#new potential OCs just dropped guys

[sheepkebby]

Fun L4D fact I just discovered! The surgeon and the nurse common infected have names!

The surgeon's name is Daniel (DeClonan?) P.H.D.

The nurse's name is Trinity (Avo?) R.N.

[cinnbar-bun]

Straw Hats- Reversed AU HCs

AU: In which YOU are the character of a very famous franchise, and they are regular people who are fans of your series.

Note: GN!Reader, crack, very unserious

Luffy

Thinks you’re neat! Super cool!

People think he doesn’t really “get” you and just likes you for your awesome powers and/or cool appearance, but he drops like an innocent yet profound tidbit about you that shows he really is thinking of you.

Honestly probably only has a bootleg figure of you courtesy of Ace. It’s goofy as hell but he adores it.

Maybe has one of those printed graphic tees.

Ace and Sabo joke about his love for you but then Luffy throws his slippers at them.

If he sees anything with you on it, he’s just gushing over it.

Loves finding funny comics with you online.

Zoro

Guy who likes you for your powers.

The same guy who is also a weeb in front of the mirror and tries to replicate your awesome moves.

Help his roommates caught him-

I think he’d get those compression shirts/shorts with you or a symbol of yours for when he works out.

Also the guy who’s working out to your voice like those ASMR videos so he can pretend you’re praising him and congratulating him.

Gets into fights with Sanji about who’s the bigger fan.

I don’t see Zoro as the type to “collect” things, but he’d probably have a keychain of you around his belt or something as a good luck charm.

Might even have an action and poseable figure of you like a Figma.

Nami

Likes you lots, but also recognizes your merch potential.

Works alongside Usopp to produce fan merch or zines for you to make money.

Has a unique piece of jewelry with your symbol/iconography to wear.

She’s not wearing “obvious” for merch, because she just isn’t about that.

Probably has a few very expensive figures of yours that are special edition or anniversary editions that she managed to get at a steep discount.

Reads a bit of fanfic but tends to mostly peruse fanart of you.

Tends to have multiple ships for you- she doesn’t really favor one over the other she just thinks they’re interesting.

Likes to do cosplays of your fits, though. She’s gotten very popular for her lovely cosplays. She tends to handmake most of her cosplays, but Usopp and Franky add to the amazing accessories.

Plays the gacha game for your series, and her amazing luck means she gets practically all your units easily.

Usopp

The artist of the group who has seen and had to do heinous things for a commission.

Unlike the others, he IS making a self insert and HE IS DOING ART AND COMICS WITH YOU AND HIM AS THE MAIN COUPLE!

Has made a name for himself of making doujins and art for you. His store has seen lots of purchases for his doujins.

Nami basically is his account manager and has made him raise commission prices many times in order to pay their rent and so he can realize how valued his work is.

He mostly just posts his work but does like answering questions from fans and posting about how awesome you looked in the new episode.

Always making art and stories from you.

Has done fanfiction for you but it’s mostly with his OC/SI and his artwork tends to be more well-known.

Always does special drawings for your birthday and various holidays.

Plays the gacha and has bad luck so he has to whale for your unit. He insists he prefers just regular console or PC gaming instead of gacha.

Sanji

Number one fan, he WILL get into arguments about you and inject you into everything.

All your figures, all your merch, all of it in one specific room dedicated to you. Sanji even has a lifesize figure of you in a cool/cute pose he religiously cleans (and prays to ngl) every day because AINT NO WAY HIS LOVE IS GOING TO GET A SPECK OF DUST ON THEM!!

His work as a chef makes him busy, but he likes to wear small things of you like a brooch or something on his uniform to cheer him up through the day.

Makes videos cooking things you cooked or dishes you liked within the series.

He sometimes shows off his collection and Zoro calls him a loser and they get into fights in the comments.

Commissions art of you (probably Usopp) to hang up in the (Y/n) room.

I feel like he would do a persona/self-insert but also I feel like he’d be like no!!!! I cannot sully my beloved like that!!! So he focuses on just you.

Blocks people who are fans of you and does not like shipping anyone with you, hell no his mellorine is HIS!!!

Has done fanfic, mostly self-insert, and that’s pretty much all he reads. No ships.

Robin

“Oh, (Y/n)? Yes, they are an interesting character. I like them.”

[1 Million word count fic series, tagged: slow burn, character exploration, heavy angst, found family, Book 4 of 7]

“I just think they’re neat.”

Probably the mother fic writer for you and/or one of your ships.

Doesn’t socialize much online, just tends to post and scroll through the fics for you and answers comments under her fic.

Likes to support her fellow creators so she does look into the art and projects other fans have made.

Does try to create her own aesthetics for her blog and fics, but sometimes she just commissions Usopp to make her things for her fics to fit her vision.

Is really into unique and often abstract or “dark” art of you.

Yes you’re her favorite character, yes she will still make you suffer in her fics and art for the ~development~.

It’s a running gag with her peers where they ask her how she will torture them next.

She finds the Nendoroids of you are quite cute, so she bought one to go on her desk.

Franky

Franky likes making garage set figures of you.

He’s also a bit of a dork, so he will often make you pose with a super sentai outfit or large gundam robots (since they’re also a part of his crafting hobby).

Makes videos showing off the new figures he made of you.

He loves you cuz you’re his hero, you just amaze him!

Printed a photo of the art your creator did where you guys were all dressed like super heroes or something- suuuuppper up his alley and he loved seeing it.

He likes collecting the manga/comics for your series and keeps them on his personal shelf.

Franky also helps Nami/others with specific cosplay accessories. Franky is known for his craftsmanship, so he’s made plenty of cosplay gear for others that are above and beyond.

Him and Usopp have collabed to create the original figures of you that Franky adores.

Does those videos where he takes cheaper/smaller figures of you and adds to the base and design to make it more “epic”.

What the hell is “fanfiction”?

Brook

Goes by the username “Soul King” and uploads his covers of your franchise’s music.

He really loves you though so he’s often rocking your shirts while he’s recording the music.

He does a lot of different genres for your theme covers- jazz, heavy metal, lofi, piano, music box- he’s done em all.

Whenever he’s not recording covers of his music and does streams, he very proudly shows his figure of you and a poster he has hanging up on his wall.

Also plays the gacha game, has pretty good luck but never with your units.

“Wow! 5 Sugo-rares! Who are they- GOD DAMN IT IT’S JUST THE OTHERS!!! RATE UP IS A LIE!!!”

Brook is a menace though and I’m gonna keep that under wraps for various reasons.

Maybe in the future I might explain further.

Jinbei

Jinbei is classy, unlike many of the others here (we will not name names).

He’s more likely to “make” his own merchandise for you.

Handmade doll with a lovingly sewn kimono, for example.

Fancy tea set that is painted with your symbols but it’s so subtle and chic that some of his viewers don’t even realize it’s from some random franchise he likes.

He prides himself on his traditional and handmade crafts and you’re just an avenue to experiment with them.

He likes to design the kimonos and outfits with you in mind and the season. He shows the process of creating it in these calm and quiet BTS videos.

Really they are beautiful and the amount of love and skillmanship put into the work he does is fantastic, it’s awe inspiring.

Does not know what a fanfic, a gacha, or what a “fan edit” is. He’s an old man he’s got things to do, man.

[2-dsimp]

Hiii hello. I'm new here. I love your blog.

Can I ask for your OCs with a milf reader who just moved next door, maybe? 👉👈

Hope you're drinking enough water, ilyyy

【The H.S.M Scenarios; Milf edition】

—-;———;——-;—————

Cw: Fem reader!

—-;———;——-;—————

“Hey ma! How you n the kids doin? You guys aight? Need any help round the house?”

Vincent would oftentimes drop by and visit after the initial greeting you gave him at his own apartment away from the hitman team. You became the highlight of his life the moment those baked goodies hit the pit of his stomach. The Enforcer would happily come over to babysit whenever he had the time, after the two of you got close enough. It got to the point of where your kids were already calling him their favorite daddy. And of course he made no plans to correct them, since they’ve grown on him just as much. To the point of where he’d kill for them. Plus the hitman wouldn’t mind stepping up as a potential father as long as he’d get to eat his future wife’s cooking all day.

“Listen brat, I don’t like you and I know you don’t like me so how’s about we just come to a mutual agreement and—Ouch! Did you just kick me you lil shiet!”

Covu and your kid will be at odds with each other 24/7 trying to monopolize your time. Using petty tricks and schemes to try and coax you into putting all your attention on themselves alone. This “rich hobo” would try and take you out on some elaborate dates despite him being lowkey most of the time. Just for an excuse to whisk you away from your guard dog of a child who quite literally has a vendetta against anyone trying to take their mother away from them. The Photographer is thankful to them in a way since your kid acts as repellent for any other suitors trying to pursue you. So sometimes he’d leave anonymous gifts to your kid as a reward or transactions for their bodyguard services if you will.

“…Ahem! Pardon me my lady but I’ve heard that you’ve got trouble putting your little ones to sleep, if you don’t mind I’d highly recommend that you use this melatonin spray so that you can rest more easily”

Rivius, At first would be mildly annoyed at all the ruckus your children would cause next door to one of his laboratory’s he has scattered around Devildom. And like an angry Karen, the devil was about to storm to your apartment and give a regal complaint. But he paused after hearing you breakdown from all the stress of being a single mother. The Archdevil would rub his antler horns feeling a bit distraught at how to go about this issue in a more roundabout way where both of you would benefit. So he came up with a recipe on the spot for a good sleeping remedy for your kids so that both you and him would have some piece and quiet. Long story short you were so grateful that you gave the scientist one of the warmest soul soothing hugs in his life. And he just couldn’t help but get addicted to that feeling leading him to be a constant presence in your life always coming up with ideas or solutions to help you and your kids.

[hana-no-seiiki]

YAN! COLLEGE GOON/LACKEY OC x POPULAR GIRL ! READER BLURB

some women loving wednesday from midnight darling today.

to new readers: reina and mona are ocs i’ve mentioned before as popular! reader’s lackeys. darling is your yan! ex’s new “girlfriend” who actually likes you more. midnight darling is the title of the “comic” my college based yans are from.

tw/cw: yandere themes: threats of violence, bullying.

Reina Liwanag was your dog in every sense of the word. The golden retriever to Mona’s black cat. Many insulted her intelligence and lack of agency in the face of your will but they could not deny her insurmountable loyalty towards you. No one knows much about her family, it is speculated that she comes from a rather impoverished background. But nonetheless, she is able to mingle with the greatest elites of your college, courtesy of being your lackey.

And like many dogs in the world, Reina also had a more feral, animalistic side to her. One that craved violence. Mostly for those that crossed you but at times it just appears whenever you bring someone new around.

She should be used to this kind of thing from you. Your sexual appetite was what launched you into the eyes of the students and faculty here.

Still, repetition do not always beget tolerance.

“Hey you,” The brunette approached Darling. The usual blinding smile on her face.

Reina was first and foremost your lackey due to her looks. If it weren’t for you outshining her in every aspect, you knew she had the potential to be the cream of the crop. That was why you befriended her in the first place. Prevention was always better than the cure.

In fact her presence was so loud people usually notice her from miles away. Such is the case with Darling who’d been minding her own business this lunch break until your guard dog had caught her eyes. “O-Oh, Reina! Lovely to see you here. How may I help you?”

The other reason Reina was picked to become your right hand woman was due to her strength. An athlete she aspired to be. Her gym was basically her home and there she spent most of her time after you dismiss her of course. She had the capability to easily snap the necks of the student body.

With that being said, Reina does not flex her muscular arms, or slam her palms towards a surface to make a point. She just says a few words,

“You should just drop dead.”

And left. Simple as that. She does not look at Darling’s reaction nor say or do anything further.

Mona then appeared from behind, not at all shocked at her companion’s actions. She knew of Reina’s brutal behavior the most out of everyone. Sure, Mona ruined social lives on a daily but she didn’t actively or directly took them away.

“If [Y/N] finds out about this—“

Reina paused in her steps, she does not turn around to face her so called friend but Mona could just imagine that same-old stiff smile she always gave after getting rid of ‘competition’ for her owner’s love, and those void-like eyes that siphoned the hope from her victims.

“She won’t.”

note: don’t be like reina everyone. uplift other women even if they’re coming after your dream girl. also so many posts today you guys. im spoiling y’all uwu.

©️ hana.no.seiiki - yun | 2023

[mercair]

I was looking for some stuff around my house, when i found some sort of saferoom sealed behind one of my walls, and there, i found MY NEXT SB OC: LEFT-E

He used to be a mascot for ICE-E's P'E'ZZA sometime around the 80's. In the darkworld, he was a new kind of warrior, an animatronic that could both entertain the kids, as well as being a really tough soldier. And so he became protector of his darkworld. That did not last long...

One day, a strange persone came to the darkworld, they said they were curious to see this new warrior, as some called it "The greatest invention ever made by darkners". The CEO of the darkworld happily let them see their new invention, they thought they were a business man. The person stood right in front of the robot, deeply analysing it, that was when something inside of the robot snapped. It suddenly tried to attack the person, for some reason, the robot classified them as a menace. Both of them fought each other while the guards tried to pull the robot away from a potential client. Surprisingly, the person was completely fine, as if nothing happened, it was the robot the one that took a beating. The CEO quickly realized how dangerous this soldier was, and decided to dismantle it, and then seal it awyan deep down in the basement of the pizzeria.

But the robot wasn't done yet. What it saw inside of that person's eyes was too dangerous to let them go. It couldn't move anymore, it's core has been removed, but it's WILL persisted. And now it waits in the depths of the basement for a new source of energy, strong enough to let it hunt that person down, no matter what. A human soul... That'll do it.

Heey so i finished my new lil' guy. Well, no, actually he's a pretty big boy, even without legs.

As you may have already guessed, this guy is an ENORMOUS FNAF reference, and by that i mean is that the whole point of his existence is to be a FNAF reference.

Now, about his design, i tried my best to make him look like a "What if ICE-E was a FNAF animatronic?"... thing, but still tried to give it that magic/fantasy vibe from Deltarune with that holographic arm, also, it's his left arm, get it? CUZ HE'S LEFT-E. Honestly, i'm not sure if i succeded at it.

He has no SUPER for or anything like that, he is just that strong. The SOUL mode for his battle is ORANG SOUL, which would let you parry some of his attacks.

It seems i haven't done enough references here, so have this;

If you know, you know.

And lastly, BOSS BATTLE THEME, LET'S GOOO

Fun fact: This one is partially based/inspired in the FNAF 1 song by living tombstone, i tried to make the Freedom motif drop similar to the one in that song. I clearly failed, but i still LOVE how it came out. Anyways, that's all folks! Keep dreaming!

[sleekervae]

New York Romantic 1.2

Masterlist

a/n: I'm so so soooo sorry I'm dragging out the date sequence... but I also love a good build up and I hope I did them justice! And I promise that the actual date is next!

pairing: Tom Blyth x ballerina!oc

summary: the seagull

word count: 4,943

taglist: @watercolorskyy @carolanns-world @alana4610

"Tom, how many hours did you sleep last night? Quickly," Tom glanced up at the call of his name, finding Marcelline standing over him with her phone.

"Are you filming me?" he asked plainly.

"Yeah! We're gonna look back on this when we're in fourth year!" she replied ecstatically, "How many hours did you sleep last night? C'mon!"

Tom was taken aback at first, his mind blanking out before he stuttered a quick, "Erm -- six?"

Marcelline's face fell into shocked dismay, dropping her camera lens and turning around, "What the f-- how are all the guys sleeping better than us!?" she shouted to another classmate, Kathy.

"Because men don't fret like women do," she replied.

"Hey! Brian got three hours!" another student pointed out.

While Tom managed about six hours of sleep, it wasn't exactly the kind of rest that left him feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world. Instead, it was a restless, fragmented slumber filled with half-formed dreams about missed cues and forgotten lines. He'd spent most of the night tossing and turning, his mind running a relentless marathon of overthinking. Every detail of the day ahead looped through his brain: rehearsals, costume fittings, the potential pitfalls of his performance.

An hour on the phone with his mom before bed had been both a blessing and a curse. She was her usual buoyant self, overflowing with encouragement and excitement, "You're going to be brilliant! I just know it!" she'd said, her voice brimming with pride. Tom could almost see her smiling on the other end of the line, her enthusiasm a bright beacon in his otherwise cloudy thoughts. She'd wished him all the best for his show and reminded him how much she was looking forward to having him back home in England. One more week and he'd be on a plane again...

As he got ready that morning, he tried to shake off the lingering drowsiness. The mirror reflected a version of himself that looked more frazzled than he'd like to admit. Dark circles underscored his eyes, a testament to his lack of rest, but there was a spark there too—a determination to push through the fatigue and give the performance of his life.

He packed his bag with a meticulousness that bordered on obsessive, double-checking that he had everything he needed for the day. Script, check. Costume, check. Snacks to last the day, check. With each item he ticked off his mental list, he felt a tiny surge of control in the midst of the chaos.

Sunny's performance review was the following Monday, so he had the luxury of staying home that morning. He lounged on the couch, feet up, looking more relaxed than Tom had ever felt in his life. That being said, he wish Tom luck and told him he'd catch him at the show. Just as Tom was about to leave, Sunny stopped him and tossed him a small bottle of cologne, "Trust me, you'll want this for your date,"

Tom caught it, barely. "Thanks, I think?" he read the Jo Malone label with intrigue, "Basil & Neroli..."

"It'll make a better impression than just deodorant," Sunny assured him.

Tom stuffed the cologne in his bag, feeling a bit overwhelmed by Sunny's thoughtfulness, but grateful nevertheless, "Seriously, thanks mate,"

"Go knock 'em dead," Sunny said, waving him off, "And remember, the date's about having fun. Don't overthink it!"

With a final nod, Tom stepped into the hallway and nearly collided with Noelle. She emerged from her door at the exact same moment, wearing a navy mini dress sprinkled with delicate white flowers. A light white cardigan draped over her shoulders, her hair cascading in long, soft waves that framed her face. The white trim on her black backpack coordinated nicely with her converse sneakers, and there were little white berettes clipped at the sides of her hair that added a lovely touch of innocence and charm.

Tom felt his breath catch. This was a far cry from her usual ballet attire which was clean, sleek and perfectly packaged. She looked relaxed, fresh, and irresistibly sweet. Every time Tom thought Noelle couldn't be any cuter, she somehow managed to surpass his expectations.

"Hey," he greeted, his voice betraying his admiration.

"Hi," she replied, a shy smile curving her lips.

He couldn't help but stare, feeling like a giddy schoolboy, "You look... wonderful,"

Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink, "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself,"

"Thank you,"

They started walking to the stairwell, slower than usual to a fault, "So... are you excited?" she asked.

"For what?" a teasing smile tugged at his lips.

She shrugged shyly, "For tonight,"

"What part of tonight?" he asked, his nerves easing a bit, "There's a lot happening tonight!" he laughed as she rolled her eyes.

Noelle shook her head with a candid smile, "And I'm personally excited for all of it," she said.

"Me too," now, if he could just make it through the next twelve hours with peace and calm...

They hit the lobby and immediately heard the sound of sticking and cutting, they were both curious and dismayed to find Doris putting up 'DO NOT ENTER' tape over the elevator doors. She was mumbling under her breath, only pausing when she turned and found Tom and Noelle watching her.

"Elevator's out of commission," she simply said, "Don't ask,"

With an uncertain glower Noelle looked to Tom, who simply shrugged back as they started for the doors and wished Doris a good day. The older woman was so frustrated and annoyed with her renovations plans, she was none the wiser to the palpable energy between the pair.

The ride to school was nothing remarkable—New Yorkers squeezed together like sardines, the air thick and unmoving. Noelle and Tom managed to snag the last two seats at the back of the bus, a comfortable silence settling between them.

Tom turned to her, curiosity piqued. "So, when did Daniel give you the ticket?" he asked.

Noelle shook her head, her expression softening into a smile, "He didn't."

Tom blinked, confused, "Then how did you get your ticket?"

Her eyes sparkled with mischief and excitement, "Stanis is a magician," she replied, her smile widening.

Tom didn't press for more details; there was still a part of him that found Stanis intimidating. He could very well imagine Stanis being involved in a high society crime syndicate, the type where he knew dirt on everybody and would use it to his advantage. So instead, Tom settled back in his seat, smiling to himself as Noelle locked her pinky around his, the simple gesture filling him with warmth.

And that was how Tom found himself here: sitting on the cold auditorium stage floor, watching his castmates run through their final rehearsals. The memory of her finger wrapped around his was still fresh in his mind, a welcome reassurance that he could push his nerves down. The bustling energy around him, the snippets of dialogue floating through the air, all of it seemed more manageable with the thought of Noelle in the audience, her presence a comforting anchor.

As he tried to focus on his lines, a familiar voice broke through his thoughts.

"Jordan! How many hours did you sleep?" Marcelline's voice carried across the auditorium.

Tom couldn't help but snicker to himself as Jordan forced himself to look up at the camera, a dry, tired glare crossing his face.

"Eight," Jordan answered bluntly, his voice tinged with irritation. Somehow, it still didn't look like enough for Jordan.

Tom's amusement was short-lived as he realized his own exhaustion mirrored Jordan's. The final rehearsal was proving to be as challenging as he'd anticipated, but the thought of Noelle watching him perform kept him going. He straightened up, ready to dive back into his role, determined to give it his all.

In the dressing room, the tension wrapped around Bianca like a suffocating shroud. She meticulously adjusted the layers of her costume, her movements sharp with a lingering resentment she refused to acknowledge. As Iseul delicately applied makeup nearby, she ventured cautiously once more into the fraught silence.

"You've been awfully quiet all day," she noted, carefully applying her eyeliner in the mirror.

Bianca scoffed back, "I've had a lot to do today," she replied simply, "Stanis doesn't have just one star pupil, after all,"

At that, Iseul put her liner down, turning to her friend with a concerned scowl, “Bianca, I know how close you are with Noelle,” she began, her voice gentle but firm, “but do you think there might be a part of you that’s feeling… maybe a little jealous?”

Bianca froze mid-adjustment, her brows knitting together defensively, “Jealous? No way,” she retorted, her tone sharp with denial, “Why the hell should I be jealous of her?”

Iseul sighed softly, sensing Bianca’s resistance. “It’s okay to feel that way, Bianca. It happens between friends, more often than you think. But maybe… maybe you’re projecting your fears onto her?”

Bianca shook her head adamantly, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her features. “I’m not projecting anything,” she insisted, her voice wavering slightly. “I'm not afraid of anything, either. I'm a friggin' ballerina in New York City for Christ sake...” her voice trailed off, the unspoken fears lingering heavy in the air.

Iseul reached out, placing a comforting hand on Bianca’s arm. “Bianca, listen. Noelle’s not you. She feels things more, she had a lot of compassion for people. I'm not saying you don't!" she held up a finger before Bianca could interrupt. "But... even you've admitted you can be intense, and stressed. And we know how stressed you've been since getting this part --"

"What is your point, Iseul?" Bianca finally asked, "We have like -- ten minutes before we have to be on stage!"

"I know!"

"So get to the fucking point!"

"Don't be so mean to Noelle! And lighten up about Tom," she told her.

Bianca scoffed, "And what does Tom have to do with anything?"

"Noelle told me what you said about him. How he's no good for her? For the record I completely disagree, but... Maybe you think that because you're jealous of her? You're jealous of what they have?" she reasoned gently, “Maybe instead of antagonizing her, you could talk to her. Tell her how you're feeling, truly,”

Bianca hesitated, her emotions a tumultuous storm inside her, “I'm not jealous, Iseul. I'm just... I'm so sick of everything coming so easily to Noelle!” she admitted quietly, her eyes avoiding Iseul’s gaze, “She's got a great body, flawless hair, everybody loves her -- even friggin' Stanis! And why not me? Why can't I be that likeable? Why can't the guy that I like just pay attention to me and not to her?"

Iseul’s heart ached for her friend, seeing the vulnerability beneath Bianca’s facade of strength, “Bianca, of course people like you! We're your friends!” she reassured softly, “But to be honest... you can be really bitchy sometimes, and just really unapproachable. And if that's the way you've been feeling then maybe you should talk to Noelle about it? Just be honest with her! She'll definitely understand!”

"Will she? How could Little Miss Perfect possibly understand?" she rolled her eyes.

Iseul cocked a brow, "What perfect? She gets zits and period cramps just like we do. She farts and burns her food just like us. Her parents are deadbeats who probably don't even give her a second thought. And she had to miss this recital because she got really sick, and you got her part! So really -- how perfect is her life?"

"You're not gonna' guilt me, Iseul!" Bianca snapped, "I worked just as hard for Giselle as she did!"

"I'm not trying to guilt you, Bianca!" Iseul snapped back, "I just want you to chill! You and Noelle have been best friends since kindergarten, and you know she has your back! You don't need to be threatened by her!"

Bianca nodded slowly, her thoughts swirling with conflicting emotions, “I guess so,” she murmured finally, a mixture of resentment and determination simmering beneath the surface.

As they finished preparing for the performance, Bianca’s heart was still heavy with unspoken fears and unresolved feelings. Deep down, she knew she needed to confront the truth she had been avoiding: the fear of losing herself in Noelle's shadow, losing her to someone who might not understand her as deeply as Bianca did. Yet, amidst the swirl of emotions, Bianca clung to her denial, unwilling to admit the jealousy that gnawed at her heart.

Just as the tense silence settled between them, a knock on the dressing room door broke the moment. Startled, Iseul turned to see a delivery person holding a bouquet of vibrant red roses, a card nestled among the blooms.

"I've got a bouquet delivery for Iseul Jeong," he announced. Iseul's surprise was palpable as she accepted the flowers.

"Oh my gosh, thank you!" the delivery man took off with a curt nod and Iseul settled back in her chair, both girls adamant and curious as she read the note.

“Dear Iseul, good luck on your performance tonight! Wish I could be there in person, but I already know you're going to kill it! All the best... your secret admirer? I've got a secret admirer!” Iseul exclaimed softly, her cheeks tinged pink with pleasure.

Bianca’s gaze flickered to the roses, her irritation simmering beneath the surface as she averted her eyes. The timing of the gesture felt like a cruel twist of the knife, a reminder of her own tangled emotions. She busied herself with her makeup, her thoughts a turbulent storm of envy and uncertainty.

As Iseul admired the flowers, a faint smile playing on her lips, Bianca wrestled with her inner turmoil. She knew she needed to confront Noelle, to voice her fears and concerns. Yet, as she watched Iseul’s delighted reaction, a part of her couldn’t help but resent the happiness that seemed just out of her reach.

The auditorium hummed with the low murmur of excited conversations, the anticipation of the upcoming ballet recital palpable in the air. Noelle and her family settled into their seats, Franca fussing with Chiara's hair and trying to fix her slightly smudged makeup. And ever in her teenage angst, Chiara batted her away like a bratty cat. Noelle, however, was only half paying attention. Her eyes kept darting to the illuminated face of her watch, or she would double check that she had her ticket in her purse.

In another part of the campus, Tom was in the final stages of preparing for his performance. The backstage area was a flurry of activity as actors milled about, doing vocal exercises and stretches. Tom adjusted his costume, the stiff collar and unfamiliar fabric feeling both thrilling and constricting.

He glanced at the mirror, taking in the reflection of himself as Boris Trigorin. Excitement bubbled in his chest, mingling with a gnawing apprehension. He could hear snippets of lines and bursts of laughter from his castmates, their warmups filling the air with a kind of chaotic energy. Tom’s fingers tapped nervously against his script, the worn pages a comforting anchor amidst the chaos.

Back in the auditorium, Franca leaned over, her voice coming in a whisper "Are you feeling alright? Do you want to stand up before the show?” Franca’s voice was a soft but frantic hum in the background as Noelle’s gaze flicked to her watch again.

"I'm fine, Franca. Don't worry," Noelle smiled reassuringly.

The house lights dimmed, signaling the start of the performance. Noelle’s heart pounded, not only from the excitement of seeing her friends dance but also from the anticipation of what lay ahead with Tom. She forced herself to focus on the stage as the first notes of the orchestra swelled, the curtains parting to reveal the dancers.

Tom, meanwhile, took a deep breath, the finality of the upcoming performance settling in. He moved to join his fellow actors, feeling the camaraderie as they wished each other luck. The scent of greasepaint and the soft rustle of costumes created a familiar backdrop to his growing nerves.

As the ballet began, Noelle’s eyes flickered between the graceful movements on stage and the persistent ticking of her watch. Her friends twirled and leaped with ethereal beauty, their dedication evident in every precise step. Noelle felt a pang of pride and longing, wishing she could fully immerse herself in the moment but knowing that her mind was already halfway to Tom’s show.

Despite the tremendous music, Maurice could still hear Chiara's nails tapping away over her phone. She was texting furiously. With aloof dismay, he leaned over, his voice barely a whisper as he scolded her, "Put the phone away, Chiara. Security's gonna think you're filming," Chiara sighed dramatically beside them, clearly unimpressed, but Noelle remained oblivious, her thoughts far away.

As Noelle watched Bianca gracefully glide across the stage, her emotions swirled like a tempestuous sea. Pride welled up within her, a fierce joy that threatened to overflow as she witnessed her friend's flawless execution of each pirouette and arabesque. Yet, beneath the surface, a trace of lingering resentment lingered from their recent argument. Despite the saltiness tainting her admiration, Noelle couldn't deny the admiration she felt for Bianca's talent and dedication, her heart swelling with conflicting emotions as she applauded vigorously at the performance's end.

Sunny sat in the dimly lit theatre, his anticipation palpable as he waited for the play to begin. His fingers twitched with nervous energy, but he was anxious as his phone buzzed discreetly in his pocket. Retrieving it, he read the confirmation text: his flower bouquet had been delivered anonymously. The gesture warmed his heart, and he couldn’t suppress a giddy smile as he imagined Iseul's surprise and -- hopefully -- delight. He hoped she wouldn't think she had a crazy stalker or anything. Adjusting in his seat, Sunny glanced around the theatre, his excitement growing as the lights dimmed and the stage came to life.

Tom’s turn on stage was fast approaching. He joined the others in a circle, their whispered encouragements a soothing balm to his nerves. His mind wandered briefly to Noelle, imagining her in the audience, her presence a steadying force. He straightened his costume one last time, taking another deep breath.

As the ballet performance reached its crescendo, Noelle’s eyes met her watch once more. It was almost time. She leaned over to Franca, whispering her plan to slip out quietly. Franca nodded, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

Noelle rose from her seat, her heart pounding with a mix of emotions. She cast one last look at her friends on stage, then slipped out of the auditorium, her steps quickening with purpose.

Tom stood in the wings, the stage lights casting long shadows. The call for his scene came, and he moved forward, his heart racing with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Somewhere out there, he knew Noelle was making her way to support him, and the thought filled him with a surge of confidence.

As he stepped onto the stage, the world seemed to fall away, leaving only the performance and the promise of seeing Noelle after the final bow.

Noelle slowed her pace to a cautious jog, mindful of her surgeon’s warnings against strenuous activity, including running. She focused on reaching the theater without pushing herself too far into discomfort. The new auditorium for the theater kids was more accessible this time, and she navigated towards it with determination, her purse clutched tightly as if afraid her ticket might escape.

Arriving breathless, Noelle found the door attendant in the process of closing up. Her lungs protested the exertion, legs already sore from the brief jog. She managed to catch her breath enough to hand over her ticket, which the attendant glanced at briefly before nodding her through the entrance. The theatre was already dark, the actors already on stage opening up the scene when Noelle ducked in. She skimmed along the wall and finding one in a handful of empty seats in the back row.

Just as she sat down, Tom stepped onto the stage, his heart racing with a mix of nerves and excitement. The auditorium stretched before him, a sea of expectant faces shimmering under the soft glow of stage lights. His gaze flickered across the audience, searching, hoping to catch a glimpse of Noelle.

"In this tranquil setting," he began, his voice steady and resonant, "where the lake whispers secrets to the wind, I find solace in the embrace of nature's beauty."

Marcelline, embodying Nina's youthful admiration, approached him with eagerness, "Boris, tell me of your latest story. Your words weave magic in my mind."

Tom, as Trigorin, smiled warmly at Marcelline, his eyes reflecting the character's depth of experience. "Ah, Nina," he replied, "your enthusiasm is a balm to my soul. I draw inspiration from the simplest of moments, the fleeting whispers of life."

Jordan, portraying Konstantin, interjected with a hint of resentment. "Your stories, Boris, they enchant Nina and the world. But do they speak of truth or mere fantasies?"

Tom met Jordan's gaze, a flicker of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Ah, Konstantin," he mused, "the artist's eternal dilemma. Truth, illusion—perhaps they are two sides of the same coin, perceived differently by each soul."

The other actors, fully immersed in their roles, engaged in a lively discussion that echoed Chekhov's exploration of art and existence. Tom's performance carried the weight of Trigorin's introspective nature, his voice resonating with the character's complexities.

Throughout the scene, Tom's eyes darted to the audience between lines, silently hoping to spot Noelle among them. His performance, a delicate dance of words and emotions, captured the essence of Chekhov's themes while his heart beat in anticipation of her presence.

Noelle sat in the dimly lit auditorium, her gaze fixed on the stage where Tom, transformed into Trigorin, held court with his eloquent words and charismatic presence. The play's dialogue floated through the air, mingling with the soft rustling of the audience and the occasional cough. Yet, for Noelle, all peripheral sounds faded into insignificance as she watched him.

Tom's voice resonated with a depth that captivated her, each word a brushstroke painting vivid images in her mind. His eyes, usually warm and inviting in their everyday encounters, now held a new intensity—a reflection of Trigorin's conflicted soul. She noticed the subtle shifts in his expression, the way he leaned forward in earnest engagement with his fellow actors, and the graceful gestures that punctuated his dialogue.

As Trigorin, Tom embodied a blend of charm and vulnerability that stirred something deep within Noelle. It wasn't just the character he portrayed but the essence of Tom himself, laid bare on stage. She felt drawn to him in ways she hadn't fully acknowledged before, his presence enveloping her thoughts and emotions with an undeniable allure.

In the darkness of the auditorium, surrounded by the unfolding drama and the palpable energy of the performance, Noelle's heart beat in sync with the rhythm of the play. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Tom, each fleeting glance he cast towards the audience igniting a flutter of anticipation in her chest. The distance between them seemed both vast and infinitesimal, a tension she struggled to define yet couldn't deny.

Noelle's fingers curled around the armrest of her seat, her breath catching in moments of poignant dialogue that resonated with her own inner turmoil. She watched Tom with a mixture of admiration and longing, the lines between reality and fiction blurring as she found herself caught in the spell he wove with every word and gesture.

She glanced around the theater, noticing the rapt attention of the audience, but her focus remained on Tom. In that moment, watching him embody Trigorin's complexity, she couldn't deny the magnetic pull he exerted on her heart. Each word, each gesture only deepened her admiration and affection for him.

And then finally, finally, Tom saw her. As his gaze settled on Noelle, a soft smile touched his lips, and he delivered his line with an intensity that resonated with his own emotions:

"Amidst the chaos of life's stage, a solitary figure emerges—a beacon of serenity in a sea of tumult...."

The words carried a dual meaning, echoing both the character's sentiment and his personal recognition of Noelle's presence; a calming presence amidst the nerves and anticipation of the performance. He was doing so well, he was so close and he would be at the end.

On stage, Bianca's movements were fluid and precise, each step echoing the rhythm of the music pulsing through the theater. As she pirouetted and leaped, her eyes occasionally strayed to the audience, seeking a familiar face. Amidst the sea of spectators, she caught sight of Noelle's family—her aunt adjusting her seat, her uncle leaning forward with interest. But Noelle's absence was palpable, a void in the audience that Bianca couldn't help but feel keenly.

A flicker of disappointment crossed her features, mingled with a hint of resentment that tightened her movements, infusing her dance with an unexpected intensity. She pushed through, channeling her emotions into each graceful arc and turn, determined to make her performance memorable despite the absence that weighed on her heart.

The final curtain fell with a hushed finality, the stage bathed in the glow of the overhead lights. The audience erupted into a thunderous standing ovation, hands clapping in unison as cheers filled the air. Backstage, the cast of gathered, their faces glowing with relief and pride. Tom stood among them, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He ran back on stage to take a final bow with his cast mates, so overwhelmed and grateful for the reception.

Amidst the celebration, Tom's gaze found Noelle in the audience. Her eyes sparkled with pride as she clapped enthusiastically, a radiant smile lighting up her face. Their eyes locked briefly, a silent exchange of shared joy and accomplishment passing between them. Tom's heart swelled with happiness, knowing that he had not only impressed the audience but also earned Noelle's admiration.

As the curtain fell and applause thundered through the theater, Tom found himself swept up in a whirlwind of backstage activity. He exchanged quick hugs and high-fives with Marcelline, Jordan, and the rest of the cast, their faces alight with exhilaration and relief. The adrenaline from the performance surged through him, keeping fatigue at bay as they navigated the maze of corridors backstage.

They reached the dressing rooms amidst laughter and excited chatter, the air thick with the lingering euphoria of a successful show. Tom sank into a vanity chair, his legs trembling with lingering nerves and the lingering rush of performing. His costume felt like a second skin, a reminder of the character he had just inhabited, and he couldn't help but replay moments of the play in his mind.

"Tom! Group photo!" Marcelline's voice broke through his reverie, pulling him back to the present. He pushed himself up with a smile, joining the cast for a photo that captured their shared triumph. Flashbulbs popped as they posed, their faces still flushed with the heat of the performance.

As the theater buzzed with post-show excitement, Tom stood near his dressing room, scanning the crowd with anticipation. Amidst the throng of well-wishers and fellow actors, he spotted Sunny weaving through the crowd, a wide grin plastered on his face. Sunny approached with his characteristic exuberance, arms outstretched in a gesture of camaraderie.

"Mate!" Sunny exclaimed, pulling Tom into a quick but heartfelt hug, "You killed it out there! Seriously, the whole audience was eating it up."

Tom laughed, returning Sunny's embrace briefly before pulling back to meet his friend's enthusiastic gaze. "Really?"

"Yeah! Fuck'n move over, Dicaprio!" Sunny clapped Tom on the shoulder, nodding towards the dispersing crowd, "You were incredible. And hey," he added with a wink, "I reckon someone else agrees with me," Sunny nodded subtly towards the hallway where Noelle stood, her presence a beacon amidst the backstage chaos.

Tom followed Sunny's gaze, his heartbeat quickening at the sight of her. Noelle's eyes met his across the room, her smile radiant and genuine. She approached them with a grace that seemed to quiet the bustling energy around them, her focus solely on Tom.

Noelle moved gracefully through the bustling crowd, her steps echoing just behind Tom's. As she approached, a rush of excitement and pride filled her chest. When Tom turned to face her, she couldn't contain her joy. With a playful squeak, she threw her arms around him, feeling his warm embrace as he lifted her off her feet for a brief moment. His presence, neroli oil mixed with the faint scent of his costume, enveloped her, filling her senses with a blend of musk and the lingering energy of the performance.

"Oh my gosh, Tom!" she murmured against his shoulder, her voice barely above a whisper but filled with sincerity, "You were incredible!"

He chuckled softly, "Thank you, Noelle," he replied, his breath warm against her hair, "I'm so happy you could make it!"

"I wouldn't miss it for anything," she said softly, her fingers brushing lightly against his as they stood close together, "You're always worth the wait,"

Tom's smile widened, his gaze softening as he squeezed her hand gently, "And you make every moment special," he replied, his voice filled with quiet sincerity.

In that fleeting moment, amid the buzz of the crowd and the shared euphoria of the evening, Noelle felt a comforting warmth envelop her. As she locked eyes with Tom, a silent giddiness passed between them, a taste of whatever adventures lay ahead for them for the night...

[edutainer2022]

There's a bit of headcanon backstory of Scott's disastrous trainwreck of a lovelife I always kinda mean to write out (shout out to @janetm74 and @liseylou!). So it features here. Gordon watches celebrity news. Fischler's brother (of all people!) gets married. Nothing goes as planned. Scott is NOT having a good time. Nor has he been for a while. Bereznik gets mentioned. An OC that might be relevant later gets mentioned. The GDF units I think may have IR on the radar get mentioned. Scott has great brothers and good friends. He's still not having a good time.

PAGE SIX

Ever since Kat Kavanaugh buried a hatchet and wasn't chasing conspiracy theories about them on Global Holovision anymore, watching the news live was a once in a blue moon activity in Casa Tracy. They followed the major world events through John and Eos (maybe a bit of social media on a relatively quiet morning), and they were likely to be part of those in some capacity at least a third of the times. Sometimes a half. But it was one of those days. A relative lull in rescues compiled with the exhaustion of the previous fortnight streak of disasters bred mildly numb boredom. Batteries too low to pursue their usual hobbies, they gravitated to the lounge.

Scott was ever at the desk with holo screens full of quarterly budget reports, because their biggest brother did stock market numbers for LEISURE, apparently. Virgil was playing, as usual, but the music was slowly fading to a halt. Alan was gaming, or pretending to be while napping, his VR goggles on. Kayo was going through some specs, half leaning on the couch cushions. Even John was in a quiet lull up in orbit, his hologram just bobbing at the comms unit, hanging out with everybody, but not really a part of any conversation. That left Gordon scrolling lazily through newsreels. The sudden yelp sent Alan tumbling on the floor and Scott at least half an inch closer to a cardiac arrest under thirty. A keen observer would have noticed Kayo reaching for a knife in the ankle holster. The piano music keened on an abrupt note and stopped. Several pairs of VERY unamused eyes stared Gordon down.

The Fish was on his feet already, bursting with excitement, sending the news holo to the center of the lounge.

"Did you guys know Fischler has a brother?!?!"

The assorted grumps and groans across the lounge indicated that they not only didn't know, but weren't in the least thrilled by that information. Only John and Kayo shared a quiet look, because OF COURSE they would know.

Gordon surveyed the lounge in triumph, setting the stage for a punchline.

"He has a brother and he's getting married!"

"Who, Fischler?"

Alan was still scrambling up from his hardwood landing and making a show of rubbing an ouchie. Scott at least looked ready to switch gears to the full "hurt brother!" mode. Gordon was not deterred.

"No, dummy, not Fischer! His brother is getting married!"

"And that's any of our business how?"

Alan was still not ready to relinquish attention from his boo-boo. Not with so many big brothers in attendance. But John, Kayo and Virgil were already sharing concerned LOOKS. Any widely publicized event with cameras rolling and hundreds in attendance, involving Fischler, could potentially turn into a showcase of his latest "invention", or ten. Which would mean potential casualties and work for IR. They would need to be on the look-out and on standby. Scott waved at the comm to get the volume up.

The holo displayed a close pic of a younger and significantly more polished version of Langstrom Fischler, hair sleecked back, but a weaselly smile just a tad on the manic side. The celebrity news anchor was gushing about a "dashing fresh face on the World Senate, a philanthropist and patron of innovation, a devoted brother and a consummate athlete, setting off to be a force of a positive change in the world" and "his drop dead gorgeous fiancée, a once Miss Brazil runner-up, who dedicated herself to the selfless life of service, decorated for honor and courage". The picture on the screen changed for an official GDF snapshot of a tall young brunette in dress blues. The insignia on the collar indicated the rank of Captain and breastplanks - several high ranking awards for valor. The picture changed to a series of candid paparazzi snaps of the "happy couple". The show host droned on with one corny cliche after another about the "match made of dreams" and a " high profile dream wedding" scheduled to take place on a cozy remote island.

Gordon interrupted the stream of saccharine platitudes:

"Huh? How come we're not invited? Scott, you know like everyone in the World Senate!"

But his voice was drowned out by the deafening snap of the metal stylus, broken in Scott's fingers. The sound of the desk chair hitting the floor, as Scott stood up and all but ran from the lounge, was even louder.

"Huh?!"

Gordon, yet again, surmised the bewilderment of everyone present. Virgil was half out to follow Scott, when a ping came through on Gordon's comm. The sign flashed pink.

"Yay! Looks like I'm going after all! Penny needs a plus one! John, can I borrow your tux?!"

John half waved his brother off, brows furrowed and hands already flying over invisible files, when another pink ping came through. It was Kayo's turn for a "Huh?" moment.

"Looks like Penny needs a plus two, as well. I'm invited".

That deflated Gordon's initial excitement enough to notice Virgil leaving in the general direction of Dad's office, where Scott had locked himself. Before he reached the door to try and reason with big brother to talk about... whatever that was, John sent two files to his comm. One - a picture they all saw a hundred times on Dad's desk back in Kansas, but it didn't compute out of context. Scott's Airgroup Wing after a training flight. All hugging and laughing, still in flightsuits. Scott and the girl from the news today - Fischler Jr.'s fiancée - at the center. The other Virgil never saw before. It would figure since it was a screenshot from, what he recognized with some dread, was Dad's old phone. There was a picture sent to a private chat with Dad of the same girl, in a sundress, and Scott in a polo shirt, apparently both on leave. An almost ten years younger Scott was smiling like he could power up a sun. The message to Dad read "SHE SAID YES!!!". The date of the message indicated about a month and a half before Scott's mission to Bereznik. Virgil sank to the floor, leaning on the wall, never going through with the knock on the locked office door.

***

It was such an unbelievable cliché it felt surreal. The thunderstorm, the lightning, the lash of downpour across his face. Then again, it was fitting, as his world was going crashing down around him. Yet again. There was nothing surreal about the hard edges of Mom's ring she just gave him back. For about six weeks he was the happiest man alive. Dad's IR project was well underway, and he was to share that dream not only with Dad and brothers, but with the love of his life. He should have known better... The words were real too - hard and ruthless. About Dad yanking his leash, and expecting nothing but dutifully following in his footsteps and his vision, concealed by his looming shadow, and giving up what they both dreamed about and worked so hard for - test flights, command ranks, career in service. The echo came back to him often, in one dark hour or another, after his world shattered to pieces yet another time. Dad voiced his reservations clearly, but did agree to give him Mom's ring. "When you know, you know". Wasn't it how he and Mom got married? It WAS too soon, they WERE too young, and frateenization within a unit WAS an issue, but with IR lifting off that wasn't to be a problem, once he told her the full scale of the classified project. He should have known better...

He last remembered the ring yanked off his neck with the dogtags chain by a smirking Berezniki guard. He put up a hell of a fight for that and was beaten within an inch of his life. The first time. Next time he found it, inexplicably, in Dad's safe on the island, after the search for Zero-X was called off. He meant to ask Kyrano, as he wasn't conscious or coherent enough for the extraction op, or for months after, but the man never returned his calls anymore, sending in a resignation after half a year of following leads on the Hood. There wasn't much room in his mind or hours in his days to give it more thought for years after. Or more pieces for his heart to break into. He should have known better. And now she was getting married. To someone bright and promising, changing the world for the better, who wasn't him. He should have known better as well. The sound of glass shattering against the wall and a visceral scream finally sent Virgil in, wild-eyed, breaking past the lock.

***

John lifted an eyebrow in a perfect quizzical arch, putting the tablet down, as the "wedding party" poured, or rather, limped into the lounge. Gordon's tuxedo sleeve was torn clear off, his bowtie, undone, served as a makeshift tourniquet. Parker sported cuts, bruises and a glorious shiner. Penelope's elaborate updo was in disarray, one heel of a golden pump broken. Kayo's slip dress hem was torn, exposing a garter holster. As John hurried to the kitchen for the first aid kit, he heard her hiss something to the effect of "You should have seen the other guys".

The villa was quiet. Grandma had Alan on the mainland for the weekend. Virgil chased Scott up the volcano. There was a good chance biggest brother and his stormy mood was best quarantined at the Round House for the rest of the day. John was waiting in the lounge for the fallout, one way or another. He wasn't quite prepared to the sight on display, handing out ice packs.

Gordon hissed too and bit off a curse, as John set about cleaning the bullet graze on his arm.

"Pen, do all your friends whip out a standard issue gun at the altar and read the groom Miranda rights instead of vows?"

Lady Penelope was busy trying to look poised while breaking the second heel off a designer pump, to make them even.

"It was a deep undercover mission to round up a drug and slave trafficking ring. A destination wedding was a most fortunate venue for the occasion."

Kayo looked up from the kitchen isle at that, not pausing to stop extracting a considerable arsenal of throw-knives from her bodice.

"Looks like the Fischler brothers were bankrolled by mafia. The crazy inventions AND the World Senate election. In exchange for some... perks."

Kayo snorted and went back to her inventory of weapons.

Gordon perked up as the anesthetic cream kicked in and forgot to NOT wave the injured hand around to assist his narrative.

"It was actually kinda cool! The bride barked out "Hands up!" instead of "I do"! The bridesmaids all dropped their bouquets and brandished guns. The bridal party were all Organized Crime and Counterterrorism. Well, and us... A little  heads up wouldn't have hurt, Penny. Then all hell broke loose. Rose petals and confetti everywhere. You should have seen Fischler's face!"

Gordon was nearly flailing with excitement, so John's hands pushed him mildly back into the seat. Turquoise eyes found Penelope's line of sight:

"So... no wedding?"

"No wedding indeed."

Up on the Tracy Volcano Virgil's comm vibrated, switched to silent mode hours ago. John's message read "No wedding."

Virgil exhaled a sigh, but didn't yet know how to break the subject with a brother, seated next to him on the sun-warmed boulder, overlooking the ocean. Blue eyes were fixed on a point far away in the distance, or maybe far away in the past, Scott still wouldn't talk about.

[rachelfoleyisntdead]

Thoughts on MK1

I'm going to try to go in chronological order, and I might miss something and make another post about it later but let's gooooo (obviously spoilers below).

I think the first half of the story is really good. Yes, it relies very heavily on tropes, but they serve the story well and work.

I love that Outworld is a matriarchal society and that Sindel is the ruling Empress, not the Emperor's consort. Not a huge fan that everything is also based on nepotism/everyone inheriting their position from their family. Apparently meritocracy does not exist in Outworld and I get the vibe that this is in fact by Liu Kang's design.

I don't like what a hypocrite Liu Kang is. He says everyone is 'free to choose peace' but literally all of the characters have had their lives manipulated in an attempt to force this 'peace'. But we're supposed to condemn anyone who doesn't like that. Yeah, honestly--Shang Tsung and Bi-Han are valid, I'll say it.

Which brings us to Bi-Han. Oh, Bi-Han. I really want to give him a cough drop, his throat must be so sore from gargling gravel all day (I say this lovingly). I actually don't hate Bi-Han's heel turn, I just think it needed more build up. It could've worked really well if we had spent more time with Bi-Han first. I'm probably going to make a longer post about this.

I do like the new Syzoth a lot… but he's a bit much. He's really on the edge of being a Wattpad OC with how tragic and pretty he is, his whole 'saddest boy in the world' thing. Immediately offering to just die made me cringe. But, you know, hopefully he'll have fun in Earthrealm with Ashrah and Kung Lao and chill out a bit.

Baraka's whole story slaps. It's easily the best part. It is tragic, but not overdone, it's over all really great. No complaints about that at all, I just wish there was more. But maybe we'll get a Baraka expansion where they do more about the Tarkat.

Ashrah is… not as good as she could be. I love her design, love her fighting style, love her story in general and LOVE that she's here. But uh… are we not gonna talk about how she thinks killing other demons to purify herself is fine? This feels like a bug when it should be a feature. I really want them to explore this, there's so much potential here. This will also be a longer post at some point.

Shang Tsung is that bitch. Love him. 11/10 SLAY FACTOR off the charts. NRS gave the people what they want. So glad he's our villain and not Kronika. God, that smirk. What a guy.

Megan's delivery is bad, but I don't think it's entirely her fault. People should've told her. And they shouldn't have given her a character that was so serious. She works very well with a sort of dry humor, they should've played to her strengths instead of… just letting that situation happen. Cut her some slack.

Why are Liu Kang/Kitana and Hanzo/Harumi being pushed as the 'tragic lovers separated in every timeline' when that's Bi-Han and Sareena??? Like. yeah. I'm biased. But Harumi was not even a character, and Liu Kang and Kitana were not tragically separated, they were together all the time??? They ruled the Netherrealm together??? I don't get it.

I really like how story mode acts as an origin story for some of the characters and you 'unlock' their powers. I also LOVE how they used it to tease new cosmetics.

Love it when they said the thing. "mortal kombat", "deadly alliance", "armageddon" yes yes yes.

Also loved when Johnny made call backs to the OG timelines, ie "the flesh pits". Johnny really is perfect for that.

Johnny and Kung Lao are perfect.

Kuai Liang and Tomas are such daddy's boys and I hate it for them. This will probably be expanded on in the Bi-Han post but shut. the fuck. up. about. your. dad. I hope Kuai Liang never becomes grand master. I'm so sorry Kuai Liang fans, but this version of him is NOT it.

Smoke using his power to levitate up the wall was unintentionally hilarious. Especially since he didn't use it to break his fall. Bro???

Everyone in the game kinda easy to lie to/convince, but this might be a feature. Liu Kang sorta 'raised' everyone to be guileless and kneecapped the development of anyone who might be manipulative. I'll let it pass but honestly, I don't think Liu Kang needed to provide 'proof' of anything.

The entire royal family needs to apologize to Li Mei right fucking now, I am so serious. They continually did her dirty when she was nothing but loyal, and questioned her even when she was saying shit Kitana already knew (that the thing with Earthrealm was a misunderstanding). Apology, or Li Mei enters her villain era. Fuck y'all.

Basically, Li Mei, Shang Tsung, Bi-Han and Baraka get to do whatever they want as far as I'm concerned. Everyone else, I'm keeping an eye on. Oh wait, no. Kung Lao can have rights too, bc he's hilarious. Yall stop sleeping on him.

Anyway, that's my takes, I'm sure I'll have more thoughts. Overall, story mode was actually great, and I think there's a lot they can build on for DLC or even course correct, so I'm excited to see where that goes. If yall want to know my thoughts on a specific plot point or character, feel free to hit up my asks, love to make long posts about this stuff.

[typicalarkhamknight]

MK11 intros

warning: sexually implied, curse words, violence mentioned.

Doing a little Mortal kombat writing heheh.. also this is just fanfiction, not canon lol. You can drop Y/N ocs suggestions if you like!

character: Y/N is another Lin Kuei of the clan. Well, a samurai Lin Kuei. Before he were born, a Lin Kuei ninja married a female samurai from japan. The mother d!ed in childbirth, so the father used her katana as his own weapon, to serve Lin Kuei and to protect his son. When he fell in battle, the young Y/N inherited the blade. Kuai Liang raised Y/N as his own son, making him a better warrior fit to be the first Lin Kuei samurai in history. Y/N also has a deep connection with the katana, he always hears his mother's voice while wielding the blade. He has cryomancer abilties.. just not the same as everyone in his clan. Without his mother's katana, he can't do cryomancing abilities. When he does, the katana inherits cryomancing abilties, can be turned into a frost weapon much like Kuai Liang's frost sword in MKX. (He and Takeda also had a friendly rivalry. Like a resemblance of Sub-Zero vs Scorpion, but kombat kids).

PART 1.

CASSIE CAGE

Cassie Cage: I know you're useless without that magical sword of yours.

Y/N: (Smirked cockily) For me, it is quite the opposite.

Cassie Cage: Well run it, B*tch.

—

Y/N: Has anyone ever tell you you're a great leader?

Cassie Cage: (Chuckles) Well am I?

Y/N: No.

—

Cassie Cage: Aren't you the guy who's heart's supposed to be.. "cold"?

Y/N: Yet my heart burns when I see you.

Cassie Cage: Oh get a load of this guy..

—

Y/N: I seek Takeda Takahashi for a rematch with him.

Cassie Cage: Aw, couldn't you just spar with me instead?

Y/N: Later, woman.

—

Cassie Cage: Say hi to your mom for me!

Y/N: She says hi, mother. (The katana glows and makes a noise of appreciation)

Cassie Cage: Aw..

—

Y/N: You're father is getting a wrong idea of us, Cassandra.

Cassie Cage: Oh. Wait— so who are we, exactly?

Y/N: That's a question you must answer.

—

Y/N: Your mother told me about bob.

Cassie Cage: Ugh. First, tell her it's Dylan. And second, why do you care?

Y/N: I can treat you better..

JOHNNY CAGE

Johnny Cage: Are you sure you and Cassie aren't.. keeping a secret from us? (Raised brow and smirked)

Y/N: You've kept many of your porn tapes secret.

Johnny Cage: Ah. (nodded) Soooo.. does that mean you have a secret with her too?

—

Y/N: Look.. whatever you think it was, it's NOT what you think, Mr Cage.

Johnny Cage: You two are like Harry and Sally, brings a tear in my eye.

Y/N: ... Fucking cold winds of hell.

—

Johnny Cage: Marry Cassie and be hollywood royalty.

Y/N: I love the offer, but I don't need becoming "royalty" to prove I am the greatest.

Johnny Cage: Just trust me bro.

—

Y/N: Making new movies, Mr. Cage?

Johnny Cage: When I'm done with the sequel.. you, my friend, are V.I.P.

Y/N: That isn't so bad..

—

Johnny Cage: Y'know you remind me of Sonya. (Chuckles) you got her grumpiness.

Y/N: Is that good or bad..?

Johnny Cage: Well friend.. you tell me.

—

Y/N: Earthrealm's mightiest champion.

Johnny Cage: Mini-Blueberry ice.

Y/N: Another disgrace.

—

Johnny Cage: Tell your mom I said hi.

Y/N: He says hi, mother. (Katana glows a bit of energy, just not the same energy with Cassie)

Johnny Cage: Ah, she loves me.

SONYA BLADE

Sonya Blade: Johnny's having theories about you.

Y/N: And all of them aren't true.

Sonya Blade: I'll find out.

—

Y/N: You're the mother I never had.

Sonya Blade: I don't mind adopting a grown man.

Y/N: I know that meant "recruiting more young blood".

—

Sonya Blade: You fight your mother in your dreams?

Y/N: It is called "training".

Sonya Blade: Sounds like she and I are the same.

—

Y/N: You know, I have never felt so intimidated by a woman before..

Sonya Blade: Maybe because you haven't met one until now.

Y/N: A deservedly low blow, Mrs Blade.

—

Sonya Blade: You have potential of being a part of Special Forces.

Y/N: I belong to the Lin Kuei, they're my family.

Sonya Blade: Special Forces will be your family when you suck it up.

—

Y/N: Let me tell you, I've never had any mutual connections with your daughter.

Sonya Blade: She spends time with you more than she did with others, including her friends!

Y/N: To be fair, I AM far more superior than them.

—

Sonya Blade: Kuai Liang didn't teach you hard enough.

Y/N: What makes you think you're better than him?

Sonya Blade: Here's your first lesson, Y/N.

[shaanks]

2-24 even for Shanks 💕

Oh my goodness, thank you bby!! Y'all are gonna hear about Shanks today lmfao. Most of this is gonna be under a readmore bc I've never been able to be succinct but here we goooooo!

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

I love how careful he is about when and how he flexes all that power he has. It was meant to be very on the nose when we were introduced to him via Luffy in the very beginning of the series, but like. His little episode on Whitebeard's ship seemed like he had conqueror's haki out of control, but it was a very purposeful flex, if for nothing else than to show that he took approaching another Yonko seriously. Or the way he chose to handle Greenbull at the end of Wano. Sure it was hard to the new folks on his crew to handle exposure so suddenly, but he sent that like 50 miles out from the ship and hit that jerk in the heart with it. And never even raised his voice about it. Idk I think his restraint and how it manifests is a really interesting part of his characterization.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

it's probably on my mind bc of Bernard Hill's recent passing, but I think Shanks would do so well and have a grand old time being elusive and mysterious in Lord of the Rings lmfao. He's got that Aragorn quality of could be in his 20s could be in his 40s who knows, he and Gandalf would probably get a kick out of each other, he'd fucking love the hobbits I am telling you this. (he also, I am very afraid, has that Aragorn quality of 'doomed by the narrative just not quite yet,' but we'll see.)

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

this is hard, I think he's a much more complex and interesting person than I am for the most part, but like. I think it's safe to say he'd mostly rather diffuse a situation than have it become serious when the latter is avoidable, and I am that way too. If the situation is already serious and requires a throw down response that's a different matter, but if we can avoid a serious fight in favor of a little tussle and some drinks, that'd be the way he'd go, and I agree.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

take this one with a grain of salt bc I mostly try not to yuck anyone's yum or argue about differing headcanons, but I really do not fucking like the like. scumbag/villain!Shanks thing that seems to have a semi-popular following. some of that is personal bias, as I think he is a warm, good person who is doing his best, but it also kind of feels like a betrayal of the narrative for him. which I realize is funny coming from the "everything is made up including the source material" guy but here we are. there was a period a few months ago where people were basically just writing him as OP Toji and it made me want to pull all my hair out.

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

absolutely, I adore him, I think he's right about a lot of things, our ethics tend to line up where it matters, I think he's funny and would be fun to be around, he listens well and is a warm and compassionate person. I really like him and we'd get along really well I think. (mostly probably through the lens of my OC bc I'm not like. terribly convinced of my actual in person IRL likeability but in theory, absolutely yes.)

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

I've written about it a little before, but I think the reason he let Buggy go without telling him what Roger talked to him about after the execution wasn't because he didn't want Buggy with him anymore or didn't believe he had what it took to complete that mission, but so that Buggy would have a chance to forge his own way and have his own life. Doing what Roger asked necessitated Shanks--who was widely regarded as having the potential to be the next big legend--to drop out of the running almost entirely. He picked up his crew, he made a name for himself, he became the youngest person (at the time) to gain the title of Yonko, but he also spent a decent amount of time having to like. Lay low on beaches and dick around in the East Blue and play balance keeper and chess master until the man Roger was waiting for appeared. There are more spoilery additions to this that I'll leave out for now but yeah. I think he knew Buggy had all that same potential, and wanted to give him an opportunity to strike out on his own adventure without living in that shadow or carrying their mentor's ghost around.

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

oh take this one with a grain of salt too idk that I know any of the terms correctly lmfao but he's very like. when I picture boho in my mind that seems very him. a lot of linens a lot of light flowy breathable clothes. It's pirate!Boho obviously but like. The man is out there wearing birkenstocks as we speak js.

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

same standard issue disclaimer as the fandom stuff I don't like, this isn't to yuck anyone's yum, follow your bliss what people ship isn't my business, these are just the ones I personally do not like. shankslu is at the forefront, but I don't really do shanksbenn either?? a LOT of captains and first mates in this series read that way to me but those two don't for me.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

I actually really enjoy his dynamic with Marco. There are some interesting pieces of shared history there but overall the like. Friendly ribbing, amiable hanging out and willingness to cooperate between two of my faves is always very nice to see. c:

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

oh please I think he'd think Sabo was a ton of fun. I know there's an age difference there that makes peership a little different than between the other mid-40s dudes he usually hangs out with, but think about it. Two very powerful people who are carrying the weight of part of this new era on their shoulders, who have a habit of just sort of fucking off out of the narrative and doing things as they please within their own personal parameters, who will just get up and obliterate a guy when that's what the situation calls for? Funny, weird, intelligent guys that love Luffy, believe in him, and want whats best for him? Even if they weren't besties, I think there's a lot of fun overlap for general friendship there.

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

something I like: when people recognize that all that soft puppy silly goofy guy exterior, while sincerely part of him, is something that he makes the decision to externalize every day, and is sat atop a deep well of like. sadness and responsibility. there are a lot of people doing a very good job making him a romantic dopey nightmare man without sacrificing that silliness or his intelligence and sense of personal responsibility.

something I don't like: when people start a fic with the disclaimer "Shanks is in here but I hate him lol so he's a lil ooc 🤭🤪" and then he's like. not only ooc but just someone's ex boyfriend or doflamingo or just off-screen doing heinous shit for no reason. Writing a character you hate: can be fun and compelling! I fucking hate Doflamingo, for example, but as a narrative device, as a villain? bar none one of the best and most interesting. Writing a character you hate with the intention of doing a shit job because you hate them? dumb, annoying, and a waste of everyone's time. why include someone you don't want to write about lmfao just pick a different character and be done.

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

i'm drawing a blank, I'm going to be real with you. Like, I can think of a ton of mentor characters, but they don't really remind me of him. I can think of a bunch of like. guardian of the new era characters, that still don't super remind me of him. I think again i've got LOTR on the brain rn but the like. Fellowship of the Ring Aragorn is the closest I'm coming up with and even that's mostly in terms of like. the gentle mentorship of the hobbits, the offbeat sense of humor, and that dedication to a responsibility that he might have been scared to face. IDK. Shanks is a pretty unique guy to me. I'm sure I'm gonna sit bolt upright at 3 AM with a list of 20 people that fit the bill but rn it simply isn't clicking lmfao.

And there we have it!!! My (mostly) comprehensive analysis of Shanks, for you my dear friend. Thank you so much for asking!!!

[skellymom]

"Vagabonds" Chapter 3 "Co-conspirators"

Ongoing fanfic Hunter x Reader/Fem Reader/OC

Hunter meets a smuggler Nomaadi Star Woman with a powerful force sensitive teen who changes the trajectory of CF-99's lives...as they ALL try to escape from The Empire together.

Link to Chapter 2: https://www.tumblr.com/skellymom/728315714878980096/background-hunter-and-mad-bond-make-love-and?source=share

ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜰɪᴄ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴꜱ ɴꜱꜰᴡ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ 18+ ᴅɴɪ

Word Count: 670 (Went REALLY short this time!)

Background: Hiding evidence, meeting a new supporting character. My apologies, this is a connecting chapter and while not super exciting, I think it's sexy cute/bit angsty.

Warning: Nudity, mentions of sex/making love, Hunter fluff, OC angst.

(Credit: Cool moving star dividers by @4ngelic-wh1spers )

Recap: The wooden settee collapsed, having broken in several places, dumping them both onto the rug underneath. 

Hunter and Mad laid there shocked for a few seconds. 

“FUCK!  Cid’s going to have my ass for this!!!” 

Mad howled in maniacal laughter.   

“Not funny.”  Hunter scowled.  “She really hates me.” 

“We break it up, burn it in the bonfire, and remove the evidence.  Then just say we never saw it. We aren’t the only ones who have used The Oasis.  You stick to your story, and I stick to mine.  Nobody drops the dime on each other, and we might just get away with it.” 

Hunter looked at Mad like she lost her mind. 

“Trust me.  I've known Cid a lot longer than you have.  We can do this.” 

“Thought you both were friendly or...business associates?” 

“Ooh Hunter, my sweet summer Hunk” Mad playfully booped his nose “NOBODY is Cid’s friend.  She will do you, I or anyone dirty given the chance.  Don’t trust her too much.  She’s convenient in small, occasional doses.” 

Hunter sighed heavily and gazed down at the broken settee. It was going to be a very long night. 

Surprisingly Mad was the first to awaken. Usually, Hunter awoke with the rising sun, however, last night’s activities wore him out. He slept peacefully in Mad’s embrace, snoring soundly. They both smelled of dried sweat, sex, and smoke. The ashes in the firepit from the burned settee occasionally stirred with the gentle morning breeze. The only evidence of their shared conspiracy.  

Stretching her arms and legs out from under the blanket, Mad groaned quietly, then embraced Hunter again. She gazed down at him, marveling at how the morning sunlight illuminated his hair, the tattoo on his face, his dark skin. He seemed like such a sweet man. But she didn’t want to get her hopes up that last night would be any more than two people temporarily coupling to quell their inner pain. He was too handsome to stay with one person. He could have anyone he wanted. Candy coated trouble, potentially a bittersweet heartbreak. She steeled herself to be content with what she had last night. Nothing more. Don’t get too attached. 

Mad could hear stirring down below on the street. People getting up and starting their day.   

A familiar voice called up to the Oasis. “Good morning, Love Birds!” cackling. That guy...again? The drunk from last night. Mad had to get a good look at this character. She carefully slid out from under the covers, grabbed her shirt and slipped it on, parting the potted plants to gaze over the wall to the street below. 

A skinny, disheveled man with stringy hair and a beard gazed back up at her and waved. He was coated in dirt and trash. Had she been closer, she would have guessed he might have...a smell. “Hey pretty lady.” 

“Don’t you sleep?” she sassed him. “Go home!” 

“I am home. This IS my home.” He gestured at the trash piles on the street that were set out for pickup. “How can you expect me to sleep with you and your boyfriend being so noisy?” He smiled innocently. 

Mad intended to tell him what a dirty old Gill-Goat he was when a hand suddenly cupped her bare bottom. She screamed in shock and whirled around. 

Hunter stood there buck naked and grinning.  

“Ohh, you HAVE to stop doing THAT! You’re lucky I don’t have my blaster handy.” 

“No pants, no blaster, no worries.” Hunter smirked. He put his arms around Mad and pulled her close. “Who's the stinky guy hitting on you? His funk woke me up from a sound sleep.” 

“The drunk from last night. Hey...” Mad half turned to look down at the street below. The man was gone. Disappeared into thin air. “Where’d he go?” 

“Mmmm...convenient. Won’t hear your screams of ecstasy when I make passionate love to you again.” Hunter teased. With that he picked Mad up, slung her over his shoulder and took her back to bed. 

Pedro says: Please like, comment, AND REBLOG, ya sexy bitch!

To read Chapter 4

https://www.tumblr.com/skellymom/730320896366149632/vagabonds-chapter-4?source=share

[dianamoth]

Hello are you going to make another Naurto fanfic. I love all the ones you done so far

Hello,

I'm glad you like them. Thank you for letting me know. ♥

I'm currently low on writing juice, but I started a new project some time ago. It's about a disabled OC!Senju potentially paired with Minato and Shikaku.

I might as well share an excerpt here to see if it interests people and in turn motivates me to write more, otherwise, it will just stay in my drafts uselessly...

Follow the Minato by clicking on the "keep reading", and don't forget to leave feedback if you want more!

Inoichi threw himself on the free chair more than he sat, the wooden legs squeaking on the pavement.

“Did you hear?” he asked his friends with an excited face which meant he had a juicy piece of gossip to share.

The three jounin looked at him with amusement for his antics.

“Some of us barely woke up yet,” Shikaku drawled from his place against the wall, his chin propped up in his palm. To his credit, he had come back from a mission in the middle of the night and it was just noon.

“Do share, Inoichi, it looks like good news,” Minato added, smiling.

“And we certainly do need more of those,” Chouza agreed while serving himself generously among the dishes spread on the table.

“The Senju are organizing a courting trial!”

Shikaku deigned to look up from his food to stare at Inoichi in disbelief. “That old tradition? People still do that?”

Inoichi glanced surreptitiously around them to make sure that no one was paying too much attention to them, but the restaurant was depressingly empty (an ongoing war would do that to businesses).

“I heard from a reliable source that it’s done to, let’s say, deter a few unsavory characters from the courted party.”

“Damn it, Inoichi, just drop the names already,” Shikaku muttered.

“Fine! You really have no taste for mystery, Shikaku. I’m saying that Senju Airin claimed she wanted a courting trial when Danzou tried to arrange her marriage with his nephew.”

“Ew,” Chouza said. “Shimura Daiki? What a nasty piece. I wouldn’t wish him on any of my clanswomen… nor the sweet Airin. Well played if she dodged that bullet.”

“He could still complete the trial,” Minato pointed out.

Chouza sniffed in disdain. “I don’t pretend to know Airin-san very well, but she’s smart enough to find some trials too difficult for him to complete. Probably something that requires more than two neurons rubbed together.”

“Wow, tell us what you think of the guy, Chouza, would you?” Inoichi laughed. “As a matter of fact, the first trial is a game of go against the lady herself.” He wiggled his eyebrows toward Shikaku, to the others’ amusement and Shikaku’s exasperation.

“No, I’m not entering a courting trial just because it involves go,” Shikaku groused, throwing a wooden pick at his friend. “But back up would you? Why does Danzou want his nephew to marry that girl?”

“She’s two years older than us,” Chouza provided helpfully in between two bites.

“Alright, fine. Woman. What makes her so special?”

“Apart from being the only Senju woman of childbearing age left in Konoha, you mean?” Inoichi asked, finally realizing he was hungry and grabbing a plate of skewers.

“Yes, apart from that.”

“The Senju clan has been declared endangered,” Minato piped up while Inoichi was busy finally eating. “It means that any new member of the clan, spouse or children, receives financial aid.”

“And…” Inoichi adds with a shit-eating grin. “There are rumors…”

“Of course, there are,” Shikaku muttered.

“... that Senju Airin has got Mokuton abilities!”

“Bullshit,” Shikaku immediately denied, throwing his hands up. “Rumors? If she had Mokuton abilities, she would have been heralded as the Shodai’s reincarnation or something. Everyone would know about it.”

“The decision to keep it secret could have been made to protect her,” Minato suggested, always ready to play the devil’s advocate. 

“She wasn’t the best fighter, even before being injured in combat,” Chouza admitted. “You don’t put a target on the back of someone who can't handle it.”

“How injured?”

“Her ankle was smashed by an Iwa nin. The articulation was so badly injured that not even Tsunade-hime could completely heal it. I saw her recently in the streets, she walks with a terrible limp. She uses a cane, most often.”

Shikaku hummed. “Well, I never heard of her. What does she even look like? Compared to Tsunade-hime, how—”

Minato kicked him under the table so sharply that Shikaku hissed in pain, scowling at his friend before following his eyes to the door. A young woman was stepping in, walking with a limp and a cane. 

“Are you kidding—” Shikaku whispered under his breath before quieting when it became clear the woman was walking toward their table.

She had the same doe eyes as Tsunade-hime, but that’s where the likeness stopped. Her long wavy hair was light brown. Her skin was tanned, far from the blond’s fair skin. Where Tsunade was slim and relatively short, this one was plump and tall. Their chest size might compare, but with the modest layers she wore, it was hard to tell. Also, she wore pink, and she had freckles. He would have never imagined they were related.

“For the record, the window is open, and you have the discretion of Jiraiya-san near an onsen.”

To all his friends’ relief and bafflement, Chouza burst into laughter and stood up to greet the newcomer, breaking the awkwardness that had descended upon them.

“Airin-san! It has been too long!” He opened his arms, and Airin accepted the bear hug more gracefully than any other non-Akimichi. 

Shikaku sighed as he caught up. Between Airin's coloring and body shape, and Chouza’s familiarity with her, they had to be related.

“Chouza-kun. How are you?”

“I’m fine, all fine! Let me introduce you to my friends. This is Namikaze Minato, a dear friend, and brilliant jounin.” 

Minato stood up to bow. Airin greeted him with a “Pleased to meet you.”

“And these here, are my teammates, Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku.”

Both nodded in greeting, foregoing the standing that Minato insisted on as a non-clan member. It was old school, but some idiot classists insisted on the practice.

“Let me guess, Chouza; she’s a cousin?” Inoichi asked, voicing Shikaku’s thoughts.

“That’s right! Her mom was my dad's cousin,” Chouza confirmed, laughing. He knew his family tree by heart.

“I take after her, obviously. I hope you aren’t too disappointed by the dissimilarity with Tsunade.” She said while gesturing from her chest to her toes. “She took after great-uncle Tobirama, I’m told.”

Shikaku rubbed his brow. This was on him, he knew. “How much did you hear?”

She shrugged. “Enough.”

“I apologize if I was rude.”

“It’s nothing I haven’t heard before.”

[nitewrighter]

Hi! I'm very new to the overwatch Fandom and am currently obsessing over your fan kids (specifically Seye bc I don't see a lot of doom content and I love him) ANYWAY, doomfist does die, right? If so, who is it that kills him, and how do Seye and his mother react? I did read the post about Seye eventually destroying the doomfist with some help, but am super curious about some of what happens in between and after :>

Wow! Asks that make me dig through my ancient 'Marsey' tag.

To be honest, I used to be SUPER protective and vague when it came to stuff at this stage of the story I wanted to tell with my fankids, and was also being sadly dangled along by Blizzard's breadcrumbs of lore---I was in a dance with Blizzard where, I did have a very strong idea of how I wanted the story to end, but I was also dependent on Blizzard for canon lore so that I could make my ending the most accurate, the most satisfying. But seeing as there's basically only lore drops now because Blizzard no longer gives a shit about continuity or quality, and basically the cast has expanded so much since I initially plotted it out that I'll probably have to reconfigure this ending in some capacity anyway, I can talk about it now.

Basically there were two avenues I could have taken with Doomfist, the first one, that actually had those Marsey fics, where it was basically a 'continuation' of the Doomfist cycle, that is, some guy challenges Doomfist for the gauntlet and is able to kill him and take the gauntlet, which obviously puts Seye into a lurch as Doomfist's son and the previously assumed successor. I literally didn't have a name for this would-be killer, and in a way, it didn't really matter because you as the reader weren't supposed to see Doomfist's killer as the rightful bearer of the mantle and Seye's whole arc would be defeating this guy (with Marti's help) and then basically shutting down the weird Metal Gear-esque war cult that's risen around the Doomfist gauntlet as a symbol.

The other option was that Doomfist would be killed in the Final Battle™ at Nepal by... drumroll... Junkrat and Roadhog. NOW BEFORE YOU YELL AT ME, Junkrat and Roadhog would also die in this fight. Roadhog would die before Junkrat, but Junkrat would basically be talking to a very clearly bled-out-past-the-point-of-no-return-and-unconscious Roadie like, "It's okay, Roadie, you can take a nap. I can wrap this up," Before pulling all of the pins on all the grenades on his little chest harness while clinging onto Doomfist. Okay you can yell at me more now. But mostly I loved the combination of dramatic irony of Doomfist being consumed in these fires of chaos, and of the ~Junkers~ of all people going out in a blaze of glory against one of Overwatch's Final Bosses. I had this in my brain for years before Junkrat even got his "I killed the Doomfist!!" elimination line, btw. Doomfist views conflict as its own sort of order, but ends up getting killed by the wacky Mad Max randos who have kind of been the comic relief this whole time. Basically the fact that the Doomfist gauntlet itself would also be destroyed in this kind of fight would aslo be the thing that ends the cycle. That was also the battle that was vaguely referenced in this fic.

In both potential deaths for Doomfist, Seye becomes disillusioned enough with Talon as an organization to basically split off and form his own splinter mercenary organization (I was going to use my Talon Goon OC's as his starting lineup, haha), and he also attempts to create his own mantle as "Earthshaker" but he's still deeply affected by Doomfist's death because that's so much of his identity and he's had this enormous fear of irrelevance all of his life. Like this isn't just the grief of losing a father, this is the threat of oblivion that he's dreaded his entire life. As for Seye's mother, Tejuka, it's less of a blow to her--she more or less came to terms with the fact that Doomfist really doesn't have the philosophy or lifestyle to "go peacefully in his sleep," and that's one of the reasons why they divorced and she put so much effort into grooming Seye to actually be the successor of Ogundimu Prosthetics. Dying is easy, living's harder, etc, etc.

[roleplay-abiogenesis2]

New Year, Same Etiquette

//Hello guys. Just rolling by to toss this lil PSA.

This is a reminder that my blog is open to all.

That means we can interact even if we are not mutuals! Of course, that is assuming your blog is not mutuals-only. The ball is in your court.

But Saru, WHY are we not mutuals?

At present I am following a little under 200 blogs and for my own sanity I cannot let that number grow. In fact I might need to lower that threshold soon. The dash has been crazy. That doesn't mean I won't follow back from time to time. I feel like I have pretty lax requirements to do that.

I will follow back if: 1) I know the mun and enjoy writing with them OR 2) I don't know the mun, but I am familiar with the muse's fandom OR 3) Despite being unfamiliar with the muse fandom, I find the bio interesting and with potential for things I haven't explored yet (wink wink at fandomless OC blogs~) if none of these conditions are met I will probably not follow back, but I'm an open blog. If a blog I didn't follow interacts with me and I like what they're offering, chances are I'll follow back then.

Lastly, reminder of my rules.

My rules always apply with almost no exception. Rule n.4 is especially important to me. If you haven't at least reached out to me in some form to let me know what muse you want from me (and this means anything: send an ask, send a meme, engage a stater, drop a message, etc.), it'll be difficult for me to engage you. No, this isn't me trying to be entitled. When I follow a blog I always do them the courtesy of reaching out first and letting them know what I want, so I'm only asking to receive the same kindness in return. If I had to take the initiative every time someone follows me out of the blue, I would have absolutely no time left to actually roleplay.

I think that's everything. The turn is yours!

Saru-mun\\

[gascon-en-exil]

Making Some Book VIII New Heroes Predictions

Now that we've gotten the trailer for the final New Heroes banner of Book VII, it's time to look ahead to what the next year may bring in terms of new characters to be added to FEH. Two years back I made an entire video out of this topic on my channel...but that's a lot of work and I'm about to dive into the Super Mario RPG remake over there, so I'm doing this the easy way this time.

*When I refer to "premium" units in this post, I'm talking about ascended, rearmed, or attuned heroes. Also legendaries and mythics, if it's outside the context of New Heroes banners.

Guaranteed banners

Engage

Definitely one, possibly two again this year. IS is breaking up the cast by country, so an Elusian banner with the royal sisters, Goldmary, and whichever of the guys polls highest is an easy prediction. I'd say Solm as well, but it's already such a natural fit for the January special banner theme that we may have to wait for then to see those characters all together. 2024 is doubtful there for that, considering we just got a special Timerra. It's possible we may see a DLC-focused banner, like what happened with the Wolves - and IS will absolutely push Zelestia as a new character even though Zephia's already in the game.

Everyone's also predicting that Engage will sweep the next CYL with at least three of the four slots, so that in combination with a standard array of seasonals, a likely appearance on the fallen banner, and the odd legendary or mythic (legendary m!Alear at some point is all but assured) will lead to complaints of Engage fatigue.

Thracia

Unless you count ascended Ced or Sara backpacking for desert Linde (I don't), we haven't had a new FE5 unit in Heroes since March of 2022. The poor game is long overdue, especially because aside from Engage it's the title with the most potential new units to add. Granted that those characters aren't exactly popular, but with a whopping nine women still missing from its roster FE5 can lock down the key headlining waifu demographic in a way that almost every other game would struggle to at this point. There's a plot-relevant magical waif (Linoan), a loli (Tina), a dancer (Lara), a wyvern rider (Eda), or a pegasus knight to follow up on 2022's Karin (Misha). Again, none of them are especially popular, but Thracia could make up a viable banner easily even without help from Heroes fanservice. I'd expect one sometime between January and April, when the New Heroes events lack OCs.

Path of Radiance

The Tellius games alternate books, likely because of the significant roster overlap. Book VII got a Radiant Dawn banner, so here we are. Since FE10 poached Lucia though, FE9's only got Calill for a new female addition. Prediction for the banner would be Calill, a premium female character (one of Mia, Ilyana, or Nephenee, maybe Mist?), a Heroes OC, and some male unit. Largo would be logical, but I could see a more random pick like Zihark or Tauroneo.

Three Houses

A surprising number of Fódlan characters are still stuck in alt hell despite the years of fatigue. There's enough of them in fact for two or possibly three more New Heroes banners without significant help from OC padding. We've already seen multiple examples of IS using characters' Hopes designs for lazy premium alts, so I'd also expect more of that.

2023's banner was all Lions (and Rhea), so next year's will focus on a different house. If it's the Deer, I'd guess Lorenz, Leonie, premium Lysithea or Marianne, and either a Heroes OC or whichever of Raphael or Ignatz polls better. If it's the Eagles, Dorothea and Caspar are locks as well as premium Bernadetta most likely, along with Heroes fanservice or possibly regular Manuela. After those two ideas have been used up, the few remaining members of the roster are very likely doomed to something like the recent Echoes banner where they've got to split it with multiple OCs. The handful of male non-student characters who got dropped from the Hopes roster (and also Rodrigue from Hopes itself) are probably out of luck entirely bar the odd GHB like Cyril got a few months ago.

Oh, and fallen m!Shez possessed by Arval is pretty much a lock next year too. Fódlan is amazing for those wanky fallen banners.

(New) Mystery of the Emblem

Archanea closed out Book VI a year ago and hasn't been seen since, so a comeback in 2024 is reasonable. Complicating matters is that despite the abundance of missing units, most of them are 1) male and/or 2) utterly forgettable. The waifu picks are Midia, Cecil, Marisha, and Yuliya...not exactly inspiring options. As 2022's banner was ostensibly taken from FE1/11 owing to pre-corruption Hardin and as FE3/12 have more options for new units, that would be the more likely play. Will we finally see a banner that forces IS to turn an earlygame cleric into a headliner? Historically those characters have fared poorly in Heroes (we're still missing all of Edain, Lana, Safy, Elen, and Laura), but half of the options for new women are just that.

Fates

Last we saw FE14 New Heroes they were opening this book, so it's a reasonable expectation later on in Book VIII. Even though Fates still holds the largest percentage of Heroes's total roster, it surprisingly has a handful of characters it can still offer. That's especially true for the second generation, although because that was the focus of the last banner IS may be alternating them. The waifu options in Gen 1 - Mozu, Scarlet, and technically Fates Anna - aren't inspiring, but it's not like Sophie and Mitama left over in Gen 2 are much better. Throw in a premium royal or two and/or a Heroes OC and call it a banner.

Assuming two Engage banners, that's seven of the ten New Heroes slots. Those below are ones I'm less certain of - but something's got to fill out the holes in the schedule.

Wild Cards

Genealogy and Binding Blade

Both reasonable options although they're kind of running low at this point. FE4's banners alternate, so the next one should be Gen 1...which has only Edain and an assortment of men that even fans of the game are hard-pressed to care about. FE6 has, uh...Elen? I did say IS hates earlygame clerics.

The one thing that would certainly bolster the prospects of either of these games would be a remake announcement, which would offer tons of options for premium alts and potentially drum up interest in missing early picks like both games' Christmas knights and such. It would be odd if we didn't get any kind of development announcement for FE in 2024, and a remake would be perfect filler while IS works on whatever the next big release is planned to be.

Sacred Stones

Seems to be a favorite among the FEH staff considering how often it shows up on summer banners despite its age and low level of waifu bait potential, and the last time it got a New Heroes banner was near the start of this year. Too bad it's down to Ismaire as far as new female characters go.

Blazing Blade

Unlikely as it's just now getting a new banner, and it too is running out of viable options. With Isadora getting added, Vaida's the only female character from the game left.

Awakening

Technically overdue since it last showed up in October of 2022, but it's been running on fumes for years. We're talking just Vaike and Laurent here. Even Kellam got a seasonal! I expect that FE13 will be the next victim of a double OC banner. Speaking of which...

Echoes

...Not happening. We all saw that travesty last month. Jesse and/or Nomah might be added sometime in 2025, if IS even bothers.

[wolveytheprotogen]

I forgot to post this on tumblr, but I got a bit of lore written down for a different oc of mine

Edward Holland

In the 1900s, a young Edward would be born to a poor immigrant family from Ireland, seeking a better life they would move into St. Winnsboro, Louisiana. He would live a relatively poor life. When he was a teenager, his family would go to the princess theater if they were able to scrounge up enough money to be able to go. He loved going there during his teenage years, and especially loved the comedy shows there. All good things had to come to an end as his family would move to new orleans, his father had gotten a job there. In 1914, his father would volunteer to join the military, and left his family behind. He would not return. Eventually when he finally was an adult and could make his own choices. He would move back to St. Winnsboro, Louisiana, just to see the princess theater once again, and he would even get a job there as a performer for a couple of years. When prohibition started in the 1920s, He would initially be skeptical as to the money making potential of quite a venture, but when he heard of the profits being made, he would jump all into the idea of making his own speakeasy and starting an illegal business and moved back to new orleans to start it

School Life: Edward would excel in school, and he would spend most of his day studying to his heart’s content, but usually he would attract bullies. He would fight back against them and drive them away usually. Edward would spend much of his time alone, and staying away from the other students.

Personality when out of work: He’s rather jovial, he likes to crack jokes at himself and other’s expense, he’s showy, likes to throw parties and loves getting attention.

Personality while running his speakeasy/dealing with rivals: Cold, Calculating, and he’s mostly serious(unless something he finds funny happens during it)

Business: He runs a comedy club/Theater that turns into a speakeasy during the late hours of the night, well that’s how it was initially, but as his pockets grew with the money, he was able to afford to build a second floor to his club, and would use the second floor for his speakeasy.

Business Practices: With his money, he spends a lot of it on hiring hitmen to take out his enemies, he uses his second in command, Howard Hayes, to meet with the hitmen to hire them for this job.

He would order the leaders to be brought to him personally to deal with them himself, sometimes he would even go to these assassination attempts himself, but always in the background, making sure it succeeds and usually while wearing a mask to hide his identity

Appearence:

Fun facts about Edward:

Despite running one of the biggest speakeasies in Louisiana, he doesn’t drink that much, well at least not enough to get himself blackout drunk. Edward is more partial to smoking cigars instead, having about 2-3 per day.

His favorite cut of meat is the Filet Mignon, because of how expensive and the high quality of the beef contrasting with his poor upbringing

Edward wanted prohibition to continue on, so that his way of making money would stay super profitable

Edward has scars on his arms, back and legs from gun fights that occurred in his speakeasies, barely surviving his first year of owning a speakeasy

He has defeated 2 of his rivals, one he outright killed, by poisoning their alcohol. The other died during a raid his second command led on their speakeasy, the rival was shot several times by an unnamed gang member.

STORY ONE: THE FALL OF A RIVAL

It is late in the night and Edward and his men sit at a table inside his speakeasy, sitting down at the meeting table, some of the other tables are filled with guests and the waiter is frantically moving around to deliver all of them their booze.

Edward breaks the silence at the table, “So… did you guys get the stuff, every last drop of the booze and the poison?”

Gang Member 1 says, “we got the stuff edw-”

Gang Member 2 punches him in the arm and grumbles, “You mean boss?”

Gang Member 1, “Sorry Boss.”

Edward says in a monotone tone, “ It is fine i suppose, we must not dawdle on that mistake. We have a job to do, put the poison in the rum, and not the liquor.”

The gang members would dump the entire thing of poison into the rum and shakes it wildly, one of the other gang members turn to Edward confused about why they would put it in the rum

Edward states,” it’s his favorite kind of alcohol”

the gang all nod quickly and hand edward the bottles

Edward says, “I’ll deal with the deed personally.”

Edward and the other members of the gang leave the room, only 4 members join him but they stay at a distance to not arouse any suspicion, and Edward would walk into the rival speakeasy, his tail soft swishing to his side, a stand showing a picture of the rival’s son with a name, “Charles Alden” written under it, and the son seems to pretty young, about 12 years old at the time. One of the members of the Rival gang hands Edward an obituary card.

Edward looks at the card and states, “oh no… what happened to him-”

Rival Gang Member states, “One of our rivals tried to place a hit on the boss… but little old charles was caught in the gunfire….”

Edward somberly states, “It’s always a shame when they go young…”

The rival member nods slowly at Edward and walks away, Edward discovers the gang leader “Leonard Alden” sitting at the table, all out of alcohol so Edward chooses to sit next to him

Edward states, “Hey…. how you doing man”

Leonard replies, “I feel like shit right now…”

Edward sighs… slowly placing the bottles on the counter, patting Leonard's back and says, “I heard…. You want something to drink? It’ll help you forget what just happened”

Leonard nods reluctantly, “What kind you got? Rum?”

Edward states, “I brought some, may have bought it from a rival but don’t worry, it’s at least half as good yours hehehe”

Leonard chuckles and puts down a shot on the table. Edward pours the rum into the glass and puts the bottle on the table and pours himself a glass of whiskey

Edward says, “I’m more partial to whiskey than rum but you can have your own opinion.”

Leonard downs his shot of rum and pours himself another rum shot, and quickly downs another one, this goes on for about five minutes as edward drinks his own shot of whiskey

Leonard states, “This is the good stu-”

Leonard begins to cough- holding onto his stomach, his tail swishing around wildly, his eyes wide

Edward turns to Leonard concerned, “What’s wrong? Did you drink too much?”

Half of the bottle of poisoned rum is gone and Leonard stumbles towards the bathroom, the speakeasy too busy to hear his coughing and the rival gang members too busy running the place to notice what’s going on with their leader. Edward secretly follows Leonard into the bathroom, his expression turning serious, cold and calculating at the moment

Leonard panickily enters the bathroom, stumbling onto the ground of the room, Edward locks the door behind him

Leonard fearfully states, “wh-what’s going on… I don’t remember alcohol being this strong…”

Edward states in a monotone tone, “That’s because it isn’t.”

Leonard turns to edward quickly and stutters out, “wh-what did you do?! You… you… you poisoned it?! But why”

Edward coldly states, “Because I had to.”

Leonard yells out, his breath getting heavier and heavier with every second, “But…”

He would look up to edward in shock, flashbacks of the night where his son died play in his mind, he watches as the men shoot tommy guns at his car, leaving it with many bullet holes, his attention moves to the man in the back, not shooting at aL

Leonard’s eyes widen as his voice shakes, “It was you! You did it”

Edward turns away from Leonard and walks to the door, stating coldly, “Say hi to your son”

Edward would walk out and move to blend in with the crowd, quickly making his way to the exit and leaving the place.

STORY 2: A DAY IN THE EDWARD THEATER

It's a rather sunny day out and the Edward theater is currently closed at this point. Edward organizes his cleaning people to make the theater as spotless as it can be for all of the incoming guests

Edward states, “Let's do this, and if you clean up this place in time, I will add a little bonus to your paycheck.”

This gets all of the cleaners excited as they need the bonuses for their families, and Edward grins, moving to the back of the theater. Rowan is currently looking up to the secret hatch to the speakeasy, his eyes filled with curiosity. Edward grimace, and puts his hands on Rowan's shoulder.

Edward calmly states, “What are you doing there Rowan?”

Rowan inquires, “What's up there Mister Holland?”

Edward tells Rowan, “It's nothing important at all up there, but I heard there was a stack of uneaten chocolate waffles in the break room.”

Rowan excitedly runs off, Edward chuckles a bit as the little Rowan runs off.

An hour later, the theater begins to open up, as hundreds of people begin to enter the theater, the chairs are all squeaky clean as the play begins to start

Rowan walks past Edward in his Romeo costume. Visibly excited for the play. Edward walks into the theater room and sits in the audience chairs.

Edward says, “Rowan will do good. I know it.”

The play would begin with an actor reading out the Romeo and Juliet poem.

“Two households, who are both alike….”

2 hours later the whole play ends with an ovation, Rowan stands on the stage, smiling jig as he watches the crowd. The crowd begins to move out. Popcorn, chips and soda bottles everywhere on the ground, cleaning crew moves out to begin to clean up. Rowan goes backstage and Edward follows him backstage.

Edward states to him, “I'm proud of you, you did really well today Rowan.”

Rowan, shocked, says back, “I- that means a lot coming from you Mister Edward.”

Edward says, “If you keep going like this, you'll get used to me saying this.”

Edward walks away from Rowan, leaving a bit smile across the cat's face. THE END

EDWARD PREQUAL STORY

The date of the story is 1922, Edward began his little business in New Orleans, the Edward theater, but to little success at all, with the other theaters in the area able to outperform the little theater easily. Edward is losing hope in his business, sitting at a table and brainstorming ideas.

Edward says to himself, “how- how am I supposed to make any money.” He lets out a sigh and pulls out a newspaper, scouring over it, he reads a story about a raid on a speakeasy, 156000 dollars seized and he suddenly has an idea, stating to himself, “if i get that money, i could expand the theater, make it all big and… finally make my own money.”

He stands up, he picks up his stuff and leaves the small theater, with only one light bulb, he scrounges up enough money and makes his way to a speakeasy in the night, quickly knocking on the door, and entering it. he thinks to himself, how am I supposed to get alcohol still. sitting at the bar he simply buys one whole beer and a picture of a still and makes his way back to the theater.

He sits there with the bottle and takes a couple sips of it, gagging. He says to himself, “I have to get a supplier.” The next day he makes his way south to a river and sits there until night, eventually he would see a local speakeasy owner dealing with a bootlegger, after the speakeasy owner left he would make his way to the bootlegger

Edward says to the bootlegger, “Greetings uh, do you have any more of the alcohol you so generously have.”

The bootlegger would grunt and nod to him saying, “Two casings, 3 dollars each.”

Edward would then scrounge around his pocket and pull out 6.25 dollars, handing all of it to the bootlegger and take the alcohol, walking away from the supplier yelling out a bit, “thank you!” He then runs all the way back to his theater, walking into it and placing the casings on the floor, sighing… “now how do I sell them”

He lays on the floor of the theater and yawns, closing his eyes and falls asleep. Edward wakes up on the floor and begins to make his way outside the theater, yawning big and stretching. He begins to think about grabbing himself a partner to help with the business. He begins to walk to one of his friends' houses, it’s a small little house.

He knocks on the door and waits there patiently, eventually Jonathan White makes his way to the door, his buff muscles with fluff covering around him.

Jonathan says, “Oh hello Ed, what are you here for?” Edward replies, “I have a business proposal.” Jonathan nods and curiously says,” oh?” Edward sighs and states, “It’s better if we move to a different location for this thing”

The two friends begin to make their way back to the theater and sit down in it, Edward picks up the two cases of beer, and places them on the table, his tail swishing softly to the side.

Edward says, “The only thing I can think of, is beginning our own speakeasy, and we have some strong competition, so… you in, or you out”

Jonathan sighs and nods, stating, “My family has hit hard times… I- my job isn’t paying enough, if the newspapers are right about how much money a speakeasy can make, then I’m in.”

They shake hands and begin to come up with ideas on how to promote their business without alerting the police, but then settle on the idea of camping outside an already established speakeasy and selling their products at a cheaper price than the speakeasy is able to sell.

The two friends take the table and drag it to the most popular speakeasy and place it down in front of the speakeasy, setting up a sign in front of it advertising way cheaper beer than the beer inside of the speakeasy, and initially nobody pays them any mind, until one person walks up to their table and purchases one, suddenly everyone flocks over to see it, and within two hours they have sold the entire stock and have to move back to the theater.

Edward states, “Well that went well. Tomorrow, you will go get the alcohol from the dealer. The dealer deals at the Mississippi River, you’ll just have to get there before all the other speakeasies do. I’ll stay here, make sure no funny business occurs around here.”

Jonathan would walk away, both friends would begin to sleep for the night, not much interesting stuff happens in the morning, except for Jonathan bringing a gun and placing it on the table in the theater, and finally at night, Jonathan purchases more alcohol than they had before but instead of setting up in front of the speakeasy like last time, they set up in front of the theater that night.

Edward holds the gun, he gazes into the gun as it reflects back at him, loading up the gun. He holds it at his side and sighs. He thinks about his family and what they would think of him selling booze out of his theater, then he moves to start selling all of it, handing the gun to Jonathan

The next few days of the two doing this go off without any problems, except for the occasional stalking by a dressed man with a Tommy gun at his side, watching the two prepare to sell more alcohol, and about 1 week into the stalking, the man begins to fire at the stand, Edward immediately ducks under the table but Jonathan attempts to fire back at the man, before Edward knows it, blood splatters onto his clothes, and Jonathan falls to the ground… dead. Edward’s eyes widen as he grabs the gun and ammo and books it out of there.

The man runs after him, firing his tommy gun at Edward, hitting him in the shoulder and chest, barely missing his heart, Edward runs into the forest and the man walks into the forest. Edward hides behind a tree, brandishing his pistol and waiting for the man, he shakes a bit but he breathes in and out. Anger fills his eyes as he gets out from the tree, firing several shots into the man, one hits their shoulder, one hits their stomach, and one hits them in the chest, puncturing their heart. The man hits the ground and drops their tommy gun. Edward pockets his pistol.

Edward climbs up to the theater and hides all the booze under the floorboards and reports the man to the police, telling them everything happened, except for the alcohol part. He deliberately omits that info. They launch a quick investigation into the man, with him already dead there isn’t much to investigate.

Edward returns to his theater and sits against the wall…. His gaze fixated to the floor as he growled up to the air. He angrily speaks out, “Who ordered this?! Who dared to hurt him…” he then stands up. He gets lost in thought, he begins to suspect it was a competitor who tried to end his life. He decides that he should hire someone to help him, and create his own gang to fight back against them.

Meanwhile…. William Alden talks down to his second in command, “Did you get them?” Anna Clifton replies, “One of them was killed, the other picked up the gun and shot the guy we sent.” William replies, “Never liked him anyways heh. Well they shouldn’t be a threat now.”

Edward begins to grow his business, expanding his theater from a small little shack to a whole theater with a stage, chairs, and a soda jerk. He also begins to hire gang members to defend him from any rivals.

William’s men begin to survey the area, Edward goes for a walk, leaving his pistol back at the place, he sighs to himself, thinking about how to avenge his friend before he is suddenly ambushed by the two men. They fire shots at Edward, hitting him in the other shoulder and stomach, then Edward is quickly pushed to the ground and hit on the head, knocked out by them.

Edward awakens by a river bank, his arms tied behind his back, forced to look upwards at the man who orchestrated this, William Alden. William speaks first, “You may be wondering why, why I would do all of this. You, my friend, are too big a threat to let live. And if you do live. You better quit now. Because if you don’t, I will kill your mom. I will kill your dad. And I will end your brother, do I make myself clear.”

Edward glares up to William, snarling under his breath and states, “You can’t. You can’t do that.”

William’s men begin to dump gasoline all over his legs and waist, preparing a match before throwing it onto the gasoline, fire begins to slowly creep up his legs, Edward screams out in pain as the fur on his legs begins to burn straight off.

William and his men begin to walk off, but William says one word to Edward before they walk away, “Goodbye.” Before they get in their car and drive off, believing themselves triumphant as the fire nearly gets up to his waist, but the fire burns away the restraints, Edward is able to painfully crawl his way to the river, slipping into the water to put out the flames, before quickly passing out from the pain.

Edward then wakes up in the theater, ice covering the legs to keep them cold and help him recover, laying in a bed. Some of his gang members murmur amongst themselves about what happened to their boss.

William believes that Edward died, and with their newfound confidence, while Edward is resting and recovering. They begin to expand their power south through Louisiana, most of the state’s speakeasies are under their control or working with the bigger gang. Edward’s anger begins to rise further up as he hears about their successes. He reads the Wizard of Oz seven times over the time of his recovery.

Edward and his gang begin to plot out a way to destroy William’s entire empire. Insiders infiltrate William’s gang and discover plans for a celebratory trip through New Orleans over their newfound power in the state. A knock on the door is heard and Edward answers it. A new person enters the door

The Man states, “I heard you need to find a way to defeat William Alden.”

Edward says, “…yes”

Howard Hayes states, “I am Howard Hayes, and I’ll help you, William Alden led my family to slaughter.”

Edward nods and they begin to come up with a plan, First. They secure a car. Second. They wait for William to begin his drive to New Orleans. Third, They suddenly drive after them. Finally, they will attack the car in an attempt to kill William before he arrives in New Orleans.

They begin to set this plan in motion, sitting by the side of the road, guns ready. Edward holding the pistol that was bought by Jonathan. A blank expression on his face, clenching fist around the handle of the pistol. William’s car drives by and Edward’s car fires up, driving up to William’s and the gun fight would begin, both sides would unload whole magazines onto the others, each car would be damaged significantly, but Edward’s engine is damaged and the car begins to slow down. Wiliam’s car begins to get away.

Edward climbs out the car, pulling out the pistol and aiming it right at the driver of William’s car before firing the shot, the gun breaks through the back window, hitting the driver of it, then the engine causing the car to spin around wildly as the driver jerks the wheel around when they die. The car flips out and Edward makes his way up to the car, his tail swishing around as he sees a very injured William climb out of the car. Edward simply pistol whips William, and knocks him out.

William wakes up, restrained and in the forest, with Edward standing over him, a snarl covering his face as he calmly states to William, “You are done. Finished. Your business will fall. Your son is next. I will make sure there is no trace of your bloodline. Starting with you.” A shot is heard around the area as Edward shoots a hole into William’s head.

After the death of William, his speakeasy would be weakened tremendously, as his will had stated to give his properties to his whole family, it essentially was split into three, with some going to the state itself because of the death of some of the people that he wrote down into his will. Edward would use the death of the biggest gang leader to expand his own power in southeast Louisiana, and using the newfound money to expand his theater.

THE END

A day in the speakeasy:

The Speakeasy is pretty packed at the moment, Edward is talking with some of the other patrons at the bar. Most of them are clearly very drunk

Edward takes a big sip out of his whiskey, “and then she said. Knife to meet you! And stabbed me” He pulls his suit up and shirt to reveal a minor stab wound on himself. Drunk laughter ensues and Edward grins, “loving the audience tonight, easy to tell jokes to a bunch of drunks.”

A couple of people fall out of their chairs and the background, two people kiss one another and Edward takes a big sip out of his whiskey before finishing the glass.

Edward says, “did you guys hear what happened to that irish chef… he- hehehehehh he ‘pasta-way’. Yeah, dysentery is a real bad way to go”

Heaps of laughter for a few seconds, Edward smiles and nods, “fellas, I'll be here all night, don't worry.”

A couple of hours later the speakeasy closes, hundreds of people exit and Edward stands up, clearly a bit drunk but not to the extent of stumbling, “clean up this mess.”

The two who tried to kill Rowan that night(story for another day) begin to mop up the wine and broken beer bottles strung about on the ground, Edward scoffs at them and leaves the establishment when they finish.