Wound me and out won’t come blood, but stories
160 posts
Bleeding-letters - Bleeding Letters - Tumblr Blog
When Your Number Is Called
My name is Courtney, and I was born at 5:15 AM on October 26th, 1988. When I was born my parents didn’t ask the doctor if I was a boy or a girl, or if I was healthy. Instead they asked, “what’s the number?”
The room braced for the doctor’s answer. My parents held each other close, both openly crying as they prayed for good news. “Her number is…” started the doctor, flipping my right wrist over and reading the black numbers that spread across it. “152310232048.”
My parents cried in relief.
I would live a good life.
I had a good number.
You see, in my world, everyone is born with a 12-digit number on their right wrist. What does the number mean exactly? Well—the number gives us the day we die. We don’t know how we will die, but we will—at that exact time. Think of it like the expiration date you see on a jug of milk. After the expiration date, you throw away the milk, right? Well, that is what the marks on our wrists mean. We obviously don’t get thrown away in the trash, but we cease to exist after that date. And just like that jug of milk buried in some landfill, we too will be buried in the ground.
My number is 152310232048.
Which means that at 3:23 PM on October 23rd, 2048—I will die.
I will live to be 59 years old.
I have a good number. It isn’t the best number. My brother is going to live to be 88. My parents, couldn’t believe it when the doctor read his number out loud. He will live 29 years longer than me. He will see so much more than me, experience so much more than me. He might even live to see his great-great grandchildren—I’ll be lucky to see my grandchildren.
I sometimes get jealous when I see his number.
But this is my life.
I can’t change my number.
It is permanent.
Medicine, money, and miracles do not change your number. You can certainly die earlier then your number, but to die before your number is rare. People just tend to be more careful. After all, when you are constantly walking around with a literal reminder of your time left on earth on your wrist, you tend appreciate the life you have a little more.
I have a good number.
I’m reminded of this when I see other people’s number.
The first time this happened was when I was 5 years old.
On my first day of school, I was in kindergarten and I’ve never really interacted with any other kids besides my older cousins. I was nervous, so when recess was called, I decided to go to the swings. Anyone who liked swings as much as me—well, they were cool in my book.
On my way to an open swing a wild boy with a dinosaur shirt, and brown eyes full of mischief, performed a back flip off the swings and nearly knocked me over in his crash landing. He jumped up, dusted off his pants and smiled at me and said, “My names Devon, and I am going to live to be 57.”
It was such a typical kid way of introducing themselves. Adults tended to be more secretive of their numbers. Wearing watches, or long-sleeved shirts to cover up their numbers, but five year olds—we didn’t understand the concept of subtlety.
Clearly.
Another body quickly landed next to him, this one thankfully on their feet. It was a red-haired girl, with two perfectly braided pig tails. “My names Fiona, and I’m going to live to be 62.”
Another body landed next to her. He stumbled a bit on his landing, and his glasses fell down the bridge of his nose as he found his balance. “Hi, I’m Oscar,” he smiled, shaking his long brown hair out of his eyes as he pushed his glasses up his nose. “I’m going to live to be 17.”
Mind you—we were in kindergarten. We were literally learning our ABC’s, learning how to tie our shoes, and zip up our coats, but the concept of numbers—that we didn’t need to learn. Our parents made sure we knew what our number was, and what their number was, and what grandma’s number was—numbers were literally ingrained into our minds, much like the literal numbers that adorned our wrists.
Which meant even at 5 years old, I knew that Oscar—well Oscar, had a bad number.
It must have showed on my face because the boy—a boy who I didn’t even know, hugged me. And as he squeezed me, he said, “It’s okay,” before pulling back and smiling. “My dad’s say that seventeen is plenty of time. They said it is isn’t about how high your number is—but it’s about what you do with the number you get.”
Looking back now, as an adult thinking about having my own child—I’d probably say the same thing to my child if they were born with a bad number. What else can you do? You can’t change your child’s number. You can’t give your child more time, no matter how much you wish you could take the numbers off your wrist and place them on your child’s—you just can’t. Your job as a parent is to protect your children, but you can’t protect them from the inevitable, so instead, you give them something else.
Oscar’s dads gave him hope.
His dads were great people. I grew close to them as we progressed through school because obviously, Oscar, Fiona and Devon and me—we became best friends after the day on the swings. We called our group “The Swingers,” much to the embarrassment of our parents. We didn’t understand why they didn’t like our group nickname when we were young, but we finally understood when we were 15—and thanks to the internet, we learned exactly what “swingers” were. But even after learning the sexual nature of our group nickname, we still kept it, because honestly, what teenagers didn’t like tormenting their parents?
“Courtney where are you going? It’s late!”
“Dad said I can go to Oscar’s house!”
“And what will you be doing at Oscar’s house?”
“God mom—we are just having a swinger party, can I go now?”
The look of embarrassment on my parent’s face was always perfect—especially in public.
Speaking of Oscar’s house. His house became the “hang out” spot for us four. Mostly because his dads had an awesome basement, and his dad Jerry was professional Chef, which meant we ate good there. But back to Oscar’s dads—they were awesome. They adopted Oscar when he was just an infant. His mother gave him up when she saw his number. It was an epidemic in our world. Foster homes were full of children with bad numbers.
But Oscar’s dads, they didn’t see his number. They just saw Oscar. This happy, intelligent, beautiful blue-eyed child who just so happened to be destined to die young. They didn’t see his number—instead they just saw Oscar.
Devon, Fiona, and I—we only saw Oscar too.
Most of the kids in our class didn’t really attempt to get to know Oscar, because honestly, what was the point? He wouldn’t be around for long. So, it was the four of us—for as long as we had the four of us.
We laughed.
We cried.
We fought.
We experienced our first kisses.
We loved.
We had our hearts broken.
We got drunk once—never again.
We got high—more than once.
We just lived.
“The Swingers” lived every day to the fullest—until the day came when four was about to become three. Oscar’s day would land just a few weeks before our Senior graduation. We always knew his number, but it never seemed real until it came so close to the actual date on our calendar.
Oscar took accelerated courses so that he could graduate before—his number came up. The school planned a graduation ceremony just for him the day before his number. His dad’s and his extended family fills the stands, the rest of his class sit in the chairs, the very same chairs they will soon fill in a couple of weeks when the class of 2007 would all walk together. The principal called out Oscar’s name, and he stepped up to the microphone.
Oscar was the school Val Victorian. He stayed late after school, he studied well into the night, he worked hard—so hard, that his dedication to his studies really got in the way of “swinger” time. One day, after another late night of not seeing Oscar because he was studying for a Chemistry test, I yelled at him. “It is just a Chemistry test Oscar! If you get a B, it won’t be the end of the world!”
Oscar barely blinked an eye at my outburst, instead, much like that day in front of the swings—he pulled me into a hug. “Look, this is the only time I have to be great,” he said. “I don’t get anything after this. So, if this is all I get—I’m going to be the best.”
And he did.
He became the best.
A 4.0 grade point average
An SAT score of 1560.
And he never filled out a single college application.
Oscar cleared his throat in front of the microphone, garnering everyone’s attention. “Thank you for everyone who came today. It means a lot, to me. Very much like my life, I’m going to keep this speech short.”
Gasps echoed through the gym and Oscar smiled.
“That was not meant to be a joke. Please don’t think that I am making light of the fact that tomorrow is my number. Instead, I say that I will keep this speech short—because I think the world tends to greatly underestimate the power of something short.”
“My mother gave me up for adoption when I was only 1 minute old. As soon as the doctor read my number, she signed over custody of me to the state. I always wondered, how can I be judged of my quality of life, before I’ve even taken my first shit.”
Laughter echoed from the students, gasps echoed from the parents, and grumbles of disapproval echoed from the teacher’s and administration. But Oscar just smiled, as he looked back at the principal. “Feel free to give me a detention this weekend for cussing,” he joked, earning another chuckle from the students.
“She was wrong—by the way,” continued Oscar, his gaze going back out to the gym. “Anyone who ever stared at my number, and looked at me with sadness—you were wrong. I have lived—not as long as our parents and not as long as you all will live—but make no mistake, I have lived. My life may have been short, but it doesn’t mean it has been any less significant as someone who lived well into their 80’s.”
Taking in a breath, he gave his parents and then the swingers a shaky smile. “Every second of every single day for the past seventeen years—have been lived to the fullest because simply, I didn’t have the time to waste. Every moment of my life has counted, cherished and loved—can you say the same thing about yours?”
Oscar died on 2:13 PM on March 16th, 2007.
Like his number said, he lived to be 17.
He had a bad number
But he didn’t let his number define him.
Instead he lived every day, until his number was called.
**This is a short story that just came to me after watching an incredibly sad movie about a woman dying of cancer. While the movie was sad, I couldn’t help but notice that she never really started living until she found out she was dying. Which then made me wonder, how would a person live if they knew when from the moment they were born, when they were going to die?
Which then of course prompted this short story!**
Snippet #5
"Um, why do you suddenly have a sidekick?"
"Look, I panicked. I'm babysitting my younger cousin for the week and banked on you not blowing crap up! I wanted some quality time with them because I don't see them often."
"So you took them to a crime scene?"
"Like I said, I panicked."
If anyone want to join feel free! I promise it’ll be fun! 😁
In case you didn't know, I have a Writing Discord! <3
Mostly for writers of the hero x villain community, but everyone is welcome! Writing advice and help, or just general goofing around, come hang out with us! <3
Writing Prompt #11
“I agreed to put my life in your hands when I got into this car with you. I did not, however, agree to put it in your knee so please get your hands back on the wheel!”
Thanks for the tag @hufflepuffwritingstuff2!
Last Song: Perfectly Loved by Courtnie Ramirez
Last Show: Bad Batch on Disney Plus
Currently Watching: I’ve been binging Pirates of the Caribbean because I’ve never watched any of those movies before
Currently Reading: Whatever I find on Tumblr and a textbook on JavaScript coding
9 people I’m tagging: @imllar, @kitsunesakii, @laffy-taffy-creations, @moons-cozy-corner, @stopstealingtomatoes, @suspicious-whumping-egg, @thelocalnemesis, @uvanuva, and @valiantlytransparentwhispers! If anyone else wants to, go for it!
9 people I want to get to know better !!
got tagged by @evilkaeya!! thank you ♥️♥️♥️
last song: i love it loud by kiss (but ratt’s round and round has been in my head all day)
last show: stranger things ( it has my heart 🥰)
currently watching: I’m rewatching stranger things and crazy ex gf but I’m watching only murders in the building as it releases 🥰
currently reading: little women, heartstopper, rw&rb, henna wars, and a ridiculous amount of fic (yes that’s a lot but yes I’m having fun)
tagging 9 mutuals (seriously 0 pressure only do it if you want to ♥️ you all): @primeguardian @karenwheelerlegendbehaviour @hawkinsp0st @w1llb7ers @bylrlvr @chartreuse-goose @deanismysavior @gaysdontcry @midnightmoon27 & any other mutuals/followers who wanna do it ♥️
Capes
"But I don't wanna wear a cape!" Hero complained.
"Why not?" Superhero asked, "it adds a regal air to your look as a defender of justice!"
"It makes me feel like I have a superiority complex!"
Hero paced around the room, their cape fluttering behind them as they walked.
"See what I mean?" Hero asked.
"Capes are great for weather protection," Superhero reasoned, "and it matches the rest of your suit!"
Hero only pouted in response.
"Look," Superhero sighed, "if you really don't like it, you can take it off, but I think you look very nice."
Hero didn't hesitate. They took off the cape and folded it up neatly, setting it down on a nearby table. They sighed in relief and spun around in a circle. They didn't have the heart to tell Superhero the real reason they wouldn't wear a cape: they had watched The Incredibles and they were traumatized now.
Conversation Prompt
“You haven’t talked to me in weeks. Is there someone else?”
“Someone else trying to kill me? Yes.”
“I knew it.”
It has come to my attention that I have put this on the wrong blog. Sorry
My cousin is trying to fight God and physics at the same time and I’m here to support him just with popcorn
My cousin is trying to fight God and physics at the same time and I’m here to support him just with popcorn
Last Line Tag
Thanks for tagging me @laffy-taffy-creations!
Rules: I think the rules are to post the last lines from the last piece you worked on and to create a new post? I’m not really sure
So… these are the latest lines from one of the requests I'm working on
"You know, I consider myself a tall hot drink."
“Are you $2.49 and come in a 12 ounce cup?" Villain looked up from their notepad for the briefest of moments, unamused and borderline irritated. "I thought not. Now what can I get'cha to eat?"
“You." The villain nearly dropped their pen at that.
"I meant for breakfast."
Hero glanced over the menu in their hands. "Hmm, well it's a little early, but I'll take it."
"Take what, again?"
"You" Hero's attention went back to the villain, grinning as the slightest hints of pink dusted the other's cheeks.
"From the menu."
“Oh! My apologies. I’ll take the scrambled eggs platter with toast.” Oh, this person definitely wasn't sorry for what they just said. And oh, if this were another time or another place, Villain would have definitely flirted back, if only to put this person in their place. But alas, they were on the job.
They glanced over their customer once more, their wolfish grin and sharp jawline. Their assessing eyes. There was something so familiar about them, but Villain couldn't quite place it. So they wrote down their order and turned away.
Tagging: @imllar, @stopstealingtomatoes, @suspicious-whumping-egg, @uvanuva, @ashi-sushiristic and @ anyone else!
Carnotaurus - share a scene that contains some cool worldbuilding
The phone rang within forty-eight hours, the screen flashing a blocked caller ID. It told Drift exactly who it was. And he wasn’t happy with answering in the slightest.
“What?” He snapped.
A voice on the other side chuckled. “Well, that’s no way to treat an old friend.”
“We are not friends in the slightest. Do you have the information I asked for?” Lady walked by the conference room at that exact moment. He motioned for her to join him. She took the phone from his ear and put it on speaker.
“-that’s just hurtful. And here I thought you reached out to me wanting to make peace.” Drift could practically see his menacing grin, his voice in venomous undertones.
“What are you trying to say?” Drift growled at the other. “I am not in the mood to play games. Especially not your kind.”
“Straight to business. I’ve always admired that about you, you know. Alright then, I’ve found her.”
He froze in his tracks. Lady’s eyes widened, whether from fear or astonishment, he couldn’t tell. Raceway appeared at their side, confusion etched across his face.
Drift took his eyes off the phone, whispering. “BURNOUT.” Raceway stared in shock, then in anger. “You-”
“Oh, stop panicking already. I don’t have her.”
All attention snapped back to the phone. “What do you mean, you don’t have her? Where is she?”
“She’s probably been moved by now, but if it will help you-”
“It will.” Drift snapped. Burnout had wasted too much time already.
“As I was saying before I was oh so rudely interrupted, I found her in D.C.. But you’re going to have to hire someone else to rescue her.” He muttered something else unintelligible under his breath.
“What was that?”
“Oh nothing… nothing that will be of concern to you.” A motorcycle roared to life through the phone.
“Why would I get someone else? You’re already there. Start giving me real answers. I’m getting tired of these kniving truths, Burnout.” Drift snapped before he had a second chance to think about it.
“It’s for the very same reason, my dear Drift, that you do not deal with other thieves. I don’t deal with the CIA.”
*tiptoes in here, leaves these*
https://theycantalk.com/post/666602532510040064/future
https://theycantalk.com/post/668508558090010624/leaves
https://theycantalk.com/post/672947731843743744/plans
https://theycantalk.com/post/673581728838860800/showtime
https://theycantalk.com/post/677386931729989632/treat
You don't have to see them but i hoped they might be able to cheer you up/ make your day brighter!
🌸☘️🌸☘️🥐🥐
Your writing is great btw!
I’ll have you know these have been open in my web browser for the past week and I have enjoyed them immensely. ❤️ Thank you for sharing!
I’ll link them here because I’m not sure if people can copy text from the ask once I post
https://theycantalk.com/post/666602532510040064/future
https://theycantalk.com/post/668508558090010624/leaves
https://theycantalk.com/post/672947731843743744/plans
https://theycantalk.com/post/673581728838860800/showtime
https://theycantalk.com/post/677386931729989632/treat
Therizinosaurus - share a scene that you’ve put a lot of work into
This dino right here ^^^ IS NOT A PREDATOR. To whom all who have seen the Jurassic World: Dominion trailer or perhaps even the movie, this is the dino that hunted Claire. Yeah. The Wolverine-looking dino with the giant claws. IT IS A HERBIVORE!!! IT WOULD HAVE NOT KILLED THAT DEER FOR THE FUN OF IT OR EVEN HUNTED CLAIRE LIKE A PREDATOR!! THOSE CLAWS WERE USED TO PULL PLANTS INTO THEIR REACH.
The claws would have broken in a fight because of them being so fragile. AND they should’ve when that one fight happened. For those who have seen the movie, you know what fight I’m talking about.
Anyway… what you came here for… the scene that took me way too long to finish
~~
“Remember. No one goes anywhere near him when he arrives. We don’t want any suspicion. We’re going to let him come to us.” Marcus pressed in on the comm as subtlety as he could without bringing attention to himself.
“We heard you the first hundred times. I think we got it.” Control’s voice murmured. Marcus watched the steady flow of people entering the ballroom, searching for the man of the hour. He was barely listening to what the man next to him was saying, or the orchestra beginning to play a slow waltz.
“Excuse me miss,” An unfamiliar voice rang through the earpiece suddenly.
Control whipped around, relaxing when she realized who it was. The mark. “May I have this dance?”
She smiled brightly at him. “You may. And whom may I have the pleasure of dancing with?”
Someone choked on a drink.
“Ah. I am Jeremiah DeRudio. The fourth. And you are?”
“Charlotte. Lady Charlotte.” She gave before bowing in a curtsy.
Someone started coughing.
“Excuse me for one moment.” Marcus gave a polite smile to the man before walking away and out of sight.
That smile dropped as soon as he was alone. “What was that?” He growled at no one in particular.
“I have no clue. None in the slightest.” One agent responded.
“Luke, did you know about this?” Alex demanded.
A keyboard clacked for a few moments before he replied. “No I did not. I couldn’t of possibly known.”
“C’mon Luke. You know her and her tech better than the rest of us. How did you NOT know?”
“We talked for less than five minutes Alex!”
“Shut. Up.” Marcus hissed. They both fell quiet.
Laughter floated across the comm. Light, carefree.
“A Duchess? Forgive me for not realizing right away.”
“Oh, it’s quite alright. Most don’t notice. They become too snobbish to care.” The last few words were bitter.
“Wow. She sounds so sincere.” Alex whispered. Marcus, along with a few others, shushed him.
“And where was did you said you were from again?”
“London mostly. But I do love to travel.“ The small talk continued on as they danced, Control spinning her web into a trap faster than the pair spun across the floor. Creating the illusion of someone Mr. DeRudio could count on whenever he might need to. Which was another lie of course, but it was necessary. He was rich and powerful, and he used that to destroy whatever stood in his way. It was time for her to even out the scales.
🦖 Dinosaur-themed Writeblr Ask Game
New writeblr ask game: reblog to get dinosaurs and share passages from your WIP(s) 🦕
Megalosaurus - share an scene that begins a chapter/story arc/etc
Spinosaurus - share a scene that ends a chapter/story arc/etc
Therizinosaurus - share a scene that you’ve put a lot of work into
Parasaurolophus - share a scene where a character is/gets embarrassed or flustered
Triceratops - share a scene where one character is protecting or caring for another
Deinonychus - share a scene with banter
Allosaurus - share an action or combat scene
Stegosaurus - share a humorous scene
Troodon - share a scene that is really important to a character’s development
Brachiosaurus - share a sad or tragic scene
Velociraptor - share an ominous or scary scene
Iguanodon - share a character introduction scene
Gallimimus - share a happy or lighthearted scene
Pteranodon - share a peaceful scene
Maiasaura - share a scene full of love between characters (platonic, romantic, familial, or otherwise)
Ankylosaurus - share some of your favorite descriptive text
Apatosaurus - share some of your favorite dialogue
Carnotaurus - share a scene that contains some cool worldbuilding
T-rex - share a scene that you’re really proud of
Ren Fair Fight - Prompt Short
Sup Y'all! This is a fun prompt that @bleeding-letters, @dmitrinfinite and @rainy-knights-of-villany worked on together on Frantic Fanfics! If you want to add on, please do so, it'd be really fun! Tag us all too, we'd love to read it <3
-----
Hero scrunched up their nose, seeing the ren fair. "Right, so you dragged me here?"
Villain hummed in agreement, dragging the hero into the crowd. Despite the normal attire they were dressed in, they carried two brilliantly shiny swords at their hips.
"I didn't know you were a ren fair person?"
"Yeah, I'm not," Villain replied, pulling hero to a hill top with little to no people. They pulled out the second sword, and handed it to Hero. "I just wanted to fight with swords with little to no intervention. The crowd will think it's an act, and I'll have the time of my life."
"Are you fucking kidding me," Hero grumbled, whilst Villain gave a shit-eating grin.
"You guys are dumb as shit," said Sidekick, appearing out of nowhere in a full King outfit.
"You could just go swordfight in an abandoned building or an empty parking lot, nobody wants to see your weird sexual tension at the ren fair."
"There's no weird sexual tension!" Hero said, at the same time Villain said; "Everybody wants to see it!" The two of them looked at each other and blinked.
"There's no sexual tension between us."
"Yes, there is! I bet the whole crowd would love to see it!"
"You're wrong!"
"Nope!"
Frustrated, Hero drew their sword. "Then I suppose we'll have to duel to prove it."
"Sure," Villain laughed, leaning over to whisper to Sidekick. "Your boss really is gullible, aren't they?" They drew their own sword, preparing to begin.
Their swords clashed, again and again, each time Hero was forced to take another step back. They knew they would run out of room to back up soon, but for now if they could just— Villain parried their attack once again, this time twisting the blades so Hero lost their grip.
Now, without a sword in their hand, they were defenseless. “Well well. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” The grin on Villain’s face turned wolfish.
“I’m still alive, right? Therefore, I have not fallen.” And just as the words left their mouth, Hero tripped and fell flat on their back.
“You were saying?”
“Oh, shut up.”
Villain hummed. “Why don’t you make me?” “… I just might, Love.”
--
Have fun <3
Writing Prompt #10
“I thought I was deep, but then I heard someone like that and I realized I was just in the fish tank upside down.”
Idea #1
“I really wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Villain sneered. “Besides, the window would be the best way to enter Supervillain’s office.”
“Yeah, and Supervillain totally wouldn’t notice a gaping hole in his stained glass window.” Hero quipped back. “Like I’d take your advice after what happened last time.” Hero grumbled while fiddling with the lock on Supervillain’s door.
“What happened last time?” Sidekick piped up.
“…I’d rather not talk about last time.” Hero muttered shamefully.
“I’m with Sidekick on this one.” Supervillain chuckled, startling the three from behind. “Would you kindly tell me what happened last time, my dearest Hero~?” Supervillain inquired while looming over the trio.
Thanks for the tag!!
Knock me down - We are Messengers
Love with your life - Hollyn
More beautiful you - Jonny Diaz
Who we are - Courtnie Ramirez
Love me like I am - FOR KING & COUNTRY
So will I - Hillsong
Famous for - Tauren Wells
Healing - Riley Clemmings
When we get there - Tauren Wells
I look to you - Stars Go Dim
Tagging: @valiantlytransparentwhispers @uvanuva @imllar @laffy-taffy-creations @suspicious-whumping-egg and @ anyone else who wants to!
Tag game
Rules: list 10 songs you really like, each by a different artist, and then tag 10 people to do the same
Tagged By @violetwinters, Thank you for tagging me 🌸🌸
1. Come To Brazil - Why Don’t We
2. Blue Hour - TXT
3. Candy - Doja Cat
4. Miracle - Wayv
5. Heart Of Fire- Black Veil Brides
6. Besitos - Peirce The Veil
7. This Is What Makes Us Girls - Lana Del Rey
8. Agree To Disagree - Sleeping With Sirens
9. All In - Stray Kids
10. Miss Americana & The Heart Break Prince - Taylor Swift
I tag @hear-the-sound: @ego-like-sandwich @hopeticket @simply-elegantly-kai @shwazzberryswriting @dibidibidismynameisleeknow @thelonelymeow @morningsunandnightsky @sharkie-stay @ramenlixxie I also tag anyone who also wants to do it.
Snippets
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Snippet 1
Snippet 2
Snippet 3, Part 2,
Snippet 4, Part 2,
Snippet 5
Snippet 6
Snippet 7
Snippet 8
Writing Prompts
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Prompt 1
Prompt 2
Prompt 3
Prompt 4
Prompt 5
Prompt 6
Prompt 7
Prompt 8
Prompt 9
Prompt 10
Prompt 11
Prompt 12
Prompt 13
