#settled for the snakebites

[climbing-starrs]

"ape." "princess."

[grimmthorne]

i want snake bites soo bad dude but im scared of what they would do to my teeth bc I have teeth anxiety blegh

[comfycozycrossfox]

anyway my next jewelry idea is having all of my facial jewelry different colors and only bright ass neon colors . would this look good ? im not confident bUt it sure would be striking

[frost-queen]

Till it bites you back // part 5 (Male!Reader x Eloise Bridgerton)

Forever tag:@missmelodramatic   , @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22  , @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers   , @merlieve   , @queen-of-books  , @glimmering-darling-dolly   ,@denkisclown  , @wildieflower   ,@meyocoko    , @justanothercoco, @subjecta13-thefangirl  , @m-rae23 , @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr , @swampthing07   , @melsunshine   @panhoeofmanyfandoms  , @venomsvl , @the-uncoordinated-house-cat ,@rosecentury   ,  @imagines-by-her   ,  @evilcr0ne   , @vviolynn    , @niktwazny303   ,@avada-kedavra-bitch-187  , @markive-m , @thethreeeyed-raven , @anonymous-cat-21 , @lord-lyss , @nameless-flowerr , @hipsternerd9 , @kookietunes07 , @dd122004dd , @ryv-viv , @aquilla6077, @sauron559, @cluelessteam. @czarinera , @korane06 , @luvinyouwasred123, @snakebite-21

Summary: A sudden house call, freaks the Bridgertons out. Out for a stroll, you hope Eloise would be comfortable enough around you certainly now that you have set your mind on courting her. [Series]

Hyacinth gapsed loud, running up to the window. Coming to sit at the windowsill, glueing her face to the window. - "A carriage is stopping at our house." - she called out in excitement. Gregory rushed over to her, trying to shove her away.

Starting to bicker about it. Nudging each other in the side, a push in one's face here and there. Benedict jumped up joining them by the window. He shoved their heads aside with a giddy smile. - "That is a royal carriage." - he pointed out.

Looking over his shoulder to his mother with a smirk. Violet's eyes lit up as she glanced to her daughter sitting beside her. Her entire face lighting up as her hand went down on Eloise's knee. - "What?" - Eloise called out, slouched in the sofa with her arms crossed. - "A royal carriage my darling." - Violet clearified with a cheeky glance. Eloise looked away with a puff. - "Who says it's even him." - she responded. Benedict grinned at her, hand pressed on the window.

"Oh, it is him sister." - he said teasingly. Eloise's eyes widened. Violet stood up with fear in her eyes. - "Dear lords." - she called out in a panic. Clapping in her hands she urged Hyacinth and Gregory away from the window. They rushed away, coming to sit in the sofa. - "He's coming up the doorway." - Benedict called out as Violet let out a yelp of panic. Violet tapped Eloise hard to sit properly.

Benedict moved away from the window. Spinning around mindlessly to think of where he would position himself. Violet orchestrated to Hyacinth to stop pestering her brother and be perfectly still. Benedict settled for the fireplace, leaning against it with his arm. Gregory had taken a book pretending to read it. Violet flattened her dress. The knock on the door made her sit down quickly. The door opened as you were announced. Entering to witness a picture perfect painting.

Everyone looking curious your way, making you feel observed. Violet got up to welcome you. You bowed to her as it made her stare bewildered back. - "Welcome your royal highness." - she said with a curtsy. She cleared her throat loud as her children got up, curtsying or bowing to you. - "We are honoured to have you in our presence, your royal highness." - " she continued warmly.

Reaching back for her daughter, she took Eloise's arm, shoving her to the front. Eloise shot her mother a glare before smiling sheepishly at you. You took her hand bringing it to your lips to kiss them gently. It left Eloise flustered, making Benedict snort loud. Gregory stomped on his foot to silence him. Benedict pressing his lips together to supress a yell. - "Please be welcome, your royal highness." - Violet gestured at the sofa's.

"If you do not mind Lady Bridgerton, I would like to accompany miss Eloise for a walk on this fine day." - you proposed. Violet giggled brightly. - "What a wonderful idea your royal highness." - she answered. You offered Eloise your arm as she gladly took it. With Violet right behind you. Benedict, Hyacinth and Gregory rushed to the window once you had left the drawing room. Wanting to see the departure.

Hyacinth sighed dreamy at the window. - "I want to marry a prince." - she said dreamingly. - "If anyone even wants to marry you." - Gregory teased in a tone of mockery. It made Hyacinth punch him in the armpit. Benedict needing to pull them apart with a deep sigh. Eloise quirked her eyebrow up, looking curious around. Before her question could even be spoken appeared Claude from behind the carriage. Following in line just 6 steps behind you.

Eloise gave Claude a comforting smile as he tilted his head in return with a nod. Violet walked in pace with Claude, admiring her daughter and the prince. - "How have you been miss Eloise?" - you asked to deafen out the silence. - "Oh." - Eloise chuckled nervously out. - "Very well your royal highness." - she answered. Looking away with mockery at herself for sounding so fabricated.

When she looked back at you it was with a nervous laugh. It made you clear your throat, looking away. Something had changed the tension and you didn't like it. Ever since you proclaimed to her you'd want to court her, everything has been awkward. Sometimes you wished it was like before where she was at ease around you. Violet and Claude shared a nervous glance. Guiding Eloise on her stroll towards the park.

Wanting to get away from the streets. Having noticed several eyes focus on you, pointing and whispering. No doubt an appearance would be made in Whistledown's morning's edition. The four of you neared the park as you felt her arm tense a bit around yours. - "Are you comfortable enough? If you'd rather return home I understand." - you told her, wanting to keep her as comfortable as possible.

Eloise turned her gaze up to you. - "I am comfortable." - she replied untensing her muscles. You gestured to a bench as Eloise nodded. She let go of your arm, sitting down. You came sitting down beside her. Hands nervously rubbing over your knees. - "Miss Eloise the last thing I want to be is intimidating to you." - you said. - "Oh but you are n..." - she answered turning more towards you. You didn't let her finish as you wanted her to feel herself around you.

"Please just see me as normal Y/n. Plain Y/n who simply enjoys being outdoors with a girl he likes." - you continued as Eloise's cheeks flushed red. She looked bashful away. To set an example, you leaned back on the back. Sinking a bit down to slouch. Eloise laughed loud as it made you smile. Violet looked at Claude with a spark of hope. Exhaling deep, you gazed upon the lake. - "Magnificent." - you let out at the beautiful scenery.

"It is even more beautiful with you here." - you went on making her smile. Eloise took a deep breath, coming loose. Before you knew it she was talking to you with passion about some subject. Violet stared in horror at her for being such a waterfall with no filter. You chuckled, listening carefully as you loved that about her.

Claude cleared his throat after an hour that it was time. You got up as Eloise followed. The four of you returning to her home. By your carriage you took her hand once more to kiss it. - "I enjoyed today your royal highness." - Eloise spoke with a smile.

"As did I. Shame it has been short." - you responded. She hummed loud. - "I would've loved to hear more about you." - Eloise answered. - "How about an invitation to my home?" - you suggested as Eloise's gaze widened with a slight shock.

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

Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!  

[rylem33]

Snakebit

Author's Note: This is not the entire story due to some images. The entire story can be found over at my blog (link on my Tumblr homepage). I hope you enjoy!

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

Day 1 Andrea wove through the crowd at the local fair, her hand clasped tightly in Ryan’s as she pointed out booths that caught her eye.

“Oh! Let’s stop here,” she exclaimed, tugging him toward a stall covered in temporary tattoos. Magic Millie’s Tattoos claimed the sign. The designs were intricate, shimmering under the string lights overhead.

“Really?” Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re gonna spend ten bucks on something that washes off in two days?” “Why not?” she shot back, rolling her eyes. “It’s fun.  Don’t you think I’d look cute with a tattoo?”

She flipped through the designs, finally settling on a small black snake design. “This one,” she said, holding it up to the vendor.

Andrea pressed the tattoo onto her arm.

“Damn,” Ryan said, leaning in to inspect it. “That’s actually pretty cool.”

Andrea grinned. “Told you.”

------------------------------------------------------------------ Day 2 Andrea blinked awake. She stretched, yawning, and her gaze fell on her arm.

Her eyes widened. The snake was bigger. Its tail now extended down her bicep, and its head rested on her shoulder.

“Ryan!” she called, her voice full of panic.

He stumbled into the room, still groggy. “What’s wrong?” “Look!” She thrust her arm toward him.

He frowned, leaning in closer. “Wasn’t that…smaller yesterday?” “Obviously! And it won’t come off!” She rubbed at it furiously, but the tattoo didn’t budge.

“Maybe you should go back to that booth and ask about it,” Ryan suggested. “And say what? ‘Hi, your fake tattoo’s growing and it’s freaking me out’?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, Andrea. But this is wrong.” ------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 3 Andrea groaned as she woke, feeling an odd weight on her body. Her eyes fluttered open, and she froze.

Her reflection in the bedroom mirror was unrecognizable. 

“Ryan!” she shouted, sitting up and staring at herself.

He walked in, a cup of coffee in hand, and stopped dead. The mug slipped from his fingers, shattering on the floor. “Holy shit,” he whispered, his eyes wide as he took her in.

Andrea turned to him, her expression a mixture of panic and anger. “What’s happening to me?!”

Ryan didn’t respond immediately, his gaze drifting from her face to her body. He swallowed hard.

“Ryan,” she snapped. “Stop staring like that.” “Sorry,” he said quickly, his face flushing. “It’s just…you look…different.”

“Different?!” she barked, standing up. “That’s an understatement. I look like a completely different person!” She gestured to her reflection, her pajamas stretched to the limits against her swollen curves.

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze. “Yeah, I mean…you do. But…you also look…amazing.” His voice softened on the last word, and Andrea’s sharp retort faltered as she noticed the way his eyes lingered on her curves.

“Seriously?” she said, her tone incredulous. “You’re turned on right now? I’m freaking out, and all you can think about is how hot I look?” “I didn’t say that!” he protested, though his cheeks flushed deeper. “I mean, I’m worried! But also…uh, yeah, maybe a little?”

Andrea glared at him, her frustration mounting.

“Whatever,” she muttered, turning away. “I need to figure out what the hell is going on.”

------------------------------------------------------------------ Please head over to my blog to find out what happens on Day 4!

[oh-surprise-its-me]

Jake knows he feels too much, he’s felt too much for years.

Hangman.

Christ. If only they knew he had lists in his notes app for allergies, likes and dislikes, favorite foods and birthdays.

Hangman.

Yeah. It’d be more fitting if he had been the one to leave the other behind. But no, he was flying with Snakebite and the asshole left Jake behind but hadn’t done the move right. So Jake pulled forward and ahead and Snake had to abort.

Hangman.

He wishes he could take the persona off, but it settles on his shoulders like a jacket. He finds some comfort in it. Jake knows that Javy can see through it, why Jake always sticks close to Javy and doesn’t ask too many questions. Has the confidence in himself when he really hasn’t had any since his father kicked him out at 15.

Hangman.

He sits outside the hard deck in the sand, he hears someone come up behind him. It’s probably Javy. The only person whose ever come to check on him in 20 years.

“You good Jake?”

Oh. Oh. That’s not Javy. That’s Bradley.

He sniffs, “yeah what’s it to you Roo.”

Bradley lands on the sand next to Jake, he sits close enough their shoulders touch. “Saw you leave. But I also saw you start crying. Figured I’d check up on you.”

Jake let’s put a wet laugh, he scrubs at his eyes. Jake, such the fucking cry baby look at you now.

“Jake come on what’s up, are you okay? Are you hurt? Should I get Javy?” Jake shakes his head, “no let him have his night. It’s stupid anyways. I’m just a bit drunk.”

Hangman.

“Can’t be that stupid if it made you cry.”

Jake falls back into the sand, it’s easier this way, he can just stare at the stars instead of looking away from Bradley.

“Nat almost drank coconut rum.”

Bradley lays back in the sand next to Jake. “Not sure I follow. But keep talking.” Jake shakes his head. “She’s allergic. No one saw but me so I reminded her. She told me to fuck off, and that if she wanted a lecture from her mom she’d call her.”

Bradley let’s out a puff of air. “Shit. I didn’t know she was allergic.”

Jake laughs again. God this day can’t end fast enough. “Not dead allergic just enough it bothers her. She mentioned once a few years ago.”

Bradley nods, “you notice things about people. You care.”

Now it’s Jakes turn to nod, “reason I came out here was I figured no one would notice I was gone. Got too loud in there.”

“I notice.”

Now Jake turns to look at Bradley, he’s not sure what he’s expecting to see but the look of, caring? God Jake might even dare to say love? In Bradley’s eyes are a startling image.

“You always let Payback have shotgun because rarely gets car sick, you let Javy have all your pickles because he loves them. You remembered Nat is allergic to coconut even though I’ve known her for years and she mentioned it to you once.”

Bradley takes a breath sitting back up. “God Jake I think I notice everything about you.”

Jake is shocked that Bradley has been apparently watching him for years. Shit maybe his crush isn’t just one sided. He sits up, twisting to face Bradley head on.

“You care?”

Bradley smiles, “please god punch me if I got this wrong Jake but I more then care.”

And then he kisses Jake.

Bradley Bradshaw is kissing Jake Seresin.

Merry fucking Christmas in July to Jake.

Jake pulls away. “I’m a lot Bradley. I feel too much. I cry when dogs die in movies. I get angry around father related holidays. I have a weirdly dependent relationship with my best friend. I get it if you want to run away.”

Bradley takes Jake’s hand, he brings it up to his mouth kissing it and then using it to drag Jake into a hug. “I like a lot Jake. I’m grabby in the mornings. I take 30 minute showers. I cook but maybe not to the best level. I go full out at any holiday but I’m insufferably overkill around Valentine’s Day. I’m not running if you aren’t.”

Jake presses a kiss into Bradley’s neck. He feels tears in his eyes but for different reasons now. “Well I guess there’s only one way for me to know about the grabby morning part huh?”

Bradley laughs, he stands in one motion, and sticks a hand out for Jake to grab. “Wanna find out?”

Jake smiles up and grabs Bradley’s hand.

He’s not letting go. And he’s going to remember every damn moment of tonight.

[generic-whumperz]

Get to Know Tag

Big thanks to @clairelsonao3 & @mj-iza-writer for tagging me! I really like getting to know everyone more, and aw shucks, y’all included me in on the fun!

Rules: Tag 10 or more people you want to get to know better

10?! That feels like a lot for me, so I’ll gently do a no-pressure tag to some homies & mutuals I interact with often (+ if you see this and would like to join, please feel free!): @whumpyourdamnpears @rainydaywhump @drawing-dinos82 @dresden-syndrome @snakebites-and-ink @whumble-beeee @little-rat-dragon

Relationship status: Married for soon-to-be six years! Surprised? Not more than me, I assure you that! (He’s not on social media and not a Tumblr Baddie, nor is he a Whumper, but he listens to my insane bullshit, so shoutout to him for being a wonderful and supportive partner and letting me be able to let my freak fly freely—try saying that three times fast.)

Favorite color: Blue. Oh, I love all the blues, from cobalt, to ultramarine, to turquoise, to navy, baby, royal, sky, azure, and indigo.

Song stuck in my head: Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You by Engelbert Humperdinck (this name sounds fake and like it would belong to a snooty banker from A Christmas Carol.) There are several versions of this song, but for some reason, this is the one that permanently invades my mind.

Last song listened to: I was listening to oldies this morning on my walk, so: It Had to Be You (Big Band and Vocals) by Harry Connick Jr.

Dream trip: Is this a trick question? You think I can pick one place? I love the tropics, but considering that I’ve already been to Hawaii & Costa Rica, I’d take a trip to the Mediterranean (yes, I’m basic and would love a trip to Italy, Spain, Greece, or even a quaint little French countryside) over the tropics without hesitation. However, I am also drawn to Peru and Ireland, New Zealand (I would love to go to the locations where LOTR was shot), and Thailand.

Last TV show/movie: (Not counting Star Trek TNG I fell asleep to last night since I know no rest without being properly lulled to sleep by a Star Fleet Captain) The Boys! I finally started watching it and downed all of season 1 yesterday like the TV addict that I am.

Spicy/sweet/savory?: I dare say spicy, although my guts can’t tolerate much of it anymore (I was a hot sauce fiend in my youth, quite literally had a bottle of Tabasco and/or Tapatio on me at all times—yes, I even went so far as to keeping bottles of it in my locker at school), so I will gladly settle on savory.

Last thing I googled: All hail the Piano Man himself

[cryptidsurveys]

Sunday, December 1st, 2024.

Do you have any plans for tomorrow? Animal shelter. Possibly from 8:00am-5:00pm, but it depends on who's there. I'm supposed to be covering for River, but if both Kristen and Liv are there, then there's not really any need for me to stay past 12:00pm.

What's the longest movie you've ever seen? The Return of the King.

What movies did you watch a lot as a kid? Watership Down (my strange obsession), The Land Before Time films, Antz, A Bug's Life, Disney films…

How many rooms are in your home? Living room, dining room, family room, kitchen, three bedrooms, master bathroom, two regular bathrooms, and a basement.

Do you ever experience imposter syndrome? At the animal shelter. I can't seem to fully convince myself that I can handle the job even though I'm basically already handling the job. :')

What was the last place you rode to in a car? I drove to / from the shelter earlier, but the last time I was a passenger was last Wednesday when my mom and I went to see Wicked.

Do you have a PayPal account? If so, how often do you use it? I don't.

Are you cold right now? My hands are cold, but the rest of me is fine.

How old will you be at your next birthday? Thirty-six. Can't wrap my brain around the fact that I'm approaching 40. I don't feel that old at all.

Before this one, when was the last time you took a survey? Not that long ago, while eating lunch. Put together a red velvet cake after that, popped it in the oven, and now I'm taking this while I wait for it to finish baking. Just a few minutes left…

Can you skip rope? Yeah.

Have you ever participated in a charity fundraising event? Yeah.

What is your hair like at the moment? It's very short. Just buzzed it recently, but I'm thinking of letting it grow out next time and going to an actual salon to get it styled. Might even decide to dye it but haven't quite settled on a color.

Do you like cucumber? Yeah.

What do you like and dislike about your job? (or your last job) Like - Spending all day with kitties. Feeling like I'm part of something bigger than myself / doing some good in the world. The job itself is pretty repetitive; not a whole lot of surprises or changes in routine. Keeps me in shape and gives me an opportunity to socialize. Snacks and coffee in the break room. Dislike - There really isn't a whole lot that I dislike about it. Sometimes cleaning can be a little gross, but you get used to it. Biggest struggles for me are navigating social situations or feeling like I don't really fit in.

Have you ever had a dream job? If so, did you give up on it, and why? Or do you happen to have that dream job? I haven't given up on it.

What's the last sitcom you watched? No idea.

What car did your parents or guardian drive when you were growing up? White Volvo, blue Celica, and a red Toyota pick-up truck.

Do you have milk in your fridge right now? What kind? There's heavy whipping cream and almond milk.

Are you left or right handed? Right-handed.

If you have your ears pierced, how old were you when you got them done? I had my ears pierced twice when I was younger, but the holes have long since closed. They just kept getting infected.

Do you have any other piercings? Snakebites. The only piercings with which I've had any luck.

What was the last thing you wrote down in the notes app on your phone? I've never used the Notes app.

Have you ever been on a winery tour? No.

When was the last time you were hungover? Idk.

Do you still have Facebook? If so, how often do you check it? No.

Are you wearing your favourite colour today? Yeah.

Would you ever want to visit South Korea? Eh. I'm not super interested in visiting. It's not a hard no, but there are places I would much rather visit instead.

How many times in your life have you been in love? Idk.

Do you like your name? Yeah.

[melissamasakari]

Confessions you didn't notice

Chapter two. Birthday mess.

Sam's birthday went according to plan. In the morning I managed to catch her on the way back from training (and I even managed to cover my ears and not go deaf from Paulie’s screams!) and gave her a gift.

“Wow! Is this a ’snakebite’?! I didn't even dream of it. You're an angel!”

“Glad you like it. Evening plans are still valid?”

“Of course. That will be me and you only. Phyllis is on duty today, but I'll take her out for lunch. And Cap,” she turned around, looking at the dust slowly settling after her boss flew past, winding another circle, “had let me go early today”.

“What a generosity!” I deliberately clasped my hands. “Are we sure we’re there will be no one else?”

“I didn’t plan it. Remy is on Patrol around the abandoned ruins, Arlo, as usual, has carloads of papers and reports for the evening. And he also was talking about a bunch of commissions for materials. Well, he probably just came up with an excuse,” she shrugged with annoyance.

“Oh... that will be mine commissions, it seems. The poor fellow will completely drive himself away at this rate.”

“Don’t worry, he’s crazy like this every autumn. Just another week and he will calm down. He’ll just become an ordinary grumbler again.”

“With some itchy feet,” I couldn’t help but add quietly. Sam burst out laughing and ran off.

We had a great time in the evening as expected, collecting a ton of tokens from Django’s. I think we even emptied his entire prize pool till next year. He looked annoyed at first, but then he expressed his joy out loud and called us walking advertisements for an arcade.

Two days later I was persistently reminded that it turned out to be my birthday. Even pa sent a postcard from somewhere in his wasteland. Just amazing! He should have dispatched it at the beginning of summer for it to arrive in time. Ginger sent me a great necklace by the mail. I don’t usually wear this type of jewelry, but she will definitely be pleased if I come to a party in it. Gust sent... what is this, an umbrella? And with my signature stamp? He is crazy or something? By now the whole city should have noticed that I really hate umbrellas! And those hats are also dumb! And just then it started to rain, how predictable!

From time to time appearing at home between trips to work, I was surprised to observe the endless flow of townspeople at my fence gate. They looked around very funny, leaving boxes and parcels at the mailbox. Many gifts were without signatures or cards, but it was not difficult to guess the giver. In the mailbox there was even a note with threats and a demand to sell my workshop and get out. Probably Higgins...or those loser scammers. Well, let's see what kind of loot I’ve got. There is food from Emily and Martha, a cool warm jacket from Carol (I've been meaning to order it for a long time!), a carpet from Gale, another carpet from Sonya, a cool pot of flowers from Alice. Oh, what else is there? The box contained exactly the same black dress as I wore on that ill-fated day. The sweepingly and beautifully signed card read: “Shine bright too! I love you. Antoine!” Wow. ‘Black glow’? That’s unheard of. Well, okay, so there will be a spare one if I screw up somehow. And this is where the boxes end. And letters, too. Oh, wait. At the bottom of the box was a letter from Petra with blueprints and congratulations. And a very official paper from the Civil Corps with an apology for the delay of my commission and hopes for patience and calm. Damn red-block-head! But at least he definitely didn’t eavesdrop.

Sam found me late at night diligently threshing punching sacks. We had a nice chat and exchanged news. She handed me a cool roomy bag with the logos of Flying pigs stitched over as decorations. Hand sewn, that’s amazing!

“Do you like it? I wasn't sure since you didn't answer my question.”

“Amazing!” I couldn’t contain my delight and hugged her tightly. “Where did You get it? There are so many pockets, you are a miracle!”

“I bought the basic one from Carol and spent a long time fiddling with the decorations. It turned out a little clumsily, but I...” She drawled guiltily.

“Are you kidding?! In fact, it’s hard for me to imagine you doing needlework and here it is! When did you found time? No one has ever bothered like this for me before. Well, mom, maybe. And it was very long time ago so I almost don’t remember her.”

“I'm glad I guessed right. Cheer up, kid, I need to run further along the route before anyone notices that I’m skiving.”

Having assured that all the urgent work was going as it should I crawled away to rest. The weather was pleasant in the morning; the mud from yesterday's downpour had even dried out. After reporting on the projects to the guild, I decided to take a leisurely jog around the pond to relieve some turmoil from my head. Relieve, however, did not happen – obsessive thoughts followed me around. We even didn’t have a proper conversation. It's a pity. Maybe I should seek him out again? Come on, that's bullshit. I have much more important things to do. Gale has generously piled me with interesting work again, so I’ll try to throw myself into it and just wait till the rest of the fall. Apparently I made the wrong wish on the Day of Memories when I was releasing a flying lantern into the sky.

Until next Friday I honestly kept my promise to immerse myself in work. I fulfilled several large orders, took inventory, went through a bunch of paperwork, and, while making another small commission, decided to beat up my training dummies.

“Are you training?” out of surprise, I jumped abruptly high in the air and in a turn stroked the visitor with my knee in the shoulder.

And Arlo didn't even wince.

“Didn’t anyone tell you that sneaking is bad? And you have to knock!”

“Somebody once told me. And I knocked. Your fence gates are always opened anyway. Great shot, by the way!” He rubbed the bruised area, shook himself off and continued. “So just how busy are you?”

“It depends on what do you need me for. Are we expected to save the world again?” Remembering the last episode with the sewer repair I asked cautiously. I really didn’t expect that he would show up in person! Finally!

“No, it’s not that bad. I just got a little carried away and broke my training dummy. Can you make me a new one?” He nodded towards my equipment for blowing off steam. “I see you already know how – you don’t even have to look for blueprints. Will you take my commission?”

“Wait a minute. I made one for you recently. What did you hit it with, a hammer or something?”

“As it turns out I need something sturdier.”

“Okay, just how urgent is it?” And why do I keep thinking that I’m missing the chance to ask questions that are of much more interest for me?

“Can you have it done before the Snowball Battle? I don't want to miss my training for so long.”

“I have one condition. No, two.”

“I'm hanging on your words!”

“You still need to have a break from your training. You have been delaying my orders for the third week a row!”

“Sorry, something happened,” he shrank guiltily.

“I know what could have happened to you!” I blurted out, shaking my fist at him. Is it just my imagination or is there someone giggling there from behind the fence?

“What is the second condition?”

“I want to challenge you to a snowball battle. I have already beaten you in land run, but in the martial arts tournament I consider it was a technical draw.”

“A draw? You knocked me out of the finals! I didn't even understand how it happened. Twice.”

“So, you remember. And then Russo almost broke all my ribs. I should have left him to you. Or at least get some proper sleep before that fight...”

“Come on?! No preparation and you just rushed to thrash the butler. And if it’s of any consolation I didn’t have a chance against Russo either. He used to be a Civil corps leader after all.”

“Don't change the subject. I still have to invent an arlo-proof dummy, you know.”

“Yes, sure. I don't usually do snowball fighting, but why not? I haven’t done anything other than work and training for a long time.”

“Well, before I forget. How did your exams go?”

“It’s better not to ask,” he immediately drooped. Was it really THAT bad? He was running around like crazy all month.

“It's a pity. Sorry. So my lucky fist-holding didn't work. Next time I'll cross my fingers for you. They say it works better,” I made an appropriate encouraging gesture.

“It’s okay, I’ll survive. Looks like I'm still not good enough.”

“Then they are all blind there if they think so.”

Putting on an air of importance he cheerfully said goodbye and disappeared again into the landscape behind my fence gate. Just like deja vu. Looking for clues for the task he had given me I decided to visit Petra. We spent all day brainstorming and finally came up with a plan. There's just a little bit left to do – I have to get everything done in a week, unless urgent problem is rushed onto me. I had to hang around in the ruins all weekend and replenish supplies of materials; if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to start testing my arlo-proof-something by Wednesday.

On Tuesday morning Arlo reappeared on his own out of the blue. Sure, I don’t usually immediately notice if someone is looming around the fence, since it's such a common thing. There is always someone running around my place as if it is some tourist attraction. And almost half of the heads usually sticking up over the fence here are all red, well, including my own. I perfectly fit into the picture here, nothing more to say.

Why is Arlo acting so strange? So very weird. He just walks back and forth in front of my fence gate but for some reason he doesn’t try to come in or knock. So I decided to hail him myself.

“Arlo? Hey, come in, don’t circle around there or you’ll trample a hole in the road!” I shouted from the height of the second floor of the assembly station. Zero reaction. What's wrong with him? “Sky to the Captain, do you copy?! Captain Arlo, confirm the operation status! Repeat: confirm the operation status, Captain!”

“I asked you not to call me so!” He pouted, but at least he restored his touch with reality. I'll save this feat for the future.

“Come in, I said. I’ll come down soon,” I pointed with my hand into the yard, “or, if you’re not in a hurry, you can wait for me in the house.”

At the second offer he somehow stretched himself out with some nervousness, shook his head negatively, and in a couple of jumps found himself near the workbench. Having finished assembling another very important thing, I went to find out what was going on felling intrigued.

“Are you’re looking for your dummy? I planned to finish it tomorrow, well, Thursday at latest. I still need to test it, at least minimally.”

“Are you going to hit it with a pickaxe?” Hinting at the obvious difference in strength, he nodded towards my rather battered punching sacks hanging near the stable. “But no. That's not what I'm after.”

“Then what's up?” I wiped my hands with a rag and inquired.

“I was thinking. Maybe we can go somewhere together? Tomorrow.”

“Are bandirates invited to this party? Or maybe an ensemble of jumping dancers? An honor guard from the city administration? We seem to have agreed on a fest on Friday.”

“The festival is still valid, of course. But I would like to do something, well, more tranquil.”

“For example? Just don’t offer to go jogging and training!” I wonder if I’m daydreaming again, or is this a date? Judging by what I know, it’s definitely not his promotion party.

“How about we go to Django's? Then we can book an arcade hall or take a walk to the beach.”

“Beach in winter? Your tastes are little specific, you know.” I pointed out slightly sarcastically as I was trying not to show my excitement.

“I would suggest a haunted cave instead, but it’s slippery there now. And also cold. The atmosphere is the best, of course. It's creepy and disgusting. You may get sick, and instead of having fun you'll end up with a full pack of new problems”.

“Fair point. So tomorrow, a restaurant. In the evening?”

“Yeah, let's go in the evening. In the morning the hall is packed. At lunchtime there are always some of the bosses present. This will be no rest either.”

“Then where do we meet and what about the dress code?”

“I can come to fetch you. By seven. Is it fine?”

“Are you ignoring the second question on purpose, or is there some hidden meaning?”

“On this matter I am only a so-so adviser. I'll leave it you. Just make sure you're warm and comfortable enough. I know you’re still not very used to the snowy winter.”

“Acknowledged. I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow,” we bumped fists in goodbye.

In joyful anticipation I cheerfully completed most of the work planned for the whole week. I even managed to go and report on everything urgent. All that was left was that arlo-proof dummy. Sam caught me finishing it the next morning.

“Wow, what a monstrosity you are building here!” Her delighted voice came from behind the fence.“Can I check it out?”

“Come in, just don’t touch anything yet. It's not really bolted. I still need to tighten it up a little more and check it. And just then it will be ready to be screwed to some fairly heavy stand. So I just drove it into the ground so far. For tests.”

“Did you call a tester?” Sam inquired busily and patted her boxing glove with her hand.

“Let the owner test it himself. I really hope that at least he won’t hurt himself in the process”.

“This thing will be moved to the headquarters?”

“Bingo! Certainly. I'm already working on the second design.”

“What a colossus!”

“Yeah, I’m very interested to see how he’s going to get this thing uphill. I have never seen any transport usable to moving up the ice slide that the ramp in the park has turned into.”

“He'll figure it out. For the sake of resuming training he will do just everything. I was surprised that he even cleared away all the papers! Has he sent you all your materials? Or was I running around for nothing?”

“As far as I remember I still need leather and fur. I managed to get some for urgent orders myself. So, I'm not worried yet. But if there’s some lying around at the headquarters, just whistle and I’d better come and pick it up. Oh, by the way. Your order is ready too, I was going to catch you tomorrow. Wait a minute. And pass me that metal thing, please.”

“Oh, great. Glad I dropped by.”

“Are you in a hurry? I could use your help.”

“Not too much. What’s what you need?”

“A trivial girly thingy. I've nothing to wear.”

“Now that is interesting. People don’t usually come to me for something like that,” she laughed.

“I’m not going to ask Antoine for help and then be unable to get away from him. He gifted me a dress, can you imagine? And even signed a postcard.”

“Come on?! Show me!”

As we entered the house together I opened the closet and invited my friend to rummage through it while I washed myself off after the dirty work.

“So how do you like my booty?” I went out in my usual home attire, preparing to inspect my scarce selection of clothes.

“Here is plenty to choose from. So what’s the occasion and plan of the event?”

“I would have liked to know the occasion myself. I've been told it will be a restaurant and a walk. The sequence is arbitrary. Also I don't want to suffer from frostbite. And I don’t want to look like an unwashed miner either. As such, everything is as usual.”

“Okay. Then let's try this out” Sam surprisingly quickly put together a cool set for me. Then another one. And another still. How come I’ve got so many clothes?

As I’ve tried out everything offered, we looked at the clock and found that lunch was almost over. So we had to finally choose and we settled on a practical classic. As result two almost identical girls, a blonde and a redhead, looked at us from the mirror, smiling provocatively. The difference was in the details and some little things. My jacket was warmer and longer still, bright blue – made of Slurpee leather. And the jeans were perfect – gray, with a lot of pockets. My only warm and non-slip boots also fit well. I’ll even wear my new necklace with these. And also I’m going to take with me my current favorite bag.

“You are my savior! Drop by on any weekend – I’ll treat you to home-cooked lunch.

“Splendid! They say you almost beat Django in the Cook off. Sorry I missed everything. Usually that competition includes a lot of my favorite dishes.”

“Let's catch up then. And here's your order.”

To pass time til the evening I decided to tinker with the paperwork that I usually do on Saturdays. However, Arlo did not appear at the appointed time. Nothing new. I was about to go “test” his order, and I even got to made a couple of test kicks when I heard noise from behind the fence.

“Look what the cat dragged in! You can arrange transportation for your new toy,” I began instead of greeting and waved my fist invitingly.

“Oh can I try it out?”

“Just without zeal. I already thought you wouldn't come at all.”

“Sorry. I was sorting out complaints from one workshop. It turns out that you are accused of stealing a pickaxe. A bronze one!”

“What kind of jerk took a risk? I have had only iron ones for a long time. You know that.”

“Yeah, well enough. That's why the investigation took so much time. I had to collect evidence in the first abandoned ruins in order to prosecute him for libel. He will be an eyesore for me until the end of the week in the jail now,” he said indignantly but rather threateningly, and made a couple of test blows at the dummy.

“It was Higgins, wasn’t it? Ugh, I'm sorry. Consider yourself forgiven. And as such you already punished yourself for being late.”

“So generous. And this toy turned outto beexcellent! I had no doubts, of course. You’re a great builder after all. But you managed to exceed all expectations.”

“Are you sure you don’t have a basement anywhere? Otherwise it might, uh, break through the floor or something.”

“Don't worry. I won’t put it on the second floor, but it’s the clinic where there is a basement, not our place. Are you ready?”

“If you are ready to give up trying to break this monstrosity. At least until Sunday.”

“Yeah, sorry. Let's go. We should practice together sometime.”

“No way.” I closed the house and checked the gate.“I won’t spar with you anymore.”

“And why is that? It was great! I enjoyed it very much!”

“Because I still plan to beat you in the tournament next summer, of course!”

“And just how will joint training interfere with this?”

“You will be ready for my surprises that way. That's not very interesting.”

“Do you have any other strange techniques up your sleeve?”

“Just you wait and see.”

“We've arrived.” Arlo opened the door, letting me in first. Well, that's nice.

Oh, a cozy little fenced-in nook. Seems like a good spot, not too close to tables intended for large groups or business meetings, but, to my sorrow, uncomfortably close to the entrance and also in a draft. That's where we headed. Why am I so nervous? Well, I only dreamed about this for almost a whole month. Cheer up, girl! So, I allowed myself to be pampered a little tint bit, and we sat down opposite each other. The distance seems to be decent. Calm down, Melissa, breathe. Nothing is happening yet.

“You said that you come here often.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“Then explain such abnormal excitement around.”

“You think so? It seems like it's always like this.”

“I don’t know how to put this. Usually when I get here, that’s either Sam who pulls me out into a noisy crowd of people or I just hang out alone at the counter and sometimes discuss new recipes with Django if he's not too busy. And now it feels like as soon as we entered the entire staff dropped what they were doing and began circling nearby.”

“If you hadn’t pointed this out I wouldn’t have noticed. For some reason such a stir happens every time I come in.”

“So it's clear. This means that in an hour at most the whole city will already be gossiping about seeing us here together.”

“And so what? Just let them say and think what they want. This doesn't bother me at all. Does it disturb you, maybe?” To my surprise he really guessed it! It’s unlikely that he’s always hanging out privately with the girls here. Otherwise Sonya would have already told everyone. Now she’ll definitely talk about this little visit of ours, oh crap.

“Not that much. Maybe on the contrary it will be beneficial and yield more orders,” I said, putting on an overly cheerful appearance. It’s also quite possible that those Nora of his will bite me in the face later. Who knows what these church apprentices are up to?

“By the way about orders. I mean what are we going to order?”

“Let me think. Will we have separate account? I'm quite happy with today's dish of the day, a couple of crepes for dessert, and some hot tart drink like tea or coffee.”

“If it’s more comfortable for you, let’s have separate.”

It is not at all surprising that Sonya was hovering somewhere nearby and instantly materialized as soon as Arlo waved his hand. We said hello again I told what I wanted and discussed the conditions. Then it was my companion’s turn and he immediately ordered a total five of his least favorite dishes. I was terribly surprised and immediately tried to talk him out from this dumb idea.

“Wait, you don’t like sweets. And you’ve said SO many times that you can’t stand steamed potato fruit. Are you sick by any chance? There are also three sweet dishes and even a dessert. Arlo, what's wrong with you?”

The waitress chuckled softly. Really, she knows better than anyone in this small town each persons preferences in food. There is nowhere else to go here to be honest.

“I was quite healthy this morning, thank you. I don't know I just wanted to try something new. Or give this food a second chance, something like that.”

“Okay, we’ll always have time to add something else.”

Sonya accepted our orders and finally left, smiling mysteriously and gracefully swaying her hips.

“So, how it is? Do you regret moving here yet?”

“No way. Apart from this cold winter and an excessively humid, rainy summer, I am quite okay. I'm not swallowing sand each time I need to go outside. And the skin does not crack if I forget to hide it from the sun. And my job is really interesting. I even have made some friends! And there is a small but pleasant bonus: my aunt can’t reach me here and has finally stopped trying to micro-manage my life.”

“How‘ s that?”

“Well, you know. She breathed down my neck all the time with her advice. Don’t talk with these people – they’ll teach you all bad things! Just tie the knot and be fixed for life. But you’re not allowed to be friends with this guy and that gal. Blah-blah-blah and stuff like that. She was so overbearing that she even distracted me from studying and working normally.”

“Understood. Sorry for asking.”

“Come on. Here I can at least breathe normally and be myself. Do what I want. Talk to everyone I like, and not with those who passed Kendra’s selection.”

“Do you think I'd pass?”

“Well, it's a good question. I didn't even think about it this way. Besides, I just don't give a fuck anymore. If she’d not like you, that would be her problem! It’s quite enough that I like you. But if you insist I can speculate what it would look like. Just for fun.”

“Try it, I’m curious, if it will not make you sad.”

“Well considering what I've heard about you from others... Hmm. I suspect she would be over the moon that I have a friend like you. Kendra would brag to all of her friends, driving away their ugly, boring momma's boys. But I just won't let this happen, okay? I only recently stopped receiving trainloads of letters from her demanding to account for every step. “

“Well, I haven’t seen something like this before, and it’s hard for me to comprehend it right now. I won't ask again, I promise.”

“Agreed. It’s like we came to have fun, not to pick at sores.”

“Exactly,” he was still noticeably saddened, even hovered a little. Somehow the conversation wasn’t going well, and I started to get even more nervous.

Our order arrived. Predictably, as Arlo never liked sweets, he turned even sourer. And he also flatly refused the offer to order something tastier or at least filling. Oh, damn it, what to do with him? I should have confessed to him near the house and found out everything! There are too many extra ears here, and it feels like they are all crowding around. I can’t ask about exams as he would have told me about work himself. In a fit of panic I fidgeted with my bag, I don’t quite understand what I was trying to find there except for keys and a set of tools. A first aid kit, maybe?

“Wow, what a cool bag do you have here. Did you do it yourself? I want one too!”

“No, it was not me. And there will be no repeat, this is a one-off.”

“Why is this?”

“It’s a present. Handmade. So it’s really hard to repeat.”

“It's a shame. Wait, a gift? From whom? Was there an occasion?”

“I won’t say from whom. But there was an occasion, yes.” I tried not to dwell on my disappointment from that day about how my “best friend” didn’t show up and didn’t even congratulate me with a postcard.

“I missed everything, right? How long ago?”

“In the fall,” Sonya came to put away the dishes, eavesdropped and tried not to giggle. I'll discuss it with her later. At least not in front of Arlo.

“Sorry. You were probably waiting, right?”

“Let’s just say, I hoped. At least that we could just meet up and chat. I definitely didn’t expect an apology for the delay of my order that arrived by mail. I missed you, by the way!” Oh, that was too loud. It seems like a couple of plates broke somewhere near, just a little short of reaching the kitchen.

“Can you pinpoint a date? I understand that I should have known this myself, but it has had totally washed out,” oh, what a guilty tone his voice has. I almost liked it.

“Not surprised. You were completely absorbed in the upcoming test. Twenty fifth.”

“Exactly. That was the last three days of preparation and run-up for the training ground. I utterly screwed up,” he hit himself on the forehead with his palm.

“Do not worry. I usually don't celebrate. This was I think the first year in the last... ten, or such that I had some festivities”.

“What kind of gifts do you like? Well, for the future,” have he perked up or something? It's nice.

“It’s hard to tell right away. I usually like something practical. The girls gave me a whole bunch of warm clothes. Now there is something to wear for work in and something fancy for special occasion. Just in case, I’ll tell you right now if you haven’t figured it out yet. I DO hate umbrellas! Anyone who dares to bring me an umbrella or any other thing that resembles it as a gift is at risk of getting it back, stuck up their ass and opened!”

I heard the door opening and the completely indecent laugh of Sonya and her group of friends three tables away. Antoine cackled louder than anyone, even the chandelier above them swayed. Well, guess who got here... I think I have problems. It's probably too late to leave. I shrank all over in my seat and tried to pretend to be a decoration on the wall, checking the situation with my peripheral vision. The laughter can still be heard, but it seems that the storm had passed. Gust walked past with a poker face and disappeared somewhere at the entrance to the arcade hall. His pig jumped funnily after him. Now it was I who had to hold back my laughter. Arlo without any reaction to Gust calmly continued:

“Do you have any wishes?”

“About gifts, or about this evening?”

“Both.”

“I’m not going to the arcade now, okay?” I nodded towards the person who came in. “I don’t want to see him with his sour face. It will ruin the whole mood for me.”

“Understood. Let's bug out then? “He winked conspiratorially and helped me to get ready to leave. Just in case I left a generous tip for my part of the order. I hope my hint will be taken.

We walked out into the refreshingly cool, clear night. The city had not yet begun to decorate for the winter festivals, it was quiet and calming. The yellow lanterns shone comfortably. I was really proud of making them! The shops had long been closed, and on the way to the Central square we didn’t even meet anyone. Sam's light wasn't on – she was most likely on duty. I was very relaxed so I didn’t even notice how we ended up at the swing near the school. But why not?

“Do you want to swing? New competition?” Arlo perked up noticeably and cheerfully sat down on the second swing nearby, as soon as I sat down on mine.

“You wanted quiet leisure time. Don't overexert - you'll fall out. Or wind will inflate your head,” I slowly began a test swinging, “I have a light form of motion sickness.”

“Then why did you do such tricks at the land run?”

“I had to quickly dust off my rusty skills. I have a complicated relationship with horses. And that stallion, moreover, was rented and too nasty. But it was fun!”

“Never DO that again. No one would even notice in time that something went sideways! You looked so confident.” I can hear rising anger in his voice. “And for your skills, we’ll come up with something if you wish.”

“Personal riding instructor? Sounds tempting. But first I will have to fix the issue with the stable and look for an opportunity to buy a horse. I need to wait until that tame filly I noticed at McDonald's grows up,” I said and then immediately imagined how ridiculous it all would look. Crap.

“Maybe you can start with something more trivial? Llamas are quite good for taming.”

“I hope this isn’t a veiled insult about my petite size. It's enough that Sam teases me about it regularly. But she's allowed to.”

“Why should I tease you? I like the way you are. And, by the way, why should Sam tease you? You two are almost of the same height.”

“It’s not really about height,” I jokingly pushed him under the elbow with my palm, slightly disturbing the balance of the swing. “We quickly befriended, and I got tired of her calling me builder. It was too formal. She called me “little fella” or “kid” one day and it stuck. Strange, because it’s not much shorter than my actual name. But I didn’t argue anymore.”

“Understood. Don't push me, or we'll get swings twisted.”

“Come on, I don’t have the strength to move you.”

“But you still managed to win a spar.”

“I’m still convinced that you gave in.”

“I wouldn’t have thought,” he got from the swing and walked around me from behind and grabbed the chains of my swing right above my hands. Satisfied, he looked down at me and offered to swing me. Starting to blush deeply, I nodded in agreement. For some time, only the rustling creaking of the rig was heard from above. I need to come back here sometime soon and oil all the bearings.

“Is it okay? Not too fast? Not frozen yet?”

“Fine. And what?”

“You look so good with such a blush on you, you know. It's getting late. Do you want me to lead you home?”

“Only if you come up for tea,” the swing gradually stopped.

“I don’t want to abuse your hospitality. Let's leave the tea for another time, okay?”

“Deal,” I got off my seat, and we headed towards the stairs.

Having climbed a few steps up, Arlo turned around, waved his hand at me and said: “See you Friday, sweetie!” and sped up the hill.

I'm looking forward to it. Wait, how did he call me? I definitely misheard!

[99griffon]

Dezi Lore!! Done on mobile, bear with me!

Dezi - She/They

Old World Ghoul, aged approx. 227

Dezi grew up in the OKC metro area, though they refuse to go into specifics on their background, including their given name. They ran away when they were still a teenager. Luckily, they found their way to the Rainbow Garden when they were fourteen, having heard about it while bouncing around homeless camps in the city. And, boy, when I say lucky, I mean it. A young teen on the streets of a post-recession Oklahoma was very dangerous. They had their fair share of scares and close calls before making it to Arcadia with the help of some hitchhiking. When Dezi made it to Rainbow Gardenz, Jolene took the kid in, gave them food and shelter.

Russ was living there on and off at the time, eighteen at the time, and assisted Kenny in educating Dezi to the best of their ability. They weren't teachers, by any means, but they worked with that they had. Dezi learned how to help care for the animals on the property, goats, chickens, barn cats, and a dog. They took an immediate shine to the animals, and it was nigh impossible to miss how much living surrounded by nature helped them. They came out of their shell before long. Dezi called the Garden's residents "uncle" and "auntie" often, though Jolene had the coveted title of "mamma" from the teen.

Dezi learned more about politics as they grew, unsurprisingly, most interested in environmental issues. From ages sixteen to eighteen, they were engaging in protests with some of her Auntie Gray and other friends of the Garden. When Dezi turned eighteen, however, they took on their biggest challenge.

A public park, previously funded by the city, was to be turned into a Chinese internment camp by the US government. Protests lasted for weeks, with the gov refusing to give way. As the protester numbers began to dwindle, Dezi decided they'd had enough. There was a champion tree in the park. While it wasn't the tallest in the world, it was among the tallest in the state. Dezi gathered up some gear and headed up into the tree, set on staying until the project was canceled. Jolene was not entirely on board with Dezi's plan but wasn't going to leave them on their own and ended up sending up supplies on a line when she could. All in all, Dezi was up there for two years. Eventually, the state governor set up another place for the camp to be built. By then, though, Dezi was exhausted and returned to the Rainbow Garden instead. They didn't attend protests for a year, allowing themselves time to recharge. However, during that year of rest, the war began and ended within a single day.

After the war, Dezi was relieved to see the people who had sheltered in the house had lived, including Jolene, Auntie Gray and her family, Russ, and Betty, as well as a few others. Kenny wasn't there, however. Due to that, Dezi stepped up and helped Jolene rebuild the best they could. Kenny returned by the time the illness had come around. Radiation sickness, brought in by the winds, had taken hold of the hippies in Rainbow Garden. The animals that had survived were suffering, too. Casualties began to spike, yet Dezi lived. Dezi had become a ghoul.

Dezi was relieved to see that wildlife had survived, as mutated as it was. They continued to care for the livestock. Their near-famlial bonds continued to hold true. As things settled on the surface, Dezi began to explore, finding their way to the dog food plant (gotta come up with a name) in the nearby suburb of Edmond. The place was overrun with dogs, but also had all sorts of odd equipment. This sparked a curiosity in Dezi and planted a few ideas in her head-- idead that quickly led a desire to learn a thing or two about science. They had Russ gather whatever surviving books he could during his outings to the city, and the older ghoul was happy to oblige, glad to see his little pupil eager to learn once more after the tragedies they had seen. When Snakebite joined their happy crew, they were able to vanish for longer periods of time and, with the help of the horses Snakebite wrangled in for them, was able to travel longer distances to other facilities.

Due to Dezi's severe lack of combat knowledge, however, they were not able to explore those locations themselves. Despite that, Dezi took note of the facilities and what they hoped they could learn there. They want to be able to allieviate the pain mutated animals must feel-- after all, two heads can't possibly be comfortable! Dezi isn't quite sure how they would do it. They know their goal is lofty and unlikely to come to pass. The animals will never be the same as they once were, anyway, but they still want to do research. After all, maybe someone, someday, could use their studies!

Until then, Dezi takes care of the animals at the house and the dogs at the factory. They also assist Kenny with making medicine, though they're still learning in that department, they're doing their best! They're good friends with the newer human folk that moved into the garden, as well as Melon the super mutant.

In a hypothetical game situation, the player would be able to help Dezi learn more about biology and chemistry, and as a result, gain access to the dogs in the factory as well as Dezi's trust and appreciation.

Extra:

Dezi spent their younger years on a reservation up until the courts decided that the state needed to have control over tribal land in order to gain more control over Oklahoma post-recession. It was sometime after that change that Dezi had been removed from their home and placed with some people with views far different from their own. Dezi was forced to change for a long time until they decided to finally run away.

[rvend]

character sheet.

FULL NAME. Rue Emmanuelle Fairchild. NICKNAMES. None. PRONOUNS. She/her/hers. SIZE.  5'3. AGE. 35. ZODIAC.  Virgo. SPOKEN LANGUAGES. English. French.

physical characteristics.

HAIR.  Naturally a dark brown, but Rue has dyed it black since she was 14. She's gone through a lot of styles over the years but currently it's settled on longer and layered, past her shoulders, with bangs that are growing out. EYES. Grey. SKIN TONE. Incredibly pale. She'd make Snow White jealous with how fair-skinned she is. However she is absolutely covered in tattoos. They are all eldritch horror themed and while there are gaps of skin showing, there isn't a spot on her body that isn't tattooed (save for her face). There are even tattoos on her breasts (edges from the larger pieces on her ribs or shoulders). BODY TYPE. Ectomorph. Lithe and thin, very slender. VOICE. Deeper than one might imagine a girl of her stature would have, or maybe it perfectly fits someone that's edging on adult alternative grunge-goth. DOMINANT HAND.  She's ambidextrous but primarily uses her right hand. POSTURE. She's such a sloucher. She stands more upright but not proper posture at all, and she sits like a gargoyle when she's doing graphic design work or forging. SCARS. Various scars from accidents as a child and the occasional scar from needles. Nothing substantial, however. BIRTHMARKS. A few beauty marks here and there. MOST NOTABLE FEATURES.  Tattoos and piercings galore. She has double snakebites in her bottom lip, two piercings in her right brow, one piercing in her left nostril, her tongue, a double helix piercing, conch piercing and two lobe piercings in her left ear, an industrial piercing in her right as well as one in her lobe (no gauges), a VHC and triangle piercing in her genitals and two piercings in her right nipple (in an X shape), and one in her left (standard horizontal bar).

childhood.

PLACE OF BIRTH. Marseilles, France. HOMETOWN. Chesapeake, Virginia. Manhattan, New York, New York. SIBLINGS. None. PARENTS.  Cecile Fairchild (deceased; 38). James Fairchild (deceased; 39). RAISED BY. Lenore Fairchild (45).

adult life.

OCCUPATION. Freelance graphic designer. Forger. CURRENT RESIDENCE.  Manhattan, New York, New York (verse dependent). CLOSE FRIENDS. TBA. FINANCIAL STATUS. Upper class. DRIVER'S LICENSE. Yes but she hates driving. CRIMINAL RECORD.  Minor infractions for drug offenses and alcohol. One count of breaking and entering, loitering, and assault as a juvenile. MILITARY RECORD. None. SKILLSET. She's an incredibly talented forger. The kind of menace with a computer graphic program that got notoriety as a teenager. VICES. Smoking, occasional drug use, sex addiction.

sex & romance.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION.  Heterosexual. PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE.  If you ask her, none. But she needs someone whose not going to abandon her and willing to stick around and prove it. She's difficult and spiteful with a lot of walls. However she is a giver and when she does care, she cares with everything she has. PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE.  True switch. She will be completely dominant with one partner and easily switch to total sub for the next. It depends on her partner's preference. TURN OFFS. Complete narcissism, talking too much, lawful-good personalities. TURN ON'S.  Sarcasm, a good power struggle (verbal or otherwise), someone who gives back just as much as she gives. LOVE LANGUAGE.  Acts of service. Quality time. RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES.  She's incredibly difficult but once someone breaches her walls she gives them everything she's capable of. Despite her many thorns and spikes she is actually a very giving individual and has a lot of love ot give the right and patient one. However it's been nearly 20 years since she's been in a real relationship so she's a bit ... rusty.

miscellaneous.

HOBBIES TO PASS THE TIME. Making memes, listening to music, sex, photography. LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED. Right brained. SELF-CONFIDENCE LEVEL. She was really eccentric in her teens and honestly has never once given a single fuck what anyone thought of her (appearance, personality) which means she is very self-confident without coming across as smug or narcissistic. EXTRA. Rue suffers from a congenital birth defect known as CIPA - Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis. In essence she physically cannot feel pain, and her body unable to tell hot or cold sensations. The anhidrosis makes her unable to sweat. She wears something akin to an iWatch that keeps track of her body temperature and has alarms that ring if she needs to adjust to be cooler or warmer. She performs self-checks multiple times a day to ensure she hasn't hurt herself in her sleep or doing any sort of activity. She's been hospitalized for injuries or illnesses before with no outward tells to what's affecting her. As such, she has a close relationship with various doctors. Much of her excellent medical care is thanks to her aunt, whose wealth and influence assured she was always cared-for.

[cobalt-cop]

💍Would they ever get married?

🛏What is their favorite bedroom activity to do with their partner?

🔮Do they believe in soul mates?

♦️Are they concerned with the social status of their partner?

💍: “I can’t have ties like that outside of No Zone. And seeing as I don’t romantically like anyone here… It’s not happening. Its too long of a project that’d get in the way of my work anyway.” He said simply, not looking like it bothered him one way or another.

🛏️: Zonic gave the question some thought and settled on; “Maybe cuddling and talking? I’m a pretty boring person… Maybe sex if one thing leads to another…” he mumbled with a blush.

🔮: The blue cop almost laughed. “Of all the Zones I’ve seen, how vast the multiverse is and the sheer number of people in it that you’ll never meet, if soulmates existed, which I don’t believe they do, the odds of finding one are too small to note. Zails could probably calculate it, but I don’t want to ask. Even even if there were rules that your soulmate has to be in your zone somewhere, it’s still impractical.”

♦️: Zonic gave an almost exhausted sigh. “It’s not their social status that concerns me, its their moral status that does. Rich, poor, high/middle/low class, i couldn’t give a shit either way, but if I have reason to lock you away in No Zone, I’m really not likely to like you.” He paused. “I don’t care if you moral compass is as fixed as mine, but if it’s not, I really don’t want to see a lot of crime… clearly it’s not my thing.” He gestured to his uniform. “Snakebites is… different. So this doesn’t apply to him.”

[banging-the-band]

Picrew: uomo by Jaro

Name: Chance "Chucky" Dean

Age: 25, April 2nd

Gender: Male (He/Him)

Height: 6'2"

Sexuality: Bisexual

Appearance: White hair (often in a mohawk when he's performing), blue eyes, pale complexion. Snakebites, left eyebrow pierced, multiple ear piercings, right nostril pierced, septum pierced, prince albert. Multiple tattoos, but his neck ones are the most obvious. Sometimes doesn't wear his septum piercing.

Likes: Smoking, drinking, drugs, sex, getting tattoos/piercings, singing, his bandmates.

Dislikes: Police, his parents, prudes, cowards.

Background Info:

- Chance is the lead singer and guitarist for his band. He originally only did vocals and song writing but his guitarist was shit, so he replaced him. With himself.

- He has a girlfriend. Although that doesn't stop him from shopping around, so to speak. (More info below)

- He has a multitude of piercings: Snakebites, left eyebrow, multiple ear piercings, right nostril pierced, septum pierced, tongue, and rumor has it he has a piercing or two below the belt too.

- He also has a multitude of tattoos: A full sleeve on his left arm, a half sleeve on his right, a Nirvana smiley face on his inner right wrist, and neck tattoos on both sides.

- His dad is a factory worker and his mom is a waitress. He sees neither very often—he was kicked out at age sixteen. He has one brother, Mickey (who is older). His brother left home when Chance was kicked out in order to get a place with him and keep him from becoming homeless.

- Chance formed his band, Leaving No Legacy, with his best friend Brody Rich when they were still teenagers. He originally tried to start the band on his own but after having the worst guitarist ever, he needed to make some changes. So after a few poor choices, he finally settled on a decent lineup: Himself on vocals (and guitar when necessary), Brody on lead guitar, Braeden (Brody's younger brother) on drums, and a stray they picked up through an audition, named Fox, on bass.

- Most people know Chance by his nickname, Chucky.

- Despite his self-destructive lifestyle and poor decision making skills, Chance is a loyal friend to the people closest to him. He'd do anything for the people he loves.

- He was once a rebellious man but a loyal, passionate and dedicated lover. Sabrina changed all of that when she cheated on him with his own brother. Since then, Chance has had commitment issues and an addiction to breaking hearts. He's sensational in the bedroom (and elsewhere) but he never sticks around, only ever having one night stands.

- Chance suffers from a bad cocaine addiction and borderline alcoholism. He's also known to use other drugs whenever he sees fit.

[RP Relevant Information:]

- Chance's demeanor begins to change a little bit when he meets a girl named Ashelia. After picking her up at one of his shows, he expected it to be just another one and done. However, he found himself taken with her. She was beautiful, funny, sexy... And he couldn't just let go. She turned his world upside down, even becoming the reason he finally left his current girlfriend, Kylie—he finally realised hurting her wasn't going to heal the wound Sabrina left.

- He had made an exception to his own rule and let Ashelia stay the night at his place, which he shares with his older brother Mickey. From then on, he found himself wanting to see and know more of the girl, who he affectionately begins to call Lia. She's one of the few people outside of his closest friends and family that know his actual name is Chance and not Chucky. He even makes an effort to get clean for her sake.

[caffeinated-beveraged]

Since I’m posting here again, I thought might as well post my old art. And by post, I mean roast because this whole thing is rawer than a freshly butchered chicken 💀 Roast under cut

Context: this comic was for a culminating art project. The theme for the culminating was mythology. I spent a majority of time given floundering around between options before settling on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. No reason for choosing them in particular, they were just the first myth I thought of when thinking of classic Greek myths. Also I just reworded the myth from some random site, so I have no idea if my comic has inaccuracies.

The only real hurdle I had to face for this project was drawing humans. I had little experience with humans prior to this project. All the other projects we did for that art class were mainly still lifes and drawing buildings with respect to perspective. For projects that were more open in terms of the subject matter, I tried my hardest to avoid drawing a person. So with this project I was starting from square 1. Now, a person with a modicum of common sense would logically start this project a week before the deadline so they don’t submit the equivalent of a stick figure. Unfortunately I am not one with common sense. Instead I decided to start the project the Sunday evening before the due date 💀 Completely avoidable pain and torture that could had been averted had it not been my inability to keep a consistent schedule.

Anyways, let’s analyze the panels themselves. Here we have panel 1. Right off the bat, literally none of the words in the caption match what’s being depicted. What do you mean conscious objects??? There is literally nothing there!!! Just an ugly ass rainbow (with no colours I might add) in the background with Orpheus playing a few notes. This guy has nothing: no colour, no mystical beings, no conscious objects, no neck. This is just the consequence of running out of time. The only real improvement I’d make here is add more to the background. Not just with characters but also colour. Now not everything has to be in colour to look good. I think a majority of the panels are fine without colour as it is consistently used for the most part. But I did add some colour to the emotionally intensive scenes so it just makes this panel (which should be showing Orpheus’ extraordinary talent) look odd and out of place.

Oh boy panel 2. We get introduced to Eurydice and my god does she look awful. That hair just looks weird, it looks like I just scratched a few lines and called it a day. Also that typo is killing me…

Skipping the 3rd panel as I don’t have much to say. Anyways panel 4, Aristaeus being murder happy. Fun fact: I actually used a reference for Aristaeus so it doesn’t look too shabby. I honestly forget to use references for poses, not because I think I’m better than them, I often have a specific pose in mind and have a tough time finding a pose online that matches what I have in mind. For this one, I used a reference of myself which turned out nicely.

Eurydice cringefail moment. Imagine dying to a snakebite couldn’t be me. I like the aforementioned use of colour, just wish it was more saturated. I also like the blood stains. That’s all I have to say for these panels. … ok fine let’s address the elephant in the room. Eurydice has four toes. For some reason during this time period I could only draw rubberhouse style hands with 4 fingers. Which looks fine on a cartoony style but looks strange on the semi-realistic style I was going for. I guess that translated in the toes as well. Phalange are phalange I guess.

I’m just gathering all 3 of these panels and putting my thoughts on them together since this post is getting quite long. The 1st panel looks kind of bland, hardly any emphasis on Orpheus’ loss. Just some rain and a flat rectangle which is supposed to be the gravestone I guess. 2nd panel honestly looks pretty great, with out of doubt my favourite panel. The scratchy cross-hatching with the pen looks great. I also like Orpheus’ lyre attached to back (have no idea how it’s attached) And finally the 3rd panel! Oh lord… It kind of speaks for itself. I think the weirdly defined knuckles just make the hands look short and sausage-y. Also Hades hand’s actually have five fingers on them 🎉🎉 The pinkie is shoved awkwardly to the side but it’s still there so I take it as a victory

Skipped the weird chibi looking panel for post length sake. Consistency has utterly left the room this time. I was literally finishing this comic in the last ten minutes of art class 💀 also we do not talk about what’s going on with Orpheus’ and Eurydice’s hands

95% of the budget (and my pen ink) went into drawing Orpheus’ curls. Would ancient Greeks even have this hair phenotype I have no clue I am losing my mind. Also where did Orpheus’ lyre go. Consistency is my arch nemesis apparently. Honestly these panels are not too bad. Orpheus is looking a bit cross eyes in that 1st panel but otherwise it looks fine

Overall this comic is fine, nothing to write home about though. For a first real go at drawing humans it’s great. But the real thing that brings this comic down is just the lack of consistency and overall messiness. You can see on some of the panels I forgot to erase the pencil underneath. Mainly this is due to my lack of forward planning. I mean I got a passing grade and got the credit for this course so it’s a win I guess. I’m really interested in revamping this comic for fun one day, just to see how I’ve improved. Definitely on digital though. Stay tuned in for that in the unforeseen future👀

[poem-today]

A poem by Natalie Diaz

Postcolonial Love Poem

I’ve been taught bloodstones can cure a snakebite, can stop the bleeding—most people forgot this when the war ended. The war ended depending on which war you mean: those we started, before those, millennia ago and onward, those which started me, which I lost and won— these ever-blooming wounds. I was built by wage. So I wage love and worse— always another campaign to march across a desert night for the cannon flash of your pale skin settling in a silver lagoon of smoke at your breast. I dismount my dark horse, bend to you there, deliver you the hard pull of all my thirsts— I learned Drink in a country of drought. We pleasure to hurt, leave marks the size of stones—each a cabochon polished by our mouths. I, your lapidary, your lapidary wheel turning—green mottled red— the jaspers of our desires. There are wild flowers in my desert which take up to twenty years to bloom. The seeds sleep like geodes beneath hot feldspar sand until a flash flood bolts the arroyo, lifting them in its copper current, opens them with memory— they remember what their god whispered into their ribs: Wake up and ache for your life. Where your hands have been are diamonds on my shoulders, down my back, thighs— I am your culebra. I am in the dirt for you. Your hips are quartz-light and dangerous, two rose-horned rams ascending a soft desert wash before the November sky untethers a hundred-year flood— the desert returned suddenly to its ancient sea. Arise the wild heliotrope, scorpion weed, blue phacelia which hold purple the way a throat can hold the shape of any great hand— Great hands is what she called mine. The rain will eventually come, or not. Until then, we touch our bodies like wounds— the war never ended and somehow begins again.

Natalie Diaz

Watch Natalie Diaz read her poem.

[wearelondonhq]

(ray) welcome to london, REBECCA EVANS! did anyone ever tell you that you look just like MILA KUNIS? well, no matter, we hear that you are 38 and working as a JOURNALIST. we also hear that you currently HAVE your memories from THE ROOMMATE and have a tendency to be CHARMING as well as CALLOUS. 

(ray) welcome to london, AMERICA CHAVEZ! did anyone ever tell you that you look just like ISABELLA FERREIRA? well, no matter, we hear that you are 21 and working as a STUDENT. we also hear that you currently HAVE your memories from MARVEL and have a tendency to be ADVENTUROUS as well as SELF-LOATHING. 

(ray) welcome to london, CHRISTINE PALMER! did anyone ever tell you that you look just like RACHEL MCADAMS? well, no matter, we hear that you are 45 and working as a SURGEON. we also hear that you currently HAVE your memories from MARVEL and have a tendency to be SUPPORTIVE as well as STUBBORN. 

(ray) welcome to london, SNAKEBITE ANDI! did anyone ever tell you that you look just like AMBIKA MOD? well, no matter, we hear that you are 28 and working as a STUDENT. we also hear that you currently HAVE your memories from DOCTOR SLEEP and have a tendency to be SEDUCTIVE as well as VICIOUS ( may i please switch out frigga from marvel for her please?? muse has poofed :( ) 

— WELCOME TO LONDON, rebecca evans, america chavez, christine palmer & snakebite andi! you look very familiar, do we know you from somewhere? anyways, take your time settling in because whether you want to or not, it looks like you’re going to be living here for awhile! // welcome ray, please be sure to follow our checklist here! ** frigga ( marvel ) is reopened!