♱ Bella ♱

The soccer girls—Casey, Dakota, and Lauren—had been restless ever since they arrived on Mars. There was only so much exploration, rebuilding, and survival planning they could do before boredom set in. One day, Dakota got fed up.

“We need a ball.”

There were no actual soccer balls, of course, but that wasn’t going to stop them. After some trial and error, they packed a bag full of fabric scraps, padded it with insulation material from the supply crates, and secured it with a net of twine. It wasn’t perfect, but it bounced. Good enough.

Word spread fast, and soon half the colony was gathering in the open clearing near the biodomes to watch—or join in. Noah and Cash were the first to show up, both eager to play since they’d grown up with soccer. Casey made a point to challenge them right away. Tack attempted to join but had no coordination, much to everyone’s amusement. Min tried, but mostly ended up laughing at herself.

Min and Tack stood at the base of a towering tree, its thick branches twisting into the Martian sky. The red planet's strange sunsets painted the horizon in deep oranges and pinks, but the sight only seemed to deepen the quiet ache in their hearts. They hadn’t realized how much they missed their old treehouse until now.

"This place doesn’t feel quite like Earth," Min said, her voice barely above a whisper as she traced her hand along the rough bark. "But maybe… maybe this tree can become our new one."

Tack turned to look at her, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I don’t know. The original one had that perfect view of the park, remember? Nothing really beats that." He paused for a second, his fingers brushing against a knot in the wood. "But we can make this one ours."

They had talked about it before, back when they first arrived on Mars — about building a new treehouse. At first, it had been a passing thought, a joke even, but now, it felt like the right thing to do. A piece of their past, rebuilt in a new world.

The construction wasn’t easy. There were no pre-made plans, no tools that would make things simple. They had to use whatever resources they could find, just like before, back in the old treehouse when they were kids. Tack was already up in the branches, attaching planks of Martian wood to create a solid foundation. Min was below, pulling up ropes and checking the structure, her sharp eyes catching any small mistake they might have made.

Hours passed, the task proving more difficult than they’d expected. Still, they worked in comfortable silence, only pausing when they needed to catch their breath. They had done this together before, and it felt like they were picking up where they left off, a part of their old bond still there even though everything else had changed.

When the treehouse finally took shape, it wasn’t as grand as their Earth one. There were no wild decorations or mismatched furniture like in their childhood — it was simpler, just a place to sit and talk. But when they climbed up, sitting side by side on the wooden floor, the familiar warmth of nostalgia filled the space between them.

Min looked over at Tack, a quiet smile on her lips. "It’s not the same, but… it feels right."

Tack nodded, his eyes soft with the memories they had created. "Yeah, it does."

I love this scene and I loved the version done by @tackminyard . Full inspiration credit to them as they’re the reason why I wanted to recreate it.

I did another drawing of Min and Tack, this time listening to music together.

Me when I’m supposed to be listening to my physics lecture.

ANYWAYS here’s a quick sketch of Min and Tack watching the sun set on fire lake

It starts as a joke. Tack dares Min to dye her hair red with some cheap drugstore box dye. She scoffs but does it anyway, smearing the color through her dark hair in the tiny trailer bathroom. Tack sits on the counter, watching with a smirk.

“That looks so bad,” he snickers.

Min glares at him, then, without warning, drags the dye-covered brush straight through the front of his hair.

“DUDE—” Tack yells, scrambling back. But it’s too late. Min is cackling, red stains all over her fingers, while Tack stares in horror at his reflection. A single bright red streak blazes through his hair like a bad 2000s pop-punk frontman.

Here are the other nemesis characters I made on artbreeder.

From left to right and going down it’s:

Sarah, Ethan, Toby, Derrick, Akio, and Rose

Tack introduces Min to skateboarding when they're 12 because he’s been messing around on an old, half-broken board he found, and he figures it’s more fun with company. He doesn't expect her to actually take to it, but Min, being Min, refuses to let him be better at something than her.

Tack is an aggressive skater, Min is a technical one. Tack throws himself into tricks with zero hesitation, even if it means he faceplants more often. Min takes her time, perfecting each move until it’s clean. He’s the one launching off ramps with reckless abandon while she’s the one landing kickflips like second nature.

They build a makeshift skatepark in the woods. There’s an abandoned lot near their neighborhood, and over the years, they drag old planks, cinder blocks, and random junk to build ramps and rails. It’s held together by sheer stubbornness and duct tape.

Min patches up Tack’s injuries because he won’t stop trying dumb stunts. Every time he scrapes his knees or bruises his elbow, he just grins through the pain. Min rolls her eyes but still hands over the bandages, muttering about how he’s going to break his neck one day.

Min steals Tack’s hoodies, Tack steals Min’s beanies. Neither of them acknowledge it.

They challenge each other to skate-offs in the parking lot after school. It’s all fun and games until someone gets too competitive, and then it’s war. Their record is 2-2, with one tie because Tack wiped out so hard Min had to carry him home.

When they fight, they settle it with a skate race. Loser has to buy slushies. Min wins more often, but Tack argues it’s because she plays dirty. (She totally trips him on purpose.)

Also me: *Thinking about Tack Russo*

…

*Listens to the lyrics a bit closer*

“Omfg this is his song” (Brooding outpost Tack era)

Me: *Sobs for Tack*

————————————

Literally go listen to the song, it fits him so well. I haven’t searched up the official Nemesis Spotify songs because I don’t want it to ruin my perception of the characters. But I would add this to Tack’s playlist.

I hope you’re ready for an English class analysis of this song and Tack:

"When I wake up, I'm afraid, Somebody else might take my place"

- This is Tack’s biggest fear when it comes to Min. He’s terrified that Noah will take the place in her life that he wants. He hides it under sarcasm and bravado, but deep down, he knows he’s losing her.

"Tell me what you want from me, you’re so demanding"

- Could represent how Tack might feel about Min, he's always there for her, but she never really sees him the way he wants her to. His bitterness and resentment toward Noah also fit well with the song’s theme of insecurity. He knows Min sees Noah as more important, and that stings.

"I'm scared that you won’t be waiting on the other side"

- This line fits with how Tack sees Min as the most important person in his life. Even after everything, he’s afraid she’ll move on, leaving him behind. This fear is amplified when he brings back Noah, because now, Min has Noah again, and Tack is back where he started: the best friend in the background.