#ub: grunt family

[tamtam-go92]

The General was really trying. He had felt disconnected with Buck and Ripp ever since Lyla had left him. They just reminded him too much of her. But he really tried. Maybe he could save Buck. Maybe he wouldn't stick to becoming a dog groomer in the future. Maybe he would go to military academy, just like he did. Maybe...

Find out next season, how the Grunts continue to be a dysfunctional family!

[shadeysprings]

𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔

—𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐅!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 — 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 '𝐀 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰'? 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 to you 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞.

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 — 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥, 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬. There may be more so please 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.

𝐀/𝐍 — 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 @the-slumberparty's 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 @mochie85'𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐞.

𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 | 𝐈𝐭𝐞𝐦: 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬

𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲'𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲! ❤️

The summer festival is in full swing with laughter from both the young and the old bouncing in the air, mixing along with the screams of excitement coming from the patrons aboard the rollercoaster—the newest addition to the summer affair. Even several of the local small businesses join in on the rabble, a refreshing sight to see other than the food stalls and game posts that are a staple in the event.

It’s your third time this year in participating. Selling your baked goods amongst the other veterans and to your surprise, the line is much longer than the last, a craving instilled into your customers for your signature ube and coconut cupcakes. Such a treat has been in your family for years; passed on from your great-grandmother and down the line to you. And it fills your heart with joy to see the faces of your clients when they take that first bite.

You’re even lucky to have your stall set at the end of the row. Not as crowded as the ones found at the center and with enough space to accommodate the queue that’s slowly growing.

You grab another container from your cooler and set them neatly into rows in the display case atop your table. It’s not yet noon and you’re already down to your last two batches, ready to set the next ones. But Wanda is running late and you look at your watch to check the time, grunting in frustration yet keeping up the positive facade.

The little girl standing next in line calls your attention and you give her the brightest smile when you notice her face paint and the blue princess dress she dons. She orders a box of six cupcakes along with a bag of ube crinkles. The cuteness she displays when she counts her change on your table tugs at your heartstrings that you couldn’t help but give her a freebie; one of your heart-shaped cookies.

“Should you really be giving out free samples?” 

“Should you really be running late?” You quip after waving goodbye to the little girl, turning around and crossing your arms over your chest when you face Wanda who stands with the cooler in her hands.

She gives you an awkward yet apologetic smile and you huff out a breath before pointing at the spot where she should place the plastic container.

“What took you so long?” You ask, showing her your obvious annoyance. “You were just supposed to pick up the cupcakes.”

“Why don’t you try loading that heavy thing in the car by yourself? It wasn’t easy.” She gives you a pout before focusing her attention on the next customer.

“I have. Countless times.”

“Well, it’s my first time.” She says while waving goodbye to the woman. “At least be gentle with me.”

You give her a pat on the back before tugging playfully at the end of her hair. “I am being gentle.” You say with a laugh. 

Another customer comes by, ordering two boxes this time, and you busy in packing up their purchase while Wanda takes their payment. For the remainder of the morning, that’s all you both do—entertaining your clientele, packing up orders, and seeing them off with a bright smile on your face. But it soon fades as noon arrives, beads of sweat forming on the nape of your neck and dripping down your shirt as the temperature rises along with the sun. 

Wanda asks to leave for lunch, asking you if you wanted anything from the neighboring stalls. You think twice about the decision, your appetite being non-existent as exhaustion completely takes over your body. But the aroma is not one you can ignore, the savory and fried wafting heavenly in the stolid heat. 

Eventually, you cave; asking Wanda to grab you anything to eat but specifically request for a blue lemonade slushie from Rico’s stand. 

Once the last of your goods are sold, you put out your ‘Be Right Back’ sign and drop down onto the folding chair with a heavy sigh. You grab your water bottle from inside one of the coolers and take a large sip, tempted to drench yourself in the cool liquid instead to stave away the heat. The work is tiring, you have to admit, but it definitely pays off. 

“Oh, what time are you opening again?” A woman asks as she steps in front of your stand, eyes perusing the menu written on the small chalkboard. You immediately sit up and look down at your watch to give her the time. 

“You can come back at around 1 PM. We’re just taking a quick lunch break.” You tell her to which she acknowledges with a nod and grabbing one of your shop flyers before walking off. 

You slouch once again, pressing the cool bottle against your face while you rest. But your respite is once more interrupted when you notice in your periphery another figure standing by your stall. 

“We’re just taking a quick break,” you begin to explain. “But we’ll be back at around—” but your words die on your lips when you see who your visitor is. “What are you doing here?!” You snarl and quickly stand from your seat, hissing when you accidentally hit your knee against the table.

It’s him! Your stalker! 

You take a cautious step back, your fight or flight response coming to life.

“Be careful, cupcake.” A grin forms on his lips as he tucks a hand into his pocket. You see your face reflecting from the aviators perched on his eyes, covering them for anyone to see. But you know full well that he’s watching you intently like he shamelessly always does. “You wouldn’t want to hurt yourself.”

“How many times have I told you to leave me alone, you creep?!” Your voice raises an octave, feeling your heart race from anger and fear.

“I just stopped by to say hi. Is that so bad?” He says while tilting his head to the side, chuckling in amusement. “Besides, I wanted to see how you’re stall is doing.” He runs a finger against the surface of the empty display case then stops at the center, tapping on it with a fingernail, the sound taunting you. 

“Can’t you see we’re sold out?” You openly express your displeasure of his presence, too riled up to even care if anyone is watching your exchange.

“That’s too bad—I would have bought a box for myself.” He hums then a chill runs up your spine when he sends you a smirk. “But then again, there’s only one kind of cupcake I’ve been wanting to taste and I believe that one is available.”

Your vision goes red at the vulgar comment he made and you don’t think twice about getting close and lifting your hand to finally give him a piece of your mind. But he catches on to you quickly and grabs your wrist, taking the other one when you raise it all the same. He pulls you closer, your face only inches from his,  and you groan in as you struggle to pull away from his grasp. 

“Do you really want to cause a scene here, cupcake?” He slithers. “Where so many can see how violent you are?”

“Let me go, you fucker!”

“Such a dirty mouth.” He tuts and moves to pull you further over the table, trapping your arms to your sides when he wraps an arm tightly around you. You move your face away when he reaches up and caresses your face, your eyes widening as he keeps you in place, his thumb rubbing circles on the apple of your cheek. “We’ll have to fix that soon or you can show me just how filthy that mouth of yours can really be.”

The edge of the table digs into your hips when he pulls you closer, inhaling sharply when he presses his nose against your temple and takes a sniff of your hair. The hand on your face moves once more, his thumb pressing against your lips. Quickly, you part your lips wide and try to catch it between your teeth. But he’s fast, pushing you away effortlessly and you stagger back, losing your balance and toppling over the metal chair that hits the back of your thighs.

“Tsk tsk. You’re so clumsy, cupcake.” he laughs.

“I’ve got our food!!” Wanda’s excited voice suddenly comes and you turn to face her, immediately running to her side as panic settles in your nerves once again.

“Wanda! Quick! Call the cops!” You say in a rush, clutching onto her tight. “Hurry!”

“Hey! Be careful!” She scolds and pries her arm away from you. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You almost had me drop an amazing burrito!” 

“He’s—” You point to where the man once stood and take a step back in shock when you see him gone.

You look around frantically, scanning through the sea of people, and try to spot the light blue button-up shirt you noticed him wearing, even being cautious of any man that had their hair tied up in a bun.

But you don’t see him. Like he somehow vanished into thin air. Yet even with his sudden absence, you can still feel his palpable presence. You may not see him but you definitely know he’s watching you, like a predator would its prey, waiting for the right opportunity to attack.

“Who’s what?” Wanda asks as she sets the containers of food and drinks atop the lid of the cooler. “Why do you want me to call the cops?”

You look into her eyes, your own wide with fear. “He’s here, Wanda! He— He’s—” Your chest begins to constrict, feeling the air around you grow thin that you grab onto the neck of your shirt and yank on it hard in order for you to breathe.

He got closer this time. Touched you even. He’s never done that before in the years of him following you around, only stayed in his lane, and left as soon as you told him off. But now, it’s different—he looked more bold and more confident, your apprehension growing bigger and stronger that he would finally do something that would end up with you getting hurt. 

“Whoa, babe.” Wanda coos as she places both of her hands on your shoulders. “Breathe with me, okay? Slowly.” She instructs and you obey, following her lead as she slowly breathes in and out, keeping your eyes locked in her green ones.

Your anxiety eventually dies down and your chest feels somewhat looser from the exercise. Yet the memory remains at the forefront of your mind, his touch lingering on your skin. She guides you to sit, Wanda kneeling in front of you and you flinch when she places a cold plastic cup between your hands, making you look down at the yellow slush that’s already starting to melt.

“Now. Tell me what happened.” She prompts. “What got you all worked up?”

You swallow thickly, unsure if you should say anything to her at all. As terrifying as the situation is, you’ve kept it all to yourself, especially after the local police department turned you away, telling you that they can only do something if threats of physical harm have been made. But you couldn’t produce anything, not even a photo nor a name for them to search—ultimately deeming your situation a nuisance.

But the sincerity you see in Wanda’s eyes as you rethinking your decision of bottling it all up again. You may have only known her for a short period but you feel the bond you have forged with her to be strong. If there’s anyone you can trust, it would be her.

With shaky hands, you set down the now melted slushie on top of the cooler and hold onto her hands tight, Wanda doing just the same with her attention solely on you. Her grip is strong, firm, and you feel the tension coiled around you slowly seep away. 

Taking a deep breath, you begin. “I have a stalker.”

The information seems to take her off guard, shock evident on her face. But she immediately schools her features and you take the gentle squeeze she gives your hands as a sign to continue. 

“He’s been following me for years now but he hasn’t done anything drastic.” A lump forms at the base of your throat as you’re transported back to the event earlier—how he grabbed and touched you, coming closer than you ever expected. “Until now.”

“What do you mean?” She asks. “Have you told the cops?”

“I did, but they refused to look into it further. I provide them any of what they were asking.”

“You mean to tell me you don’t have a picture of this man?” 

You shake your head.

“How come? If what you say is true and he’s been stalking you for a while now, shouldn’t you have already grabbed some evidence at this point?”

Her question comes off as accusing, making you think that maybe telling her wasn’t such a good idea. Still, you push on and refuse to be blamed for the stranger's inexcusable actions.

“You don’t understand, Wanda. When I see him, or when I know he’s watching me, I panic—I don’t think about taking my phone and snapping pictures.” You explain, hoping she would understand your reason. “All I could think of at that moment is to run away and hide.” Tears begin welling in your eyes and you release her hands, gripping down on your own to try and stop your emotions from boiling over.

“Okay—okay,” Her voice is soft as if she’s talking to a wounded animal while her hand caresses your arm. “Uhh, if you don’t mind telling me, what else has he done? Just watching and following?”

“Just?” You ask in disbelief.

“No, no—” She sighs and shuts her eyes tight as if trying to grasp the right words to say. “What I meant was, has he ever tried following you to your place? Like to your door or something? Any break-ins that happened?”

You shake your head. 

Wanda hums in thought and you startle when a wide smile forms on her lips, her hands taking yours once again. 

“I think I can help you.” She says with much enthusiasm.

“Huh? How?”

You watch as the blond man—Steve, if you remember his name correctly—installs the security camera by your bedroom window and a couple more in the living room, your kitchen, and by your bedroom door. When Wanda first proposed the idea, you found it a little too intense but after another incident the same night you came home from the festival, you immediately called her up and agreed to her proposal.

He showed up once again, this time, standing in wait at your parking spot. He was still wearing the same outfit as the one you saw him in earlier that day—a light blue button-up and white tank top hidden underneath. His brown hair was worn in a bun and the facial hair was partially trimmed, another characteristic you took note of as well as the gold chain hanging around his neck.

He looks very much well off, like a respectable business owner of some sort and it joggles your mind, thinking, that if he is what you suspect him to be, as to why he’s posing such a creepy disposition. But then again, one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and for all you know, this could simply be a facade, a character he’s made of himself to throw you off.

He never said or did anything to further add to the tension that was once more building in your veins. He only stood there for a whole minute and while you sat frozen in your driver’s seat. You could never forget the smirk he had on his face then, as if he was taunting you, challenging you to get out of your car. But he soon waved his hand, amusement heavy on his face before walking away. 

You waited a little bit more before getting out of your car, even leaving the empty coolers in your trunk as you ran in haste towards the elevator, afraid that he would show up once more. But it’s only when you got into your apartment and latched all the locks in place that you realized you forgot to take his picture to give to the authorities. Another missed opportunity, another loss on your part, and victory on his. 

That’s when you called Wanda and told her of what happened, agreeing in an instant to her proposal for security. 

The sound of the electric drill fills the silence of your apartment. As the last screw is set in its place, with Steve admiring his handiwork and then tucking away his tools, you slowly feel the sense of relief drape over you. 

You turn to face Wanda, wanting to thank her for the effort she’s putting into keeping you safe. But the look on her face has you reeling back, noticing how her eyes are focused intently on the main camera that faces your bedroom.

“Wanda?” She blinks and looks at you when you call her name. “You feeling okay?”

“Yeah—why?”

“Nothing.” You shrug and walk towards her, giving her arm a gentle poke. “You looked pretty serious for a while. Is something on your mind?”

“Indeed. Is something wrong, Wanda?” Steve echoes your sentiment and you’re slightly taken aback by the questioning, somewhat castigating, look on his face.

She seems to remember herself and the seriousness that once took over her fades almost in an instant, a wide smile pushing the corners of her lips upward. “Oh, it’s nothing.” She laughs and laces her arms around one of yours. “Just hoping that this would help ease your situation, babe.”

“It definitely will,” Steve interjects, his voice strong and certain. “These are high-quality equipment that will be able to track and capture every moment inside the apartment and outside your window. And it was created by my very good friend, Vision. So, I am certain there would be no flaws.” The grin on Steve’s face is wide when he says the name, and you look at Wanda when she gasps, her hold on you tightening. 

“Vision?” You repeat in question. “You know him?” You ask your friend.

“Uhh, yeah—just some guy Steve introduced before.” Her voice quivers and she releases you, taking a step forward towards the tall blond. “How is he? Is he doing okay?”

“He also said to not forget about installing the app on her phone so she can check in on the cameras from time to time,” Steve adds, ignoring Wanda’s query altogether, and walks towards your front door. “If there is nothing else, I’ll be on my way.”

“Thank you—uhh, Steve, for all your help.” You trail after him and see him out the door. “Is there any way I can repay you?”

“Just install the app.” He demands as he looks at you with a raised eyebrow, before looking in Wanda’s direction who straightens at his attention. “We’re counting on you, Wanda.” He adds before walking out of your apartment. 

You make a face as you shut the door, heading over to the couch where Wanda sits and taking the space beside her. 

“What’s up with that dude?” You groan, shaking your head to ease off the weird encounter. “Is he always that bossy? Where did you even meet him? And who’s we? Who’s counting on you?”

“Oh, Steve’s just really a no-bullshit kind of guy.” She explains then rummages through her bag when a ping sounds from within. “He’s always been like that—where’s your phone?” 

The sudden switch in the conversation has you frowning, looking down at Wanda’s hand when she holds it out to you. You notice how her cheerful demeanor was almost nonexistent as soon as Steve walked into the apartment. She was quiet and pensive and you wouldn’t have noticed the strain in her if she didn’t squeeze your arm when he mentioned that stranger’s name.

“Babe, phone?” She asks again, quite eager this time and you relent, taking the device from your back pocket and handing it to her. 

She quickly takes it and then hands it back, shaking the phone as she silently asks you to unlock it. Once you enter the code, she grabs it back and stalks away from you, holding her own device in her hands and typing on yours vigorously. As soon as she finishes, she lets out a relieved sigh, the smile back on her face, and stalks back to where you sit. 

“There. Now be sure to keep your phone on at all times or the cameras won’t work.” She instructs, taking the seat beside yours and leaning back against it. “From what Steve told me, the power of the security system relies solely on the app. So, if you want to catch your stalker, you gotta keep that baby on and with you at all times.”

It’s the first time you’ve heard of such technology. Aren’t security cameras powered by electricity? Why would they stop working if your phone died? You should have asked for more details from Steve before he left but that brusque front he was showing already made you feel like you were intruding—even if he was the one who entered your home. 

So you ask Wanda. 

“Why would my phone power the cameras?”

She simply shrugs and grabs the remote of the television, turning it on and flicking to select your streaming service. “I don’t know. It's just what they told me—what do you want to watch?”

There it is again. We. They. Who are these people that Wanda refuses to tell you of?

“Who’s they?” You ask.

“Bucky and—” She pauses and sits up, as if aware of what she said. “I mean, the guys selling it. This is still a prototype, you see, and I offered them your place as a testing ground.”

“Eh? Testing?” You frown and look up at the cameras. “But what if it doesn’t work?”

“Trust me, it will. We’re friends, right?” She says confidently, flicking through the options once more on the television. “Would I ever lie to you?”

Weeks have passed since your last encounter with your stalker—which, as weird as it sounds, you find very unusual. After being so used to his intruding presence, you’d expect him to show up in the places you expect him to be; outside your apartment building or even across the street from your bakeshop, waiting for you to close up. 

But so far, he’s been missing and you can’t help but feel a slight sense of relief. Still, you continue to keep your guard up. Still looking over your shoulder and cautiously scanning your surroundings when you drive or walk back home. He could simply be toying with you, making it seem like he’s vanished then surprise you one day in the most horrific way. 

Even so, you’re thankful for the peace and cling to the hope that he’s finally given up. You even check the camera feed religiously, just to be certain of his absence. And what you see, or rather, what you don’t see has you smiling and encourages you to go on with your daily activities with ease. 

The bell of the bakeshop chimes and you smile from behind the counter when you see Wanda strutting in, a popsicle in her hand. You’re about to greet her when she tosses one towards you, grabbing it with clumsy hands and frowning at her unexpected yet tasty surprise. 

“Couldn’t you have just given it to me properly?” You chide. “Like a normal human being?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” She laughs and leans her hip against the counter from the other side, looking around lazily. “Dead time?”

“Pretty much.” You unwrap the popsicle from the foil and give it a tentative lick, a smile gracing your lips at the taste. Mango. “Lunchtime just finished. Besides, I think the heat is making people stay in their homes.”

“Why don’t you close up early today then? My friend is throwing a party at their place and you should come! We can drink to celebrate!”

“Party? Celebrate?” You ask while giving her a confused look. “What will we be celebrating?”

“Your freedom, of course! Your stalker hasn’t shown up in a while, right? Isn’t that worth celebrating?”

“I guess—but what if he shows up while we’re outside?” Worry slowly starts trickling in. It’s different when you’re doing mundane things, you’re more vigilant, more aware. But with the presence of alcohol? You’re sure to be in a more vulnerable state. “I don’t think it’s a good ide—”

“Relax. It’s perfectly safe.” The smile on her face is wide, her lips tainted pink from the popsicle she licks. 

“I don’t know.” You frown, feeling uneasy with the invitation. “Can’t we just celebrate at my place? Just the two of us? I’m not really comfortable going somewhere until I’m sure that man is gone.”

She sighs, disappointment evident on her face though you see her think as if considering your counteroffer. So you try to latch onto that hope and add another enticing detail that you know she wouldn’t be able to resist. 

“If you say yes, I’ll give you a box of my cupcakes every time you ask for some.” You say with much conviction. “Free of charge.”

Her eyes sparkle then and you believe she’s caught your bait. When she rolls her eyes and gives you a nod, you give her a wide smile, licking on the popsicle that’s already started to melt in your hand. 

“Alright, fine.” She agrees. “But I’m choosing the drinks for tonight and you can’t say no to that.”

You laugh. “Deal.”

You laugh as Wanda dances along to the music playing in the background, walking over to the kitchen to pour both of you a glass of the vintage she brought. The pop of the cork surprises you even as you expect it and a smile forms on your lips when the bouquet of the wine kisses your nose. Fancy stuff.

Wanda was right about relaxing for it has been a while since you’ve had the time to really let loose. With the stress of running your business along with the fear that your stalker brought, your life has been in such a knot that truly, you’ve forgotten how to live. 

You hand Wanda her glass and she grins widely when she accepts it. You lift your own glass to your lips and take a tentative sip, your eyes widening in surprise when Wanda tips the glass upward, almost choking as you drink the entire glass. 

You gasp for air when she pulls away, giggling when you glare at her and she looks back at you, feigning innocence. 

“What was that for?” You whine. “I almost choked!”

“But you didn’t.” She grins and sets her glass down by the pizza boxes. “I’m just helping you let loose.”

“Why aren’t you drinking yours?” 

“I’ll have mine after I have food. And besides, you need it more than I do.” She laughs and takes a seat on the couch, sitting down beside her with a pout when she pats the space next to her.

You lean forward to grab a slice from the box then stop when your head begins to spin, feeling it grow heavy that you clutch on it, confused as to what is happening. You groan at the discomfort that slowly envelopes you and you feel a sense of panic when your vision blurs, making you blink hard twice to try and push it away; but it’s no use.

You groan when you hear Wanda say your name, looking over to face her but not seeing her. You try to speak, to call out for help, but no words come from your throat. Helplessness and confusion plague you as you feel your body slump over the chaise.

What did Wanda do? 

“Sorry..” You face the direction from where you heard the voice but your eyesight has already failed, only seeing a jumbled blend of colors. 

A hand on your arm has you flinching and you moan when you feel another caress your cheek. You squint to attempt once more to see what Wanda is doing but what comes into your view has you freezing in terror. For it’s not Wanda holding you in their arms but the man you’ve been fearing for years. 

He’s finally got you and you have no way of escaping.

A rocking sensation stirs you awake and a moan trickles from your lips. Your head still feels heavy and your body aches as you slowly resurface from the void that has taken over you. Confusion runs wild, and rightly so, for you don’t recognize where you are; the concrete walls are completely alien, darkness shrouding the rest of the unknown space except for the muted lamp that shines at your side. 

The rocking continues, back and forth you move against a soft surface. You’re still disoriented but that soon all fades when his face comes into view, the last face you saw before going unconscious, with a wide grin on his face and his blue eyes blown wide with lust and desire.

It was no dream! It truly is him! 

A garbled moan escapes you once more when he jerks his hips, having you realize the state that you’re in—naked and bound on a bed that isn’t yours, in a place you don’t know—and what this man is doing. He doesn’t stop, his movements only going faster and harder, your pussy walls pulsing around his cock that continues to slide in and out, again and again, taking more and more of what you refuse to give.

“S…stop—” you try to protest, you try to scream, but your throat is dry and tight, and no words form despite your efforts. 

You try to kick your legs to fend him off and pull yourself away but you can’t feel them. You’re limp and at his mercy, tears spilling from your eyes as he pushes on with his sinful deed and you begging continuously for him to stop, to release you. But they only fall on deaf ears.

“It’s okay, cupcake.” He groans low, leaning down to have his face closer to yours as he rests his elbows on either side of your head. “You don’t have to be afraid.” He says before thrusting deep inside of you, making you groan as your pelvis aches from his strength. “It’s just me.”

You pull your face away when he bows his head, his lips pressing against your temple when he locks himself in place. He cradles you with his body and you bite your tongue to stop the string of moans from leaving your lips but only fail miserably when he quickens his pace. Once, twice, thrice, and more, he takes you further. The tingling sensation stirring in the pit of your stomach has you hating yourself.

“P—please, let me go.” You beg, crying when he moves a hand to grab on your tit. Squeezing, kneading, rolling his thumb against the nipple that stiffens at his attention and you gasp upon feeling the unwanted pleasure cocoon you in spite of your reluctance. 

“I can’t do that, cupcake.” He says in a strained voice, the sound of skin slapping against each other filling your ears and you grab tight unto your restraints when he pounds roughly into you. Your walls clench, aching at his continued intrusion. And you grit your teeth when you reach that high, ecstasy completely taking over you that you suddenly come hard around him. 

He follows soon after, spilling deep into your core with his moans of pleasure bouncing through the walls. You think he’s done, that he’ll finally let you go as he already took what he wanted. But he doesn’t pull away, instead nestling himself completely between your thighs and you mewl when he gives another thrust, his hips moving as he fucks his come into you. 

“Now that I have you,” he’s breathless as he speaks, hands moving to caress your face before pinching your chin and forcing you to face him; your monster. He places a soft kiss against your lips, eyes wandering over your face, like a man obsessing over his prize. “Why would I let you go?”

That was days ago, probably weeks when he finally captured you. 

The man, Bucky or James—you don’t care, as you found out his name is, keeping you prisoner, caged like an animal in the room underneath his home. Naked and afraid, with the darkness and the cold surrounding you and only being blessed with the light when he would visit once in the morning and another at night. 

The torment was too much to bare at times but you kept fighting, clinging to the sliver of hope that you would one day escape his clutches and run away from everything and begin a new life. But as the days went by, your resolve started to dwindle. You realized that there was no use trying to fight him for each time you would, he would only fight back stronger, harder, and leave you battered, bruised, and used only for him to do it all over again.

Until one day, he came with a trade-off.

“Peace.” He said and you watched him intently, weakly, as he sat on the stool in front of you, setting down a paper bag he brought with him.

You listened to him. “Freedom,” he whispered and your eyes grew wide as the seven-letter word bore deep into your soul. Freedom from the hell he’s kept you in. Freedom from the agony that slowly peeled away your sanity. A life—one you knew before, to be able to do the things you once loved.

But in exchange, your hand. To spend eternity with the man that stalked you and forced you to live in fear. To vow to love him and serve him, to be the wife he always wanted you to be. 

Is it truly freedom he offered? Or simply another cell to keep you in? You already knew the answer to that and you knew very well that your life was in the palm of his hand. He made sure of that, planned everything to the tee for he’s done everything to keep you alive, with only him as the judge of when you’d meet your demise. 

You wince when your hands throb as you mix the cupcake batter in the bowl. The marks on your wrists are still visible, though slightly healed. You focus on the task at hand to drown away the demons of the past, burying them deep down where no one, not even you, could see it and keep yourself afloat in the present.

It’s not the life you wanted, but one you expected. Bucky did uphold his end of the bargain—a roof over your head and food in your belly, a mansion for you to go as you pleased, and the gold band sitting snugly on your finger; a constant reminder of his power and what you’ve now become. 

You hear the front door open, chatter filling the silence of the big house. You know it’s Bucky—he’s home after several days of being away for work. Though it’s not his voice that has you on edge, but Wanda’s. 

And her presence is confirmed when you look up and see her standing by the doorway to the kitchen. A tall, blond man stands beside her, one you haven’t seen before, almost leaning against her as she looks at you with shock painted on her face. 

She did this. She betrayed you. A monster in sheep’s clothing that didn’t think twice about throwing you to the wolves. She was your safety net. Your confidant through trying times. But you were stupid and nothing more than a bargaining chip—a deal brokered by the two; you in exchange for her lover’s life.

“Why don’t you and Vision wait in my study? Steve’s already in there.” You hear Bucky tell her and you resume finishing the cupcakes you were preparing for your husband’s return. “I will just greet my wife.”

The sound of footsteps clack against the marble floors and you sense Bucky coming closer while pouring the batter into their molds and turning to the over to stow them inside. You begin clearing up your mess, putting away the equipment you’ve used when you suddenly gasp upon feeling two strong arms wrap around your waist.

You force a smile and put on the facade of a happy wife, placing your hand over Bucky’s and giving his knuckles a gentle caress, feeling the hard surface of his ring against your fingertips.

“I missed you, Mrs. Barnes,” He breathes, moving to press his face on the crook of your neck, your skin rippling in disgust when he plants a kiss on it. “I hope you missed me too.”

“Of course, I did, Mr. Barnes.” You respond automatically. “I even baked you your favorite for your return.”

“My wife is so sweet.” He chuckles, your breath hitching when his hands begin roaming across your middle. “You’re always so good to me, cupcake. You were made to be mine.” He sways you both from side to side, dancing despite the absence of music but the feel of his erection digging against the curve of your behind as you move forward, to which he stops by pulling you back against him. 

“It was supposed to be a surprise.” You begin initiating conversation, hoping for it to be a distraction. “But you arrived a little too early. I hope I didn’t disappoint you.”

“Disappoint me? Never.” He coos. “I’m the one who should be apologizing for ruining your surprise.” He presses another kiss on your neck. “But I have something better in mind that could be my welcome home treat.” Your heart beats hard against your chest when his hand snakes down your yellow sundress, only for him to pull on the skirt and bunch them over your waist. 

He growls when you stop his hand, moving once more to turn and face him instead. But he traps you against the edge of the counter, with his hand cupping your clothed cunt and his fingers exploring, rubbing against your clit.

You try to suppress the moans that force their way out of your lips but fail, his persistence crowding over you and you grip the marble surface when he pulls your panties to the side and press his thumb against your swollen bud. 

“Don’t you have a meeting with Steve and the others?” You ask, hoping he would stop and give you a reprieve. Even when he was gone for days, you’re not yet ready to have him back. 

“They can wait.” He snarls and you gasp, your back arching against his chest when he slips a finger past your folds, his touch sending ripples of dread through your skin. “But I can’t.”

I no longer keep a tag list but if you want to be kept updated on my fics, follow my side blog @springlibrary and turn on notifications.

[oceandiagonale]

I’ve compiled generic’s story in chronological order, or as close as it gets to that!!

Part I (You Are Here)

Contains: Intro, SWSH run, General Worldbuilding

Part II: Contains PLA Run (Hisui Arc), non-plot-posts that I like

Part III: Contains the aRRRc, Ultra Flare Finale, Paldea(?)

1) Backstory+Ultra Flare start:

part 1-6 

part 3.005: that’s probably a real crime lysandre (expanded)

part 3.05 (first villain friends)

meeting guzma (expanded): part 4.001 , part 4.0015, maybe more later?

4.002: aether battle

part 4.5: guzma’s old job

part 4.75: getting guzma to work for the League

part 5.25: informing kukui about the deleted year

part 5.5: letting plumeria in on the plan

part 5.75: letting looker and anabel know + UB-05 incident #1

non-related mohn crisis

part 7

aw shoot gene hasn’t told the whole squad about that one time tho

next, lysandre moves to Alola

2) Life in Alola (Lysandre’s there too)

guzma gets into team ultra flare: part 1, part 2, and an explanation

generic and lysandre brunch saga: one, two, three, four, five

office work in the Alola League: one, 1.5+ 1.75, two, three

kukui and burnet being soon-to-be parents: one, two

unexpected allies in ultra flare! (gene was thrilled)

3) Galar League

generic steals guzma’s sweater: one, two, three

context for Champion Time: champion time gossip magazine! + sinnoh wedding + crushes

not wanting to go: one, two

preparing to go: one, 1.5,  two

the route 2 rookidee shiny hunt: one, two, three (guzma and celebi had to come stop the madness. also I was bitter)

galar adventures continue: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight

snom hunting with guzma!: one, two, two and a half, three, four?, fourish???.,  five

spikemuth with guzma!: one,  two

galar without guzma, continued: one, two, 2.5 +2.75, three, four, five

swsh collides with ultra flare: one, two, three, 3.5+ 3.75

swsh finale: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, lee and etern 

4) Back to Alola

return

pre-brunch

brunch, again

a normal day in team ultra flare

trying to get more allies: part 1, part 2, and discussing results 

don’t worry the swsh dlc won’t be a problem with UF, and villain habitats, and where champion stays usually

things are normal: lysandre’s just a bad neighbor, it’s ok tho

swsh postgame

gene resents + sycamore regrets + lysandre regrets

VALENTINES DAYYYY + white day

spring challenge rush! + birthday + young red + met mewtwo

a resolution 

hanging out with the totally-not-dads!!!

THEY ARE.... ENGAGED........     I CARE THEM

champion and generic have similar but not identical skillsets

General Worldbuilding:

Generic Reference sheet!

okay it’s not on the reference sheet but he also has the ORAS contest outfit

friends and family are soft 🥺

league office, acnh version of the office

guz’s room,  po town,  gene’s house

Lysandre’s house

ULTRA FLARE REFERENCES: ACNH,  Layout

Ultra Flare grunt design + they’re shady jerks

Mega vs non-Mega timelines (kind of obsolete tbh, I might drop this lore)

worlds (basically alternate universes) vs timelines **you can skip this it’s overcomplicated  

it’s not technically worldbuilding but guzma does a lot of the cooking for team skull

also guzma is very strong + everyone knows now

how generic got his name

fun fact: generic’s allergic to carrots and champion is allergic to... + skull salad 2.0 + carrot cake

other champions reference + hanging out + crystal + silver

the other champions have friends too, part 2

what happened to guzma’s hair?: one, two, three, guzma’s hair final, and FINAL final :D

[snowwydaydreamr]

These sketches of sorbet and hilda are some of my favorite and especially since they are of a mostly younger sorbet who had just come in and was very sour and bitter and didn’t get along very well with others. Please disregard the hostile helpys I assure you they’re safe to approach.

[ Do not repost or reuse. ]

here’s your ounce of 1kh lore that I’ve manifested into the world.

When 1KH members are brought in they are technically Fallers, 1KH utilized Wormhole technology and ultraspace in order to transport people from timeline to timeline. Thus, there was a period in which all members had to quarantine and be decontaminated in order to prevent UBs from appearing at their doorstep. Many members received urgent medical care during this period and as for Sorbet, she sustained burns and other injuries from Hydreigon, Kyurem, Reshiram, and scratches and scars from other pokemon. She received the burn on the back of her neck from a Team Rainbow Rocket grunt attempting to actually kill her in an incredibly unfair Pokemon battle.

Sorbet, while becoming close friends with this twitter rp timelines Proton, still becomes paranoid that letting her guard around this peculiar person will result in her or her family being severely hurt. For context, this Proton both acts like a fairly normal and kind of fun dude to be around as well as a literal murderer... so, he didn’t really fit with her image of a cold blooded killer despite being one.

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

Went through your prompts and writings and I must say you are a brilliant writer. Everything from plot to characterization is perfect in your stories. It's truly a joy to read. Also I was wondering if you are still accepting prompts then will you be able to write a little something on alura and zor el introducing new born Kara to krypto?? Hope I am not overstepping boundaries. You don't have to write it of course but I would surely love to read if you decided to write more in the future.

Oh, thank you so much! :) So glad you’ve enjoyed it! And no worries, you’re not overstepping any boundaries. Happy to give this a shot!

…

Krypto’s day began much like it had the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that; he woke with a lazy stretch and a drawn out yawn, reveling in the feeling of the warm sunlight on his hind legs.

The stretching went on for a while–he started with his front paws, reaching out as far as he could. Then he followed with the back, and, once that was done, decided to do both at once. Now fully awake, he flopped to his side, content to lay there for a bit, in no real hurry to actually get up just yet. His tail thumped rhythmically the floor as he surveyed the room, hoping to see Jor-El, or perhaps Lara, up and about and ready with a food tube. 

Oddly, they were not up and about.

This was unusual; rarely did Krypto wake up before the two of them. Curious, he decided to investigate, but not before one last quick stretch, and a little shake, for good measure.

He padded into the Room with the Plants–plants that were not for eating, which was a terrible shame, in his opinion. Apparently, these plants were for Jor-El to…well. Mostly just look at. And poke, with his strange tools.

He sniffed at a few corners, and eyed the plants longingly…but. He was on a mission, and neither Jor-El, nor Lara were in the room. So, onward he went.

The Room for Sitting and Room for Eating were also empty. Krypto wasn’t worried–he could smell them, so they had to be somewhere. But where, exactly–

“Lara, we have to go!”

“I know, I know!”

Suddenly, the door to the Room for Eating slid open, and the two of them came hurrying through; Krypto scrambled backwards, bumping into the family’s Kelex unit, currently offline and awaiting repair.

“Sorry, boy,” Lara told him, reaching forward to scratch his ear. Krypto leaned into the touch, and whuffed happily. All was forgiven. …So long as they had some food tubes.

“I told you, we should have gotten packed last night–”

“I know, I know–”

They continued to rush around the room, and Krypto watched, deciding to take a seat while he waited to be fed.

“You remembered to pack the new sun stone, right?”

“Of course!”

“Because I don’t want a repeat of last time, when you thought you’d packed the sun stone, but you didn’t, and we missed out on recording–”

“I have the sun stone,” Laura produced a red crystal from one of their satchels. Jor-El paused for a moment, as he’d been unprepared for the interruption. 

“Oh, well, good,” he said, nodding. “That’s everything, then.”

“Everything?” Lara raised an eyebrow, and Jor-El nodded again, confused.

“Yes. Everything.”

“What about Krypto?” Krypto’s ears perked up at the sound of his name.

“What about him?”

“Are you going to feed him?” Lara asked. Krypto wiggled in barely-contained anticipation.

“No, Kelex will take care of it while we’re away.” Jor-El said, pulling the strap of his satchel onto his shoulder. Lara raised an eyebrow.

“Kelex?” She repeated. Jor-El looked confused. 

“Yes, Kel–” Lara stepped to one side, as did Krypto, so that Jor-El had a clear, unobstructed view of the lowest shelf on the storage cube, currently occupied by the dormant service unit. “…oh.” He said. And then, “…I knew I was forgetting something.”

“Well, now what?” Lara asked. “I don’t think I can find someone to watch him on such short notice…”

“He’ll just have to come with,” Jor-El said, and reached for the shelf that contained the food tubes. Krypto licked his lips. Finally!

“I don’t know if your brother will like that very much…” Lara frowned. And Krypto would’ve frowned too, if he could have, because instead of giving him one of the food tubes, Jor-El was just. Shoving them in his bag! 

Krypto grunted in displeasure, and sat down heavily on the floor.

“I don’t think we have much choice,” Jor-El shrugged. Lara didn’t argue, but she didn’t look fully convinced, either. 

“Well. If Zor has a problem,” Lara said, “YOU can explain it to him.”

“Fine, fine,” Jor-El said. He turned and smiled at Krypto. “Feel like going for a ride, boy?”

Krypto snorted.

Jor-El frowned. “Oh. That’s not exactly–”

“Jor.”

“What?”

Lara rolled her eyes, and reached into his bag, extracting a food tube. 

Krypto yipped excitedly as she dissolved the wrapper and tossed the cylinder to him. He munched on it happily, and trotted dutifully after her as she made her way to the front door.

Jor-El followed, looking sheepish.

“…Knew I was forgetting something,” he said.   

…

Krypto wasn’t quite sure where they were. It smelled a little like Jor-El and Lara, and therefore, home, but it wasn’t the same.

For one, it had no Room with the Plants, which Krypto found frustrating. There were also strange noises–the kind of noises that came from Not People things, like Kelex units.

“Sorry we don’t have a lot of space for you, Krypto,” the Person who smelled a bit like Jor-El gave his head a light pat. Krypto wuffed. That was another thing–this new place was very small. He’d already sniffed all the interesting corners, as well as the not-so interesting ones.

“So you’re here until the end of the lorakh?” Lara asked.

“Unfortunately. It’s not ideal, but. At least Alura won’t need to be in court for a while.” 

Krypto decided to check some of the less-interesting corners again. He sniffed along the floor, tail wagging idly.

He was so engrossed in his task, he didn’t turn when one of the doors opened on the other side of the room.

“Ah, there they are,” Jor-El said with a smile, and all three of them stood as another Not-Jor, Not-Lara Person entered the room, carrying some sort of…lump.

Krypto would’ve continued his examination of the corners, but. The new Person and the…small lump…brought with them a variety of new smells.

He was intrigued.

He carefully approached the group. Everyone was making strange noises. Well. Stranger noises than usual, anyway. And all of the noises were directed at the lump.

Krypto craned his neck forward to get a better look. Oh! The lump was just a blanket. That was odd…he was sure Lara and Jor-El had seen blankets before–they had some at home! What made this one so special?

“Sorry, someone decided to spit up on my dress right at the last minute,” Not-Lara said, smiling fondly at the blanket. 

Krypto was about to return to investigating a portion of the floor, but suddenly…

The blanket moved.

Now THAT was interesting–Krypto had never seen a moving blanket before. He inched even closer, pressing between Jor-El and Lara’s legs.

“Oh, looks like someone wants to say hello!” Smelled-Like-Jor-El said. 

“You’re sure that’s alright?” Lara asked.

“Sure. Krypto’s a good boy. Aren’t you, Krypto?”

Krypto wagged his tail. He wasn’t fluent in Person, but he did know that phrase, and he also knew the polite and proper response: Yes. I am a Good Boy, thank you.  

His tail wagging must have acted as some sort of signal as well, because Not-Lara was kneeling down a little, bringing the moving blanket to him. He flinched slightly, but didn’t back away–he was far too curious.

Once it was eye-level, he could see that the blanket contained…something. Something small, and that sort of pale-ish color that some People were. There was just the slightest hint of fur on its head.

“Say hi to Kara, Krypto,” Lara urged him softly. 

Krypto blinked. So. The small, pale, blanket lump was called Kara. 

He wagged his tail. He liked it. It had the same nice K sound as his name.

He inched a little closer, until his nose hovered close to Kara’s small, scrunched face. He sniffed hesitantly. Hmmm. Well. Kara smelled alright–

“Hha-WHRRFF,” Krypto suddenly sneezed, which was a startling development on its own, but then Kara let out a sharp cry, and Krypto scurried back, ears flat against his head.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Alura!” Lara said, and then, in a stern force, scolded, “Krypto!”

“No, no, it’s alright,” the person called Alura assured her.

Krypto watched as the People reacted to Kara’s cries, which continued–not quite as loud, but they did sound distressed. Like when Jor-El accidentally stepped on his tail, and Krypto would let out a yelp to tell him, That hurt! And you startled me!

Krypto’s head drooped. He hadn’t meant to startle Kara.

…He needed to apologize.

Slowly, slowly, he crept forward, whining softly, in the hope that the People would understand that he was sorry.

Alura seemed to get the general idea. Her expression softened, and, after a few long moments of gentle reassurances to Kara, and quiet shushing noises, she knelt again, and let Krypto get close.

“Let’s try again,” she said.

This time, Krypto made sure to let out a bit of a snort, and clear his nose of any offending fuzz. And then, eeeeever so carefully, he approached Kara, who was still making some faint noises of displeasure, but otherwise seemed open to his apology.

“Whuff.” Krypto said.

“Ub,” Kara said.

Krypto’s tail thumped. It appeared that they were hitting it off!

Emboldened, he snuffed at the blanket, and tried to locate one of Kara’s paws–though, People tended to call them ‘hands.’ 

Ah-ha!

Just tucked to one side of the folds of the blanket, there was Kara’s left paw. Krypto gave it a tiny lick.

Kara made a noise!

But not a bad noise, like before. This one sounded…like it was trying to be a People laugh, but not quite succeeding.

“She likes you,” Alura told him. Krypto’s tail wagged happily.

He liked her, too.

…

Krypto’s day began…not at all like any day he could remember.

There was no warm sunlight, no languid, morning stretch.

He trembled in the cramped, dark space, trying to remember…remember what had happened.

But. He was old, and his memories were faint. 

He sniffed the air. 

Nothing smelled familiar. Nothing smelled like Jor-El, or Lara, or the plants, or home.

He whined softly. 

There was a faint hiss–he almost didn’t hear it, it was so quiet. And then, the darkness went away.

Sunlight! But…bright, and harsh, and somehow different.

He squinted, and struggled to stand. His joints had been bothering him, lately. He wasn’t quite as limber as he used to be.

Where is Jor-El? Where is Lara?

Where is their small blanket lump, Kal-El?

He couldn’t smell them anywhere. He blinked against the strange sunlight, trying to take in his surroundings.

He didn’t recognize anything.

But there was a Person, standing over him. He tilted his head to one side. The Person didn’t look familiar, but.

But.

He sniffed. Cautiously. Ears still flat against his head because he was unsure and out of sorts.

The Person carefully extended their left paw, and Krypto was grateful. It made it easier for him to smell.

There was something…something…

A faint memory…it was so hard to remember something so far back, but. It was there, and it was from…it was from home.

Something compelled Krypto to tentatively lick the offered paw. And just like that, the memory settled into place.

“Krypto?” the Person’s voice was quiet.

Krypto leaned into her side and wagged his tail.

He remembered.

Kara. 

...

A/N: ‘Lorakh’ is apparently a Kryptonian month, as per the online Kryptonian dictionary. Also, I have decided that Kryptonian dogs just live longer, and now that Krypto’s on earth, the yellow sunlight is gonna help with his joint pain and the Good Boy is gonna have a LONG, GOOD LIFE SURROUNDED BY LOVED ONES because it’s what he DESERVES. 

[destinycaught]

@imbicilite​ wants to battle!!! :  Tell us your most obscure/unique headcanon for each of your muses!!

thank you for sending these in after i had a little grovel session about my muses it means a whole lot, i can’t articulate what it means ok! ! now, for obscure headcanons !  ! Read more bc this shit’ll be long. 

LEON He has so much social etiquette shoved in his head? He sort of was given the same lessons you would take if you went to finishing school ! He knows the following skills: ballroom dancing, violin, what every fucking piece of silver at a table is called, && the history of most locations in Galar  ! ! He does have a formal education, albeit homeschooling. 

ACEROLA This one isn’t really unique because I think?? I’ve mentioned it on here a good bit?? But the reason she’s the last of her family is because her ancestors angered the Tapu which caused them to be?? Cursed to all die usually before the age of 35 ? Because of this she’s kinda really always doing things to improve the community / being reckless. 

MILO If he wasn’t a farmer or gym leader, he would have 100 percent became a child counselor / therapist? ? The kind that helps kids through means of recreation && the like. Realistically though, he would not be one long because he would be unable to compartmentalize all of it && instead settle down with a flower shop.

GUZMA He refuses to be in a relationship where he is the more powerful one. It has to be a balance. Because of this, he has never engaged in romantic relationships with any of his grunts. Also, he refuses to pick a “favorite” bug type because he doesn’t want to make the rest feel bad. He identifies the most with Wimpod though. 

HAU God I don’t talk about Hau enough. My poor baby, I added him because I used to write him when sumo was released. People sort of assume he would want to be a Kahuna, but it is honestly the exact opposite. Gives him cold sweats, tbh. Hala is his role model ! He doesn’t want him to beef it. Usually relatives are go-tos for Kahuna-hood ( or people who the Kahuna’s treated like children ), so Hau is aware it would be him! But he doesn’t think he would be a good one with how compromised he’d be?  ( This hc also applies loosely to nanu’s kids ) 

HOP I actually have been planning for him to leave Galar. Just maybe go on a journey, no rivals? Find himself. Right now, he’s got tons of flyers in his room. Right now, he’s looking at Kanto, Johto, or Hoenn. Hoenn seems most appealing because how Kabu has described it. 

MARNIE She plays the bass guitar ! Additionally, she is experimenting with her look at lot. She’s sort of in this weird place where she can’t decide if she hates dresses or is fine with it. I kinda am projecting on her. She has all her dresses in a little bag right now && has been a nightmare for thrift shops in Galar.

MOLAYNE Fun bullet points! 

- He had a brother who became an Interpol agent - He worked with Aether for a little bit while Mohn was around - He was a person of interest in Interpol investigations regarding UBs for a bit, but he managed to be a convincing mediocre college student. 

KABU His family has a weird thing where every few generations one of the children have like . . powers connected to fire. He was the kid in his generation. Because of that, he was a lot more inclined to his profession. For OBVIOUS reasons. He can be burnt but it takes REALLY intense fires. 

PLUMERIA She was actually friends with Kukui && Molayne ! She has mixed feelings about them now, && hasn’t really reconnected with either. 

NANU He actually doesn’t hate himself. Like, not joking. He’s neutral on himself as a person! Confident in his abilities, even. His nihilism is based in the fact that like, everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. He realizes that trying is futile, but he will never stop trying. Ever. 

WICKE She was in love with Lusamine, rip her. She admired Faba immensely && they did have a siblinglike relationship! However, it eventually deteriorated nastily when he got so high up. She misses what they had. But she just doesn’t see it ever being mended. 

ARCHIE He wasn’t born in Hoenn. He actually has no idea where he was born ? He’s also known Maxie since being a teenager. Also, he actually really likes fire && ground types. He most likely is raising some now that he isn’t around his crew. 

RED He’s mostly nonverbal. He does know ASL ( KSL? ), but otherwise he was shown how to use a rotom phone as text to speech. That’s really why there aren’t any interviews with him speaking. 

SHELLY She’s incredibly intelligent && really could have pursued a doctorate. She also knew Maxie beforehand! I think she may have even been offered to join Team Magma? But her allegiance to Archie was really strong, plus she would die before working with that much dirt && lava. 

ANABEL The reason she has risen the ranks so fast is because. . .  she really never stops working. If you have her on any social media ( which yes, she does use ) you will 100 percent see she’s online at like 5am still working on files or something. Never fucking stops.

[cuilective]

Announcement: New Muse(s?) Incoming

Actually, possibly two, though I’d like a bit of input first if at all possible.

The one that I for sure have in the works is an OC I had back when I first joined the pokemon roleplaying community back during the ORAS hype: my Team Aqua grunt Alphonse. He’s a tall gangly softboy whose signature pokemon is a sassy Girafarig he named Banana. He’s a pro at names, guys. Always dooting a kazoo or trying to cheer people up with puns, he’s the sweetest ‘villain’ around. Joined Team Aqua more for the roof over his head and steady income but couldn’t really care less about the team’s ultimate goals, but the team in general has become so much like a family to him that he’ll do whatever he can for them.

Now, there was one other muse I wanted to add... but I can’t really pick between the two OCs. I’d like to see which one, if either, y’all might be interested in interacting with? Or maybe both??? I’ll ramble a bit about them each beyond the cut cus it’s kinda long oops... there’s tl;drs under each character if it’s too much to read at once gjbdfgh

One of the two would be a trainer unaffiliated with any team or organization, Cooper Evans. His signature pokemon is an Espurr named Marnie, who is an intense busybody and a walking callout post of a cat and likes to abuse her telepathy to pester people... when Coop isn’t around, anyway. She’ll only behave around him. As you can see through the link he doesn’t have a very human appearance, so trying to figure out a pokeverse for him has been a bit tricky.

I’m still figuring it out, but first option is he might be a human/ultra beast fusion made secretly in Aether’s underground labs out of an unofficial ultra beast called UB Infinity or Neuroboros, a serpentine psychic/poison purple dragon captured by Aether and kept under lock and key to be studied while it slumbered away biting its own tail. The fusion was with a comatose and deathly ill young Cooper in a desperate attempt by an Aether scientist to bring him back from the brink of death.

Or I’ll remove the Aether aspect entirely and he’s fused with various mundane pokemon in an attempt to give him a stronger body. Pokemon like Nidoking, Espurr, and Feraligatr, and possibly others were used. Either way he takes on a very inhuman appearance and has to find a way to fit in without, yknow, scaring the living daylights out of people. He typically does this by dressing like the Poke Maniac trainer class. Big stuffed nidoking suit to hide his tail and ears in with slots to put his horns through, and a simple cloth mask to hide his jagged teeth. He’s got an excuse for any odd trait of his when asked. But ye, he’s at least 19 and an absolute meme. An obnoxious little meme. He hasn’t given up on dabbing yet, but when it comes to memes his favorite has to be the classic rick roll.

I have yet to find a fitting faceclaim of him due to his unique face, so chances are I’ll have to commission some simple icons. But until then I’m thinking Shigeo Kageyama would do well enough, since it’s close enough to his previously human appearance. gamefreak tried to be slick with allistair the purble masked spooky boy but coop was first!!!!

TL;DR: Psychic Purple Little Man Tries To Blend In With Normal Humans, Has The Power of Anxiety And Anime On His Side. And A Cat.

My other option... Aleksey Volkov (< each name is a link! warning for shirtless old sketch in the second half???), the ‘Beast of Rocket’. (Not to be confused with pokespe’s ‘three beasts of rocket’) Though likely without the fluffy ears/tail... maybe. I dunno. I’m kind of attached to them. He’s at least around 30 years old. He studied the differences and commonalities between humans and pokemon--particularly humans with ESP and pokemon that are said to have originally been human. His goal was to unlock the 'innate power' he believed each human to have, which was comparable to a pokemon and its moves/abilities. His theory was that ancient humans had powers akin to pokemon and his goal was to activate those ancient genes in modern humans.

His experiments were getting some interesting results, but he got the attention of Team Rocket before long. They abducted him and his wife and daughter, using his family as leverage to get him to work for them. Their goal was to use him to find a way to harness the energy of pokemon to give humans superhuman abilities, much in the same line as what he was doing already. This was in a particularly cold part of the world, so traits were chosen from ursaring, piloswine, and mightyena to create a superhuman who was perfectly suited to fighting in subzero temperatures.

When it came time to test what he currently had, he refused to test on anyone else but himself. It worked, in a way, turning him into an actual manbearpig... but also scrambling up his head to the point where he was difficult to control and no longer seemed to remember anything in regards to the project, or... much of anything else, actually. The project deemed a failure and not even remembering his own family, what he became was instead used as muscle for Team Rocket whenever they need to dish out knuckle sandwiches for whatever reason. Typically loaned out to the different executives and admins, either as a bodyguard, enforcer, or something of an assassin, as any evidence left behind would point to some wild pokemon attack, not a human, right?

His faceclaim would be Klaus Von Reinherz. I mean, look at him!!! the lil tusks... the sideburns... it him.

TL;DR: Doctor Prettyboy is forced by Team Rocket to make a super soldier potion. He tests it on himself and becomes Manbearpig. He is now huge and angry and strong but can’t remember anything else. Team Rocket is keeping him as a sexy, sexy weapon. Quite possibly over eight feet tall even while slightly hunched over.

I genuinely can’t pick one or the other because I love them both and think they’d both have a lot of potential for neat interactions. Can you see your characters interacting with either of these? Do you have any interest or questions? Please feel free to reply, send an ask, IM me, whatever. Be as honest or nosy as you want, I’ll even take anonymous input if that’s what folk are more comfortable with. I just want to be selective with which characters I add to this multimuse because I don’t want to end up with 50 characters and only end up using like 3 of them, yknow?

[zchaotic]

Finished my US Mono Fairy Type Run. Now it is time to review.

I just beaten Giovanni and ended RR.

Replaying the Ultra Games have given me a pretty good perspective on Gen 7′s Alola games.

The Ultra games are as their names implied, better versions of SM in every aspect to me. Keep reading if you are interested.

The Pro’s. The Story changes.

Lillie’s arc may have not been given as much focus as SM. But it dawned on me what her story really was. It wasn’t about an abused child standing up to her abuser. It was about a timid girl being inspired by those around her to become brave enough to protect those close to her and to become strong enough to do it. That is what her Z Powered Form represents, her getting over those doubts and anxieties, becoming her own while she takes on the world.

That is why she wanted to save her mother in SM. To try and save that woman from herself. I personally believe that Lillie’s arc, while losing some of that focus from SM, had a better trade off in USUM due to how it ends, instead of Lillie going to Kanto to help Lusamine recover and essentially going back to her.

Through out both games, Lillie kept admiring trainers for the things they do and breaks out of that shell. Once we get to the end of the Necrozma plot, Lillie settled things with Lusamine and only went to Aether Paradise with that woman to see Nebby recover. Once that happens, the two parted ways and if you go to Mahalo Trial after beating Gladion, we see Lillie do the last thing needed before becoming a trainer, giving the same emotional goodbye to Nebby.

Once you beat the league and start RR. We see Lillie at the start of her carrier as a pokemon trainer. Kicking a grunts butt and fighting along side you. She becomes for feisty even against freaking Ghetsis and for those picky about Lillie’s confession at Exeggutor Island, that girl has what is pretty much the same confession towards you at the end of RR.

In addition, Lillie’s story ends with her living with Kukui, at a more healthier environment and her wanting to become you Battle Tree Partner.

Gladion’s motives are more fleshed out in USUM, with him stealing Type:Null and running to A. Get away from Lusamine and Aether Paradise due to the toxic controlling environment... much like in SM. And B. So he can become strong enough to protect those close to him once the moment is needed. To keep his family from falling apart more than it already had.

The change between SM and USUM doesn’t hurt his arc and dare I say USUM is a bit more realistic in this regard.

I also liked how his story ends in USUM compared to SM. In SM, he was forced in an adult position in the place he was abused in and wanted nothing more to do with. Because a certain adult close to him couldn’t take the job herself.

In USUM however, because Lusamine didn’t get sick, he got more freedom for the next step of his arc. To get more of that strength, he went to Kanto this time... had a pretty cute goodbye to his reforming mother and spend a whole month training. He comes back in a month with a full team of six and is the toughest of the title defense matches in USUM. He is needed to trigger the games true ending.

Finally, the seemingly biggest change in USUM’s story.... Lusamine.

I liked the changes to her character. In SM we had no reason to care about her, she was an unrepentant cunt and the hints that she wasn’t always that horrible came from the mouths of other characters. We got a good villain, but the bigger picture of her was written very badly.

In USUM. We still have Lusamine go nuts due to trauma from Mohn’s disappearance and as a result of her not wanting to let things go, became more controlling of her kids and obsessed over the Ultra Wormhole and the things beyond to try and get Mohn back.

This resulted in her allowing and doing messed up stuff in her desire for vengeance. Including allowing the creation of Type:Null and being willing to have Nebby go through all sorts of horrible stuff. Gladion was the first to find out about this, took Null and left. Which resulted in Lusamine being more grief stricken and while not mentioned in USUM, resulted in her becoming more controlling over Lillie.

Eventually, Lillie couldn’t stand Nebby’s suffering, stole it and ran.

Leaving Lusamine alone and with nothing left... in SM this resulted in her becoming focused solely on the wormhole and the only beast that she has clues on. Nihilego. But in USUM, something changed in the ripple that prevented her from getting to the levels seen in SM. The Ultra Recon Squad showed up and went to the Aether Foundation for help on their problems, they told this woman about the beasts and about something for her to focus her objections on... Necrozma.

In USUM, we see Lusamine as someone who develops a messiah complex. If she can go beat Necrozma, she would live up to her position as a protector of pokemon and people along with having the resources needed to find Mohn. She still has Mohn as an objective in mind, but she is still pretty crazy due to how she was conducting reckless things with Ultra Wormholes. (The point of the scene in Aether Paradise in USUM.) Froze her pokemon. (Not wanting to lose those close to her.) and was bitter/ nasty to her kids when it was time to confront her.

Lillie is scared of Nebby getting killed with little she can do about it and Gladion is more scared due to how if Lusamine crosses that wormhole, the family will likely lose another parent. But this woman is so stuck up in her ambitions that she refused to listen to her kids and do it anyways.

This is pretty real in broken families where the adult acts like it is their way or the highway and those not them are to shut up.

In USUM, Lusamine is still a horrible person... but it actually gives her some onscreen humanity. While she is less scary of a villain compared to SM, she is better as an actual character in USUM. A woman who has gone off the deep end in her ambitions to get a loved one back and keep the family together, but is so blind in how she done it that her kids ended up suffering.

This was always what Gamefreak intended to make with her Character. But they messed up badly in SM and instead created a caricature of an abusive parent. This one was so chilling in that regard that the fanbase are often only seeing that aspect of her character and believing that is the intention of her character. An abusive parent to get toppled over.

This is why the fanbase are not a fan of USUM’s Lusamine, who is made more human and have more going for her that people are confused in figuring out whether or not she is evil and even more, this version of Lusamine shattered the fanbases head canons on what kind of person this woman was. People don’t want to admit they are wrong and instead lash out.

Especially towards the end of USUM where Lusamine got curb stomped by Necrozma and had a heart to heart talk with Lillie while you were busy. Lillie told is at Vast Poni Canyon what she wanted to tell Lusamine about.

"The president... My mother is— She's selfish. She decides all by herself what she thinks needs to be done to make other people happy, not even caring what it is they may want... But people ought to help one another out! That is what I have learned here in Alola! And that is what I'm going to teach her, too.”

This combined with Necrozma knocking Lusamine off her high horse, gave this woman a self reflection and realization on what she was doing and started her turn around for the better.

Apologizing to Lillie by admitting the girl was right to take Nebby and run. (Admitting that Gladion was right to do the same with Null.) Making it up to Nebby by tending to it with Lillie. Then letting the girl go off back to Kukui’s

Making it up to Gladion by seeing him off when he went to Kanto...

Letting her kids go, is the first major step to Lusamine making it up to her kids.

Then in between the Champion ending and RR, she has an identity crisis from the realization of how awful she was. This gets resolved after RR when she vowed to love her kids from a distance, without interfering with their lives anymore. All the while, trying to understand her kids better.

After RR, you find that same employee who talked about the frozen pokemon and we got implications that Lusamine is having those ready to be thawed.

Then once Gladion comes back, we got a scene where Lusamine meets an amnesic Mohn. Knowing that the man would be hurt for the rest of his life if he knows the things his wife has done for him, along with the new life he has... Lusamine treats it like an ordinary conversation and lets him go off to his life. Letting... Mohn...go.

This is pretty good character development despite how the juicy bits of her turn around happen after the main story is over and how you have to really look to get it.

I appreciate the closure and resolution of this family in USUM since SM ended this story very messily when it should have continued.

While I give a lot of praise to this portion of the story, other character like Hau are more fleshed out. Mina’s trial gave a bit more world building to the Captains. The Ultra Warp Ride in itself is good lore on the UB’s, for we see their world and learn more about them. We also know more about Z Power and where it all comes from.

Alola’s lore was expanded upon in this game.

We also get to see Guzma go through a redemption arc in RR and all the good that came out of it. Colress got to contribute more in the main story as the guy who helps with Necrozma.

Don’t even get me started on Rainbow Rocket. That is where we see Lillie’s grow into a trainer, fight past villains, see more from Colress and Guzma, along with adding into the concept of alternate realities. It was a better post game than SM in every aspect.

Con. What was added into the story and how it affected the changes.

However, there is a few things story wise that I would say are striking flaws.

Before anything, this is still mostly the same story as SM and it doesn’t change drastically until the end of your second visit to Aether Paradise. Like most third games, it is going to take a while before you get to the biggest changes. If you didn’t like what was in the base games... you are not going to like what is in this game.

The new characters added to the plot, the URS... their deeds are mostly background and they don’t do much besides build up on Necrozma. Sometimes appearing in places that they are not needed.

The things they do add does make sense in changing the story from SM. (It is established they only used their Solgaleo and Lunala for travel. If they used them for Necrozma, they would have their way to get help eaten and as explained, it causes Necrozma even more pain. They let Lusamine use Nebby because they need a safer way to send trainers over to confront Necrozma.... but then Lusamine went Leeroy on them.)

But they themselves... could have been done better. In addition, Necrozma served more as a looming threat that motivated the actions of the regions villain teams and their goals. Rather than a looming threat that could have been used much better to give the urgency and doom. He showed that the URS and those scared of him were NOT wrong to be scared of him, but that is all at the climax. Poor build up, but amazing pay off.

Even more, Lillie and the narrative focus on her lessened when you go fight Necrozma. Exeggutor Island was removed, though I get the reasons. Lusamine being less of a bitch and Lillie’s scene at the end of RR made it redundant. This along with Lillie calling her mother out off screen made some moments with her weaker compared to SM. (It isn’t any worse than how Lillie and Lusamine resolved things in SM though. Where Lusamine recovered somewhat and Lillie was eager to not only forgive her... when it wasn’t earned, but go to Kanto to help her recover.)  Even though I believe the things that happened with Lillie after Necrozma more than made up for it.

Some would come to conclusions and say this cost Lillie her character development... the thing that made SM’s story good. But personally, it didn’t really hurt her development, it just lost focus and we got our pay off to the build up in the post game.

However, if you liked Looker, Anabel and Nanu... those three got the shaft completely due to their post game story being cut out for Rainbow Rocket.

Pro. The Gameplay.

USUM added a lot into the game compared to the bare bone SM game.

With Mantine Surf, the Photo Club, Ultra Warp Ride, quality of life changes, (move tutors.) more pokemon and the SOS system being more controllable. You will be picking up Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon over Sun and Moon in a heart beat, just for these things.

The battles are more challenging compared to SM, the Totem Pokemon were better realized as actual bosses and Ultra Necrozma is the highlight of your main campaign.

Not to mention Rainbow Rocket and all the joys I got out of playing that. This is the game to play if you want to do challenge runs... like a Mono type run or others. It feels satisfying to beat the game and see the closure to our characters stories. Not to mention all the side quests and visuals that make Alola feel more alive as a region and not die over when you finish the game.

Con. What stuck from SM in a gameplay perspective.

Unfortunately, USUM didn’t fix all the issues from SM. Multi Battles are laggy, Festival Plaza stinks and with how many cut scenes are in this game still, it is going to be a while before you can actually play the game.

In addition, Alola is a linear in its pathway and what you fight still. If you just played SM... you are going to get bored really quick. In addition, the focus on Gen 1 is going to get old here as well.

Final Verdict.

Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are the last games in the handheld era and Gamefreak did a fantastic job in making this game a hurrah.

With most of what made SM good going over into these games, getting polished out and turned into a funner game, I strongly recommend getting it while holding yourself over for Sword and Shield.

It has fantastic battles, an amazing sense of closure to the characters from Sun and Moon you came to know and love. (Lillie is my favorite of this generation and I hope to see her again with more development as a trainer.)

It hits a lot of good beats for me and I am still rather shocked that people give so much bile to what these games have to offer. The changes to the Story were not bad in the slightest, it isn’t perfect but we have a lot of good trade offs to what we did lose from SM. (Example. Lillie’s two big moments are either moved over to RR or provide a better resolution to her story arc.)

The games give a good challenge for anyone who are fans to the series and it makes Alola stand out as a region.

I honestly hope Sword and Shield is able to continue where these games leave off. Maybe give us a story that is built by exploring Galar and still giving us a challenge with a wide variety of pokemon.

[quarterdollar]

I’m so ready to launch myself into the family tangle that are Molayne and Sophocles, Nanu and Acerola, and Plumeria, so I’m just gonna dump out my brain real quick. Most of these are ideas that are currently disconnected that I hope to make coherent sometime soon. all of this is postgame

let’s go:

 Plumeria never had a very high opinion of herself. She grew up without a lot of the luxuries kids her age had, and as a result was strongly self-motivated to make up for them by setting her personal bar exceedingly high, ultimately disappointing herself more often than not. She found a like-minded companion in her Salandit, but otherwise had no close relationships. Because she saw herself as being unable to take care of her own needs, she turned to helping other street kids (hence, becoming Team Skull’s “big sister”). Post-game, Plumeria’s feelings are mixed regarding the disbanding of Team Skull. She knows what she did was wrong, and is glad to see the grunts (and Guzma, though she’s still rattled about how far he went in following Lusamine) be taken in by adults who are able to help them. Without the majority of her ragtag team of idiots to care for, however, Plumeria lacks her only steady form of support. Those that stick around are vital company, but she finds that it isn’t quite the same, and becomes envious of the grunts who are able to seemingly support themselves without anyone’s help.

Molayne is all in all very grateful for the life he’s been given, and has a great reputation as easy-going and extremely friendly. He pours himself into either his work or video games, and loves looking after Sophocles, who is the family member he is closest to by far. He is, unfortunately, still a little (perhaps more than a little) hung up on Kukui, a crush that carried over from their Island Challenge days. He is the human embodiment of a powdered doughnut, and so he holds no hard feelings towards Burnet and is in fact very close friends with her, but he has come to disregard his own feelings for fear of starting confrontations with people he cares about. He sees the good in everyone, and that includes Plumeria. Between himself and Nanu, it’s Molayne that reaches out to Plumeria first, as giving to others (especially those younger than him) has become second nature.

Nanu is more or less retired from police work after Team Skull’s disbandment and the successful containment of the Ultra Beasts, and comparatively speaking, he’s all the better for it. He’s struggled with PTSD stemming from his UB work with Interpol, and depressive symptoms have worsened over time. Acerola tends to stop by when he's at his worst and hasn't left the station for days, asking him to walk with her or take her out to eat. He does his best to care for her and make time for a chat or a battle, but can be abrupt with her and shoo her away without warning when things get to be too much. He remembers Plumeria from Po Town, and while Molayne is immediately accepting of her changed attitude, Nanu knows that it will take more than TLC to set her on a better path. Sending her to challenge the Champion was his idea, on the grounds that she needs to put hard work into something other than petty crime if she wants to get anywhere.

Plumeria isn't sure how to feel about two old guys poking around in her business at first, but the two of them end up helping her out a lot with battle techniques and teach her how to take care of herself, which is more than she'd ever been used to receiving. She becomes determined not to disappoint either of them and comes to care deeply for them both.

Molayne respects the Kahuna immensely, but initially finds Nanu too callous and blunt with Plumeria. Nanu appreciates that Molayne is able to reach out to her on a personal level, but feels his warmth can sometimes be misplaced when what she needs is a more active form of help. They knew each other well before this as respectful acquaintances, but their cooperation in taking Plumeria in challenges them to get to know each other on a more personal level.

And then it's basically My Two Dads but without the paternity drama and the dads are dating by the end hooray

[tamtam-go92]

Tank knew, Violet Jocque was one of the easier to get girls in school. She was four years younger than him, so it was probably unethical to take advantage of her, but he wanted to prove his siblings, that he could also get one of the girls. Not that he had seen Ripp make out with any girl at school at all. But he was always surrounded by a flock of pretty girls, giggling and touching his forearm. Tank also wanted that attention. He was happy when Violet agreed to come home with him. Strangetown was a pretty long bus drive from Desiderata Valley, where Violet lived, away. But here he was, finally snatching that very first kiss from a cute girl!

Buck: Who was that pretty girl? Dad saw you two too.

Tank didn't say anything. But he was pleased, the General had seen them,

[tamtam-go92]

Ripp: Grunt, who's there? ... Johnny? ... What? He sent you straight back home? What a dick! ... Yeah, sorry dude. I also can't leave the house when he's at home. I can't wait to get out of this house!

[tamtam-go92]

Making friend as interacting with the own family can be a rollercoaster ride.

[tamtam-go92]

Maybe Tank should care more about keeping up his grades than running after girls. At least, the General would prefer to see that.

[tamtam-go92]

Violet had to take the last bus to Desiderata at round eight. But she promised to come over to his house again.

Later, Tank go a strange call:

Jacob: Hey, Grunt, I advise you, to keep your fingers off Violet. Tank: Where did you get my number from, Jake? We're not in the phone book. Besides, what do YOU care for Violet? Aren't you busy enough with your rich ass, private school girlfriend? Jacob: You're way too old for Vi! Get yourself a girl your age!

Tank didn't know how well Jacob knew Violet. And Jacob had no idea how difficult it was to find a girl Tank's age...

[tamtam-go92]

The General though was way too busy with Officer Matthew Picaso.

Buzz: So, how's your wife, Officer? I hope everything is going well. Matthew: Oh yeah, she's thriving. We are very excited about our baby's birth. Buzz: I hope she'll return to duty soon. Your wife was great with the first years. Matthew: She plans to. But our family is her first priority for now.

Buzz remembered with Lyla was pregnant with Tank. They were the happiest couple around. They were quite younger than the Picasos were now, but the birth of your first kid was always a life-changing experience.

[tamtam-go92]

Tank finally made a friend at school! Maybe it would help, if he took off the face paint...

And all that studying with Ophelia had worked a little for Ripp too!