#i had these thoughts since the base game but pl finally added that one last puzzle to it

[imadhatt3r]

You know what? That one line from that Phantom Liberty ending where V can call Johnny a "big ol' softie"? They're right. They're absolutely right.

Johnny is a softie. He goofs off on multiple occasions in V's field of view despite knowing that nobody can see him, probably to his own and V's amusement. He screams on the rollercoaster and grins like crazy at V. He adores Nibbles. He wanted to check on Kerry when he heard that he was suicidal. He finally took Rogue on that car cinema date and can flirt with her in a goofy way straight out of his favorite "Bushido" movies. He has fun on the reunion concert and gives Kerry his DeLuze Orphean as a goodbye gift. He narrates that one quest like a noir narrator just to mess with V. He understands Barry's grief over his tortoise. He's respectful when watching Joshua's crucifiction. He's nice to Spider Murphy and calls her "Spider". He sheepishly apologizes to Alt in "The Sun" ending. He puffs up his chest when Denny says she misses him. He's fuming over the kids in "Talent Academy" being treated like products, probably because it reminds him of how he was treated in the military. He feels for Solomon Reed because he sees himself in him. He feels for Songbird because her circumstances remind him of V's.

And speaking of, he really loves V. He just loves them so much; He's always on watch for any danger and does his best to give them advice. He promises that he will do everything he can to cure them. He will encourage them to take a break if they're feeling sick. He will attempt the most dangerous stunts to get them to Mikoshi. He promises V to let them wipe him from the Relic and he keeps that promise. He will realize that they're his only loved one left and will ask for the last chance, and when he gets it he does everything he can to make them proud and happy. He accepts their decision no matter what it is, because it's their body and life. His worst fear is getting to live again, but without his friend/partner/soulmate/beloved (depending on interpretation) with him. He's proud to be able to call himself V's friend. He's proud of them. He's sad that he won't be able to see how V will change. He choses to stay calm and positive before he will be innevitably killed so that his beloved V will live to keep them calm and comfort them.

That whole hardass, asshole act? It's a ruse, it's a front, it's a persona he had to put on due to bad childhood, PTSD from being drafted as a teenager, seeing other teenagers die horribly around him, losing his limb and being branded with the Arasaka logo he did his best to scratch out and being tossed into a rockstar life of drinking, drugs and fans when he was likely not much older.

He might fight it, but he will never be the detached, emotionless action hero he wants to be, because that's not at all who he is! I think that his slight grin when V says it is one of relief, that he was able to show his most vulnerable, tender and gentle side to the one person he holds dear and not be punished for it, playfully teased but with clear sympathy on V's part. After decades of struggle with who he is being so different from who he wants to be, he can finally be seen for who he is, and who he would be if his life went oh so differently.

#cyberpunk 2077 #phantom liberty #phantom liberty spoilers #Johnny Silverhand #silverv #hatter blathers #hatter writes meta #i had these thoughts since the base game but pl finally added that one last puzzle to it #its literally like two sentences but its a key that unlocks his characterisation

[najatheangel]

𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧

genre: slightly spicy n fluffy.

pairing: bang chan x reader

author’s note: Based on the vlive where he sang Dive in by Trey Songz which he killed. This song was definitely already apart of the spicy playlist and he had to go on and sing that song.😭 Anyways I hope you enjoy.

🥥 🥥 🥥 🤍 🥥 🥥 🥥

The exams are over and it was finally time to relax. Spring break was approaching which meant your class was rewarded to a getaway trip in the luxurious cabins in the mountains.

The whole class was separated into groups to stay in the cabins. You were able to stay in the room with your friends the next few days. To top it all off your crush Bang Chan and the other stray kids is sleeping right across the hall from your room.

All week you’ve tried to find in opportunities by confessing your feelings to him, but there’s always someone interrupting your time together.

Even during activities the whole time all the girls in the class would either volunteer to partner up with Bangchan or Han would drag him along to play kickball.

Today was your last chance to tell him how you really feel since the moment you’ve laid eyes on Bangchan. Here you are standing in front of the mirror in your orange bikini, braided high ponytail and glossy lips ready to see him.

Your friends told you the plan to meet him upstairs in the patio in the jacuzzi where the boys are chilling and cracking jokes over how Seungmin fell in a pile of mud trying to ask out Lisa from cabin 3.

As you were walking upstairs just the sound of his laugh already made you nervous, but you took one last breath before opening the door to the patio.

At first no one noticed at first because they were so distracted by Han’s story, but until Changbin screamed “damn, look at y/n...” All eyes were on you.

Felix Nudges Bangchan’s shoulder. “Bro, if I were you I would settle this once and for all by going out with her.”

Bangchan sets his red cup back down and gulps looking at you in awe. He whispers back to Felix saying...

“Bro what do I even say? She’s looking right back at me.”

Everyone including your friends giggles watching the sight of you staring at each other and provides to get out of the jacuzzi.

Your friend Zoey calls everyone inside to play a game of ping pong so she will give you and Bangchan the alone time you need. She gives you the wink as a sign of good luck and runs back down stairs. Bangchan checks you out from the hot tub not ashamed of how you came up strunting like a super star.

Wow...you look very pretty tonight. Not to mention that new swimsuit looks amazing on you. He leans back smiling with his sparkly teeth.

You look to the side trying to hide your smile. “So now you notice huh? Let’s sit here and chit chat chat for awhile.”

After sometime you both sit close to each other enjoying the bubbles, the night stars and the company of each other’s presence. Bangchan all of a sudden yawns and slides his arm around your shoulder. Such a chessy yet smooth move.

“So...I’ve noticed all week that you’ve been avoiding me and we haven’t got the chance to actually hang out like this. Is there a reason why?”

You sigh and begin to explain by saying...

“Actually...yes. I’ll tell you, but promise not to walk away okay?”

The two of you seal the deal by pinky promising. You take a deep breath before holding his hand and looking in deep in his brown chocolate eyes ready to confess.

“I have a crush on you! Ever since 6th grade actually. You’ve been my very first friend ever since I’ve studied abroad and I just didn’t want to mess up the friendship we’ve already had. I already know your also seeing someone and didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes, but If you ever considered giving me a chance I won’t disappoint you.”

You wouldn’t dare to open your eyes after pouring your heart out to him, but he wasn’t going to accept that. He leaned his face closer to your and says.

“Hey y/n open your eyes beautiful. I have a crush on you too so you don’t have to hide from me.”

He lifts your chin sliding closer to you, but pauses as he notices you getting more flustered.

“Chris, please tell me this is a dream. Do you really want to be with me?”

He chuckles at the sudden thought and continues saying...

“If I say yes will you please open your eyes and kiss me under the moonlight.”

You finally open your eyes and smile back at him slowly leaning in to kiss the man you’ve been falling in love with.

The kiss was passionate, soft and sweet for the first few minutes, but then a quick switch of intensity is added into the mix. Bangchan lifts you up and sets you perfectly on his lap having a full make out session with you.

In between kisses his one hand is fiddling with your bikini bottom and the other with your braids.

“Chris, what if someone catches us out here?”

“Babygirl no one is going to care we’re out here. Plus everyone is asleep about now trust me okay?”

He starts kissing from your neck to your chest.

“Just relax and let me dive in.”

After hearing those words you decide to become more adventurous and tease him by striping off your swimming suits. It made his heart pound by seeing the shape of your curves, slim waist, stretch marks and best of all your glowing dark skin.

Bangchan starts licking his lips and proceeds to say...

“You were hiding all this beauty from me all these years I can’t believe it. Come here and let me ravish you once and for all.”

You both almost immediately don’t hesitate and leap into his arms clashing your bodies back to together. For the rest of the night you’ve become closer to Bangchan and you can say that this spring break trip became a sucess.

🥥 🥥 🥥 🤍 🥥 🥥 🥥

Thanks so much again for reading this much and pls don’t be afraid to give me more suggestions lovelies ❤️.

#stray kids drabbles #stray kids imagines #stray kids reactions #stray kids scenarios #Bangchan #stray kids #bang chan scenarios #bang chan imagines #bang chan reactions #stray kids smut #stray kids fluff #bang chan fluff #bang chan smut

[pl-dubois]

Never Go To Bed Angry - Travis Konecny

A/N: hiiii guys this isn’t the first fic i’ve written but it is the first i’ve posted (and longest i’ve written lol) so pls be kind! feedback is always welcome though and please let me know if you want to see more! also i wanna make a quick joke and say i know i was going to post this last night after that big oof, but i didn’t mean to make this based on an actual game lmao. okokok, i hope you enjoy it!! Word Count: 1515

The slamming of the front door shook you out of your trance as you looked up from your computer to see Travis throwing his stuff down.  You hadn’t been able to watch the game tonight, on TV or otherwise,  due to having to write a paper, but when you checked the final score, you had a vague idea of how upset TK would be.  You could feel the frustration and anger coming off of him in waves.

“Babe?” you questioned, setting the laptop aside and rising to go meet him. “Is everything okay?”

Instead of going to you for a hug and words of reassurance like he usually did, he didn’t even look up at you when he spoke.  “I really could’ve used you at that game tonight, Y/N,” he responded, his tone sharper that usual.

Taken aback, you were left momentarily speechless. “Travis, I-“  You didn’t really have anything to say, you were more just surprised at the harshness to his voice.  Your shock only increased however when he moved to shoulder past you without so much as another word, aggressively working on his tie as he made his way through your apartment to the shared bedroom.  Your mood quickly changed from worried to irritated.

“TK, what the fuck?” you followed him into the room where he was busy putting his tie and suit jacket away.

“I’m just saying, it would’ve been nice for you to be there,” he replied, not bothering to turn to address you, which didn’t do anything expect piss you off more.

“I had class, you know that,” you crossed your arms, definitely not standing down any time soon.  “I’m sorry I can’t skip it all the time in order to go to your games.”

“Well you could every once and awhile...” He mumbled his response under his breath, seven words meant only to be heard by him, but he wasn’t that lucky.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?!  You aren’t seriously asking me to skip a class that I’m playing $500 to take just so I can make it to one of your stupid games.”  You so didn’t want to fight tonight, but it was pretty much inevitable at this point.

“We both knew it was going to be a rough game, Y/N!  And it’s just a class, how hard can it be?!”

Scoffing at his unbelievable response, you shook your head and held up your hands in a way that said “I’m done” before making your way out of the room and heading for the kitchen.  You turned your focus on making yourself a hot cup of calming to tea distract your head from spinning with anger and more arguing.  Unfortunately for your plans, he wasn’t finished and instead followed you out.

“Y/N, are you seriously-” TK started, only to get cut off by you whirling around on him and prodding him in the chest with one accusatory finger.

“You couldn’t even imagine how difficult this class is,” you said, voice dripping with venom.  With a step back from your boyfriend and a cold, humorless laugh you added, “After all, how could you?  You didn’t go to college, you went hockey.”

“Hey, I went pro.  There’s a difference between that and playing just to play.”

You can only guess how done your face looked as you rolled your eyes at his words.  Honestly, it was days like this that you wondered how you even tolerated him sometimes.  You opened your mouth to respond, but closed it just as fast when you realized TK had more to say.

“And my hockey career is just as important, if not more, than your college classes.”  As soon as the words, laced with the worst kind of poison, fell from his lips, regret colored his features.  “Wait, shit no, Y/N-“

Your heart twisted in your chest, appalled that he could even think those things, let alone say them.  He had told you so many times how proud he was of you for doing so well in school and no matter what happened, your education would always be as important as his hockey career.  Holding up a hand to stop him, the angry tone you had used before dropped out of your voice and was instead replaced with sadness. “I wish you would just learn to shut up for five minutes.”

“Baby…” Travis said softly, his eyes apologetic.  He tried to reach for you, but you just took a step backward.  Any other day, you would’ve been in his arms in heartbeat, but you just couldn’t forgive him that easily today.  Not after his hurtful words.

“I’m going to bed.  Don’t follow me.”  The anger and frustration returning, you pushed past him without letting him respond.

You heard his voice, full of bitterness yet again, echo from the kitchen, “You know, they say a couple should never go to bed angry!”

All the hostility you had been feeling suddenly bubbled to the surface in a single, physical act; you slammed the door to your room as hard as you could, letting Travis know how you really felt without words.  All you wanted to do was just curl up in your bed and cry, but you told yourself you needed to do your nightly routine or else you’d feel worse.  For the next 30 mins, you distracted yourself from anxious thoughts about what your next conversation with TK would be like with a hot shower, your nightly skincare routine, and some soft pajamas.  Flipping off the light and crawling into bed facing away from the door, sadness engulfed you.  Why would he even say those things?  You felt tears well up in your eyes, but before you could let them fall, you heard the sound of your bedroom door opening and closing.  The bed dipped under the familiar weight of your boyfriend as you hastily wiped your eyes.  Silence settled around you two; the was feeling so intense, it was almost suffocating.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry.” Travis spoke first, his voice taking on a completely different tone than the one he had had earlier; it was quiet and gentle, the sound you were used to when he whispered sweet nothings in your ear after a long week or told you that he loved you in the middle of the night.  “I shouldn’t’ve said that your path was less important than mine- I don’t know why I even said it…”  He paused to sigh, as if he was disappointed in himself.  “I was just frustrated and hurt, I didn’t mean any of it.  I shouldn’t take my anger out on you.”

“No, Trav, you shouldn’t…” It was the first you’d spoken to him since you went to bed.  You could feel some of the tension dissipate, you two were talking.  It was as if you had both let out a breath you had been holding.  You finally rolled over to face him as you added, “It’s not fair to treat me like that.”

“I know it’s not,” he shook his head, “and I understand why you’re so mad at me.  I was being a huge dick to you, you don’t deserve that.”

You nodded, sighing softly.  “I’m sorry too.”

“For what?”

“Calling your games stupid,” you finally looked up to meet his eyes.  “And implying that you’re kinda dumb.”

“Oh my God, sweetheart,” he laughed softly, shaking his head.  “You don’t need to apologize for that.  Sometimes my games are a little stupid.  And honestly?  I can be kinda dumb.”

A small giggle slipped from your lips and the sound made Travis visibly relax.  As you smiled up at him for the first time that night, TK tried his luck and pulled you in tight to his chest, holding you close.  The action made all the tension from earlier leave your body.  You buried your face into his chest and inhaled his familiar scent; he was safe, he was home.

“Are we okay?” he asked, letting you go enough so you could look up at him.

You nodded.  “Yeah.  We’re okay, babe.” Reaching up to touch his face gently, you let your thumb brush lovingly over his cheekbone.  He closed the short distance between you in a soft kiss, one that you could’ve sworn said “I’m sorry, I love you.”

“Do you wanna talk about your game?” you asked tiredly when you broke apart, the emotions of the evening finally taking their toll on your body.

Travis let out a short chuckle as he shook his head.  “We’ve had enough drama for one night.  We’ll talk about it in the morning, baby.”

You yawned with a nod before making yourself comfortable by snuggling into his chest.  TK’s arms were still wrapped securely around you, almost as if he was afraid to lose you.  Closing your eyes, you felt safe and warm.  There was no way you were going to go anywhere; he was home for you, fights and all.

“I love you so much, Y/N…” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss into your hair.

“I love you too, baby.”

#travis konecny #travis konecny imagine #nhl imagine #teeks #.txt #.mine #.fic

[angrylizardjacket]

people change {Vince Neil}

@champagneandspice asked: hey! I adore your writing!!! could u please do a one shot but in the form of an article ? you’d be writing it as if you worked for people magazine or something like that. could u pls write ab the “speculated rumors” ab vince and I dating are true?? u could insert pictures or whatever u like. thank u <3

A/N: 2065 words. I love!! This style!! Of Writing!! also probably not what you were asking for, but i had fun and i hope you do too. i really sort of like this world/reader persona i’ve built?? i even added a few pictures for effect lmao. hope it’s enjoyable. i don’t usually do tags for one-shots but @cosmicsskies and @crazylittlethingcalledobsession asked and im too giddy to refuse.

WHAT THE F*** DO YOU THINK? - Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts newest guitarist Y/N Y/L/N spotted getting cosy after Crüe’s Atlanta show last Saturday? Does this hint at a collaboration between two bands, or is this more personal than professional? [Read more on Page 10...]

“What the f*** do you think?”

If you’re a woman working in or around the rock and roll music scene in the past half a decade, you’ve probably heard these words, or some variation of them, if you’ve come within a ten foot radius of the glam metal juggernauts Mötley Crüe; Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, and their blonde, boyish singer Vince Neil. They’re crass by reputation, however this is unsurprisingly true to life, though if you were interested in reading an expose regarding the number of gigs they’ve done while high, or how many hotel rooms they’ve set fire to, there’s innumerable gossip rags and magazines covering those particular scandals, including at least two Rolling Stone articles in the past two years, and we’re not here to retell old stories. 

When attending their concert in Atlanta last week, which I highly recommend; if given the opportunity, and you enjoy their music, see Mötley Crüe live, they give an almost unparalleled live performance, in my humble opinion as a music journalist of almost a decade, I was fortunately privy to the moment that sparked debate and controversy within the rock music gossip sphere. After the show, while I was made to wait at the stage door, their manager Doc Mcghee was kind enough to invite me to the afterparty. There, at the stage door, restless fans were held at bay, young men in black leather pants, emulating their idols, young women in barely anything at all, there to catch attention and garner the same invitation that I had received, and when the band themselves appear, it’s as if the gates of Hell had opened; the screaming I heard, ladies and gentleman.

First through the doors is Mars, already looking like he needs a shot or a nap, and he dodges more than one bra thrown his way, giving me a longsuffering look as he passes. To be that exhausted by fame is on a level I can’t even begin to comprehend. He’s on the tour bus which will take us to the hotel bar for drinks almost before anyone else is even out of the building.

Next comes what the fans have affectionately dubbed ‘The Terror Twins’, Sixx and Lee, both carrying a beer each, followed by several very pretty women who head to the bus whilst the musicians take the time to say high to their fans, signing various body parts and generally taking the time to interact with the more hardcore of their following who were waiting in the cold night air. They’re enough of a distraction that one might have missed the final band member, Vince Neil, laying uncharacteristically low, and who had actually been preceded by a surprising figure; Y/N Y/L/N, the most recent addition to Joan Jett & The Blackhearts as their rhythm guitarist. 

And this, dear readers, is the moment I decide to write the first gossip piece of my life.

As someone who regularly set fire to the copies of Hollywood Star my then-housemate had been getting delivered to our apartment back when I first began my journalistic career, the idea of writing an article based on speculation about the sexual conduct of celebrities was an idea I rejected out of hand. I’d told myself I had integrity. 

But then my proto-punk loving heart betrayed me, as I recalled Y/L/N’s lyrics from my favourite song of her’s, Sucker Punch, ‘speculate / scream my name / my heart, my love, baby it’s a game / they call me heartless, fancy-free / as if anyone’s meant something to a girl like me’. Y/L/N has been credited as the sole writer for the single, under her band at the time, Nuclear Patricide, who had garnered a cult following that has been credited as an idol for Joan Jett herself. After the Nuclear Patricide’s split in early ‘83, it’s been relative radio silence from the writer and lead guitarist until Joan Jett & The Blackhearts announce her as their newest addition, and she’s been with them for almost two years since.

[ID: Stills from Nuclear Patricide’s music video for Sucker Punch, 1980, known for the appearance of then-break out star Jamie Lee-Curtis. Editor’s Note: Y/L/N did not appear in the music video herself.]

So, upon seeing Y/L/N trying to keep a low profile whilst exiting a gig she clearly was not playing at, without any of her own bandmates to keep her company, I must confess I began to wonder, to speculate about the nature of her relationship with Mötley Crüe. She’s adamantly and publicly denounced romantic relationships in her work and in her public appearances up until her split from her original band, so has anything changed in the past few years?

Back at the hotel, I find myself weaving in amongst groupies and fanboys. My dark jeans and leather jacket act as a camouflage in this den of debauchery; I’ve worn professional clothing to this kind of thing before, and it usually doesn’t go over well; if the band sees a reporter there’s a sense of immediate hostility in what’s meant to be a safe space, relatively speaking, however, I’ve found that blending in, and making it clear I’m not on the offensive makes them drop their guard enough that they’ll give an honest interview. 

At least until a pretty girl walks past.

Neil and Y/L/N are nowhere to be spotted as I finally take a seat with a table that has neither cocaine nor a woman on it, and once I’ve ordered a drink and looked over my notes, someone actually joins me of their own accord. It’s Tommy Lee, who, to my surprise, recognises me from the last time Crüe had played in town. 

He talks about the tour, about how exciting it’s been and how he loves Atlanta, but he’s losing focus very quickly, not surprisingly since his name is being called by other tables every few moments, and there’s a faint dusting of telltale white powder around his nose. He promises ‘see you ‘round’ [sic] and then he’s off again. However, it’s as he leaves that I spot Y/N coming from a room by the back of the bar, and I make my move.

Mars has, as I’ve been told, already retired for the night, Lee is up to his eyes in cocaine, Sixx already has his dick out under his table judging by the look of him, and Neil is surprisingly MIA, so Y/L/N is easy to spot as the odd one out.

Not nearly as f***ed up or strung out as the rest of them, I watch her order a jack and coke, and down the drink mere moments after receiving it, before she turns to me. It takes her barely a second before she correctly identifies me as a reporter. I ask if she remembers meeting me, back in ‘82, she says no, but that she can pick a reporter from a mile away. 

People still fawn over her, pretty girls and pretty boys alike, her aloofness drawing them in, and I’d forgotten how overwhelming it was to be this close to her. She kicks a fanboy and a groupie who are messily groping each other out of a booth and we take their seats.

This is meant to be about Mötley Crüe, and I try to tell her as such, but she just gives me a thin smile.

“Then why did you come find me?”

And she gives me that stare, you know, the one from the cover of Nuclear Patricide’s final album, Treason Is A Girl’s Best Friend. It’s that piercing stare of hers that makes you feel like she knows everything you’ve ever done wrong in your life. 

I ask about her relationship with Mötley Crüe, and to my relief she looks away.

She’s candid about admitting she’s travelling with them, but not touring, right up until I ask her about her relationship with each member of the band specifically.

“Mick’s fun; he’s very talented and easily riled up. They’re all very talented of course, but Mick’s dynamic, [because] of his age and everything, is interesting within the group [sic] and I enjoy watching it all play out. He’s smacked Tommy a few times.” I’m assured that nine times out of ten he deserved it. 

She’s filled with glowing praise for both Sixx and Lee in turn, and even Doc Mcghee, but Neil she is oddly silent about. He’s the first of the band she’d met; he’d seen her play a few times with The Blackhearts and has admitted to enjoying her work in previous interviews when she’s been brought up, as the pair have been spotted together before. Well, she’s been spotted with the band before. Here is where she starts, to my surprise, to get antsy. So the rumours, which I had thought to be incredibly false given her history and general attitude, have more basis than she likes to let on.

And then she gets defensive.

He’s like cocaine; everyone’s doing him, it’s just the industry; no-one’s going to judge her for a fling. She does not appear to take comfort in the sentiment.

“People change.”

I ask her what she means. She refuses to clarify and leaves. Perhaps I pushed too far, but now I feel like a detective, and like I only have one more person I need to talk to. But perhaps I should have eased myself into talking about Y/L/N to Vince himself, but I’ll have to admit, between Y/L/N leaving and finding Neil, I may have done a bit of socialising with Sixx, which I recommend recreationally, and also if you have a high tolerance for most things.

“I don’t think we’re any of your f***ing business.” 

Neil does not mess around, and apparently she’d already spoken to him about our earlier meeting. I leave it be, spend the night enjoying the festivities with Sixx and Lee when I can, leaving just before the sun comes up. 

Some of you may be thinking this is dissatisfying, that you came into this article wanting me to confirm or dismiss the speculated relationship between Vince Neil and Y/N Y/L/N, but I can’t. Neither of them would speak to me, and I can only leave you with a list of things I saw that night, and you can make up your own mind.

- The room Y/L/N had exited from when I first spotted her is the same room Neil left less than five minutes later as we were talking. I went to investigate later; it’s a supply closet.

- After my encounter with Neil, and I’d stayed clear of them, whenever I would spot either of them, the other was almost always within arm’s reach. Make of that what you will.

- He definitely did a line of coke off her thigh at about three in the morning.

- I asked both Sixx and Lee about it. Lee’s response was ‘loud’ with something akin to a knowing smirk, and Sixx’s was ‘he’s a lucky bastard’ and when I ask him to clarify he just says ‘flexible’ and climbs to the next booth over where they’ve been asking him to do a line; I’m not even sure what to make of it, but personally I think it’s pretty damning.

- Readers, they were all over each other, I apologise for throwing my professionalism out the window for a moment, but if I’m being honest I couldn’t look to a secluded corner of the room without there being a 40% chance of seeing Vince and Y/N. It got worse as the night went on. Believe me.

So, while I don’t believe there is set to be a collaboration between Joan Jett and Mötley Crüe, I do come baring good news for those fans who had been speculating regarding Y/L/N’s relationship with the hair metal band’s lead singer. So are they together? Are they dating? Though neither party will publicly state anything, I’ll leave you with my thoughts, my observations, and the oft spoke words of the man himself;

What the f*** do you think?

#vince neil #vince neil x reader #vince neil imagine #motley crue #the dirt #the dirt imagine #motley crue imagine #nikki sixx #tommy lee #mick mars #the angry lizard writes

[missguomeiyun]

Homecookings [March ed.]

How was everyone’s March 2020??!

Here’s mine: Started off the month with staycation, which I didn’t get a lot done (nowhere close to what I had planned) but at the same time, I got quite a lot done. I’m referring to a newly self-taught skill, which is ink painting. I busted out my ink block FINALLY. Those ones where you gotta swirl & melt it in a water reservoir. It’s super old-school & it’s how oriental ink painting is supposed to be done (the liquid ink bottles are modern-style). The ink block has been around for so long; & for the longest time, I didn’t want to start using it bcos I didn’t wanna ruin it lol I wanted to “save” it. But you know what? LET’S GET IT!!!! Every day, I worked on a painting, & I actually ended up with 10 in total. It wasn’t as hard as I thought; I tried different styles, & after 10, I think I have a good grasp of the technique!

^ Just sharing one :)

I rarely talk about current events on this blog bcos it’s a place for me to document my food adventures as well as travel-related (but mostly food-related) topics, with the rare appearance of Kpop/Kdrama talk. But things have been CRAZY in Alberta! With the COVID-19 ‘formally’ entering the province early March, & ppl hoarding things, to school closures & online classes.. . now semi-lockdown, where only essential service is open, etc.. . The province has, is, & will be going through a lot of changes, as a whole.

To say the ‘official entry’ hasn’t impacted me/my life at all is a lie, however, the impact has been very minimal. Since starting mid-March, there has been daily updates regarding the cases by our Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Hinshaw. *My personal view only* Everyone’s situation is different, & I fortunately, am able to keep my lifestyle pretty much the same at this point. I’m a pretty big home-body to begin with, & as much as I love seeing my friends, I don’t see them that often anyway due to shift work *shrugs* so in terms of the practice of social distancing to my social life, in all honesty, not much impact. 

Well, what about my work?! Am I sent home to work???! No. Don’t wanna go into too much detail here, but I will share a little. As a medical laboratory technologist, PPE at work + hand-washing practice is “normal”, as in, there’s nothing to change about it. I may wash my hands more, but ppl that hang out with me know I sanitize/wash hands often anyway so. .. I’m still going to work as a regular full time, doing the things I do; we are an essential service & we gotta be open no matter what! The company has adopted some recommended guidelines put forth by Public Health, such as, “sick leaves” (+ follow up) have now expanded in definition, & staff gets mandatory temperature check at the entrance before we enter the facility. The biggest change at work has been the change in work volume - we are so used to busy, busy, busyyy & now it’s like “let me pick up the next phone call pls!”

Anyway, didn’t mean to start off with such a loooooong update ... Let’s start the real deal: homecookings this month!

Hmmm .. . what do you think I did with this?

^ KitKat-covered wafer rolls. I find milk chocolate reallllyyyy sweet so I melted some tiramisu KitKat with some brewed coffee (1. to de-sweeten, & 2. to make the mixture more runny). I crushed majority of the KitKat but I aimed to keep some wafers as large-ish pieces to fulfill texture-building. Then I poured the mixture on top, let cool, then cut into individual pieces.

^ I then up’ed my game, & nearly tripled the amount of coffee that I used the 1st time. The resulting melted KitKat + coffee mixture was very bitter - just the way I liked it. I didn’t use as much wafer rolls this time bcos I couldn’t; that’s all I had left in the house. But I had some chocolate mix left; thus I just scooped some over Oreo thins.

PS: Oreo thins wins!

PPS: For both experiments, I used half of the large KitKat bar! mmm.. coffee amount was pretty much YOLO-’d.

^ Kimchi + chicken mini tacos. Stir-fried up some chicken breast & cut up kimchi, & scooped on top of soft corn flour + wheat tortilla tacos. Added some mozza shreds & green onion after.

^ Another fusion soft taco, consisting of Costco fries & basa fish fillet that’s been cooked in pasta sauce. Decided to add some bacon ranch dressing as well. This was surprisingly a success! I’m not a huuuuge fan of fish, in general. I’ve never tried basa with tomato + herb pasta sauce. I was gonna eat the basa on its own like that, but then I thought, let’s fish taco-it! Got a nice crunch & softness of the basa in 1 bite :D

^ Beef + cabbage with flat rice vermicelli noodles. This is like my home-made bun bo hue but with a looooooot of cabbage bcos I love cabbage! I used the canned pho soup (diluted it with water), some fish sauce, & fire chicken sauce! Doesn’t look like much, but it was spicy!

^ baked salmon - used coarse sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, furikake, & white truffle olive oil. YUM!

^ another baked salmon. I know this probably sounds stupid, but I’m 100% transparent about it haha I have a foil sheet on my toaster oven tray, & I’m not a fan of changing it out every single time, so I’ve come to a consensus with myself that I’ll bake, but use some other dish as a vessel, instead of “baking” on a tray or pan. The last salmon, I used a white dish - it was SO hard to wash afterwards. So this time, I used one of these stainless steel dishes my mom has (& uses for steaming). It was less of a mess!

Anyway, what flavour is the salmon here? Salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic, & honey!

^ cheese tortellini with pan-seared chicken breast. I made the sauce using: milk, butter, salt, dried parsley, & 2 slices of Kraft mozza singles. Topped with more dried parsley & fresh ground black pepper. (Don’t worry! I had steamed broccoli on the side for my “greens” portion.)

^ Vegetarian bibimbap. The fried tofu was store-bought, but I cooked it in Korean soy sauce + sugar, so kind of like braised tofu. Mixed salad greens at the bottom, then rice, then the tofu; lastly, some sesame seeds + bibimbap paste.

^ Ramyeon with mixed greens + chicken breast. Gotta keep it healthy! haha you might find that this is weird - to put salad greens in soup. But let me tell you, use a small amount & try this the next time you buy these veggies. Like just try! If it fails & you don’t like it, you won’t waste too much of it. When you pour soup over it, the greens start to “cook” & decrease in size significantly. With these salad greens, this ‘sorta cooked but not cooked’ texture is another way I personally enjoy them.

A glass of milk.. . the base for dalgona “hot chocolate”. Do you think it worked or not?

I used 2 tbsp hot chocolate powder with 1.5 tbsp sugar & also 1.5 tbsp of warm water. I manually whisked for a loooooong time, but it didn’t really froth. It became more dense if anything. But anyhow, I ended up with a somewhat heavy product, but was able to *feel* there was some air in it. I went for it.. . scooped it on top of the milk.. . And.....

This happened! It did not build up on top, but settled nicely at the bottom lol. You try with hot chocolate powder & let me know if it worked for you or not! :P

^ Post-night shift brunch =] I try to eat somewhat cleaner when I’m on nights by doing less meat compared to my usual diet. I don’t know what it is. .. I just crave more vegetables + non-meats. So I made braised tofu (just soy sauce & sugar) & cabbage soup (seasoned with gochujang & salt, so it’s a little spicy). It looks really red but it’s actually very mild.

All in all, pls stay home if you can during this time. If the sacrifice isn’t done now, the result will be much more devastating later down the road.

Talk to you later~

#homemade #homecooking #cooking #food #healthy #eat healthy #stay safe

[alchemisland]

Read this story what I wrote pls, The Antiquarian and the Devil's Dog

The week we spent cleaning out Great Grandad’s house was an eventful one. More exciting at least than the days previous spent in various offices gathering the correct permissions to enter the old place. In the oldest parts of the house damp rotted the old floorboards until they warped, collapsing under their own weight leaving perilous apertures eager to swallow clumsy steppers. Agencies were reluctant to hand over the keys without first checking everyone’s insurance ad nauseum.

The old stone stairs leading to the basement, chipped from a thousand previous descents, looked liable to break if one wasn’t selective with their boot placement.  It’s funny, I thought, if you fell through one of those holes and ended up in the basement, you’d be avoiding the dangerous stairs; the lesser of two evils. Note to inform the insurance company of a possible loophole. Desperate to avoid litigation on our part, the agencies agreed that we could enter under supervision.

The world had changed since this place was last inhabited. When the door finally opened, stubborn in its frame after years of neglect, it seemed a room unstuck in time. Dust particles hung in the air and as they danced I wondered what secrets they were privy to, and whether they had been the component atoms of a larger host previously. Even her ghosts were bent and haggard with age, bones wilting in the oppressive dank. A hundred years ago the servants were so afraid of the myriad spectres said to inhabit the long halls and shadowed staircases that they had refused to enter certain rooms, but no such reports have been filed in nigh on seventy years. If those same ghosts existed now, they languished apathetically in the walls, stirring only occasionally to rattle the pipes or drag their boots. Curios and trinkets plundered at the height of Empire decorated every mantel in the house and although it went unsaid, everyone in the family was petrified of stumbling across something less than savoury.  Just to be sure we cross referenced some of the dates in our literature and found the Nazi party came a little after Bryn’s time. Spared of that anxiety we set to looking, for what we weren’t sure. Something of value, some seemingly insignificant object that might illuminate this murky character.

Bryn, God rest him, was a renaissance man in the style of the natural philosophers of his age; a doctor, an artist, a war hero, an antiquarian and amateur archaeologist all rolled into one. Of course it would be remiss not to mention his more illicit interests like bootlegging alcohol and collecting occult manuscripts, but the more sordid of the two pastimes fell by the wayside when he raised his station in society, becoming an educated and respected member of a prominent archaeological interest group. Selous’ Sweat they called themselves, in tribute to the conservationist and African big-game hunter of the same name.

Selous some of these artefacts for mad stacks, I thought with a smirk.

Everything in the house had a double coating of dust. Doing our rounds and cataloguing the cabinets of curiosities meant that doors long undisturbed were opened, both literally and figuratively. Turning the handle of one particular door, I saw it led to an upstairs sitting room on a landing between two flights of stairs, one spiralling down towards the sitting room, although there was scarcely room to sit amidst the Grecian urns and Japanese decorative plates precariously hanging from the walls, and the other up towards the darkroom on the top floor. The sitting room was strangely devoid of clutter except for an enormous table. The rounded surface was a dark mahogany, polished until shining with a protective glass covering placed on top.

I wondered why a table, even one so fine as this, was given a room to itself above the other priceless artefacts in the catalogue, which included a Han dynasty vase, the glasses worn by W.B. Yeats in his twilight years and an enormous set of ornate mirrors purchased at auction when one of the grand manors in Kilkenny was forced to liquidate all non-holdings related assets following the collapse of the family after the war. The mirrors, according to the former owner Mrs. Fitzbannion, were the pride of their manor house. Mrs. Fitzbannion hung the mirrors in the centre of the main hall, ensuring all visitors knew the extent of their wealth. The frames were carved to represent natural wonders, a pinecone here, an antler there, and each coated in burnished gold leaf. Gold had faded to brass in the intervening years, as if the mirror losing its place of prominence in its household stole the last scion of lustre from it altogether, and I wondered had the mirror ever been so ostentatious as described.

Inspecting the table, I ran my finger along the protective glass panel and found no trace of dust. Doubly curious. Bryn was an adventurer and had no shortage of vigour in his old age, but he was still not one for dusting. Attributing his longevity and stamina to a liquid concoction that he called Lightning Wine, part alcoholic cocktail, part vegetable juice with a hint of soda water. In truth I had only agreed to help with this jumped-up Spring cleaning session in the hopes of finding a vat of the naughty sauce hidden in a secret panel, which I would ferry out under my coat and imbibe later on with the lads.

I knelt on my haunches to inspect the legs of the table, wondering if they might shed light on the mystery. Clean as a whistle below too. Ivory. That was it. The legs were made of ivory. Holy shit, was this stuff even legal anymore? I heard a story in school that at one time ivory was so coveted they had to remove the tusks from museum specimens to discourage robbers, low-hanging fruit and all that. My sister volunteered in the Natural History Museum in Dublin while studying zoology and recounted wondrous tales over dinner about their storage rooms in the inner-city; numerous thylacine specimens, gigantic Irish elk antlers and wooden storage crates full of elephant tusks, corridor after corridor of specimen jars like one imagines Noah’s Ark appeared at capacity. Into the table legs were carved detailed images of warriors armed with spears facing down ferocious lions. No doubt an artwork of such fine craftsmanship was either manufactured by British labourers merely basing their work on an existing tribal peace, or worse, plundered from a deposed native royalty, like that Malaysian ruby. Something else there too, a piece of paper placed under one of the legs to balance it. I pulled the parchment out slowly, like the highest-stakes game of Jenga you can imagine and saw that it was written in blue ink. Unmistakably the spider-like scrawl of Great Grandad Bryn; prone to eccentricity and hyperbole in his cups though. I doubt any of what was written should be taken as gospel, but damned if it doesn’t make for a spooky story. The following are the excerpts from what I assume was a field diary, kept as part of his funding agreement with the local museums. They would fund his expeditions and as long as he provided colourful commentary and witticisms enough to draw a crowd. They proudly patronised his occasional dalliances into the otherworldly in the spirit of derring-do! Bryn mentions early in the text that he keeps a formal and an informal diary, the latter only for his own perusal. If what I read is his own private correspondence, then why hide it?

April 1928.

I, Martin Bryn-Kolkiln, wish to commit to paper the strange events of Friday last, April 9th 1928. For the first time in some weeks I have had time enough to sit down and gather my thoughts, my rest of late being much disturbed by strange fancies and day-time delusions. My postprandial scribblings have long been a stable of my working week and no servant dares to stir past my quarters upon noticing the glow neath the door that signals its occupancy. Lately the notepad remains devoid of ink or flourish and I strain my ears to catch the scratching of a passing servant stepping a mite too hard on the creaky floorboard, hoping to catch some snippet of gossip in the scullery that might rouse my wrist to swiftness. In less fanciful terms I have been much beset by idleness and my usual studious nature replaced by bouts of idleness and procrastination. I do not fear that you will judge me too harshly for my slovenliness though once I recount my adventure in full.

I find the drone of chatter where people have gathered too distracting to complete any serious writing, even the purchase of army-grade ear plugs have not relieved the issue, much to my chagrin after spending a pound on three pairs of the things; like wine stoppers or sink plugs made of orange and purple rubber, orange for left, purple for right. These tooth-shaped kernels wouldn’t have looked out of place in an orthodontic institute. A little avatar waving during check ups to remind the boys that oral hygiene at the front was as important as at home, especially if you urchins want little Bonnie Bouncybreasts to embrace you upon returning. I found them to be of little use, not providing the extreme level of silence and concentration I require to fully immerse.

Having only recently returned from fieldwork overseas in the Mesopotamia where I witnessed many strange and exotic sights investigating the discovery of a buried idol neath the sands of the former fertile crescent. The enormous desert sun rising over the pillars of former Hittite settlements. The clearness of the sky above the dunes, a matte-painting of stars in every hue, twinkling blues that shone blinding for a moment then disappeared. White ones and yellow ones and even a fiery red one, which my manservant Fayzad informed me was Venus. The primary goal of my journey was to investigate a buried Marduk idol, the dark god and King of the immortals in the Babylonian pantheon. The curio was found in a sepulchre hidden beneath the site of an existing mosque destroyed by shelling in 1917. Of course this provided ample fuel for speculation about templar treasure and a host of other religious conspiracies but the effigy was a strange artefact to be sure.

I visited other sites of historical interest while in that neck of the woods; a Chaldean astrological site situated in a hollow nested between two steep bluffs of yellow rock, deep in the valley of a dried river basin. I also surveyed a site for a possible future expedition where my colleagues speculate a Phoenician horde may be entombed neath the sand. My preliminary assessment of the site found it in some disrepair so I should not think to patronise such a dig.

The journey from the train station in London towards Matfield in Kent where I am currently dwelling is punctuated with occasional wondrous natural vignettes in the form of wild horses cresting grassy knolls ‘gainst the backdrop of God’s own country, white blossoms on trees, ranks of saplings, small now but they would grow enormous when the vernal bloom came. It seemed almost a shame to ignore the vistas to my left, given how I had pined for them while away. In the trenches I saw men commit countless words to paper trying to capture the essence of what made a simple thing beautiful, and for many this was how they prevented hollowing. Not a literal hollowing, like the way the flesh gives way to pockets of nothingness when carved by machine gun bullets; hollow like the head of a broken doll. Hollow like the hull of a ghost ship.

I attempted to conduct my preliminary report of sites I’d visited but through my rubber stoppers I could make out the voice of an inebriated Scot over the usual din. To make matters worse another veteran was seated in the opposite carriage, alone. The poor creature must have been exposed to gas in some forgotten melee, of which he was perhaps the surviving witness. Across the British Isles there was a thousand such sad scenes. Beneath the sea and in dank caves where no sunlight can penetrate things can still grow, only in exciting new varieties to accommodate unfavourable conditions - glassy fish with transparent scales living near the mouths of sulphur craters learned to take sustenance from the black clouds, and so it was with the war too. Boys went away and still grew to manhood despite the regular trials and tribulations that mark this winding path from adolescence, but the end product was of an altogether different beat.

Pineapple gas by the sound of his consistent hacking cough, and each time he did so it knelled the end of my creative spells, but I bore no ill-will. I had been privy to some sadness in my time. Even now in my deepest sleeps I bolt upright, clammy, imagining that I have faltered a moment more and disappeared into that ochre venom.

I saw a boy killed once. Fourteen years old. His name was Charlie but everyone called him Twig, all limbs and tussled curls beneath his cap. He lied to the recruiting sergeants, charming them with his memorised rhetoric. One of Kitchener’s own Praetorian. The boy came down from Doncaster at the beginning of Kitchener’s volunteer push, part of a pals brigade with men from the local foundries. This motley crew called themselves the Flint Walrus in tribute to Treasure Island. Twig caught a sniper bullet to the head laying wire in a thicket outside Nare.

Upon returning I informed colleagues and close friends of my intent to convalesce, retiring to my chambers in solitude for a fortnight to document my trip, both for official record and in a more personal tone for my memoirs. It came as a reluctant surprise then when a letter arrived, delivered by hand, requesting my urgent presence at the servants graveyard on the grounds of the Powers Estate. The letter spoke of a strange discovery when work for a proposed pleasure garden began requiring the removal of several headstones. The author of the note, which was neither signed nor written in a hand I recognised, went on to state that he or she supposed that their discovery would be pertinent to my historical interest.

This mysterious invitation stoked the embers of my imagination ablaze. I was suddenly keen to reevaluate my proposed ‘mental wellbeing day’, instead thinking perhaps I took those days on the insistence of my wife, nothing more.

I set off that same balmy spring evening, taking only a light jacket and houndstooth peak cap by way of protection; no rain had been forecast. The rest of the note had described the process of the dig, which had already concluded so I would not require my field tools. The closing statement ran shivers of terror through my body. The scribe, although an amateur, was firm in his words and confident in his assessment that they had uninterred the skeleton of an enormous hellhound, three times larger that the most gargantuan canine of Siberia.

My mind was on fire with vivid images of shadowy hyenas howling, pooling stinking saliva in the sharp corners of its mouth. I wondered might their excavation have uncovered Black Shuck or some descendent; an enormous dog or wolf-like creature that stalked the leafy abbeys and quiet lanes of Suffolk in the early 15th century. The dog stood a keen seven feet in length, allowing for an inch either end, and weighed 200 pounds, around the average weight of a heavyweight pugilist. So bulky was the creature that the thudding sound of its footfalls would rouse the people from their sleep and into a panic. There are records in the abbey’s archive there that describe one such incident, another visit from the Black Shuck. He came in the night, a terrible formless thing, moving unseen like mist. The panicked citizenry had heard that same familiar padding and the warning bell had been sounded. An early-warning system was present in most larger townships since the Viking raids, sending the denizens of the town spilling towards the abbey. Room was made for all people to seek shelter in the house of God. The assembled clergymen did their best to bolt the door by placing large timbers across it in a x pattern but it took no time at all for the enormous beast to barge through, a hulking mass of muscle, rippled and bulging as if cast in alabaster. The archives do not mention how the beast was slain. The last word on the matter is not even a word but a sketch of a boulder by one Father Nestin Goodfaythe, showing where the beast is supposedly interred on hallowed ground, underneath a weeping willow near the west wall of the piper’s rest, a section of the cemetery reserved for the church musicians.

As a boy Eileen the wet nurse, a dumpy and severe custodian from Blessington in County Wicklow, would enthrall and horrify my brothers and I with stories of the dog-headed men who inhabited the mist prone Northern slopes and secluded islands of the south pacific. I recall one particularly horrifying tale concerning one such legion of canine-men living in the hills during Arthur’s reign; they would bound down from the treeline and attack the neighbouring townlands and holdfasts, snapping up ewes and even small children in their fierce jaws, wet with gleaming viscera. The men, if that, had the head of a canine - green eyes, a wet black snout like a button extending out from their face, small ears that curved inward like a pitbull. Arthur had dispatched a troupe of his finest knights after numerous reports that the raids had increased in frequency as the vernal equinox approached. I think it was Sir Galahad, noted for his bravery, dilligence and cunning with a blade, that beheaded the leader of the tribe. Galahad had positioned his knights on a bluff overlooking a mill, ensuring that animals had been left to pasture in a paddock purposefully left ajar. Although shaped like stocky men, the dog-headed tribe had neither the cunning nor craft necessary to defeat the combined brain-trust of the round table. When the dog-headed men ran from the treeline toward the open paddock and the helpless ewes within, Galahad and his knights perched above pushed a collection of large boulders over the lip of the bluff. The sun shone on their glistening silver plate mail and in that moment it seemed a second sun had risen.These sunlight sentinels stood from their subterfuge to watch the falling rocks, admiring a cunning plan brought to fruition. The dog-men driven by baser desires could scarcely crane their heads from the meal in front and must have only heard the smaller pebbles loosed by the rumbling reaching the foot of the mountain before it was too late. The largest of the ten boulders thrown was perfectly round like the head of a morning star, one half granite with the other hemisphere coated in moss and twinkling mika. If the folklore had any inkling of truth after so many successive generations of embellishments this boulder was the last remnant of a statue that had stood a thousand years ago, raised by the giants who ruled Albion then. The statue depicted one of their kings, bearded and stern on a carved throne, sceptre in his left hand, the right raised up as if swearing testimony. Who knows though, sources from the time mention neither the melee nor the antiquity. Giants are often added to existing historical accounts or fables to scare children from the left-hand path. A sketch from the time does exist though, which may point to the truth at the centre of the legend. Drawn by eminent medieval antiquarian Father Lamhsa O’Dhuiningh of Tipperary during his trip to the four corners of Eireann documenting mesolithic sites and areas of sufficient proximity to resources that might serve as a site for future plantations, the pencil drawing shows a hill leading down to a mill, and just barely peeping at the top the picture the rounded granite head of a statue can be seen just above the tips of the highest trees. Whether this confirms that men of enormous stature ruled here once or that men who are already decided on a notion can rarely be swayed and will almost always reach for the most circumstantial of evidence rather than admitting fault. There’s also a brief mention of these giants allying with an ancient Saxon King in the Mabinogion, a compendium of myths rooted in historical fact compiled in the 13th and 14th century. The two sides, once bitter rivals, put aside their differences to drain a large area of swampland where the brackish waters and greenish miasma that hung over the water like a cloud caused disease to humans, giants and their livestock. Perhaps these giants had hounds of equal size in this area millenia ago?

I cycled to the train station within half an hour and caught an evening train toward the site. Upon detramming it was only a short stroll past the hamlet to the foreboding stone fortress that was the Powers Estate. I am not shy to hard work but let me say this on the matter; I’d wager Isidore of Seville, eminent though he was in his then budding field of zoology, did not have his plans to relax scuppered at every turn. He probably shut his bestiary with a dull thud, removed his working sandals and held his feet aloft to rest, stating ‘Come Jackalope or Jackdaw Prince I’ll not stir from this velvet cocoon ‘til rested!’ I promised myself that if the invitation hadn’t arrived by letter I would have refused a man face-to-face, but lies to oneself are lies to God also and I whispered my apology into the inky night sky. The sky was flecked with silver dots like an enormous glowing wisp out of space had poked a hole in the fabric of our world, allowing a sliver of otherworldly pearlescence to shine through.

There was an ominous gathering of clouds just above the rounded domes of the main compound. There were smaller follys, fountains and hound master's lodgings on the grounds too but they paled in comparison to the oppressive majesty of the Grand Lodge. The design was an eclectic mix of Eastern and Western classical art styles, rounded arches and marble pillars dappled with grey and obsidian, gargoyles with contorted faces and forked tongues lolling out of their pursed half mouths and other misshapen oddities perched on the buttresses. French tapestries and Roman marbles on every landing, enormous paintings of the glorious hunt in gilded frames on every inch of spare wall, Pictish stones looted from the Scottish soil decorated the fish pond, inscribed with mysterious runes that no doubt held some arcane and eldritch knowledge.

Casement Power, younger brother of the late Lord Richard, inherited no property or bonds but was allowed an extremely modest annual allowance. He spent his days hunting but no hound could satiate his warrior spirit. He travelled to furthest Africa shooting the largest game. It was there he spoke with cannibal tribes and saw serpents of enormous size unfurl endlessly and slither away into the brown water. The tribes in the swamps of Zaire spoke of a living dinosaur inhabiting the marshes where the vegetation was dense and the jungle heat so volatile that no man could settle. He also had collected many curios and tribal artworks on his expeditions. The remnants of his conquests nailed to the walls as trophies; skulls of every size, strange tusked things, toothless sharks, an Ibex skull with three horns. Enormous mammoth tusks from Siberia carved with runes framed all the double doors, and crossed spears above every mirror.

The pride of the collection was a piece co-owned by the brothers; one of the Elgin Marbles. An incredible bust of a centaur in glorious pose, bow poised to fire, enormously muscled but not so as to be grotesque. The centaur did not appear a wild thing, and had a looked of melancholy wisdom about his furrowed brow.

Somewhere in the house, although I cannot recall where, the skeleton of the beast that hunted the denizens of Gevaudan. I do know for a fact that this grizzly exhibit does exist as it is listed on the manifesto of items in the portion of Stately Homes of England dedicated to the Powers plot. I cannot verify as to the validity of the article but I'd vouch that many a French peasant eats well selling a hundred such cryptozoological items. I shudder to think of the smallfolk who suffered under the beasts reign of terror. The beast was cunning and successfully avoided waves of eager bounty hunters looking to claim the sizeable reward. It would never attack a group as it is in nature. The ewe that strays from the flock makes light work for wolves and worse. Servant girls would be found dismembered and grossly mutilated only moments after leaving the security of the settlement. The flesh was not always consumed either. The beast was not hunting out necessity and instead fulfilling some sick perversion. Poisoned and drunk on the blood humankind. Could the hell hound I am to examine be a relation of this come to England, or worse, brought?

I have heard tales from reputable sources of large cats loose on the moors. Some escaped from circuses and private menageries, others former pets released by their owners after quadrupling in size. Perhaps these amateurs had merely uncovered the remains of an exotic pet. The grounds were no stranger to beasts from the dark continent; crimson parrots in enormous metal cages, striped fish that glowed when the moonlight fell on the pond, peacocks from India striding the grounds magnificently, ducks from Canada. Would it be completely out of question for a jungle cat to have made this castle its home? I think not.

On his extensive travels around China and Africa studying prehistoric art Richard Power collected priceless artworks and looted great tombs of their treasures years before the arrival of most Western antiquarians. His current horde included petroglyphs, gilded sarcophagi and even a mummified cat from a Witch's Bazaar outside Khartoum. If Richard Powers was alive today he would sit coiled atop his twinkling dubloons with plumes of smoke trailing from either nostril, content to wait for judgement day in the cavernous treasury rumoured to exist beneath the house. Now this ‘conspiracy’ is slightly more believable than the tales of vampirism and prostitutes found frozen, their last moments of panic etched on their disgusted countenance, bodies drained entirely of blood. That’s Maine Wood’s Bosch if you ask me, but a treasury filled with Egyptian secrets… That is more intriguing. An underground river flows out beneath the walls of the house into the Mighty Sa-hen-esh river, perpetually vomiting galloping white horses to dash against the rocks. One can easily imagine a boat snaking the bends by night, illuminated by a single lantern, a chest full of smuggled artefacts in tow. Now that I've written this all out, I see that this could also serve a convenient way to covertly bring a big cat into the grounds, all without alerting the law.

The East Wing of the house consisted of one long corridor lined with equally-spaced doors on either side in alternating colours. The pattern was blue left, red right, green left, gold right and so on for several meters. Suits of old plate mail were nailed to plinths in the spaces between each entrance, some with their visors up, revealing the shadowy nothingness within, their arms tight to the torso and bent at the elbow clutching tight on their halberds. Others had their visors down holding their shields near their torso with swords sheathed. Their heraldic crests were emblazoned there in majestic golds and silvers, with gold-leaf tassels dangling from the sides.

According to the rumours all of the suits with closed visors contained embalmed corpses; some of them acting as metalurgic mausoleums for deceased heirs. and others containing corpses looted from the Valley of Kings pre-Napoleonic rediscovery, and the only way to tell heir from ancient was by examining the crests. Some of which were said to be false artworks created specifically to be understood by members of a secret order, like Templars or Rosicrucians, only confined to worship of Ancient Egyptian deities. I don’t know whether any credence should be paid to the rumours but I can say with some authority that Rich Powers did have a penchant for symbolism and numerology. If there ever was some eccentric left in the Arab Sun too long, present company excluded, who would commission these wonderful artworks for such a convoluted purpose, it was him. The late custodian of the Baronage passed some seventy years ago but rumours of his interest in the occult abound still.

Many of the great houses had fallen to destitution in recent years as their custodians gathered dust on gilded thrones, having sent the best of their heirs to serve in France among the officer classes. Although the bulk of the BEF was made up of working class men, miners and teachers, the aristocratic classes were decimated. Such was the way of war. These men playing chess with the lives of the small folk would, to fulfill their end of whatever faustian pact could've caused such a prolonged and terrible slaughter, had to give up their own sons. Of course not all these elderly Lords were callous in sending their offspring to foreign soil, perchance to die. Many wrote letters to school chums and former colleagues now occupying lofty administrative positions requesting exclusion for their boys in exchange for kind press or monetary reward. All such offers were of course denied. What kind of message would that send to the powerful gentry of the country, who held much sway with the royals, that some men's sons may live and others still must away to Hades? I fear the recruiting offices would have been empty by that very evening and the recruiting sergeants left in a right awkward position, and forced to become creative with the methods their jingoistic crusade employed. Powers had lost three sons in the war, two at Mons during the terrible combat there, and another at Ypres. The angels had not seen fit to protect them. That dread sound of motorcycle tyres scraping on pebbles as it stirs to a halt, the clicking of medals on a uniform breast as the messenger spans the drive, the measured footfalls of a military gait approaching the door, closer now and the parent white-faced behind knowing what dread news awaits.

Again canines find a way to embroil themselves. Many parents report seeing ominous black dogs in the morning mist in the days and hours before the bad news arrives from overseas, and the black dog is a symbol of significance in the practice of reading tea-leaves, rather a Victorian fancy but it has its practitioners and defenders still. I believe Siegfried Sassoon’s mother employed the help of a medium in an attempt to communicate with her deceased son - the poor creature.

Folklore and farmyard chatter aside; the Powers had deep roots here. A Powers had lived on this land since at least 1640. Who knew what secrets those whispering old stones might yield to those inclined to hear.

Fortunately the Lord has a nephew, strong, sensible and of age. Lord Nigel Power, Earl of Sookford and 3rd Baron of Westian, current custodian of the Powers Estate was not an unkind man, scholarly and stoic like the Greek philosophers he admired and quoted in his cups, but always keen to share a nod and chat in passing. Not to give the impression that we are acquainted for I hardly know the man but to don my hat in passing, occasionally passing comment if the weather be fine or noteworthily tempestuous. Word around the fountain says that Lord Power intends to put his vast knowledge of the classical world to use in his retirement, wherein he hopes to compile in seven volumes a history of the Peloponnesian Wars in the Bronze Age Aegean Sea.

His deceased Uncle wished for the construction of a Pleasure Garden in his honour, following the sale of his assets. His advanced age will account for why they are currently constructing a most Victorian folly.

I wonder did Richard glean any smidge of happiness or any notion of the arcane knowledge he sought from his archives in the long evening of his life, waiting to meet his sons and commend their bravery in heaven. Perhaps it's true what is said about a man who lives to bury his children; he dies two deaths; the first when everything he was before fragments and scatters to dust and the second when he truly expires, a husk eagerly awaiting the trot of Mort’s destrier - foul Black knytmare!

You see even now as I write with shaking hand that my mind is infected - I am leaning toward gothic fancy! I hope this will give you an inkling then into my apprehension, for although I remain a skeptical-leaning agnostic with regard to the otherworldly, the ominous setting and eerie descriptions in the letter had transported me to an irrational world.

Already I was noting my own apprehension, every step measured, holding my breath unless absolutely necessary. The wintry grass crunched beneath my boots and I stood hypnotised almost, craning to see the lip of the battlements on the outer wall. A fortress fit for a martial family. Arrows, oil and boulders would have rained down from on high decimating the invaders attempting to mount their ladders. Flaming arrows igniting the siege towers forcing men to jump from a great height into the throng of spears and pikes below, often dashed on the points. A mighty gust suddenly swept past me violently, lifting my jacket tails and it carried a faint sound of distant battle, a prolonged scream, a snippet of intense roaring fire and the thwack of archers in tandem. I shivered and begged the spirits leave me and confine their unrest to the isolated places of the world.

Grim faeries nestled in the thickets of wildflowers, I imagined their spritely ceilidh neath the spotted mushroom caps, leaping from one swaying grass stalk to another, their intricate but infinitesimally small fiddles nestled in the crook of their necks. Foul puka in the form of red-eyed goats mocked me from behind boundary fences. My own breath steaming from my lips in plumes despite the warmth, as the dark fog that escaped the nostrils of Jörmungandr, his scaled belly pregnant with angry fire.

The last light faded as I approached the enormous wrought iron gates of the grounds, the rails jagged black spears rising from the capstones, decorated in the middle with a black bas relief.

I pushed open the gate and it dragged on its hinges, howling while it swung. The dread chorus was so shrill and how long it lasted - I almost had to place my fingers into my ears for relief! This fright rather knocked my senses. I stirred for a moment to gather myself. Every loose stone, dancing leaf and singing spring breeze now whispered portents. I shook my head and ignored whatever gnostic Delphian beckoned. If the third eye existed, and scientific fiction magazines wrote that it could be opened by stimulating the pineal gland with a kind of resonant electric current, mine was opened naturally then. I accepted the languid way the gate swung as a sign of reluctance to permit my entry. These old places did not lightly relinquish their secrets and it was well possible that some unseen malevolent force did not want me there that night. What happened next only exacerbated my fears.

I immediately made a sharp right turn upon entering the compound, moving from the long and winding gravel drive lined with golden cedars at every turn and down a snaking path trodden through the grass and mud, towards a glow some distance away that I assumed was the site. I scrambled through the darkness with my forearm raised to shield my eyes from sharp branches. I feared what I might see lurking in the shadows. My assumption was correct and I emerged from the copse at the servants graveyard.

The site had been cordoned off with rope and torches placed in the ground illuminating the site for my investigation. A small crowd gathered, huddled together for warmth near one of the beacons. A man turned, evidently the one who penned the letter and waved for me. There were fifteen or more grave markers in the small fenced square. Grass grew grey and sickly there. Scions of jagged rock tore through the topsoil giving the impression of a golem just beneath the firmament. This field must have been the only spot of that land that didn't get a healthy blossom, small surprise it was designated such a dark purpose. The owner had little use for land that didn't yield coin.

A terrible scream rang out. The banshee’s wail, the chorus of seven trumpets that toll for the opening of the seventh seal, the Howling of the Djinn! Hark! The dread screech of a terrible wyrm, phasing through realities in permanent agony.

A bright spark glowed brightly in the sky above the open grave and my eyes unaccustomed to the light shut tightly. I winced and turned then a strange thing occurred; I found myself back in the thicket where the branches like fingers had caressed me only a moment before, the light of the site up ahead in the distance. What vile trickery was this? I stared at my hands, barely able to discern their shape in the darkness. I raised them and cupped my face into my palms, needing to massage my crown and feel the bone and blood underneath, something tangible now that I was untethered from the real. I needed to be positive this was not a dream but it was so cold, so bitterly cold. A shivering frozen knife tracing down my spine. Was it possible to feel cold while not conscious? I did not think so, but then tis not possible to teleport or time travel or jump enormous distances like Spring Heeled Jack. I began to feel nauseous and keeled over holding my stomach, dry retching onto the damp grass.

The beacons in the distance began igniting and extinguishing in sequence, strobing and contorting casting long shadows and I fell to my knees with my head tucked to my chest, as a hedgehog in peril. The beacons all doused simultaneously and the wet grass underneath my head changed to something harder and slick, with many sharp points digging into my cheek. I dared a peek lifting one eyelid a fraction and found myself again outside the gates of the grounds. The dark contours of the bas relief were ominous now, the bulbous shapes of the carved images made my skin crawl. Small hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention causing itchiness around my collar. I pushed to my feet and brushed the rocks embedded in my palms off on the thighs of my trousers.

Yes, the beings that had at first seemed Grecian effigies of perfect men hunting now altered in the pale moonlight, one idle moonbeam shining directly on the relief as if a spotlight was held fast by an unseen cherub, perched on a cloud occasionally stirring from peaceful sleep to illuminate some slither of mystery. These hulking icons, although lacking perspective, seemed an altogether forbidden sight. I recoiled in horror but dared myself to investigate further.

Practically holding my eyes open I stooped closer, focusing on one particular figure. Let me first describe the image as a whole; a pitiful scene. By compare I can only cite passages from Revelations, and even they do not convey the full horror I beheld. Lacking the vocabulary to describe the ‘otherness’ of its shape Revelations must serve as an imaginative stimulus; the beings on the relief were contorted demons. Most had bodies and genitals like men but coated every inch with coarse black hair, spiny and spidery. Their eyes enormous round things like that of a fish, but where a fish emits vacancy and the black of their eyes reflects rather than radiates, these implied great wisdom. Enormous eyes omnipresent to witness all events in all of time, as Mathesula. I shudder to think. Where their mouths should have been was instead an enormous pair of jaws like that of the snapping crocodiles encountered in Egypt, a menace I am reluctantly familiar with, having seen men dragged underneath the murky water while bathing or labouring near the shore erupting in fountains of blood, never to surface.

The figure I was hypnotically drawn to inspecting had an enormous stinging tail protruding from the end of his tailbone, hanging low off the ground before looping up into the sky, the stinger slick with dripping venom poised at the shoulder to strike. He was the only one among his number armed with such a ferocious pestilent whip, which was clad in hard black plate no sword would dent, distinguishing him as a leader of sorts; if any rank exists  within an anarchy of grotesques. Even as a fantasy this folly is something gratuitous altogether. The metal seemed slick, oozing oil even though no rain fell there that night and no hint of varnish in the air. Perhaps twas merely the combination of moonlight trickery and the all night reading sessions of yesteryear where I filled my mind with all manner of sidhes, dobhar chus and mushrooms out of space. The relief was a ballroom fancy and no more, a remnant of the freakshow era leftover, like how some houses still have their cabinets of curios. I was merely painting character to it instinctively, already having intimate knowledge of folklore and the structure of ancient myths. I must admit there have been times when I have been disposed towards the extraordinary and like to imagine a whole world of strangeness lies behind the fabric of our preconceptions but this is a private indulgence and I have not, to my own knowledge, allowed it to interfere with my work.

I pushed open the gate as a matter of promptness and again it swung slowly and screeched, reeeeeeeeeeeeeeee - like a vixens wail. Events were playing out exactly as they had only moments ago except now when I entered the dig site was on my left side, and much closer than before. I was  sure I had turned right last time. Did the last time really happen? A trick of my own mind or by something darker. Some benevolent being drawn to mischief by boredom interfering with the lives of mortals. Perhaps twas some fancy I took outside, a moon dream. Lord knows I had heard enough tales of inebriated farmers trapped roaming around small paddocks for days unable to find an exit, while the faeries peered through the barbs of the hawthorn in hysterics. While we are in the realm of loons perhaps it was an angel giving me a vision of what is coming. Warding me away from the toothed darkness in the damp hole.

To steady my nerves I decided to voice the inner skeptic aloud. I spoke into night about how the gases and wisps in marshes were spirits to feudal farmers before wise men came and dispelled their ignorance with the torch of logic. Perhaps all I was experiencing now was merely some as of yet unexplained phenomena. An unseen chemical in the air released by the digging causing hallucinations, or a fever perhaps? I had been travelling recently. Any excuse that steered my mind from the abject terror I was exercising in the face of the unknown I was eager to embrace.

I proceeded to the site but there was no sliding mud to prevent my passage now; the thicket of thorns where I had stooped and seen the braziers in the distance nowhere to be found. If only I heeded my wife's warnings, ponderous fool.

There was still time to turn and head for home. The trains would not run again until morning so I might safely walk the tracks and upon reaching the station, fetch my bike and cycle the remainder of the journey. If I depart and keep a keen pace I would be abed before three. A course of Teddy Roosevelt’s ‘strenuous life’ to get the lungs singing and forget this whole mad venture. Whether the men disturbed the rest of a hellhound or just the bones of a dead doe, expanded over generations by the freezing and thawing of the soil, could just be left as exactly that, a question to ponder on Samhain, to tell over a crackling flame and scare the boy scouts.

How unprecedented that a man as stubborn as I would talk myself out of a venture that promised much mystery. Not to blow one's own trumpet but I am also not a man of soft disposition. I have no fear of death, I saw my share of it in the conflicts. When a man lives in the shadow of the reaper for so long a strange kinship is formed, and I enjoyed that shade as one would enjoy the shadow of an apple tree in the midday sun. I inhabited the abyss before, if only for a time. I knew fear that night. Some primordial doubt froze me where I stood, sending shockwaves through my body rousing every nerve and impulse I had screaming retreat, retreat! I willed my legs forward, take another few steps and you'll feel better, but I could not budge one inch. I must have looked a forlorn statue. A fitting garden ornament for such a strange place, amongst the cherubs and marble harpies.

I stood, taking stock of my surroundings. A very faint dust was visible in the air, a golden haze like spores or sparks from a foundry taken flight. This mist shifted in the air constantly reforming, though I felt no breeze. Whether the miasma was a result of  occult activity or a sign from a benign celestial to warm me of impending spiritual disaster I do not know. I did know to follow my gut instincts. Whenever my gut rumbled and my rhythm changed unknowingly danger was never far. In the war I had honed this instinct. A sixth sense for spotting hidden mines and unexploded Mill’s bombs led my lads through cracked lunar landscapes shelled chalk white.

Turning, I sped out the gate, avoiding its siren song having left it ajar when I entered. I kept a blistering pace and soon the lane melted away behind me, my feet scarcely scraping the ground. Gravel gave way to wet grass and then the tracks opened up before me. An enormous corridor of steel teeth slicing the meadow in two. Due to the negligence of the maintenance crew the wild grasses growing trackside grew enormous. They lined the entire route casting ominous shadows and obscuring any assailants that might attack from the side. I slowed briefly ensuring my stride matched the distance between planks so as not to trip.

After a time I heard behind me the definite sound of paws plodding rhythmically. Four distinct footfalls increasing pace to match my own. I suddenly sprinted forward with such intensity that I near lost my balance but I pushed my arms out sideways and flapped like a terrorised bird and steadied. Paws clacked on the timbers of the track and something emitted a low and deep growl. I ran then, as fast as my legs would take me. Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead, past my eyes which I had shut most tightly and onto my lip. Tissues, coins and scraps of paper fell from my pockets but I continued propelled by some primal strength. It is natural for the hunters brain to seize control when the invisible eyes on the back of one's neck feel the predator's stare. The gnashing darkness felt an oppressive presence. In that moment I was sure no fevre dream had taken hold. What gave chase was a tangible evil, slipped through the curtains into our reality, or perhaps pulled. Mayhaps some naive servant read the words aloud from one of the many Egyptian execration texts dotted around the house in glass cabinets and dredged a being from another world. Even at that distance the fetid smell of rotten meat on its breath caused my nose to wrinkle.

I could feel intense heat too along my shoulder blades and beneath my collar. At first I thought twas the humid panting typical of a sprinting canine but it got warmer and warmer as the footfalls increased their pace until it was near unbearable. I reached my hand to my collar, placing the backside of my fingers, now substantially cooled from running in the wind, flat to my neck. This heat was surely the licking tongues of infernal Hades. I did not turn and I did not delay, keeping my pace well beyond my natural exhaustion threshold. The swiftness of the stag when the wolf is near. The swiftness of the salmon in the shadow of the bear.

I imagined behind me an enormous fissure in the rows of planks. Spindled fingers tipped with curled nails grabbing at my tails, skin red like a flayed man. Eyes of every size with no other human form attached. Green pupils slit like cats. Enormous black ones like an ink filled bubble swirled apocalyptic chaos beneath the gelatinous covering. If this rift rent the land as I imagined then this hound must be Cerberus - oh three headed guardian of Hades, who bid you give chase, I am not yet bound for your kingdom!

The beast thundered along behind me, faster now, growling and snapping its enormous rows of teeth, sharp as daggers and serrated for tearing strips of flesh from bone. Was I to be Dante?

At times the thing was so close I could feel drops of reeking saliva raining down where the beasts tongue had whipped at the empty space I occupied not a moment earlier. In truth I cannot recollect much further than this, I was gripped by an adrenal berserk and time held no meaning, new memories ceased forming, all non-critical faculties switched off. After an eternity I emerged into the light of the train station and dared to slow for the first time. It seemed the chase had not been so rabid these last moments. The spell which coated those bones in living flesh expired now that morning sun threatened her light.

The horizon was now red as iron ore. I turned gasping but no snapping cerberus or terrible extinct mastiff, like those the Romans had employed in Carthage, waited there. Just a dizzying corridor of shifting darkness stretching to infinity. No idle moon beam pierced the veil of night. In my relief I spared a laugh, noting aloud that this was likely a record time for this particular journey, surpassing even the no-stop trains that carried resources to the Hebrides and further overnight.

In spite of all that had happened I had to question then and there if a creature had ferociously pursued me at all or whether some friendly dog had trotted alongside me for a time, or whether my own footfalls speeding up subconsciously sent me into a panic. I was unsure. Should I be terrified, relieved, embarrassed or a combination of the three?

Next came the darkest revelation of all. I sat  and dangling my legs over the lip of the train platform lit a cigarette. I inhaled deeply and held the breath, allowing the smoke to absorb my woes before exhaling. A draft on my back sent me shivering. No, more than a breeze, a sharp pain now. I dropped my cigarette onto the tracks and reached back, gingerly pawing with my index finger, if the phrasing can be pardoned. I recoiled in agony, even now my back throbs and smells fetid when the bandage is not changed and let steam under a basin of boiled water. Three enormous slashes, rifts of gnarled flesh raked across my skin. Dark pus oozes from the wound and I have worn a corset of gauze this last week. A paroxysm of pain sent me to spasming and I could take no more, fainting into a heap there on the platform.

I suppose it was near enough to morning then and some commuter or station man took notice and fetched a doctor, but in truth I have no memory of this. The doctors have informed me that it will be some time before my wound heals and it should require much observation to prevent tetanus. Yes, you read that right. Tetanus. The lacerations were proved to have been made by a dog using the latest scientific tests. The doctors, veterinarians and trappers consulted have so far been completely baffled by the breadth and width of the scrapes, reckoning a creature capable of such assaults to a man grown should require enormous size and strength, and belonged to no creature native to this country.

With this nightmare put to page I hope the oily tendrils of it are scraped from my mind. I must retire to chambers and steam the wound again, left overnight the sickly sweet smell of the warped and bubbled flesh becomes unbearable. The doctors and I hope I will be free to return to work by June. In the meantime I will stay active with my research and dispel any thoughts too fantastical. My spirit is largely shaken and I have not felt an anxiety like it since the weeks at the front. I cannot complain, having most of my wealth and still a sliver of health but Damn! Curse! Blast how I loathe sleeping on my front! How anyone finds solace in this pose is beyond me, I feel like a lizard basking on hot stones.

I leave you now to ponder what I saw that night, and I will do the same. Perhaps another time it will be revealed to me, in a dream or a whisper of the babbling brook, what is the given name of the darkness I encountered. Or suppose you think maybe the stories of jungle cats loose on the moors hold more than a nugget of truth; a jaguar or cheetah gave chase, stirring from its home in the neglected grasses along the tracks? Perhaps. I do not like to speculate. I leave you then and as stated at the beginning of my recant, I hope you will not judge my case too harshly, noting that I am not a man of ill repute or third-rate education. I am a simple antiquarian bottling the dust of the lost things. The truth is an amnesiacs labyrinth.

April 20th, M Bryn-Kolkiln

Michael Dempsey, April 2018

#writing #books #short story #shortstory #horror #gothic #hellhound #haunting #haunted #scary #victorian #edwardian #history #fiction #creativewritting #rural #folkhorror #folk horror #antiquarian #horror story

[minahraven]

A New Kind of Sleepover - BTS/ Yoongi (M) (Request)

“Anonymous asked: Okay so here goes lol, can i pls have a yoongi smut where y/n and him have been best friends for a long time and one timw when he comes over for a sleepover things get steamy and they end up doing it? But theyre also trying to be quiet bc of he parents? can it also include a lot of fingering and teasing? Thank you 😊😊 “

A/N - This is the first smut I’ve posted, so I apologise if it’s no good. I always say, the only way you can get better is by practise!

A New Kind of Sleepover - BTS/ Yoongi (M)

“We’ll be in my room, Mom!” you shouted as you grabbed your best friend’s wrist, giggling at the grin on his face at your mom’s quick agreement. You darted up the stairs, carrier bags banging against your legs. Saturday night was usually a club night for most. Not you two. For as long as you could remember, you’d spent almost every Saturday night together either at his house or yours, watching movies, snacking on whatever you had gathered from the convenience store that evening and generally being idiots until both of you had fallen asleep. It didn’t matter that you had long since grown past the ‘sleepover’ age. You were still best friends and, in your eyes, that meant nothing had changed. At least, not in that sense. Sure, you had grown up, and your chats had gone from ‘bet you I can fart louder than you!’ to ‘so, how’d your date go last week?’, but Yoongi and you were still inseparable.

As soon as you reached your room, Yoongi immediately divebombed onto your bed, earning a slap to the backside at his behaviour. He knew perfectly well he had already broken one of your beds that way. You didn’t want to lose another. You rolled your eyes when he turned over, leaning on one elbow and resting his head in his hand, and gave you a cheeky smirk, wiggling his eyebrows at you.

“If that was the type of sleepover you wanted tonight, all you had to do was ask, baby,” he teased, and your palm flew to your face so fast, the slapping sound was audible…as was your yelp of pain. “Baby, I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed, scrambling off the bed and pulling your hand from your face, inspecting your forehead to see if it was alright, the term of endearment he had been using for years barely even registering as you blinked back the tears from your watering eyes. “Are you okay?” you nodded, your spare hand dropping the bag you had been carrying and swatting hard at his arm.

“You should know better by now, dork!” you scolded him as you picked up the bag once more and pulled your hand from his, heading over to the bed and sinking down on it with your back against the copious amounts of pillows. He pouted and wandered round to the other side to sit next to you. Snuggling up beside you, he wrapped an arm over your stomach and rested his head on your shoulder, just as he did every time you settled down to watch a movie. You switched off the light and turned on the tv, switching to the movie you had queued. You had already decided to watch one he’d wanted first, though you weren’t too interested in it, and before long, you were playing a game on your phone while Yoongi watched the movie.

About halfway through the movie, you heard your parents shout a goodnight as they headed to bed, and the house fell silent apart from the sound from the tv and your breathing. After another hour, the movie finally finished, and you switched to your choice, smirking to yourself that it was finally Yoongi’s turn to be bored. You weren’t as smug half an hour later, though. One minute, you were watching the heroine walking through her town, the next… Blinking, you looked down, keeping your head still and only your eyes moving. Your suspicions were right. Yoongi’s hand had moved from your side and you had only just noticed that now, it was resting on your lower stomach. As you watched nervously, your teeth chewing on the inside of your lip, the hand slowly slid an inch or two lower, so that it was now resting just above your pelvis. Thanking your lucky stars that the light was out and the light from the tv wasn’t bright enough to show the redness flooding your cheeks, you took a breath, about to say something. The words caught in your throat as Yoongi’s head shifted and you felt his breath on the base of your neck, followed by the feather-light touch of his lips on the very spot that he knew was your weakness, thanks to the many games of truth or dare you had played together.

As if by its own volition, your head tilted slightly away from him, and you could feel his lips curl in his trademark smirk as he brushed another, slightly firmer kiss on the same spot, before swiping the tip of his tongue over the skin. Before you could stop it, a soft sigh escaped your throat, and you bit your lip quickly to bring your focus back to the situation.

“Y-Yoongi,” you breathed as his hand slowly moved lower, resting between your legs and making you debate whether you were glad or concerned you had worn a skirt that day. A gentle ‘hmm?’ vibrated against your shoulder and he shifted a little closer, head now firmly situated in the crook of your neck. “We shouldn’t be doing this.” He chuckled softly, nipping gently at your neck as his hand dipped between your legs, swiping one finger firmly up over the fabric and causing you to whimper under your breath.

“You want to tell me you don’t want this?” he purred. Slowly, he pulled the fabric of your skirt up as his head moved lower, his spare hand pulling your shirt up. His head rested on your chest and you felt as though perhaps he had had second thoughts, until you felt his tongue tracing the edge of your bra. Your breath caught in your throat at the touch and it wasn’t until the bra slid up over your breast that you realised he had slipped his hand behind your back and unfastened it. “Or this?” he murmured, his lips capturing your nipple and sucking on it gently. You moaned softly, one hand moving to quickly cover your mouth, shaking your head.

“No, but my parents…” you whispered, though the protest sounded more like a whine than a complaint. He chuckled again, taking your nipple between his teeth just enough to send a shiver up your spine.

“Won’t know a thing. You can stay quiet…can’t you baby?” he asked, turning his head to look up at you. The flickering lights from the tv were just enough to illuminate the devious smile on his lips as he once again ran a finger over your core, this time only one layer of fabric between his skin and yours. You started to shake your head, partly still not sure this was a good idea and partly not sure you could stay quiet. You barely managed half a shake though before the pressure on your underwear increased suddenly and he was slowly circling your bud. Suddenly no longer caring whether you should or shouldn’t be doing this, you nodded quickly, biting your lip to stifle the whimper trying to escape.

He grinned and sat up, straddling your hips as he began to pull your shirt over your head, tossing it to the floor and soon adding his own and your bra to the pile. Leaning in, he captured your lips in a slow, hungry kiss, one hand moving to cradle your head as he tugged on your bottom lip. The other slid down over your stomach, easing your skirt down. He lifted his hips enough for you to raise yours, and quickly slipped the skirt and your underwear off entirely, leaving you naked beneath him. He sat back, his eyes drifting over you for the first time.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, as though talking to himself. He rested his hands on your chest, stroking them over the skin, his thumbs toying with your nipples as they passed over them. You whined softly, your hips raising of their own accord in an attempt to press against the obvious bulge in his jeans. He chuckled darkly, leaning down to capture your lips again, the kiss rougher this time, as though he was claiming you, taking your breath away. Releasing them eventually, allowing you to recover from the kiss, he leaned his head on your shoulder, nipping and licking at your weak spot again until your fingers found their way to the back of his head, holding him there.

It wasn’t until you felt the jolt of pleasure going through you, causing you to gasp loudly, that you realised his hand had made its way between your legs again, teasing your clit with light touches causing you to tremble and try to raise your hips into his touch, though his own were stopping you from moving them. “Want something baby?” he all but purred against your ear. You nodded quickly, biting your lip to choke back a frustrated whimper. “Use your words. Oppa won’t know what you want if you don’t.”

“Please…,” you gasped out, trying to keep your voice quiet.

“Please what?” His finger ran the length of your folds, dipping in just enough to tease your entrance as it passed before rubbing your clit again. The taunting caused something in you to snap. Up until then, you had tried not to come right out and say that you wanted him, feeling almost as if you were under some kind of magic spell that would break if you said it. But now, you didn’t care. “Words, baby.”

“I need you.” Another nip at your neck, eliciting another moan.

“What do you need?”

“Please, Yoongi. Fuck me, touch me, anything, I don’t care, just do it.” You were rambling and you knew it, but it had the desired effect. Almost before you had finished speaking, two fingers were plunged roughly into you, Yoongi’s mouth covering yours to muffle the ecstatic moan as your walls clenched around them automatically. He immediately began thrusting them at a quick pace, allowing you no chance to get used to the feeling. Your hands flew to his shoulders, nails digging into the fabric of his shirt as you fought to stay quiet through the bliss he was giving you. He groaned harshly and pulled back, yanking his shirt over his head before his fingers were inside you again and he was moaning into your mouth as your nails finally dug into his skin. Suddenly a third finger joined the other two, stretching you wider as he curled them inside you, as if seeking something. After a few thrusts, he found it, sending a burst of pleasure through you as he changed the angle of his fingers to hit the same spot over and over. It felt too good and you reached down quickly, grabbing his wrist to stop him. He leaned back enough to look in your eyes, confused and almost hurt, but you weren’t ending it. “I want you inside me, Yoongi” you murmured softly, smiling at the look of surprise in his eyes.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice suddenly shaking. It was your turn to frown, but you quickly smiled again, nodding.

“Positive. If you’re going to make me come, I don’t just want it to be your fingers.” He stared for a moment before a sudden, bright smile crossed his face and he kissed the tip of your nose before removing his hand from you and carefully licking it clean.

“Okay, next time though, it’s my tongue, because you taste too damn good,” he muttered, making a sound somewhere between a moan and a chuckle. You couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the comical change in manner from sex god to coarse best friend, and he grinned at you as he clambered off the bed and stripped his jeans and underwear off. He grabbed your ankles and pulled you down to lie flat on the bed, laughing at the squeal of surprise you gave before crawling onto the bed with a smirk. He pecked a small kiss on your core as he passed, and settled between your legs, his attitude changing yet again as he gazed at you adoringly. “You have to know I love you by now, Y/N,” he murmured, one hand gently brushing your hair back from your face as he rested his forehead against yours. You nodded slowly, eyes not leaving his. “D-do…,” he trailed off, as though afraid to ask what you knew he wanted to. Smiling, you reached a hand up, tracing the line of his jaw and letting it slip into his hair.

“If you’re trying to ask if I love you too, Mr Eloquent, the answer’s yes,” you teased with a giggle at the look of delight on his face. He all but attacked your lips, as if wanting to capture the words permanently. As he did so, you felt him slowly entering you, both of you moaning lowly at the feeling of being connected at last. He paused, breathing erratic as he got used to you around him.

“God, you feel so amazing, Y/N,” he whispered against your lips, a small whine escaping as he did so. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve imagined what I want to do to you.” You chuckled softly and pecked a quick kiss to his lips, nipping at the lower before pulling back again.

“Then don’t. Just show me.” He raised an eyebrow, his expression turning mischievous.

“Are you sure you want me to do that, baby?” he asked, tone taunting. You nodded, and immediately his eyes darkened, his hips retreating slightly before slamming into you, muffling your desperate moans of pleasure with his lips as he quickly built up a rhythm that had you seeing stars. Your hips began to move of their own accord, bucking against him as you tried to push him deeper. His hands moved to your waist, holding you still as he began to thrust into you full force, angling himself to find the spot he had located earlier.

As if the change had hit a switch, you felt yourself quickly starting to climb towards your orgasm and buried your face against his neck to stifle the moans that had degraded into whimpers. He continued to drive into you, his own moans growing more desperate as he fought to keep as quiet as he could. One hand released your waist and he slipped it between you, his thumb assaulting the bundle of nerves there. It was more than you could take, and your nails dug into his shoulders as you screamed against his neck, what little remained of your senses praying that the sound was muffled enough to keep your parents from hearing the earth-shattering orgasm Yoongi was sending through you. The combination of the sensations of your nails and your clenching muscles and the knowledge that it was him that had caused you to scream in ecstasy was the final straw. With a final thrust, he began to shake, chanting your name like a mantra as he came, clinging to you desperately as though afraid you would vanish like a dream.

As he came down from his high, Yoongi slowly lowered himself to rest on your chest, his head nestled in the crook of your neck as his fingers traced the indentations of his nails on your hips. Brushing gentle kisses on your neck, careful to avoid anything that might be too much for you, he nuzzled against your skin.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I baby?” he murmured, resting one hand over the nail marks to indicate what he meant. You shook your head, wrapping your arms around him and drawing small circles on his arms with your fingertips.

“If you did, it was only the good kind,” you teased with a small giggle, feeling him grin against you. “If that’s what you’ve been imagining all this time, I wish you’d told me sooner.” There was silence for a moment before he burst out laughing, quickly covering his mouth to muffle the sound. He raised his head once he had calmed down, frowning a little.

“This wasn’t just a one time thing, was it?” he asked, concern etched in his features. You shook your head again, smiling warmly at him. His face brightened and he pecked a small kiss on your lips, nipping lightly at the bottom lip before pulling away to grin at you. “Good, because there’s a lot more I have to ‘tell’ you.”

#bts #bts scenarios #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bts smut #bts suga #bts yoongi #bts imagines #bts request #requests #smut #kpop smut #bts fluff

[coshayphinelove]

now that the finale afterglow has faded, i’ve been kind of looking back on the series with a more critical eye than a “PLS DONT LEAVE ME” eye.  

this is by no means the last time i’ll write some kind of long-winded essay, i’m sure i’ll find other things to overthink about on rewatches and as i write more fic, but it is a direct reaction to the finale and the five years i have spent with this show.

in short, the finale was amazing.  it was probably the best finale of any show i have ever seen.  it was satisfying and true to the characters that we had grown to love.  it was realistic insofar that the problems didn’t end with the evil being defeated.  it was bittersweet and made me emotional where i didn’t think the show could anymore.

(although i still haven’t watched the last two episodes of frin/ge so it’s rank may change).

if the rest of the season and the previous two seasons had set it up, it would have been even better.  it is, to this day, my firm opinion that season 1 was the tightest, most well thought out season of television i have ever seen.  like, if you had asked me in season 3 where i thought the finale would be, i would have had such a different answer.  (please do ask me, i have so many thoughts.)

most of my criticisms are on the co-phine/delphine front bc that’s where i’ve curated the most facts, having a few transcripts saved to my computer for ease of access.  and the first thing i have to talk about is the plot holes this season, bc wow, so many.  like, delphine was only there when it was convenient.  that much was clear.  

like she only helped siobhan bc there needed to be a good guy survivor to tell the rest about what happened.  she was only invited to the big house so cosima could invite herself along.  she was only put in the dress so that cosima could be in the suit so that the pr team could tease a wedding.

and she was only in the final clone scene to reinforce that ‘’we can trust her now guys’’.  like she and cosima never talked about anything.  not the shay snafu in season 3, not the lying, not the spying, not the secrets.  which are really big things.  and i’m not saying it had to be 45 minutes of therapy jargon but i am saying that they should’ve said... ‘sorry’ or explained what happened and where they were coming from.  bc to this day i don’t actually know why delphine did what she did in season 3.  what happened in frankfurt?  why did she threaten shay like that instead of just asking?  why was she suddenly working for topside?  none of that ever gets mentioned after it happens.

and as much as the sarah hug helps me with my sarcoshayphine struggles, they hadn’t spoken since ‘piss off delphine.’  how did they get from there to hugging?  ‘we’re doing all of this on account of bloody delphine?’ to soft hugs and kind words?  like yeah, it fit and it worked and it was touching.  but when you think about it, it kind of dissolves.  which is kinda fitting for a lot of the plot this season.

and to me, that left this season of c0p/hine feeling kind of empty.  we reused the ‘can we trust delphine’ plot.  we reused the ‘delphine’s off in a foreign country and therefore unreachable’ plot (eighty times this season, right?).  i still stand by my point that in season 4 she could have been in hiding, having driven off into the sunset to do mrs. s’s bidding.  like they could’ve had delphine funneling info for all of season 4 through mk/siobhan completely off screen.  but she just.. did nothing for all of season 4.  right.  boss ass bitch corporate delphine just... sat around getting told what to do... sure..

or in 5x09 she could have just been around the corner at the grocery store rather than france.  and why even bring that up if you’re never going to do anything with it?  she went home right when cosima would’ve needed her and she was free to be there for her?  what the hell?  and there was no setup for it either.  one second they’re ‘on the precipice of doing anything they want’ and the next delphine went home?  without cosima before the fight is over?  like, season 2 delphine would’ve been doing The Most: cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, chores, snuggles, etc etc.  but instead she hears the news and hops on the first plane out of the country?

like you guys do realize they didn’t say ‘i love you’ this season at all, right?  delphine is ‘motivated by love’ but she doesn’t say it at every possible opportunity?  cosima thought she was dead, but doesn’t blurt it out the first time she sees her after waking up?  like fuck a sex scene, normalize wlw couples saying ‘i love you’ to each other first.

idk...  i know there were scheduling conflicts and i know they had to keep rewriting as the schedule got rearranged, but come on.  i can, right now, change a few key scenes that do something for both cosima and delphine’s character, that keeps them both active and doesn’t just ignore 3 seasons of characterization.

which is another point.  there was so much they could have done with delphine’s character.  not just this season, but for a while.  instead of like.. idk following up on the threads they presented (affair with l**kie, changing sides, the girl who slit her wrists which was implied to be delphine herself, seeming to be worth shooting and kidnapping and nursing to back to health to neolution, what she was doing before cosima got there, what she did in geneva, etc etc) they only brought her back to kiss cosima.  like bottom line.  like, she didn’t really do anything active that someone else wasn’t doing elsewhere except warn siobhan about kira.  which they didn’t even listen to her about.

and several times they referred to her as a lesbian when in 1x08 she clearly and fully called herself bisexual.  and they shot her.  for being in love with cosima.  regardless of what they have recently said about ‘knowing about byg and always intending to bring her back’ they... still did it.  and right afterwards said some really gross stuff about fans who were upset about it.  i don’t really remember all of it, but i do distinctly remember the word ‘reductive’ used to say that fans were reducing her to her sexuality and that was the real problem.  which... see the above several paragraphs.  pot, kettle.  kettle, pot.  (i have separate thoughts on the season 3 debacle..)

which brings me to my main thought.  i think they were too hyperaware of the fandom.  they tried to roll with the scheduling conflicts and make a nice new shiny ship for us.  but when there were complaints (*cough* hate *cough*) thrown at creators/cast over it they waffled and changed their minds.  which then led to a shay shaped plot hole.  also a shay shaped hole in my heart.

and i think someone around season 1 told them they were being progressive and they just... didn’t try to learn new things?  idk how to phrase this.  like season 1 was genuinely feminist.  and the fact that they saw this story unfolding from a female perspective was incredible.  and sarah’s storyline throughout the seasons was incredibly feminist.  and the fact that they thought to include characters of genders other than cis and sexualities other than straight was fantastic.  but after they got a pat on the back for being progressive, they stopped actively trying to call themselves out.  they were like, ‘yes i am progressive and feminist therefore everything i produce is good without a second check.’

but this past season was all about petey and the clones were only used to further reinforce his evilness.  and felix was more active than sarah, the protagonist.  and tony actually got mentioned but he never actually showed up.  and their ‘stand-in for the patriarchy’ got to violently murder two women (of two different underrepresented minorities, ASD and middle aged) while going back and abusing another woman (and praising him and saying he actually loved her!!!!).  and their lesbian character centric episode was primarily focused on her romantic entanglements rather than, say, her and her character.  (which i’ve been learning is actually kind of a problem in the wlw community, is losing yourself to new relationship energy and they could’ve actually taken a stance on this and said something important, but... anyway..)

and the creators were touting this as the most feminist season ever.

...

like okay.  by walking0 de..ad and game- of9 thro///nes standards it is.  but what they said in interviews and what they put on the screen did not match up.  and i think that’s my main problem.  like when i turn on my tv i generally turn off my feminism eyes and my lgbt rep wants.  bc i generally know that not every show is going to be perfect and as long as it’s not like last man standing then i can tolerate it.  but season 1 and their interview presence just got my hopes up.  and they just didn’t deliver on their promises, imo.

and that wouldn’t be so bad, but they were so close, like this close!!  you can’t see my fingers rn, but they’re almost touching...  like they had the perfect setup, a meatball straight down the plate, just begging to be a home run, but they shanked it to right field and got stopped at second base.

like implying in interviews that some characters are nonbinary or confirming characters sexualities is really cool!!! i used to be a r//izzl//es fan, i know how awful it is when cast/creators genuinely don’t want you in their fandom.  getting a confirmation is super cool.... but technically it’s not canon, it’s not In The Show.  like it’s not untrue either, it’s not not canon.  but being Progressive and Feminist and Positive LGBT Rep would’ve been.. idk saying it on the show, in the character’s own words?  bc i can go anywhere and get coded representation, i can go back to the fifties and watch stuff with thinly veiled metaphors and small little nudges in the confirmation direction.  it’s not something you get to pat yourself on the back for.

like, imo 1x08 was probably the best handled lgbt scene.  like delphine stated her identity.  and cosima just went along with it.  and they got to talk candidly about it.  they said ‘gay’ and ‘bisexual’ in the same scene.  like??!!?!??!?! that was amazing.  but for some reason they couldn’t do that for sarah, or felix.  or let tony talk about being trans rather than having it be a hushed whispered conversation between two (then believed to be) cis people without him.

and it was just so frustrating to me, as a viewer, knowing what they meant and seeing what they put out there.  

bc they are two different things.  i can say whatever i want about this post, but at the end of the day it is just a grammatically incorrect, rambling, walk-about way of saying i have insomnia and was thinking about this enough to try and organize my thoughts.  the creators can say whatever they want about the show, but eventually those interviews and those panels will get buried in the internet and all that will stand is their product.  which doesn’t have confirmations of those themes within it.

like i’m forever going to love the show and i’m always going to go back and rewatch.  it’s always going to be an influence on my writing.  it’s just not... me trying to replicate and be like this show it’s trying not to make the same mistakes.  which is kinda sad, bc it used to be the other way.  

and at the end of the day it is feminist.  like it’s about women told from a women’s perspective about allegories for womens’ issues.  it’s just not by women so it missed the mark.  same goes for the lgbt stuff.  it is progressive that they thought to include it, but the stories they ended up telling were closer to the older stuff than what they thought.  

i just wish they had brought in a third showrunner that was a woman and had lgbt writers come in to tell the lgbt stories.  that doesn’t mean that it would’ve automatically been 100% Unproblematic™ but i think it would have been a lot closer to what they had promised.

anyway, i miss it already.

#thinky thoughts #this has been stewing for the better part of 5 years

[mavengers]

Date Night

Okay so this isn’t the fic I’ve been writing but I whipped up this one to put out until I can finish the other one. This one’s just pure fluff (kinda leads into smut but not too far, you’ll see.) BUT THANK YOU. Obviously the past couple months have been difficult for me (just by reading Sleeping Bags, you can tell I was dealing with some pretty heavy stuff), but THANK YOU for not giving up on me and continuing to give my fics some love and send me some love. Your words do not fall on deaf ears, this one is for you guys, from the bottom of my heart. 

Bucky Barnes x reader

Warnings: pure fluff, the warnings will give the story away but I promise its nothing bad!!! Pls trust me!!!

Word count: 2.3k

April 6, 2017, 9:17 pm.

“Captain Rogers, is there anything I can help you with?” The officer asked politely, coming around the desk to stand next to him. Steve looked at you and Bucky, the two of you soaked and looking guilty as ever.

“Yeah, I’m here to bail these two idiots out.”

 *23 Hours Earlier*

April 5, 2017. 10:29 pm.

“Y/N, we’re stuck in a rut.” You stopped short as you walked from the kitchen and into the common room, your hands busy with two glasses of wine and balancing a bowl of popcorn between your teeth. Bucky couldn’t help but smile as he stood up, picking the popcorn bowl from your mouth as you pouted.

“What do you mean?” He placed the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table beside you and took the two wine glasses, putting those next to the food before pulling you down on the couch with him. You sat on his lap, waiting for him to elaborate.

“This is the eighth time we’ve ‘netflix-ed and chilled’ this month.” Your pout grew more prominent.

“I thought you loved cuddling and watching movies with me.”

“I do, but doll, I don’t think we’ve actually gone on a proper date since your cousin got married last August, and we hardly stayed after they handed out the cake.”

“What are you trying to say, Buck?” Your eyebrows raised up in question as you twisted in his lap to straddle him, looking up at him with doe-eyes. His hands slid up your thighs to settle loosely on your hips.

“I’m just saying that maybe we should actually go out; a night on the town. Just us.” You lifted your left eyebrow, pushing his hands off you and spinning in his lap to slide off. You grabbed both wine glasses as you turned back towards him to briefly press a kiss to his cheek.

“Alright, Sergeant. You can plan tomorrow night. Show me how you stole the ladies’ heart in the 1940s.” You walked off to bed, sipping at one of the glasses.

Bucky grinned to himself, knowing that tomorrow night, he was going to give you a night you surely would never forget.

The next morning, you woke up to the all-too-blinding sun warming up your exposed skin. Groaning, you turned over in bed, ready to bury yourself in your boyfriend’s side to stave off the morning. Except there was no warm, muscular body next to you. Only cold sheets and a pillow with a pink sticky-note on it. Sitting up in bed, you plucked the note from the pillow.

Rise and shine, gorgeous. Breakfast’s waiting in the kitchen.

-Bucky

You hated to admit it- because admitting it would mean Bucky was right- but your heart fluttered in your chest. Slipping out of bed and into a pair of navy blue sweatpants and a white tee, you wondered what his idea of “breakfast” would mean today.

To say you were stunned was an understatement. Laid out on the kitchen table, where the rest of your team was also eating breakfast from the huge buffet, were chocolate chip pancakes, a giant bowl of strawberries and cool-whip, a pot of coffee, applewood bacon, and eggs, sunny side up. “Morning, Y/N.” Steve said, taking a sip of his coffee. You took your seat next to him, almost cautiously.

“Morning, Steve,” you picked a pancake on to your plate and Nat poured you a cup of coffee, Wanda adding the cream and sugar. “Where’s Bucky?”

“Told us not to tell you.” Sam said, trying his best not to smile.

“Back in our day,” everyone at the table groaned upon hearing the dreaded phrase come from Steve, but he continued. “We didn’t see the girl until the night of the date.” You furrowed your brows.

“So he’s just going to hide around the compound all day until he takes me to dinner?” You jumped when hands came around to shield your eyes.

“I don’t have to hide because you’ll be out with Nat and Wanda all day.” You smiled brightly, trying to twist in your seat to follow his voice and kiss him. But his palms held your head in place until you were basically just doing torso twists on the bar stool. He pulled your head back until you could’ve been looking at the ceiling, and he placed a kiss on your forehead. “Enjoy breakfast, baby girl. I’ll see you soon.” His hands left your face but before you could turn to look at him for the first time today, Steve’s hand shot out to cover one eye, and Nat’s hand shot out to cover the other one.

After breakfast, you got dressed. You pulled on a pair of your favorite jeans, a black tank top, and slipped on a pair of vans. Nat and Wanda insisted that you didn’t do your makeup or your hair, so getting dressed was all you got the chance to do before a red glow was nearly pushing you out the front door of the compound. “Not fair, Wanda, maybe I had to pee.” You said, once you reached the parking lot where they were waiting for you in Sam’s jeep. She laughed as you climbed in.

“Buckle up,” Nat said from the driver’s seat, smirking. “You all know how I drive.”

The three of you nearly fell through the front door after hours of shopping. Each of you had at least eight bags from various stores at the mall. Wanda helped you pick out your outfit for your date- a short red wrap dress with a plunging neckline with a pair of classic tan heels. But Nat was the one to drag you into Victoria’s Secret. Originally, you had only planned to buy one set of lingerie. Originally.

That wasn’t the case when you couldn’t decide what you looked better in- the black, the white, the baby pink, or the royal blue.

Then the rest of your trip was spent at random stores that just seemed to call out to you.

Tony’s credit card took quite the hit, to say the least.

It was around 5 pm when you got home, which according to Steve, meant you had two hours to get ready.

And then that meant that you rushed to shave almost every hair that wasn’t on your head off your body while Nat and Wanda eagerly waited to help get you dressed and do your hair and makeup.

Once you were dressed in the dress, Wanda began curling your hair in big, relaxed, perfectly tousled curls, while Nat did your makeup. “Stop moving or I’ll get eyeliner in your eye.” She warned, but you couldn’t help it. You had been dating Bucky for almost two years now, and you’ve never felt this much pressure about a date. Things between the two of you had always been fairly relaxed. The dates that you guys had actually gone on had been trips to Wrigley Field for baseball games or dinner at a crowded pub a couple blocks over. And you’ve never let Bucky plan the whole date- you had no idea what was up his sleeve for tonight, but you had no choice but to relax when you were pushed to stand in front of a mirror.

How is it possible to look classy and downright hot at the same time?

“You’re gonna give the old man a heart attack, Y/N.” Clint said, as you stepped into the common room. And by stepped you mean that Natasha and Wanda had nearly thrown you down the stairs for everyone else to admire their handiwork. Sam whistled as he walked in a circle around you. Steve’s eyes were everywhere except you.

“Problem, Steven?” You asked, smirking. Steve finally looked at you, almost pouting.

“Yeah, I’m finally realizing I’m old. I can’t help but want to tell you to change.” You laughed loudly, Clint and Sam quietly joining in as they snickered from their spots against the wall. They all quieted down when footsteps took everyone’s attention to the stairs. It was as if the air had been sucked out of your lungs, you felt your heart stop.

Bucky was coming down the stairs, dressed in a dark blue suit with a black button up underneath. He hadn’t touched the stubble on his cheeks and upper lip that you adored, but his hair.

HIS.

HAIR.

It was shorter, and pushed back. It had just enough volume that it didn’t look completely slicked back, which you appreciated. You couldn’t even describe it. He just looked so sexy. And you had only seen him with this hair once before:

World War 2. The pictures that him and Steve had shown you. The pictures from the museum.

But never in a million years did you think you’d ever see it on him again. He smirked as he realized your mouth was parted open in a gasp and that you just couldn’t tear your eyes away from him. He approached you, but you couldn’t move for the life of you. “Doll, you’re going to catch flies.” Taking his middle and ring finger, he lifted them to your chin, effectively putting your lips back together. He grasped your hand in his, walking towards the door with you trailing behind him. You quickly turned your head back to Wanda and Nat, giving them a look that silently told them that you were grateful for your purchases at Victoria’s Secret.

“Did you grab the car keys?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“You told me to plan the date based on how I dated in the 1940s.” He said, stopping and pulling you to him by your hips. You tipped your head up to him, relishing in the feeling of his hard chest pressing against yours.

“And that doesn’t include a car?” You asked as he gently pressed his lips to yours.

“Walking leaves more room for conversation.”

And so you did walk. You two walked to the restaurant, laughing and talking the whole way. He told you about life in the 1940s and how different dating back then was. When you asked him if he preferred dating back then than dating now, he told you no because dating now meant he got to be with you. He told you that despite anything Steve had told you about his dating experience back then, Steve knew how to flirt when he saw a girl he was interested in enough. Before you knew it, Bucky was holding the door open for you at the fanciest restaurant in New York.

You talked some more, laughed some more, and definitely drank maybe too much champagne over dinner, but honestly, you didn’t have a care in the world. It felt like you two were the only people in there. You were absolutely transfixed on Bucky and Bucky only.

And Bucky couldn’t take his eyes off you, nor did he want to. It was as if you had made everything else fade away into insignificance. All he wanted in that moment was for you to never lose that smile that only he could ever bring to your lips- the smile that reached your eyes and practically lit up the world around you. Your smile could move mountains, he was convinced.

You gasped as you stepped out of the restaurant, sputtering water out of your mouth. It was pouring. Bucky was next to come out of the restaurant, ready to ask why you were soaked when he stepped out of the protection of the awning. You couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction. “So maybe a car was a good idea.” He said. You shook your head, smiling at him as you pushed some of his hair from his forehead. You grabbed his hand, and began the trek home. You loved the rain, and you loved tonight- maybe this wasn’t the perfect scenario to anyone else, but to you- you couldn’t have imagined a better one.

As you passed by nightclubs and bars down the avenue, you realized that instead of blaring loud, energetic music, they had slowed it down to music that you recognized Bucky had shown you. You stopped short and turned to Bucky.

“Dance with me.”

“Doll, its pouring rain. If I don’t get you home soon enough, you’ll catch a cold.”

“And have you take care of me? I don’t see a problem with that,” he smiled and yours got brighter, if that was even possible. “Please, Bucky.” You pouted at him and you watched giddily as he took his bottom lip between his teeth, giving in to you. You giggled as he lifted his arm and yours to spin you in his grip and dip you. Pulling you back up, he continued to dance slowly outside the bar with you, in the pouring rain, and you wouldn’t have had it any other way. You bit your lip as he looked down at you, eyes full of adoration, and you couldn’t help but slide your hand up from his chest to the back of his neck, pulling his lips to yours.

Once his lips were on yours, it was as if neither of you could stop yourselves. His hands slid down to your hips as he led the both of you into a nearby alleyway. His arms caged you in against the brick wall of a building and one of your legs slid up to wrap around the back of his knee, urging him closer to you until your body was touching his anywhere you could get the contact. His hands slid down from your hips until they reached your thigh, and he began urging your dress up around your waist as your hands went to his belt buckle. Right as things were about to escalate, a loud booming voice reminded you where you were and what you were about to do.

“Hey! You two!”

#mcu #marvel #bucky barnes #sebastian stan #the winter soldier #Winter Soldier #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes imagines #bucky barnes imagine #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan imagines #sebastian stan imagine #the winter soldier x reader #the winter soldier imagine #the winter soldier imagines #winter soldier x reader #winter soldier imagines #winter soldier imagine #steve rogers #chris evans #captain america #steve rogers x reader #chris evans x reader #captain america x reader #wanda maximoff #Scarlet Witch #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #wanda maximoff x reader #black widow

[dcmissionaries]

...Of the Dead III: Revelations

After the catastrophic events that took place on the off-shore Lethocs base, the Angels' struggle to accomplish their sacred duty was getting increasingly difficult. The public began expressing their lack of trust in them and blamed them for outrageous rumors that held no merit. Many speculated that, not only are they protecting a potential serial killer, but that Angels are their accomplices in blowing up the base they were locked up in. Catching wind of these rumors, the Ophirs acted upon them only adding fire to the flame. They validated the public's worst fears and the slandering soon made it impossible for Angels to leave the Abbey at all because of protesters. This was diminishing what little morale the former Templar had and he had no one to confide in, wanting to spare others of burdening them with his insecurities. The Seraph was of no help, either. He was far more concerned with his image and upkeep, thinking the situation more as a mere inconvenience. It was beginning to grate on Strappon with old suspicions resurfacing concerning the Seraph. As his hope dwindled, Strappon occupied most of his free time by keeping up to date with current events. He felt like there may be an answer by just watching the news, an opportunity to fix everything and make it go back to the way it was. An opportunity that didn't endanger everybody's lives like their little trip to Europe. During his contemplation did such an opportunity arise. A week had passed after the Lethocs base was assaulted and the news had turned its attention to a new scandal. The story was over an Ophir that went missing. At first, Strappon thought (and hoped) it was the old hag that one of the regulars kept calling Zombie Hands. He was never a man to think ill of others, but that woman shook him to his core. His outlook changed when the missing Ophir was shown. "We bring you this emergency broadcast: An Ophir has recently gone missing. Pleats Ophir, daughter of the astute Swing Coat Ophir, was last seen by the outskirts of Daten City. Rumors have surfaced stating that she was seen entering prohibited territory once overseen by Lethocs before its closing, on of the Grimm District's towns, Shelles Harbor. We are taking this lead with a grain of salt as the thought of a normal girl getting past security seems unlikely, but we'll keep you informed as to her fate."

Shelles Harbor...that sounded familiar. If he remembered correctly, Strappon heard that name being tossed around by former Lethocs personnel like the late Commander and how it was infested with...zombies... Oh. Upon the realization did Strappon's stress began building up. How is city personnel going to clean up the infestation effectively to look for this girl? Especially now considering that zombies are now immune to human weapons and with Lethocs gone, city officials have no means of defending themselves. The search for the girl will be a disaster story ready to be covered and Strappon felt that he and his Angels needed to be there and help out. At first, he went about it as civilized as possible. He tried to gain permissions from the city to have access to the infestation zone but was denied when officials realized his association with the Angels. He then turned to less honest methods through bribery, but even the security outside the zone's perimeter didn't budge. He was starting to feel frantic. Seeing Strappon's current state of mind, Hot Pants felt pity for the man and tried to think of a few ways to get him and the Angels in. For a fact, he knew security wouldn't even let him in if he donned the Lethocs uniform. The uniform held no significance anymore, his authority was gone and this made him doubt his other options. That was until he recognized a familiar face. As Hot Pants became acquainted with the perimeter to lead a simple break-in, he came across a former coworker that definitely took a fancy to him. The guy was being a huge flirt with Hot Pants and while it was off-putting at first, he got the idea to use this to his advantage. He was going to pretend and reciprocate this guy's advances much to Duster's dismay. Despite being vocal about going that route, Hot Pants went and secured entry into Shelles Harbor through seduction...if he could even call it that. Their next plan was clear, they were to strike under the cover of darkness. 

Even though the Heavenbents have prior experience in dealing with the zombie epidemic ever since Romero and Carpen Town, will they be prepared enough with a zombie threat they never encountered before?

The grungy ruins of the harbor city almost seemed to have an energy of t

heir own, and boy was it oppressive. As the crew of Angels and Leon "Leon" Leonhart mosied into Shelles Harbo r, the atmosphere was akin to some sort of survival horror video game. T here was nothing seen around, only vague sounds and some environmental s cuffling, a low, inaudible rumble almost from the depths of the earth, a nd a mist from the nearby body of water. The smell was salty and heavy, like a damp basement, and the chill from the air settled on them like ra in. Strappon walked forward without fear in his eyes, his face stone-cold ev en with his hair sticking to his face slightly from the dampness in the air. There was no rain, no storm, but the mist was enough to make it awf ully humid. "It's dark, but we'll be able to work our way through. We remember what the girl looks like, right?" He asked, turning to the group. There was d etermination in his eyes.

BRIT:  "Burned into my brain!" Jacket replied with an enthusiastic swing of h  is arm and his trademark grin.  Cowlneck snorted, taking his sunglasses off and flipping his hair out  of his face.  "Just find the girl so we can get the hell out of here, it's disgustin  g and the air is making my hair frizz. There's not enough product in t  he world to keep this mosture from ruining my hard work." He griped.  Duster was inordinately close to Hot Pants, nearly in his clothes and  practically clipping through him. His eyes were fixated on Leon, watch  ing his moves. Anytime he would come anywhere near Hot Pants, he shift  ed in a way that would suggest he was ready to strike.

TORIBIRDSEED:  The day for Collier was just starting, as he had only woken up a few h  ours ago to hear the news of the missing Ophir and some thing or other   about locations, He didint really bother to think too much of it. He  decided that he would drop by and see what all the fuss was about, as  he figured that the other angels and humans would probably be at the s  cene before him. Stretching his wings he took off. He had missed work  that day, and as such had to hope that his subordinates could handle m  anaging things on their own, if not he would have to scold them when h  e got back.  Without an escort, Collier soon saw where the others had congested to,   and he swooped in graceful landing with a jog and swooping his hair b  ackwards with his hand before stopping. He put his hand on his shoulde  r, stretching it gently as he look around, his eyes gently piercing th  rough people to look behind them, and than into their eyes. Not litera  lly of course, he just had that look about him. Yawning he spoke up.  “So what's going on this time? You angels fuck something up again.” As   always he was speaking to nobody in particular. It was just his way o  f getting attention, somebody was sure to answer him. He didn't unders  tand the full grasp of the situation he had got himself into, and was  particularly uninterested in being cooperative with the other angels,  especially not Strapon. He had a particularly strong distaste for doin  g anything Strapon would tell him to do, perhaps that's why he was whe  re he was no in life. Regardless, he was just going to do his own thin  g. To hell if anybody was gonna stop him.  Licking his lips he waited to see what would happen next.  Along with the others who had arrived, Cloak was one of a few humans w  ho often went out of his way to see to it that things went well. His c  reepiness and gross behavior aside, he was somebody who was quite fond   of making sure that plans were followed. Not that he knew what the pl  an was. Cloak had been in the middle of some research when he found ou  t people were going out, and so he had decided that he would do the sa  me, leaving his research partner behind for however long this took. Mu  mbling to himself he spoke gently, his voice shaky as always.  “Uuhh… I really hope we find a ghost or this is gonna be a waste… Uuuh  .”  He wasn't too interested unless a ghost was involved, and came with on  ly the hope of finding one he had not seen before in his head. That wa  s his sole motivation when doing anything, ghosts… it was all that he  thought about in his day to day life, and it was the focus of his enti  re world view. He considered them to be something spectacular, as well   as utterly disgusting. Perhaps he related to that somewhat. Walking s  lowly he scratched his head before grabbing his hair and pulling it ba  ck into a ponytail, sick of it being in his face for once. He fixed hi  s rather tall collar and smiled.  “Would somebody care to tell me why exactly we are even here? I mean…  If one would not mind… I simply was not paying attention.”  That was usual for him.  Finally, there was Goggles. Goggles was loud, obnoxious, and never got   along with angels too well, not being able to control her emotions ma  de things rather difficult for her, as many people, especially those w  ith virtue, did not like her rather straight to the point way of think  ing. Her day was already going bad in her eyes, as she approached the  area that many of the others were finding themselves. Cracking her knu  ckles and takling to herself.  “Fucking peice of shit fucking asshole motherfucker-”  Something along those lines. She had a few encounters with people on h  er way here, and she was particularly pissed off. Today was not a good   day for her. Her eyes had the very definition of fury in them, and sh  e honestly just wanted to go home. She started to question why she eve  n came out to this place, perhaps she was bored. Or maybe part of her  actually wanted to, but after the day she had been having, that was no   more. Hands behind her back she spoke up to herself once again, after   her swearing had subsided.  “Can anybody tell me why the fuck I'm here… before I snap all y’all’s  necks? I fucking hate this stupid bullshit, who the fuck convinced me  that this was a good idea. Huh?” She pointed at one of the higher up a  ngels, nobody in particular.  “Was it you tough guy!? You wanna fucking throw down?”

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Indeed Brother Strappon" Father Crucifix said as he looked at him wit  h a determine face. Raincoat had her weapon out and was filling it up  with bullets though she looked at Boxer who looked tried a bit. "Boxer  , you okay?" Raincoat said as she looks at kind of worried for her fri  end. Boxer looked at her with a tried like smile. "I'm fine, Rain. Jus  t my run took a lot out of me..." Boxer chuckled a little though it wa  s a weak chuckle. "Boxer, you know you can stay home, Father Crucifix  would understand" She said as she was worried for as she tries to put  a hand on his shoulder. "Like i said, I'm Fine" He said as he looked a  t her with no smile but with a straight face. "Okay..." Raincoat said  as she still worries but continues to get her weapon ready.

CRACKEMWALNUTS:  Headphones was fanning himself with a much too fancy fan with lace and   jewels as he walked with the click of his heels. Sighing,  "While I like a sauna this is just a bit much."  Surprisingly, he didn't mind the fishy smell from the harbor. In fact,   it reminded him of the time he fell asleep in a tide pool. It might a  lso be that Headphone's sense of smell was either so damaged or backwa  rd that he enjoyed really any smell. He raised his eyebrow,  "You're asking a man without his left eye to see something. Good j o b  ."  He gave a sarcastic slow clap as he widened the only functioning eye h  e has to stare in the fog to exemplify his point.  Knittens was in the same boat, itching at the patches on his right arm  . It's been several days and his home life had been stressful. Not tha  t anything happened it was just a very strange series of events that d  idn't really make sense. Honestly, he did want to get out of the house   even if it meant this insanity. Stretching his neck,  "Shouldn't we try getting flashlights or something to at least see?"

DJ:  "My mind is a steel trap, Brother Strappon!" Helmet exclaimed, eager t  o recuse the damsel in distress like a true knight.  Loincloth was adjusting the strap to his plaudron. It had been a long  time since he wore this armor. Hell, he didn't think he was never goin  g to have to wear it again since he fell from heaven. But here he was,   attempting to rescue some likely dead woman in a zombie-infested harb  or with a bunch of other angels. He could only hope it this venture do  esn't go to complete shit.

SOUP-KITTY:  Jong was in a particularly enthusiastic mood that day, he had once aga  in gone alone into town and done some shopping, all on his own. Which  was a big achievement considering how much his dads loved to baby him.   Still, he managed to slip away. Mostly by using his wings which were  admittedly underdeveloped as he had never been allowed or taught to us  e them. With that though, the boy had picked up his wheelchair and flo  wn off for the day, only placing the chair back down when he was far e  nough away. But now he was in the middle of zooming over to the meetin  g place, wheeling himself as fast as possible, which was probably way  too fast a speed for a wheelchair, and he wasn’t alone. There was a gi  rl who was slightly taller than him, sitting on his lap, holding on fo  r dear life. He saw the group of familiar people in the distance, and  came to a screeching halt, which sent the poor girl flying out of his  lap.  Pointe Shoes was stuck in a peculiar situation. Peculiar being an ange  l, who she had only really had interactions with on twitter, wheeling  her off to lord knows where. She held on as tight as she could. The wh  ole situation was extremely uncomfortable considering she had a sword  that was bigger than she was strapped to her back. When the chair came   to a halt, she flew out of there as if she had been a Frisbee that wa  s tossed into traffic never to be seen again. Except the traffic in th  is particular situation was an unsuspecting Goggles. As pointe was fly  ing through the air and into Goggles it almost looked as if she had be  en T-posing.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  As Raincoat was reloading her Weapon, she see her best big friend; Loi  ncloth! "Loin!" She called out as she runs to him and hops on his back  . "It's good to see you again, Big Buddy" Raincoat said as she smiles  at him. "You here to kill some, Zombies? Word of advice aim for the he  ad" She whisper as she smiles at him. Father Crucifix saw Helmet came  and he smile as he walk to him. "Ah, Brother Helmet. It's nice to see  you again." Father Crucifix said with hands behind his back as he appr  oaches him though extends hand out for a shake. "Hope you are ready to   smite the living dead?" Father Crucifix said with a chuckle as he loo  ks at him with a smile. Meanwhile Boxer was by himself looking at down   at the ground closing eyes but keeping himself awake.

EMI:  Dermal shot a very short, disinterested look at Goggles, who was point  ing and yelling some garbage at him. He walked up behind Cowlneck and  flicked his hair as well, his usual "tail" following him around (hint:   it's Veil.)  "Then you should do your best, right? Don't want these other Angels ou  tshining my star, after all." He said with a smile, lightly patting hi  s shoulder.

KRO:  "It's okay, we'll get a hair treatment that makes you bald so you don'  t /have/ to deal with hair," said Sukajan, following closely behind Co  wlneck.  "Wigs are easier to maintain, anyways. You know it's true."  Hot Pants slung his pulse rifle over his shoulder and stretched, takin  g in the smell of the atmosphere. He ended up hacking up a lung from t  he rancid smell. He tried, he was just trying to feel nostalgic after  losing his job. But what he didn't appreciate was how close Duster was  . Every five seconds he was pushing his boyfriend away.  "Babe, it's humid as all hell. At least give me some space or I'm not  showering when we get home so you deal with this stank ass smell."  Leon was a little mesmerized by Hot Pants before snapping back into re  ality, a dreadful feeling pulling him back in. It felt like someone wa  s ready to murder him but he couldn't put his finger on who. Shrugging   it off, he opened the fence door and gesturing for everybody to come  through, only to stop Knittens on his tracks.  "Flash light? That's probably not a good idea. We're still on the peri  meter and this operation is /not/ authorized by the city. What we're a  ll doing here is illegal, but you're our best bet to find this girl re  gardless if she's alive or not regardless of what the city thinks of y  ou all..."  Spur came up behind Knittens and went in to pat Leon on the shoulder.  "The guards around the perimeter are the least of our worries. You cou  ld say they're...taking a little nap."  "Nap...?" There was concern in Leon's voice. He squinted at the myster  y person before coming to the realization that they either knocked out   the security or killed them. He hoped for the former.  "Yes, nap," Spur reaffirmed, "We still gotta act quick, they won't sta  y down the entire night."  Oh thank fuck, Leon thought. They didn't kill them.  Archer, meanwhile, was mourning his feathers which were being affected   by whatever was causing the air to feel oppressive.  "Tch, they're losing...oil? Fuck."  Guess he's staying grounded.

OWLIE:  Monocle stood alongside with Polo among the other angels. Monocle shiv  ered as he adjusted his scarf, looking around in worry. Sneakers would  've come but he's out sick and Cardigan's taking care of him and Henle  y doesn't want to.

DJ:  “Ready and eager!” Helmet said, pulling out his stick, “I shall send t  his vile undead back into their grave!”  Loincloth was caught off guard and was about to rip whatever hopped on  to his back apart before he realized it was only Raincoat and relaxed.   “Raincoat, I’m over 900 years old. I’ve fought plenty of zombies in m  y day.”

TORIBIRDSEED:  Goggles looked at the other who was flying at her, nearly about to hit   her. She was not about that life, her day was already going bad as is  . Before the other could hit her Goggles stepped backwards and ducked,   letting the other fly past them before speaking up in her usual loud  tone of voice.  “Hey! Watch where the fuck youre going asshat! You want to fucking die  !? I'll fucking kill ya!”  She was probably serious too. Grabbing her goggles in her hands and cr  ushing them as it turned into her weapon. Pointing it at the other, ki  nd of. Everything was always blurry to goggles so she was more pointin  g it at Pointe number 2.  “I'll fucking blow you the fuck up!”

CRACKEMWALNUTS:  Knittens pursed his lips at the stranger, obviously very uncomfortable   that a stranger talked to him. He became very defensive recently but  he nodded slowly. It made sense that they wanted to lay low. He still  muttered,  "Yeah, but it'll be like look for a needle in a haystack."  He shrugged, usually, things worked out and he was just here for the r  ide. At the same time, he didn't want to admit the aspect they're look  ing for a dead girl was disturbing. Gulping, he just hoped that she wa  s still moving. Knittens flinched at the sight of the stranger coming  from behind but immediately relaxed. The suit the person was wearing v  aguely reminded him of his mother, in fact, he started feeling nostalg  ia from seeing Spur. It was barely similar, most likely the colors but   it made him realize how long it had been since the last time he's eve  n spoken to his mom. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he shuffled fo  rward, keeping his head down. He didn't feel like talking anymore.  Headphones sighs as he tied his long hair into a messy bun just to exp  erience some sort of cooling. It was like adding 5 pounds of hair on h  is head but it was worth it for the tiny breeze on the back of his nec  k. Of course, it looked like he had a white fluffy creature on the top   of his head and his head was being tilted back because of it. But wor  ht it.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Glad to hear that" Father Crucifix said with a smile on his face."Int  eresting fact to know, Buddy" Raincoat said with a giggle as she looks   at him with a smile. "This is my first time slaying Zombies!" She sai  d as she was excited to headshot some Zombies. "It looks like you got  some good gear for the Mission" Raincoat said as she pokes at his new  armor he had on.

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  Vampire Collar was on the ground watching the two forms fly around on  the air. He was currently under his umbrella applying globs of sunbloc  k to his skin to keep it nice and safe. He was not fucking with the su  n.     Another rather tall individual walked close by, she knew no one   so this would be fun. Dzilla tied up her long hair in a bun and she l  ooked around, wow, only one person as tall as her. Well close enough.  She walked over to Loincloth and she picked him up,"Hello."

BRIT:  "I'm glad we're ready, then." Strappon said, looking around at the Ang  els once again before nodding succinctly. "We can move on, then. Now t  hat this... Nice, mysterious man has incapacitated our barrier."  "I appreciate it." Cowlneck said, flashing a smirk at Dermal. He whipp  ed his head around to glare at Sukajan, "Rude. You don't like my hair?   You make me bald, I tear what's left of your skin off."  Blazer approached the group, sipping a latte. How did they get in? Who   fuckin knows.  "Oh, hey. It's the stud." They said, pointing toward Spurs. "Let's get   moving."

SOUP-KITTY:  Pointe T posed right into the ground. She soon got back on her feet an  d glared back at Goggles who seemed to want to throw the fuck down. Sh  e unsheathed Starfury and pointed the massive sword at Goggles, before   looking back over at Jong who seemed concerned at the whole thing. "L  isten here Captain cum waffle, you're lucky wheelchair kid is here or  else your ass would have been on fire by now. I have better shit to do   than to fight with shitty wanna be shounen protagonist." Pointe put t  he sword back in its holding unit, and walked over to Jong, ignoring G  oggles. "Okay wheelchair kid. I'm guessing you wanted me to help you w  ith this? If something happens to me i just want you to know that my s  isters ___WILL___ fuck you up."  Jong simply nodded at the whole encounter and started to wheel himself   along with the crowd.

TORIBIRDSEED:  Goggles was not about this life, not at all. Stomping her foot she yel  led.  “Cum...CUM WAFFle? YOU WANNA GO YOU FUCKING PIG SLUT?”  She shot a round off from her grenade launcher into the distance, a la  rge explosion going off as usual. “I'll end your fucking life! And you  r sisters you hear me!?”  She stomped around some more before Collier flew over and put a hand o  n Goggles  shoulders, smiling at Pointe. “My appologies. My friend is  not the type to take well to insults. He guided her away to calm down  before flying back over. “Would you like to become a prostitite?” He w  as getting straight to the point wasn't he.

SOUP-KITTY:  Pointe was clearly not pleased at this whole thing " I WASN'T TALKING  TO YOU YOU SNOT NOSED COCK GOBLIN" Pointe turned back to Collier and s  miled, "Sorry mister, a self respecting young woman such as myself wou  ld never become a prostitute while it's illegal. If there were unions  for this and I was of age then maybe, but its a career choice I would  have to talk over with someone. Thank you for your offer."  Jong shook his head. This was dumb.

DJ:  "Right! Let us go then. FOR GOD AND GLORY!" Helmet cried out as he ran   headlong into certain death, as per usual.  "Not really new. I stopped wearing this armor centuires ago when I beg  an learning mag-WOAH, WHAT THE HELL?!" Loincloth exclaimed as he was l  ifted up into the air and just stared at Dzilla. Not only was this wom  an taller than him, she could also lift him up effortlessly. To say he   was surprised would be an understatement. "Uhhhhh....Hi there."

OWLIE:  "Let's move then," Monocle said, looking around the the place as he wa  lked, he approached in Boxer and gave him a gentle punch on the should  er. "Heya Box," He said, his voice dipping in a bit of excitement.  Polo walked near Raincoat and Loincloth and flashed them both with a g  rin. "Hi, Raincoat, hi, Loincloth," Polo said, then stared up at Dzill  a with awe, "Ooh, hey there, tall and pretty stranger~"

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "You have very unique spirit, Helmet" Father Crucifix said as he pats  on the back with a smile on his face. Raincoat looked at new angel tha  t appeared before her and Loincloth. "Hello there new person" Raincoat   said as she waved to Dzilla. Then she saw Polo coming, man looks like   a big welcoming party was coming along. "Hey Polo!" She said as she w  aved to him with a smile on her face.  As Boxer was seating alone he felt a little punch on his shoulder and  he turn around to see Mono. "Hey Mono" Boxer said as he gave him a gen  tle hug which was strange. Boxer usually excited and full of energy bu  t he looks like he is all tried out. This was strange.

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  Vampire Collar binked before leaning down,"Darling why does it smell l  ike dead people here?" He licked his little lovers cheek.    Dzilla ch  uckled and put him down,"My apologies, it has just been a while since  I have seen someone my size." She hears Polo and her cheeks redden. Sh  e turns to him,"H-hello there." She almost shrunk at the attention, sh  e waved to Boxer.

KRO:  Spur held up a hand, about to address Strappon that he didn't need the   praise until he heard Blazer's voice.  No, let's not get distracted by their beauty, there's a little girl to   find. That was more important at the moment.  Spur walked past Leon who was running after him.  "Uh, sir! Hold on-"  Leon stopped in his tracts as Spur turned around. There was something  menacing about it.  "It's fine, I know my way around. Could say I worked here for a while.   I believe these Zombies can be repented through holy weapons, so thos  e with firearms better shoot them before they get close. It's imperati  ve that they /do not/ get close to you."  Hots quirked a brow as he listened in on Spur. This guy must have work  ed for Lethocs before it was shut down if he knew this much, but it co  uld be the spy as well. Who knows. He can't exactly prosecute right no  w, not with who they have to rescue.  Sukajan fitted a helmet as Cowlneck spoke, looking directly at the man  .  "Sure, you can do that if you don't mind punching in the helmet's glas  s."

OWLIE:  Monocle was surprised at the gentle hug, strange, but he shrugged it o  ff. Meanwhile Polo was bouncing about, smiling at Dzilla, "You're soo  tall," He said, "You should've seen my boyfriend, he's so-" He stopped   himself before he can say short with Monocle within earshot. He reall  y don't want Mono ignoring him. Again.

DJ:  "R-Right." Loincloth said, still taking in how tall (and strong) this  woman was before turning his attention to Raincoat. "Can you please ge  t off my back now?"

SOPHIE:  After receiving a text from her sister about some rather creepy people  , Pumps had sprung into action, hopping on her bicycle and PUMPIN THOS  E THIGHS AMIRITE. Not really up to date on current events she just wen  t to the address Pointe had texted her on her phone. Upon ariving she  brought her bike to a screeching hault and took off her helmet.  "WHICH ONE OF YOU'S CREEPIN ON MY BABY SISTER" she shouted, seemingly  towards no one. Guess they left. She got up and sighed, placing the he  lmet on her sister's head. "Use this for protection-" she mumbled, fol  ding her arms. "Anyways, the heck's going on here sis? Sorry I was a b  it late. _I can't believe you swore._ "

BRIT:  Blazer watched Hot Spur closely, their lips sort of pouted. Something  about him was so familiar... But they had to concentrate on getting ev  eryone motivated.  "Alright, folks. Nice to meet you, glad you could come, let's get movi  ng, already." They said, waving everyone down, "Hot Stuff is going to  guide us in, let's not disappoint."  Duster was still practically up Hot Pants' ass. He starting moving for  ward with the group, basically dragging Hot Pants with him.  "I guess we have more to lose sticking around here with Jacket out in  the open." Cowlneck commented almost apathetically.  "Don't worry, I got a disguise!" Jacket said, putting a paper bag over   his head.  Cowlneck stared at him for a good solid minute before moving on.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "So, how are you doing?" Boxer ask Monocle as he looked at him with a  tried smile. "I'm doing great, starting to run for my hobby and stuff"   He said as he looked at the ground as he yawned a bit. he looked like   he was going to sleep anytime soon though he did notice Vampire Colla  r wave to him and he wave back. Raincoat looked at Loincloth with her  puppy dog eyes. "But i like back, it gives me the advantage to shot th  ings. The High Ground is the best ground" Raincoat said with her puppy   dog eyes and puppy dog giggle as she looks at Loincloth.

SOUP-KITTY:  Jong blushed a little at his boyfriend licking his cheek, but he was u  sed to it. He chuckled a little, before pulling the other one onto his   lap for a kiss. “Something about zombies babe.” Jong was so happy to  have his boyfriend there. But also a little concerned because the boy  wanted to do a protecc. “We should be really careful here, okay? I don  ’t want you to get hurt by zombies. I also don’t wanna get hurt by Zom  bies. Lets both not get hurt by zombies.”  Pointe practically jumped out of her skin when she heard her sister’s  voice. She loved her dearly but god was she good at catching her off g  uard. “something about Zombies. I really have no idea what’s up.” I ki  nda got dragged out here by a wheelchair kid who seems to be making ou  t with his vampire boyfriend?” Pointe locked arms with her sister. She   was glad to not be there alone.

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  Dzilla giggles and she covers her mouth. "I have been made aware my de  ar." She turns to Mono and she looks back at Polo,"Awww..you're both r  ather small." Vampire wiggled and whispered,"That guy saw my junk when   he broke in and it scares me." He squeaked and chilled in his lap,"I  promise I'll keep you safe. You're not being a meal on wheels today. M  aybe when we go home though.." He kissed him happily.

SOPHIE:  Pumps loves her sister dearly, but she can't seem to fathom the inform  ation her sister had just given her. "Oh, so you're telling me a cripp  led individual _kidnapped_ you and now there's _zombies_ "  She looked around and tapped her foot for a moment, pulling out some k  neepads and shoulderpads from her backpack, shoving them towards Point  e.  "Put this on for protection, if the zombies get you at least you'll ha  ve your shins and wenis..es.." Why was her sense of humor so morbid?

OWLIE:  Monocle smiled warmly at Boxer, "I'm mostly doing okay, that guy's shi  t of a brother just ruined my garden." He pointed at Polo and sighed,  remembering when he and Henley argued about Polo and things quickly tu  rned physical. Polo shrugged and smiled, grinning at Dzilla's statemen  t "Yeah, pretty much, I'm still taller than him though,"

DJ:  Loincloth quickly shut his eyes as he had grown wise to Raincoat's pup  py eyes. "If you want a vantage point, climb up a building or somethin  g. I need my back to be unburdened of any unnecessary weight if we end   up fighting a horde of those zombies." He said as he picked up Rainco  at and placed her down beside him.  "OI!" Flat Cap yelled out as he ran towards the group, "Oh shite...oh  fuck...sorry i'm late. I was smoking a blunt and....then i remember we   were....heading to....the harbor...and shite...." What he wouldn't gi  ve to have a car or even a bike.

KRO:  Archer cupped his ears when Pumps began shouting, holding a finger in  fron of his lips and shushing her.  "We probably shouldn't make too much noise if we're in a zombie infest  ed zone. Now come on before you all fall behind."  He gestured for them to follow, then summoned his bow, drawing the str  ing which summoned arrows.  "Luckily for everybody, I'm an amazing shot, so we should be safe."  His tone was so matter-of-fact. In before he ends up cowering consider  ing he can't fly.  Hots tried to dig his heels into the ground to get Duster to stop but  instead he just ran a distance and tried to keep it that way. Leon saw   how much they were both straying and grabbed on to Hots' arm.  "Hey, I don't know what's going on, but seperating is probably not bes  t right now. I heard the zombies do weird things to you just getting c  lose to them..."  "Yeah, I know what they do. We worked for the same organization, you k  now," Hots said, retreiving his arm back from Leon. What, did this guy   think he was a damsel?  "If you don't mind me asking, what /do/ they do?" Sukajan asked Leon.  Leon turned around to answer before he was caught off by an odd noise  and Hots yelling.  Two zombies had appeared out of nowhere, circling the human who was co  vering his eyes or acting as if there was too much light in them. Inst  inctively, Spur drew his rifle, shooting the heads off both zombies, a  llowing Hots to have his vision back.  "They blind you," Spur said, "We don't know why, but being in close pr  oximity to them blinds you with light."  "And I still fell for it like a damn fOOL!" Hots yelled. He was visibl  y upset.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "I'm sorry to hear that Mono, i could come over and help you out fixin  g your Garden" Boxer said very calmly as he looked at Mono with still  a tried smile. He was so tried but he need to stay up for this Mission  , he wasn't going to miss this one.  "Alright Loin, i'll take you advice sense your 900 years old" Raincoat   said as he gentle punches his side because he couldn't reach his shou  lder. Though it hit a little because of the armor. "Ouch! My Hand!" Sh  e said as she waved her hand to let pain go away. "Man, that's some to  ugh Armor, Loin" Raincoat said as she puts hand behind her head with a   calm look.

SOUP-KITTY:  Pointe sighed in disappointment but complied. She knew better than to  argue with her sister on safety precautions, even /if/ she was gonna e  nd up with burnt plastic. In that moment she noticed a stanger walking   over to them and essentially shooshing them for safety. "Well, I gues  s thats what we're doing here. You can blame the wheelchair boy whoms'  d've kidnapped me."  Jong waved at Flat Cap. Despite the coke in the sugar bowl debacle he  was glad he was at least taking the drugs out of the abbey. "hey dude  maybe be a little more careful with the shouting. You wouldn't wanna g  et any attention drawn to yourself."

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  Dzilla smiled and nodded,"I will give you the credit where it is due.  What are your names?" She smells the weed. "Why..the.."   Vampire Coll  ar's practically visibly boiled. He kept close to Jong and he started  hissing. He was like a cat, not having any of it.

SOPHIE:  Pumps blinked and took the cue to lower her voice, nodding along. I me  an, nobody said there'd be medusa-zombies lurking about. "Man if only  Papa Pantaloni was here he'd have himself a field day if you know what   I mean" She said, nudging her sister.  With that said, Pumps had no idea what she meant.  She fished around in her bag and pulled out an entire wooden chair, pl  acing it down on the ground, before picking up her bicycle, folding it   up and shoving it in her bag as if it were paper. Gosh, you'd think h  er bag belonged to Hermione Granger with how much stuff she could fit  in it and utterly defy the laws of physics.  She sat down in the chair and pulled out one of her daggers, spinning  it around on her finger. "Say, how'd that date go with  you and that b  oy.. uhh.. PBJ?"  _She meant PTJ but the point was made._

BRIT:  Duster held his hand out helplessly to stop Hot Pants but he was too l  ate. What a dumbass. Why was he trying to kill this kid, he was easily   going to get himself murdered. He sighed. He wanted to kill him to pu  t him out of his misery. But not now.  Soon.  But not now.  "Oh, hey Jong!" Jacket chirped, taking his bag off his head, "Ready fo  r some cool shenanigans? I haven't seen people much since I was at tha  t mulitary base. Mom took my phone away."  He looked at the newer people crowded around the wheelchair with awe.  "Hey, we should head in before the feds find me!" He said, thumbing to  ward the crowd that had headed toward the... Zombies.  "What a dumb fuck." Cowlneck said, crossing his arms as he watched Hot   Pants get blinded.

CRACKEMWALNUTS:  Headphones spotted Knittens moping and sighs, not in his house. Walkin  g over, the beanpole slides right in and with his caterpillar eyes bro  ws, wiggles them as he cheerfully sings,  "If you're gonna be sad then use that sadness productively."  Headphones that's not how you cheer anyone up.  Knittens sighs as the old family friend slid next to himas he retorts,  "Like how mint cruncher?"  The angel spun around the kid as he hums,  "You could use it for exercise, or cry naturally as an actor, weaponiz  e it somehow. I don't know but don't just sit down and elt your own em  otions beat you up."  Knittens glared at him as he drawls out,  "thaaaaaaaaaaanks."

DJ:  "Yea, that's why i wear it." Loincloth said then turned to Dzilla to a  nswer her question, "I'm Loincloth. Now let's get going and find Pleat  s, or what's left of her." He then proceeded to go and begin searching   for the possibly-dead Ophir.  Flat simply nodded in acknowledgement to Jong's statement. He was too  busy catching his breath after that long run to the harbor.

SOPHIE:  PTJ was rather bored this fine evening and found himself on a scooter  riding around town when he noticed a bunch of people crowded around in   one area. He looked to see if he could find any familiar faces among  the crowd and instead of seeing, you know, his brother for example, hi  s eyes landed upon the girl who used to sit next to him in history cla  ss. He walked on over to the two sisters and smiled, waving ever so sl  ightly.  "H-Hey-what's goin' on guys?" He asked.  Pumps couldn't help but smile and side eye her sister. Ohohoho. A boy.   _A boyfriend? Maybe? Yes? Who knew. But as an older sister it was her   job-no, her DUTY, to be a shit head._

BRIT:  Strappon shuddered at what Loincloth has said. 'What's left of her?' H  e began moving forward quicker.  "I'd rather find her before she meets a terrible end. She's not that w  eak." He said. He seemed to catch himself, clearing his throat, "At le  ast, that's what I assume."  Blazer quirked a brow at Strappon's addressing of Pleated Skirt. Did h  e... Nah, they must be hearing things.  "Hey, quick dragging your asses!" Blazer called to the further people,   "We're in a zombie town. You get bit, you get hit! That means you, to  o, PTJ!"  As they moved forward, they began encountering more of the shambling,  light-bearing beings in their wake. It was best to proceed with cautio  n from that point on. In the distance, there was a body of water that  was pitch-black at a glance.

OWLIE:  "I'm Polo Buttondown," Polo said, aswering Dzilla then pointed to Mono  cle, who was talking to Boxer, "That guy's name is Monocle, he's my wo  nderful and moody boyfriend," then he walked next to Loincloth, "Be po  sitive Loincloth, we'll find her, safe and sound,"  Monocle twisted his clutching around his finger as he began to search  around the zombie infested town. He slipped his namesake off and summo  ned Eyesore.

SOUP-KITTY:  Jong smiled at Jacket, it had been a while since he had seen him. “Hey  ! This time around I /am/ ready.” Jong laughed a little, he was glad t  o see him. “I think it’d be a great idea to start going inside.” Jong  started to wheel himself alongside Jacket.  Pointe looked over at PTJ who had just gotten there. “Hey! What are yo  u doing here?” Pointe smiled, she was clearly excited to have him ther  e, so much so that she didn’t really notice her sister side eyeing her  . Pointe unsheathed Starfury and held it almost resting on her shoulde  r with one hand, which was impressive as the sword was almost 6’ tall.   C’mon! let’s not split up. She grabbed PTJ by the hand and started to   walk more into the town, she didn’t really know what the hell she was   doing but she was excited to have a friend there. “Sis hurry up! Don’  t fall behind!”

OWLIE:  *clutch ring

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Sorry to say this, Father. But Loincloth got a point" Raincoat said a  s he looked at Strappon with a chill look. "These are Zombies and well   Zombies are Zombies, it's all about survival" She pointed out as she  looked at him. "He not trying to be negative or anything, he just poin  ting out something" Raincoat said as she was beside him. Meanwhile Box  er was just setting by himself in daze as everything around felt like  silent. He was all alone as he wasn't paying any attention.

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  A small bean bikes all the way there. Panting he hops off his bike and   he runs over to Knittens. Mary Janes gives him a little hug,"Made it.  ."               Dzilla raises a brow at the small child. She was gett  ing a small feeling in her gut but she shook her head. It was nothing.   She turns to Loin, Mono and Polo "It is nice to meet you all, my name   is Dzilla." She waves and walks close to the little group. Vampire Co  llar chilled on Jong's lap and hugged him close, kissing the top of hi  s head. He waves to Jacket.

KRO:  Hots huffed, stuffing  his face into Duster's chest to muffle his scre  aming before realizing they're both sweaty messes. With disgust writte  n all over his face, Hots seperates from Duster, wiping his face clean  .  "Anyway, from what I remember reading, these zombies have supernatural   agility, so they can sneak up on you without you knowing until it's t  oo late. You'd only know they're close until you're blinded," Hots sai  d.  Sukajan heard PTJ's name being mentioned and he scanned the area for v  isual of the child. His neck snapped and quickly grabbed both of PTJ's   hands, his helmet retreating to show his face. He was ready to voice  his concerns but noticed he was next to an equally young girl. He arch  ed his brows in confusion. Now he wasn't sure if he should call the ki  d out to make him go back home or not.  "Uuuh.. Just. Stay close... I guess," he said, keeping pace with every  one else.  Spur kept an eye out for any potential zombies. It was quieter than us  ual and that put them on edge. Usually, you'd see multitudes of them w  alking the street. Were they smart and planned an ambush? No, that cou  ldn't be it. Their attention was caught by a distant body of water. Th  ey tapped Strappon's shoulder, pointing to it.  "If you don't mind, could we make a little detour to the water? I've h  eard rumors that Demons have been interested in the water here for som  e reason and I think it would benefit us to know why. I know the girl  is of high priority, but we could take out two birds with one stone."

CRACKEMWALNUTS:  Knittens chokes out in shock as he felt something wrap around him and  he was so ready to punch whatever it was. But before he could, he noti  ced it was Mary Janes. Refraining he sighed,  "Jesus mary you scared the shit out of me."  Cursing without thinking, he covered his mouth, ears turning red. He w  as embarrassed about his loss of composure as well as saying a swear.  He was never supposed to do that without getting his mouth cleaned wit  h soap.  Headphones just lost his mind. It was the mixture of horror and hilari  ty of the surreal situation. He wheezed hard, being brought to his kne  es as he tried to breathe or choke out any words but he was speechless  . He hasn't heard Knittens cursed once, it was like hearing hello kitt  y say "Fuck".

SOPHIE:  PTJ blew a raspberry towards blazer and mumbled _'at least I have good   taste in emo music'_ he ranted before being tugged along by Pointe. "  H-Hey hold up I don't got my baseba-"  Pump's exhaled, standing up and packing her chair back into her bag an  d holding PTJ's baseball bat out to him. "You left it at our shop"  PTJ just stared in confusion, trying to triangulate just how in gods n  ame a 4 foot baseball bat came out of a 2 and a half foot tall backpac  k. He took his bat and stared confused at pumps before turning back fo  rward and walking alongside Pointe. _He squeezed Pointe's hand ever so   gently as they drudged forward into the unknown, god knows this was "  slightly" worrisome.  _"First I find out mom fucks ghosts then zombies, what's next"_ he exh  aled to himself.  CREEPING OVER HIS SHOULDER, PUMPS WHISPERED _"What's wrong with fuckin  ' ghosts?"_ and PTJ silently screamed, his voice failed him. He turned   his head to look to Pumps, wide eyed. _"Nothing"_ he whispered, squee  zing Pointe's hand a BIT TIGHER.  Pumps patted him on the head and laughed "I'm just pulling your leg. C  ome on, don't be so stressed out!" She laughed, ruffling his hair.  Just as she was patting his head, Sukajan had appeared, grabbing PTJ's   hands.  "Uh-- yeah-" He mumbled, looking up at Sukajan.  _"I'm sorry if I shoulda stayed home-"_ he mumbled, dragging his baseb  all bat aside himself.

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  Mary let's go and his cheeks go red. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to." He h  olds his teddy close and its eyes kinda just stare into Knittens' soul  s. Creepy. Mary saw Headphones fall out and he covered his face. Two s  econds in and he was already a mess. Yup. Knittens was totally Aggrett  suko.

SOUP-KITTY:  Summer somehow gravitated to the exact spot where headphones is becaus  e he's a needy gay bitch. He takes off his sunglasses to reveal his re  gular glasses, and takes a sip of a Starbucks green tea frapp. He snak  es his arm around his man's waist, pulling him close. "Hi there love,  I missed you. And was bored. What are we doing?"  Jong just kept wheeling along the town, he summoned his weapon, which  he Totally Has Always Had Its Totally Always Been A Cool Lazer Harpoon   Gun For Sure, and he held it with one hand. before fluttering his win  gs and getting up, basically hovering along because His Legs Aint Work  . "babe can you take care of the chair for me?"  Pointe just kinda went along with everything, and made sure to squeeze   PTJ's hand back in a reassuring way. This whole thing was definitely  creepy, and there was definitely something...wrong... with the atmosph  ere. but she needed to be brave.

CRACKEMWALNUTS:  Headphones grabbed Summer's hair, pulling him close, his frantic eyes  searching for god as he wheezed,  "He said shit, holy shit he said shit."  He clamored for Summer for both emotional and physical support as he s  tared into the sky. He was ready to be raptured God.  Knittens stared back at Mary's teddy and honestly? He was kinda ready  to fight it. Throw down with a stuffed toy because no one gives him a  dirty look. He's already ashamed of himself he doesn't need soemthing  telling him mentally that he should be ashamed. He coughs, trying to c  hange the subject,  "W-What's up, why're you here?"

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  Vampire Collar nods and he wheels it. "I mean, you can sit in it and I   can push you. I promise its fine." He messed with his namesake a litt  le bit. Poor beans. Mothers Love blinks at Knittens and continues to j  udge without a conscious. Its eye lights look up at Mary. "N-nothing m  uch i..I I'm wanted to face a fear..therapy isn't really helping so..c  losest thing right? ...how about you?" He rubbed the back of his neck  a little.

SOPHIE:  PTJ, who had been engaged in a very in depth twitter conversation in t  he past minute or so, looked over to Pumps with wide eyes. Pumps just  laughed nervously, pulling out her daggers just in case anything came  up out of nowhere. Why they gotta kink shame her like this.

DJ:  Helmet began searching high and low for Pleats all by his lonesome lik  e the foolhardy man that he was, his head popping out of barrels, wind  ows, the sides of buildings, and even under the docks.  "I'm just being realistic here. The odds of a human surviving alone in   a zombie-infested harbor without any weapons that can harm them, i wo  uld assume, is unlikely." Loincloth as he walked beside Polo.  After he regain his breath, Flat Cap went to catch with the others the  n overheard Spurs. Curious, he walked up to them. "So what, ya want on  e of us to swim down there and a peek?"

BRIT:  "If the water looks suspicious, it makes sense to examine it. Maybe we   could figure out what's causing these zombies to exist." Strappon rep  lied to Spurs, examining the area quietly, "We'll have to rush past th  em..."  Jacket gave Jong an energetic thumbs-up. He was happy they were all to  gether! It was just a matter of keeping out of sight of the zombies.  Of course, Jacket was not the master of stealth with his red-ass jacke  t, as he explored the area around Jong's wheelchair, almost like an or  bit, one of them began speeding toward him.  "OH FUCK. SORRY, I'LL LEAD IT AWAY!" He called to Jong as he immediate  ly began running the opposite direction. He zoomed past Strappon, Blaz  er, Spurs, and just about everyone else that had been observing quietl  y. Straight toward the water.  "I wouldn't suggest swimming." Strappon added, as Jacket went speeding   past them. He seemed to collect a zombie conga line.  There was their distraction.

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  Dzilla kept hearing the word. "What is a..som..zombie.?" She looked ar  ound and summoned her War Bringers. The two large axes chilled in her  hands as she looked about. She'd keep an eye on Mary as well.

OWLIE:  "Lovely," Monocle muttered to himself, frowning after hearing Loinclot  h say those words, He narrowed his eyes at Jacket. Polo turned to look   at Dzilla, "They're this undead thingies that can turn you into one o  f them if they bit ya," He tried to explain, "At least, that's what I  think they do,"

SOUP-KITTY:  Summer gently kissed Headphone's forehead while quietly chuckling. "I  can see why that would be really funny" Summer held on to headphones.  the man is clearly in love. Its kinda cute.  Jong looked over at vamp and smiled. "I can be a little more useful li  ke this." Jong keeps fluttering his little humming bird like wings and   hovering along. Jong just looked at Jacket who zoomed away wide eyed.   "Rest in peace Jacket, will be missed." Jong hovered just a little cl  oser to his boyfriend for safety.  Pointe sighed. She didnt condone the ghost fuckin.

EMI:  "...What an idiot..." Dermal commented, slightly irritated.  Out of the sky, like a lightning bolt from Heaven, came a bright blue  boomerang, landing like a dead weight just a hair away from Jacket, bu  t missing the first Zombie in the line. Right behind it landed the rav  en-haired Trenchcoat, probably only visible (practically glowing) by h  is pastey complexion.  "HEY JACKASS, where the FUCK are you going?!" He shouted. "It's about  time I found you!"

OMEGAPSYCHO:  Father Crucifix was beside Brother Strappon though keeping his guard i  n case any Zombies came at them. Raincoat was beside looking Loincloth   because he was her best big buddy and he was cool. Though Boxer on th  e other hand he was way behind the group like all the way in back. He  was just so tried and so sleepy. 'I'm so tried...my must keep going.."   Boxer said as he slowly walks behind the group.

CRACKEMWALNUTS:  Knittens gasped as he pointed at Mary Jane's teddy bear,  "DUDE IT BLINKED??"  Sighing as he heard why Mary Janes was here, he patted on his back sup  portively but kept a really good eye on that teddy bear as he comforte  d,  "Hey listen, if it gets really bad, then we should leave as soon as we   can alright?"  Headphones kept wheezing, why did his boyfriend forsake him. Why could  n't he understand the level of shattering this was for him. Feigning b  etrayal, he slwoly leaned over to Summer's drink and took a sip as he  whines,  "Why don't you undesrtand me?"  He was just being a shit for the sake of being a shit as he almost tri  ed climbing his boyfriend. This man is 5'10", he shouldn't being climb  ing anyone.

KRO:  Sukajan sighed, "I would have preferred you stayed home. Ghosts are on  e thing, but zombies?"  He cut himself off before he could finish his thought.  "Just make sure to stay with them, me, or your brother. He's...somewhe  re."  "Swim?" Hots said, looking quizzically at Flat Cap.  "Swimming in that is the last thing you want to do. Shit's infected. L  ast time something organic fell in there, it melted-"  Hots stared at Jacket, Spurs bumping into him. Leon screamed, hiding b  ehind Strappon.  "My time to shine!" Archer called out but his thunder was stolen immed  iately as Spurs dispatched the line of zombies. Good to know they were  n't actually that bright.  "The water is contaminated with something, anything living dies within   seconds of contact. Who knows what it'll do to Immortals so I just do  n't recommend taking a dip unless you have a death wish," Spurs replie  d to Flat Cap.  "Besides," he continued, "Like I said, Demons have taken an interest i  n that body of water. It'd be nice to know why..."  Archer huffed, lowering his bow, "Show off."

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  Vampire Collar raises a finger as if to ask about Jacket but slowly pu  ts it down as he sees the nyooming conga line. He takes out his byoogo  ng and he just hugs his bean close. "Sure you don't want to go on my b  ack?" Dzilla just casually stabs one to see what the fuck it is. She b  acks away slowly before clicking the equivalent of fuck. Jeezums.    M  ary Janes looked at his bear and it looked away just in time. "Nahhhh.  " Mary Janes let out a squeak at the back pat and he shivered a little  . Oh boy. "G-got it..thank you..w..wait you'd go with me..?"

BRIT:  In awe, Jacket stared at Trenchcoat for a moment before shaking his he  ad, pulling himself off the ground and dusting himself off. The zombie  s piled up behind Duel Belter.  "Where the fuck were you when I was being chased by the feds!?" Jacket   yelled at Trench, "That woulda come super in handy!"  Strappon came out of his hiding spot, brushing sand off his pants.  "Well, we're free to examine the water for now." He pointed out, "The  Angels can take care of the zombies, I feel the need to see what this  is before continuing on, myself."  Duster peered over at Leon after he slammed into his boyfriend and all   but yanked him away from the other man.

SOPHIE:  PTJ was anxious, he looked around frantically, whispering "Poncho's he  re?" He blinked-before realizing, no, his _biological_ brother. Right.   With all that was going on and his stress at an all time high he made   a very, very poor choice and called out rather loudly for his brother  .  "HEY HOTS- WHERE YA AT-" He hollered, before attracting the attention  of some zomb zombs. Oh good fucking god. He quickly let go of Pointe's   hand and waved his arms, almost following jacket's poor example. "HEY   LOOK AT ME NOT THEM-" attracting the attention of countless zombies,  now chasing after him. He ran up next to Jacket.  "H-hey dude w-what's up?" he cried. God, this poor dumb kid.

SOUP-KITTY:  Pointe looked visibly shook. What the hell just happened. She started  running after him, holding her sword with both hands and taking swings   at some of the Zombies. Thank fuck shes a mercer. "pLEASE STOP SHOUTI  - /oh fuck mE/ " Pointe stood in place swinging her sword and avoiding   zombies as best as she could "fUCK"

SOUP-KITTY:  Jong softly shook his head "I'm okay for now." He then noiced the girl   he had brought here shouting. "Rest in peace glasses girl. Will be mi  ssed."  Summer picked up headphones and carried him around bridal style, letti  ng him have the rest of the drink.

DJ:  "Well, how the fuck we supposed to what's down there if we can't swim  the shite?" Flat Cap asked crossing his arms.  Helmet meanwhile was going full whack-a-hole with some zombies that ke  pt popping out of holes in the dock.  Loincloth was just casual searching for the girl, picking off any zomb  ies that weren't attracted by Jacket's ruckus.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  Raincoat was helping Loincloth search for the Girl, so was Father Cruc  ifix. "Guys...Wait up..." Boxer tried to call out but he was tried out  .

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  Vampire Collar watches them get chased,"Should I jump in to help or do   you think they got it?" He raises a perfectly shaped brow. Yeah he to  ok pride in them. Dzilla was casually inspecting the zombies, slicing  many like deli meat. "So that is what they are..they're very smelly.."

OWLIE:  Polo slipped his namesake, morphing it into his weapon as he stabbed a   zombie through the gut. He turned his head and saw Monocle having way   too much fun attacking the zombies, he sliced a zombie's head clean t  hen chopped off another zombie's legs. He noticed Polo staring and fla  shed him a wide grin before hacking the zombies in his wake.  "God, I love him," Polo muttered, then snapped out of his thoughts, tu  rning to Dzilla, chuckling, "I know, right?"

SOPHIE:  "PoINTE DON'T FOLLOW-" He turned to see her getting her own crowd of z  ombies chasing after her. In an attempt to be valiant, he hit one comi  ng up behind Pointe with his baseball bat, right upside the head. When   he got the attention of the zombie he realized he done goofed. He did  n't have a mercer weapon on him and he had no magic to use.  That was when said zombie went rag-dolling into the air and Pumps spru  ng into action, leaping over to her sister and her friend. One could s  ay Pumps was one with the wind, in that she practiced wind-based magic  .  She held out one of her twin daggers to PTJ and whispered. _"It's shor  t range but effective, be careful for fucks sake you guys."_ she said,   knocking back a small crowd of the zombies chasing after the two of t  hem with wind and repenting those close enough to her.

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  Dzilla places a severed head on a fence post, angling it much like an  artist with a painting. "There we are.. They're smelly but fun to shre  ad. They remind me of the queen's men" she smiled nostalgically.

EMI:  "How about not getting myself into LEGAL TROUBLE." Trenchcoat hissed,  turning Dual Belter back into his coat and pulling it on roughly. He a  ctually took a good look around them.  "Looks like you found some friends, though." He said, as a group of zo  mbies approached around them. "You really attract trouble, you moron."

BRIT:  Suddenly there was chaos around him, and Jacket was very confused. He  turned to PTJ with a shitton of question marks forming above his head.  "Bro, are you good?" He asked, "You gonna be aight?"  He looked back at Trenchcoat and laughed. So damn innocent. Or was he?  "Well, we can kick these guys' asses! Just, uh, don't get close I gues  s! Let's wreck 'em!"  Cowlneck was having a grand old time tossing things at these zombies c  onsidering he couldn't use his damn //magic// like he wanted to. He wa  s pissed, but it was effective.  "Just do you damn business with the water so we can get the fuck out o  f this monster nest!" He yelled at them.  Blazer held their hands up defensively, but followed Spurs away from C  owlneck.  "Once we figure what this is, we might find it easier to get past thes  e shitbag, ya feel?"

OMEGAPSYCHO:  Father Crucifix starts to slash at Zombies while Raincoat was putting  Holy Bullets into their head. "Headshot, Headshot, Headshot" She repea  ted as she gets a Headshot on the Zombies from left to right. "Loin, d  id you see those Headshots. I'm the best Sniper in all of Heaven" Rain  coat said with a smile as she keeps shooting Zombies in the head. Mean  while Boxer was punching some Zombies though he was wildly punching th  em he was in his defense stance as just punch them as they came toward  s. "Guys...Help..." Boxer tried to call out as he keeps punching the Z  ombies trying to back them off.

SOPHIE:  PTJ hesitated, going through Pumps bag and finding some duct tape in i  t, securing the dagger onto the end of his baseball bat as Pumps kept  the zombies at bay with her magic.  The blinding feeling they kept experiencing was enough to make PTJ wan  na be sick. He handed his stupid elongated dagger to Pumps. She took n  ote of what he was doing and slid off her back pack for him, handing h  im her other dagger as well.  "Kiddo, pull out my lance" She responded, playing a game of fencing wi  th these ghosts.  As PTJ questioned his sanity and shuffled around this girls bag, he di  d indeed find a lance, pulling it out, he took the spare dagger and ta  ped it onto the end of the long pole.  "Yea bro I'm gucci!" He hollered back at jacket, jousting zombies left   and right.

KRO:  Leon practically yelled out his little lungs as Duster yanked him away  , thinking he was a zombie. He sighed in relief as he saw that it was  simply an Angel but the more oppressive, lingering aura still bothered   him.  "Phew! You gave me a good scare there, buddy."  Hot Pants hand to pry Duster's hands off Leon, looking at his boyfrien  d like he was going to chastise the man. Before he could, though, he h  eard PTJ's voice calling out. Both his and Sukajan's heads turned to t  he child now being chased around by zombies.  Sukajan was about to jump into action to off a few, but was quickly re  strained by Hots.  "Before you lunge in, I'll cover you with my gun. You're gonna be blin  ded trying to slice and dice them."  Nodding, Sukajan went in and sliced a few in his wake as Hots dispatch  ed the rest.  "Hopefully," Spur said as he approached the water. Archer peeked over  the dock himself, shooting zombies coming out of pipes as they slowly  climbed out.  "Interesting," he murmmured, "Malice? I thought this was only a Europe  an thing."  "Apparently not," Spur responded, "That must mean a Hell's Gate is ope  ned somewhere nearby, though."

SOPHIE:  This was it. Her moment to shine. She missed the trip to Europe and sh  e wasn't about to miss this. Sure she was missing her shift at her cou  sins bar but Zombies? Who could pass up Zombies. Scrunchy steadied her   aim, closing one eye and letting her slingshot fire right through a z  ombie that was giving Boxer some trouble. She sniped through a few oth  ers and sauntered in as if nothing had happened. Here she was, 2 years   late with starbucks.

SOUP-KITTY:  Jong sighed a little "Babe, I dont think itd be very helpful. Im prett  y sure only immortal weapons work on them." Jong peered through the sc  ope and started picking off zombies one by one from a safe distance. h  e protecc.  Pointe kept swinging Starfury around with deadly pressition. She was o  n fire. Literally. as her hands were starting to engulf her sword in f  lames. She was clearly having some sort of emotion on this or else tha  t wouldn't be happening. But now there were extra dead charred zombies  . She was panting and mildly sweaty now. Her glasses had fogged over a   little.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Thank you!" Boxer called out to the person who saved him as he keep p  unching the Zombies that were still coming at him. He was getting so t  ried, why was he tried he had energy why wasn't he using it!? Boxer th  ought in his mind as he keep punching the Zombies not holding back.

DJ:  Loincloth clearly forgot about the whole 'zombie will blind you' thing   and ended up getting blinded by one of the zombies. Thankfully, Rainc  oat sniped the zombie that blinded him and rubbed his eyes before givi  ng her a thumbs up. Girl wasn't a bad shot. He then noticed more zombi  es coming at him. Knowing fighting close range wasn't the smartest ide  a, he grabbed a nearby barrel and tossed it at them Donkey Kong style.  Helmet, whether he remembered what he was supposed to be doing or was  just done playing whack-a-mole, went to searching for the girl. This t  ime in one of the warehouses. "Pleats Ophir? Are thou hidden amongest  these boxes?!"  "Malice? Fuck's that and what does it have to do with a Hell's Gate?"  Flat Cap asked, seeing as how his previous question was utterly ignore  d.

SOPHIE:  As they fought back to back, PTJ, Pumps and Pointe, they had to fight  through the blindness just to stay in one piece. And that's when it ha  ppened. PTJ turned his head over to try and check on his friend, Point  e, and that's when he felt his lips touch hers for a brief moment. In  that moment, everything stopped, including his heart.  Like actually he might need CPR.  But not really. He stood there in shock, Pumps had just caught a glimp  se of what had happened but chose not to say anything, instead she kep  t the closer zombies at bay with her wind to allow these two to.. _hav  e a moment_ if you will.  Scrunchy gave a small salute and shot at various zombies in the area,  until one seemed to come up out of nowhere to rush her. In the heat of   the moment she slammed her frappe into the zombies face, confusing it  , then shooting it with her slingshot. That was close.  But she did however mourn the loss of her double choco chip frappe. It   was a sad day indeed.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "I got you back buddy" Raincoat said as she was shouting at the Zombie  s that were coming at Loincloth. She then spotted explosive barrels an  d she got a smart idea. "Loincloth! I think those Barrels need a bit o  f fire Power!" She shouted as she points to the explosive barrels. "Yo  u Throw and I will shot!" Raincoat said as she keeps shooting at Zombi  es waiting for Loincloth to throw the Barrels. Meanwhile Father Crucif  ix was holding off the Zombies that were coming after Strappon these Z  ombies lay a hand on his Templar Brother in arms.

SOUP-KITTY:  Pointe froze for a moment. She didn't realize what has happening until   it finally hit her. She felt her sword start to drop out of her hands   but for a moment that didnt matter. She kinda just forgot her surroun  dings and let it happen. Her heart felt as if it were that of a hummin  g bird, and she closed her eyes. Her feet were visibly starting to cat  ch on fire too.

OWLIE:  Monocle flew upwards and gathered water particles in the air, once he'  s gathered enough water he willed it to freeze into a pointed icicle.  with a jab, the icicle launched and impaled three zombies at once. Mea  nwhile, Polo fell back to avoid getting blinded.

BRIT:  Duster was filled with enough rage that he was about ready to toss Leo  n into the abyss behind them. But he stopped himself.  "Heyyy, Scrunch-a-much! What's cookin'?!" Jacket called over to Scrunc  hy, waving at her. A zombie had begun to approach him, but he flung hi  s namesake off and threw Dual Pride at it, catching it as it miraculou  sly came back. "Oi, Trench. We gotta get outta here."  "I'd love to know what this has to do with Hell's Gate, also." Strappo  n said, referencing Flat Cap as Spurs explained some of the are to the  m, far from the chaos within the hoard of zombies, "Is this another Eu  ropean problem cropping up here? Last time we dealt with that, everyon  e got their arses handed to them."

SOPHIE:  Pumps sighed, blasting Pointe's feet with a strong enough wind to put  the fire out before it even spread. PTJ still couldn't quite take in w  hat had just happened, his face was red as all hell. As he looked towa  rds Pointe, he noticed a zombie coming up behind her, and he embraced  her, taking her sword from her hands and rotating them around so he wa  s now on the side Pointe was once on. He turned out towards the zombie   and sliced it in two with Pointe's sword, before returning to his emb  race with the girl. His hand wrapped around her back ever so gently, h  e held the sword out to the side for her to take back.  _"S-Sorry about that"_ he whispered, laughing softly.  Pumps couldn't help but be a bit awe'd but in the meantime she was fli  nging back ghosts so that these two could carry on you know. AS IF THE  Y WEREN'T SURROUNDED BY MONSTERS ABOUT READY TO TRY AND EAT THEM. ITS  NOT LIKE THIS WAS A DIRE SITUATION. NOOOO.  Scrunchy waved back at Jacket, holding up her empty Starbucks cup and  frowning. She knew better than to go yelling at least.

EMI:  Trenchcoat rubbed his eyes as he kept kicking the shit out of the thin  gs. He couldn't fucking see, so his legs were just flailing with surpr  ising accuracy and force.  "WHAT? I can't see you!"  In the meantime, on the other side of a warehouse, a small group of de  mons approached the viscus water. Mankini held a napkin over his nose.  "Ugh, I dread this task..." He groaned. "Let's try to make it quick th  is time..."  He shot a warning look at HP. "So hurry UP."

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  Vampire Collar pouts,"But mine are all blessed. Though I will listen t  o you." He kissed his baby's cheek. He was glad the other could protec  c. Twas hawt. The giant woman was currently at the end of a conga line   of zombies. Dzilla was chasing them with her axes taking them down on  e by one. If they could scream they would. Mary James was spilling wat  er on the ground in a circle around himself. He lets his teddy poke it   and it paralazes the zombies by giving them spasms. He sneaks out fro  m their legs to join his brother of sorts, Jong. "Hi mister Vampire hi   mister Jong." He chirped. The boy tried.

DJ:  Loincloth looked over at the explosive barrels and nodded to Raincoat  then grabbed one of the barrels and threw it at a group of zombies.  Unforunately for Helmet, his shout caused quite a few zombies to come  crawling out of the woodwork in the warehouse and began surround him.  Even Helmet knew that was probably not a good idea, but it mattered no  t. With the zeal of 100 crusaders, he began swinging his stick around  like an absolute madman, bonking and thwacking any zombie dumb enough  to get close to this idiot, which in this case was all of them. "I SHA  LL SMACKTH ALL OF THY BOOTIES WITH UTMOST ZEAL AND HOLY FURY!" Good go  ing Helmet, now even more zombies are coming into the warehouse.

KRO:  "No, it's not like that," Spurs said, "Malice in Europe's been around  since a historic event. It resulted from a gate being left open. Accor  ding to sources, there's a small Hell's Gate here in this town."

  They shook their head slightly, "If this was link to European affairs  , this town would of been wiped off the map a long time ago."

  Hots tapped his chin in suspicion as he rejoined the small group Spur   was in. This guy knew too much but it would compromise their search o  f the girl if he called out Spur to be the spy that took down Lethocs.

  Archer rested a hand on his hip as he looked back at the water.   "Thankfully that isn't the case..."

  "Don't rush the boy," Swing Coat said, coming up behind both Hairpin  and Mankini, "Keep complaining and I'm not afraid to report back to Sh  roud that you /tripped/ into the water."

  Hairpin simply glanced at the two as he lowered a tube to collect a w  ater sample, "It /would/ be a shame if we suddenly lost one of our bes  t ghost technicians."

  Swing Coat smiled as Hairpin played along.

SOUP-KITTY:  Pointe was clearly blushing the whole situation. It was her first kiss   after all. She didn't really expect it to have been like that, but sh  e wasn't complaining either. She was a bit surprised at the hug but th  en quickly realized what was happening. When PTJ handed her sword back   to her, she put her arm around him and spun around, almost as if they   were dancing, to get a zombie that was coming up behind him.She smile  d at him and focused "We're still surrounded by zombies, so we can tal  k about this later." She giggled a little, and in an act of bravery, k  issed his cheek before turning to face the other direction. "you got m  y back, right?"  Jong leaned over and kissed vamp on the cheek. "They also seem to make   people blind if they get too close to them. Better safe than sorry..  Oh hey Mary."

OWLIE:  "Nicely done," Monocle commented as he landed next to Polo and Dzilla,   He sent a sphere of water to push back some of the zombies, Polo grin  ned as he sliced one zombie in half, then leaped back and threw the ne  arest thing he could find- a rock the size of a baseball. It lodged in  to a zombie's face before crumpling and falling down.

BRIT:  "Trench, you have a //fucking boomerang!//" Jacket said to Trench as h  e threw his weapon once again, "Can't you swing that shit around? It's   long!"  Blazer had been watching Spurs with unwavering interest and they walke  d closer to him as he explained further what he had meant. They got aw  fully close.  "Oh, you're studly, have a nice voice, //and// you're smart. You got q  uite a package there, papi."  Strappon looked up from his contemplation at Spurs, then tilted slight  ly to one side to try to see behind him. He squinted.  "Are those... Demons?" He asked, pointing behind Spurs.  "Looks like them." Cowlneck said, fixing his hair in a compact he had  on his person. He snapped it shut, "They're taking what seems to be wa  ter samples."

OMEGAPSYCHO:  As Loincloth thrown the explosive barrels, Raincoat took the shoot, ai  med, and fired at the barrel causing a great explosion! "Hell Yes!" Ra  incoat said as she smiles and keeps shooting at the explosive barrels  that Loincloth thrown. Soon the Zombies were cleared on Loincloths and   Raincoat side. "Loin! We should go help the others out with their Zom  bie problem!" Raincoat called out to him.  Meanwhile Father Crucifix got done with his Zombies probably. "Hell Ga  te!?" Father Crucifix said as he was shocked to hear that. "How do we  close or is there one?" He ask as he looked at Brother Strappon wantin  g a answer to this. If there was a Hell Gate then they would be Demons   nearby.  Boxer keeps fighting the Horde that he was having trouble with though  he could hold them off anymore, so he ran away. He separated himself f  rom the group who knows where he was going but he was tried out from a  ll of those punches. "Need to rest..." Boxer said as he keeps breathin  g heavily as he runs from the Horde that was going after him.

EMI:  Trenchcoat stumbled backward just in time for Jacket's weapon to miss  him. He turned to behind him, which was actually really not where Jack  et was.  "IT'S HEAVY! DO you not SEE these terrible vegetables attached to my s  houlders!? As far as I'm concerned, I HAVE no weapon! You... You CLOD!  !" He shouted right into a confused zombie's face. The zombie, though  it had no visible face, ran away crying.  Mankini squinted at the human disdainfully, but held his nose and turn  ed his heel back to watch HP, holding up a clipboard.  "Keep up that attitude, Glasses McBookworm, and I'm sure the Absolute  wouldn't mind us coming back with YOU as the sample. Precious resource  , after all." He tried to figure out how to hold a pen and his handker  chief at the same time.

DJ:  Loincloth nodded to Raincoat and went off to clear off more zombies. I  f he had his magic, this shit would be a lot easier.  Flat Cap looked over at the demons as well. "Samples?" He then looked  down back at the water. "Wait....Puttin' all what Spurs said together  with this Malice shite that i can only assume is what's infectin' the  water, wouldn't it be logical to assume that the Hell Gate's....in the   water?"

SOPHIE:  PTJ nodded, turning to face outwards as well. He kicked the lance up a  nd into his hand and shyly smirked. _"I got your back."_  Of course, this was his first kiss too. Needless to say he was sorta f  labbergasted about it taking place in the middle of a fight for their  lives but I mean. Maybe next time it'll be under better conditions. As   they fought side by side, PTJ could feel his kokoro go doki doki.  "S-So like. Maybe after we get out of this-Wanna go to the movies?"  graceful as ever you funky little gladion expy.  Scrunchy meanwhile was off in wonderland, gracefully walking among the   zombies as if she were one, but maintaining a decent radius.  She walked on over next to Strappon and placed an arm around his shoul  der and leaned into the conversation.  _"Hey. The heck's happening."_ She whispered, squinting and looking at   everyone with confusion.

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  Mary gives Jong a hug and he smiles. "You're doing awesome by the way!  " He pewpewed.  Vampire Collar smiles a little bit at the kiss and he  ruffles Mary Janes' fluff. "Ahh I see I see. Hmm. Maybe if I just clos  e my eyes? Bad idea but an idea no less." Dzilla held her axes near he  r and she smirked,"And the same to you both."  The giant was flattered  . Dzilla raised her brow at the demon thing they were fine right?

SOUP-KITTY:  Pointe's face was red at this point, and her sword was just completely   engulfed in flames. "I-I'd like that." She was feeling herself get a  little tired, but she had to have PTJ's back. So she kept at it, she e  ven threw off her blazer.  Jong smiled at Mary. "I think its best if we hang back, unless you're  cool with being bait. Which would require you attracting a bunch of th  e zombies to you so i can pick them off. You can get ones that get too   close, but try keeping a safe distance, okay?" Jong was concerned and   really didnt want this to backfire.

KRO:  Spur shook their head again, "No, it's not in the water. Malice is an  energy that can corrupt its surroundings. Just that it coagulates when   it comes in contact with the water," they explained.

  "You'll know where the gate is, that's where most of the zombies are.  "

  if it

SOPHIE:  Pumps looked back at the two lovebirds and doubletook.  _"Hey, guys if you needa take a bit, I can handle this-"_  She said, and in that moment she found herself caught off guard by a z  ombie. She grabbed it by the wrists, ignoring the blinding light in he  r eyes, she yelled through the pain __"THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO TO ME  YOU LIL SHIT? ILL HAVE YOU KNOW I GRADUATED TOP OF MY CLASS"__ she bel  ted, kicking them back, regaining her vision and ripping her dagger of  f the baseball bat and throwing it right at the zombie. __"IN THE NAVY   SEALS"__ she panted, exhaling and looking around. Fucking hell she ha  d to be dramatic. That's what she got for taking theater.  She exhaled. "Backpack, second pocket from the left, near the top, my  wallet, I have a few 20's in there, go see jurrassic world or some shi  t, I don't know" she continued.  PTJ just stared in awe but shook his head. "We're not leaving you!"  Pumps sighed. Kids these days.

KRO:  Spur shook their head again, "No, I can tell you for certain it's not  in the water. Malice is simply an energy that radiates from gates, jus  t that when it comes into contact with water that it coagulates," they   explained.  "You'll know where an open gate is. It's always covered in ghosts or w  hatever it ends up corrupting."  They stiffened as Blazer came closer. If it was possible to see their  face, it would be beet red about now.  "Uh, well... You're quite beautiful as well..!"  They didn't exactly know how to respond but Hots rolled his eyes at th  e fact that there were people flirting in a zombie infested town of al  l places.  Spur's head snapped behind them as soon as Strappon pointed out Demons  . Holy shit, those were Demons.  Hairpin stared back at Mankini with an offended expression. As he brou  ght the tube back, it looked like he was almost going to dump all of t  he water on the man but decided against it.  "You throw me in the water and my father, who's an Absolute, mind you,   will personally see to your punishment."  "Boys, boys," Swing Coat said, "Please no fighting or else I'll throw  you /both/ in."

BRIT:  "Oh, hey! That's pretty great, Trench! Use your pent-up emotions to sc  are them away!" Jacket cheered him on from behind him.  "Why don't we ask them, then?" Cowlneck sneered, "Instead of making as  sumptions."  "We're looking for a missing girl, she happens to be in the viscinity,   or so it's said. As far as we're concerned, these demons are up to no   good." Strappon explained to Scrunchy.  His gaze was locked on Swing Coat with absolute intensity, and without   another word he stormed forward toward the demons.  "Hey! Demons!" Strappon called at them. He was aware Swing Coat was th  ere, but he wasn't about to refer to her as a human.

OFFICERCOFFINCAT:  Mary Jane's gulps, last time he was chased by zombies, they happened t  o be his parents. "U-uh sure!" The bean hated to disappoint. He takes  out his phone and he runs around playing the gummy bears song. "IM A T  ASTY TEEN PLEASE COME HERE AND NIBBLE. HAVE I MENTIONED I'M GAY?" Smh.   Vampire shakes his head, "Same honestly."

SOPHIE:  Scrunchy wrinkled her nose and looked at the rest of the gang. "A miss  ing girl?" She blinked, looking around as Strap stormed off. _"I hate  coming in late to parties.."_ she sighed, subtly contemplating if this   was just some kinda cover up. I mean. Demons were there. The whole Le  thocs thing and now this. It didn't bode well with her.

OWLIE:  Monocle snapped his head at the Strappon's direction. Demons? Well fuc  k. He turned his attention back to the zombies, releasing three more i  cy spikes their way. Polo picked up a crate and lobbed it towards an i  ncoming group of zombies.  "What the hell are you doing, kid?" Polo called out as he saw Mary Jan  es ran around, playing a song on his phone, and zombies at his heels.  Either the kid was stupid or brave. maybe both.

SOUP-KITTY:  Jong facepalmed "I didnt mean you-fUCK!" Jong didn't have time to dwel  l on this, he refused let someone get hurt. "Babe, watch my back." and   with that, he flew up a little higher and started sniping zombies tha  t got too close to Mary.  Pointe shook her head "Yeet. We're not leaving you." And she went back   to kicking zombie ass.

DJ:  "Really? Huh." Damn, Flat Cap thought he was really on to something bu  t whatever. The more ya know.  Loincloth continued throwing barrels at zombies. Fuck all these barrel  s.  Helmet meanwhile was spinning around with his dic--I MEAN, stick out,  whacking half a dozen zombies at a time. "TASTE ME, THOTS!"

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "I knew it and she here..." Father Crucifix said as he glared at Swing   Coat remembering what she did to those innocent people. The Demons he  re just made him angry. "What are you doing here, Witch!" He shouted a  t Swing Coat wanting to know what was her business for being here.  Meanwhile Raincoat was helping Loincloth clean some Zombies, they make   a great team. Loincloth's Strength and Her sharp eyes. She smiles as  she keeps shooting at Zombies from left to right at the head.  Boxer didn't know where he was, he had just realizes that he separated   him from the group. Damn it...

KRO:  Swing Coat shot Strappon a glare, not even letting Hairpin speak when  he opened his mouth.  "What are /you/ doing here. This area's restricted. Nobody aside autho  rized personnel's allowed inside unless..."  It was then that she saw Leon coming up behind Strappon. She gritted h  er teeth as she lunged toward the man, grabbing him by the collar and  suspending him in the air.  "Unless /someone/ snuck you in."  Leon was picked up so fast that he couldn't even scream, just kinda st  are at Swing Coat in pure terror. Seeing the poor man in distress, Hot  s ran up to Swing Coat, pulling on her namesake.  "Ay auntie. Cut the kid slack, I asked him to get us all inside to loo  k for my niece, okay? Not like you're making an effort to look for her  ."  Swing Coat stared at Hot Pants before releasing Leon, letting him fall   flat on his ass.  "Fine. I'll let you all go on that account. I am a busy woman after al  l."  "What's she doing here? She's one of our research partners," Hairpin r  esponded to Crucifix, "And what it is, well that's classified informat  ion."

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "This is because the Hell Gate isn't, well we will close that Gate up  before it causes anymore chaos, Demon" Father Crucifix said as he glar  ed at Hairpin.

KRO:  /LAST TIME ON DCM:/  Soon after the fall of Lethocs, a missing person report was broadcaste  d regarding a young Ophir girl. Strappon saw this as an opportunity to   repair the reputation of his Angels and jumped into action. At least,   that's the reason he was trying to convince himself with.  Despite his efforts to gain entry into a zombie infested town, it was  Hot Pants who gained the Angels entry thanks to his quick smooth talki  ng of a certain security guard. On their look for the young Ophir, the  y encountered a new breed of zombie, one that blinded their prey based   on proximity. Keeping that threat in mind, they go deeper into the ha  rbor until their attention is caught by the neighboring body of water.   Inspecting it, they come to find that Demons (plus Swing Coat) was th  ere as well. Seeing as they have nothing to lose, Strappon directly co  nfronts Demons.

TORIBIRDSEED:  Collier had zoned out, he had decided that things got boring really fa  st and kept questioning why he even followed angels anywhere. But with   time he decided to join back with the rest of everybody, flying back  in and running a hand through his hair as the wind caught it as always  .Landing next to the group of angels he spoke gently.  “What I miss? Can somebody fill me in?” He stretched his arm as he spo  ke, unsure if fighting was happening or what.  Along with him slithered Cloak, chewing at his nails and looking aroun  d frantically. He had gotten lost and just finally made his way back t  o everybody. He wasn't having a panic attack anymore so… that was nice  .  Taking a deep breath he looked around for something to do.

DJ:  Flat Cap transformed his namesake to New High as Strappon went to conf  ront the demons and Miss Zombie Hands, knowing that things could get a   bit intense.  Loincloth continued throwing barrels at zombies. It was starting to be   pretty fun until a zombie some-fucking-how dodged a barrel and it hit   Collier instead.  Whether they were scared of the guy or just didn't want to get bonked  in the head again, the massive group of zombies once surrounding Helme  t left the warehouse in droves. "That is right, you breathless bonesac  ks! Flee before the holy fury of Helmet and his sword, LINCINIUS!" He  exclaimed with righteous.....righteousness.

SAIYAN:  Tuxedo Jacket arrived late to the situation. He took too long getting  ready and ended up missing the convoy. Which meant that he had to walk   the whole damn way there. And walking that far in dress shoes was wor  se than walking on hot coals. He could already feel the blisters formi  ng on his heels and his feet were really starting to hurt.  “This…. sucks….” he said between breaths.  This was the hardest he’d physically worked in his entire life. But fi  nally, after an eternity he made it to where the rest of the angels ha  d converged. He stumbled over to the group and face planted onto the g  round.  “Never…. again!” he yelled as his face was still in the dirt.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  Raincoat was shooting the Barrels that Loincloth thrown causing a lot  of explosion that would clear out a lot of Zombies. "Keep going, Loin!  " Raincoat said as she keeps shooting at the barrels along with shooti  ng some Zombies head. As she slowly was feeling lazy but having fun an  d being more active.  Boxer was lose, he didn't know where he was...

BRIT:  "Too busy to go find your daughter?" Strappon snapped at Swing Coat, t  rying to keep his composure, "Funny, you didn't seem too busy the last   time she went missing. You were fairly quick to try and find her, pre  ss coverage and everything."  Cowlneck scoffed at Father Crucifix and flipped his hair.  "You want to close it so bad, take a fucking swim." He said, jerking h  is thumb toward the dark water, "I bet you'd melt if you walked close  to the water. His holiness isn't strong enough, methinks."  As Collier likely hit the floor, a weapon that seemed completely unfit   to be tossed like a boomerang whooshed past his head.  "Watch out, we're in the middle of a zombie infestation!" Jacket yelle  d to him, "You almost got yote by that zombie!"  He looked around and sighed. There were so many, and people like Boxer   were walking around as if they were in a crowd at a con.

OSCARK9:  Seeing one of the zombies burnt from afar for any eyes to see, Gloves  use his __Fire Orb__ magic to burn them and Sapphire was with him with   her Glaive out. They where warn from hearing Hot Spur advice that if  one of the zombies get too close to them, they'll go blind. For safe s  tance and far away from the zombies as possible, Gloves use his __Pyro  mancy Magic__ to burn them.  "Stay close, Sapphire." Gloves said as he lunch another __Fire Orb__ a  t it.  "Okay!" Sapphire said as she squeeze her Glaive.  She can't believe that she's fighting actual zombies. Sure, she saw zo  mbies that's in halloween costume, but not like this. They hope that t  hey can find the Ophir girl A.S.A.P! Otherwise, they'll be goners with   the dead.

TORIBIRDSEED:  Oof, Collier just got hit in the head with a barrel… the zombies were  a thing too. Holding his head he squinted at Loincloth… what a brute o  f a man is all he could think. Fixing his glasses he rested his elbow  on his arm and scoffed at him. “Watch where you’re throwing things you   mongrel…”  He was clearly mad but apparently not mad enough to not do a seductive   pose, considering that was all he did in his spare time.  Slipping his hands into his pockets Collier was not in the mood to fig  ht a zombie and get his nails dirty. So he just dodged and weaved arou  nd them as he waited for his answers as to what was meant to be done h  ere.  And than another weapon went by his head, and he looked at whoever thr  ew that, sighing and crossing his arms.  “You think i'm going to waste my time killing these disgusting creatur  es… and risk my beautiful nails? No thanks.” He wasn't about that life   at all.  Cloak in the meantime had stabbed a zombie and was now on top of it, h  olding it down, looking in it's mouth… licking it… just doing gerneal  unsanitary things that Cloak does. Smiling he looked up around at his  surroundings, speaking ot himself.  “Ah this is so wonderfully disgusting… they are so… occultic… I mean i  t's not often you get to sSEE a zombie”  He quivered, his eyes shaking as he looked down at the creature. “I'll   half to take this one home with me!” He smiled nodding. “Is that what   you want? It is isnt it?” He was domesticating it.

EMI:  When Crucifix mentioned a "Hell Gate", Mankini's head snapped in his d  irection.  "Wait... A Hell's Gate? Here? " Mankini flipped through his clipboard  and looked over his notes. "Oh, that would make sense. What useful inf  ormation... Definitely a possibility. We would have never known."  Trenchcoat literally stopped Jacket by gently placing his hand on his  sternum. He looked at him, deadass.  "Did you just... say 'Yote?' You fucking??? TrOGLODITE???"

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Do you got a better idea Angel?" Father Crucifix ask as he looked at  Cowlneck with a glare. "This is a Hell Gate! You think it is nothing b  ut it is something to us Humans!" He said as he was getting angry thou  gh slowly calms down. "It's important we close it or more people will  turn into the Undead" Father Crucifix said calmly as he looked back at   the Demons.

SAIYAN:  “It’s fucking yeeted” Tuxedo Jacket said as his face was still in the  ground.  He slowly pushed himself off of the ground and on to his knees. He loo  ked down at his clothes and saw that his clothes were all dirty.  "Guess that’s what I get for trying to look nice and being late” he sa  id with a sigh as he stood back up.  He took the time to brush off as much of the dirt as he could off his  nice clothes and tried as much as he could to get the rest of the dirt   off of his face and hair. All of that work, down the drain.

TORIBIRDSEED:  Collier was filing his nails as he summoned his wings and flew into th  e air, essentially standing in mid air. “Honestly why do we care exact  ly if people turn to zombie freaks? Just let em suffer no big deal… le  ss gum on my shoe.”  He clearly stepped in some gum recently.  Holding his hand infront of his face he sort of just.. .sat down in mi  d air, above the fight and watched everybody below do the hard work. H  e was about ready to swoop in and claim some kills if not for the fact   that he figured he would get messy. So he didint. He had no real reas  on to fight so he simply watched, and if people got overwhelmed by the   creatures he laughed at them and clapped, cheering on the zombies.  Cloak was now blind and laying down on top of a zombie super confused…   somebody please help him.

KRO:  Swing Coat furrowed her brow in annoyance to Strappon's response. Her  hands lunged for him, ready to wrangle his neck but restrained herself  . Instead she caressed the man's cheeks, forcing a smile.  "Looks like you haven't lost your wit since we last met, /little man/.  "  Her attention turned to the Demons behind her who seemed interested in   the mention of a Hell's gate. Hairpin ran up to Mankini, leaving the  tube unattended, to take the clipboard and rummage through the documen  ts.  "That explains why the water's so fucking rank..." Hairpin muttered.  Within seconds, both Demons surrounded Father Crucifix showing keen in  terest in what the human had to say.  "Tell us," Hairpin began, "Since you know of this gate, care to tell u  s where it is?"  "NO, HE'S FORBIDDEN TO SPEAK NOW," Hots called out, dragging Crucifix  away from the two Demons. He gave Crucifix a glare.  "Keep your mouth shut next time."

OSCARK9:  Seeing zombies getting dissipate one after another by Gloves __Fire Or  bs__, Gloves and Sapphire saw more zombies coming out of their hiding.   While seeing more and more of them, Sapphire saw Cloak laying down an  d was about to be bitten by the zombies. Risking it, Sapphire summon h  er wings and flew over to him and jab her Glaive into the zombies' bra  in.  Sapphire look down at Cloak and help him up. "Are you okay?" She ask.  Gloves did turn around for a brief second to see that she help one of  it comrades. Smiling, he face back at the zombies and keep using its _  _Fire Orbs__.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  Father Crucifix tries to say something but keeps his mouth shut and li  stens to Hot just giving him a nod like "I will keep my mouth shut" wi  thout speaking at all. He just stand beside Hot Pants as he stays quie  t.

DJ:  "Man, for a former templar, he sure likes to flap them gums." Flat Cap   commented then turned back to the demons, "So now, now that ya bastar  ds know what's here, are ye gonna leave now and let us find the girl o  r we are gonna have with you and those nasty lookin' hands of yer's?"  "Sorry about that!" Loincloth said as Collier went up in the air then  noticed he was out of barrels. Damn. Maybe there was something else ar  ound here he could throw at the zombies.  With the zombies gone, Helmet began searching for Pleats once more in  the warehouse. "MADAM  PLEATS, ARE THOU HERE?! IF SO, PLEASE CLAP!"

BRIT:  Strappon stood completely still, his expression unwavering as Swing Co  at caressed his face. His eyes were locked on her with the same intens  ity as before.  "Why are you collecting this gunk? What are you using it for?" He aske  d pointedly.  "Can someone please get the weird guy off the zombie? He's gonna get z  ombified, holy shit." Jacket grumbled before turning to Tuxedo Jacket  and Trenchcoat, "Hey! I don't fucking care what the past tense of YEET   is, just do shit other than correct me!"  He was pouting, he wanted to get shit done, and there were demons over   there arguing with their leader. The fuck was even going on???  He turned back to Collier with the same pout on his face.  "Uh, we're supposed to be protecting humans. That's /kinda/ our job, b  roski." He called over to him.  Cowlneck's face turned to a grimace as Crucifix had spoken.  "Augh. They didn't know? This is Northern standard, the pools of malic  e. Hell gates are generally the cause of these."

Somewhere in the distance by where Helmet was calling, there was a clap or two in response.

SAIYAN:  Tuxedo was taken a back a bit by Jacket’s sudden mood shift. He really   hadn’t been around Jacket all that much, but from what he usually dis  played, he thought he was always happy and stupid.  “Jesus what’s gotten into you man?” he said before looking out at the  group of zombies.  “But fine, have it your way” he said getting into his fighting stance.  He walked all this way here and he sure as hell didn’t want it all to  be for nothing. Especially now that his clothes had gotten dirty!

EMI:  Mankini's face dropped from his toothy grin to a bored, unamused look.

 "Oh. Of course. We'll... 'Interview' the holy man later on then." He c  licked his pen closed, turning back around to their other research, an  noyed. He noticed the abandoned vial and his eye twitched. He pushed H  P toward it aggressively.  "Don't forget that, it's important."  Trenchcoat scoffed at Tuxedo Jacket. "Looks like you're in great shape  , buddy."

KRO:  "What we're doing here is none of your business. It's.../classified/ i  nformation anyways," Swing Coat said.  She gestured to the group, as if shooing them away.  "Now leave us. We're not doing anything that will compromise your miss  ion. Just make sure she doesn't miss dinner."  Hairpin nearly hissed as Mankini pushed him, grabbing the vial and han  ding it, uncleaned mind you, to him.  "You heard the lady," Leon said, "If we stay around here, it'll attrac  t zombies but that'll be the least of our worries with /them/ around."

 Hots nodded, tugging at Duster to get  his attention, "Babe stop clipp  ing inside of me, we gotta move out."  Archer had left the group as soon as he was made aware of Demons. As h  e wandered, he found Helmet when he was asking for a sign of the girl  and getting a response back. Tapping his chin, he approached Helmet.  "The clap is certainly hopeful, but be vigilant in case it's a zombie  being a smartass," he said.

SAIYAN:  Tuxedo turned his head to Trenchcoat and relaxed into a normal standin  g position.  “Yeah, I know, and it totally made me late to get a ride. I had to wal  k over her, so yeah not worth at all. Next time I’m bringing a change  of clothes” he said to him.  He really regretted not doing that. Maybe he would even dress casually  …no that wouldn’t work at all.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Loin!" Raincoat shouted to get his attention and she points to some r  uin cars. "Those look like something to throw" She said as she goes ba  ck to shooting at Zombies in the head with a smile on her face.

JAY:  Biretta grunted as his vision slowly regained focus. He was rudely awo  ken by the yelling of one of his compatriots, and given that the voice   sounded like it was screaming through a tin can, Biretta guessed it h  ad to have been Helment, the rather loud fellow he saw around the abbe  y a few times.  Biretta sat up, forgetting when exactly he snuck away from the group t  o take a nap in an open crate in a warehouse, but it must've been hour  s ago. It was also quickly apparent that he had no idea what Helmet wa  s yelling about. "Y-Yes, I am here! I am awake!"

BRIT:  "I dunno man, I'm just having a hard time, I guess." Jacket sighed, "I  'm really fucking hungry."  There was a bit of a whine in that. What a baby.  Strappon made a motion to stop Swing Coat from leaving, but stopped hi  mself and groaned under his breath. He turned to the group that pooled   behind him.  "Let them leave. We'll get our answers again at some point, let's just   find Miss Pleats." He said, giving a definitive nod.  "You seem awfully concerned for this girl." Cowlneck said, looking in  a compact seemingly more concerned about his greying hair than the los  t child, "Almost as if you have a personal motive."  Strappon scoffed and walked past him, almost bumping him as he walked  by.  "Where did Blazer go?" He asked suddenly, "And the masked man, Spurs?"  Duster shrugged as he stepped a little away from Hot Pants. He took a  peer around only to notice Blazer and Spurs walking out of one of the  buildings... Together.  "Oh, Strap." Blazer said, fixing their hair and clothes a bit, "We did  n't find anything over there. Must have had fun talking to those demon  s. Anyway, let's head over that way, I heard clapping."  They pointed in the direction of where Helmet had disappeared to.

DJ:  "Uhhh....that might be a bit too big to throw around in a habor." Loin  cloth said noticed a chain anchor attach to one of the boats. That'll  work. He grabbed the anchor and pulled until thw whole chain was rippe  d out of the boat and began swinging it at zombies. Thanks to the chai  n, he wouldn't have to get too close them as he swung.  Holy shit, someone actually clapped. To Helmet, that was no suprise, b  ut God's Will that there would be claps. He heard Archer's voice and t  urned to face him. "Fear not, odd-looking birdman! For I am always vig  ilaint!" With that, he then ran off with the speed of ham. After runni  ng some distance through the warehouse, he stopped and called out once   more. "Madam Pleats, I require more claps to determine thou location!  " There was a brief moment of silence before heard Biretta and saw him   in one of the open crates. The guy looked a bit....demony to him and  he had his 'sword' ready to bonk him in the head. "Who are thou? Speak   quickly before I smite you!"

TORIBIRDSEED:  Jacket hovered down and looked at Jacket dead in the eye, his glasses  reflecting the sun at the other. “Listen here, you don't tell me what  my job is! My job is managing my business! I do help humans! I help so  me relieve stress, and I help others get off the streets, it's a win w  in.” He than  rips his collar off and summons his weapons, two brass k  nuckles with knifes coming off of them. “I aint gonna play nicie with  every human though, why should I!” He smiled and than punched one of t  he zombies approaching in the face, before shaking his hand in disgust  . “But fine… i'll kill a few disgusting heaps of flesh if it _amuses y  ou_”  Cracking his neck he turned to some of the zombies and licked his lips  . “Shame I don't have any rope.”  Cloak was now vomiting bubbles onto the zombie… hes fine.

TORIBIRDSEED:  Collier hovered down and look at Jacket..*

JAY:  Biretta found himself still half-asleep and couldn't process exactly w  hat Helmet was saying. Instead replying with a bit of a drone to start  . Helmet's demand to speak quickly was quickly overwhelming the older  man.  "Uuh... I'm the, uh, the new one. Er..." Closing his eyes in frustrati  on before he snapped his fingers a few times. "B... Biretta! You're- *  Yaaawn* You're Helmet, right?"

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "GO LOIN!" Raincoat said as she jumps around and cheers but then reali  zes what she was doing and blushes. As Zombies started to surround but   as she saw, Raincoat jumped in the air and pose with a smile on her f  ace as she sends down a storm of bullets. When she jumps back down she   blows the barrel that had smoke coming out of it. Raincoat was a Dead  ly Shot.  Father Crucifix ran to go find Helmet and Boxer still lose...

SAIYAN:  Tuxedo rolled his eyes a bit at Jacket but he took pity on the guy a l  ittle bit. Something suddenly came over him and he felt something that   he had never felt in his entire life. Was this…compassion? It felt re  ally weird to him. He sighed.  “How about after this I’ll buy you something to eat…or whatever” he sa  id to Jacket.  He wasn’t gay or anything, he was just trying to be nice or whatever.

BRIT:  Jacket made a face at Collier's immediate reaction.  "Bro, what the actual fuck." He said, "Buddy, pal, amigo. You wanna go   back to Heaven, right? It's literally way better than Earth. Sure, th  ere's a few rules, but it's just trying to keep us being nice people."

 He didn't know why he had to lecture another Angel, he wasn't even sur  e if he was going to listen to him. He was wanted for manslaughter, fo  r God's sake. He shook the sour look off his face and beamed at Tuxedo   Jacket.  "Aw man, that would be radical!" He piped up, "You're the fucking bomb  . I wish my boyfriend would do that."  He turned to see the rest of the group's leaving the viscinity and til  ted his head.  "Uh, hey guys. The group's headed off without us. We're here to find a   girl, not to fight the neverending wave of zombies." He called to his   companions in the area, pointing toward the rest of them.

KRO:  Sukajan squinted at Blazer as they walked back towards the group, grow  ing suspect of the pair as Spur walked out just a bit behind Blazer cl  utching his chest. Sukajan rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly.  "Right, let's go before we're surrounded."  The group caught up with Archer once Demons left the vacinity, seeing  how Helmet sped off into the distance, where he filled in everybody as   to what happened.  "Apparently mister knight heard a clap in response. I'm thinking it's  just a zombie trying to lure him in, so I wouldn't take the clap as an   method of finding the girl," he said.  Hots thought for a moment, his first initial thought being that zombie  s weren't that smart, but then again... He did see one running off cry  ing after someone else called it a clod.  Spur tried to keep Crucifix from running off but gave up. If the man w  as on a suicide mission, that's his prerogative. The girl was more imp  ortant.  "Anyway... There should be a safe zone somewhere around here. It's pro  bably where the girl's holed up."  Leon piped up, his eyes full of enthusiasm because he knew where that  was! He can be helpful too!  "Right! That's in the middle of the town but. While it's a safe /zone/  , it is surrounded by the obvious danger. Kind of like that."  Archer turned around to where Leon pointed at and blinked.  "Fog walls, huh? So those are here too?"

OSCARK9:  Sapphire take two steps back a was a little disgust of the vomit that  Cloak did at the zombie, but at least he's not bitten. Looking where C  loak stance, few more zombies are coming their way. "We should get out   of this area and return to our group." She said to Cloak.  Turning to Gloves, "Gloves!" She shouted. "We're moving back to our gr  oup! It's not safe here!"  Meanwhile, Gloves continues to burn the undead with __FIRE!__ While he   was doing that, he heard Sapphire voice. Probably not the best move t  o shout, but what choice to they have to make. "Okay!" He shouted back  . Now Gloves, Sapphire, and Cloak are moving back as fast as possible  while Gloves use __Flamethrower__ to make a path for all of them.

TORIBIRDSEED:  Collier squinted at Jacket. And unsummoned his weapons his hands now g  ross and dirty. Walking up to the other he just kinda… wipes his hands   on the others namesake and smiles. “Earth is plenty fine for me, I ha  ve no desire to go back to heaven… Ive been fallen for 120 years you t  hink I'm gonna change that now?” He scoffs and turns around. “Lead the   way, I don't know where i'm going.”  Cloak was now… very angry… who would kill such a wonderful creature. H  e stood up and looked at Saphire, and than back down at the Zombie.  “LOOK What you DID!” He coughed and choked as he spoke. “Why WOULd you   KILL IT!?”  He was scratching at his neck and pulling at his hair, his eyes wide a  nd bloodshot. “I Was perfectly fine where I Was! I was making real pro  gress! I could have had it tamed in another hour!! You imbecile!”  He held his stomach before puking again and spitting to the side. “Why   does nobody understand my work!” He started talking to himself mumbli  ng as he walked away with the rest of the group.

SAIYAN:  Tuxedo looked at Jacket inquisitively.  “Boyfriend? You have a boyfriend? Who is he?” He asked him.  He felt like it was probably common knowledge but since he was around  Jacket much but still he was trying to make conversation and he was in   fact a bit curious about it too. His train of thought was broken by S  pur suggesting that the group begin to move towards the safe area wher  e the girl was.  “I guess that’s our queue to start moving then, huh?” he said to Jacke  t.

OWLIE:  "No offense, I don't think you could. I would've bitten your ass and t  urn you into a zombie," Monocle said bluntly as he walked over to Cloa  k, then decapitated a few more zombies on his path, Polo happily trail  ing behind him as they regrouped with the others.

OWLIE:  *It

DJ:  Flat Cap had a bad feeling about the leaving the demons to do whatever   the fuck they were doing, especially now that they know there's a Hel  l Gate around here, but Pleats had to come first. He then saw Polo and   ran to him. "Eeeeey, Polo. My main minty man, how ya doin'?"  Loincloth turned to Jacket and nodded after he had whacked another zom  bie in the water then went to regroup with the others.  The new one. New to what? The Abbey or prehaps.....HELL'S FORCES?! Jus  t be safe, Helmet gripped his sword tightly and swung at Biretta's hea  d. "YES I AM!"

OSCARK9:  Sapphire turn his head at Cloak and was a little angry at him. She was   about tell him about the zombie bitten, but surprisingly, Monocle was   their at the right place at the right time.  "I agree with Monocle." Sapphire said to Cloak. "It's our job to prote  ct you people and we'll be damn if one of those zombies bitten you."  Turning to Monocle with a slight smile, "Also! Hey, Monocle!" She said  , happily.

BRIT:  Jacket wiped the whatever off his jacket, giving Collier another kind  of pout before flagging everyone down to follow him.  "Hey, guys, we're headed this way!" He called to the rest of them. "Le  t's head to a full regroup!"  Jacket lead those who would follow him to the rest of the group, mostl  y hoping people would follow him on their own volition. He didn't real  ly want to have to collect stragglers, because this place was pretty d  angerous- he was worried there would be people already taken by the un  dead.  They found everyone where they had all been standing and staring at...   A fog wall?  "What the fresh hell is that thing?" He asked as he walked up beside S  trappon, hands stuffed into his pockets.  "A safe zone, seemingly." Strappon answered simply, "I certainly hope  miss Pleats is here."

OWLIE:  "Eyyy, Flat Cap," Polo grinned as Flat Cap approached him. "Doing grea  t, I've been taking out Monocle more often cause his pissed that Sneak  ers' is hanging out with that kid."  "I don't like that kid, he's a smartass," Monocle said, rolling his ey  es, then turned to Sapphire's direction and gave her a little wave, "H  ello Sapphire,"

TORIBIRDSEED:  Cloak looked at Monocle and squints. “Don't doubt me… i'll feed you to   a ghost.” he said, his tongue slithering. “I know what i'm doing..” H  olding his hands together he reached into his cloak and pulled out his   spear, as it unfolded into a towering weapon. “Even creatures like th  is are tameable… you just have to know how.” He than heard the somethi  ng or other about them protecting them and Cloak got even more upset.  “Protect… me? I am Cloak! Harbinger of Darkness, and professional occu  ltic researcher! I do not need protection from you from these… petty c  reatures of darkness!”  He than walked over to a zombie and… shoved his hand int it's mouth, l  eft it there for a bout a second while pushing on it's neck with his o  ther hand and shoving it to the ground, and than tearing out it's tong  ue. “They will not bite if you do not let it… imbecile.”  After that he followed the rest of the group to the fog wall. And…. tr  ied to just walk in. “A wall of fog is nothing.”  Collier followed as well, swooping down while on the phone and checkin  g his watch, talking to himself.  “What do you mean theirs a fire?... Well put the god damn thing out??   Okay well thats just idotic… listen it's my day off… deal with it ple  ase.” He hung up the phone.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Wait for me!" Raincoat said as she runs to Loincloth following where  he was going. She was carrying her rifle though as she runs she shoots   at some Zombies for fun. "I LOVE BEING A ZOMBIE HUNTER!" She cheered  as she follows Loincloth with a smile on her face.  "Sir Helmet!" Father Crucifix called out as he keeps running with the  group to find Helmet. He just hopes that Demons don't get there first.  Boxer is still lose very lose...

JAY:  SMAAAASH!!  Before Biretta even had the chance to answer, he was slumped over, sec  urely unconcious in the crate he had been sleeping in all this time. H  is last vision being of Helmet's namesake and the echoing shout coming   from it, screaming "YES I AM!"

EMI:  Trenchcoat squinted at Jacket before following him.  Arriving at the fog wall, he stood next to the group.  "So... we just gonna stare at it?"  He watched at his brunette partner walked up next to some of the zombi  es, and he stared into the void with them. You almost couldn't tell th  e difference between Jacket and the zombies. Same face, devoid of inte  lligence and thought. He couldn't even try to mask his tired and irrit  ated expression.

OSCARK9:  Listening to Strappons' voice, they follow him and all of the Angels a  nd Heavenbents. Gather in one spot, Gloves and Sapphire stare at a fog   wall and was curious like the rest of the group

TORIBIRDSEED:  Cloak walks into the fog wall and... hits it... and falls onto his ass  .

SAIYAN:  "This is like some hunger games level shit right here. It's like there  's a force field here or something" Tuxedo Jacket said out loud.  He was trying to figure out a way to get past it. He put his hand to h  is chin and tried to analyze the fog wall. There had to be something t  hey were missing.  "There's gotta be some sort of trick to it" he said continuing to thin  k.

BRIT:  "H-huh?? Well, it's just a fog wall, right? Why can't we walk in? Do w  e have to destroy the enemies in the area?" Jacket asked as he backed  away from it and shrugged, "That's how it works in games."  Duster blinked and crossed his arms, staring at it at a safe distance  from the zombies.  "It is a bit out-of-the ordinary, even for a place like this. If it's  'safe,' then how would one get in or out?"  "Ah, a mystery." Cowlneck commented with a snort, "Have we /tried/ wal  king through it?"  Strappon watched as Cloak ran straight into the wall.  "Now we did." He answered simply, obtaining a grimace from Cowlneck.  "Try hittin that shit." Blazer answered, pulling their namesake off an  d swinging straight for it. The sword went straight through the fog as   if nothing was there. They furrowed their brow. "The actual fuck?"

DJ:  Flat Cap chuckled. "Well, can't say that isn't a normal thing for a pa  rent to do when their kid finds that potential special someone."  "Eh, they're good practice. Only wish these ones didn't blind people.  Just be careful and don't get cocky." Loincloth said as he watched Rai  ncoat shoot at the zombie before he caught up with the others and saw  Blazer hitting the fog wall. "Having trouble here?"  Biretta was knocked out, but he did not poof or bleed foul demon blood   when struck with his holy weapon, so in Helmet's mind, he passed the  test. He noticed Father Crucfix and waved to him. "Greetings, Brother  Crucfix! Have thou come to aid me in the search for Madam Pleats?"

KRO:  The fog wall made ripples as Blazer swung their sword through it, tiny   whispers coming from it. Suddenly, it began to bubble before arms wen  t in and grabbed Loincloth, dragging the large Angel in and onto the o  therside. He was fine aside from the pontential heart attack he may ge  t from the sudden dragging.  "You literally have to tell the wall you're walking through, you dunce  s..." Archer scoffed as he reached out to the wall and gaining entry a  s well. The small hands from before guiding Archer inside.  "Guess we better teach these Westeners a few things if European anomol  ies are popping up," he said as he was going through the fog.  Leon sniffed a little as he saw the two that had already crossed over,   hesitantly reaching out before being dragged through Spur and Sukajan   followed as well.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Oh Helmet...That's not a Demon that's a Angel" Father Crucifix said a  s he goes over to Biretta and help him up. "Brother Helmet, next time  wait for me or Brother Strappon before you attack" He said as he looke  d at then looked back at Biretta. "You Okay?" Father Crucifix ask the  angel as he looked at him.  "Don't worry i won't get cocky!" Raincoat said as she keeps shooting a  t the Zombies getting lots and lots of headshots.

OWLIE:  "S-special someone?" Monocle squawked, he looked at Flat Cap with disb  elief, "He's only 13!"  Polo laughed, earning him a glare from Monocle. They saw the others ge  t the to other side of the fog wall and decided to follow.

BRIT:  "Well, yeah. We can't fuckin pass through but our weapons can. It's a  hot load, lemme tell you." Blazer scoffed, tapping their shoulder with   their sword with a scrunched-up grimace-pout. They were done with thi  s mission already, even if they got fuckin laid. They wanted to find t  he poor chick already. She must be terrified.  Then Loincloth was literally sucked in and they dropped their sword.  "And then there's /this/ asshole!" They yelled, gesturing at the wall.   "Alright, fuck this. Let's go, open fuckin sesame."  They walked toward the fog wall and let the void take them.  Jacket blinked as he watched other people walking into the wall and ga  sped.  "That's absolutely fucking rightchous!" He yelled, "I'm comin in!"  He ran towards it, bumped right into the wall, then was dragged in by  the misty hands.  "It would be lovely if Norther Angels would share this lore with us /b  efore/ they treat us like we're idiots for not knowing." Strappon sigh  ed, turning to look at the rest of the group, "Let's head in and hope  we can find Miss Pleats."  "Lead the way." Cowlneck said simply.

TORIBIRDSEED:  Cloak and Collier both walk through the wall via being pulled in.  Cloak thinks this way is cooler.

OSCARK9:  Gloves and Sapphire eyes widen to see that Loincloth has been taken in   by bunch of arms and drag him to the other side.  "HOLY SHIT!" They shout, simultaneously.  As they saw others going into the fog, so did they.

SAIYAN:  TJ just looked in awe at what Archer had just done. It was almost as i  f the barrier wasn’t there for him. It just seemed really stupid!  “So, wait! You literally must tell a wall that you’re going in and it  will let you? Why is that a thing?” he said slightly angry and annoyed  .  Of all things that would work, it would be that. Deciding not to quest  ion it anymore, he walked up to the wall.  “I’m coming in!” he said before effortlessly walking through the other   side.

EMI:  Trenchcoat walked up to the wall and bumped into it. He kept walking i  nto it, feet moving but not going anywhere. Eventually, he was noclipp  ed past it.  Dermal, who was indeed with the group, pet Veil's head.  "You can stay here and look out."  She attempted to argue, but he placed a finger over her lips and hushe  d. His eyes gazed at the body of water in the distance again before he   turned around and walked casually towards the wall.  He bumped into it. He blinked and attempted to enter again. No budge.  The seraph, irritated, tried once again, pushing much harder.  No go. In fact, he felt like it pushed him back.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  Raincoat jumps into Fog. "CANON BALL!" Raincoat shouted as she went in  to the Fog with excitement.

KRO:  Considering it was a safe zone, what lied beyond the fog wall was a le  ss dank, yet ruined town. Leon walked ahead of everybody else, scannin  g the area.  "Now if I was a young, rich girl...where would I be..."  "That's one way to put it," Hots commented. Yeah he totally also walke  d into the wall like everyone else did and wasn't skimmed over.  Archer looked back at Strappon, almost offended.  "Well, /now/ you all know. It's how we keep some ghosts locked up back   in Europe, after all."  "You can sass each other as  much as you want, but keep your voices do  wn," Spur said, pointing at the distance, "Just because it's a safe zo  ne, it doesn't mean there aren't other things inside the walls."

DJ:  "Oh shi-" Was all Loincloth could say before he got sucked into the wa  ll. When he got out the otherside, he fell on his chest and got back u  p on his feet. "Damn, fog wall. I didn't even tell it I was going thro  ugh. Guess it just wanted be funny." He mumbled to himself.  "13 is when hormornes start kickin' in and the kid's body begins to wa  nna date and fuck. Don't be suprised when they start holdin' hands and   wantin' alone time together." Flat Cap said before turning to the wal  l. "Open them legs, ya foggy beauty!" With that, he proceeded through  the wall.  "He's an Angel?" Helmet asked, both suprised and confused, "But those  eyes looked so....unnatural."

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "I can't explain it but it's for accessory or something like that, Bro  ther" Father Crucifix said as he looked at the Angel then looked at hi  m. "Where are the others?" He asked as he looked around for Brother St  rappon.

BRIT:  Strappon looked around at the environment, seeing a few of the zombies   here and there. He crossed his arms at the chill in the air- it was m  uch cloder in here than it was outside. The air was at least a little  more on the dry side.  "Miss Pleats is a curious girl." He said in reply to Leon, "I mean, sh  e's an Ophir. She can't be stupid."  Cowlneck squinted at the Templar.  "You keep talking like you know her." He said suspiciously, but seemed   to be distracted by someone's lack of presence, "Where did Dermal go.  ..?"  "Didn't you hear him? Shut the fuck up, guys!" Blazer hissed, "We've s  till got undead dickwads wandering."  It was a harsh librarian shush that followed afterward.  "Where do we go... Now?" Jacket asked as he watched Trenchcoat get pus  hed in by the seemingly sentient fog.

KRO:  Going off from Cowlneck's initially train of thought, Leon also looked   suspiciously at the Templar.  "Yeah, you have such familiarty when it comes to her..."  "Whatever that entails, we'll have to leave it for another time," Suka  jan said, "But tell us, where do you think she'd hide when confronted  with a zombie infestation?"

EMI:  Now pissed, Dermal backed up and ran for the fog wall with a vicious m  ight. The wall opened up and he came barreling through the group of An  gels. The momentum had him tripping, until his foot caught something s  ticking out of the ground a little distance away from the other Angels   and he landed flat on his chin, sliding a bit.  The seraph simply groaned and glared back at the wall.  "Stupid... Cloud of... Garbage..."

DJ:  "A locked room, maybe?" Loincloth suggested as he observed the area.  Helmet looked around and the fog wall. "Prehaps through that fog." He  said then approached the wall and walked straight through it. When he  reached the other side, he looked around the area for a brief moment.  "Please clap!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands twice, obviously not k  nowing he had to keep his voice down. Not that he really would've.

BRIT:  "It's a personal matter." Strappon answered their prying shortly, turn  ing to see Dermal slide into view. He had been about to answer, but wa  tched as a latch had switched and a door opened on the ground out of n  owhere.  "Oh, Dermal. Thanks for sliding in." Jacket called over to the Seraph.  "That's... Dumbly convenient." Cowlneck pointed out, flipping his hair   in annoyance.  In response to Helmet's clapping, there was a clap coming from the und  erground way that had opened. Strappon ran straight for the entrance.  "She must be in here!" He called over to everyone, "She's smart enough   to know these dumb undead don't clap."

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Wait up Brother Helmet..." Father Crucifix sighs as he picks up Biret  ta in Bridal-Style mode and walks in the fog wall while doing a Clap.  "Now where is the others?" He ask himself as he looked around holding  Biretta in his arms.

BRIT:  "If you wanna be saved from zombies, clap your hands!" Jacket began si  nging, there was a clap in response from the tunnel below, "If you wan  na be saved from zombies clap your hands!"  There was another set of claps in reponse. Cowlneck snagged Jacket by  the shoulder with concern.  "Jacket no-"  "If you wanna be saved from zombies and you're scared they're gonna fi  nd you- If you wanna be saved from zombies, clap your hands--!"

JAY:  Slowly begins to stir from his extended nap, so gratefully granted to  him by the loud crusader of the abbey. Biretta's mind is quickly confu  sed by his dangling limbs, but he quickly realized he was floating thr  ough the air. Before he was fully aware of what was happening, he let  out a yelp and squirmed out Crucifix's arms.  Well, next thing he knew, his face kind of, sort of, clapped against t  he floor.  "Gggh..." he gurgled, holding his now-bruised head. "Fffuck!"

KRO:  Before Jacket could finish his little skit, there were two slow claps  coming behind the Heavenbents. It was a zombie that had been staring a  t the group for a while. Its hands were extended over it.  While the moment was comical, given the comment from the Templar, this   was a signal.  Zombies started to rise through debris and others were tearing through   the fog wall.  With this scene unfolding, Leon simply yelled "RUN!" and pushed those  surrounding the latch away as he went inside it first.

BRIT:  Jacket looked up and his grin disappeared into a face of sheer horror  as he realized just /what/ he had done.  "Bitches, RUN LIKE YOUR ASS ON FIRE." Blazer yelled, pushing other mem  bers of the group into the open tunnel as if they were herding sheep.  Strappon assisted in dragging other people down to get them away from  the encrouching zombies. He was literally shoving Loincloth and Archer  , as well as a slew of other Angels. Cowlneck simply side-stepped and  entered as his own pace.

KRO:  "Shit!" Hots spat, taking out his pulse rifle.  Spur took out his weapon as well and both began to shoot as the rest w  ere being herded in.  "We'll hold them off!" Spur said, popping the head off one that came i  n too close for comfort, "Just find the girl."

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Are you okay?" Father Crucifix ask Biretta then seeing people run. He   grabbed Biretta and carrying him Bridal Style once again.  Raincoat run too

OSCARK9:  As Gloves and Sapphire went into the fog and on the other side with th  e rest of the group, they saw that Loincloth was alright and no harm c  ome to him. Except some dirt that got to him, but alright. Relieve, th  ey scan the area of the ruin town and was little uncomfortable and it  made Sapphire spins shivers. Is it the fog or the environment? Maybe b  oth.  Listening to Strappon, both of them rush over and enter as well, findi  ng the Ophir with claps, and __MAN__ They have company behind their ba  cks.  "LIKE YOU HAVE TO TELL US TWICE!" Gloves yelled. Both of the Angels ar  e running like theirs no tomorrow and they're not turning back at all.

 "SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!" Sapphire cures, repeatedly.

JAY:  Biretta found himself once again being unable to properly respond befo  re he's picked up and carried, Father Crucifix following along with th  e mass of other angels fleeing from the zombie menace that was closing   in on them.  Holding his namesake tight to his head, he looked up at the male carry  ing him about. "Wh... What is even happening!? Did the mission just go   horribly wrong or something?"

OWLIE:  "Well fuck," Monocle said, grabbing his boyfriend with his free hand w  hile he's running as fast as his legs could. "We're going to die," He  took his phone and dialed Cardigan's number.  "Hey Cardigan, if I died, tell Sneakers I love him and tell him to sto  p hanging out with that kid." He dropped the line before Cardigan coul  d even respond. and stuffed the phone back into his pocket and dragged   Polo along the other angels.

TORIBIRDSEED:  Cloak was not going to run, why would he when he was so fond of these  occultic creatures. Smiling he whipped out his sythe and swung it arro  und.  "Why run? Ill die happily in their arms!"  He was absoloutly insane it seemed. He took a deep breath and laughed  a little, coughing up ink as he did, he clearly enjoyed this.  Collier on the other hand was less willing to stay and he... simply sh  ot up into the air with his wings and waved at the others. "You all ca  n enjoy dying but I have people that need me so... I aint about that l  ife."  Hes going to stay in the air for now.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Nope! Mission is still going but we are running from a Zombie horde!"   Father Crucifix quickly said as he old guy he was strong and fast. "D  on't worry, i got you" He said as he keeps running with Biretta in his   arms.  Raincoat keeps running while shooting Zombies in the Head.

EMI:  Trenchcoat shrieked like a 5-year-old and ran. He ran fast and far int  o the tunnel, not even considering stopping.  Dermal lifted his torso off the ground and rubbed his chin, looking ag  itatedly back at the- well, it was the group of Angels. Now it was zom  bies, and they were disgustingly close to him. He stood his ass up and   dusted himself off as a few of them were shot by his comrad's bullets  , seemingly more concerned about the staining on his outfit.

DJ:  “HOOOOly shite!” Flat Cap yelled before he made a break for the latch.   These were risks and odds even he wasn’t willing to take.  Loincloth meanwhile, was a tad bit surprised when Strappon was able to   muster the strength to push not only him, but other angels as well in  to the underground way.  “I shall aid thee in the defense!” Helmet said as he slid in front of  Spurs and Hots and began whacking at zombies. Brave or foolish? You de  cide, folks.

KRO:  As Hots kept a steady pace of downing zombies, he saw Cloak not even b  udging.  "FUCK'S SAKE," he growled in frustration as he grabbed Cloak by the co  llar and dragged the man down into the tunnel.  "You're on your own for now, guy!" He called to Spur as he shoved Cloa  k downstairs.  Seeing Hots exit stage left and Helmet coming in for the substitution,   it's probably best they just lock the door.  Still, he was surprised the guy wasn't being affected by the zombies'  ability.  He then looked up at Collier, "Are you gonna leave or what? The door n  eeds to be shut."

TORIBIRDSEED:  Cloak did not appreciate getting dragged, and he nearly dropped his sp  ear. As the other was pulling him along he grabbed his weapon with bot  h hands and began to swing it at Hots. "Let go of me mortal scum!" He  was clearly in his own world at this point.  However soon enough he was in the tunnel and... figured that it would  be a pain to go back up so he just sort of... followed along.  Collier looked down at the dirty earth below and winced. "I didint par  ticularly want to no."  He than looked at the hoard of zombies before sighing. "But its better   than that I suppose." And he flew in. He wasnt going to touch the gro  und though... hovering lightly above the ground.

BRIT:  Strappon turned to make sure the rest of the group was able to get the  mselves down into the tunnel. He watched as the rest of them piled in  and looked up at Spurs from below.  "Don't get yourself killed, chap!" He called up, "Take Helmet and get  yourself in here before they swarm!"  "Please get your ass down here, I need that in my life!" Blazer called   up like the desperate, dirty ho that they were.

EMI:  Leaping like a fucking majestic gazelle over some of the other Angels  and parkouring off of walls, Trenchcoat booked it as far in as possibl  e. Literally. He slammed right into a door at the end of the hall.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  Raincoat and Father Crucifix holding Biretta keep running from the Hor  de of the Zombies.

KRO:  "Right!" Spur responded as he grabbed Helmet by the collar of his shir  t and pulled him down. He quickly grabbed the open latch and closed it   shut but not before wondering about another Angel who was just outsid  e. He shook his head, he couldn't think about them now. If they're dea  d, they're dead.  He locked the latch just in time as there was now countless hands tryi  ng to pry it open, but the door seemed sturdy enough... For now at lea  st.  "There..." he said, a bit winded, "We should move. Don't know how long   that'll keep them out."  Not wanting to waste any time, he took the lead or rather, he went up  to where Trenchcoat crashed.  "Oh good, you found us a door," he said as he began to open it.

BRIT:  There was a scream from the room behind the door at the end of the hal  lway. Then there was complete silence.  Strappon walked down the hall and checked on the present Angels to see   if they were already.  "Anyone hurt?" He asked, pulling his gloves on to ready his healing po  wers, "I know we're about to enter another area. We're not sure if the  re's even anything on the other side of the door, but if you're ailing   speak now or forever hold your peace."  Jacket poked his head out from the group to see Trenchcoat.  "Geez, like a sack a' bricks." He muttered.

TORIBIRDSEED:  Collier spoke up and titled his head, he never was fond of strappon bu  t now he was just annoyed. "This aint a fucking marriage pinky..." He  shoved his hands in his pockets and scoffed at the other, cearly unimp  ressed as usual. "Nobodies fuckin' hurt, except maybe that guys feelin  gs." He pointed at Cloak, who currently was on all fours vomiting on t  he ground.  "Aaah! I could have had so many zombie slaves! It would have been wond  erful! I could have become the occultic lord I always dreamt of being!  "  He puked some more and slammed his face into the ground a few times, c  learly upset.

JAY:  Once they were safe, Biretta once again let himself down from Father C  rucifix's arms, albeit a little more carefully this time. After dustin  g off his dark cloak, he nodded towards Crucifix, "Thank you, I apprec  iate the aid and the update.  Looking around, Biretta's stoic face scanned the crowd carefully. He w  as silent for a little while, before speaking.  "I'm not convinced that the situation here's under control."

OSCARK9:  Gloves and Sapphire breath heavily for running like crazy maniacs and  look at Strappon with exhausting eyes and sweating a little.  "I'm good...Stra...ppon." Gloves said in his tiring voice.  "Same...here." Sapphire said in her tiring voice.

DJ:  I'm fine." Flat Cap said, sitting against the wall, "Just a bit winded  ."  "You could've become zombie chow more than anything else, boy." Loincl  oth said, standing over the puking ink boy.  Helmet sat on his butt, wishing he could whack just one more foul zomb  ie.

OWLIE:  "Yeah... We're good," Polo said, panting and wiping the sweat off his  forehead as he gave Strappon a thumbs up. Monocle rested an arm agains  t Polo's shoulder, looking tired, but he managed to nod.

BRIT:  "Bro..." Jacket said in the most sincerely worried voice at Cloak, "Br  o, it's okay. You'll figure something out. Maybe we can find you some  nice little ghosts like that there Mr. Petter all those years ago?"  He gave Cloak a couple soft pats to the back. Gingerly.  "Unfortunately, I can't recover people's energy." Strappon said with a   sigh, "But we can sit here for a moment to catch our breath."

TORIBIRDSEED:  Cloak puked like a lot more when Jacket patted his back before looking   up at him with a horribly disgusting ink covered face... whell mostly   his lower jaw and lip.  "RealLLY?" He had tears in his eyes as he held the others cheeks with  sparkles in his eyes. "That... Sounds wonderful."

KRO:  The scream that was followed by silence actually happened to be Spur h  aving one entire crowbar denting his helmet. He didn't say anything, s  taying silent from the pure shock. He tried to get it off but it appea  red to be stuck...very stuck.  He was having difficulty trying to get it off and Archer took this opp  rotunity to show off his strength, but he too failed.  Sukajan snorted as he pushed Archer aside. He had cybernetic strength  on his side, how hard could this be? Extremely so, even he couldn't ge  t it off. Hots rallied the two and then the three of them tried to yan  k it off the helmet but their combined strength still wasn't enough.  "What the fUCK!?" Hots yelled. This was ridiculous.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "You can say that..." Father Crucifix said as he looked at Biretta bre  athing heavily as he looked at the Angel. "My name is Father Crucifix  and the man that hit was Brother Helmet, I'm sorry that he did that to   you" He said as he calms down and dust himself off.  "Loincloth, you okay?" Raincoat ask as she goes over to him worried ab  out her big buddy. "Don't worry! I got a few headshots at the Horde!"  She said with a smile as she looked up at him.

BRIT:  Strappon looked up from his actions of healing, whipping his head to s  ee what the commotion was.  "Holy shit, Spurs." Blazer whispered. "You can take the fucking lumps.  "  Standing in the doorway, there was a girl who seemed to understand wha  t was finally going on around her.  "O-oh! I'm so terribly sorry!" The girl spouted, pattering over to sna  g the crowbar off Spurs' helmet with relative ease. "It's just that I'  ve been hiding out here for so long that I've grown a tad paranoid. I  had a fellow drop in here about an hour ago looking quite winded, but  that was the only sign of life I've seen now for days. And now...There  's... So many of you..."  She looked around at the motley crew of Angels around her.  "I'm... Um. I'm Pleated Skirt." She cleared her throat and curtsied.

JAY:  "I figured the one that attacked me was Helmet. He's loud enough to be   quite distinguishable." Biretta gave a slight chuckle, though he had  to rub his head under his namesake, where he had received the blow fro  m his compatriot.  After taking care of that, he extended his gloved hand to Crucifix's a  nd too caught up in his greeting to notice the entrance of the mission  's goal. "I am Biretta. Former Cardinal of Naples. It's good to meet y  ou."

OMEGAPSYCHO:  Boxer was beside her and waves with a weak smile. "Hey Guys, look at w  ho i found..." Boxer said with a weak smile as he looks at everyone. W  hen Boxer go lose he found Pleated Skirt and Protected her until they  found his Angel friend, he also explain to her what is going as well.  "Well, She found me" He said with a smile as he scratched his head.  "He believes he is a Crusader" Father Crucifix whisper to Biretta as h  e didn't want Helmet to hear it. "Wait Cardinal? I know see it! It's H  onor to meet" He said with a smile as he shakes his hand.

DJ:  "I'm good." Loincloth responded to Raincoat then heard Hots yell and w  ent to investigate. Upon seeing Spurs, Hots, and Archer trying to pull   out the crowbar, his first thought was how stupid they look trying to   pull it out and decided to help out. "Move." He said, pushing Hots an  d Archer aside before grabbing the crowbar with his big, meaty hand an  d pulled hard.

KRO:  Hots eyes welled up with tears as he saw that Pleats was okay, going i  n for a hug.  Spur sighed, feeling the dent on his helmet. He wanted to see how bad  the damage was, but couldn't risk showing his identity. He already sho  wed one person too many today.  "You're telling me," he told Blazer.

BRIT:  At the mere mention of her name, Strappon shoved past Hot Pants and gr  abbed Pleats' shoulders, giving her a serious look over before hugging   her.  "Miss Pleats, I'm so glad you're alive. I was so worried about you!" H  e managed, his voice cracking slightly.  Pleats pat his back with a soft laugh.  "Oh, Father Strap, it's alright! I roughed it out very well, actually!   Perhaps I could have gone without needing to eat spiders and other su  ch pests, but I've done well for myself. Boxer did well to keep me in  high spirits!" She explained, breathing better whe Strappon let his ir  on grip loosen. "Oh, my. I've grown quite a bit since we last saw each   other in person. It seems we're the same... Height."  "Whoa, Strap found a lady friend." Jacket pointed out.  "He's gay, dummy." Blazer said, giving Jacket a small shove.

TORIBIRDSEED:  Collier looked at the newcomer and a devilish smile crept onto his fac  e. "Ah!" He hovered over to the other and smiled, extending his hand t  o the other. "A pleasure to meet your aquanitance madam, I do not know   much about you but I must say you are quite striking!" He smiled and  leaned backward in the air sort of as if he were lounging in a hammock  . "I would like to offer you the chance of a lifetime! The chance to w  ork at one of my fine establishments! Perhaps you have heard of them,  many of them go by the name "The Collar Club" here in Daten, Others go   by various other names, but that is the most common... there are a fe  w around."  Yes he was trying to recruit her into his buisness. Stop him please.  "However if you are comfortable living your boring life as is... That  is fine as well." At least he was nice about it.

JAY:  "To think, a mere 900 years or so ago and I'm sure Helmet and I would  have gotten along famously." Biretta smirked at the quip, but then smi  rked even wider at the recognition he got from Crucifix. "Of course, o  f course. I cannot thank you enough for your help today."  He turned his attention back to the revelation of Pleats, who he vague  ly remembered they were supposed to be looking for. Squinting, he smil  ed, as if confirming to himself that indeed, they had found her. "Ah,  good, guess that's been sorted out."

EMI:  Trenchcoat stood up wearily until he was shoved roughly by Strappon an  d any other Angel that entered the room. He stood back up and Collier  roughly aside.  "You're in the way, weirdo."  His eyes met the gorgeous wonder in front of him, and he felt his hear  t flutter and color flush to his visage.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Group Hug!" Boxer said as he hugs Pleats and Hots. "I did Father Stra  ppon, i even told her what's been happening too" He said as he looked  over at Strappon with a smile. "Fun thing, i was like her Guardian Ang  el" Boxer said calmly as he keep hugging the two then fall asleep on P  leats.  Raincoat smiled as she gives Loincloth a hug.

DJ:  "I hate to intrerupt this touching moment but" Loincloth began, tossin  g the crowbar aside before Raincoat came in for a hug, "Now that we've   found her, how are we going to get out of here? Our only exit's block  ed by all the zombies."  Flat Cap was smoking some weed.  Helmet watched the latch, listening the sound of zombies trying to pry   it open.

OWLIE:  "Yay! Mission accomplished" Polo said happily, clapping his arms like  a kid. Monocle nodded in agreement, "I would like to know that as well  ,"

KRO:  Hots felt offended that Strappon denied him getting hugs from Pleats b  ut he was ready to eviscerate Collier. But let's not do that in front  of the girl. Instead he tried to calm himself with breathing exercises   before just leaning on Pleats.  "Ya mum said she wanted you back before today's dinner, by the way-"  He wasn't expecting the hug from Boxer and he shoved the Angel away.  "Oi mate, we didn't ask."

OSCARK9:  As they regain some energy, they're breathing normally and wave at Ple  ated Skirt with their own right hands.  "Nice to meet you, Pleated Skirt." Gloves said with a smile. "I'm Glov  es Stone, Virtue of Diligence. This here is my good friend, Sapphire N  ecklace."  "Pleasure to meet you." Sapphire said, smiling also.  "We're so happy that you're okay, no harm come to you, and well done p  rotecting her and keeping her in high spirit, Boxer." Gloves smile at  them.  Sapphire listen to Loincloth and Monocle voices, "Same here,"

OSCARK9:  "How can we get out of here." Sapphire said to them.

OSCARK9:  *"How can we get out of here?"

TORIBIRDSEED:  Collier looked at Trenchcoat and crossed his arms, still not wanting t  o touch the ground. "In the- says you! Im simply offering the lovley l  ady a buisness opportunity! She doenst have to take it!" Flapping his  wings once he pushed up his glasses and reached into his pocket pullin  g out his phone. He was gonna go make some phone calls and get updates   on that fire. Looks like he cant take a day off after all.  Cloak was sitting in a corner brooding

KRO:  "There's gotta be some other way out of here," Sukajan said in respons  e to Loincloth.  "Better yet. /Where/ are we?"

OMEGAPSYCHO:  Boxer jolt up and as he heard that they were trapped. "I have a plan!"   Boxer said as he holds up a finger and grabs his phone from his Pocke  t. Boxer went into the Lab and grabbed a bunch of Speakers, as he look  ed at Strappon with a serious look. "When the Music starts you guys ru  n as fast as you can" He said as he starts to make Armor made out of S  peakers. He goes over to Pleats and hugs. "Thank you" Boxer said as he   goes one of the exit and plays...  Thriller by Michael Jackson  "I AM A HERO!" Boxer said as he runs down the hallways trying to get a  ll the Zombies to hear the Music as he used himself as bait to save ev  eryone.  Raincoat and Crucifix just facepalm as they watch him leave.

BRIT:  Pleats laughed at the welcoming party, everyone was so happy to see he  r.  "I'm quite flattered to hear all of you are so happy to find me!" She  said, starting to play with her hair a little. She perked up at the me  ntion of an exit, "Oh, there's plenty of ways out. That was one of sev  eral entrances. I just chose not to leave for a myriad of reasons."  She gave the group a sheepish smile.  "This place seemed safe... Why was that?" Strappon asked, "I would exp  ect this place to have been swarmed."  "Oh, this is an active laboratory." Pleats explained, "I can't quite e  xplain it myself, but if we go back into the lab I can show you all wh  y I've holed up in here."  She scuttered toward the labs again, Strappon in tow.  "Is he gonna explain why he's so chummy with her?" Cowlneck asked with   little interest.

KRO:  "A lab, huh?" Spur muttered to himself.  That was an interesting development, but it made sense as to why the o  utside was relatively safe compared to the rest of the town.  Poor Leon was just confused. Was any of this normal? Is this how Calif  ornia just is? Man, he needed a new job. Or maybe move back home where   the only thing he dealt with was Mothman back in good ol'West Virgini  a.  He followed closely behind Hots who was following both Pleats and Stra  ppon, pondering the same thing Cowlneck was asking. Guess he had a few   questions to ask his aunt later on.

EMI:  Trenchcoat simply followed the crowd. Well, more followed Pleats. He w  as absolutely twitter-patted. She was so sweet and cute and raw as fuc  k and he needed to protect her.

DJ:  Loincloth followed the crowd, wondering what could be in the lab that  was keeping the zombies away. Was it a repellent of some kind or somet  hing else?  Helmet and Flat Cap followed as well eventually, though Flat Cap was a   bit stoned.

BRIT:  Jacket followed after Trenchcoat with a curious expression, sighing an  d stepping on his coat so he couldn't walk any further.  "Hey, bub. I thought you were /my/ boyfriend?" He asked, "What's the d  ealio?"  In the labs, there were clear signs Pleats had been there a while. Mor  e interestingly, there were signs that everything had been used fairly   recently, albiet a few days ago at best. Pleats lead them further int  o the labs where she rummaged through her bags.  She pulled out a large, glowing white orb and held it in her hands, ho  lding it up for everyone to see.  "I found this here orb sitting in the middle of the labs. It seems it'  s what's been producing the mist, I think." She explained, "I haven't  looked much into it, really. I'm not that well-versed in the ethereal.  "

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Should i go get him?" Raincoat ask Father Crucifix as she looked at t  he Exit he went down.  "I got the boy" Father Crucifix said as he goes down the Hallway and d  rags Boxer back as he fell asleep halfway in the Hallway. Father Cruci  fix slapped him across the face and pointed to Pleat.  Boxer nodded and went to Pleat Side again as Father Crucifix told hims   silently, He also took off that stupid Armor he made and put his phon  e back in his pocket.

KRO:  Spur was close to removing his helmet in pure awe but stopped himself  before his hands touched the bottom of it. Right.  "They did say there was a treasure in this town keeping an area safe s  oon after it feel to the Malice. Maybe this is it?"  "Yeah, I've heard about this- You know too much for someone who's new  in town..." Hots said, squinting at the man.  "I have my sources," Spur responded.  "May I?" He asked Pleats, holding his hands out.

OWLIE:  Polo began looking around the labs in awe then looked at the glowing o  rb on Pleat's hands "Ooh, pretty," Polo's eyes lit up with interest as   he attempted to touch the orb. Monocle sighed and swatted his boyfrie  nd's arm, grabbing Polo's hand and holding it with his.

DJ:  Flat Cap was looking around the lab, observing the equipment and any w  ritten notes that he could see as he smoked his joint.  Helmet was staring at the orb. It looked pretty and he wanted it.  Loincloth was just watching this shit from the sidelines.

BRIT:  Pleats saw everyone trying to touch the orb and giggled.  "I suppose it is rather mesmerizing." She said, handing it off to Spur  s, "It doesn't seem to be toxic to humans, but I wonder if it has anyt  hing to do with the strange zombie-like creatures."  "It would be a fair explanation." Cowlneck offered, peering at his ref  lection in one of the monitors, "Not sure how, but considering it's no  t human tech..."  "Oh, how wonderful. Something that's foreign to the Northern Sect." St  rappon answered sarcastically.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "You know you didn't need to slap him..." Raincoat said as she looked  at Father Crucifix.  "It was a wake up slap, back in my Templar Day if we didn't wake up we   got slap" Father Crucifix said as he looked at Raincoat.  "You and that Old Day stuff, you know the past is the past" Raincoat s  aid as she goes over to Loincloth to help him out.

EMI:  Trenchcoat's coat tails tugged and he blinked. He looked back at Jacke  t.  "So what, I can't look?!" He snapped. He stopped and blinked again. Th  e gears were turning.  "WAIT. WAIT WHAT. NO." He shrieked. He spun around to look at the pret  ty orb, trying to hide his blazing red face.

OWLIE:  Monocle strode over to Father Crucifix and Raincoat, his eyes narrowed   and a hand on his hip, "Yeah, I agree with miss Raincoat here, I don'  t think that's appropriate Father Crucifix, You don't need to slap him  ,"

OMEGAPSYCHO:  "Well..." Father Crucifix was about to say something then he realize h  is fault. "Your right, it's Boxer has been acting weird lately and i j  ust want to help him..." Father Crucifix said as he looked at Monocle  then at Boxer who was with Pleats.

OWLIE:  "Well, you're helping him plenty," Monocle said sarcastically, meanwhi  le Polo just kept staring at the the orb.

DJ:  "Okay, so maybe we assume this thing is some kind of zombie repellent.   So let's head to the nearest exit and test it. If it is a repellent,  great. If not, we'll just fight our way out and study this thing back  at the Abbey." Loincloth said, crossing his arms.

KRO:  As pretty as the orb was and everything else that was irrelevant to Le  on, he figured his task was done and he was ready to go home and sleep   for a week.  "Hate to break it to you all, but we gotta move before those zombies o  ut there break the other exit open. I don't really feel keen on testin  g out if this orb is a repellent. We've had too many close calls tonig  ht."  "Right, of course," Spur said, putting the orb under his arm.  "Miss Ophir, care to lead the way?" Spur asked, handing the orb back t  o Pleats.

BRIT:  "Unfortunately, Miss Pleats, we have to return you to your home." Stra  ppon explained, almost sorrowfully.  Pleated Skirt made a face, then sighed, nodding her head.  "You're right. It was foolish for me to run away again, but the things   mother says about Angels, and the way my family has treated you all..  . It's not fair! I wanted to help you." She said giving a slight stomp  . She wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye and put on a smile,   "Sadly, it reminds me of the first time we met... When you helped me  and kept me safe for a time."  "It's a fond memory." Strappon said, rubbing Pleats' shoulder. "And we  'll likely have many more. You're free to visit the Abbey any time you   please. Hopefully, your mother won't be able to stop you this time. B  ut you have to stop running away."  Pleats gave a tough nod, giving another sigh and looking around at eve  ryone and offering them a sweet smile.  "Let's all get out of here, then! I'll lead everyone to the way out, b  ut I hope we can plough through those horrible monsters." She said.  "Heck, yeah!" Jacket said, swinging his arm enthusiastically, "Many mo  re memories, right? And lots of busting heads!"  "Jacket, you're still a wanted man." Cowlneck reminded him, causing th  e boy to droop.  "Well, everyone. Let's head out of here." Strappon said, gesturing for   everyone to follow.

OMEGAPSYCHO:  Father Crucifix nod as he follows Hot Pants.  Boxer stays beside Pleats to keep her safe and protected even though s  he healed him and keep him safe.  Raincoat reloads her Rifle ready to shoot some Zombies heads.

JAY:  Biretta remained relatively silent while observing the revealed labora  tory, though when the odd ball of light was brought out, he found hims  elf quite fixated on it through the entire conversation.  He snapped out of being lost in thought with the command to head out,  following his first order for the night and following along to leave t  his awful place.

DJ:  "Finally." Loincloth said, rolling his eyes as he followed Pleats.  Flat Cap finished his joint and tossed away the butt. "Right behind ye  , Strap." He said, readying his weapon ready.  Helmet followed the orb more than anyone else as he was still transfix  ed in it's beauty. One could see drool drip out of his namesake.

OWLIE:  Polo tore his gaze away from the orb. He held Monocle's hand as they q  uietly followed Pleats and Strappon, Polo looked at him and said, "Wan  na go get tea after this?"  Monocle blinked, and then he gave Polo a small smile smile. He's fucki  ng tired but he won't refuse tea, "Of course,"

OSCARK9:  With a nod, Gloves and Sapphire follow with the rest of the group and  __man__they're gonna fight more of the zombies outside.  Squeezing their namesakes tightly, they're ready to rumble again.

OSCARK9:  *__man__

And so, having found Pleated Skirt, the Angels and Heavenbents made thei r way out of the laboratory to find many of the zombies had just... disa ppeared. Dermal sat in a lawn chair as Veil served him iced tea. He lowered his s unglasses. "Oh, you made it out. Look at that." He said simply, getting up and stre tching. "Good, this place is awful. Let's get out of here." As the rest of the group fully emerged, Leon's phone rang and he answere d with a less than enthusiasic expression. "What? They're waking up? And... There's a sudden increase in activity? Huh. Okay. Alright." He said, hanging up. He turned to the group and dro pped his phone on the ground. "We're fucked. And I quit." Strappon sputtered for a second. "Y-You can't just /quit/ how the hell are we getting out of here??" He m anaged to yell. "It's your /job/!" "Not anymore." Leon laughed, turning and walking out, "This is how you l eave, Pinky." Bereft and beside himself with rage, Strappon pulled at his hair for a s econd before looking up to the sky for help. And help was recieved. Above them, a large white UFO lowered itself to a few feet above the cre w. A light shone down, and in it appeared Ovr'kot with a welcoming smile . "Greetings, Earthlings! We recieved a call that you may require some ass istence to come back home. Need a lift?" He asked, clasping his hands to gether. Leon looked upon the spaceman with awe. He tossed off his shirt and ran into the distance, sputtering something about forums. "Yes, thank you..." Strappon sighed, giving the Original a genuine, but tired, smile. "Though, I'm not sure how Dermal got my number. Oh, well." The Original laughed as they were all beamed up into the Angelic Spacecraft and carte d back to the Abbey.

#angel rp #DCMissionaries

[jodyedgarus]

Vegas Has The Best Expansion Team In The History Of Pro Sports, And It’s Not Close

The Vegas Golden Knights are only halfway through their inaugural season, and they’ve already redefined what anyone thought was possible for an NHL expansion franchise. Against all odds, the Knights are currently 29-10-3 with 61 points, good for the best record in the Western Conference — and only 4 points shy of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the best record in the entire league. It’s enough to make the Knights hockey’s greatest debut team ever, hands down.

But that’s not all: Vegas is also lapping the field of expansion teams across every major pro sport. Even after adjusting for the way records are distributed in other sports, no other brand-new club in modern history came close to doing what the Knights have done so far. Expansion teams just aren’t supposed to have this kind of success this early.

Constructed as a Frankenstein’s monster of unwanted parts from the rest of the league, a new club is usually very bad indeed. In a franchise’s first season, merely being “competitive” — code for losing but keeping things close most nights — is an admirable goal. And going into this season, there were plenty of people who had trouble seeing the Knights even reaching that modest level of success. Most outlets picked Vegas to finish either last or next-to-last in the Pacific Division.

That was a reasonable expectation based on the past performance of first-year clubs. Our own analysis found that Vegas had dredged more talent out of the expansion-draft pool than normal — but that was just supposed to mean the Knights would exceed historical expectations. It didn’t mean we thought they’d make the playoffs, much less that they’d contend for the Stanley Cup.

So far this season, however, Vegas has picked up 73 percent of the maximum number of points in its games and outscored its opponents by 0.7 goals per game. To compare those marks across NHL seasons, we converted them to z-scores, or the number of standard deviations they sat above or below league average. (This helps us account for changes in the league’s spread of talent over time and allows us to make comparisons between different sports — which will come in handy later.) In both categories, Vegas’s z-scores are easily the top marks for an NHL expansion team since the league blew up the Original Six and added six new teams in 1967-68:1

Vegas is destroying its NHL expansion competitors

Best z-scores (standard deviations relative to average) for point percentage and goals per game differential, NHL expansion teams (1968-2018)

Point percentage YEAR TEAM POINT % – Z-SCORE 1 2018 Vegas Golden Knights 72.6 % +1.73 2 1994 Florida Panthers 49.4 -0.06 3 1968 Philadelphia Flyers 49.3 -0.08 4 1968 Los Angeles Kings 48.7 -0.16 5 1968 St. Louis Blues 47.3 -0.32 6 1968 Minnesota North Stars 46.6 -0.40 7 1968 Pittsburgh Penguins 45.3 -0.57 8 1973 Atlanta Flames 41.7 -0.57 9 1971 Buffalo Sabres 40.4 -0.65 10 1994 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 42.3 -0.76 Goal differential YEAR TEAM GPG DIFF. – Z-SCORE 1 2018 Vegas Golden Knights +0.7 +1.28 2 1994 Florida Panthers +0.0 0.00 3 1968 Philadelphia Flyers -0.1 -0.15 4 1968 St. Louis Blues -0.2 -0.36 5 1994 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim -0.3 -0.37 6 1968 Pittsburgh Penguins -0.3 -0.54 7 1973 Atlanta Flames -0.6 -0.58 8 1968 Los Angeles Kings -0.3 -0.62 9 1971 Vancouver Canucks -0.9 -0.77 10 1971 Buffalo Sabres -1.0 -0.85

Full-season statistics are used for all teams except Vegas.

Source: Hockey-Reference.com

The Florida Panthers used to be the model for a successful NHL expansion team. Florida was more than merely competitive in 1993-94 — it finished one win shy of a .500 record and scored exactly as many goals as it allowed. Then, with the good core of talent they had picked up in the expansion draft, the Panthers made the Stanley Cup final three seasons into the franchise’s existence. Before Vegas came along, that was the gold standard for brand-new clubs: solid in the first year, outright good within a couple seasons. But the Knights’ debut has flipped those expectations on their head.

(Yes, it should be noted that the 1967-68 St. Louis Blues made the Cup final in their first season. But that was solely because the NHL dropped all six of its new teams into the same division, the winner of which had to make the final. Every team in the new West division, which housed all the expansion clubs, had a negative goal differential during the regular season, but someone had to win it — and the Blues were that team. They were also swept by the mighty Montreal Canadiens when they played for the Cup.)2

Vegas’s season becomes even more impressive when you compare its z-scores to those of the top expansion teams from other sports. No modern MLB expansion club finished a season any better than the 70-win 1961 Los Angeles Angels; no debut NBA team ever topped the 33 wins of the 1967 Chicago Bulls; no NFL expansion team could beat the 7-9 Carolina Panthers from 1995. Hockey does tend to see its teams’ records more tightly bunched than in such sports as football and basketball, but even after adjusting for that with our z-scores, the Golden Knights’ current season blows away any would-be challenger from the NFL, NBA or MLB since the early 1960s:

Vegas beats other sports’ expansion teams, too

How the Vegas Golden Knights stack up against top expansion teams in each league by z-score* of winning percentage, 1961-2018

Vegas vs. MLB expansion teams Score Differential Win percentage Year Team Value Z-Score Value Z-Score 2018 Vegas Golden Knights +0.7 +1.3 72.6% +1.7 1961 Los Angeles Angels -0.3 -0.3 43.5 -0.7 1969 Kansas City Royals -0.6 -0.8 42.6 -0.8 1962 Houston Colt .45’s -0.8 -1.0 40.0 -1.0 1969 Seattle Pilots -1.0 -1.3 39.5 -1.1 1993 Colorado Rockies -1.3 -2.1 41.4 -1.2 Vegas vs. NBA expansion teams Score Differential Win percentage Year Team Value Z-Score Value Z-Score 2018 Vegas Golden Knights +0.7 +1.3 72.6% +1.7 1967 Chicago Bulls -3.7 -0.7 40.7 -0.5 1971 Portland Trail Blazers -4.5 -0.9 35.4 -1.0 1969 Milwaukee Bucks -5.1 -1.1 32.9 -1.1 1968 Seattle SuperSonics -6.5 -1.3 28.0 -1.3 1990 Minnesota Timberwolves -4.2 -0.9 26.8 -1.3 Vegas vs. NFL expansion teams Score Differential Win percentage Year Team Value Z-Score Value Z-Score 2018 Vegas Golden Knights +0.7 +1.3 72.6% +1.7 1995 Carolina Panthers -2.3 -0.4 43.8 -0.4 1968 Cincinnati Bengals -8.1 -0.8 21.4 -1.1 1967 New Orleans Saints -10.4 -1.2 21.4 -1.3 1961 Minnesota Vikings -8.7 -0.9 21.4 -1.3 1966 Miami Dolphins -10.6 -1.2 21.4 -1.4

*Z-score is the number of standard deviations above/below average, relative to the overall league that season.

Sources: Baseball-Reference.com, Basketball-Reference.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com

One thing that jumps out is that many NHL expansion teams had better z-scores than the best expansion teams in the other sports. But why is it so much easier to build a strong NHL expansion team (relative to the league) than in the other Big Four North American sports? I don’t have a great explanation.

Hockey is the sport with the least reliable individual stats — while scouts’ eye tests can be swayed by recency and other biases — so it may be that the caliber of players left available in the expansion draft is higher than in other sports. Or perhaps the outsize value of goaltending means one good pick between the pipes is enough to carry a team of talent-strapped skaters to respectability. Or maybe good coaching deserves more credit than it sometimes gets around the league. Whatever the reason, expansion teams have done better on ice in general, even before Vegas started to blow the doors off the league.

We know that, in the NHL, it takes a lot of games to tell who’s good and who’s bad — which is why even a hot half-season can turn cold overnight. For Vegas, the heat has been generated by MVP-candidate seasons from the likes of William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault and a near Vezina-worthy performance from Marc-Andre Fleury — all players who were considered expendable as recently as seven months ago. Peeking under the hood, the Knights’ ratio of shots taken to shots allowed at even-strength is nothing special, even after adjusting for score effects and other factors. And let’s face it: Few teams can sustain this pace for an entire season: Of the 24 teams with at least 60 points in their first 42 games since 2005-06,3 only one (last year’s Capitals) had a second-half point percentage as good as it did in the first half of the season.

So it would be logical to assume that a second-half regression could be lurking around the corner for the Golden Knights. But the advanced stats don’t suggest that Vegas has been particularly lucky. In terms of expected goals (which measures where a team’s chances come from in addition to their volume), the Knights have the ninth-best ratio in the league.

Regression or no regression, various projection systems consider the Knights all but a lock to make the playoffs, which would make Vegas the first expansion team to claim that honor since the 1968 season’s standings guaranteed that four new clubs would qualify. Even the in-town sportsbooks are paying attention to the possibility of playoff action in the desert: The Knights are currently tied for the second-best Stanley Cup odds of any team in the league.

For an expansion team, all of this seemed unthinkable going into the season. New franchises aren’t supposed to be instant contenders. They’re supposed to struggle, to require years of building before achieving this kind of success. Vegas clearly doesn’t care about any of that. And now we have an entirely new yardstick with which to compare every other expansion club that comes along in the future, no matter the sport.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/vegas-has-the-best-expansion-team-in-the-history-of-pro-sports-and-its-not-close/

[xrainbii]

Top 10 Games I Played in 2016

In no particular order, and is not based on how many hours I’ve played more so based on how much I enjoyed the game(s). And these are not based on if they were bought or came on in 2016, rather just if I played them/enjoyed them the most in that year.

Huniecam Micromanage a bunch of kawaii yet foul - mouthed girls in front of a camera. Yes pls.

Fallout 4 In reality, this game was a disappointment when compared to Fallout New Vegas which is one of my top games ever. But I won’t deny I did have fun with it and I’ll always enjoy more additions to the Fallout lore.

Fantasy Life A game that I’ve continuously dabbled in but I’ve finally went out and bought the DLC for it and it reignited my flame for this game. Plus a shit ton more hair. * v * )

Stardew Valley Probably my GOTY tbh. It was fun, and one of the few farming sim games that I didn’t immediately rush to get married in, and rather I just enjoyed what the game had to offer. Which was a lot.

Sims 4 A lot of people are disappointed in this one especially when compared to Sims 3, but ya know my Sims 3 will barely start up half the time.  > 3 > )  And I still enjoy Sims 4, even if they’re inflating the world with unwanted stuff packs that I keep buying. Yeah, I am a part of the problem.

Hyper Dimension Rebirth 2 ( and all spin offs ) All these waifus that totally break the forth wall. This game makes me giggle and although I’m almost done with Rebirth 2 ( and have started many of the spin offs ), I still have no idea what’s going on with the overall plot...

Danganronpa 1 & 2 Omg these are so good! It’s tempted me to buy a Vita for the 3rd one. This is a game where I struggle not to ruin any parts of the plot by avoiding spoiler tags and the wikia.

Vampire the Masquerade An oldie that I’ve always wanted to try and finally got too last year. Although I didn’t get to beat it, I believe I’m at the final boss and will hopefully get to finishing it up and starting a new game soon!

Pokemon Moon I haven’t cared for Pokemon since SoulSilver and Diamond, but I decided to jump back in after hearing all of the new stuff they were adding. I did play X and Black, but didn’t bother to beat them or even get anywhere close to becoming obsessed. But Moon captivated me, I’m really enjoying everything this game has to offer. Plus, my army of Eevee evolutions~

Fire Emblem Fates ( Birthright and Conquest ) I loved Fire Emblem Awakening, and for so long wanted to try to get into the older series. And when this one released, I bought both games. I’ve beaten Birthright and am almost done with Conquest, and plan to buy Revelations as soon as I do. The waifus and husbandus in this game are too cute for me.

Honorable Mentions Games I bought this year and am simply having too much fun with them!

Death Road to Canda I made my friends, waifus, and husbandus and they all immediately died. My best friend got mauled by a cute cat I bought. My best friend died by being thrown off a bridge as bandits thought she was useless. My best friend died trying to steal a machete from me. My best friend has no luck in this game. Oh, and Octodad joined me!

Witcher 3 I didn’t want to buy this before I beat the second one. But I knew I would never beat the second one, and the third one was on sale so I  h a d  to give it a shot, and I was glad I did! It’s soooo good! And Geralt is so hot. I shave him a lot.

God Eater Resurrection & 2 I couldn’t get into Monster Hunter, I have 4U and I tried oh so hard. But the clothing and setting in God Eater intrigued me, so I got in on release ( PC ) and immensely enjoy it for quick bursts of gameplay.

Zero Time Dilemma Haven’t gotten that far into this one. Actually, I’m still at the beginning and I am currently waiting to beat Danganronpa before starting this one up again. I loved the previous 2 and I hope this one is just as good.

#top 10 games 2016 #my games #my top games