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jwslw · 2 years ago

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More Space Dinosaurs

Quintaglio

Sapient descendants of the Tyrannosaur family. Quintaglio civilization can be divided into two eras, Pre Space flight and Post Space flight. Quintaglio are carnivores.

Quintaglios were created by Canadian Author Robert J Sawyer, for the short story”Uphill Climb” and the “Quintaglio Ascension Trilogy”

Personality

Quintaglio are territorial creatures, partly because of the harsh conditions of their homeworld, and partly as a result of societal pressure. Post Space flight Quintaglio are much less territorial than there Pre Space flight counterparts but, the instincts are still there.

Physical Description

Quintaglios resemble semi-erect theropod dinosaurs with long arms ending in five fingered hands and retractable claws. Males possess a dewlap around the throat that can be inflated for mating and territorial displays, both genders have a salt-secreting gland inside their mouth with a barely visible hole in their muzzle. The majority of Quintaglios are left-hand dominate. Quintaglios have thick hides, but, through millennia of evolution have lost most of their scales. Quintaglios are green with most having some type of contrasting yellow or brown pattern, the skin of extremely old Quintaglio will often wholly or partially turn jet black. A typical Quintaglio's muzzle will turn bright blue when they lie, a minority of the species possess a mutation that prevents this, they are treated as demonic beings called Aug-Ta-Rot (lit. Those who can lie in the light of day).

Quintaglio are a long lived species with a maximum lifespan of around two hundred years by human reckoning. Quintaglios continue to grow through out their lives with most adults standing between 2 and 2.5 meters (6.5-8.1ft) tall. A female Quintaglio will become fertile once every 15-20thousand days, and, upon successfully mating they will lay a clutch of 8 eggs. Some females release pheromones signaling their readiness to breed constantly even when they are not. These females typically become huntresses, a position of high honor in Quintaglio society.

The Quintaglio can regrow lost limbs, generally they can not regrow lost or damaged organs, but, in rare cases some Quintaglio have regrown lost eyes.

Most Quintaglio do not wear clothing just items like tool belts, decorative sashes or jewelry, members of the priestly cast wear full robes in various colors however.

History and Technology

For most of their history, the Quintaglio lived a semi-nomadic existence, even into the final years of the Pre Spaceflight era. The end of the Pre Space flight era was marked with several major inventions and discoveries including the existence of another sapient species, and the extraterrestrial origin of life on their world.

Despite the seeming limits of a semi-nomadic life style and suffering from the “Dagamant” (possibly Battle Fury), the Quintaglio were able to advance quite far, possessing a level of technology roughly equivalent to the Renaissance era of earth by the end of the Pre Space flight era, and subsequently reverse engineering the alien technologies discovered during that time in a matter of years.

While they possess many advanced tools, strong cultural taboos largely prevent Quintaglios from employing ranged weapons when hunting or fighting.

Near the end of the Pre Space flight era, The Quintaglio were ruled by a heriditary monarchy, this is still, in the Post Space flight era, the monarchy is still believed to exists but, many colonies are completely independent.

During the Pre-Space Flight era, Quintaglios did not mate for life and hatchlings were largely raised communally. This began to change during the waining years of the Pre-Space Flight era.

The Quintaglio place a high value on an individual's ability to hunt, with completing their first hunt and earning a “hunting tatoo” being considered an important step to adulthood.

Relations

For most of their history, the Quintaglio did not have contact with other sapient species, and due to the “Dagamant”, first contact with “the Others” (a related species and the only other sapient species on there homeworld) nearly ended in a genocidal war. In the Post Space flight era, “Dagamant” is no longer an issue, and colony ships full of the Quintaglio and “the Others” can be found plying the stars seeking both new worlds to settle and other descendants of earth creatures.

While Dagamant has been largely eradicated in the Post Space Flight era, the uncanny valley effect of encountering sapient creatures that look to “saurian” can still make Quintaglios deeply defensive or uncomfortable.

Quintaglios raise and keep lizards in a similar manner to how humans raise dogs and cats.

Lands

During the Pre Space flight era, the Quintaglio and their cousins the Others, lived on a moon orbiting the Gas Giant “Galatjaroob” (lit, the Face of God), with the Quintaglio controlling the moon's single continent (simply called “Land” by the Quintaglio) while the Other lived on the moon's sole large archipelago located in the southern hemisphere. The moon also had polar ice caps.

The Quintaglio divided Land into eight provinces running from west to east; Jam'Toolar, Fra'Toolar, Arj'Toolar, Chu'Toolar, Mar'Toolar, Edz'Toolar, Kev'Toolar and Capital.

Its naturally decaying orbit destroyed the Quintagilo's moon “shortly” after the dawn of the Post Space flight era, though, as foreknowledge of the event is what spurred the birth of space flight the Quintaglios and the Others were able to completely evacuate before that happened.

Galatjaroob takes 16000 days (roughly 44 Earth years) to orbit its parent star. because of this, the Quintaglio have four main large scale time measurements, Day (roughly the same length as a day on earth), the Deca Day (10 days, the Quintaglio equivalent of a week), the Kilo Day (1000days/10 Deca Days, the loose equivalent of an Earth month) and the Year.

Many dinosaur species of dinosaur were found of Galatjaroob, a list of the most common ones are found here

Armourback (Ankylosaurs)

Blackdeath (Tyrannosaurus rex) named for their thick black hides, an unarmed Quintaglio can not defeat them.

Fish Lizard (Ichthyosaurs)

Hornface (Ceratopsians): Can be found both living wild and domesticated as beasts of burden, three species were known to still exist by the end of the Pre-Space Flight era; "Triple Hornface" (Triceratops), "Spikefrills" (Styracosaurus) and "Boss-Nosed Hornface" (Pachyrhinosaurus)

Kal-Ta-Goot/Water Serpent (Plesiosaurs) possibly only the name of a single plot relevant plesiosaur

Runningbeast (Ornithomimids) Said to be the fastest creatures on land, domesticated and used as mounts by the Quintaglios.

Shovelmouth (Hadrosaurs) One of the Quintaglios' primary food sources, one spieces unique to Land was described as having a three pointed crest, orange skin with blue stripes, and was supposed to be the tastiest of all Shovelmouths.

Terrorclaw (Dromaeosaurs),

Wingfinger (Pterosaurs) have evolved into a number of new forms, including flightless variants like the penguin-esque Divers and the arm walking Stilts.

Religion

For most of their history, the Quintaglio believed in a supreme Goddess (simply called God in the Sacred Scrolls), who was said to have lain the “Eight Eggs of Creation” and created the Quintaglio by biting off her arms, first the left to create her daughters “The Five Original Hunters” then the right to create her sons “The First mates”. When the first Quintaglio began breeding God became concerned that her grand children or their descendants would over populate Land and tasked her daughter Mekt with going to each nest and consuming seven of the eight hatchlings contained within. In the process she became the first Halpataar (lit Blood Priest). Feeling it was inappropriate for the ones that lay the eggs to also cull them, Mekt would only teach the Halpataar rites to male priests. The practice would continue through almost the entirety of the Pre-Space Flight era with few modifications, first changing from the consumption of seven hatchlings per nest to the consumption of eggs, and then to the destruction of the Halpataar order when its connection to the Dagamant phenomenon was completely understood. The nest of key religious or political figures within Quintaglio society would generally be spared these cullings.

The oldest form of this religion also included the veneration of “The Five Original Hunters” the daughters of God created from the fingers. One such sect called the Lubalites, believed in a prophecy uttered by the Original Hunter Lubal in her dying moments of a great male hunter called the one who would emerge to save the Quintaglio in their darkest hour.

During the last two centuries (Quintaglio years), the scholar Larsk would discover the only point on the Quintaglio moon where Galatjaroob was visible in the sky. Believing, or at least claiming to believe, he had discovered the face of God, Larsk would found a new singular royal family and a new religious sect that would become the dominate religious group for the next 150 Quintaglio years.

In the last years of the Pre-Space Flight era, Astrologer and skilled hunter Sal-Afsan (lit Meaty Thigh bone), would inadvertently ignite the long simmering conflict between the Larskan sect and the now underground Lubalite sect, with his discovery of the true nature of Galajaroob and the eminent doom of their home moon, with the aid of a Far-Seer (telescope) invented by his future mate and future leader of “Project of Great Escape”, Wab-Novato. To this day Afsan and Novato are regarded as the most important figures in Quintaglio history.

Language

The Quintaglio have their own written and spoken language, most Post Space Flight era Quintaglios also know the language of The Other.

Names

Example Male names

Sal-Afsan

Tak Saleed

Pal-Cadool

Det Yenalb

Dy-Dybo

Dy-Rodlox

Kee-Toroca

Var-Keenir

Example Female names

Len-Lend

Wab-Novato

Wab-Babnol

Nav-Mokelb

Species Traits

Ability Modifiers: Str+10, Dex-2, Con+8, Cha-4.

Monstrous Humanoid (Ex): Quintaglio have all the traits common to Monstrous humanoids, Quintaglio have the reptilian sub-type.

Natural Armor: The thick hide of a Quintaglio grants them a +5 natural armor bonus to defense

Size: Large, Quintaglio suffer a -1 size penalty to Defense and Attack rolls, a +4 Grapple bonus and a -4 size penalty. A Quintaglio has a space of 10ft x 10ft and a reach of 10ft.

Keen Senses (Ex): Quintaglio have Low-light vision and Scent as described in the d20 Modern RPG

Natural Attacks (Ex): Quintaglio possess two sets of retractable claws and strong jaws, as a Full Attack action, a Quintaglio may perform 2 claws attacks (1d6 plus Str modifier) and a secondary bite attack (1d8 plus ½ str modifier)

Base Land Speed: 40ft.

Bonus Feats: Quintaglios receive Multi-Attack and Alertness as bonus feats

Skills: Quintaglio receive a +4 species bonus to climb checks. Due to their snouts, Quintaglio suffer a -6 circumstance penalty to Bluff checks

Dagamant (Ex)*: When another Quintaglio or other Humanoid or Monstrous humanoid with the reptilian subtype comes within 10ft of you without first asking permission, make a Will save (DC 10+ the triggering creatures Charisma Modifier, +1 for every Quintaglio or reptilian Humanoid/Monstrous humanoid within 50ft) or fly into a blind rage attacking everything around them. Being within 60ft of a Quintaglio that has entered Dagamant will also trigger a Will Save (Same formula) to avoid entering it yourself. While in Dagamant, a Quintaglio receives a +4 Circumstance bonus to Strength and Constition granting 2 additional temporary Hit Points per Hit Die, but suffer a -2 circumstance penalty to Defense and Reflex saves. Temporary HP is depleted before regular HP and fades away when Dagamant ends. A Quintaglio will remain in Dagamant for a number of rounds equal to its base Constitution modifier, or until the triggering creature is slain.

Starting Language: All Quintaglio begin play with the Read/write and Speak Language (Quintaglio) skills

Level Adjustment: +5.

Progress Level: Baseline Human +/-2 depending on time frame

*When creating a Post Space Flight Quintaglio roll d100, on a roll of 01-97, they do not suffer from Dagamant

Fangjaw

A powerful, quadrupedal, theropod that stalks the creatures of land and can kill nearly anything it encounters.

Species Traits

Animal Type (Ex): A Fangjaw have all traits common to animals.

Keen Senses (Ex): Fangjaws have Scent and Low-light vision as described in the d20 Modern RPG

Bonus Feats: Fangjaws receive Multi-Attack and Track as a bonus feats

Skills: Fangjaws receive +4 Species bonus to survival checks when tracking by scent, a Fangjaw receives a +8 species bonus to hide checks when in thick undergrowth or long grass.

Pounce (Ex): Once per encounter, a Fangjaw may perform a Full Attack action after performing a Full Move action.

Trip (Ex): A Fangjaw that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the Fangjaw.

Fangjaw CR6. Huge Animal HD: 6d8+36. HP63. Mas23. Init:+2. Spd 50ft. Defense:17, Touch10, FF15(-2sz,+2dex, +7Nat). Bab+4. Grapl+20. Atk:+10melee(bite 2d6+8). Full Atk:+10melee(2 claws 2d4+8) and +8melee (Bite 2d6+4). FS:15ftx15ft. R:10ft. SQ: Animal traits, Keen Senses, Pounce, Trip. AL: None. Sv Frt+5, Ref+5, Wil+3. AP: N/A. Rep+0. Str27, Dex15, Con23, Int2, Wis12, Cha6.

Skills: Hide-3 (+5 in long grass), Listen+6, Move Silently+4, Spot+4, Survival+1 (+5 when tracking by scent)

Feats: Multi-Attack, Track

Advancement: 7-12 HD (Huge)

Pteradon, Diver

A species of flightless, aquatic pterosaur, adapted to arctic conditions

Species Traits

Animal traits (Ex): A Diver has all traits common to animals.

Keen Senses (Ex): Divers have Low-light vision and Scent as described in the d20 Modern RPG.

Bonus Feats: Divers receive Weapon Finesse (Bite), and Alertness as bonus feats

Skills: A Diver can swim without making checks and if forced to make a swim check by outside forces, it receives a +8 species bonus to the roll.

Hold Breath (Ex): A Diver can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to its Constitution score

Pteradon, Diver CR1. Medium Animal HD:2d8-2. HP7. Mas8. Init:+4. Spd 20ft, Swim 40ft. Defense:, Touch, FF(+4dex,+2Nat). Bab+1. Grapl+0. Atk/Full Atk:+5melee(bite 1d6-1). FS:5ftx5ft. R:5ft. SQ: Animal traits, Keen Senses, Hold Breath. AL: None. Sv Frt+2, Ref+7, Wil+1. AP: N/A. Rep+0.Str8, Dex18, Con8, Int2, Wis12, Cha5.

Skills: Listen+5, Move Silently+8, Spot+8, Swim+7*

Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse (bite)

Advancement: 3HD (Medium), 4-8HD (Large), 9-14HD (Huge)

*Automatically passes normal swim checks

Pteradon, Stilts

A species of flightless pterosaur, its wings now serve as legs.

Species Traits

Animal Traits (Ex): A Stilt has all traits common to animals..

Keen Senses (Ex): Stilts have Low-light vision and Scent as described in the d20 Modern RPG.

Bonus Feats: Stilts receive Alertness and Stealthy as bonus Feats

Pteradon, Stilts CR2. Large Animal HD:4d8.HP18. Mas10. Init:+. Spd 30ft. Defense:14, Touch12, FF11(-1Sz, +3dex,+2Nat). Bab+2. Grapl+7. Atk:+2melee(bite 1d8+1). Full Atk:+2melee(bite 1d8+1) and -3melee (2 claws 1d4+1). FS:10ftx10ft. R:5ft. SQ: Animal traits, Keen Senses. AL: None. Sv Frt+,Ref+,Wil+. AP: N/A. Rep+0. Str12, Dex16,Con10, Int2, Wis12, Cha5.

Skills: Hide+1, Listen+5, Move Silently+10, Spot+8.

Feats: Alertness, Stealthy

Advancement:5-8HD (Large), 9-14HD (Huge)

#dnd #homebrew #dinosaurs #Speculative Evolution #speculative zoology #robert j. sawyer #quintaglio

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xoteajays · 1 year ago

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animated/games/interactive fiction

digimon adventures

name: yukimi ‘yuki’ ono ship: mimi tachikawa digipartner / crest: lopmon / perseverance faceclaim: kayo hinazuki, yuzuru nishimiya, mitsuha miyamizu summary: In one word to describe Yukimi Ono: quiet. Quiet in life, quiet in everything. Everything but her anger. If anybody had bothered to get close, they might just have seen what was right below the surface. A girl stuck in the past, persevering after the worst thing that can happen to a person. The loss of a twin. Himari, dead at barely ten years old, leaving behind a broken family and a sister struggling to move on. Then came summer camp, the digital world and Lopmon, and Yuki had to pull herself together because now the world (both real and digital) was counting on a bunch of kids to save it.

pokemon

name: rhythmi ship: elite four rika team: skitty, tinkaton, grafaiai, tastugiri, appletun, phanpy faceclaim: maki kuwana summary: As far as Rhythmi is concerned, she’s got no future to head for. Her Kalosian adventure went up in flames and now her mother is moving them off to Paldea to join her somewhat-estranged father, Saguaro, at some ‘Naranja academy’. She has no interest in going back to school but she has no choice in the matter, not when she can tell how her mother is worrying about her. She, at least, doesn’t have to resort to ditching class when release comes quick in the form of this ‘treasure hunt’. She’s got her options laid out ahead of her now, a whole sprawling region … but a green-haired elite four member Rhythmi keeps running into is really throwing a spanner in the works.

[ fics / here ]

name: cirsi ship: guzma team: brionne, alolan raichu, cutiefly, bewear, to be adjusted faceclaim: itsuki nakano summary: to be decided.

infamous-if

name: herah heart, born hellena ambrose ship: orion quinn faceclaim: salem mitchell band: spider lilies summary: From humble beginnings comes the newest band to grace the botb, Spider Lilies. With popular hits like wallflower and tethered, fans of the band were ecstatic about their win and were quick to defend them when news hit of the ensuing post-win clash between Underground Wastebasket and Spider Lilies - curiously, lead singer Herah Heart was nowhere to be seen during this brawl, arriving later in the evening with band manager Orion Quinn to pick up her battered bandmates.

name: benji butcher, born benjamin sawyer ship: g reign & victoria valentine, ex-boyfriend seven faceclaim: joseph quinn band: DEVOUR summary: If there’s a party to be had, DEVOUR will be there! High school friends turned bandmates, the newest band joining the botb is headed by Benji Butcher. Known for his high energy performances, it’s no surprise the audience goes crazy whenever they get on stage. However, new to fame and a newer face on the scene, there’s a rumour going around that DEVOUR rigged their most recent win against fan favourite Underground Wastebasket.

avatar: the last airbender

name: ila ship: zuko bender: waterbender summary: A southern water tribe girl who left the water tribe at about age 13. She'd long since being practically an orphan since her father left with the other men to fire in the war and her mother died of illness. She'd been nomadic and traveling on her own ever since. It's not until meeting Zuko and Iroh on the boat to Ba Sing Se that her life starts to get complicated. Joining the Gaang, Ila is thrust right into the middle of the war, a horrible place for most to be but especially for a pacifist like herself.

detroit: become human

name: morgan nix ship: connor rk800 faceclaim: alex chen summary: Morgan Nix was practically a nobody. The ghost-writer for the famous android singer, NT200 - or 'Nita' as she was dubbed. Her life is simple enough, the pay was good enough to get by with. Then Nita becomes deviant. Having always cared for the human, Nita invites Morgan to run away with her. However, people are quick to notice their favourite android celeb going missing and Cyberlife's RK800 is put on their case under the assumption that Morgan had been kidnapped by NT200.

#oc masterlist

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whitherwanderer · 8 months ago

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Sif and Sawyer are in Cyberpunk 2077 and they are sure having a time!!

🡪 Sif is a nomad sniper dragging Dug, a fallen corpo asset on the verge of cyberpsychosis, through Night City.

🡪 Sawyer is a streetkid netrunner who hacks dumbass corpos and is in lesbians with a fugitive AI, Amesha.

#wolqotd time! Your Warrior of Light/XIV OC is transported to the OTHER media you most recently watched/played/read: how are they doing?

#[ wolqotd ]#[ ooc ]#[ cyberpunk ]#i do all my cyberpunk posting on my other account -> pvthfinder :'D

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urbanadventureleague · 2 years ago

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Sawyers Nomad 620 box camera: A Portland made camera!

After getting my Ricohflex Dia in spring, finding a simple medium format box camera wasn’t really a priority. Why go backwards? But there was one particular model that piqued my interest, and I kept it on my radar. When a specimen turned up at Blue Moon Camera for just $13, I bought it. The particular camera that interested me is a Sawyers Nomad. It was made from 1957 to about 1963 and was…

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#120 film #620 film #medium format #sawyers nomad #view master

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insanethrottlebikernews · 2 years ago

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INTERVIEW WITH FORMER HELLS ANGELS NOMAD

#HELLSANGELS #HELLSANGELSMC #HELLSANGEL Hells Angels Nomad Jake Sawyer – The Life of the Legendary Biker, Bodybuilder, and Hells Angel Volume 1 of the incredible life of Jake Sawyer, a prep school sports star, U.S. Army paratrooper, Kentucky rum-runner, a less than model prisoner at San Quentin and Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary, and a champion body-builder and fitness guru to the elite and not…

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#Biker News #demons row tv #hells angels #hells angels interviews #insane throttle #INTERVIEW WITH FORMER HELLS ANGELS NOMAD #motorcycle club #motorcycle clubs #motorcycle clubs 2022 #motorcycle clubs explained #motorycle club videos #outlaw motorcycle clubs #sonny barger

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frankendavis · 3 years ago

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For October 6th, something I put together ages ago.

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creatorofuniverses · 25 days ago

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As usual, now that Inktober’s over, I’m posting all of my drawings from the month in three big posts! Below you will find the prompts, characters’ names, and stories. Links are added for posted stories, so feel free to go forth and read more about them! Unless stated otherwise, all characters are my own.

Throughout this month I will be posting colored versions of my inktobers on my deviantArt. (Would people also like the colored versions to be posted here on tumblr? If so let me know!) If you want to see all the original posts separately, check out my Inktober tag for this year.

Many thanks to everybody who supported me throughout October!

1. Backpack – Colfax and Adrian from A Little More Trust (both of them belong to @neonthebright)

2. Discover – Drew and Penny from "space elves" WIP (Penny belongs to @neonthebright)

3. Boots – Rowan from Stolen Hunt

4. Exotic – Beilen, Sibil, Penny, and Drew from "space elves" WIP (Beilen and Penny belong to @neonthebright)

5. Binoculars – Bowman and other sprites from Bowman of Wellwood (all belonging to @neonthebright)

6. Trek – Michael and Janie from "star trek viri" WIP

7. Passport – Nathanial, Kaitlyn, and Noriko from Heartmonic (Nathanial belongs to @magictaser)

8. Hike – Amelia, Charlie, Elisabeth, and Colfax from the Trust roadtrip AU (Colfax belongs to @neonthebright)

9. Sun – Emy from In Deep Waters

10. Nomadic – Sawyer and Adrian from the Trust doppelgänger AU (Adrian belongs to @neonthebright)

#inktober 2024 #inktober 2024 collection #my art #trust #space elves #stolen hunt #bowman of wellwood #star trek viri #heartmonic #in deep waters

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slashingdisneypasta · 2 years ago

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Teen! Bubba, Chucky and Freddy x Reader || Oneshot

Title: Y/N and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Night

Notes:

This is a rewrite of a very cracky-y fic! I was never happy with how I wrote this shot- I found Chucky was too brooding and Freddy was lame (Though I was happy with how the Sawyer's worked out ^^ I love those brothers so much), and I have had plans for second and third instalment's for forever that I still wanna make, so here! Take #2.

I'm gonna delete the original *cough* Sorry if you liked it, but this one is way better! Basically the exact same stuff happens, its just mercilessly edited and is a lot smoother, plus the characters are more realistic *cough* less cringe *cough*.

The characters still aren't totally right, ya know, mostly cuz they are in totally different settings then they usually are- Freddy especially. But, trust me, in the next part he will become much more the character we love to hate and it'll be great XD Haha.

Plot: At a party you didn’t want to go to, you lose sight of your best friend Freddy, help out a nervous boy called Bubba, annnnd there’s also neighbourhood terror Charles Lee Ray, there. The whole night is dramatic and mildly traumatising (Mistakes were made), but there were perks too.

Warnings: Mentions of vomit and pee, mentions of physical abuse, sexual assault (Freddy forces a kiss on you but it doesn't go any further then that), cursing, and just sexual references. Its the basic chaotic teen movie house party.

FRIDAY NIGHT

As soon as I walked in here, I knew it was time to go home. Everyone was drinking, my only friend abandoned me the second we stepped over the threshold, and to top it all off I think I saw a rat. A RAT.

This was a mistake from the get-go, from the very idea. My shoulder devil betrayed me and I shouldn't be surprised but I am shocked.

So then I turned around to leave, get the hell out of dodge you might say, but two face-suckers I recognised vaguely as David 'Spit Ball' Brown and Erica 'No Self Respect' Banks from Bio, set up shop right in the doorway, and when I attempted to - painfully awkwardly, - ask if I could get just past them quickly... I got ignored.

Now, after 3 hours of this mess that the world so innocently calls a ‘house party’, when its clearly societies half assed attempt at absolute chaos... I am still here. Yep, that's all. I'm, still, here. And I'm very uncomfortable. Why couldn’t I be a 'party animal'? Or even remotely comfortable in this kind of setting? I'd love to be having fun but I just feel like an endangered loaf; Sitting here in the corner atop the kitchen bench, hidden away by some open cabinet doors but still hazardously close to all these drunkards and their inhibitions. I found this semi-safe place when I decided to just stand by and wait for things to die down a bit so I can leave, but I'm now just starting to figure that my chances of that happening, are... slim. As its 12.30- on a school night.

I’ve seen literally 3 kids throw up on the floor and 4 injuries. I also saw Freddy - the friend that abandoned me, - with a cup of something brown in his hand, -. I considered getting his help, but he was... uhh... busy... and a good wing-friend, unfortunately, would never fuck chances like that up for him.

I also glimpsed the town's local nomad - no one knows where he lives, or if he even goes to our school, but everyone knows who he is and that he is the one behind that one time our school shut down for a week due to bug infestation, - , Chucky, in another room brooding, so no one is safe.

Not even a few more minutes pass before another boy, around my age, comes into the kitchen and vomits- into the sink though this time. Then he turns back, looks about with trembling lips, and sinks down to sit on the tiles and hold his tummy. He looks so lonely, my heart hurts. Chewing on my bottom lip, it takes me a good minute to force myself off the bench and from my hiding spot, but I make it over to him, kneel down and tap his shoulder. Quickly, he snaps his head around at attention, and looks at me with cautious, wide, brown eyes.

“Hey, do you wanna go home now?”

If his trembling arms, rested on damp pants depicted anything to me, then its ‘I want to go home’, and he does. He nods sadly, but as if he has no way to get home. Raising a shaky hand, he points at a couple of lanky boys standing in the kitchen doorway, one wearing circular shades and the other a dirty looking green t-shirt. They look a little older than us, collage-aged probably and are definitely having a blast- One of them is saying something about beer pong. “B-B-Brothers.” The word comes out of the boy like its practised, but its still difficult.

Ah. Clearly the younger brother got the fashion sense in the biological line-up; He's wearing a nice button up and slacks, though it looks like someone may have spilt something on his shirt. I frown. “So, they’re your ride home then?” The boy nods, seeming to become more comfortable with me as time passes. To move it along, I give him a reassuring smile and another shoulder pat. “Do you have anyone who can come pick you up?" I pick my phone up out of my back pocket and show him. "I can call them for you.”

His eyes brighten immediately, even though his face doesn’t. He’s clearly had a bad night; Way worse than I have. Also, he’s adorable and pitifully sat on the kitchen floor, so I have to help the poor guy. I smile bigger and get out my phone, handing it to him so he can put in the phone number as I sit down on the tiles beside him, watching the numbers he presses in.

Once he’s done that, he hands it to me again so I can talk, which isn’t surprising, seeing as he had trouble uttering the one word he did give me. I don’t mind- although, I do hope whoever he called is nice. Phone calls are scary. “Hello? I have someone here, uh… “Oh my god, I don’t know his name!! “He, he… uh… wants to get picked up and taken home…?”

“Ah, you work at that chicken joint, then. Was it Nubbins or Chop Top that broke something this time? I'm not paying for it, take it up with them. Or- err- Did Bubba throw up again? I’ll be right over-” A thick, cranky-sounding, southern accented man responds through the phone. I look at the boy with wide eyes, to see he’s watching intently and then poke a finger into my non-listening ear so I can hear the man easier. Chicken joint?

“No, sir, sorry. My names Y/N. One of them feels sick, and we’re at a party at 38 Maple- “

I get cut off, as the man suddenly shouts- “Those dunderheads!!” I jump immediately at the sudden bark coming through the receiver. Oh god! He’s mad. He's very, very mad. Peaking at the boy again, whose name is apparently either ’Chop Top’, ‘Nubbins’ or ‘Bubba’, I catch a very nervous look on his face and he twiddles his thumbs and looks away from me finally. “I knew they’d go to that damn party! Why did I trust them?? Why?? And with Bubba, as well. Those SHITS!”

“S-Sir,” I try to intervene, to actually get the boy some help like I intended, and also make him stop yelling because its terrifying and my ear is starting to hurt.

“I’ll be right there, I will. Thank you for calling.” Then the line goes abruptly dead and I drop my phone hand into my lap, taking my finger out of my ear too. Smacking my lips awkwardly, I turn to the boy, and after a moment, mouth ‘Bubba?’ and tilt my head, look curious. He nods, so that’s his name. At least something good came out of that traumatic phone call with that insane man.

“Uhh, whoever that was- your father?” Bubba shakes his head. “Uncle?” Another head shake. Wait- “Brother?” He nods. That guy sounded 80 years old!! “Your brother is coming to get you. He seemed… irritated.”

Bubba lets his head fall forward, and sighs. Smiling and shaking my head, I get up to my feet and offer my hands to him. “Come on, we’ll clean you up a bit and sober you if we can. I think we should stick together; Better in two’s then one’s in this mad place, right?”

Enthusiastically, he nods, and takes my hands but doesn’t put much of his weight on me as I ‘help’ him up to his feet. As we walk through the house looking for a bathroom, because the kitchen sink is still full of his sick, he walks in front of me to part the way since he’s bigger- he’s so sweet! On the way we don’t run into much trouble apart from busy walkways, but the vague scent of pee coming from Bubba seems to get us through. I look around for Freddy while we do, to make sure he hasn’t gotten into trouble or is choking on his own vomit anywhere, because he isn’t the most sensible person, but catch no sight of him.

When we get there, there’s 2 girls with a lighter just turning it on and off and giggling hysterically in there already, but they quickly clear out when we come in- like we’re the fuzz, or something.

I fold and wet some toilet paper, and Bubba wipes himself off, and fixes his attire. I think we get through 3 quarters of the toilet paper roll before Bubba has decided he’s presentable again. I gesture to the deodorants for him, and he picks out a flowery looking perfume to spray himself with. It smells nice.

Then I take a deep breath, drop my hands on his shoulders and glance out the door which is emitting crazy loud music sounds, laughter and shouting, and back at him; A cheeky look of detriment fixed onto my face. “Let’s go. Front door; Here we go. You ready?”

A second of worry crosses his face, then he straightens his round shoulders and turns around. I let go of him and follow along as we head to the front door. This time is a little bit difficult, because Bubba doesn’t smell so much anymore, but his larger then regular - for a teenager, - stature still gets the job mostly done.

When we reach the front door, its wide open and perfectly clear. I think, hazzah! We’re getting outta here! But Bubba suddenly stops in his tracks and I bump right into his back. Momentarily, I panic, because when I paused last time for just a second, the doorway closed up and I ended up was trapped here, but then peer around Bubba’s frame to his face and see he’s chewing worriedly on his fat bottom lip. I look at where he’s looking, next, and see a big food van, and a small, cranky looking man sitting in the front seat- door wide open so he can see the sin properly.

Ah, that must be his brother. Face more then matches the voice. Furrowing my brows at Bubba though, I tilt my head. “Bubba, is it okay? Is he gonna be really mad?”

Bubba turns to me, and nods. I set him with a focused look in return, stern. From what I heard from the big brother guy, he was way more mad at the lanky brothers then at Bubba. He just seemed worried for Bubba. Maybe he needs reminding. “At you, or your brothers?”

Bubba pauses, then sets his shoulders again like before, looking brave, and heads off. I feel a slight aching feeling in me at his going away, because I like him and don’t know whether I’ll see him again, but then he turns around and waives goodbye and I remember I have his big brothers phone number. Smiling nervously back because I’m alone in this place once again, I waive back, slowly inching towards the door myself.

Then a smashing noise alerts me to the left and I catch a vase being knocked over, and also an open bedroom.

Inside, is my missing friend sitting hunched over on the edge of a bed.

“Oh, thank god,” I mutter turning and going for the room instead, enjoying the quiet once I make it in. But also feeling a sudden... deep discomfort, that comes along with it. I try to ignore that as I move further in. “Freddy?” He was looking down at his feet, completely unmoving, but when I spoke, he looked up and for a moment his eyes are unresponsive. But then they focus. Immediately I read the room, and the girl earlier, and drop my smile. Something in me feels really, really wrong. “What happened?”

He immediately gets up and tries to make a storming exit for the door. “Nothing, I’m just sick of this place. Let’s leave.” I panic and shut the door before he can slam it further open and get out, and he reels back slightly, looking unamused at me. He reiterates. “I’m fine.”

Wincing, I feel overwhelming levels of concern for him. And also for me. Because he is mad. “You say that, but a little too much and your face... disagrees... ”

“You don’t like my face either, then?” Freddy snaps, mood dropping to become even worse, and I suddenly think of how bad it could have possibly been compared to this if I had asked Bubba’s older brother for a ride home.

But then Freddy's words sink in.

“What?” An angry look takes over my face and my tone lowers, too. Nearly unbearable panic seizes my chest suddenly, like it always does when I think something’s happened. When your best friend has been bullied his entire life, you develop that kind of reaction to things, even little ones. Or maybe that's just me. “Your face is fine! What are you talking about?? Who told you- what did they tell you? What happened?” Panic surges and I suddenly wouldn’t have any reservations for going out there and hitting someone- they’re all drunk, they probably wouldn’t remember, anyway.

“Ask Leroy, he was there.” Freddy’s voice is dipped in anger, lowered and coming as more of a growl that I've never heard before, and I want to be mad too, but that confuses me.

“Leroy?” I ask, confused. Do I know a Leroy? Lee-roy…

Lee Ray. Charles Lee Ray. Chucky!

I manage to say, “Oh no.”, and a humourless chuckle is the response I get to that. Calming down, I sit down and drag him by the arm down next to me, wanting to comfort him. But Freddy’s never been sentimental, and I can’t just pat his shoulder and smile like I did with Bubba. He just needs to say what’s going on in his head right now. And I need to listen. “What did he do?”

He seems to be stuck on something else, though. “You said my face is fine, what’s fine about it?”

I roll my eyes, and sigh out a deep breath of my relief. He's fine. “Whatever happened, you’re plenty handsome. Don’t fret! Now, I liked that leaving idea, let’s go. Hopefully the coast is still clear- “Suddenly, shockingly, lips are on mine, which is alarming mostly because I have never been kissed??? I don’t- I don’t know- what- I am supposed to- Why is this happening?

And- and his hands are on my waist and he’s really close. I’ve never been this close to anyone before, I’ve never thought of Freddy in this way.

I- I taste lip gloss. I’m not wearing lip gloss. And something else strong, which I imagine is whatever brown liquid was in his cup earlier.

Realising this is too much, that he must be really messed up right now, I turn my head away from him and peel his fingers off of my waist- but they just get tighter. “Freddy- “

The smell of whatever alcohol he ingested envelopes me and its clear he drank a lot of it, so I have to stop him. My voice gets stern, threatening. “Get off.”

“Y/N… “It’s all of a sudden absolutely clear how drunk Freddy is, yes because of the smell that I somehow missed before but now can’t stand, but also the tightness of his grip on me. Not bruising, but not giving either and it’s a shock because I’ve known this boy for forever and he has never acted like this before. There’s a big fat space between telling dirty jokes and this. I’m panicking again, heart hammering in my chest. I knew going to this party was a bad idea! “Nu uh, don’t call me that… call me Daddy.”

Oh my lord. That's almost laughable.

“No!” I exclaim, horrified, and before anything else can happen or he can open his mouth again and traumatise me some more, I get a fist full of his hair and yank him back. The pain of it surprises him and I get up to my feet, letting go and backing away quickly, hands raised in surrender. I shouldn’t have hurt him like that, fuck, I think as I watch him hold his head, groan like he’s waking up, and lean forward, all the weight of his bed and his shoulders on his elbows digging into his knees. But I had to. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“... Don't ask don't tell... ”

I just want to say ‘Oh my god’, over and over again. This is too fucked for me right now, I wish I was still with Bubba. God. I take a deep breath, turn around and leave the room, slamming the door behind me.

Time to really leave- Oh, come on!

David. And Erica.

Again.

They’re back.

Groaning, I turn and head back into the party, looking for a new hiding spot. I’m alone again.

TIME SKIP

10 minutes later, I've found a nice place to hide on an upstairs balcony, the doors to the bedroom its attached to closed and the lights all turned off inside and out. I can see people on the lawn downstairs but its all stoners and they're rather peaceful. I feel comfortable, finally, and sit down on the ground, leaning my head on the wall, breathing in fresh night time air and refreshing myself.

Glancing at my phone, I see its 1.10, now. I hope at least Bubba is snoozing right now. Safe and comfortable is nice, but I’m so tired. I’ve smelt more vomit then a nurse does in a month working in the children’s ward, I’ve done nothing but sit around the whole time and think about my bed which is so not a good Friday Nights use of time, and now I’m in a fight with Freddy.

At least, I think it’s a fight. He was drunk, so I guess it could be a misunderstanding. But it feels terrible, and uncomfortable in a way I've never felt, least of all with him- like a fight.

“Hey,” I’m absolutely sure that ‘hey’ wasn’t meant for me, but I turn anyway to find out because I thought I was the only one on this balcony, and am immediately unnerved to see the hunched, dark figure that is Charles Lee Ray slipping onto the balcony and closing the door back behind himself. And he’s looking right at me.

Could this night get any more convoluted??

“… hi.”

“So, are you going for a clown look or is that, an accident?” It takes a moment for his words to sink in, but when I do my eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. What? He takes his thumb and brushes under his mouth, then points to me and looks out at the dark street stretched in front of the balcony; Apparently not really caring.

I wipe under my lips cluelessly with my own thumb- before remembering the purple-ish lipstick I put on for the night that’s probably smothered under my probably swollen bottom lip. My eyes blow open wide. “Ah!” Hurriedly, I get up, searching my pockets and finding the toilet paper that I stashed away in case I got a stuffy nose when Bubba and I were in the bathroom, and clean up the mess blindly, cheeks bright red. I didn’t even think of that after the kiss!! “All gone?” I then ask Chucky, hesitantly with my eyes still open wide and round. Just so I don’t look like a moron for the rest of the night; Certainly not, in any attempt to make conversation with him.

He holds up a thumb to tell me its all good, and my shoulders start to relax. While I try to calm down from that mortifying little highlight, Chucky crosses the balcony to stand beside me, looking out to the street.

He has a very nice profile.

And he’s more brooding then I thought- And I did think he would be quite brooding.

After a second, I feel like I feel kind of out-of-place, like I'm not supposed to be here despite claiming the territory first, so I move to leave the balcony - hoping Erica and David have had their fill for the night each other’s faces, and I can finally leave, - but before I get anywhere, Chucky turns around and catches me looking around like a lost child, and laughs. “Oh, I don’t mean to run you off, cutie pie, but this is prime fucken real estate here. I’m good with sharing if you are, though- " He cuts off, and pale blue eyes leer over my form in a way that makes me cross my arms. "You’re that scrawny ginger’s friend, aren’t you?”

“Uhh… yes.” Cutie pie? Scrawny ginger? Okay… so far, I understand… for now…

Then I remember Freddy mentioning Chucky and my eyebrows furrow down; That protectiveness from before lighting up again. “Why??”

“Oh, you know something. That’s a nasty look on your face, there. No less cute, of course, you’re like a damn puppy dog- but angry.” He gets up from leaning on the balcony, revealing the height difference between me and him. He’s not that much taller than me, being around Freddy’s height, but that’s still enough to make me feel short when he’s looking at me like I’m prey. Which he is.

Then he shrugs and kisses his teeth. “I might deserve it, go ahead and look at me.”

“What did you do??” I ask harshly. 1, Because I don’t like the feeling he’s giving me, talking to me so familiarly about something I don’t know about, and 2. Because I want to know what made Freddy act like he did. He was messed up, and it wasn’t all because of the drink, nor was it his regular level of messed up.

Chucky gives a great sigh, at my question, so deeply in fact that his shoulders raise and drop drastically. He really doesn’t care. That, or he cares and doesn’t want to talk about it, but wants me to think he doesn’t care. “I guess I musta' ran off with his prey, I… “Cleaning out one of his ears yuckily with his finger, he looks thoughtful for a moment. Finishing, he scrapes the stuff off his finger onto the balcony. “I don’t really remember what happened exactly. It was a couple hours ago now, there have been a couple other girls, since.”

You… you’re a deeply offensive person. I think, eyes wide.

“D-different girls?? As-as in- “Oh lord, who am I hanging out with? The STD capital of America? He glances at me, then laughs because my face must be a sight, because I am horrified.

“I didn’t fuck them!” He exclaims, a little too loudly, causing me to look around. Of course, though, no one else is around close enough to hear that and I mentally slap myself for doing it. My heart’s beating way too hard at just that crass, crude sentence. “Your friend, though, he was about t- “

“Nahhhhh, nah, nah! Nah!” I exclaim quickly, also loudly, making a face. I shake my hands at him. No!! Chucky just finds this hilarious and just laughs it up. “I don’t- no. No. I don’t need to know. Thank you… “Although, things are starting to make sense. Freddy's fragile pride was hurt. Ugh.

We lapse into silence once again, this time for a long while. I try to inhale as much fresh air as possible, readying to return to the hellhole that is the party, to get away from this psycho. Then Chucky turns to me a final time, and asks, “Do you want to get out of this place?” and I am completely at his mercy.

“Oh yes please.”

MONDAY

As soon as I walk into sight of the school today, Chucky saddles beside me; Walking silently but like he’s supposed to be there, somehow- I’m sorry, did I adopt you somehow?? How did you even know which way I was coming from? He’s so scary. “Um- hello?”

Since Friday, when he helped me climb down from the balcony and then just walked off, relieving me severely from his presence, I’ve thought about him probably the least out of everything that happened at the party. Yes, he’s a bad boy and he’s handsome and we talked, but really, he didn’t say much that made me desire to spend any more time with him. I do want to hang out with Bubba some more, and I need to see Freddy at some point.

Chucky is the least of my concerns.

“Good morning?” He asks in mock politeness, a cheerful, rueful grin on his face. For a moment I'm speechless, because I’m rendered stupid by his smile, because I don’t know what it means, because he makes me nervous. And for good reason. Am I his next victim- or flavour? I don’t know if I want to be either one of those things. So, instead of looking at him anymore, I look away and around- for Bubba.

He phoned me last night. Oh- well- one of the other boys, Nubbins, called me, asked me for my email so Bubba could email me. He also asked what I looked like, which I responded with ‘Small’, just to see what he might say, and he said, ‘That’s awesome’; Which I’m concerned about.

But anyway, Bubba said in his first email that he goes to our school, and I’m just wondering how I never noticed him! But, then again, he was only noticeable last night because of the pee on his pants and the sink vomiting. So maybe he’s just a bit of a wallflower. So am I - the only reason Chucky recognised me was because of Freddy... who does not have the greatest reputation, either, - , so that's perfectly fine. I know him now, don't I?

Still, even if I did find Bubba immediately, I have to respond to Chucky. He likely wont leave, if I don't. “Pretty good, thank you.” Something in me clenches uncomfortably, at that response. I don’t particularly want Chucky around, because wherever he goes he seems to take chaos with him, but there is a wannabe-follower part of me that wants him to like me. I mean, he is scary. But he’s also really cool. And that clipped response from me was so dull, I thought for a split second that he might just up and leave, immediately.

So, I turn back to him, seeing he’s still watching me with a small, amused grin for some reason - don’t know why he would be amused. I’d like him to stop being amused at me, unless he quickly takes to telling me every evil plan that’s on his mind, so I know I’m not the object of any, - , and flash him a toothless grin. “Do you see a van with the words ‘Chilli Champion’ stamped on the side? That’s my friend.”

Chucky blinks, but is no less amused by me. “Your friend’s a chill champion?”

“No, his brother is. 2 times, in fact.” Yeah, and Chop top’s a DJ and Nubbins is a photographer. Also, Bubba said something about head cheese and not to look it up on google, in reference to Nubbins who just seems to get increasingly more concerning. Both because of the unnerving phone call, and because of the mysterious and sickeningly named... 'head cheese'. Yeah, though, Bubba wrote a really long email about him and his family and their history. I had to take a snack break in the middle, but it was cute.

“Okay, uhh… “Chucky stops me from walking by tugging on my school bag slung over my shoulder, and stands unreasonably close to me - at least, I think its unreasonable. I only hang out with one boy. One person, really. Not counting family. So my frame of reference is pretty small, - , take a look around. Instead of standing here thinking about his arm touching mine, I look around too, and the second my eyes land on the familiar truck from Friday, Chucky nods towards it. “There, that it?”

“Yep! Awesome, thanks!” Who cares if I saw it first? He still made the effort for me, and that was nice. I flash him a smile, and step away, gesturing that I’m going to go cross the road to it. “He’s Bubba. I said I would walk the rest of the way to school with him, s-sooo… “My voice trembles, on ‘so’. It does that sometimes, just to fuck me up when I’m doing well, confidence wise. Chucky probably thinks I’m weird now, anyway.

No, wait. Don’t think like that Y/N, we’ve talked about this.

Chucky, luckily - not that I think he would scare Bubba, because his own brothers are frightening, but because I don’t know how they would get along. Mostly because I don’t know how I get along with either of them yet, really, - makes no movement to follow me. In fact, he steps back, shoving one of his hands deeply into his coat and with the other he waves, curtly. “Have a good day then, cutie-pie. I’ll see you around, then.”

“Yep!” And quickly, I turn around and rush off to the van that’s still running. I don’t know why I rushed, I just felt like I had to get out of there, before I embarrassed myself. Quickly, I get to the truck and round it so Chucky can’t see me anymore- I don’t know for sure if he’s watching me, but in case he is I want to keep him from it, so putting the truck between us seems like the best idea. Also, Bubba is on this side.

He sees me and immediately brightens, smiling and waving. His cheerfulness is totally infectious, so I can’t help but grin widely back. As he hops out of the truck, I wave quickly at Drayton, too, to be polite. I mean, he’s only the second scariest male in Bubba’s family, and he did say thank you at the end of our phone call- so I should make an attempt.

He gives me a small, forced, polite smile back that really just looks sour, and a nod before starting up the truck and leaning across Bubbas seat to close the door behind him. Then he peels away from the curb and down the street, and Bubba’s left standing in front of me looking nervous and cute.

I take a deep breath and let it out quickly. Truthfully, I’m nervous too. Probably not for the same reason he is, though, unless Freddy’s been kissing him, too. “So, ready for the day?”

He takes a deep breath as well, and then turns to school. Reaching over, he surprises me by taking my hand, and squeezing it, before letting go. I don’t know whether he picked up on my mood or somehow heard my stomach roll at seeing the scholarly looking building, but I’m grateful.

We start walking.

On the way, we quickly make conversation- me asking him questions and starting all the conversations, of course, but he’s surprisingly easy to communicate with. Very animated; With those thick fingers of his - which, I will admit, are nice. Think I’m weird all you like, but strong looking fingers are attractive, - and brown eyes, and mouth. We 'talk' all the way up to school and to where we part to go to our separate lockers.

Its not the goodbye that separates us, though.

I wish it was. But no, I glance the way I’m going and see Freddy. He’s wearing a raincoat despite the sunny day, and has the hood up. But I’ve seen it before, so I know its him, and I know what that raincoat means. Suddenly, all reservations for seeing him today and any other interests apart from saying a quick, polite goodbye to Bubba go completely away and I rush over. “Freddy?”

“Y/N! Uuh- oh no- “ Frantic suddenly, he looks around as if the courtyard is going to tell him what to do, and I know the panic isn’t over the raincoat because at this point I know that sometimes he’s going to turn up like this, but then I get there and I catch his wide eyes- and the big black welt over the right one. My heart sinks, even though I knew that would be there as soon as I saw the coat.

Well, that. Or a split lip, or a band-aid, or a graze. Sheepishly, Freddy stands there and lets me push back the hoodie and see the black eye in the sunlight. “I might’ve gotten home a little late... ” I should have thought of that. I should have taken him home with me instead. I should have forced coffee down his throat and dragged him home and- God, but I was so mad, and uncomfortable, that- that I didn’t want to- Oh my god. “Anyway, I’m sorry I couldn’t come see you over the weekend, I would’ve- if I could have- “I know. Mr Underwood never would’ve let him leave after a stunt like that. “Uhhh, well I know we needed to discuss the thing. That I... did... ” I watch him tilt his head, pale face awkward.

Looking at him now, I know I’m not mad. And I’m not scared of him. That was the first time he’s ever had that much alcohol - not that I know anything about the effects of liquor, never having had a drink myself, but its pretty well known what the stuff does to people. Especially skinny people with no meat on them. Like Freddy, - and because of what Chucky did to him, and I just want to forget it. Its not how I wanted my first kiss to go, not at all, not even a little bit... but I can forget it.

That's all I want, in fact. To forget it. And to do that, I need him to forget it. Clean slate.

Taking a deep breath, I push back my hair behind my ears, levelling with him. “I know you were drunk, and… Chucky- “

Quicker than I thought possible outside of YA books, Freddy’s blue eyes go impossible dark and for a split second he's no longer the apologetic, awkward boy who has been my best friend. He tilts his head forward, and says firmly. Quietly, but firmly. A bit scarily, actually- “Let’s not talk about him.”

And I know he means ‘ever’, so I shut my mouth. And also look away from his face, because right now he’s way too intense and its overwhelming, and I can’t just look straight into the storm like that. Over his shoulder, my heart sizes at the sight of Chucky, who smirks and disappears behind a building. Christ. Looking quickly back at Freddy, I try to smile. To cheer him up and make the surprisingly scary look on his familiar face, go away. “Can we just forget all about it? And I mean it. All about it- the whole party. I had a terrible time and you're never convincing me to go to another one, you got it?”

"Oh really?" He immediately does a 180 and the left corner of his mouth quirks up, a mischievous grin on his face. "Never? You had that bad a time? I didn't think all of it was so bad... " I smile back at him seeing the improved mood he's sporting... before I realise what that smirk means. Something dirty. And groan. "There were highlights!"

"No. No, never. Ever!" I exclaim, walking off towards our lockers. "I'm only listening to my shoulder angel from now on!- And don't say stuff like that you creep!" His arm slithers into the crook of mine as we walk, and I turn my head to face him.

"Angel? I thought you only had a devil?" Freddy asks, clearly thinking of himself. I flash him a smirk, back.

Then turn to face the way we're headed. "Not anymore!"

"Aw, see now I new the party wasn't all bad... "

"Never again Freddy."

"We'll see."

"No."

"Uhuh."

66 notes · View notes

thespiral · 3 years ago

Text

INTRODUCING THE 80S DOCUMENT... a comprehensive doc on this funny mentioned-only raider faction that is incredibly fucking cool and a crime no one has mentioned them yet

this is more or less a compilation of different canon, semi-canon and fanon references! most of it taken from the hearts of iron 4 mod old world blues, joshua sawyer's simple and sprinkled some fanon from my head in here as well. this is to hopefully make other people aware of these guys!

a MASSIVE thanks to my partner alex for helping me write this up, the tops server members for lore council, esseress and everyone else who i rambled on and on about these guys. thank you so much

you can find the document here!

(and also under the cut!)

The 80s are a gang of raiders that operate along the Northern California 80 Freeway, mostly in the region northeast of the lawless, uncontrolled city of Sacramento. They occupy their own territory stretching between New California and the shores of Great Salt Lake, bordering the land of their longtime enemies the White Legs.

They are known for raiding frontier towns for supplies, kidnapping people, their tireless pursuit of enemies and for their occasional use of motorcycles. They are rightly feared for their ability to cover large areas of land with very few men using said motorcycles. They have recently spread out over a larger area, notably the I-80, due to the collapse of the Nevada Desert Rangers and the NCR's inability to patrol or keep tabs on the territory.

History

After the bombs desolated the country, the 80s began as a group of people that banded together out of necessity and trekked through the I-80, believing that the highway had to lead somewhere safe. The early origins of the 80s are muddled by word of mouth and mostly forgotten, but they fully coalesced into a raider faction when others learned to fear them.

The first peak of the 80s’ was reached when they took Sacramento for their own. For the first time, many 80s began to settle down and build a raiding community, often attacking smaller settlements in the area. These transgressions eventually led to the New California Republic expanding and securing its borders by taking Sacramento back, forcing the 80s out of the city.

The 80s then tore through Nevada, following the I-80 and launching massive raids on almost every community they came across for supplies and equipment, including NCR cities such as New Reno or Vault City. This led to even greater notoriety and, despite having been mauled by the NCR, drove fear into the heart of the Republic as they made their way to Utah.

Currently, the 80s have mostly settled in Wendover, expanding it into a town. Most of their conflicts lie with the neighboring White Legs, and they await the opportunity to strike back at the NCR and reclaim Sacramento.

Culture

The 80s primary philosophies are that other 80s come before all else, that the enemy of their enemy is their friend, and that settling down is the opposite of freedom. They value a wild and free lifestyle, cheap thrills, mechanical and driving prowess, and the road. While some communities support them along the roads, they are their own priority above all, and many relations with other groups are sustained through physical threat.

While all 80s can be defined by a few common traits, most of them are decentralized and spread across various chapters. Each has their own rules, hierarchies and banners. Some chapters are nomadic, while others settle in towns they have conquered, and others live in self-made settlements by the road.

Identification between each chapter varies from chapter to chapter, with the most common traits being tattoos, body art, patches on armour and jackets, and so on. While in-fighting between chapters is common, the 80s are generally extremely close-knit compared to other raider factions. In most chapters, higher-ranking members wear red or blue I-80 road signs, while regular members wear the more common green signs, and initiates and hangarounds have no signs.

While most 80s are born into their respective chapters, the 80s will occasionally take on new initiates that are young or have potential when it comes to driving and repair skills. An initiate, or hangaround, mostly runs errands for fully-fledged 80s until the others have decided they are eligible for an initiation ritual. Most potential initiates have to go through a ritual to prove their worth, such as salvaging a motorcycle and making it their own.

Economy

When the 80s started out, they were disorganized and originally had to rely on raiding to get by. During their early years, raiding was quite profitable in the wasteland, and this time period would later be called the golden age of raiding. As time went on, however, theft and slavery became unsustainable as societies grew, and many chapters of the 80s were forced to turn to other means of survival.

Using their vehicles to travel greater distances faster than any other society could manage, many chapters of the 80s turned to drug trade, gun running, package delivery, caravan running and trading. Many chapters have become their own communities, and some have settled in certain locations to farm. There are still active raiding chapters, but in the present they are few and far between.

Despite no longer solely relying on raiding, some chapters still intimidate weaker communities into giving tribute to them, having no issue doing so with their vehicles. They also charge a travel tax on all outsiders that would cross their roads.

Military and Technology

The 80s are well-known for their expertise in and quantity of vehicles ranging from the common motorcycle to the large semi-truck. The 80s scavenge, repair and even build their own vehicles, and almost every member at least has their own motorcycle, as a common initiation rite requires new members to salvage their own bike. They also find and use old schematics to improve upon their designs, or create their own from scratch.

Most 80s make their own equipment when they cannot scavenge, from tires and tools to homemade fuel. Many bikes have been made to run on ethanol and other biofuels, while others run on energy cells, fusion cells, or any energy source that’s available.

Using these vehicles, the 80s utilize speed to break through enemy walls in battle, and often overwhelm their opponents before they can truly attack. They rely on hit-and-run tactics, and as a result have great offense and poor defense. For example, one common attack involves holding out a machete while driving by the enemy; destructive, but leaves the rider open for many attacks.

The most commonly used weapons are anything close and decimating. Many 80s carry shotguns, automatic guns and throwable explosives that are relatively easy to use while riding.

Politics and Diplomatic Relations

The cultural tenet of the 80s coming before anyone else carries into their politics. Little of the outside world affects their internal politics or laws (or lack thereof). They are somewhat hypocritical in that they believe in freedom for themselves and no one else. The 80s have no one leader, and overall are decentralized as a faction.

Each chapter has their own subset of laws, or none at all. While most 80s are close-knit, there is currently infighting between chapters as they debate on whether to settle down or continue raiding. Some believe that settling down goes against what the 80s stand for and would be abandoning their origins, while others believe they won’t stand a chance against other factions if they continue to raid.

The 80s are relatively cold toward other factions, with few allies and many enemies. They are generally neutral toward other raiding factions, such as the Jackals or the Vipers, but would put aside their differences for the sake of attacking the greater enemy, such as with the Great Khans or the Powder Gangers. No matter what, however, they will make it clear that they are their own priority.

The New California Republic is one of the 80s greatest and most powerful enemies. From the very beginning, the 80s and the NCR have fought each other as the 80s raided civilians and the NCR tried to stomp them out along with other raider factions. This culminated in the NCR taking Sacramento and forcing the 80s to leave for Utah, marking the NCR as the 80s’ worst enemy. Any 80s would not hesitate at any opportunity to get back at the NCR, no matter how petty or who they would have to ally with.

After the 80s were forced to travel to Utah, their territory began to border the White Legs’, and they frequently intruded on their land. This has led to many skirmishes between the two factions as they compete for their own territory.

While Caesar’s Legion does not have much presence in the West, many 80s have heard of this new threat against the NCR, and most who have are eager for any potential ally to get back at the NCR for Sacramento. The 80s know little of the Legion or what would happen to them if the Legion was successful, but are willing to do anything if it meant victory.

References

https://fallout-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Simple_organizations#80s

J.E. Sawyer’s Fallout Roleplaying Game

Hearts of Iron 4: Old World Blues

And all the other people that helped contribute to this document

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