#(I WAS SO DANG RIGHT TO THINK THEY'D THINK THAT-----)

[octuscle]

Lifelong school internship

Day 1: My guidance counselor had advised me to do an internship in the trades. I'm more of an artistic and intellectual type, but my teacher said that it wouldn't do me any harm to have an insight into a different world. Especially as you have to think seriously about what jobs will still be around in ten years' time. It was more likely to be a carpenter than a journalist. As painful as it is, that's not far-fetched. But me as a carpenter…? I find that absurd…

Day 2: I feel so ridiculous with this tool belt. The other guys here make fun of my manicured pianist fingers. And yes, I don't really fit in here… But I have to admit that the work isn't bad at all. I like the smell of the wood. And I like working with my hands. The other guys all rave to me about how cool it is to be a craftsman. They really enjoy their work. So I forgive the foreman for putting me in a headlock to greet me and making me stick my face in his wet armpit. It's probably a kind of greeting ritual. As long as it's not every day.

Day 4: OMG, like seriously, it's such a rad feeling when you've totally nailed something! I mean, I'm not like a total pro yet, but my boss let me pretty much build the kitchen cabinets all by myself. And dang, they look pretty darn good! My mom would be so proud if she could see them. I gotta send her some pics!

Day 7: Totally sicc, dude! I'm like legit a journeyman now. Finally gonna make some moolah. Gonna go wild partying with the boys tonight. Two crates of brewskis in the back of the pickup, then off to the lake to grill a pig on the bonfire. Damn, it's been ages since I strummed a guitar. But tonight might be the night. Gotta put these calluses from woodworking with the bros to good use somewhere, right?

Day 10: Mate, bein' your own boss at 28 is the real deal. As a tradie, you get to do whatever the hell you want. It's bloody awesome! And buddy, it's bloody cool havin' all the lads dancin' to my tune. And the clients? They'd literally lick my boots just to get me to do their jobs. Can't get better than that!

Day 14: Yo, listen up fam, greeting rituals ain't no joke. You gotta stick to 'em like glue! I mean, this little softie dude who started his apprenticeship with me today better get the memo from the get-go. I always need someone to lick my armpits and blow my popsicle stand. And for real, did it hurt me when I had to do that for my boss? Nah bro, it turned me into a real man. And as a tradesman, you gotta be a real man. Otherwise, you can't hang with the big boys.

Pics by @ki-kink

[thewertsearch]

Damn. Well, it's not like you actually needed it to fly. Hope you made a note of its code!

I love that WV is just chilling with John now, as he meanders around the Battlefield. The Vagabond is a bit of a wanderer too, so they make a good pair.

AG: Your guardians are not here! EB: oh… EB: dang it! EB: do you know where they are? AG: Yes, they are in another castle. Don't worry, you'll find them later.

Sorry, John. According to gaming tradition, you'll need to explore seven different castles to find what you're looking for.

AG: John, are you mad at me? EB: um… no?

He genuinely isn't, is he?

If any of the other kids learned of Vriska's role in their session's downfall, they'd be ready to throw down - but for John, it's no biggie. He's practically forgotten about it already.

Nothing really fazes this kid, from life-threatening situations to startling family revelations. At least, nothing appears to faze him - but he can't no-sell the game's trials forever. Maybe he's just putting them all in the Vault.

AG: Then what's the matter? EB: i guess i just miss my dad. i was hoping he would be here, but apparently i won't see him for another few hours or whatever? […] AG: I still find it a little hard to understand the sentimentality you attach to these adult humans. […] EB: i guess you just have to think of them the way you think of your lusus..ses? Lusi? […] AG: Except I never liked mine that much. ::::\ AG: Even after I prototyped her, things were pretty chilly 8etween us! I spent most of my adventure avoiding her. Haha.

Fuck, I've never really thought about that. Vriska was stuck with Spidermom for the entire game - and now she could abuse her verbally, too.

That’s... incredibly shitty, actually. Most Sburb Players get to leave their oppressors behind, but Vriska’s became her guide.

EB: why would i be mad at you, vriska? AG: 8ecause I tricked you into getting killed!!!!!!!! EB: oh. right. EB: i… actually almost forgot about that! AG: Would it help if I said I was sorry?

Something very strange is happening to Vriska, here.

She’s killed before – countless times – and she’s never shown anything close to this level of remorse. Sure, she tried to make things up to Aradia, but that never got very far. Vriska just wanted to 'fix' things with her apology gift, and didn't seem to care about Aradia's own feelings. It was too self-centered to be a true apology.

For the first time ever, Vriska's not making an apology all about her, and she isn't ruining it with the insults that are normally so ubiquitous among the trolls. I think it's the first time she's apologized and meant it, and it might signal the beginnings of an actual change.

Among her many crimes, Vriska’s 'murder' of John is relatively mild - but I think it's hitting her much, much harder than the others. She's so worried about ruining things with him that she's apologizing like a human.

[insertsomthinawesome]

AIGHT 2 People said they'd be interested in seeing it so here it is!! ^^^^ Left is the old one ^^^ Right is the New one So the old one isn't bad per-se. Just to clarify. I was having a massive issue with the colors not looking right (the shadows are kinda yellowy and red-ish Purple-ish when they should be more blue I believe) and I couldn't find a quick fix for it. After thinking it over i just decided to start over cause there were already other things I wasn't as happy with. The fact that the view point doesn't really focus DOWN on them, but is at this angle which incidentally seems to lead your eye up into the upper left Angle Caelus's Face wasn't exactly too my liking, nor was March's. I wanted March's hair to a LOT more spread out and messy. Her arm pointing up towards the stars felt kinda odd and out of place, it feels like its stealing a disproportionate amount of the Canvas. And most importantly I wanted it to have a sorta, whimsical, magical feel to it? And while the first one is Good ART it feels a lot more grounded. a Lot more like a photograph if you will. This isn't a perfect 1 to 1 since the New One is completely rendered while the Old One never even got that far. But this gives you an idea of what happened!! Honestly I'm really happy I took the time to re-do the whole dang thing. It was intimidated, I tend to worry about getting stuck and never getting back to things. But the New one honestly didn't take me very long, and I'd made enough mistakes I was discontent with on the old one that it felt like starting over would be more worth it in the end. And I ended up being right so! WHOO HOOO!!! SLDFJSDLKJGLSDGS Anyways thats all from me o7 Thanks two the individuals who enabled me alsdjfLKJGSD I appreciate the interest :D

[dreadpirateella]

uhhhh so I couldn't wait and finished The Neon Void... AND I HAVE THOUGHTS

putting a cut here bc this is gonna be loooong

and spoilers for all of Neon Void ofc

Dude ok just the writing in this?? This fic is SO well written like omg. All of the action scenes come across SO well, and as someone who can't write a fight scene to save my life, I just really appreciate that. Everything is so easy to follow.

AND THE DIALOGUE???? SO perfect omg. Everything felt so in character like this could be a whole season of the show. The way Leo's hysteria is written is just so crazy and so incredible. Like it's so clear that he's losing his mind but also so clear that he's still Leo. I'm just in love with it

and the looming threat of the Krang parasite?? Such a good like consistent villain. You can never go too long without remembering its presence and realizing what a massive threat it is!

The miscommunication between Leo and everyone else about what he plans to do with the key is also just incredible. The way they thought he was so far gone as to use it to release the Krang? That's just so heartbreaking.

AND THE REVEAL???? I just need to talk about it like genuinely it's SO well done. It feels a little out of nowhere (/pos!!!) and I really think it works bc it just totally catches everyone by surprise. Leo not even realizing that he's exposed until a few seconds pass it just perfect. Wondering why his entire family is staring at him like that and then realizing that they know is just *chefs kiss*

I LOVE everyone's anger when Void messed with Leo's stuff. Him stealing Donnie's bracelet and messing up his room, like you can feel the anger from the rest of the family and it's SO good.

also side note??? Mikey cutting Leo's arm off??? freaking awesome I LOVE when Mikey gets to go crazy

The emotions in this fic are just SO palpable. Like I felt the grief and heartache and confusion and anger radiating off of these characters through my screen. Every chapter is just so soaked with emotion it's freaking incredible. The writing in this fic is just phenomenal.

The brother's ninpo calming down and comforting Leo is also just such a good little repeated detail. Leo finally being able to contact his ancestors because he's back with his family once again is just SO good and so sweet. Karai is the most comforting presence known to man 😭

AND FUTURE LEO AT THE END???? was NOT expecting that I love it so dang much. Everyone in Leo's little mindscape journey at the end just yelling at him to go back to his family is just so so so sweet to read. And Leo's decision when he destroyed the key to stay with his family was just so beautiful. It just felt so right.

And everyone's reactions to every situation just feel so natural!!! I was reading it and something would happen and I'd be like of course that's how they'd respond to that! All of the Hamatos having that realization hit them that yes this is Leo and yes he's actually here is just so bittersweet to read. Knowing they grieved for FIVE years and now here he is right in front of them. It's just so emotional

I'm definitely gonna have more thoughts about this as more time passes so maybe expect more rambles?? and maybe some fanart too!!! Void's design is just too cool not to draw.

This fic sent me on a roller-coaster of emotions and I couldn't be more thankful for it. Thank you SO MUCH @sugarpasteltmnt for writing and sharing this incredible piece of art with all of us. You're incredible.

TLDR: I'm in love with this fic please go read it I'm gonna think about it for the rest of my life

[jess-the-vampire]

Question about the AROFAM Au. How does the Day Of Unity and S3 special's plot line work given. . .well, everything.

Simple! I had to change basically everything.

obviously due to the nature of the au, and trying to keep everyone mostly still in character, the day of unity would make no sense at all to exist, so it...doesn't.

instead, in order to create a plot similar to the show to hit a lot of similar beats, i took the titan trappers and make them into more prominent characters/villains

so instead of a day of unity, it's their ritual to sacrifice king to free the collector, after years of earning their way to power and finding a new disk (The disk Philip was hiding in his basement)

and instead of the plan to be to stop the draining spell, it's a plan to save king's life and prevent the collector from being released (Collector has been convinced alongside Lilith they're going to save them, have no idea king would die for it)

also also, Philip, due to breaking his deal with collector and making him mad, is just...terrified of him, so everyone is under the impression freeing him will cause massive consequences

day of unity instead involved infiltrating the ritual space and getting both king and the disk out from under the trapper's noses, philip and caleb are going after the disk, kiki and steve were in charge of going for king.

Everyone else was there to make the escape and heist easy

(Yes this became a heist episode, which i think is funny payoff for the raiding these guys do in this au, truly the ultimate raid)

Also, philip and caleb get to be dressed up like this:

and yes, that does change other episodes like Edge of the World, tho they do still find out king is a titan in that so that plot point sticks.

you still have king releasing collector, but the context is slightly different and there are plenty unique heartbreaking elements to this au's version of KT.

Like Philip and Caleb getting into a fight right before being separated in different dimensions due to philip sacrificing himself to stay on the isles to face his punishment (Which obviously leads to different dynamics in s3 where king is hanging out alongside philip and Lilith whilst eda and luz are stuck on earth)

s3 has the unique thing of having caleb be stuck with all the kids on earth after being gone so long, seeing how things have changed and coping with the regret of his brother being gone after he promised they'd never seperate like that again.

darius and eber are there of course so they all gotta manage the kids and get to all catch up, while eda is out there in beast form.

all the stuff with camilia seeing luz, which is a pile of angst in itself, especially since she and caleb become grief friends and he appears to be harboring her missing daughter.

the whole rescue mission to get philip back in FTF, reuniting with kiki whose now the rebel leader actually, eda and lilith uniting after so many dang years, and the finale that's more about talking down the collector and befriending him rather then a big old fight.

and that's just me summarizing stuff, there's a lot i'm just skimming over

but as you can tell, i changed stuff, added new and unique stuff, and put a lot of thought into still making it a swap au whilst making things still unique.

if that all sounds interesting, check out my au at @areverseoffeathersandmud-archive , there is a LOT, and you can see these plots with some comics and art there

[do-it-for-the-fandom]

Fic prompt: after 4x05, Kate thinks Castle is on a date with Serena. She goes somewhere she thinks he won’t be, and is surprised when he joins her at the bar.

Whiskey.

Neat.

And keep 'em coming.

She nursed her third, mindful of the situation she was in. Drowning the pain in smooth, spiced golden liquid: that was an awfully familiar scene. She washed away the bitter taste of hypocrisy with another sip and grimaced as her father's voice echoed in her mind: I didn't even realise I had a problem until I hit rock bottom.

With that in mind, she pushed the half-empty glass just a few inches away from her. She knew she'd more than likely reach for it again as soon as the next wave of negativity washed over her, though. Whether it be anger, or frustration, or sadness, or just outright jealousy... it had been relentless thus far.

The worst part was, she completely understood what Castle saw in Serena. She was beautiful, confident, smart. And she went after what she wanted. Serena wouldn't have trekked across town simply so that she didn't have to worry about the microscopic chance she might run into the man she was in love with because he was on a date with someone else. Serena was fun and uncomplicated and sexy. God, she didn't even want to think about they were doing right now. Chances were she was drinking alone in a dive bar in the Bronx for no damn reason: Castle and Serena had probably skipped dinner and drinks in favour of dessert, anyway.

The mental images that accompanied that thought had her reaching for her glass with a groan. She didn't understand why she was torturing herself like this. She wasn't ready, and she couldn't expect Castle to remain celibate while he waited for her. Maybe that was something they could have discussed if she ever actually worked up the gall to ask him to wait for her; instead, they'd had one conversation that had been so heavily reliant on subtext she really wasn't sure if either one of them had walked away with any sort of clarity. The whole situation with Castle was just... messy.

"I'll have what she's having."

The familiar voice startled her. She turned her head to look at him, not completely convinced she wasn't imagining his presence.

"Castle?" He sat on the stool beside her, turned to her and smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Lanie told me you were here," he said.

Beckett frowned. Had she even told Lanie that she was here?

"She happened to be in the neighbourhood and saw you come in here," he explained. He smiled at the bartender when received his whiskey. "She asked me to check in on you."

She deflated, folded her arms on the bar in front of her and dropped her head onto her forearms. Of course she knew he didn't have some sixth sense that told him where she was, and that she needed him. Still, the confirmation was disappointing.

"Didn't mean to ruin your date," she mumbled incoherently into her arms.

"What date?"

She sat upright and rolled her shoulders. "With Serena Kaye."

She didn't mean to say the woman's name with such bitterness. Serena was... lovely. Beckett may not have agreed with ever life choice the woman had made but Serena had never been anything but polite to her. Courteous, forgiving. She didn't deserve to be treated the way Beckett had treated her.

"I didn't go on a date with Serena," Castle said, sounding somewhat confused.

Beckett looked him in the eye. "You didn't?"

He shook his head and she narrowed her eyes; she didn't understand.

"Why not? I-" She swallowed. "I thought you liked her."

Castle's eyes dropped to the drink in her hand, then back up to meet her eyes. "Is that why you're here?"

She dropped her gaze to the golden liquid in her glass, scared he could see the truth in her eyes if she let him look for too long.

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't really your scene, Beckett," he stated as he looked around them.

The bar wasn't overly crowded but it was the busiest place she had dared to go alone in months. Since her shooting. But the unseen danger that had haunted her for all that time wasn't even on her mind tonight.

Tonight, it was just Castle.

And Serena.

And the date she had, apparently, imagined.

"Thought I'd try somewhere new," she mumbled.

Castle placed his hand on the opposite side of her stool and leaned closer to her, tilting his head to make eye contact again. "How's that going for you?" he asked sarcastically.

A huffed, both amused and frustrated by just how easily he could read her.

"I hate it here."

He smiled as if he had won some prize - which only frustrated her more - but at the same time, his smile filled her with warmth and she couldn't help but smile, too.

"Then, let me take you home," he offered.

His hand shifted from her stool and rested on her lower back, the heat of his palm seared through the fabric of her shirt and she flinched, as if his touch had branded her.

She knew it wasn't what he had meant, yet she couldn't stop the words from slipping from her lips.

"What? Serena didn't pan out so I'm the consolation prize?"

She winced, hearing the words aloud. She couldn't believe that they had actually come from her mouth.

What the hell was she doing?

She lifted her glass, ready to drain the remainder of her drink, but Castle's hand on her wrist stopped her. She turned her head to look at him, his gorgeous blue eyes an unusually dark shade of cerulean.

"Let's get one thing clear, Kate," he said in a low, warning tone that sent a shiver down her spine. "You are not a consolation prize." He took the glass from her hand and placed it back on the bar. "And I never wanted Serena."

"What do you want?" she dared to ask.

Castle shifted even closer, until their faces hovered just inches apart. She could feel his warmth radiating from him. He stared at her, desire in his eyes, until something - a thought, a memory, she wasn't quite sure - doused that fire within him. He blinked and looked away; the tension that crackled between them, gone in an instant.

"I want to know that you are safe and in your bed so that I can actually get some sleep tonight," he answered.

She knew it wasn't a lie, but it was definitely the safe answer.

He slipped off the stool and held his hand out for her.

Accepting that this conversation was over she took his hand and allowed him to lead her out of the bar.

The cab ride to her apartment was long, tense, and all too silent.

When the driver pulled up out front of her building, Castle placed his hand on her knee, effectively stopping her from getting out of the cab.

"Talk tomorrow?" he asked her.

Uncertainty pervaded his tone. It glimmered in his eyes as he studied her face for the answer she was yet to give him.

She nodded, unable to actually verbalise her agreement.

But they both knew that tonight would just be one more thing added to the list of things they never talked about.

It was easier that way.

[isan0rt]

So today I was explaining some stuff about khux to a friend who hasn't played any of the mobile games, and he asked me if the game ever 'gets meta' about the fact that you the player are exerting your will on this avatar that is pretty much a vessel for your choices.

And I realized.

Player becomes their own character intentionally. Player going from responding to Chirithy with gestures but no words, to giving their speech to the union leader about how Ephemer made them question doing what they'd always been told without thinking about it, to declining to join the Dandelions and not giving the player the option to join, all of it is Player, the character, developing agency independent of the player pulling them around and directing them. It's Player becoming a character in their own right, because of their connection to Ephemer, then to Skuld, to connecting with others and beginning to become 'real.' And then as their last act, they don't just fool Ephemer.

They fool us.

They seem like they became controlled by Darkness and that's why we've lost control of them and they're attacking their friends, and we the person playing the game think that, until they reveal it was them. It was their choice. They exercised agency and used it to fool even the person playing the game, who controlled their every action until that moment.

They became real. By themselves they were no one, but when Ephemer looked at them and saw someone, that's the moment they started to exist. All they needed was for someone to see them and connect with them. It's all there!! The THEME of Kingdom Hearts, and I never even realized until needing to tell SOMEONE ELSE about it.

Dang.

[silencedvoices]

June of Doom Day 3

"Well, well, well..." | Hiding | Ambushed | Stalking |

Content: implied stalking, implied torture, drugging, recapture

Whumpee had a sinking feeling that someone had been watching them. Everyone, even themself, tried to brush it off as just the result of being held captive by Whumper for so long. It was just them being paranoid. Or so they thought.

One night after Whumpee had come home from a somewhat normal day at work, they swore they heard footsteps from upstairs. They listened closely and stopped in their tracks as they heard someone making their way down the stairs. Nope, definitely not their imagination. They grabbed a kitchen knife and scrambled into the back of the nearest closet.

Whoever was there was taking their dang time. This made the situation all the more real, and Whumpee hardly noticed they were holding their breath.

As the intruder got closer, Whumpee could make out the all too familiar click of shoes across the tile floor. When the closet door was pulled open, the knife was rendered useless as Whumpee completely froze in terror, dropping the knife as menacing eyes looked down on them.

"Well, well, well," Whumper grinned, "What do we have here?"

Whumpee merely looked up at Whumper dumbfounded. After all the effort in running and rebuilding their life, Whumper had still found them.

"I'm honestly disappointed you thought you could hide from me Whumpee."

"How'd you-?"

"It was quite easy honestly. After you escaped I just asked around. It wasn't hard to notice a traumatized little person like you wandering around begging for help. Gosh, almost everyone I asked had heard about you. I just followed the trails and here I am."

I mean Whumpee couldn't really be surprised at that. They had learned in their time with Whumper that Whumper had ties everywhere. They were overall a kind person to those who knew them under different circumstances and therefore a lot of people trusted them. Whumpee internally cursed themself for thinking they ever had a chance. Whumper would always have the upper ground.

"How long ago did you find me?"

"Oh, months ago. It's been fun watching you try to undo all the work I've done. No matter what you do, I'm still there. Heck, the evidence of me is all over your body."

Whumpee shivered as the scars littered under their sweater became all the more noticable. It was like someone had stuck a match to them and everywhere Whumper had ever hurt them was on fire, burning so hot they couldn't scrub away the pain.

"I'm surprised you could even hold this knife without being reminded of me," Whumper easily picked up the knife, Whumpee too scared to try anything. "We both know that deep down, you'd never be able to hurt me anyways, not after all I've done to you."

Whumpee didn't know what to do anymore. They were corned and Whumper was right, they'd never be able to hurt Whumper no matter how much they wanted to. They could at least waste some time by talking, maybe get some of the answers they'd been hoping for.

"So it was you all along. Everyone thought I was crazy. Even I thought I was."

"Yeah. That's the other thing that was fun. Watching you always on edge trying not to lash out at everyone that tried to help you, but you still ended up pushing them all away. That's why no one is here to save you Whumpee. I'm the only one you have whether you like it or not."

Whumpee shivered at that thought. It was the truth no matter how much they tried to wipe it from their mind. Whumper knew them all too well.

Whumper couldn't help but love how careful Whumpee was being. Trying to stall time, barely saying a word, not even fighting back. That was a big improvement from when they'd first taken Whumpee.

"Ready to go?" Whumper asked, even though they both knew Whumper would drag Whumpee kicking and screaming out the door.

Whumpee's heart dropped, "Wait... what?"

Whumper laughed, "Come on Whumpee, you really thought I just came here to scare you? No, I'm taking you with me."

"You- you can't! This is my home now. I- did so much to get here and... and you can't just take it all away again!"

"Oh, just watch me," Whumper's grin was something Whumpee was all too used to, but this time it was filled with a coldness Whumpee had never seen before and it scared them so, so much.

Before Whumpee could even blink, Whumper injected something into their neck.

"Nonono. You did not," Whumpee's world began to spin and nausea crept up their throat.

"Oh yes I did."

The last thing Whumpee remembered before their world went dark was Whumper scooping them up and their cold voice in their ear.

"Time to go home Whumpee."

[callmissrogers]

That's My Girl | Part 1

Summary: A mission goes horribly horribly wrong, and Y/n knows it's her fault. Captain Rogers wants to be there for her, but she won't allow him to. But the team believes that there's more to this than simple hostage casualties. What is Hydra hiding?

Warnings: Angst, death, grief, and a wee bit of fluff stuck in there somewhere.

Word count: 3,527

(Only proofread once, so apologies for any mistakes)

Part 2

Y/n sat, face in her hands, leaning against her door.

It was all her fault.

They died because of her.

She had blood on her hands.

Try as she might to send her thoughts elsewhere, they still roamed back to what had happened the night before.

The street lights went out in an electrical burst, one by one.

Y/n looked around anxiously. The house had gone dark too. "we didn't have Intel on charge weapons." She barked over the comms. "Dang Hydra cockroaches!" Tony yelled. "They're trying to block our locators. I have a feeling that these are part of what the Shield x Hydra agents stole from headquarters." He finished. They could feel him pacing and moving his arms about wildly, as he always did.

"Well, let's recalculate. Charges or no, the doctor and his family still need our help." Natasha interjected.

They had come here after getting Intel on the kidnapping of a Doctor Cedric Bon. He had been a leader in black market plastic surgeries. Only his work had little to do with face lifts and tummy tucks, and so much more to do with attempts to actually turn the clock back on a person's age. Before, he had only managed to turn out some really messed up and damaged people, who could never undo what had been done to them. But a lot of chatter recently indicated that he had finally managed something akin to Steve's serum. But for youth instead of strength. 

Right after that, he and his wife vanished. One of Natasha's sources told them that Hydra had gotten them. They could only imagine what they wanted them for.

"OK. So, not being able to tell where everyone is presents a problem." Sam said worriedly. Now they'd be going in blind. They were going to relay on some of Stark's technology to help them locate where they were being held and go from there.

"It's a problem, but we'll find a solution. Sam you keep cover from the skies. Tony, you're in charge of entry points and keeping anyone else from coming in.  Buck, Nat, and I will handle whoever is waiting for us on the inside. Y/n, you gotta get'em out of there, ok?" Steve said, taking on the tone of voice he always had when he was in what they called Cap mood.

Y/n knew why he had asked her to handle that aspect. Her ability was mental and emotional manipulation. She could make someone believe a lie, calm down, get angry, or think whatever she wanted them to think. Not huge things, but simple things like "I should trust her" or "I should give her this key card." These thoughts and feelings never lasted and were always followed by a headache that resembled a hangover.

Even tho she could fight, frightfully skilled in martial arts, Steve must have figured her skill would be useful in helping the hostages relax as she moved them out of there. How wrong he was. . .

But martial arts also came in handy if one wanted to move about unseen, which y/n did.

It didn't take her as long as she thought it would to find them. They didn't have them in a cell, basement, or anything like that. They were locked in a bedroom on the second floor. It had two twin beds and a bathroom. For a hostage situation, this was pretty comfortable. Y/n put this off to the fact that Hydra thought they lulled them into a false sense of security so the doctor would do what they wanted.

That was her first mistake.

"I found them," She tried to say over the comms, but all she got was static. Only then did it occur to that she hadn't heard anyone say anything since they entered the house. They were probably jamming the comms.

She felt for her backup earpiece for such situations. It wasn't there. Why wasn't it there? *because you forgot to replace it after you last used it. the one time you hadn't used your checklist as you suited up. Steve would surely give you an earful. This was why that man loved checklists.*

She decides to press on anyway

Second mistake.

"Who are you?" The Doctor asked, his accent thick. "Just think of me as your rescue, Doctor Bon, Mrs Bon. I'm y/n, I'm a member of the Avengers and I need you to come with me. Now."

"Those men told us that they were part of shield reborn." Mrs Bon said doubtfully. "Shield reborn? There's no such thing."Well, then if you say we can't trust them, how do we know we can trust you?" Mrs Bon asked doubtfully.

Y/n turned and looked at her, her eyes changing from her usual green to a bright violet and then back again. Mrs Bon blinked a few times and then said, "we should trust her." "What did you do?" Doctor demanded. "Later, Doctor. She'll be fine, tho. You'll all be fine if you follow me." She said firmly.

She had stupidly been confident that she could do it all without any backup or any knowledge of what was happening down below.

"Do you know of a back way out?" She asked. "Um. Yes. They took me on a tour just today." The Doctor said nervously. "Why? Actually, no time. Just tell me where to go, but I lead." She said, exiting the room.

The Doctor told her how to find the servants' stairs, which were hidden behind a rather large painting.

She tried her comms again but nothing.

The stairs seemed to curve on forever until they opened up to a large kitchen. It was empty aside from men laying about with knives sticking out of their chests. 

Upon a quick scan of the room, y/n was sure it was safe for them to go.

After a quick dash to the backdoor, she pulled it open, stepping out into the night with them following close behind her. The yard was empty, dark, and soundless. It was now or never.

"Time to go!" She ordered, yanking them along with her as best she could. They would make it. They could duck into the woods. The others would clean up and find them later.

Mission accomplished.

Third and final mistake.

They were nearly there, just about to cross from the manicured lawn into the unkempt woods. But the moment the Bons attempted to cross, they jolted uncontrollably, and then they fell down, dead. . .

Y/n's eyes widened, dropping down, she frantically tried to give them cpr. First one and then the other. Tears stinging her eyes. "Come on!" She screamed. Hands trembling, she felt their necks. They were gone.

Hydra had implanted them so that if they tried to escape, they'd die. But why?

She just besides them until the others found them.

Nobody said anything on the ride home.

5 am.

The moment the jet landed, y/n jumped up, running out before anyone could stop her.

She went to her room slamming and locking the door behind her. Sliding down against it, she gave into the sobs.

Present moment.

Y/n had been sitting in the place since the night before. She didn't care that her legs had long since fallen asleep, that her back ached, her head pounded from crying. A heavy and sour feeling had settled in the pit of her stomach.

"Miss y/n," FRIDAY said, "Go away."Mr Stark says that there is to be a team meeting in five minutes."

She would be sick.

She knew she had no choice but to go to the meeting. It was mandatory for the official mission file before they filled out their own paperwork. It was a manner of protection for themselves as well as a record.

But that also meant that she'd have to go out there and explain to everyone just how she had failed, how she got them killed.

It was all her fault. All her bloody stupid fault.

"Miss y/n," FRIDAY said as a means to hurry her along.

"Fine." Y/n spat, pushing herself off the floor.

Get it over with.

The walk to the meeting room never felt so long as it had just now. Seeing everyone there, waiting for her to join them, made her blood run cold.

But, she was a part of this team. She had to be held accountable just like they did.

Steve was standing at the head of the table. Scrolling through a tablet that was projected onto the larger screen behind him. He glanced at her when she sat down, a mix of emotion on his face.

"OK. Well, you all know the drill by now. We need everyone's account of what happened last night." He said, sounding almost regretful that he had to ask.

One by one, they went around the table, each describing their movement in the mission. "I stayed on guard duty. No one came in or went out until y/n came out with the hostages. Then I flew to help, when I heard screaming and found that they were, in fact, deceased -" Tony said in a monotone voice. "I stayed on yours and Becky's six. We took out about 80-90 guards and agents before we made it outside and found out what had happened to the Bons." Nat said, choosing not to use the word decased, dead, or anything else remotely related to it. She was friends with y/n she knew how something like this would be to eat you alive from the inside out.

Then, the room grew quiet. Y/n knew it was her turn. They were nice enough not to all stare at her expectantly, but she still felt them pressuring her to tell them what went wrong, what she had done wrong.

She'd probably be put on leave for her stupid recklessness.

Her mouth was dry, heart pounding, and she finally looked up. Eyes meeting Steve's. He, unlike the rest, had been staring. His brows now knit together like they always were when he was thinking. She braced her hands on the table and slowly pulled herself up.

"Last night I was reckless. I forgot my other comm, so when they jammed, I couldn't get in contact with anyone. I didn't pay attention to any of the signs that told me it was too easy. I led them outside, and then they died right in front of me because I didn't even think to check for a chip!" She said, her voice increasing as she went along. "It was all my bloody fault. You can put that in the report, and I'll fill out my paperwork later." She spat and then stormed out of the room.

"Oh, she's not in a good place." Sam commented, sounding concerned. "She can't blame herself for the psychopathic nature of monsters," Bucky said, sighing. "There's no way she would have known about those chips. None of us would." He continued.

"What I want to know is why they were willing to kill them. Those chips have a kill switch. Somebody pressed a button to do it. Why didn't they want them alive?" Stark questioned. "There's something that's more important to keep hidden than having them alive." Steve commented almost absently, his thoughts distracted by something or someone rather. "They took them for a purpose, so they must already have all the schematics on the serum he created." Natasha added.

"He was a fast talker to give them everything in 24 hours. This isn't something you find in a textbook, " Bruce said.

"I want more information on where they were holding them and the agents we found there. Nat, can you head that up?" Steve asked before excusing himself without waiting for her reply.

"FRIDAY, Y/n's whereabouts?" He said once he got in the elevator. "In the kitchen, sir."

Y/n was pouring herself into a cup of coffee. She didn't drink alcohol because well she couldn't. Something about alcohol potentially making your heart stop makes one think twice about it.  So she would overload herself with caffeine instead.

She had just picked it up, allowing the mug to warm her hands. Suddenly getting the feeling that she wasn't alone in the room.  The last thing she needed was a speech about how it wasn't her fault and that the team was behind her all the way. Because she knew at least the first part of that was a big fat lie.

Finally, the person standing behind her cleared their throat. Steve. Of course. It had to be him.

Slowly, she made herself turn around, but she wouldn't look at him.

"What do you want?" She asked, forcing her voice into a monotone, hoping that he would get the hint and leave her be.

She knew what he wanted. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to reassure her that this didn't change anything.

He stared at her a moment before answering, "y/n, would you look at me, please?" He asked, his voice gentil, nothing at all like his Captain America voice.

She just shook her head, eyes locked on her coffee.

He took a few steps towards her.

"Y/n . . . I know you think that -" "That what? That this all my fault? Check. That you're all disappointed in me? Check. That I'm the reason that the mission failed and two people are died? Check and check. We've established how I feel now." She snapped angrily.

Steve's expression shifted from one of pure concern to slight hurt. Not that she could see that, still refusing to meet his gaze. But he wouldn't allow himself to get offended. He did know how this felt and knew that she didn't mean it.

Carefully, he took a few steps forward and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Feeling her instantly tense up. "You can yell, cry, get angry. . . Just don't go inward on me." She said nothing, biting her lower lip, looking away, determined to push away what he was offering now. He sighed, not out of frustration with her but worry, "Shortcake, please say something." Shortcake, the nickname he had given her after they first met at that WW2 convention.

"Steve. Just stop being a hero for one second and leave me alone!" She yelled, slamming her coffee down on the counter, making it spill, and storming from the room. "Y/n!" He called.. He wanted to go after her but he respected her wishes and left her alone.

Once she had made it back to the safety of her own room, y/n collapsed on her bed, allowing herself to break down again.

Why had she done that? She knew that he genuinely just wanted to comfort her. But what did she do? Screamed in his face. Right.

She didn't move a muscle and eventually slipped off to sleep. A sleep that made her relieve the day the man she had just yelled at became a part of her life.

It was a cool day in May, y/n was walking around the WW2 convention. Her grandfather, grandmother, great uncles, and great aunts had all served. She grew up on the old stories, the old records, the old newspaper clippings, and books. Her parents had brought her to this convention every year since she could walk, and now that they were gone, she came alone. This time period was a part of who she was. So dressed in period appropriate dress reminiscent of Andrew Sisters' famous uniform, she took in all the sights.

Finally, stopping by a tent set up to be an old fashioned drugstore, complete with ice cream, sodas, lemonade, and sandwiches.

"I'll take a lemonade," She said with a smile. Noticing the man leaning against the other end of the counter.  She knew who he was, of course she did, just as she was very aware of who he worked for. Technically she was a colleague of sorts.

He quickly noticed her staring. But instead of looking bothered, he smiled. Slowly, he inched his way closer until he was standing next to her. "Which Andrew sister, are you?" He asked with a grin, making y/n blush. "Well. . Not technically supposed to be any of them. I just like the style. It has a bit more class than modern-day dress blues." "You served?" "Airforce. That is until..."Shield picked you up?" "How did you know?" "I might or might not have seen your file." "Sneaky." "I like to think I'm observant." y/n couldn't help but smile. They weren't lying when they said Steve Roger's was quite the charmer. Finishing off her lemonade, y/n turned to pay for it only for Steve to hold out a five dollar bill to the shop owner. "I - why did you do that?" She asked, baffled. "Because I'm a boy from Brooklyn in the 40s, and we don't let ladies pay for themselves." "Oh. I see." Steve couldn't help it. He was very intrigued and spoke before he could talk himself out of it. "Are you going to the show later?" He asked, referring to the bands and performers who would be performing 40s music that evening.

"I was planning on it." "Uh," He cleared his throat. "Would you like to watch it together." "Mr Roger's are you trying to ask me out?" He nodded, "Yes. Yes, I am." his cheeks tinged with pink. "Well, in that case, yes." He looked at his watch, "We still have about an hour before it starts..." "That we do. . ." She said, almost having pity on the poor man. Here he was, Captain America, and he was actually nervous. "Would you like to walk around with me?" She asked, deciding to make things easier for him. "Sure." He said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. They walked around the field, sharing stories and just getting to know each other. The more they talked, the more Roger's lossened up. The hour flew by before they knew it, so they made their way over to the field. Most of the chairs were already taken by the early birds, so they stood further back. Y/n being only 5 feet tall, struggled to see over the crowd that had also found their way back there. Steve tapped her on the shoulder, "May I?" He asked, gesturing to a stand behind them. She nodded, and he gently picked her up and placed up on it, pulling himself up next to her. They could easily view the show from here. "Thank you for that," she said with a smile. "No problem. You can't help being a shortcake." He grinned. And the nickname just stuck from that point on.

Just a mere three weeks after that, y/n was asked to join the Avengers.

Y/n shot up in bed, room dark, glancing at the clock beside her bed. 3 am. Her heart was pounding, eyes puffy from crying. Her room felt suffocating and oppressive now. "I can't be here." She whispered aloud to herself.  Quickly changing her clothes, she made a beeline for the gym, determined to clear her head.

Steve, whose room was on the same floor, heard a door opening and shutting and then the ding of the elevator.

Sitting up, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He had a feeling as to who might be up and about at this late hour. There were only four of them on this floor and none of them were nightowls. So he knew exactly who it was.

Down in the gym, y/n was in the midst of the wing chun arena. Dodging, then getting in a few hits before leaping to avoid being struck in the legs. Steve walked in and just stood there for a moment, watching her. She was ripping them apart. Tho Steve was sure Stark wouldn't hold it against her.

With a scream, she kicked another apart and kept going. Steve was beginning to worry she'd soon take herself apart too. So, with another sign, he walked towards the arena. Leaping over the wall, making his way around the carnage toward the center where she was, just three more dummies to go.

Stopping just behind her, he said

"Y/n... that's enough. " She ignored him and kicked the top off of the dummies. "Y/n." He said a tad firmer, only to be ignored again.

He cared about her too much to allow her to completely self-destruct in front of him. So he grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to turn around. Hands still on her shoulders, he looked down at her, hoping that she could see just how worried he was about her. How much he cared for her.

"That's enough." He tucked hair behind her ear.

"Do you hear me? None of this was your fault. I promise you that we will figure out who did this. We'll find out why. But Shortcake, it's not on you." He said hurriedly, his voice cracking as he pulled her into a crushing hug.

Part 2

[missmaywemeetagain]

Pink Scarf Alternate 1954 Flashback - Exclusive now available for Sweethearts & above! Join HERE now to read!! 💗🧣💗

I've got a little treat tonight for my Pink Scarf lovers out there! Here's a flashback from 1954 that I started before I decided I didn't want Reader (Beth) and Elvis to see each other again until '55 with Jack involved. (Please forgive me if I've played with the historical timeline a little here, as well.)

I think it's a fun little vignette of what might've been if they'd run into each other sooner. And I'm 100% a sucker for some 50's E in the PS Universe! 🥰

Anyway, enjoy this little foray on this lovely summer evening! Otherwise, I'm knee deep into the draft of Chapter 11 of Broken Glass, so hopefully that will be out soon(ish)! 😘

 *He's so damn cute here in summer of '54, I can't stand it!! 🥹

Sneak Peek!

Summer 1954

The sweltering early summer heat follows Elvis into the homey diner, the sweat trickling down his neck as he hauls a box of parts inside for Herb, the senior electrician, who ordered them. The bell on the door tinkles with his arrival, but he doesn’t see anyone save an older gentleman reading the paper at the counter and a couple of kids in the booth in the corner.

The box is heavy, but he hesitates to set it down, not wanting to dirty a table. He strides towards the register, hoping to get the attention of someone, anyone, who can tell him where to drop this box off.

“Um, hello? Herb? Anyone there?” he clears his throat and calls out. “I-I’m here from Crown Electric to drop off some parts.”

“We’re back here, son! Come on through the kitchen!” he hears Herb’s voice call from deep in the building.

Hefting the slipping box up in his arms with a huff, he backs his way through the wooden swinging half-doors to the kitchen. Maybe it’s because he’s too damn hot and this box is too damn heavy, but he doesn’t think to look for anyone on the other side. He certainly doesn’t expect anyone to be backing through opposite him.

He nearly jumps right out of his skin when he feels the warmth of another person bump into his back and shoulder as he starts to swing the box around. The high-pitched equally surprised yelp of, “Oh, my lord!” behind him has him spinning towards the sound. The momentum of the heavy box in his tiring arms propels him forward and the box starts to slip precariously in his sweaty hands. He feels the clash rather than seeing it and then hears the crash of splintering ceramic on the tile floor.

“Oh, sh—dang it!” Elvis catches the curse before it comes out his mouth and then mercifully manages to stop the box from tumbling into the person by bringing up his thigh under the tipping box, slowing its descent before lowering it ungracefully to the floor with a grunt.

Looking down, he sees the ponytail of the waitress kneeling beside him, already trying to clean up the mess of shattered plates and food now strewn across the kitchen floor.

I’m such an idiot, he thinks.

“Oh, Miss, I-I’m so, so sorry! I-I-I wasn’t lookin’, and here, let me help with that,” he rambles, kneeling down next to her to help clean up the mess.

“No, I—it’s fine,” you say, exasperated, and he recognizes that voice instantly.

Holy hell, it’s you...

Join HERE to finish! 💋

Taglist Pt 1

@eliseinmemphis@russian-soft-bitch@tattywood

@sassanoe@thella @suspiciousmidge @hiddlepiddlediddlewiddle@carolinesbookworld @juggernort @aesthetic-lyss @stitchattacks @donnamarie23

 @littlebitofgreen@paigevis@bugg06@xhannahbananax03@artlover8992

@18lkpeters@frozenhuntress67@girlblogger2002@kendralavon7@misspresley

@be-my-ally @whositmcwhatsit @vintageshanny @ellie-24 @thatbanditqueen @powerofelvis @from-memphis-with-love

 @precious-lil-scoundrel @stylespresleyhearted @prompted-wordsmith @crash-and-cure @elvisgf @lookingforrainbows @fic-over-cannon @godlypresley @ab4eva @whatstruthgottodowithit @elvisabutler @amydarcimarie@idontwanttoputanything @callieselvisobsessed @captainamerica1235-blog  @xenaspace3-blog 

@simplyamberj@claire-elvisgirl@everythingelvispresley@louisejoy86@deniseinmn @madelynpresley

[jq37]

So, Jumanji by way of Last Action Hero. Ok, Never Stop Blowing Up. I'm in for the ride. They managed to put together a great table for this one. I'm delighted they got Rekha back in the Dome. It's exciting to see Alex Song-Xia again. Izzy is always a treat. I'll never say no to more Jacob Wysocki. And of course Ally and Ify are always strong performers. We're in for a good season.

What a crazy start! I'm so glad I watched Last Action Hero a few weeks ago in prep because those vibes are very apparent (in addition to Jumanji 2 of course, but I'd already seen that).

A quick rundown of everything going on:

Ally Beardsley as Russell Feeld as Jennifer Drips

INSANE swings from Ally right out the gate. I love that Izzy was both in character thirsting over Russell and out of character being like, "Pull it back." Also, I think they're the only one playing a girl movie character so that's interesting. This season is gonna be such a trip pronoun-wise. Wonder what direction Ally wants to go with that.

Ify Nwadiwe

as Wendell Morris as Vic Ethanol

I was STUNNED to hear Wendell's voice come out of Ify's body. I didn't know he had an Urkel-esque bone in his jacked as hell self. And I assumed that once the PCs turned to their MCs (movie characters) they'd use their MC voice but nope. It seems like he's still doing the Wendell voice which is wild. I love a sweet nerd so Wendell is one of my early faves for sure. Very much the vibes on the main character from Jumanji 2 turning into the Rock. Also, Vic Ethanol is my fave expy name.

Isabella Roland

as Paula Donvalson as Jack Manhattan

Izzy had, by far, my favorite movie bit with her and Brennan walking into that chicken bit which was golden. Sometimes a bit drags on too long but they drove that to the exact funniest point and then left it there. Chef's kiss, no notes. Very much looking forward to seeing this very tightly wound mom in this unhinged setting.

Rekha Shankar

as Usha Rao as G13

Something I really respect is building a character who is specifically bad at the main thing they have to do and a woman who barely has grasped the concept of phones having to be the hacker is so funny. Rekha, you've done it again. I didn't notice until it was pointed out on Twitter but one of the fave movies listed on her card is literally the first movie ever made (The Horse in Motion). And her immediate 1 when trying to do hacker stuff is a portent of more hilarity to come I'm sure. Love to have her back in the dome.

Alex Song-Xia

as Liv Skyler as Kingskin

Also, love to have Alex back in the dome! I loved them in Mentopolis and they picked such a fun dichotomy of characters to inhabit in a teen girl who's giving me Vanessa from In the Heights with a little compulsive shoplifting plus truly just Kingpin from Marvel. I found her really endearing and she was also one of my faves.

Jacob Wysocki

as Andy 'Dang' Litefoot as Greg Stocks

I'm not as familiar with Jacob as I think some others are but he matched the table's energy right away. I would think the aliens thing was a weird swing except that there's someone in one of my games who has a very similar deal (their PC not the actual person lol) so it's kind of like yeah, that's a normal thing for a PC to believe. Maybe it's because I just binged all of The Bear but he kind of reminds me of a more assertive Fak. And it's a very funny contrast to a suave James Bond-type (also, Stocks/Bond. Ha).

So it looks like we have Fast and Furious, Die Hard, and James Bond. Kingskin is Kingpin from Spiderman and maybe just repping mobster flicks in general. G13 also seems to be a generic hacker. And Jennifer Drips is a generic femme fatale.

I think it's interesting that everyone seems to be a protagonist except for Kingskin who is an obvious baddie (unless he comes from a Breaking Bad type world where it's bad guys all the way down and no real heroes).

Also, I'm curious about how they'll cross over with each other. In Last Action Hero, it was kind of implied that many action movie scenarios take place in a shared universe (which is why you had Arnold in the same police station as a talking cartoon cat and other archetypes waiting to get paired up with their wacky mismatched sidekicks). Could be something like that, but we'll see.

Anyway, yeah! I wasn't sure how this season was gonna look but I'm VERY down for it now that it's started. Oh! And the animatics???? Amazing! D20 just keeps outdoing itself!

[ghostinthegallery]

I have thoughts about the epilogue to The Infinite and the Divine, which should not be surprising as I don't think I've found a single person around here without thoughts about the epilogue to The Infinite and the Divine. Spoilers below

Because initially yeah, I hated it! We came so far, did so much, and in the end it didn't even matter. Trazyn and Orikan are immediately back to their old ways, Trazyn is feeding a ctan shard WTF?? No mention of the battle they just fought together, right back to normal hatred and poor decision making. It really felt like the book was done and the epilogue got tacked on just to make sure everyone knew the status quo still reigned because dang it we have plastic to sell here! (I don't know if that at all reflects reality, but that is how it felt)

BUT! Concerns of capitalism aside, I think there is actually something to this epilogue and it's pretty damn tragic if you meet it where it's at.

Because necrons lost something when their souls got eaten but it isn't entirely clear what that thing was. There's some element of loss of creativity and artistry, but necrons still have plays (ungodly long historicals but still...it's theater). Multiple necron characters compose music and poetry, they just suck at it! So what if what they truly lost was their ability to change themselves in the fundamental ways that would keep them from repeating these destructive patterns? Because a machine can't grow in the way a being with a soul can.

What if that is why Szarekh is working with the same guy who built the biotransference furnaces to do biotransference again but in reverse this time. Why Anrakyr just wanders the galaxy gaining and losing resources while ignoring his own world? What if that's why Djoseras couldn't change while he watched his family and kingdom fall apart? Why Oltyx couldn't accept what he was (or make a good decision to save his life) before going through some...extreme lengths. All of them want to change their circumstances but what if the thing that was taken from them was the ability to ever do that?

So yeah, Orikan and Trazyn would obviously be happier if they could passionately make out cool off their rivalry, but can they? Can they make the fundamental shifts they'd need to bridge the gaps that made them hate each other in the first place? Hell, even if they did, would it be enough to overcome millions of years of violence? Because that's the second point I think the epilogue makes. As incredible as their alliance was, it was a blink of an eye on the grand scheme of things. How do you remember one instance (even one century) of cooperation, when you have millions of years of hatred behind you?

I definitely don't like the epilogue, maybe it was shameless status quo resetting, but damn if it doesn't get me the more I think about it.

Shoot I made myself sad...

[ineffableducklings]

Crowley's relationship with Heaven is just so damn personal. While almost all of the other demons betrayed Heaven to end up in Hell, I'm almost certain that he was betrayed BY Heaven.

And I think that Crowley was always so goddamn optimistic as an Angel. And he absolutely once believed that Heaven could be absolutely brilliant. He believed it had great potential. "Oh, they want to shut all of this down again in 6000 years? Dang, that's kinda sad, but let's suggest a better idea, surely they'll notice their mistake"

Crowley was never bitter about that. Disappointed, yeah, but optimistic Heaven could and would change.

And I think he desperately held onto that belief until he fell.

I believe Crowley had NO idea he'd fall. Maybe there were signs he ignored because he was too optimistic, maybe there were no signs at all.

When there's a revolution and you're not entirely supporting the side that is being revolted against, you automatically become a revolutionary.

Crowley believed until the very last second that Heaven could do so much good if they'd only listen to his suggestions.

And even directly after his Fall, when he came back to conciousness and had to climb out of a burning pit of whatever it was, bleeding and in pain, he still believed in Heaven.

Stumbling around where he landed, he knew that none of the things around him were particularly good signs, but he tried to psych himself up with his ground-shattering optimism. This wasn't nice, this wasn't good, but it was okay. He was okay. This was okay. He'd be fine.

Heaven would never do this to him. This had to be a mistake, a big misunderstanding. This looked an awful lot like Hell, but it wasn't. Couldn't be. He hadn't fallen. He'd never fall. He wasn't one of the bad guys, after all, right? Right?

This was okay. He'd just have to find his way out of here. Back up there.

And then, Crowley came to a stop in front of the reflective surface of another pit of dark something. He bowed down to inspect it, and that's when he saw it.

His wings. His once beautiful, white Angel wings, now pitch-black and tattered. A face that was supposed to be his, bruised and smeared with blood and dirt. And those eyes - YELLOW, snakelike eyes - staring back at him with terror.

And that's when he knew.

[cybertron-after-dark]

TFP- Pet Names

Bots and cons, both what they'd call you and what they'd love it if you called them

Gender neutral reader, reader is human but I can do one of these for cybertronian reader too down the line.

If I missed someone you really wanted to see, feel free to ask for them!

Optimus

Calls you: My beloved, my love, my other half. A lot of old fashioned, sweet, sappy nicknames bc he's a sappy old man.

Call him: Sugar, sweetie, honey, baby. Overly saccharine titles just make him blush like nothing else. Even if they're a little silly, they just make him feel so loved.

Ratchet

Calls you: Dear, love, my better half, though more often than not he calls you by your name. He likes how it sounds.

Call him: one would think he despises nicknames from his reaction to wheeljack calling him doc and sunshine, but it's quite the opposite; nicknames are a very special thing to him, but you have to earn the right to call him by them, or it feels overly familiar and that infuriates him. Once you've been together for awhile, if you call him "my love," his spark will soar.

Bulkhead

Calls you: Baby, cutie, honey, lovebug, lovebunny, sweetspark. You're the cutest thing in the world to him and he wants you to know that.

Call him: stud, handsome, or big guy are all great ones if you're looking to fluster him. That said, if you call him muffin or sweet thing, he might actually cry a little because it makes him way too happy.

Bumblebee

Calls you: Babe, hot stuff, cutie pie, babydoll, beautiful, gorgeous, boo. He needs you to know you're too dang pretty!

Call him: honey, honeybee, sweetheart, sweetspark. He's a total sucker for the cheesy stuff.

Arcee

Calls you: babe, dork, partner. That last one means a LOT to her. If she calls you her partner it means she's totally opened up to you, and you're too important to her to lose.

Call her: babe, but only call her partner if she calls you that first. It's not a title to be taken lightly in her eyes.

Wheeljack

Calls you: hottie, hot stuff, sexy, dollface, sunshine, babe, wild thing, he's got a whole arsenal of nicknames, some more annoying than others.

Call him: studmuffin, sexy, big boy, crazy, daddy. Real talk, he loves hearing whatever cursed, over the top bullshit you come up with. The dumber the better, he loves when you can make him laugh.

Megatron

Calls you: human, more often than not. Pet is the best you're getting.

Call him: you're going to call him Lord Megatron, or Master. Anything else is unacceptable, even for his partner.

Starscream

Calls you: Fleshy, pet, wretched organic, gremlin, creature... And, when he's sure nobody's listening, very rarely, he'll call you beloved or my spark.

Call him: master, sir, lord starscream, my heart, my spark. He likes to feel important to you, and he REALLY likes to feel respected and powerful.

Soundwave

Calls you: ... Well he doesn't usually call you much of anything given he doesn't talk, but sometimes he'll use soundbytes of cutesy pet names from old human romance movies that he totally does not watch, shut up.

Call him: he'll honestly appreciate any nickname you give him (though you won't catch him showing it), but things like beautiful, gorgeous, or pretty boy will get him to blush under that screen. Especially if you've seen him with the mask off and still insist he looks good.

Shockwave

Calls you: your name. He feels no need to make up overly saccharine terms of endearment. You are his and he is yours, you both know you love each other, so why bother with such performative trivialities? If you tell him you just like hearing the affirmation every now and then, he won't fully get it, but he will settle on calling you trinket, because you are very small and you fascinate him.

Call him: You're not gonna get a reaction out of him no matter what you call him, but he considers the terms love, dear, or my heart to be acceptable.

Knockout

Calls you: darling, doll, dollface, honey, baby, lover, cutie, sweetspark, lapin, little thing, ma chèrie, mon amour, itty bit, and those are just the usual names.

Call him: gorgeous, pretty boy, hottie, honey, baby, all of it gets him a little flustered, but he REALLY loves whenever you call him speedy. He loves looking pretty and driving fast, and only one of those gets acknowledged all that often.

Breakdown

Calls you: Baby, tiny, lovebug, snugglebunny, sweet thing, honey, gorgeous, pretty little thing, sweetspark, cuddlebear. He can get pretty cutesy with it, he's not ashamed to admit how much he loves you.

Call him: big guy, sexy, big boy, good boy, darling, sweetspark. He likes when you remind him how big and strong he is, but he also likes hearing you get sweet on him.

[eriexplosion]

I never let myself really believe they'd bring Tech back (because Occam's razor, or whatever). And I'm so used to weird/bad writing choices from other works that I'm mostly able to shrug my shoulders and go "aw rats, disappointment again :\" about TBB's ending.

... But I still feel kinda hollowed-out, post-finale. I'm not autistic (I think), but my sibling is, so it meant something to my old withered heart that a Star Wars show about family would have a confirmedly-ND character among their cast (though, somewhat tangentially, I agree with your post about all of the Bad Batch being arguably ND-coded). I was delighted that he was well-written, and that he'd eclipsed the stock "smart guy" trope he'd started out as in TCW.

And, I dunno. I feel like a sucker, having hoped for a brief moment that the writers wouldn't throw all that away. And for what? People on reddit were saying for months on end that "his sacrifice is meaningful and shouldn't be wasted", but I can't agree. I think it would've been more meaningful had he lived.

I feel disappointed with the trajectory the back half of S3 took, and I don't think that's unreasonable. Even beyond the disappointment of "dang, they really did that?", S3 after the first handful of eps (imo) felt kind of... rushed? Underexplored? Like there should've been a season 4 (for pacing/development's sake) and various changes to the plot, but there weren't.

Told myself several years ago that I'd reserve judgment for the writing until the series was over and done with. And now that it's all just wrapped up, I suppose I'm stewing with my thoughts, a little. The character arcs all feel like they fell short of their potential payoff, to me -- and maybe I'll change my mind in a few months, but right now? Eh.

Crosshair's got PTSD/trauma that makes his hand shake? Cut off the hand. Omega's got potential force sensitivity/a decision to make concerning what to do going forward? Who cares about that. Tech's getting a decent (and suspicious, in hindsight) amount of character development? Better kill him off so the audience really feels the sting. Cid, Phee, CX-2, Echo, Scorch? Who cares about them; they can show up when their skills are needed and fuck off without halfway-decent closure when they aren't. The familial/sibling themes that were open to being explored? Eh; let's focus predominantly on this one father-child bond. Omega doesn't even need to say goodbye to Crosshair and Wrecker, lol. Foreshadowing and setup? What foreshadowing and setup.

... I'm realizing that I'm actually Quite disappointed lmao. In a lackluster "I don't know what I expected" kind of way. Time to read so many fix-its

There's just a lot that was set up that never came to fruition and it's frustrating when the show has been so good up until that point. And the thing is that Tech being CX-2 would have resolved at least some of it! The CX-2 plot obviously but also, Crosshair's guilt and trauma being helped by being able to fix at least one of his mistakes? Omega's guilt over putting her family in danger being relieved because she finally has them all back?

It didn't even need to be fleshed out, I wouldn't have cared. The only thing I wanted this whole show was the family to be together and complete. And not only did we not get Tech back but yeah Echo was basically just not counted as part of that and Phee was ignored in the end.

This season feels like it needed another editing pass to work as a whole, even though I'd liked everything up to the finale it didn't really end up coming together for me. I'd even have accepted Tech being gone if they had put actual mourning in the first half, instead of stringing it along with little mentions and the CX-2 stuff. I'd be frustrated and mad, but at least it would have felt like they respected him as a character.

Really the only good things I have to say is I think Nala Se blowing up the databanks was a fantastic end to her character that didn't really redeem everything she's done but did bring her to an interesting stopping point. And I am glad everyone else made it out alive. I'm glad that Crosshair especially did after everything he's been through, he's still my boy after all this time even if the Tech stuff has overshadowed a lot of his growth in my head.

[syncopatedid]

Run with the Wind Novel (official EN release!)

The dream of Kazetsuyo fans to finally get the novel in English has MANIFESTED!!! I'm sure it's later news by now to a lot of us, but just putting it out there because you never know!

I'm not a huge fan of the cover arts of western publishers as much so I'm holding my breath to see how the final cover artwork is going to turn out, especially given the USD pricing they'd be asking for. But I'm hopeful it will be treated more as a classic title than YA. I do not think they'd be able to get rights to have the OG cover art to use so I'd expect them to come up with their own, and so I've been browsing HarperC's range to see what they tend to put out (anything but human stock photos please I am begging, pay for illustrators). These are some of their cover styles I'd at least be all right with...

...with some added caveats I don't care for (though I doubt my feedback counts since I'm not the market they need to appeal to), but can we NOT have those annoying love review bombs plastered all over the covers, please? Who the heck are all these people anyway. If you must, have them on the back of the cover; I swear people do pick up and turn over to read the synopsis. I don't know about you guys, but I personally think they have no business taking up the same space as the author who wrote the dang thing, only acceptable other name will be the EN translator/localizer, as they deserve credit.

But anyway, still good to have an official English version out, it's about time!