing up against his knees. His smile is bright—just as bright as yours. “I made a promise, pumpkin. If you don’t shout the words, I’ll drop you.”

You squealed in anticipation, and your hands only seemed to latch onto his shoulders even more. “date prisa ahora.” He whispers against your ear. You only seemed to grip onto him tighter, but your smile seemed even wider.

“Okay, okay!” You breathe, shoving your head into his neck. “Humph. Humph.”

Miguel grinned. If you saw him now, you would see a certain teasing gleam in his eyes. “What was that? I can’t hear you, pumpkin.”

You screeched again in his arms as he faked a slip of your form. He was still grinning ear to ear, and he couldn’t get enough of the laughter that bubbled up around your protests to him.

Something deep and connected possessed his entire chest. He could feel that ounce of love that blossomed beneath his heart and prodded against his stomach.

“I love you!” You shouted. Some of the fellow vacationers along the beach had turned their heads at the booming sound. Miguel laughed—the sound rumbling against his chest, and it made you bounce in his arms.

“Was that so hard?” His arms tightened around the underside of your neck and the other holding up your legs. He slowly, yet surely, backed up from the roaring ocean and cascading waves.

“Extremely, and I’ll never say it again,” You teased.

Miguel gasped in defense, placing a hand on his chest. Without the support, you shrieked and grabbed onto his shoulder. “Miguel!”

He shook his head, his smile only widening as he just couldn’t help it. “And just when I thought I was gonna say it right back, pumpkin.”

Miguel opened his eyes. Peter was still there with his daughter, which prompted a gut-punching sigh to release from his lips. He shook his head, desperately wanting the memory to no longer sear against his brain. He wanted it to be real.

“Just know you’re not alone, man.”

He nods. The pain of your passing. The ache of Gabriella’s passing. It was all becoming too much. He didn’t think it would hurt anybody, let alone the two of you.

But he did. He really, really did.

With that, Peter takes his leave. May had most likely needed a nap by now and was going to take her home to Mary Jane. He looked back one last time, and he swore he almost missed it.

A single tear slid down Miguel’s face as his eyes stayed locked onto the two headstones. It was as if his eyes couldn’t leave—like you and Gabi would be gone if he did.

Ultimately, he knows he’s not alone. He’s never alone—not as long as yours and Gabriella’s memories are still etched into his brain.

He’s never alone.

Miguel rubs his eyes, the sleep that hovered around them still prominent. He looked over to the bedside table to read the clock. 4:45 am.

He heard a crash of pots and pans in the kitchen. A smile rose onto his face at the sound of laughter in the kitchen. He quietly puts on some pants that were discarded on the floor.

He then shuffles over to the door of the bedroom, and his feet pad against the wooded hallway. He hears another crash and then a gasp. His ears perch at the sound, and his shoulders tense—his mind thinking the worst. Then, his large frame sags in relief as he hears another fit of laughter and giggles.

He finally makes his way into the kitchen, and it was a sight to be seen. Miguel leans on the doorframe while he watches you and his daughter. You two are covered in flour and sugar—from head to toe.

“Gabi!” You laughed, wiping some of the sticky dough from your cheek. She had just smeared some across your face in an attempt to get you back for getting chocolate on her arm.

“I got you!” She yells in glee. You laugh again at her antics and lean down to press a kiss to her forehead. “Yeah, kid. You definitely got me that time.”

Her eyes shine brightly up at you, and then they see the tall form in the corner of the kitchen. ��Papa!”

She runs over to him and crashes him into a hug. You turn around and smile at a very sleepy Miguel. You were tired too, but you also didn’t have a spider verse to run.

“Gabi had insomnia again.” He nods in response. God, he was really tired. It was starting to become unbearable as his eyes slid close again. “Want to try a cookie?”

He decided right then and there. Fuck sleep. How the fuck could he say no to that?

Miguel blinked. He blinked once more. Before he knew it, tears cascaded down his face at the sweet memory of his family.

He didn’t make a sound. He didn’t sob. He didn’t cry out. He just stood there and let the tears drip onto the grass.

Miguel, you’re never alone. He reminds himself.

He is never alone.

#miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara x you #miguel o'hara x y/n #miguel o'hara angst #miguel o'hara fluff #marvel #marvel fanfiction #spiderman across the spiderverse #acros the spiderverse fanfiction #spiderman #spiderman fanfiction #spiderman 2099 x reader #spiderman 2099 x you

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nicoline1998enilocin · 1 year ago

Text

Protecting my best friend

PAIRING | Steve Rogers x Avenger!Female!Reader

WORD COUNT | 1K

SUMMARY | All of the Avengers are going to a bar, and Steve is keeping a close eye on the man who is trying to get your attention. He is trying his hardest to keep his cool, but he won't hesitate to intervene when things go too far, and you're getting uncomfortable.

WARNING(S) | This is your official trigger warning. Do not proceed if any of these topics upset you. Protective Steve, a SHIELD agent making sexist jokes about women, non-consensual touching (not sexual, just physical), and broken bones.

A/N | I would absolutely love to write more for Steve, so if you have a request, please let me know! It can be fluff, smut or angst - or a combination! Thank you in advance! 🖤

Likes, comments and reblogs will be very much appreciated 💜

Main Masterlist | Steve Rogers Masterlist

''Dude, you really need to calm down, everything is okay!'' Sam says as he looks at the scowl on Steve's face. He's been watching you and the man you're talking to like a hawk because he doesn't want anything to happen to you. ''I don't know, she seems uncomfortable,'' he says as he's looking at the SHIELD agent you're talking to. You're completely fine, but Steve has always been very protective of you since you joined the team. While you're talking to the agent you keep looking over to Steve, and you have noticed he keeps staring at you, so you excuse yourself for a moment to talk to him.

''Steve, you honestly have a bigger staring problem than Barnes,'' you say with a sigh as you're standing in front of him. Everyone at the table chuckles at your remark, and you're getting a soft ''Hey!'' from Bucky, but he laughs too. ''I'm absolutely fine, so can you please just let me finish my conversation with Connor before you start burning holes into the back of my head?'' you ask him and he nods, grabbing his drink and turning back on the stool he's sitting on so he's facing the other Avengers again.

You walk back to the agent you were having a conversation with. ''I'm so sorry for that, Connor, Captain Rogers was just worried,'' you say with a small smile, and he nods. ''It's okay, but I would be worried too if I were him. I wouldn't let such a gorgeous lady like yourself talk to other men,'' he shrugs and now you are getting a little uncomfortable even though he called you gorgeous. The two of you carried on your conversation, but he kept making more sexist remarks like that and now you honestly wish Steve was looking your way. ''Sorry, I have to go to the bathroom,'' you say and you're starting to walk away, but he doesn't let you as he grabs your arm.

You let out a small whine at the feeling of him squeezing your arm like that, and due to Steve and his super soldier hearing, he can hear you perfectly fine. His head snaps to the side in an instant and when he sees what is happening, he pulls Bucky off of the stool next to him and he immediately follows Steve. ''Are you okay, Pumpkin?'' he asks and you shake your head, because Connor is still holding your arm pretty tightly, making tears stream down your face. Steve grabs Connor's arm and in an instant, he lets go of your arm, Bucky pulls you away from him and out of the way so he can take care of you.

''How bad does it hurt, doll?'' Bucky says as he inspects the place on your upper arm where Connor squeezed you. ''It mostly burns, but that's it. But I was really scared, he was okay one minute but when I came back he made all these sexist remarks about me and women in general and when I excused myself to go to the bathroom he didn't let me,'' You explain, the tears streaming down your face more steadily now. ''Oh doll, I'm so sorry about what happened,'' he says as he pulls you into his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around you as he shields you with his body from what is happening behind the two of you.

Steve dragged Connor outside by his collar and pushed him into an alley, so they wouldn't be seen. You ran after the both of them at first but Bucky was quick enough to stand in front of you since you didn't want to go back inside. ''I just can't believe he's doing this, he has no right to be jealous. I get that he was making sexist remarks and everything, but Steve is going too far now,'' you say, softly sobbing into Bucky's chest. ''Doll, I promise you he's not doing it because he's jealous, he's just extremely protective over you. I get that it looks like he's jealous, but he isn't,'' Bucky says, placing a soft kiss on the top of your head.

You're well aware that Steve has always been protective - and sometimes even possessive - over you, but you didn't mind until tonight. You could hear grunts and the sounds of broken bones coming from behind the thick wall of muscle your cheek was pressed up against, and it only made you sob harder into Bucky's chest, you never meant for any of this to happen. Not long after you can hear Connor groan so you know he's still alive, and Bucky's body quickly gets replaced with Steve's as he pulls you into his arms this time. ''I'm so sorry you had to hear all of that Pumpkin,'' he says against your hair, but all you can do is cry into his chest.

''C'mon, let's go back to the Compound so you can calm down a little, okay?'' Steve says and you nod. The Compound isn't far from the bar where you were so he just picked you up and carried you there, and Bucky informed everyone inside the two of you went back. ''Can I sleep in your bed tonight? Don't want to be alone,'' you ask and Steve nods. ''Of course, Pumpkin,'' he says, and when the two of you reach his bedroom, he sets you down on the bed and he hands you one of his old t-shirts to sleep in. He goes to the bathroom to change in there so you could have some privacy as you changed into the shirt Steve gave you, which was way too big but it smells like him so it's okay.

''Can I come back in?'' Steve asks and you say that he can. You already went and laid down under the covers, and not long after Steve slipped in beside you. You move over to him and your head finds his place on his chest, your leg put over his. His arms are around you and pulling you closer before he puts a soft kiss on your forehead. ''Thank you for protecting me, it means a lot,'' you say and Steve just smiles. ''Everything for my Pumpkin,'' he says, and your eyes fall shut as sleep is taking over quickly when you're wrapped in his warm body acting like your personal heater. You have a nice dreamless sleep and feel well-rested in the morning, and you're even more thankful for Steve saving you now.

#steve rogers #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x female reader #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers angst #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers oneshot #captain america #captain america x y/n #captain america x reader #captain america x female reader #captain america fluff #captain america angst #captain america fanfiction #captain america oneshot

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violetmuses · 1 month ago

Text

Tandem - Multifandom Crossover ❤️‍🩹

Title: Tandem - Multifandom Crossover ❤️‍🩹

Fandoms: “Rebel Ridge” + “Bad Boys”

Characters: Terry Richmond + Armando Aretas

Love Interest: Female Reader

Main Storyline: When Terry Richmond arrives in Miami, who knows what could happen next?

Tandem Masterlist

@peaxhygirl @superstar-t20 @adoresmiles @klssngss @deja-r @hyper-trash-panda @amethyst-loves-bucky @planetblaque @sweettea-and-honeybutter @lovedlover @xjjawsomex @readingisahobby @kindofaintrovert @nelo0wesker @gg-trini @cloveroctobers @maliagurl @nobodygetsza @twinklestarslight @yassbishimvintage @sweetiepie4190 @persethegawd @mangoes03 🏷

=====

2024

Relocating to Miami, veteran Terry Richmond wanted to start life all over again after escaping the rural and dangerous town of Shelby Springs.

Upon entry, the new apartment offered more than enough space. Justice grounded some peace, but even with his cousin avenged, time still burned.

After taking this much-needed shower to clear emotions, Richmond dumped the weathered backpack and organized his very few items.

Learning the brand-new area, Terry signaled that elevator and chimed down. Modern decor prolonged this lobby as sunlight illuminated.

Just before Richmond headed outside, one different man entered the building.

Detective Mike Lowrey of the Miami Police Department would introduce himself to staff members.

“Someone will move here, but we'll handle everything.” Lowrey took charge.

Red and blue overcasts crossed that Florida skyline. Even sirens wailed.

What the hell? Terry thought.

Just when Richmond planned to ask questions, the entrance opened.

Officials escorted this handcuffed man right into the complex and Richmond's nerves heightened with each passing moment.

“Yo, what's going on? You good, man?” Terry almost gritted his teeth.

This guy named Armando Aretas wouldn't respond at first.

Wearing this Bud Light shirt, Aretas chose one trucker hat that veiled his brown eyes. Jeans covered both legs and boots stepped along.

“It's fine, we got it.” Lowrey noticed Richmond's concern and tried to settle this problem down.

“What in the world?” Several people offered questions as well.

Yet when police unfastened Armando's handcuffs, voices shared relief in all directions.

“Come with us.” Lowrey gestured to Richmond and led Aretas near the elevator.

“Yes, Sir.” No matter what, Terry offered respect as all three individuals moved upstairs.

________

“It's a long story, but Armando is my son.” Lowrey stood in the hall with Richmond once Aretas settled his own apartment.

“Why bring out that police motorcade?” Terry squinted.

“Like I said, it's a long story. Just know that he works for the department now.” Lowrey explained.

“Aight.” Terry cleared his throat. “If he's not in trouble, I'll feel better honestly. Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Detective Lowrey excused himself from Richmond and returned to Armando's space.

Time would explain what happens now.

*****

Armando woke up as sunlight greeted the bedroom windows. Gaining this furnished apartment, he organized essentials yesterday.

Packing his new laptop bag, Aretas left to “explore.”

Reaching the hallway, Armando pinged this elevator and noticed that someone joined.

“Terry.” Richmond ended up clipping his name first.

“Armando.” Aretas wouldn't make eye contact, but followed Terry's lead with introductions.

“You good?” Terry repeated his genuine question from yesterday.

“Yeah. Thanks.” Armando accepted Terry's kindness.

Heading outside, both men walked in silence as vibrant lanes of South Beach lined up.

Cheerful voices beamed and upbeat music played out loud from vehicles while Terry acknowledged surroundings.

“Found a coffee shop.” Richmond pointed near one storefront and welcomed Armando past its threshold.

“Good catch.” Aretas moved.

_____

“Morning. Could I have some black coffee and a muffin, please?” This muscular man stepped toward the counter and greeted you. His bright eyes nearly prompted your heart to rattle.

“Got it. Anything else?” You grinned while counting his order.

“No, Ma'am.” Terry almost smiled not long after paying up.

“Can I have a name for the order?” You set out markers.

“Terry.” Richmond quickly stated his own first name

“Thank you. Just wait for a second.” You prepared everything.

Stepping out of the line, Terry gave room for different customers, but noticed Armando using his laptop from this window seat.

“You want something?” Terry leaned inward this time around.

“I'll get up in a second. Appreciate it.” Aretas noticed Richmond's words again.

“Terry?” As expected, you called Richmond's name.

“Be right back.” Terry reached the main counter again.

“Here you go.” You handed out his order and smiled once more.

“Thank you.” Terry almost grinned before sitting back down.

______

Armando stepped up next and Terry observed everything.

Once you rang more items and called Aretas, Armando gathered his regular coffee and took one scone, not even messing up his device.

“Not bad.” Aretas said. “I'll have to leave soon, but thanks for helping.”

“No problem.” Terry nodded, but looked elsewhere as this Porsche rolled near the curb.

“Gotta go.” Taking coffee, Armando stepped outdoors and joined the passenger seat of Mike Lowrey's classic ride.

______

Staying behind at the coffee shop, Terry observed how you handled customers and clocked out that afternoon, leaving this place just in time for lunch.

“Excuse me?” Richmond stood from that window seat and questioned you.

“Yes?” You welcomed him outside as this bench waited near the storefront.

“I'm new here, so thank you for the coffee.” Terry stepped forward and shook hands.

“Of course.” You smiled.

“Something happened at my apartment complex yesterday. This guy moved in, but officers showed up and…” Richmond trailed off when you cleared your throat.

“Armando Aretas…” You nearly whispered. “The police are quiet for different reasons now, but look up his name whenever you can. Most of that information is public.”

“I will. Thank you.” Terry stood and began to walk away, but you spoke up once more.

“See you tomorrow?” You wanted to know if Terry would come back.

“Yeah, I don't mind. Take care.” Terry nodded and bid farewell, leaving your side.

******

Buying his own laptop, Richmond planned to learn information.

Nothing could've prepared him for upcoming details, though.

What the fuck?!

Realization tunneled this search. Soon enough, Terry's heart raced and dropped all at once.

Aretas launched havoc on several counts and attacked officials from the Miami precinct four years ago.

Richmond even found one vital news report from the large-scale case:

“Famed Miami Detective Mike Lowrey was shot one evening. The video quickly surfaced online and went viral in a matter of hours. Footage first appeared on the darknet and soon spread to mainstream social media platforms. Authorities believed that the shooter uploaded this video himself.”

Damn! Terry slammed his laptop, fed up beyond words.

No matter what, Armando's crimes remained true with permanent ink.

*****

Another morning brightened, yet Terry's mind clouded again.

When Armando's main door opened, Richmond almost flinched while unarmed.

“Hey, hey, Woah! You good, T?” Armando lifted his empty hands.

“The barista warned me and I did some research last night. Y'all left out too much.” Richmond turned frustrated without yelling. “Nobody told me about your case.”

“Dammit!” Aretas paced back and forth, quietly upset. “I can explain what happened, all right?”

“Go ahead.” Terry arched his brow. “I got plenty of time on my hands.”

_______

Sitting with Terry in private, Armando started talking first.

“After leaving the military, I joined the family cartel. My mother planned everything and hoped that I wouldn't spare Lowrey.” Aretas grounded his truth.

“What happened to your mother?” Terry settled the question.

She's dead.“ Armando never hesitated with that phrase.

“Damn, man.” Richmond attempted. “The case is harsh, but I'm sorry.”

“Honestly, there was nothing good about our situation.” Armando declined. “She lied to so many people.”

“You learned the truth now, right?” Richmond attempted.

“Yeah, but you know what? I really don't wanna talk about this anymore.” Mentally exhausted, Aretas stopped debating and glanced toward his new watch.

“Fair enough. You're right, so let's get out of here.” Apologizing, Terry stood from the bench and followed Armando to this new spot.

*****

“Hi, Terry. Good morning.” You've smiled and already learned his order as Richmond faced the register.

“Morning. Thank you for giving the update with Armando. We've talked.” Richmond quietly acknowledged how he checked details last night.

“Of course. We can't risk more issues if people haven't learned that case because Armando just got back.” You nearly whispered the response like code

“You know a lot about this one.” Terry glanced around.

“I used to work as an informant.” Still facing Terry now, you offered black coffee and handed over this muffin again.

Wow. Richmond noted.

_____

“Hey.” Slightly accented English rasped near your direction when Armando stepped forward.

“I'm not a snitch.” There's no joyful greeting this time around. “We've lost too many people and I just want everyone else to be safe.”

“I know.” Aretas completely understood your point.

“Listen, I'm not afraid.” You arched one brow while ringing up his regular coffee with another scone.

“I searched your name, too. Why give up the police department for a coffee shop?” Aretas moved ten steps ahead and had learned all about your skills.

“You.” Your genuinely pleasant voice darkened for the first time. “Once the case guaranteed prison, I quit.”

“Thought you weren't scared?” Armando slyly chuckled and departed the line, waiting for his order.

____

“Armando?” When you called his name, the area nearly silenced and almost everyone held their breath. Even Terry closed one fist to veil his mouth.

“Ooh!” Everyone observed as you traded the items. Within seconds, Armando stepped back and didn't face drama.

When Aretas sat back down, Terry almost smirked.

“Why the face?” Armando clipped.

“She hasn't kicked you out.” Richmond pointed near the register as you kept working.

“Whatever.” Aretas casted both eyes toward that ceiling.

______

Armando exited that local coffee shop as Mike Lowrey's classic Porsche rolled out again. Before long, Richmond sat with privacy this time.

When you began to leave for lunch once more, Terry still noticed your presence.

“Don't worry.” Terry laughed and opened the front door for you. ‘I'm not hard-headed like Armando.”

“Very funny.” You walked toward Florida sunlight and joined the storefront bench as usual. “Any plans today?”

“No, Ma'am. Still figuring out my apartment complex.” Richmond glanced toward you.

“You'll learn.” Now, your gentle voice encouraged him. “Living somewhere new is a process.”

“I understand.” Terry nodded.

“Oh, shit! Sorry, but I gotta go.” Your phone buzzed seconds later.

“No problem. See you.” Saying goodbye, Terry watched you almost jog around the block for some odd reason.

What now? Richmond thought.

*****

Once you entered this restaurant, confetti popped upwards.

“Happy birthday!” Members of the AMMO squad cheered after standing from this large table.

“I thought you needed something! This is my lunch break.” You hugged weapons expert Kelly and tech genius Dorn laughed for a moment.

“We've already cleared the schedule with your manager.” Captain Rita Secada welcomed your spot from that table. “Take this weekend off.”

“Thank you, Rita. Everything looks great!” You smiled toward the platters and would share each meal with friends.

Just before indulging, you realized that Detective Marcus Burnett, Mike Lowrey's longtime partner and best friend, peeked around one corner.

“Where's my niece? Happy birthday, girl!” Marcus shuffled footsteps into the private room.

“Thank you, Marcus!” You opened both arms to hug Burnett and still observed his recovered heart.

Not long ago, Marcus collapsed during Mike Lowrey's wedding.

Lowrey fell in love with Christine, an experienced physical therapist. She also help .ed Mike heal with his shooting recovery that took place years back.

“Doesn't matter if you've left the team. You're still important, Rook.” Marcus shortened one of your nicknames.

“I appreciate it. How's everyone?” You acknowledged Burnett's family.

“Everybody's fine. Megan just gave birth to a baby girl.” Smiling, Marcus counted his second grandchild.

“Aw! Congratulations, Grandpa.” You laughed while messing with Marcus. Even Kelly almost giggled.

“Pop-Pop.” Marcus corrected the title and arched his brow toward you.

“You're still old!” You joked right back and everyone cackled.

_______

“Happy birthday to you!” Servers pushed the cake forward as everyone sang along.

Grateful, you blew out candles and prepared your sweet tooth, sitting beside Kelly and Rita.

“Oh, damn! You cut the cake already?” Detective Mike Lowrey showed up with his wife Christine.

“Might bring this party to the house, Rook. Now we're crammed in here!” Marcus chuckled.

“Stop it, Marcus! Let's get some cake and go from there.” Mike jokes with his best friend.

Even you hugged Christine, sharing dessert with everyone as sunset arrived.

There was no better feeling here.

******

Armando returned to this apartment and showered after trading used car keys from Mike at the precinct.

Lowrey had just picked up his wife Christine to celebrate your birthday elsewhere.

“Going back home with everybody if you wanna visit.” Mike called. “We can't stay at this restaurant all night.”

“I don't think she likes me.” Aretas knew better than to interrupt your surprise.

“Even you and I need to work on things, but I'm trying all right?” Lowrey still attempted. “Come over. It'd be good.”

“I know. See you later.” Armando hung up, prepared to deal with the occasion.

****

“Don't argue tonight.” Marcus warned both you and Armando.

“Hey, be careful. Now you're instigating.” Lowrey cautioned Burnett.

“Hold up, I brought wine.” Settling down Mike and Marcus, Aretas carefully held two bottles.

“Thank you.” Mike welcomed Armando inside and you found Christine again, heading to the backyard.

______

“Still mad at me?” Armando offered the question while sharing cake with you.

“No.” You shook your head. “Only cautious.”

“That's fair.” Aretas nodded in return as music played.

“In all seriousness, how are you doing?” You wanted to help Armando regardless.

“Better. Things are pretty quiet.” Aretas offered his vague response.

“Started messing with Terry yet?” You laughed about one regular from the coffee shop. Terry Richmond even became Armando's neighbor.

“No, but can I ask you something?” Aretas leaned back in his chair.

“Yeah?” You silently waited for Armando's next move.

“You want him?” Armando clipped the unexpected idea.

“What are you talking about?” You squinted. “We just met.”

“Y'all smile almost every day now.” Aretas pulled his observations with Terry. Even coffee transactions looked more joyful.

“It's none of your business, but you sound jealous.” You nearly laughed.

“C'mere.” Throwing out trash for both of you, Armando started flirting.

“Yes?” You stand from the table and trailed Aretas, intrigued.

“Stop ignoring me.” His slightly accented English nearly whispered to reveal this truth. “It actually hurts my feelings.”

“Did I hurt your feelings or bruise that ego?” You corrected his phrase this time. “Get it together, okay? You're not the big bad wolf anymore.”

Taking your words, Armando became outright silent as you walked away and started dancing with everyone else that night.

*****

The next morning, you wake up after somehow choosing this living room floor.

In some corner, this air mattress waited nearby and even one of Armando's wine bottles looked empty.

What happened last night? Your now pounding mind buzzed questions.

When Kelly emerged from the kitchen, you took random sunglasses to dodge brightness.

“Where's everybody?” You stood up and joined K, greeted by many choices to eat.

“Mike and Christine are running errands, Rita left, and Dorn took my car to the auto shop.” Kelly pinpointed almost everyone.

Before you'd question Armando's spot, footsteps moved toward the living room.

“You're wearing my sunglasses.” Aretas chuckled and gestured by your face.

As you gaped while embarrassed, Kelly covered her mouth in shock.

______

“What happened last night?” You offered the question between Armando and Kelly.

“Lots of drinking and dancing.” Kelly just smiled towards you. “We all crashed down here when Mike and Christine went upstairs.”

“How much did I drink?” You absolutely cringed right now.

“You finished that wine bottle with Armando and danced together.” Kelly took a moment and drank water.

“Dancing?” You then furrowed your brow near Aretas.

“Yeah, it was fun.” Armando nearly smiled, but caught himself.

“I definitely have some videos. Hold on.” Kelly seemed more and more humored.

“Oh, no!” You removed the sunglasses, but still veiled your face this time.

Just when Kelly began scrolling, Armando's phone started ringing.

“Hello?” Both you and Kelly stopped messing around when Aretas picked up the call.

“Dude, it's Terry. We need help, man!” Terry Richmond somehow contacted Armando.

“What happened? I'm listening.” Aretas put Richmond on speakerphone to hear every detail.

“The coffee shop's manager is dead.” Terry exposed that truth loud and clear.

*****

As sirens wailed throughout and emergency lights flashed beyond direction, yellow tape met that coffee shop when law enforcement intervened.

For the first time since quitting, you prepped one of the uniform jackets and dodged guidelines to help. Sitting back would never become an option.

“Estimated time of death?” You questioned experts after joining that crime scene.

“Last night around 10:00 PM.” One professional spoke up this time.

“Quick kill. Discreet enough to avoid some outward panic.” Mike observed, requesting for you to bring Terry Richmond for questions. “Get Terry, Rook.”

“All right.” You turned away from that body bag while the forensics team moved along.

______

“Explain what happened, T.” Drifting back to the police station, you joined Armando while Terry occupied this interrogation room.

“Uh, everything seemed normal. Walked by the coffee shop and picked up my order as usual, but when I left that restroom to go home, there was spotting on the floor.” Terry leveled his response right now as bright eyes focused.

Spotting? Fuck! You realized. Blood.

“Where did you find that spotting?” You offered more questions for Richmond while Armando typed. “Did you see anything in the restroom?”

“No, Ma'am.” Terry cleared his throat. “There's an employee door and office space located directly across from restrooms.”

Bingo! Of course you memorized the layout this year and pictured each area.

“Who found that body?” You offered that chance just in case.

“I found your manager sitting dead in his office chair.” Richmond's deep tone answered.

Despite remaining composed, your heart still dropped.

______

“We'll block this area until further notice. Who knows what else happened?” Returning to the crime scene, Lowrey took charge again.

“Looks like another homicide case.” Marcus Burnett cringed.

“Nope.” Lowrey declined. “Our squad just confiscated plenty of drugs, too.”

“What the hell?” Burnett still can't believe what's going on.

“Rook, bring Terry along.” Lowrey asked you to invite Richmond near everyone else as a precaution.

Here we go.

*******

Once this team confirmed an investigation, Mike, Marcus and Rita returned home before kicking off the police department's brand-new game plan.

You bring Terry around as expected and gathered remaining members of the AMMO squad.

“Sorry for the last-minute rush. We can't take any chances if you stay near that crime scene.” You explained this plan as Terry entered your house.

“Don't worry. I get it.” Terry nodded, glancing around.

“Make yourself at home. Kelly and Dorn would crash here all the time.” You welcomed Richmond.

“Thank you.” Terry nodded and gathered his backpack, scoping the residence just in case.

______

While Kelly and Dorn occupied one of the guest rooms, Terry showered upstairs.

Down by that kitchen, you've set up this Bluetooth speaker and quietly played music while cooking for everyone. If only circumstances improved.

“Hey.” Slightly accented English caught your attention and you carefully turned around.

“Almost done making dinner. Did you need something?” You asked.

“Where's your outlet? I just need to charge my phone. ” Aretas lifted his cell.

“Check underneath my kitchen counter.” You gestured for a moment and finished cooking as Armando walked over.

“Thanks.” Armando plugged the phone and washed his hands, setting the table with five plates or matching silverware like second nature.

When that kitchen table looked ready this evening, you'd texted the group chat and everyone started heading downstairs without fail.

“Smells good in here.” Terry almost smiled over some good news.

“Thank you, T.” You still expressed gratitude right now.

“You're welcome.” Terry's bright eyes almost glinted once more.

Kelly and Dorn sat together, but Armando observed when Terry found this spot near you.

“Let's not mention the case. How's everyone feeling?” Dorn spoke up next.

“Never respond. We'll end up with therapy cards…Ow!” When Armando faced Terry, you stepped on his foot under the table.

“Don't be rude.” You say.

“That hurt.” Aretas clenched his words near you and Terry sipped water to avoid laughing.

“Get some ice or stop complaining.” You're just trying to eat and Armando frustrated nerves once more.

“Damn!” Even Terry chuckled while Kelly and Dorn almost looked on.

“What's so funny?” Armando clipped venom toward Richmond this time.

“Chill…” Terry warned. “Regardless of the case, you're getting uptight now.”

At that moment, Armando stopped talking and excused himself from this table, choosing to finish his meal outside near the patio.

Ditching your meal, you followed his path and closed the sliding door.

______

“What the hell?” Your voice started debating. “You can't keep doing this shit!”

“Go back inside and leave me alone.” Ignoring his plate now, Aretas locked eye contact with you.

“Don't tell me what to do in my own house!” This nearly raging tone gritted anger. “I brought y'all here for safety reasons.”

“Why even do it?” Armando kept going. “We can take care of ourselves and you're not a babysitter.”

“I won't leave anyone behind, not even you, Armando.” No matter what happened next, your words shared this vow.

“Thanks.” Heading back, Aretas found his spot at the table and tried to feel better.

******

“Everything okay?” Terry checked on both of you when Kelly and Dorn planned to sleep.

“We're good. See you in the morning.” Armando nodded and would shower late before resting himself.

“Aight, see you tomorrow.” Richmond dapped up Aretas for the evening, but stayed downstairs with you.

Glancing over your shoulder, smiled for their moment of kindness.

_____

“Don't worry. I'll straighten things up. It's the least that I can do. Terry wanted to help out as you'd reorganize the kitchen.

“We'll work together. Deal?” You compromised instead.

“Deal.” Terry cleared different places as you cleaned up. “So how long did you stay with the police? Y'all have pictures everywhere.”

“About seven years.” You've signaled the dishwasher. “AMMO wasn't even founded yet when I joined that precinct.”

“Impressive.” Terry almost whistled before fanning out this new trash bag for the garbage.

“Thank you.” You smiled and described the origin of your nickname: Rookie. “Mike and Marcus call me Rook because of my age. It's not an academy thing.”

“You know enough information and can't feel outdated here.” Terry washed his hands before sitting down in the living room once you both finished responsibilities.

“Yeah. It's sad, but let's just say that older CIs aren't discreet anymore.” You joined Terry. “No comfort means no details.”

“How did you find Big Dawg?” Almost laughing, Richmond vaguely referenced Armando.

“Someone called with an anonymous tip that night.” You explained. “We locked down coordinates and found a bloodbath sprawled out near the Miami Harbor.”

Shit! Richmond shook his head.

“How rough?” Terry went on.

“No survivors: shootings, stabbings, money toppled over that dock. It was one of the scariest things I've ever seen.” You remembered the problem, but never crossed Aretas until now.

Before Terry asked further questions, you both looked up to see Armando heading back downstairs.

Fuck. You thought.

Fresh out of the shower, Aretas wore this tank top with loose pants, heading back to the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” Changing the subject, you leave this couch and watch Armando get a snack.

“Can't sleep?” You laughed.

“Isn't it obvious?” Aretas casted both eyes toward that ceiling and found one bowl, dumping popcorn.

“Grouch.” Chiding Armando, you gathered more snacks to share with Terry as well. “What's wrong this time?”

“Nothing.” Aretas declined.

“Hey, don't start that shit again. “She's just checking on you, all right?” As his deep voice returned, Terry defended you while correcting Armando.

“Stay out of it because I wasn't even talking to you.” Aretas clipped right back.

“Be grateful that she didn't throw us to the wolves now.” Richmond nearly sized up Aretas while talking about your home. “What the hell is wrong with you, man?”

“Stop taking charge.” Armando backed off and gestured around.

“What are you talking about?” Terry squinted, puzzled.

“You moved here and everybody thinks you're special, but I can't even spend five minutes alone with her.” Armando expressed himself. “Maybe we'd have a better relationship if you'd back off.”

“Not my problem.” Terry lifted both hands, sitting beside you once more.

“What do you want?” You crossed both arms and looked toward Armando.

“Don't ask me that.” His voice noticed you even more as Armando took the popcorn and headed right back upstairs.

“What?” Frustrated, you squinted near Terry by this point.

“It's better for everybody if you talk to him. Good night.” Arching his brow, Richmond leaves you as well.

______

When you finally planned to sleep in your own bedroom, someone knocked.

You opened this door to see Armando standing in the hall.

“Hey. I'm sorry for irritating you…” Your voice trailed off when Aretas stepped closer.

“I'm sorry.” His brown eyes locked your presence when Armando sniffled quietly. “I just…”

“Yeah?” You tried to listen because his voice still mattered.

“Nothing changes what I did, but y'all still ganging up on me doesn't help, either.” Aretas expressed more feelings. “I might as well go back to prison.”

“Maybe if you weren't so quick to hide from everyone, things would be different.” You offered another perspective. “I just wanna solve this case and go back to normal.”

“I know. It's not easy for me, but I'll try. Get some rest, okay?” Struggling this time, Armando stepped back and you could sleep without interruptions.

******

By morning, everyone settled around the kitchen together when you finished cooking breakfast.

“Pass the hot sauce, baby girl?” Terry slipped that nickname by you while looking for one condiment.

“Here, T.” You didn't even correct him and exchanged the bottle, picking up silverware to eat again.

“Thank you.” Terry nodded and spiced eggs for his meal, moving on.

Dorn and Kelly froze in unison here, surprised beyond words.

“Espero que te quemes la lengua.” Using his native language of Spanish, Armando wanted Richmond's tongue to burn.

“What was that?” Terry caught on.

“Doesn't matter.” Aretas stood from the table and noticed Richmond once more. “Help us solve the case or leave.”

“Back up. Gettin’ tired of your attitude.” Of course Terry wouldn't fight, yet patience grew thin.

“Guys…” Dorn wanted to settle this problem for everyone, but Kelly stopped him.

Terry sat back down and still warned Armando. “I thought you wanted another chance here.”

“Stop assuming shit. You have no idea what's going on with me.” Aretas defended himself again.

Out of nowhere, your phone rings, breaking silence and moving tension elsewhere.

Putting the call on speaker for everyone, you know better this time.

“Hello, who is this?” You leveled this question for so many reasons.

“Hola, Mami. Que tal?” One familiar chuckle reached your phone when Armando's old goon Zway Rodriguez picked up.

“What did you do?!” After reaching his breaking point, Aretas snapped upon realization, held back by Terry and Dorn when hearing Zway's voice.

“Just keep me out of prison and I'll explain everything. Otherwise…” Zway requested his own terms.

“What?!” Armando's rage only worsened, but Terry and Dorn still wouldn't let go of Aretas.

“Be careful, man. I'd hate for this special girl to be the next target.” Zway dropped that call, bringing everyone into this chaotic frenzy.

******

“Are you saying that Zway killed this coffee shop manager?” As you stayed home, Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett gathered AMMO members near the department.

“We'll find out soon enough.” Dorn tracked information to find puzzle pieces for the case.

“Compromised again?” Mike questioned protocol once more.

“No, but if we don't listen to Rodriguez, she'll be dead.” Dorn grounded the truth with your safety and planned to lock that case.

“Be careful while you plan Zway's interrogation, all right?” Marcus and Mike also warned Captain Rita Secada. “We can't even put Armando in the same building.”

“Fair enough. Go ahead and deal with Rodriguez yourselves.” Rita stepped out of the precinct.

________

“Listen, be grateful. Armando would've kicked your ass, Zway.” Marcus Burnett paced back and forth while questioning Rodriguez.

“No, Marcus. If it wasn't for us, Zway would be dead at the morgue tonight.” Mike folded both arms and stood in one corner.

“Keep me out of prison.” Zway dared to speak this time.

“First of all, don't fuck around. Did you kill the coffee shop manager or not?” Mike Lowrey squinted.

“Yeah.” Zway dropped his bored response without showing emotions.

“Why?” Mike prompted immediate eye contact, keeping composure.

“It's all revenge.” Zway continued. “I even planted drugs y'all found at the coffee shop.��

“Revenge for what?” Mike questioned.

“When Armando shot me near that helicopter four years ago, I fell into water, but survived.” Zway revealed. “Keep me away from prison unless you want problems.”

Glancing toward one another, Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett left the interrogation room.

_______

“It's official, y'all. Zway just confessed to everything.” Marcus exposed the truth.

“Is it possible to keep him out of prison?” Dorn looked concerned.

“No. We need a different plan.” Marcus shook his head.

“We've got no other choice, then.” Lowrey darkened his voice.

“What the hell are we supposed to do?” Marcus worried.

“Somebody needs to kill Zway.” Lowrey couldn't turn back this time.

_______

While staying home as a precaution, you find Terry and Armando in the living room.

“Hi.” You spoke up.

“Hey.” Both protective men faced your direction as sympathy reached their eyes.

“Thank you for looking out.” You've expressed so much more gratitude.

The doorbell prompted all three of you to glance forward, but Terry checked your RING Camera first.

“It's Lowrey and Burnett.” Terry pinpointed your friends.

“Let them in, T.” You offered permission, but Armando stood up anyway, ready for the next plan.

“Before we start talking about this shit, c'mere, Rook.” Lowrey opened both arms to hug you.

And for the first time since handling Zway's call, your eyes began to well up. Even Marcus wouldn't pass jokes.

“What's the plan?” Your kind voice lowered without hesitation.

“Somebody needs to kill Zway, but Armando can't do it or he'll go right back to prison.” Mike revealed this truth.

There's no other choice. You've realized the possible outcome.

“All right, then.” Enough was enough. “Bring the squad together and back me up. Whatever happens, I'm not going down without a fight.”

______

By nightfall, members of the AMMO squad returned to your home and prepared this attack from different corners.

“Watch the house, Terry.” You offered brief yet vital instructions. “That's all we need from you.”

“Yes, Ma'am. Be careful.” Armed himself, Richmond focused as you rolled out with everyone and silently waited for more.

******

“Have Armando take henchmen, Mike!” Marcus yelled out loud while steering another motorcycle and neon lights painted streets. "Don't let him catch Zway!”

“This is a battlefield, Marcus!” Lowrey moved among blaring engines. “No more rules. I am not responsible for Armando tonight.”

“What about his redemption, Mike?” Marcus still attempted to be logical.

“If Rook dies, Armando's second chance won't even matter.” Lowrey gritted his teeth over your chance to live. “Let's go!”

______

Zway Rodriguez punched speed without fail as racing motorcycles caught up.

Glancing past his shoulder, Zway quickly realized that someone lifted their firearm while still directing the motorcycle.

No! Only one person crossed missions through anger four years ago.

Armando returned.

“It's Aretas, move faster!” Zway attempted to warn other goons.

While Zway prepared to dodge Armando, he didn't even notice that your motorcycle joined this fight.

“Here's payback.” You pulled this trigger and immediately spiraled Zway's route, dashing to escape between shadows.

“Zway's dead!” Armando turned near you without removing his helmet.

“Follow back to my house! We gotta check on Terry.” You would return home as expected.

******

No targets, only silence.

Terry Richmond heightened awareness while keeping watch in your home. Even distant sounds located for the neighborhood matter at this point.

When engines revved out loud to line up vehicles this evening, Terry knew that signal.

The AMMO squad returned.

“Open the door, T!” You hurried to run inside with everyone else.

“C'mon!” Terry almost pulled the doorknob this time.

Kelly and Dorn entered first, no longer hiding in that surveillance van.

Mike and Marcus pulled through next as Rita stepped up before long.

When you and Armando reached this house, pain nearly dampened Terry's face.

Regardless of the plan, it's still a miracle that you're alive.

Just when this group would settle with relief, lights shut down as the home turned pitch-black.

“Stay armed and keep watch here! No friendly fire.” Terry warned you and the AMMO squad.

Within seconds, glasses shattered from rear living room windows as bullets rattled, searching for carnage.

“Look out!” You screamed, trying to defend yourself while every moment prompted chaos.

Yet when lights returned for the living room, everyone else glanced around, realizing that Armando and Terry no longer battled here.

“Be careful while searching for them. We gotta move!” Lowrey stepped over countless bodies while instructing all of you.

Where did y'all go?! Your thoughts rushed as panic heightened even more.

______

“No corras!” Rasping Spanish once more, Aretas warned enemies not to run. Seconds later, vengeful bullets sparked through lethal fire.

“I hear Armando's voice in the garage.” Kelly finally noticed echos. “Go, go, go!”

Scoring the garage, you found absolute carnage here. Even Terry moved forward and disarmed other goons.

“Listen! Either deal with me or I'm throwing you to him. It's your choice.” Richmond still warned targets about Aretas.

As bullets raced, fear struck combatants every single time.

“Give me your weapons and leave.” Terry gritted without hesitation.

While still fighting others, everything slowed down when this bullet pierced time.

You fell back and toppled against the hard floor right now.

“Dammit, she's hit. Armando!” Terry barked through shock.

As blood spilled with each passing moment, you wince despite the guard of your own vest.

Footsteps rushed to your aid as you still recognized Kelly and Dorn.

“Call paramedics!” Dorn hurried.

Rita, Mike and Marcus kept fighting elsewhere in the house, not realizing your injury yet.

“T….” You struggled, grimacing without assistance.

“We'll handle this, all right?” Terry still planned to help right now. “Keep your eyes open.”

Soon enough, Footfalls dashed to reveal Armando's presence.

“Move!” Slightly accented English pulled more feelings when Aretas shoved Richmond out of his way. “What the fuck happened?!

Entering the garage themselves, Mike, Marcus and Rita stood flabbergasted on sight.

“Aw, shit!” Mike grilled everyone over your accident. “She's losing too much blood past the vest. Where's medical?!”

“I already called for help!” Dorn shouted with an explanation.

“Well, medics better hurry up and reach that bullet!” Marcus exposed his anger. “My niece is dying.”

Just when you trembled near deadly pain, sirens wailed outside once more.

******

While beeping sounded, fluorescent lights almost blinded your vision as you woke up in the hospital.

“Hey, Rook.” Detective Mike Lowrey joined your bedside this morning.

“H-Hi...” As you struggled talking, exhaustion replaced that cheerful voice.

“Just take it easy.” Mike cautioned. When you sat up, different wires aided.

“Terry and Armando?” You looked for Richmond and Aretas.

“You got it. I'll get 'em right now.” Mike pointed between you and the door.

_____

“She's awake, c'mon.” Crossing the lobby, Mike updated Terry and Armando as you wished.

“Made it. How are you doing?” Before long, Terry knocked first and held flowers, showing this rare yet great smile.

“Tired.” You attempted.

“Better than nothing. You're still here.” Terry joined the bedside chair and sat down.

“What happened?” You couldn't help asking questions despite everything.

“We barely reached the hospital and experts took out your bullet during surgery.” Richmond never lied.

“Thank you.” Your pained voice expressed gratitude once more.

“You're welcome.” Terry said. “Have you eaten yet?”

“I can't stomach anything. Maybe later.” Even your throat seems uncomfortable.

“Okay.” Richmond took notice. Let me know and we'll help out.”

Knocks resumed and Armando stepped in, no longer wearing tactical gear.

“Hey, sorry.” Aretas walked closer. “I got some water for you and the vending machine held up.”

“Thanks.” You tried.

“We just found out that you'll be discharged soon.” Armando revealed.

“How soon?” You questioned.

“Tonight or tomorrow.” Armando nodded.

“Thank you.” It's a habit just to repeat that kind phrase.

Even while you smiled through fatigue, your mood brightened again.

*****

Given permission to leave that hospital, you could finally return home, but wouldn't handle work until further notice. There's no other choice this time.

Headlines soon revealed that the coffee shop became defunct. This establishment pulled too much drama following Zway's dark investigation.

During your recovery, even Armando helped on a regular basis and only slept from his downtown apartment when working at the police station.

Sooner than later, Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett had planned another special cookout for the department. Friends still invited you today.

Planning to leave with Armando, you both signaled the group chat first.

“Where's Terry?” Moving near that driveway, you haven't heard from Richmond yet.

“I don't know.” Armando finished packing this car as you joined the passenger seat. “He might've gone to the park early or something.”

Just before Aretas would drive, another vehicle pulled up.

Richmond turned down the driver's seat window of this brand-new SUV.

“What are y'all waiting for? Let's go!” Chuckling through joy, Terry guided your route toward the public park.

This happy ending could shine at last.

27 notes · View notes

thatspookyagent · 2 years ago

Note

Hi I was hoping you can do an enemies to lovers headcanon between thor/reader and how that go.

Being enemies to lovers with Thor (GN!Reader) would include...

Warnings: Mentions of eating, drinking, and intoxication, Heimdall & Odin cameos lol

a/n: Hi! Thanks for being my very first video game headcanons request! I haven't gotten and answered a request in awhile and it feels good to do them again! Hope you don't mind the reader being gender neutral. And as always my readers are diverse friendly even with no specified details about the reader (which is how it should be)! Hope you enjoy! :))

If you want to be tagged in any of my content, don’t be afraid to tell me via my ask box or through messages! Just remember to be clear about what specific kinds of content, characters, and fandoms you want me to tag you in or if you want to be put on my general tag list! I’m always looking to add more people and I’d be more than happy to add you (if you wish)! :3

Being an enemy of Thor is a... precarious position to be in lmao

Even if it isn’t full blown “you owe me a blood payment” kind of enemy to him

I feel like the major turn point in how you both become Thor’s lover but also how your perceptions of one another change, is how you view the everyday things that he has to deal with and how it drives him to self destruction

You didn’t care that he was a God and wouldn’t have long term issues from drinking so much, you cared about the hurt it put him through and root of the problem

Because of that he began to see the many layers that make up your own life, your character, and how you deal (or don’t deal) with things

Basically you and him become positive influences for one another and confidants to each other’s issues

Expect a LOT of bickering between the two of you like even after the two of you become lovers, it’s still a main part of your relationship honestly

Though the kind of bickering changes after you and him become official

Beforehand it could be pretty backhanded and snippy, like you were just quipping back and forth cause there was some resemblance of bad blood between you and Thor

When you and Thor become official the bickering evolves into older married couple type bickering

Overall it’s pretty light hearted and in good fun

There isn’t a layer of venom behind each word anymore but instead softness and kindness

At times Thor will playfully scold you whenever you’re not careful or just plain naive lol

When you were enemies with him, his pet name for you was basically bone head

Now it’s bone head (affectionate) :”

With the changes in tone comes changes in behavior as well

Like whenever Thor needs to jump from place to place with his godly might, he’ll give you a heads up, and cradle you carefully in his arms while he makes his leaps

Before he used to just grab you and fly through the air like the menace the is

Other things that have changed is that he will continuously invite you to have drinks with him and eat amongst the Einherjar

He hangs out with them from time to time and could use someone to keep him company

Will absolutely share his food and drink with you and if you wish, he’ll go to a more private place in order to spend quality time with you as well

When y’all were enemies, if you walked in to spend some time at the hall, he wouldn’t even so much as glance at you

And if he was drunk around you, he was a total ass, not just because he was white girl wasted but because he also really didn’t like you

Now, if he’s drunk around you, he’s still a bit mean, or mainly unresponsive

Though if the two of you are both drunk together, than that’s not a good thing for anybody lmao

Imagine being drunk with Thor and going up to the Asgardian wall where Heimdall is and just absolutely verbally destroying that man

[Heimdall will remember that]

If the two of you find yourselves within or going to a realm with a cold climate, he will put his heavy fur cloak on you to keep you warm

Won’t ask for it back once y’all leave the cold realm, you can keep it, he can always get another <3

If you asked him for his fur cloak while you two were still enemies, he’d just straight up ignore you or go “no.” </3

Another perk of being lovers with Thor is that you now have unlocked being able to snuggle with him

Yes he is as warm and fuzzy as he looks, a true bear in that sense of the word

Prefers to be the big spoon but will not grumble if you asked to be the big spoon

Gives the best back rubs for some reason ??? maybe it’s because his hands are the size of mallets and though they’re calloused, they just feel good!

Also Thor gives me bathing for hours mindlessly with his partner enjoyer type of vibe so expect that as well

And yes the two of you do take turns washing and doing each other hair <3

Or just relax with you for hours in silence if that's what you'd prefer that

Will let you pet Mjolnir as much as you like and even attempt to pick it up

He’ll even pick up Mjolnir himself while you’re holding it and lift you up into the air just to mimic what it would be like to wield it

Thor is down to let you braid his hair or beard if you wish

Usually he doesn’t have the time to care about his appearance that much and doesn’t care to call attention to his looks but if braiding his hair makes you happy, it will not deny you the opportunity to do so

He does minimal braiding on his own beard and would secretly like to have something elaborate or longer

Will totally get more tattoos if you recommend some to him or would like to see Thor with some more in certain places

You’ve always admired his tattoos and now that you’re lovers with him, you get to inspect them up close, admire and trace them with your fingers

You'll become curious about what they mean and how and why he got them and he'll be more than happy to tell you those tales

It takes some encouragement to get Thor to have some fun and actually relax for once

He’s so used to being ordered around, controlled, degraded, and having no chill time, either that or nobody caring enough to give him a break or spend genuine quality time with him

That and almost everyone around him is a major prick lmao

A lot of the relaxing is just Thor being away from everyone except for you

Quiet dinners, naps, baths, drinking & eating contests, walks, etc, are all some of the best parts of your relationship with Thor

A much needed break and acts of self care that also involves you, his favorite person in the world

Speaking of everyone else, it’s pretty amusing to see folks react to you and Thor getting together tbh

Odin and Heimdall especially since even they were pretty sure that y’all two would pretty much stay forever bitter to each other

The look on Heimdall’s face when he realizes that he’ll have to deal with Thor from now on whenever he heckles you

The look on Odin’s face when he realizes that he’ll have to deal with you from now on whenever he heckles Thor

Also Thor undeniably will come to your aid whenever an issue arises even if it’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things

You do the same for him despite him not really caring what others think and say but the thought is what truly counts

Cause there was a time when he was the one attacking you and part of him does feel bad for his past actions

He wants to make up for that and show you through actions that he indeed thinks and feels for you differently from now on

And even you feel the same which you confide in him about

That leads to both you and Thor making vows to instead be by one another’s sides instead of against

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takeurexam · 5 months ago

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dynasty || II

genre:

non idol au, time travel, romance, rivals to allies to friends to lovers, crown prince to emperor taehyun, reader gets appointed as an concubine

pairing(s):

taehyun x reader

(warning, this does not reflect the REAL idols personality, and no smut will be written to respect the idol, and i am not comfortable as well, and the taehyun in this ff is not the actual taehyun)

summary:

in which you, an excellent law student about to graduate collage suddenly gets dragged into the past, meeting the famous-fawned over emperor of the kang's dynansty. but you getting dragged into this mess was beyond a mystery, and it seems like you have something deep to discover. meddling with the past is a risky decision after all.

dynasty masterlist

2. Mountain

The Kang Dynasty was a family famous in history books- they maintain their reputation even when they're remains and only found on history books, museums, and people still fawn over them.

As a collage student, you would encounter this topic in history. Students fawn over them because of their 'good deeds' and 'glamouring' looks. Especially the emperor in this generation you're traveled into, Kang Ta...

"Who was he again? Gosh, I havent thought about history in a while." You get lost in thought as you clean the campsite of Soobin and Hobak as a sign of gratitude for saving you.

Its been officially a day since you've arrived here; you've built the pieces and it seems that you have time traveled for some absolute crazy reason.

"It was those masked people. Im so sure! I thought they were theives.." You sigh as you finish gathering the leaves on the ground and throw them in a pit.

"Somehow.. I still have this chopstick." You put it in your hair as you remembered the ladies from this dynasty wearing them on their hair. "I think it was that lady. Or she maybe predicted this and wished for my downfall because I looked stupid." You mumble to yourself as you grunt and sit down on a big rock waiting for something to happen.

Soobin and Hobak were cool honestly. Soobin was handsome but really introverted. He could just say one word for the day and go on. Hobak on the other side, is short compared to Soobin and very talkative, what a unique duo.

They went out to town because Soobin needed more herbal medicine for you because he thought you had memory loss or things that you couldnt understand what he was saying.

You wipe your hands and stand up to go back to your tent which was originally Hobak's that he was kind enough to share.

"Hey! Were back!" You hear Hobak shout before you could even reach your tent.

"Yo, something happen?" You ask.

"Nothing really crazy, but I saw the Crown Prince today! He looked handsome as hell but not as me. Anyways, I dont know why they're at Daedo, but it seemed really suspicious and at the same time important." Hobak rants on, and Soobin just nods his head.

"Cool. I cleaned a bit for you guys, and dont worry, I didnt displace anything." Soobin smiles at your work and places down the baskets he brought.

You all go inside the main big tent which is where the two of them eat, make ingredients and make medicine.

"What are you planning to do?" Soobin asks you.

"I dont know.. I still havent gained my memories, but the best thing to do right now is explore. The problem? Im broke." You knew that saying you time traveled is just pure stupidity because one, they dont know that, two, you'll be called crazy. So adjusting to Soobin's diagnosis would be for the best.

"You can work for us. I can give you money." Soobin happily drops out paper in the table and grins, "You'll be like an herb collector for me."

"Sure, that would be cool." You grin back and write his so called 'requirements' in the paper he placed down.

Morning comes, you hear the chickens attempt to wake you up for your first task, which is to travel to the mountains to find herbs Soobin needs.

"Wait. How do people find their way home though.." You thought as you prepared to go out. "It is what it is."

You walk over to the main tent and see Soobin sitting, drinking a cup of coffee. "Heres the list." He smiles.

"Good mood?"

"I like seeing people volenteer to help me."

"Cool."

You take the list and shove it down your pockets, "If you dont need anything else, then i'll be on my way." Fixing your shoes, you get ready to leave to the mountains.

"Goodluck." He smiles again.

The mountains were filled with leaves as it was autumn, and there were many trees compared to the present. It was truly refreshing to see a nice environment after a while.

"If I get killed by a bear, will I go back to my time?" You talk to yourself as you go on the mountains.

"Holy! Its this thing from the list!!" You look at the drawing and the plant and see alot of similarities, "Bingo." You pick up the plant and put it in your basket.

"Checked.." You put a check mark using charcoal that you randomly found in the ground.

"Next!" You hop on.

Soobin advised on how to get home, that to try and head to Daedo, which was at the South and Hobak would pick you up because he had errands there.

You knew directions enough to go, so it wasnt much of an problem.

"Ooh! Another one." You pick up another plant and mark it with the charcoal as you go on once again to the mountains.

You left the base at exactly morning, which for you was eight in the morning, and you had no issues on the way so far. Soobin's list is almost complete so you had no worries because you seemed lucky today.

"Check, check.. check. This is easy!" You giggle as you jump around the leaves.

"It dosent seem to bad to be in this dynasty. It feels good to have an escape from the suffocating gates of university and issues going around. It feels like life just became fresh again here." You sigh as you feel the wind swarm around with your thoughts.

"One last plant! And lucky for me, its over here." You crouch to the ground and pick up the plant and place it on your basket. "Wooho!"

But somehow, you couldn't shake off a weird feeling. Because everything was going so well; nothing has happened to you. And you felt like something right now is gonna go wrong.

........

"WHAT THE FUCKK!" You get trapped in a net, which seemed like a booby trap for animals and hunters to catch.

"I PREDICTED THIS. URHRHRHG." You groan and move around the net to try and make it give up because of your heavy ass.

You hear footsteps approach and you just start praying in your mind that they dont kill you and actually let you go and they're a kind soul and..

"Why are you here? This wasnt made for you." A tall man in a pony tail with his long hair and wearing black armor as he held a sword. He was hot as well.

"Whats good?" You smile at him awkwardly as you were in a position with tangled arms and legs.

"Who are you and what is your purpose?" He draws his sword. "Hey, hey! Im good- im innocent! Uh- im just looking for herbs!" You shout.

"See?" You shake your basket at him. He looks at you with a raised brow but dosent draw back his sword.

"So please, help?" You grin.

He dosent reply and cuts the rope with his sword which drops you to the ground "Ouch!" You fall ass flat.

"Thank you.. uh.."

"General Beomgyu of the Palace."

"Yeah! Thank you so much dear General Beomgyu!" You jump around in joy as you hug your basket.

"Its dangerous out here. Why are you collecting herbs?" He asks with his sword drawn back and crossed arms.

"It is? I never encountered any danger." You were lying. You saw booby traps in some areas, like alot. But decided to avoid them, but this trap you fell in was well hidden.

"...Okay. Who do you serve?"

"Uh... Soobin. Do you know him?"

"Oh. Its Soobin." He mumbles as he fixes his throat, letting the air engulf the two of you. He speaks after a while, "I have to get going."

You suddenly have an idea in mind, "Wait-" You stop him from walking, "Where are you heading to?"

He looks at you suspiciously but still answers, "Daedo." Your eyes brighten as you grin, "Can I come with you? Arent you concerned about the dangers lurking? Then a General like you! Can help me." You smirk as he looked genuinely suprised at your remark.

He thinks for a while, "Alright. Just dont be a bother."

"Wooho!" You shout with your fists thrown into the air as he just eyes you and proceeds to walk the direction to Daedo.

"Hey, do you serve the Crown Prince?" You ask as you both walk down the leaf filled ground. He looks at you for a short time and looks away.

"Yes, I do."

"Why are you here at Daedo?" You ask him. You remembered Hobak ranting about how the Crown Prince's prescence was both suspicious and seemingly important.

"Why are you asking?"

"Because im curious? Who lets the Crown Prince go along Daedo randomly?" You shrug as you two walk down a path.

He hesitates to answer, "We have business here in Daedo. You should be aware then that I cant share that information to you."

"Im aware, I just wanted to see if you would tell me or not."

"What?" He looks at you a little confused, "You're crazy."

You laugh at his comment, "Thanks."

You both become silent for the meanwhile as you observe your surroundings- you might need to know this place for future tasks or just incase you get lost.

"What do I even do after? I dont plan on working my whole life for Soobin. Well, that dosent seem so bad. I can explore Daedo then go practice fighting to look cool and build a base and-" Your thoughts get cut by Beomgyu, "We're here."

"Oh, theres my friend!" You notice Hobak near a corner. "Well, General Beomgyu, I wont forget you!" You wave goodbye as you run to Hobak.

"I wont forget you too." He mumbles under his breath before heading to his designated place.

<previous chapter

>next chapter

hi everyone!! heres the 2nd chapter <3 hope you enjoyed!

for kdrama lovers, if ya know empress ki, you know who im referencing beomgyu to (general taltal) i love him teehe

welcome beomgyu ‼️

#txt #txt x reader #taehyun #kang taehyun x reader #kang taehyun #beomgyu #hueningkai #kpop #soobin #yeonjun #beomgyu x reader #huening kai x reader #soobin x reader #yeonjun x reader #txt au #txt x you #tubatu

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justa-moth · 1 year ago

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this is an incredibly niche thing that will appeal to maybe like one other jrwi fan, but:

what crew i think various riptide characters would be on if they were tech theatre kids

because why not :]

Jay: - oh Set Crew for SURE dude - shes the head carpenter - she knows how to use every tool in the shop - she's the one helping the newbies learn said tools - she'll yell at you to be safe but also do the worlds most unsafe things - she probably gets thrown on fly rail alot and is bitter about it because she'd rather move stuff on stage

Chip: - Set - Now he might not be great at it - but he would just really enjoy using the power tools - (and Jay would be on his ass about it constantly because he is Not safe like at ALL) - he probably gets put on like the super heavy set piece for a scene change and will do nothing but complain about it

Gillion: - ok this one was hard - i dont think hes set crew - but i do think hes usually been crowned the official Heavy Set Piece Mover - just because hes the theatres resident Strong Man - honestly i think he's scared of most of the power tools tbh jhkfsdjhk - he's probably just general stage crew, aka just the jack of all trades guy that any of the crews can use if they need an extra hand - (however he never helps any of the crews that require like a steady hand, like makeup, costume, or props, just bc of how big and clunky he is hjkfsdjkh)

Queen: - probably props or makeup/costume - theyre utterly terrified of ANY power tools and will avoid the shop like the PLAGUE - she probably really enjoy just sitting and working on small details for props while they blare music - (she is also the person in the theatre with the BEST music tastes, literally the best rehearsal playlist) - you look away from queen for maybe an hour and he will come back with the most intricate and beautifully designed prop - and it ends up having maybe 5 seconds of screen time and will have to get deconstructed once shows over

Gryffon: - okay so he's the guy that everyone thought would be the resident strong man when he joined the theatre. - and while technically he is, this poor man finds a way to break fucking anything - working on a set piece? it will crumble when he walks in the room. - working on lighting? they lamps will explode - he's the murphys law man. if anything could go wrong, it Will if he's in the room - its gotten to the point where every show the theatre does a ritual to the Theatre Gods in hopes that gryffon's powers of Pure Destruction may be nullified long enough for them to actually get shit done - he probably just gets put on fly rail because thats the only thing he hasn't managed to break

Alphonze: - Lighting / Sound for SURE - i would trust this man to operate the board - he's literally a god at programming cues, hes always on time - he cuts the mic out the SECOND the actor leaves the stage, he gets mic problems fixed INSTANTLY - if somethings wrong with a light, he IMMEDITAELY knows how to fix it - he is essentially the Antichrist to gryffon's destructive power - its the Theatre Superstition that if Alphonze and Gryffon are in the same room for too long it'll cause a singularity

Lizzie: - Set or maybe even Stage Manager - she's probably stage manager, but like only hangs out with techies - because being in the room with the cast and their songs for too long makes her just actually wanna die - shes super chill, but then tech week hits and she means BUISNESS - her ass gets things DONE - they could be in any stage of the creative process, and lizzie will find a way to speedrun it in the best and most efficient way possible

Caspian: - Makeup / Costume - like i imagine him helping people do their makeup in the dressing rooms before show - he would also be that one poor head costume manager helping the main character with the worlds most stressful quick change - or the poor mf who has to speed safety pin someones clothes together because it ripped mid performance

Marshal John: - literally THE set guy, aside from Jay - you need something heavy moved quickly? get john - power tools broken? get john - literally any problem that could easily be solved by a Big Strong Man? john. - he, like gillion, is the other Resident Strong Guy - however all prop people know to never get NEAR him, because this poor man has a way of literally just breathing on a prop and causing it to shatter - he's just big and clunky and can't handle delicate things

Drey and Finn: - the resident Uncles of the theatre - they don't work there - but theyre there to support their Kids TM - drey probably donates random pieces of furniture to the set department - and finn makes BANGER meals for the crew when it gets closer to performance - and they work like 12+ hours without eating - finn will MAKE SURE these poor kids get their nutriants

Earl: - in the same vein, he's also just one of the resident Uncles - once before a performance earl didn't make them juice - and literally Everything went wrong - so now everyone is convinced that Earl's juice is Magical and Blessed - and if the theatre doesn't get blessed by his juice, everyone fears for their life - Earl uses this to his advantage, and will actively threaten people to drink his juice by saying like "if you don't drink this i'll make sure that chandelier breaks right before the finale!!" - and the poor set crew kids just start SWEATING

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raspberry-vinaigrette · 2 months ago

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alright drop ur main jack headcanons please i will gladly slurp them up :3

HAHAHAHAH I AM SOOO GLAD YOU ASKED

i have a post with some big ones over here but i ALWAYS have more! putting them under a cut since idk how long this'll be when i post

i mentioned this before and never elaborated but i've always interpreted that one scene in the good ending with davetrap and jack in the saferoom while davetrap holds the kid hostage and the layout of the scene fades from the normal first-person visual novel style into a top-down pixellated tycoon segment/flipside segment style as jack dissociating. it makes sense, especially because it's triggered when jack has to claim that he's a good person who wouldn't hurt kids -- he knows (or at least believes) this isn't true, given that the evil ends of dsaf1 and 2 happened by dsaf3, even if they were "reverted" in some way or another -- and also jack just like. has a lot of self loathing and dehumanization issues. he does not perceive himself as human in most senses of the word.

^ because of this i've always viewed jack as having derealization and depersonalization issues ! it's mostly triggered by situations of high-stress in which he disconnects to detach his emotions from the situation because he kind of just wishes he was as lackadaisical and apathetic as he tries to present himself as early on. but he Isn't. and that causes Problems. he's aware of it happening and it's concerning but honestly especially with the fact that henry and blackjack are both constantly in his head and he already perceives himself as a vessel of some kind? he's just ignoring it. It Happens!

fazbender's frights was set up in 2003 to keep with the xxx3 year motif that's in the games (1973 is when dee and jack died, 1983 is when henry disappeared i think? + bite of '83, 1993 is when roger's location shut down, 2023 is when dsaf3 happens)! it stayed up for around the same amount of time as jack's dsaf3 restaurant before jack burned it down and believed his work there was done and started focusing on the flipside machine. i think there's a couple mentions in dsaf3 that miiight contradict this but whatever i'm chalking that up to "davetrap has a terrible memory between the soul-split, the trauma, and the years of isolation" since i like the idea the xxx3 years match up

i also have an event in mind for 2013! it's been a running thing in my headcanon that during the 35 year gap jack went to vegas at one point to try and relive the thrill of being with dave in hopes it would help him move on. this did not work. jack immediately got lost, could not handle everything going on, and just ended up scrambling outside and buying some cheap liquor before taking a taxi to a nearby hotel. he got wasted and tried to purge this from his memory. this happened in 2013 and he still never told peter what happened he just said he was out on "business" and peter kind of looked at him funny but didn't ask.

jack only finally quit his addiction to smoking + alcohol when roger talked about his history with addiction in his big lore speech + theres that one cutscene if you offer roger a cigarette where he mentions spending all his paychecks on liquor. roger's concern and the fact i think jack sympathized with roger's issues a lot personally probably is what got jack to finally make an effort in the good ending. granted good end jack ended up burning the place down with himself inside but i think jack poured out his bourbon along with the gasoline before davetrap arrived. "bourbon is only flammable from the cask--" it's SYMBOLIC let me have this

i like to think jack salvaged davetrap from the initial bakersfield location for frights himself. davetrap didnt recognize jack because jack made a point to wear a mask -- an official fredbear mask, it's really rare merchandise! ...which probably should've given jack away, given there's few people who would be that dedicated to fazbender merchandise collection -- and gloves and such to hide his identity. i think jack mumbled something to davetrap at the time ("dave... i missed you." to parallel the dsaf3 dialogue, mayhaps), but with davetrap being kinda half-lucid at the time, he chalked up that voice that sounded so much like jack's to just being "i miss sportsy :("

i think. when dave does that rant at the end of dsaf2's good route where he says peter and him just view jack as a tool. for one i think this is a not-uncommon instance of "dave saying shit he doesnt mean because he's impulsive and shortsighted and this can be seen in ESPECIALLY reality dave (look at the entire jacktrap plan)" but thats not the point. for two i think jack like genuinely was fine with this exchange albeit for fucked up reasoning, that being... well... he thought dave was right. jack IS just a tool, a means to an end, a vessel for saving these kids. he is soulless, he is an empty shell who will never be fixed. he will never be a person. and he wants people to forget him so its easier for everyone to move on. this is why legacy jack is so distinct to me btw because hes been so influenced by henry in a lot of ways that for once he wants to have a legacy. but thats besides the point. basically jack was like oh cool ive finally driven him off and he sees me for what i am! maybe then he'll finally be able to be saved now that he's moved on and i can work on what i'm made for.

^ if they talked about this i think jack could come to be more normal and healthy about this thought process albeit with a lot of time. especially given even after that rant dave carefully puts jack into his suit and doesnt hurt him and even says "i almost wish we couldve worked things out". but thats a whole other ramble. i NEED them to be undoomed

#jack kennedy #jack dsaf #dayshift at freddy's #rambles #i have so many thoughts on this guy.

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hana-bobo-finch · 16 days ago

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OKAYYYYY!!! THE LAST PDBC POLL I DID RESULTED IN A FOUR WAY TIE (VERY GOOD FOR ME BECAUSE I LOVE TO YAP) SO I SHALL START OFF THE STRING OF LONG RAMBLING CHARACTER POSTS WITH MY BELOVED BELLONA!!! once again, because I’ve already talked about her a bit, there’ll be a lotta retreaded stuff. Also she, or really anyone else for that matter, does not have the sheer amount of lore that pumpkin daddy has, so this and the others will be a lot shorter (HEARTBREAKING) (IT’S ABOUT 3.9K WORDS COMPARED TO THE MONSTROUS 7K WORD PUMPKIN DADDY RANT)But nevertheless:

MUCH LIKE. PRETTY MUCH EVERY CHARACTER there is not a lot known about her early years (or, more accurately, I do not want to have to come up with anything for her early years). Her early life was pretty boring honestly. She grew up in a pretty secluded desert environment with her parents and older cousin. It’s never said what her family did for work, it’s left purposefully vague, actually, but it’s some sort of government job that’s extremely secretive. Do not ask about the mysterious government projects taking place in the desert, do not ask about the mysterious government’s projects taking place in the desert, DO NOT—

anyway her cousin is probably the only interesting thing about this time. Her cousin’s name is Glad (usually goes by her first and last name hyphenated together, so Glad-Yu) and she doesn’t have a mouth!! what!!! Yeah so Glad has a rare genetic condition that makes it so she doesn’t have a mouth (it also affects her hearing. She also has a distant relative who has the same condition, his name is Di and there is Literally nothing to know about him other than a very brief plot point that really doesn’t have anything to do with him directly). BUT DON’T WORRY SHE’S FINE she has a device that can transfer nutrients to her directly so not being able to eat isn’t a problem. As for communication, she just uses a kind of sign language. Anyways!!! Because she grew up in such a secluded area, only ever being around her cousin and parents, Bellona’s social skills are absolute garbage!!! Even aside from that, she’s also just kinda generally unsociable. Not in a social anxiety way, she just does Not Like most people and can be rude. One would be inclined to blame it on environmental factors or simple misunderstanding of social situations due to her very obvious lack of social skills, but alas, no. Perhaps sometimes that is the case, but for the most part, she’s just being an asshole, no way around it. She’s quite lovely to the people she does like, but to everyone else, not so much.

But back to the main timeline! Things actually start for her when she’s around 16ish. She very badly wanted to become a firefighter, but was too young to actually become one. She thought this was ABSOLUTE TRAVESTY. She was way in over her head and thought she was totally ready to do such a dangerous job (she was not!!!) and didn’t want to wait—she just wanted to jump into her career immediately. Luckily for her, or more so unluckily, there was a shady and definitely not official fire department that was oh so pleased to have such an enthusiastic new member! What joy! Haha it doesn’t matter you’re 16 you can join us (NO SHE CAN’T). By some miracle, things went alright for her in the first year or so. She was actually pretty good at her job, or at least as good as an inexperienced teenager could be. About a year into her quote unquote career, she got sent off to fight a 3 alarm fire, during which she got trapped. That alone would be bad enough, but because the fire department she worked for was extremely unprofessional, her safety gear didn’t work properly and it resulted in her getting badly burned from her shoulder to up to her ear.

She was for the most part fine, but was, understandably, extremely traumatized by the incident and became even more reclusive than before. By that point she’d moved out of her parent’s place and lived with Glad. Even through everything, still had that stubborn impatience and became EXTREMELY bored with doing nothing all the time. And being bored and impulsive is not a good combination!!! She eventually made the impromptu decision to go to medical school to become a doctor. Glad tried to talk her out of it, trying to convince her that it was NOT a good idea to do that, but Bellona was set in her ways and left the desert to go to some cheap-ass college. Surprisingly, she was extremely talented in the medical field despite having little to no experience. She landed an internship at the hospital she stayed at during the whole Almost Fucking Dying thing and in her free time developed ways to make Glad’s life easier. It became apparent rather quickly she was a bit of a savant in the medical field, instantly picking up on everything and getting perfect grades. Because of this she was offered to go to a more prestigious school on some faraway island with the weird-ass name of Fincg island. Oh wow this is all going well looks like her life is really on the up and up (WRONG) (DONT FORGET THAT SHE DIES BY THE END)

SO!!! Everything was…relatively stable for a while. Though the more time passed the more time she realized she was maybe starting to regret her career choices and she badly missed Glad. But it wasn’t all bad because she managed to actually get a social circle (SHOCKING), including a woman named Sirene. And Sirene was beautiful!!! Woah!!! So they began dating. How pleasant, I’m sure this can only end well! (it does not) BUUUT ANYWAY Bellona continued breezing through college (well. As much as you can breeze through something as tedious as med school) to become a surgeon, more specifically an orthopedic surgeon. “hey yknow isn’t it kinda strange how she’s doing that all so fast, I mean by this point she’s only freshly in her mid twenties—“ EXCELLENT OBSERVATION. I KNOW!! COUNTERPOINT, THERE ARE SENTIENT GRANOLA BARS IN THIS UNIVERSE, SO MED SCHOOL GOING FASTER THAN IN REALITY IS NOT THAT STRANGE. BUT DEFENDING PLOT HOLES ASIDE—yeah she was on the path to becoming an orthopedic surgeon. During this time, she also started babysitting a relative of hers in her spare time, Minerva. Minerva isn’t really relevant to the rest of this so don’t expect a lot about her BUT the point is, taking care of Minerva made Bellona realize “OH MAN I WANT KIDS.” Despite her being kind of uncaring to everyone else, she’s an absolute sweetheart towards kids and is surprisingly good with them. She WILL be rude to everyone around her but she will ALSO teach the precious little ones how to bake.

BUT ALAS!!! things with Sirene were Not working out!! Even after being together for a bit over a year it became obvious that there was no real spark between them. Sirene ABSOLUTELY BROKE AND DEMOLISHED bellona’s heart by breaking up with her although bellona wasn’t actually that upset but EEEEYIKES SHE WAS TOO BUSY WITH HER JOB TO UNPACK THOSE FEELINGS!!! and thus began a horrible string of failed relationships! Whoops! (Technically this stuff happens Later in the story but for the sake of clarity I’ll just put it all here in this section) she was out there speedrunning relationships and was VERY pissed off that nobody she dated was “the one”!!! Eventually though she started seeing one of her coworkers, a dude by the name of Dr. Faul. Faul is the human equivalent to a slice of white bread. Bland and inoffensive. He is also one of my favorite unimportant characters. Faul proposed to her while she was at his family’s home over the holidays and OH FUCK. OH SHIT. THAT IS SIRENE. yup turns out Sirene is faul’s sister. And she was there. There was an incredibly awkward moment of realization from the both of them, faul was over here pouring his heart out and bellona was just staring in pure terror at his sister who she was making out with sloppy style like 6 months ago. She kinda just reluctantly accepted his proposal to try to diffuse the awkwardness but then immediately went to talk to Sirene. Sirene apologized for dumping her so abruptly, and explained that she since realized the reason the relationship wasn’t working was because she was aromantic. Bellona was like “what the FUCK is an aromantic” and after having it explained to her there was a moment of horrified realization of “oh ok that explains a lot actually.” But alaaaas no matter how much Sirene tried to convince Bellona to just break off the engagement now NOPE it is TOO LATE I’m marrying your brother. Spoiler alert she did Not last long in that plan and like a week later she broke up with him. The breakup was recorded on a hacked security camera by some clown named JS (will get to him someday, he doesn’t have a lot to him but he was arguably the beginning of pdbc as a whole so he has a special place in my heart) and uploaded in a fail compilation online. Faul then earned the name Dr. Fail and he spent the rest of his days, as described by bellona, “wandering around like a lost spirit.” All that stuff Really isn’t important to the plot but I just so very much love Dr. Fail, he did nothing wrong but ended up being the victim of public ridicule

BUT OK. ALL THAT STUFF ASIDE. this is where things actually get interesting. Aka it is where the man the myth the legend PUMPKIN DADDY comes in. WOOOOOO so a patient came in, some fella who apparently was hurt in a horrible accident. and she HATED him right from the start. She didn’t even recognize him as the literal owner of the island, he was just this asshole who she had to deal with (she’s in general not very in tune with the customs of fincg island, never bothered to even try to adapt). Absolute piece of work, she did Not like him. Would probably have left him to suffer if it wasn’t her job to help him. Pumpkin daddy was pissed off the entire time and constantly trying to leave (NO you CANNOT just stand up and leave you have a SERIOUS BACK INJURY get the HELL BACK HERE) and just. yeah. It was the exact opposite of immediately hitting things off. I’ve mentioned before that her bedside manner was already iffy but for him especially she didn’t even try to hide her disdain. At the time she was not so subtly trying to get fired because she really started to hate her job but didn’t have the courage to up and quit, so she wasnt even trying to be nice in hopes of getting fired. But alas she was too talented and they kept her around. Buuut nonetheless she helped pumpkin daddy out of necessity. Unfortunately for her she was stuck around him for a while, and, as I mentioned in a previous long rambling post, they eventually developed a convoluted hate fueled not-friends-friendship. basically just bonded over their mutual hate for each other. Kinda gotta skip around a bit here bc I already yapped abt this part in the pumpkin daddy essay but YEAH

Eventually she developed a morbid fascination with him (as I think anyone would, honestly) and started hating him Slightly less. Keyword being slightly. They’d sometimes chat for a bit, but the true bonding moment was when they mutually decided hey. Wouldn’t it be so funny if you committed medical malpractice. SO SHE DID she performed a very illegal quote unquote “spine lengthening surgery” to make him two inches taller. By some miracle it was a success and once again because of her prestigious position as a respected surgeon nobody ever called her out for it. She also gave him a skeleton tattoo on his back when he was knocked out and he didn’t notice for years lmao. Anyhoo she’d occasionally hang around him outside of work to go to the illegal crab restaurant bc she couldn’t find it on her own, and on the way she’d do things to scare the shit out of him. Mostly as payback for the time pumpkin daddy startled her to the point she almost crashed backwards into the used syringe disposal and eeeyikes that would not have ended well! But she was VERY much poking the bear here, I cannot express how bad of an idea this was. She is like 4 foot 11 and pumpkin daddy is like 6 foot 3 and he could fucking snap her neck with no problem. He. Did not do that, obviously, but im just saying this was a BAD idea. She’s basically like a chihuahua, just a hatred filled little gremlin who tries to intimidate people that could beat her up in an instant

ANYWAY after a while of going to the illegal crab restaurant every weekend, she learned from pumpkin daddy and Gourdie about TBYTF and started studying it with them. She didn’t really make any big breakthroughs about it, she was basically just stuck being the mediator between the two because they had VERY different opinions on TBYTF. She planted a bunch of hybrid roses around (which she argued was just as cool as pumpkin daddy’s hybrids, come on, look, the roses are blue AND pink, that’s way better than making human life from scratch). Pumpkin daddy hated these roses but he didn’t dare touch them as to not ignite her fury. She’d occasionally bring Glad to the restaurant when she was in town, or Sirene (who was now on good terms with her) and they’d have a jolly old time(?) that’s probably not an accurate description. But they sure did had…a time, alright. When pumpkin daddy and Gourdie got divorced she…was not much of a help! She barely listened to their tearful ramblings. She probably ended up making them feel worse because it was Very Obvious she did not care. She would just silently nod and say “awesomesauce” as if that’s an appropriate response to “my wife is leaving me.” But she did help out a little bit by taking care of extra while they sorted things out. Even then her helpfulness was…questionable, she had no qualms with expressing her distaste with the circumstances of the divorce right in front of extra. Like in the middle of comforting him she’d say stuff like “it’ll be fine, they’re just being stupid. Apparently, communication isn’t in their vocabulary, but “you’re a shithead fairy betrayer” is.” But she made extra a lil necklace so it’s okay that she was swearing in front of children.

As a bit of a side tangent, during this time she became extremely petty on the matter of art. Art of any kind. Music, writing, drawing, anything of the sort. Turns out she sucks at it. I mean sure she can become a prestigious surgeon at a relatively young age and is excellent at math but for the life of her she can not do anything remotely artistic. She attempted to show off her alleged piano skills but turns out she only knew one song and even then pumpkin daddy played it better. Pumpkin daddy bought a guitar and she was so pissed off that he was immediately better than her at it that she threw it off a mountain (pumpkin daddy proceeded to retrieve the busted guitar and just tape it back together like nothing happened). She tried to write a children’s book cause ok, she’s good with kids, can’t be that hard right WRONG she failed miserably and got so mad she burnt down a library. Despite having extremely traumatic experiences with fires. She was so pissed off she forgot to be afraid of fire. So yeah she is uh. Not all too talented in anything other than strictly analytical or scientific fields.

BUT MOVING ON. As I said in an earlier post, she eventually quit her job and moved back to the desert with Glad to continue the Secret Government Project. She didn’t expect to ever come back even for a brief visit because she wouldn’t have the time (and, let’s face it, there’s no reason to travel all that way just to see PUMPKIN DADDY of all people) but remained in contact via the occasional letter. BEFORE SHE LEFT THOUGH pumpkin daddy pulled the ultimate and definitely not morally dubious prank of making a hybrid of her! He created human life solely to freak her out! And it worked! The hybrid’s name was hybelle and Bellona was NOT amused and was quite glad to not have to deal with it once she left! Hybelle was a pretty accurate hybrid of her though, there’s a bit more to her but that would fit more in with the Fina essay that I will. Eventually write.

She didn’t really do anything of major importance while back in the desert except for one thing that I completely forgot about until right as im writing this and it’s making me giggle like a fool, she saved Minerva from choking on a building. Like just straight up a building idk the logistics of it either. She was at Minerva’s college graduation and Minerva Somehow choked on the administrative building and the visual is making me laugh way too hard so I will just get on with it. BUT UH YEAH she didn’t do a whole lot during this point, was mostly just doing secretive government stuff with Glad and baking blueberry muffins. She couldn’t start a family because she neither had the time or energy, and she can’t have children (which pumpkin daddy blames himself for. “why the hell does he think it’s his fault” EXCELLENT QUESTION he once mistakenly released a mutated virus across the land that nearly killed off the cow population because it made them infertile. bellona helped make the cure for it and months later when she offhandedly mentioned she couldn’t have kids he just assumed it was because of her proximity to the whole rampant cow disease thing. It is Not the case, but he doesn’t know that and has lived in guilt ever since).

ANYWAY UH OH. WAR TIME. SHE DIES WE ALL KNOW THIS. so uh she eventually caught wind of the war going on on Fincg island and knowing that pumpkin daddy was probably doing a horrible job at dealing with it, she for the first time in decades left to go back. Less of a happy reunion and more of planning to beat him up until he had some sense knocked into him. Very literally the first thing she planned to do was tackle him when she saw him. She planned to meet him at the illegal crab restaurant but uh. He never showed up! Which was odd, considering he follows a very strict schedule that every weekend he goes to the illegal crab restaurant. But alas he never showed and she was just waiting there like a fool. After a few hours of waiting she thought she heard him but uhhh whoops it was not him. And she tackled a cat (SO much more to it than that but the cat (gloss) doesn’t yet have enough lore to justify an essay on him. Maybe someday, the lore’s always growing so maybe Gloss will have his time to shine). And broke its neck. She was incredibly distraught by this and was freaking out when UH OH!!! HERE COMES TBYTF!! YEAH SO idk if yall remember but the illegal crab restaurant is directly in TBYTF’s territory, and turns out, when there’s a corpse up there, the first thing it does is revive it. So gloss came back to life (now slightly possessed by tbytf due to it being what brought him back to life) and he was horrified at what he was seeing. A CRAB RESTAURANT. bellona pleaded with him not to tell anyone about it but that little pest ran down the mountain and called the police to report such a horrible, illegal establishment.

A BIT LATER THOUGH. UH. she was trying even more desperately to find pumpkin daddy and got caught in the central city, which at this point was a violent war zone. She almost escaped relatively unscathed but uh. We all know that is not how it goes! She got spotted by Terri, a Jorgan clan enthusiast (“hey wait don’t you have a pikmin oc named Terri” ERM YES. AND UH. THE PDBC TERRI CAME FIRST. GOOD LUCK ENJOYING MY MOTH-LOVING PIKMIN OC KNOWING THAT THIS IS WHO SHE’S BASED ON🥰🥰 A MURDERER). Terri was not happy seeing someone affiliated with the pumpkin clan in any way and uh. shot her. yeah. She didn’t immediately die, she ended up finding Extra throughout all the chaos and got him to pass on a message to pumpkin daddy. And then she. Yknow. died.

Ok so. There is technically more, but that part is…extremely undercooked. I tried to write it out and it was mostly just “I don’t know why this is yet or what happens after this BUT—“ and I think it’s best I don’t mention it at all lmao. It was only added to the story in like the last 2 weeks so it is not well developed!! At all!!Point is though Bellona’s fiiiiine she got to rest in peace. eventually. There’s some other stuff with her that I hesitate to mention because it wasn’t technically her? It was just an illusion of her. Pretty important to the plot but not so much to this long ramble so I think I’ll skip out on mentioning it. But yeah that’s uh, pretty much it for now.

ANYWAY RANDOM TRIVIA FROM THE TOP OF MY HEAD TIIIIIIME OK

• she has a trident. she has on numerous occasions almost hurt someone with it by swinging it around

• she likes astronomy!!! constellations and stuff!!!

• For being so rude to other people she will NOT tolerate being called any sort of names. Once got inconsolably angry when pumpkin daddy called her a bitch for insulting his cool new anti gravity sand

• She calls everyone sugar. Is it supposed to be demeaning, a compliment, who knows? She just does it

• This isn’t a piece of trivia this is just a quote that I just remembered: Think back to the lucky break that you got a few months ago. Remember it? No? Well, perhaps you forgot it because you are stupid. You are so unbelievably stupid. You squandered your perfect opportunity. You’ll never get it back. It’s all your fault. All your misery is the result of your own stupidity. Screw you. Screw you I hope you die and termites invade your casket and the doctors researching your brain drop it down the sink and little rats eat the tiny, minimal remains of it. take a WILD guess who it’s directed towards

• Despite living in the desert she’s extremely pale. Uses too much sunscreen I guess

• BUS. SHE HAS A BARELY FUNCTIONAL BUS UHHH

• she hates snowmen. she thinks they’re a waste of time and hideous

• Was once the victim of pumpkin daddy’s scammy home improvement business venture

• She loves gloves. Exact opposite of pumpkin daddy.

• once drank eggnog out of a puddle!!! Don’t ask!!!

• she was included in the short comic I sent to the original author!!! It’s technically not canon to PDBC so I didn’t mention it but yeah. Maybe I’ll post that comic someday but I’m a bit of a coward. But all she did in it was sit there being pissed off and not enjoying steaks

idk how to end this here’s this (RUNS AWAY AND EXPLODES)

#once again too lazy to proofread this. if there are repeating paragraphs whoops #I wrote this in like a day I’m probably forgetting a lot lmao #urrghh I love her though. she is one of my favorites #it’s especially funny because in the source material she does like. absolutely nothing. she is a living plot device.#you could probably pinpoint my inspiration for most of pdbc by reading though the original but not bellona #‘how did you get any of this from seven lines of dialogue’ I DON’T KNOW!!!#I mean. she’s actually the most accurate to her original version though #all she did was be an asshole and welp. that carried over to PDBC #damn I love her she’s so funny. 3rd favorite for sure #like. in roots she is Just as bad as pumpkin daddy but she gets zero consequences or blame for anything it’s so funny #she’s just sweaty and angry all the time and same #anyway.#not sure what else to say (AS ALWAYS. ASK ME QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY👹👹👹)#not a pikmin post #pdbc #Kurt essay is next 🦅🦅🦅💥💥💥💥 get ready

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