#*i'm immediately shot by a firing squad*

[thearomanticcactus]

So....

would fucking Nezu be beastiality?

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

I've been rewatching s1 lately, and it's really interesting how Izzy conceptualizes Ed's relationship with Stede initially.

On a very basic level, he does understand that Stede matters a lot to Ed. "He adores you," he says. Izzy didn't have to use such a strong word there; he understands that this is more than a passing crush or fancy.

But he also believes, very clearly, that if Stede is out of the picture, that will very abruptly "fix" whatever Stede "broke" in Ed's brain, and Ed will go back to living up to an ideal of Blackbeard that Izzy expects and which never truly existed. I genuinely think that Izzy expects that if he successfully murders Stede in a duel or has him executed, Ed will just blink and move on. He doesn't understand at all that forcing Ed to watch Izzy duel him or making him watch Stede in front of a firing squad and trying to tell Ed that is "quick, clean" and the best option for everyone are both terrifying and horrifyingly painful experiences for Ed.

Izzy genuinely thinks that he knows Ed best, out of everyone in the world, and he thinks that if Stede is gone, then everything will go back to the way it "should" be. He has a strong sense of entitlement over Ed's feelings, assuming that he knows which ones are "correct" - even in s2e1, the inciting incident for Izzy getting shot is blaming everything on "Ed's feelings for Stede Bonnet," as if Ed's feelings are the problem, as if these feelings are a separate entity from Ed himself that need to be weeded out.

I can't help but think that the sheer obvious intensity of Ed's feelings - his adoration - for Stede is part of what made Izzy think this way. He assumes that Stede has somehow tricked Ed into loving him in a way that Izzy is so sure Ed just can't feel. And this is finally broken in s2e3, when Izzy is telling Stede "I know you think you know him" and Stede immediately nails Ed's emotional state with an accuracy and sympathy that Izzy never could've dreamed of.

I don't think Izzy was lying when he said he thought he and Ed knew each other better than anyone. And I'm chewing on the thought of Izzy watching Stede pull Ed back from the brink of death, and realizing that not only was that not true, but he'd never really known Ed at all.

[doodler16]

Hi there, I'm currently to write a short essay blog post of how that bullshit the power scaling really is in the Hella verse. So far, I've written down a few paragraphs for stolas and loona and trying to write a passage for I.M.P. but I'm having trouble trying to word my issues properly. I have some ideas and thoughts on the matter but don't know how to properly say them.

Another issue is that while I was previously an ex-helluva boss watcher. I haven't seen Hazbin hotel in the slightest but I have seen YouTube reviews and critical posts online to somewhat understand what happens and the major key points of events and flaws like the whole Angelic weapons nonsense. That being said I don't want to mispresent on the show I don't fully have a grasp or have fuzzy details on. So I have a few questions to ask you.

1. Did anyone have any Angelic weapons during the finale of the series?

2. Did any of demon/sinners managed to take out any of the extermination angels with or without Angelic weapons?

Also if you have any weird power scaling moments of characters who should and shouldn't have one because of plot please let me know.

-FGC anon

Ok!

1. Yes! Vaggie, Angel Dust, Sir Pentious, Alastor (temporarily when he created the shield), Niffty, Husk (his cards were upgraded to harm the angels as they have the white lines around it), Cherri Bomb (same with Cherri, her bombs are implented with angelic weapons as her bombs design skull are usually green), and Charlie (the trident Charlie used against Adam most likely had angelic steel as he was negatively affected by it).

Majority of the Hazbin squad practically relied on angelic weapons to fight (except for Alastor when he a one on one fight with Adam). The extermination angel squad had angelic weapons too (except Adam who used a mix of his fists, holy light, and guitar in the battle).

Vaggie was even holding an angelic weapon throughout the entire season because she is an ex-exorcist. As I mentioned earlier, Alastor didn’t use angelic weapons during his one on one fight with Adam. He primarily used voodoo magic and his tentacles (Alastor failed and ran off like a bitch).

2. Yes! When Alastor created his voodoo shield to trap the extermination angels, Cherri Bomb would use her angelic bombs to blow them up. Alastor used his tentacles that were outside the shield to his advantage and take the angels’ angelic weapons and use it against them.

Sir Pentious would use cannons to fire the angelic weapons at the extermination angels. When Vaggie was with Charlie, she would use her angelic spear to kill off the extermination angels.

Angel Dust would use his Tommy guns in battle, it had angelic bullets implemented in the gun as he was able to shot with Cherri Bomb and successful protect the egg boi when it was cornered by an angel. Niffty was able to finish off Adam using an angelic knife. When Charlie was with Vaggie, she was super useless but Charlie used her fireworks against the angels.

Husk used his angelic magic cards against the angels. Charlie was able to stab Adam with the trident. Most of them practically relied on angelic weapons to do the job as angelic weapons are their weakness.

Weird power scaling moment:

It has to do with Adam. Like I mentioned earlier, during the fight Adam only used his fist, guitar, and holy light powers.

His holy light is his most strongest ability as he’s able to destroy the hotel single handily so why doesn’t he spam those powers immediately at the Hazbin squad when he got there? He was able to use it against Sir Pentious. Is there a limit to the holy light powers?

[catras-breakup-song]

I am not proud of this opinion but I am not the biggest fan of Save The Cat! Don't get me wrong, I like it, but when I watched it for the first time I was a little bit confused that they went the mind control route for Catra. the part where she rejects the Horde and tells Prime "you will never get to Glimmer, you will never reach Adora"- I wanted us to see THAT Catra when Adora sees her for the first time in so long. I wanted Catra conscious, I wanted the abrupt reunion between her and Adora, and IMO it required Catra to be HERSELF in that scene, not basically a prime clone.

And yet despite tjat... oh, it was still so good- I got to see She-Ra again and this time she's not controlled by the First Ones- I indeed did like that episode, it just was not what I had in mind! And while I did not particularly favour it as a kick start to the redemption arc, there were so many good moments where I was like "AKSJAKJDKDAKJ kitty cat joinng the rebellion!" The moment she joins The Best Friend Squad eating those steamed buns Glimmer made and finally left her room to go sit with them. The moment she apologizes to Entrapta. The moment she let the best friend squad use her chip to track Prime. The moment she comorts Netossa about Spinerella being chipped. The moment she tells Glimmer "I made a promise to her a long time ago, it's about time I fulfilled it" or something like that. The moment she jumped into fire for Adroa nad Adora immediately teased her about it ofc lol. Dare I say it's even better I was not fully satisfied during Save The Cat, because it was not her redemption arc per se, but just a step in that diection! And those steps in that direction are what I enjoyed so much more! And the rest of her redemption arc was all of these moments along the way in season 5, ending with the grand gesture to go back for Adora.

It was the "...hey Adora!" in the last episode (the hologram version who Adora thought was her) and all the images of Catra over the years walking towards Adora that made my heart melt and I knew I was going to love catradora forever <3

Catra's redemption arc was not perfect but it was GOOD! And I will never hate on Catra just because Save The Cat didn't go as I had wanted it to! I can understand that something is good even if it's not as I expected it to be!

What is your favourite Catra redemption arc moment? And it's 100% okay if it's something in Save The Cat, I can understand us having different opinions! :3

bestie, i love you dearly, but i can't possibly agree with this take. catra getting chipped was such a huge part of the overarching story regarding trauma (notably the repetitive pressing of her hand to the back of her neck later on in the season, and her shaking hands in "taking control") & religious imagery (captioned screenshot by @horde-princess)

besides, we did kind of mostly get a genuine heartfelt reunion in the same place too:

and i just think that no alternate timeline could ever match how eerie and haunting all those catradora scenes in this episode felt. that fight being their most intense yet is what makes us temporarily feel like "wait, are we still watching a kids' cartoon...?" until you remember no gore was shown.

also, if catra had free will during their reunion, we never would've gotten THESE SHOTS:

i'm sorry but i will not allow "save the cat" slander on this blog when its theme is sickly green! you have guts daring to stray into enemy territory! /lh /j

[gales-wizard-wife]

Gale Confession One Shot

This takes place after Ketheric for a more slow burn confession.

I sat at the fire, a chalice of red wine in hand, sipping as I was lost in thought. The others had long fallen asleep and knowing even my trance would be unobtainable I offered to keep watch. Our battle with Ketheric had been weeks ago but even so everyone remained on edge. Numerous Githyanki squads had come for us in the name of Vlaakith and it felt as though we were still far from the end of our plight. That wasn’t what was on my mind, though, and as I took another sip, I wished desperately for the company of someone; Gale. I hadn’t been in love with him for long, although I'd found him charming from the first moment I’d pulled him from that rune all that time ago. 

But when Elminster had appeared with his orders from Mystra, I suddenly found myself cursing a goddess I had so long admired and followed. Now, I would fight her given the chance. To hear that she would send him on a suicide mission had made my blood run cold and I immediately shot down the notion that he could even allow himself to do such a thing for a goddess who had all but forsaken him. He hadn’t agreed, of course. In fact, he’d originally decided to go along with her plan. When the moment came, I begged him to reconsider. Whether it was my words, or perhaps a sudden appreciation for his life, he had decided not to sacrifice himself, to not blow up the orb within his chest to take down the Absolute. I felt at that moment as though I could breathe again. How much longer could I go without telling him the truth now that I knew the true extent of my feelings?

The sudden clearing of someone's throat took me out of my thoughts, causing me to jump. I clearly was not doing a good job of being look out. I looked up, shocked to find Gale standing before me. 

“Keena.” He smiled, causing my heart to flutter. 

“Gale.” I breathed, feeling nervous.

“Mind if I join you?”

"Not at all.” I moved over a bit, giving him extra space. He sat, his own chalice of wine in hand.

“I hope I didn’t wake you” I sighed, and he chuckled as he sat.

“Wake me? You were silent. Although, I hope I didn’t disturb your thoughts, you looked deep in them.” 

I blushed, turning my head and taking another sip.

We sat in silence, only the sounds of the crackling fire and nature to be heard.

“Are you alright?” He asked and as I turned my head our eyes met, leaving me without a voice for a moment.

“I am.” We stayed like that for a time, gazing at each other, before he spoke again.

“I was hoping for a moment like this with you, while the others are asleep. Could you spare me a moment of your time?” He looked nervous now which caused a deep pit of anxiety to form in my chest. 

         “Of course.” I said and he smiled at that and I blushed even further, and realized I was definitely embarrassing myself.

          “I often think of what would become of everyone, of the world, had I decided to blow myself up to destroy the Absolute. Would all of this be over?” My heart sank at that, something I had thought of more times than I cared to admit. I stayed silent, giving him the chance to speak.

          “But you stopped me, which if I'm being honest, surprised me.” My heart was suddenly in my throat.

          “I couldn't let you kill yourself. I…” I trailed off, unsure of how to finish my sentence.

          “Do you remember the first time we met?” He asked and I suddenly found myself grinning but didn't say anything, curious as to where this was going. “You managed to calm the rune with your own, quite impressive, magic and you pulled me out. A complete stranger, no less, and you saved me.” Where is this going?

           “I felt lucky to be saved. But to be saved by you…” I felt like I couldn't breath suddenly and forced myself to take another drink, I was on the verge of becoming drunk. I'd have to scold Astarion for giving me such a strong wine.

            “You were breathtaking.” I froze, my eyes moving back to him. The look he was giving me was wistful, his eyes alight in the glow of the warm fire.

            “I fell in love with you then.” he said and we were both silent, the fire feeling a little too warm now.

             “I've wanted to tell you for so long, Keena. But I couldn't find the words. Couldn't fight the fear of the possibility that you didn't feel the same.” I couldn't find the words to respond, he didn't seem to mind though as he continued, “I saw how you panicked when I nearly approached the Nether Brain myself, ready to sacrifice myself for the world, for you. And for a moment,” he paused, “for a moment I allowed myself to hope that you felt the same. That you loved me too. And I decided to live on the possibility that I could live for you. That hope was enough to keep me living a life that had lost meaning.” 

           “Gale.” I breathed and we locked eyes once more. With my free hand, I grabbed his, relishing the feeling of his skin against mine, something I had longed for. He looked at our hands and back at me, his eyes asking for more. I leaned in then, no longer able to control myself, and pressed my lips to his. He tasted of wine and the smoke of the fire and him. Suddenly, his arm was around my waist and he pulled me closer, deepening our kiss. It felt as though we were the only two people in faerun. After a moment, I pulled away, our foreheads pressed against each other and our breathing hard.

          “I love you too.” I whispered, not wanting to break our little bubble.

          He smiled, relief clear on his features.

          “Then all you have to do is say the words and I am yours, mind, body and soul.”

          “I'm yours.” I whispered once more and he kissed me again, deep and hungry, pouring all of his love into me.

[kandadze]

Ep 32 loose thoughts

Oh hell that was a *bad* idea, WX! And why is she by herself? Was PSJ not in the dungeon after all?

Ahhh okay she still *is* in the dungeon, oh ffs

She at least has her brother when things get *real* bad... I spoke too soon. Hello there, another illusion! Get him, PSJ, punch that goddamn smirk off of his face!

I see this episode will be a montage of at least three fight sequences going on at the same time. Oof, I felt ZYZ taking that fireball in the back to protect ZYC right in my gut, how many times will they be each other's shield before one of them shatters?

Speaking of which. Can someone shatter this asshole already???

Come on, ZYC, you know there's no way WX and PSJ could be there for real! All of this is just another illusion feeding off your biggest fear!

....................

Right, it's an illusion within an illusion. I can't with this drama.

How many times did ZYZ let himself bleed on ZYC's blade at this point? I should go back and count. Look at me, I know that no matter how the end might break me, I *will* go back and rewatch the whole thing...

Fuckkkkk the way I cheered when the swirl of leaves appeared! (Also, ZYZ using his hand to protect ZYC's face... I repeat, how many times will they be each other's shield??? 😭)

Oh LL, joining the self-sacrificial idiots squad! And ZYZ's concern for him coming out of his cultivation too early. LL's smile in response! Fuck the things that could've been 😭

Ngl it's kinda funny how they're having those prolonged and emotional conversations while the villain just stands there, totally hearing every word even though he's way too far for it to be possible (unless he added some hearing related mcguffin to his demonic upgrade), and not really doing anything of substance. Not sure if it's intentional to show how much he believes in his own advantage, or is this a thing in xianxias in general, either way, thanks for the (choked, but still) laugh, now let's see if Qing Geng can help detoxify the poison in ZYC. (Seriously, what's with cdramas and poisons?)

Ah, fuck, I knew that they showed us the red glowing eyes on Fei for a reason. Seriously, I hope WZY *burns*.

OMG the sound of Bai Jiu's bell woke ZYC up enough for him to reach for the antidote!!! Team effort once more! I love how they show us again and again that our gang's strength comes from their love for one another! 😭😭😭 (And fuckkkk, Qing Geng used her inner core for the antidote! The scene in the MV, of these three watching golden dust dissipate in front of their eyes, was of her death... oh man, I know I said I'd prefer everyone to die if it meant no one was left behind to suffer, but it's as if they heard me and went, let's start with the secondary characters who gutted you the most the first time around, shall we? 😭)

Meanwhile, the villain is still alive and well, and LL's taking the brunt of his fire attacks, while being, y'know, a *tree* demon. *Both* ZYZ and ZYC reaching out to steady him!!! What a shot! No matter what happens next, this was *so* satisfying to see. (Also, can I just say how I love LL's hairdo here, and how all the adornments are made of things you can get or make out of various tree parts! A+)

Seriously, the piece of garbage does *not* deserve such a beautiful "true form". Please die already, you've wasted enough of everyone's time. Hopefully knowing where his inner core is will help in achieving just that.

The way I cheered when PSJ finally landed a killing blow on the lackey. And then I promptly choked at the candy bit (flashed way back to The Untamed lol). How dare they make me feel emotional like thissss!

And that's the end of the ep? I feel like the girls got seriously sidelined in this one, but at least we got some badass sequences (PSJ) and some aesthetic slamming against the pillars (sorry, WX). I'm also  afraid that sending Bai Jiu away, even though done for his immediate safety, is gonna backfire horribly... only one way to find out! (Ngl, I'm really scared for what's still to come.)

On to ep 33! (Will I get any sleep tonight? Probably not. I might post the rest of the commentary only tomorrow though, I'm getting really drained.)

[witchhaven]

Soul

The wasteland, a hostile zone. Not that you'd be able to tell by looking at it much of the time. On this night, a light rain descended on the plains housing the abandoned cottage my unit set up our outpost in. I half-sat in the kitchen, on the counter with my lukewarm tea held in a gloved left hand, peering through the windows to see what little I could with the dim lighting reflecting against the glass. I was sure that I would've strained had I still been human.

The night was a quiet one, but as the combat doll in the squad, I was assigned to keep watch through the nights. I hadn't needed sleep since the conversion. I stared out into the inky darkness, watching for any movement. The squad's witch had been having bad dreams lately, and that had a high likelihood of attracting attention with the projected aura.

Suddenly, the gentle whispers of the light sprinkle of rain stopped. Silence followed, a deafening quiet. The sound, or lack thereof, was suffocating, as it engulfed the cottage. The lights began to flicker sporadically, as a large thump was heard, rattling the teacups against the saucers loudly. More silence followed, as the lights continued flickering. I set my teacup down, lurching forward to peer further through the windows.

After several minutes more of silence, a loud crack sounded as a bright red light permeated through the kitchen. A large, biomechanical, quadrupedal form, with wired structures loosely encapsulated the sickly, lanky frame. The head, seemingly impossibly supporting a large mouth full of sharp, metallic teeth, and a singular crimson optical array, piercing directly into my gaze. It let out an earsplitting, inorganic howl, confirming that it had indeed seen me. Immediately, I heard my comrades jolt awake at the sound, and in addition, my witch stepped out into my view.

"Soul, we need to move." They softly commanded me.

I began making my way to the rear of the cottage, "Yes, Miss. I'm proceeding to the tank."

"Understood. Now, the rest of you, get up, and get up quick. Flank in the APCs." They proceeded to follow me towards the back of the cottage.

Once we exited the back door, I entered the armored vehicle first. I seated myself in the driver's seat, starting the engines while my witch situated themselves in the turret. I began driving to a position clear enough to take a shot at the enemy. I then turn counter-clockwise 30 degrees to allow my witch the degree of movement they needed to fire on it. The APCs surrounded it, as the red light of the optical array scanned over us all.

The witch lined up the turret for a shot on the creature's core, "Good doll. Squad, prepare for concentrated fire on the Polyphemus's reactor."

As the order left my witch's mouth, the Polyphemus opened its mouth, and gunfire thundered on the left side APC, several rounds piercing its armor plating. In a snap reaction, my witch let loose a shot into the ribcage of the biomechanical beast. The fire stopped as it wailed from the damage, but the core remained intact. The witch began loading the next shot, as the creature's head turned to stare directly down at us. More precisely, it peered at the porthole of the turret.

As the Polyphemus opened its mouth again, I accelerated the tank forward, hearing my witch swear under their breath at the sudden movement, and gasp as a few projectiles grazed the rear of the vehicle. I turned 45 degrees clockwise, leading the creature away from the rest of the squad.

"Apologies, Miss! Please fire on the mouth with the auxiliary autocannon, we can lead it away from the rest of the squad!" I suggested to my witch.

They nodded as they rotated the seat, "Mmm. Tactically sound indeed, Soul."

My witch opened fire with the autocannon, prompting the monster to chase after us. It screeched as the dense projectiles peppered its shell. The two APCs followed after from either side. Secondary infantry manned the LMGs on top. Taking the incoming fire, the Polyphemus stumbled. I rotated the tank 180 degrees clockwise, allowing my witch to line up another cannon shot on the monster. They rotated the seat around, shoving the cartridge into the loading port, and lining up the turret for another shot at the chest. They pulled the trigger, cracking away the remaining ribcage structure, fully exposing the core.

It turned towards the tank, howling once again as it broke into a sprint with a fully open maw. I tried to reverse pace to evade the attack, but failed, and recoiled as metallic teeth breached the hull of the tank and clamped over the turret. The jaws ripped away as thick armor plates peeled like paper, accompanied by numerous sparks and sickening creaking. As it lifted its head up, I saw an opportunity: a fully exposed core, in perfect range. I let out a scream as I stood up, releasing a punch with my right arm. My conversion thankfully granted me the physical strength I needed to penetrate the core, but at the cost of the structural integrity of my forearm and various structures through my right arm. Fractures rippled through as flames poured out onto the floor of the now ruined vehicle. The Polyphemus's roaring lowered into a rumble, and then a silence, before it collapsed to our left side.

Burdened breathing faded in behind me as the noise of the battlefield cleared, between gasps, my witch praising me, "Good... doll. You're... an excellent operator..."

"Ma'am?" I turned around to see one of the teeth of the monster lodged in their chest.

I rushed over, and with my still functional left hand, pulled them out of the turret's seat, "No, no no no no no. Miss, please breathe, it's going to be okay..."

"O-operator class... B-450-3 Soul, I officially... dismiss you." The witch touched my face with their left hand.

I tightened my embrace around them, "No, Miss... No, that won't be necessary, you're gonna be fine, Miss. You're gonna be okay..."

I felt their body lose tension as their arm went limp, dropping from my cheek. I pulled away slightly to peer at their face. Their green eyes, once full of life were now motionless glassy marbles, still beautiful, but now starkly static. I held them close again, feeling their warmth fade, failing to feel them breathe, failing to feel their heartbeat. I wailed, eyes welling up with tears, a cruel reminder of what I still hadn't lost: the pain.

I feel as though I'm exiting a fog as I wake up this morning. What an unusual dream, then again, I don't recall having dreams of my own before. How vivid the images were, how real the emotions felt. It's like I wasn't dreaming at all, but being shown a memory. It certainly wasn't my own memory, how could it be? I'm a house, after all. Whose memory was I-

I'm interrupted by a knock at my front door. It's another doll, taller than the others. Dark hair, dull, red eyes, and a tired expression. Its hair is tied back in a loose ponytail, and a loose fitting set of dark clothes cover its body. I see dark fractures painting its right arm and hand, having been sealed over with a dark colored adhesive.

I allow my door to open for it, and it collapses to its knees in the opening. Peering into the main hall, its face cracks a weary smile.

"I'm home..."

This is the newest installment of an ongoing series called The Dolls' House, and while it's largely formatted like a slice-of-life, you'll still benefit from reading the series sequentially. Click here to read the first chapter.

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Hello, how's your day going for you?

Headcanons for AR team seeing their S/O got kidnap by the enemy

(GFL) M4A1, ST AR-15, M4 SOPMOD II, M16A1 seeing their S/O captured

I know we've had a couple of prompts like this for the Genshin characters, but I feel like with T-Dolls that's so much of a worse idea. It's like trying to capture John Connor from the Terminator, except there's four of them and they're WAY faster.

M4 hears S/O call out for her, which she turns to the direction their voice is coming from.

And sees them being taken by Sangvis T-Dolls.

Something snaps inside M4 as the thought of S/O being hurt or worse while captured rushes through her supercomputer mind.

Any self doubt or blame is burned away as she immediately puts her crosshairs on the T-Doll trying to carry them away.

Each shot blows apart their heads into pieces of scrap as M4 closes the distance at a rapid pace, the light from her eyes being replaced with murderous intent.

Some of the bullets bounced off her while many others pierced entered her body and damaged her systems, but she could not care less.

She could be repaired.

S/O was human, they could not.

Startlingly, she says absolutely nothing during the process, showing her true nature as a T-Doll as every threat is eradicated within seconds.

Once the enemy squad was eliminated, M4 takes a deep breath as she makes sure there's no injuries on them.

(M4A1) "You're not hurt, are you?"

Once she gets them to a safer location and away from any threats, she gives them an almost bone crushing hug before leaving again.

M4 was going to make sure absolutely nothing could even think about touching S/O once she was done.

(ST AR-15) "No you won't!"

STAR begins destroying the Sangvis T-Dolls without hesitation, carefully blowing apart each limb that was restraining S/O.

She knew what they did to captured T-Dolls, she would not dare imagine what they'd do to a captured human.

A quiet fury builds inside STAR with each confirmed kill, seeing S/O escaping behind her, putting her slightly at ease.

Getting right in front of the oncoming fire, her armor manages to deflect a couple shots as some pierced non-vital systems.

If she died, then so be it, but she was not going to let them have S/O.

After the last T-Doll's head was torn apart by a well placed shot, she breathes a sigh of relief as she turns around to S/O who was panting heavily.

(ST AR-15) "...Thank goodness."

She falls to one knee, not realizing how heavily she had been injured. STAR takes it as a sign she needs to become more powerful it they managed to grab them at all.

Something she'd never forgive herself for.

(SOPMOD) "OH, YOU'RE ALL DEAD!"

SOPMOD jumps right into the fray and begins ripping apart the enemy T-Dolls who had S/O with her bare hands.

She hears absolutely nothing besides her own scream, crushing every tin can that dared lay a hand on her S/O.

SOPMOD was the type to enjoy the thrill of battle, but right now she just wanted every single one dead at her hands, none of the usual joy in her voice.

For a few brief moments, SOPMOD was a whirlwind of destruction, not even firing her gun until seeing some of the remaining drones attempt an escape, yelling out obscenities at them as bullets flew out of her gun.

Once her scanners detected zero hostile signatures, she immediately grabbed S/O and rushed away.

(SOPMOD) "They didn't hurt you did they?! I swear I'm gonna mount their damn heads on my wall!"

If anything, she doesn't feel ashamed of herself, she feels nothing but rage.

(M16A1) "OVER MY GODDAMN DEAD BODY!"

M16 uses her case to smash a few of the Sangvis T-Doll's heads in, before unloading her weapon at any who had no time to react.

Leaping in front of S/O and pushing to the ground, her body took internal damage, but she shrugged it off and spun around, dropping every single one of their attackers with a hail of gunfire.

She quickly calms herself before her anger can overtake her processors. M16 grabs S/O and throws them out of the line of fire, slightly wincing at their grunt.

(M16A1) "Sorry, stay here for a sec!"

M16 turns her attention back to the oncoming enemies, many of which she destroyed with precision shots before hopping back into cover with S/O.

(M16A1) "This is M16, need help at my position, they tried to capture S/O!"

(ST AR-15's Voice) "Roger, on our way!"

After her request was acknowledged, she gave a wry smile to S/O.

(M16A1) "Don't worry. They'll never lay their hands on you again. I promise."

[sholiofic]

Biggles prompt - Biggles is on a case but the Soviet spy is not Erich. Biggles frets a lot (Algy gets impatient with him). Then when Erich does turn up eventually Biggles is all over him and beaming and drowning him in Biggleslove, and Erich is so confused what he's done to warrant this.

This is SO CUTE, anon. ❤️ The prompt is from several months ago, and I hope you're still around to see it!

--

"You're moping. What's the matter with you?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Biggles scoffed, stirring his untouched drink. "I am contemplating the facts of the case."

"I know the difference between you moping about in a brown study, and you deep in thought," Algy said. "There's not much to think about anyway. It's a simple enough case, all we still need to do is get Gaskin's men in here to snare the fellow who's been smuggling stolen film canisters out of the -- oh God." Algy looked at him closely. "You're upset that it wasn't von Stalhein this time, aren't you?"

"What? Absurd. Where do you come up with these things?"

"Good, because --"

"But since you brought it up, this entire job is in his line, and it seems odd they'd send someone else when he's fluent in English and knows the area well," Biggles mused, and Algy dropped his head onto the slightly sticky table. "I wonder if he's fallen out of favour entirely this time. It's only to be expected, of course. I've felt it was coming for some time."

"So have I, but I'm not losing sleep over it."

"Nor am I," Biggles retorted. "It's only a practical matter to consider what might be going on behind the Iron Curtain, inasmuch as it will affect us. One could wonder who they'll replace him with, if he's been sent to some far-off posting, or dumped in prison."

"With a firing squad attached, if we're lucky."

"We could have done much worse than face off against von Stalhein over the years," Biggles shot back. "He's an officer of the old school, as you well know; a fellow who relies on a code of honour, no matter how rusted it's become."

"So you keep saying, but I haven't seen much evidence of --"

"Oh," Biggles said suddenly, in a very different tone, sitting up straight. "There he is."

Algy might have suspected his cousin was merely trying to derail the argument, but in fact it was true. The tall, slim, slightly limping figure who had entered the dimly lit room was unmistakable, and as he swept past their supposed target, Algy saw that Biggles had an alert energy about him, the slightly crumpled look of a moment ago vanished instantly.

"That'll be the handoff," Biggles murmured, barely moving his lips. "Oh, he's good, I didn't even see his hand go to his pocket."

"Shall we call the Yard?" Algy muttered, trying to similarly keep his lips still and look interested in his pint. "I can go find a phone immediately."

"Don't be absurd, if we call out the cavalry in such a public place, it doesn't matter if they have the exits covered. He'll vanish and he'll be in the wind again."

"You needn't sound so cheerful about that," Algy said between his teeth. 

"My only objective is recovering the stolen film before it vanishes from London," Biggles said briskly. "In fact," he added, as von Stalhein's head swiveled and it was clear that he had become aware of them. "Let's go do that." Biggles rose from their table, all but bouncing to his feet, positively vibrating with energy.

"Oh, no you don't -- Biggles, why --"

But Biggles was already up and headed across the room. Algy saw von Stalhein considering whether to duck away, but before he could make a decision, Biggles had already slid up to an adjoining seat at the bar. Algy followed in the hope of keeping his best friend out of trouble, assuming that was even possible.

Biggles was bright, alert, completely on in a way that he hadn't been for the last few days, the case treated as an afterthought when it was clear that he'd rather be flying. Now, Algy watched him come to life exactly as if he had his hands on the controls of a new model of machine. He put his elbow on the bar and said casually to von Stalhein, "May I show you some proper British hospitality and buy you a drink?"

"If you must," von Stalhein said with a grimly resigned air that echoed Algy's own. 

The seat at von Stalhein's other side was open -- he'd picked a place at the bar with clear visibility on all sides -- and Algy slid into it. Von Stalhein tensed visibly as he was boxed in. Good, Algy thought; best for him to know he was surrounded by the police and one step from handcuffs.

There was a small commotion at the back. Von Stalhein's contact had attempted to slip into the alley and ran smack into Gaskin's men. Well, that was one down, anyway.

Von Stalhein's gaze flashed to the door to the alley, then back to Biggles, who had beckoned the bartender. "What'll you have?" Biggles inquired with the same calm air he might have used to take the table's orders in the Aero Club. "Brandy? Cognac?"

"You are free to recommend something," von Stalhein said. He was looking at Biggles as if he didn't know what to make of him. Algy didn't blame him.

Biggles ordered three brandies. Algy set down his half-drunk pint and accepted it. Biggles hadn't touched the other, but he raised his brandy glass to von Stalhein and took a sip.

"What do you want?" von Stalhein demanded through half-closed lips.

"Oh, did you notice that interesting little interlude at the back?" Biggles asked, as von Stalhein's gaze darted once more to the half-open door to the alley. "It seems the local police are looking for a missing item. It's not too important, and should we find it, we'll be sure and return it to them. Have you seen anything that might have been left lying about, on a table, perhaps?"

"No," von Stalhein said. He raised his glass and took a large slug.

"Maybe you should look around." Biggles leaned near to him, their shoulders brushing, while Algy watched in half-mesmerized fascination and wondered if his cousin was aware that he was like that with no one else, even people very close to him. "I wouldn't want to be the fellow caught with such an object on him, and it seems that the police are searching men leaving at both doors. Luckily, it's easy for an item to go missing in such a place as this."

"I can imagine." Von Stalhein put down his drained glass and dabbed at his mouth fastidiously with a handkerchief. "Talking to you has been ... curious, as always."

Biggles laid a hand on his arm, the touch light, but von Stalhein went very still. He looked at the fingers resting against his sleeve, then at Biggles.

"There is a private fire escape upstairs," Biggles said quietly. "It goes down the back. The door is locked, so they are not watching it."

He lifted his hand; von Stalhein looked at it briefly, and then rose in a single swift motion. Algy lunged to his feet to follow, but Biggles stopped him with a hand. "No, sit down," he said, and Algy turned back, actually furious, torn between following von Stalhein -- making a beeline for the stairs -- and possibly decking his cousin ... and saw that von Stalhein's handkerchief had been left crumpled on the indifferently cleaned bar top.

Biggles picked it up. Algy glimpsed the film canister that had been tucked into it. Biggles cracked it open with a thumbnail to make sure the film was inside, and then it all went into his pocket, canister, silk handkerchief, and all.

Von Stalhein was gone; Algy hadn't even seen him go up the staircase. Algy scowled. "What happened to arresting him?"

"I didn't come here to arrest anyone," Biggles said mildly. He set down his barely touched drink and bounced out of his seat with a sunbeam energy. "I told you, Algy, I just wanted to get the film back. Let's go return it to its rightful owners."

And if he glanced briefly up the stairs as they left, Algy reckoned he could let it go; they had got what they came for, after all.

[twopoppies]

Hi Gina!

Please don't take this as shots fired against you (because you are one of the most supportive people in the fandom) but do you happen to know people who recs WIPs?

I know WIPs are generally stigmatised things for many people (like some people hate the wait, some people fear the story they invest their time and love into might not be finished).

I want to start writing, I have big plans, and I know that I would be able to start only with a WIP fic, but before that I want to put something down on the table, and support those writers who are in a very difficult situation writing and posting their fics as WIPs, who don't get the attention their work deserves.

With a little bit of help from friends and fandom in general, probably many of those stories could actually come to fruition and see their completion.

I see many people with WIPs or even with finished fics complain about barely getting people’s interaction, if any, for their stories. And it's genuinely sad to see some very talented people even giving up creating just because they don't get the positive feedback they so badly crave (and deserve).

Fandom could change in a positive way with even tiny steps like supporting all fics, (not expecting writers to give a finished story immediately just to ignore it completely once it's posted and let it be forgotten…) and also mainly leaving comments and stuff, interacting with content creators (including artists and writers too)

Sorry about my rambling. Back to my question, do you know blogs who also recommend works in progress?

Hi, sugar. I actually have never seen anyone focus on recommending WIPs. Maybe that's something you want to tackle. I'd imagine you're not the only one who'd like it.

As for the rest of your message, yes. I've been in this fandom for 11 years, and that dynamic has always been here. Content creators have been begging for reblogs for years. New writers and/or authors with a small following have always found it difficult to get eyes on their fics. I've tried a number of ways to help (I organized a fic promo squad of hundreds of blogs that were willing to repost fics, I've made several posts about how to get traction on your fics, etc.) I know other bloggers have hosted fic fests and offered other ideas. It's extremely frustrating. Believe me, I get it.

I'm open to any suggestions. And, as always, I'm happy to reblog people's fic posts if you send them to me.

[serendertothesquad]

Seren's Studies: The Second (And Final) Odd Squad UK Trailer

Cute that FRP suddenly cares about Odd Squad when they haven't even so much as peeped about it for...what, over a year now? Two years, maybe?

Yeah. Anyway, it seems that PBS had to step up on their alt -- the franchise's social medias, you see -- and grab it from them, because it's clear they weren't gonna do it. Especially not during Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month when Alma's Way is the top dog. (You know how Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is PBS Kids's golden kid? Alma's Way is FRP's. It's like the Spongebob of the prodco, really.)

But enough stick-up-the-anus cynicism. I did one Seren's Study on the gadget competition results video, and now I'm moving on to the one for the second trailer for Odd Squad UK. Some of it repeats bits from the first trailer, but it's otherwise completely new.

Let's dive below the break!

If you look closely, the badge number says 86.

Which would be fine, if I hadn't run numbers only to realize that neither Orli nor Ozzie have a badge number of 86.

So either someone's trippin' balls or I'm the one trippin' balls and can't math correctly.

What sleep deprivation does to a motherfucker: I saw this and immediately thought of "Two Agents and a Baby" because of the equipment Ozzie was holding. So I thought, "Okay, so they're babysitting?"

It's actually from "Planes, Trains and Oddmobiles". And as I've said before, I can predict, with stunning accuracy, what shots and what scenes line up with which episode. If you've seen the synopsis for "Planes, Trains and Oddmobiles", this brief snippet speaks for itself.

(Makes me wonder...anyone wanna set up a PonyGuessr game, but for Odd Squad screencaps? Would be fun to test your knowledge! I know I'd love one.)

*in about the best Bill Nye voice I can do*

Please...consider the following.

Dino Dex crossover.

(Hey, it's not impossible. If you've been watching this franchise, you know it's not impossible.)

They didn't even try with the house thing.

Is that not the same row of houses from "Training Day"? Am I delulu? Am I tripping? Or is that the same row of houses? Different color, maybe?

...I CHECKED. IT IS THE SAME FUCKING ROW OF HOUSES. BY G O D I'M ON FIRE!!!

Ah, I see we've also got some not-so-subliminal advertising for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in here.

(See, it's funny because, IIRC, they made a jab at the UK in the trailer. So in a way, you could say they've come full circle!)

Funny how we go from the appropriate reaction one should have to having lightning shoot out of your head to "this is going to fuck up my entire life because I can't wear hats now" in...oh, I don't know...a scene or two, maybe? Five at best.

Ah, and we have our first look at Dottie Doubloon from "A Dicey Situation"! I will say, she does kind of look like a pirate attire-wise, which is what I was hoping for. Maybe she'll talk like a pirate too aaaaaaaand I just figured out the connection between her and Captain O and I need to go absorb my fat lil' body into the grass outside now thank you.

new villains

shows the Icy Mousey about to do a Hadouken

I don't think I need to explain what the direct distinction between creatures and villains are. It's like looking at a dog that bites your hand and equating him to a guy who killed his son. They both did bad things, but only one is an antagonistic animal in the more instinctual sense while the other one is a straight-up villain.

At least they show The Trifler right after...but still. It's all about sentience. Do I need to make a whole-ass sentience chart and tell- just keep rolling with it?

*sighs* Okay, fine...if I must.

I'm sorry...I honestly didn't believe this trailer would make me laugh, but then this guy comes in with a "Gadzooks!" while holding something gross and I lost it.

Behold: genderbent adult-aged Willow from The Owl House has made his way into Odd Squad UK. He's even got the hat on and everything!

new gadgets

shows the tubes

I'm just...I'm fuckin' tired, man. Is this some kind of joke? Is this a game? Because I want a Perplexus ball and not this shit, thank you.

It's like blinking Oprah...Oprah...she do the blink...in "Dance Like Nobody's Watching"...but...but 's Captain O...with a squinty squint...

Alternatively: I lol'd, until I serious'd.

I see Orwell Kubrick has some charm beneath all that "scare the kids but not too much". Good for him.

*with the tightest fucking smile any doctor has ever seen on a person*

"Is that his house? I- Is that Onom's fucking house? Take me to my best friend's house, I loved you then like I love you now? T- The iPod touch circa 2011?!"

I will say, I appreciate the analytics behind each pose here. Lots to dissect, if the Discord server is any indication.

Those five words might've just put a dent in my "ah, they'll drop 'em all on the 1st and forget about it" theory.

It could still happen -- PBS still hates the show, mind you. Netflix, Hulu, and most other streaming services do the same thing. There's a chance. You watch. You watch and see.

--------------------------------------------

Overall, a nice solid trailer. Doesn't exactly stoke any hype in me, but it did stoke my curiosity in finding out what happens. Funny enough, unlike the Season 3 trailer, there's no mention of the big bad or anything. At least there, The Shadow got a couple seconds of screentime. For the Terrible Three, though, there's nothing. Which...concerns me on a number of levels in terms of how well they're going to handle the story arc.

But either way, we've got a week to go until launch date, so I'm not expecting too much else news-wise. Still waiting for BBC to drop those teaser images, and for PBS Kids's main Twitter account to recognize the show and rep it with not-so-subtle lil' hints using past seasons. (Only one of those sounds more plausible. I don't think I need to say which one.)

Like I've said before, my first Seren's Study regarding the new series/season, when it drops, will be an episode followup on "Odd Ones In". And before you ask me if I'm going to be reuploading episodes onto my YouTube channel: clearly you haven't been there for all the times I bitched and moaned on Twitter about PBS, their distribution branch, or their security partner taking down my videos that contained snippets of episodes. It's not happenin'. Given how the series/season getting another season/more episodes is dependent on legal viewership, promoting illegal means of watching it feels wrong. If Odd Squad UK gets a continuation of some sort, maybe they can take steps towards improvement. That's what I'm hoping for, personally.

Seren out!

So, with all that being said, I will see you all sometime in early October for that first followup. Keep your eyes peeled for more news in the meantime, because we could either get a trickle or a flood.

Oh yeah, and if you wanna watch the trailer, view it below!

(Editor's note: Managed to kick open the floodgates last night before I even published this. Teaser images are already up, news articles are sharing bits of info...don't ask me how, just accept it.)

[blackboxfaxes]

Battle Report: House Kurita vs Word of Blake, Rematch

For the second campaign turn in a row, Kote Lance came under attack by the Blakists' lead Assault element - a Highlander, an Awesome, and a Crab, all heavily customized. Kote Lance was busy repairing after their last engagement with the Blakists - Raine's Marauder was already active, but Kimiko's Blitzkrieg, Casey's Black Knight, and Heather's Blackjack had to make rolls to emergency start. None of them booted up turn 1, as Raine moved her Marauder up, the other side of the field covered by the Raiden squad usually assigned to Heather.

The Tonbo at the bottom of the image is just set dressing, and the clear acrylic circles are all woods.

>[Reactor online. Weapons online. Sensors online. All systems nominal.] Heather's Blitzkrieg was, true to form, the first mech to activate, rolling a 10+ on turn 2, and she immediately set out to punish the Blakists' Crab for pushing forward, loosing a pair of Ultra AC20 shells on it, neither of which connected, but they certainly let the Blakists know she was there. Raine exploited a heavy woods, keeping her covered as she traded PPC blasts with the Blakists' custom Awesome. It also mounted a Gauss rifle, which she had only one answer for...

>Glad you ladies joined the party. Now, let's deal with our uninvited guests. That answer was the Gauss rifle mounted on Heather's Blackjack, as she leapt to the top of her repair facility, relying on the Jumping Jack ability to keep her accurate, she joined Raine in pouring fire down on the Awesome. Casey, as always, ran her Black Knight out of her mech bay on MASC, screaming the Coordinator's name, daikatana held high.

>Hey, Kimiko, how's your uppercut? With the enemy Crab having moved to the very cliff's edge, and wanting to avoid taking fire from the Awesome and Highlander, Heather saw an opportunity, and ran directly under the Crab, blocked from the other two mechs by the cliff's edge, and fired a pair of shells straight up into the Crab's forward-protruding fuselage. One shell connected, shredding the armor on the Crab's left torso and staggering it, while Heather, Casey, and Raine focused the Awesome.

>I'm gonna getcha Combined fire from those three mechs knocked the Awesome flat as it reached the cliff. The Crab retreated, and Kimiko, seeing herself threatened, pumped the breaks and streaked halfway across the field, aiming to flank around the Blakist formation. The Raiden squad, almost forgotten, saw a golden opportunity, and jumped for the Awesome.

>Alright, let's do this The Battle Armor weren't the only ones to see an opportunity. As the Awesome lurched to its feet, Casey's mech kicked its MASC in, for once not failing the roll, and reached point blank with the Awesome. The only problem with this idea was that it left her in full view of every enemy mech, and all of them focused fire on her exclusively. This put enough firepower into her to knock her flat, costing her her chance to use her hatchet, and getting the Awesome to stomp on her arm for good measure.

>Think we can handle this on our own? Kimiko's Blitzkrieg steamed and buttered the Crab with a second AC20 shot in the left torso, disabling its XL engine and leaving her open to move on the enemy Highlander. Meanwhile, Casey got up, and once again took all the fire from the Blakists, and then fell over AGAIN despite her piloting skill of 3. This time, however, the Blakist Awesome also fell. Now it was the Battle Armor's time to shine, and they jumped on their victim, going for the swarm.

>[deranged screaming that suddenly cuts off] Casey, having failed to connect with a melee attack and lost ninety percent of her armor, decided discretion was the better part of valor. The Blakist Highlander, under attack by a Blitzkrieg, contemptuously swatted it away with a gauss rifle and a PPC shot to the same torso section, taking it from untouched to disabled in two shots. The Awesome, however, tried to stand up. Perhaps struggling because of the battle armor clinging to it, it rolled a 3 when it needed a 4, fell on its arm, critted its arm, detonated the gauss rifle mounted there and electrocuted the pilot, who blacked out. The Raiden squad were of course delighted, and moved in for the kill. At this point, the Blakists conceded. While I was down to essentially one untouched and two half combat-effective mechs, he was down to one, and called it early rather than lose his Awesome. Each of us salvaged our own mechs and rescued our own pilots, leading to no lasting material changes to either side.

[patheticrafeenjoyer]

so, at this point barry's been made fully aware that rafe's going to go through with suicide by cop so that he doesn't have to go to jail.

like rafe's resigned himself that he's either escaping or dying; there's no way he's going to let the police get him. and really, he has no hope of shooting his way out of things anyway, there'll be at least a dozen cops out looking for him at any given time, one single gun is not going to do him any good.

but he knows if he has it and uses it/shows it/threatens to use it, the cops will be trained to fire because he's a threat to them. the gun is not even to "defend himself" like barry says, it's something that'll make sure he's dead instead of in police custody. [i genuinely do not think rafe would actually shoot anyone on his way out, not with the intent of doing any damage, because we've seen his reaction to killing someone for real, like the gun is only there to force the cops to shoot him]

in the 3rd pic you can sort of see the shock etched onto barry's face even though he's blurry, but rafe, who until now has has only been interested in self-preservation, has just made it explicitly clear that he will kill himself/get himself killed if the cops come.

but barry knows the cops are coming (he tipped them off himself), so this situation that was him turning rafe in to custody (where he'd serve his time alive) has morphed into a horror show that is absolutely going to result with rafe dying.

barry even clocks that he has the gun and realizes that's going to pose an issue to him just being taken into custody (because, and i'm sure i do not need to say this, but him having a weapon means the cops will kill him). he's lured rafe out into the marsh, the cops are coming, rafe has a gun and he plans to die if the cops show up; barry pretty much just walked rafe out to the firing squad.

so, the second barry jumps out of the boat, he calls to the cops that rafe has a gun. because the gun is stowed away in the bag and rafe is caught off guard, he has no way of reaching for it; the cops are already there, he's already pinned. as well, by saying this, barry makes the cops aware that rafe has a gun, so they'll be poised to shoot if he makes any move toward it. he's banking on the fact that rafe's self-preservation will kick in and he won't go for the gun because it'll mean certain death. also, by letting the cops know, perhaps it would mean that they don't shoot him lethally (but lets be real when have the cops ever fired a non-lethal shot) because it won't be a surprise, so they can shoot to disarm and subdue rather than to kill.

and yes, rafe goes for the gun anyway, but shoupe knows about it so he doesn't have to kill rafe. and we know that shoupe really takes no pleasure in being shit to kids, so he's absolutely not going to want to have one shot on his watch, even if he thinks rafe killed peterkin.

basically, by immediately making the cops aware of the gun, barry pretty much saves rafe's life. yes, he turned rafe in, but barry doesn't want him to die.

[soundprooft-visualz]

Humans are Space Orcs: Leopard Squad

The night was as quiet as it was still in the Great Dismal Swamp. The chirping of various hundreds of bugs brought the insectoid xenolife some semblance of comfort, being reminded of the sound of their sleeping young and mates back on their home planets. As a hive mind, the individual didn't have such feelings, but the Matriarch felt the yearn for her people to be reunited again. She had grown tired of the conquest of this overtrodden ball of dirt. Hundreds, no thousands of battalions had fallen in the conquest, and hundreds more to disease and wildlife. The company of dozens of bugs let out a collective simultaneous buzz, their equivalent of a wistful sigh, silencing the rest of the wildlife around them. The silence persisted longer than they expected it to. Seconds turned to minutes, and the minutes dragged as the forest around them went dead quiet. The prey instinct kicked in and the bugs went onto high alert, drawing their weapons and looking for the predator that was lurking in the shadows.

Belyan held a finger to his lips, active camouflage making them nearly invisible as they loaded the battery into the side of a plasma rifle, the barrel glowing white hot seconds later as their helmet picked up movement signatures ahead. They pointed behind themselves without a word and then ahead of them. Eight humans crept through the forest in the dead of night, like shadows over the roots beneath the darkness of the new moon. Leopard Squad was on the hunt, and each one of them knew just what was on the line. This company was looking for an old survival bunker the Collective had just heard of themselves. It could've had food, weapons, survivors, hell, maybe even clean water. It was enough for Earth's last special forces unit to come out of hiding to secure it.

Quanta's visor zoomed out when she saw Belyan's finger pointed at her. That was the signal, it was go time. A few dozen feet to the side and several hundred feet back, she stood up, the reactor of her power armor letting out a high pitched whine before it melted away to a low drone. The bugs immediately tuned into the noise as the panels of her armor shifted into place. She let out a low chuckle and raised her arm, pressing a button on the elbow and hoping her squadmates had her earplugs in.

An old MP3 file of Ezekiel's Horn blared from the speakers of her armor, the sound of the end of the world blasting so loud it kicked the dirt around her up into a dust cloud as she picked up her weapons, lightning arcing through the dust as the barrels spun up.

"That's right, you big ugly bastards, all eyes on me." Quanta cracked a crooked smiled beneath the tungsten helmet, watching the individual vitals ratings of their enemies spike simultaneously. Interesting... they're synced up. She'd have to think about that. Modular, syncronic design could increase the efficiency of her armor.

"Q, you could at least act like you feel bad. We're supposed to be professionals." Even as Belyan's voice crackled in her ear, she could hear them trying not to smile as they loaded a magazine into their plasma sniper rifle.

"Just because I have a sense of humor doesn't mean I'm not good at my job." Three shots bounced off her armor, the impenetrable wall not even flinching as she continued walking forward, thunder cracking every time she fired her weapon into the horde ahead. One got too close and almost slipped past the sensor. As she wound her hand back for a punch it fell over, bursting into flames from a plasma round in the back of the head. She heard Belyan breathe in from the lungs emptied to steady their hand as she shook her head.

"I just had the most fucked up thought."

"What's that?" Quanta loosed a salvo of rockets, stripping a passing dropship out of the sky in a burst of purple fire as the compressed potassium burned everything carbon-based inside.

"We are definitely getting discharged if we win."

"Oh, no fucking doubt. No chance I'm passing a psyche eval after this one."

(( i still have fuckin covid this is all i got

[agentsquirrelsgotrobots]

The Stars, The Moon, The Sun, and an Incoming Constellation

A DP x DC x Tfrb fic - also posted on my Ao3 Agentsquirrel

After marrying Danny and getting engaged to Tucker, Sam packs up the trio and heads to Griffin Rock, a place that is rumored to be just as chaotic as Amity Park.

Of course, the Fenton luck follows them, and the three of them find out their family will soon become bigger than they thought.

"Shots fired at the dock! Dad, be careful!" Cody said, his voice shaking with worry.

"I promise, all protocol will be followed to the letter." Chase said, speeding towards the dock, Blades flying overhead.

They parked, and immediately, Charlie knew they were in over their head. A white goth woman no older than Dani was pinned behind a cement parking barrier, her forehead grazed and her forearm shot right through the skin, missing bone but severing muscle. She was oddly calm though, her body language free of shock as she kept pressure on her wound and watched the battle with rapt concentration.

"Danny, love, quit being cocky and wrap this up. The police are here, and Tuck's gotta scram." She said into her flip phone, the thing absolutely ancient compared to the cell phone, this year's model, shoved in her steel toed boot.

"Chase, I can't see anything! Whatever is opening fire is just a green blur!" Blades was bordering on a full on panic, Dani fully in control.

"It looks like a fight between a gang trying to set up shop and whatever that green blur is. Stay back dad, looks like it can fly fast." Dani said, retreating from the fight after scanning for civilians. The situation seemed to be resolving itself without them.

"Miss, do you require medical attention?" Charlie yelled over the sounds of gunfire.

"I'm fine, my partner needs to HURRY THE FUCK UP!"

With one last final blast, a white, blue eyed, black haired boy ran from the scene and behind Chase, his sneakers soaked in blood and a green substance Charlie hoped was paint.

"I got trapped between that… thing and the shootout. I don't know what I stepped in, but I think it's all blood." He said, panting hard, his face and arms cut up from debris. "My name is Danny Mason. That's my wife Sam. I'm a medic, got a first aid kit on you?" Charlie handed it over, and on a whispered count of three, he dashed over to his wife, quickly applying a tourniquet and dragging her towards the squad car. "Tuck's fine, is at the hotel. After we give a statement, I am taking you to the hospital."

"Wait." Graham said over comms Daniel and Sam Mason-Foley, with their fiance Tucker? Like, Mason industries, and Foley computer systems? Dad, half the island buys their tech, its the most repairable, environmentally sustainable, and secure software and computer companies on the market, and a flagship brand against planned obsolescence. Please, play nice. This could legitimately be huge for the island."

"Noted. Kade, you too."

Kade sighed. "Got it. Be nice to the Luskey Jrs."

"Do you need a ride? I can follow up on a statement later. I can have you flown to the mainland for a checkup or let you call for a ride."

"It's not-" Sam started, wincing as Danny cleaned her head wound.

"We will take that flight. I don't like the look of her head wound, and I am no good at stitches."

"First, call Tucker, so he can rub it in our faces." Sam said, hissing as Dani caught up to them and started redressing her wounds, Chase and Charlie clearing the area, Charlie trying not to vomit at the sight of the finely pureed gangster decorating multiple shipping containers and an overturned forklift.

"Well, this is… unpleasant." Chase said, wrinkling his nose at the smell.

In the background, Blades flew towards the mainland, very glad he wasn't on clean-up duty.

"Hey, there's my moon and stars!" Tucker said, dropping his duffel bag on a spare chair before resting a hand on Danny's shoulder and kissing Sam's cheek.

"Only if you are the sun." Sam said, a little loopy from the pain medication, the hospital keeping her under observation for a few more hours.

The nurse came in, oddly nervous, holding a box. "So, I have some news. Sirs, could I ask Mrs. Mason a question in private? Hospital policy, it will only take a minute."

"Oh." Danny said, suddenly concerned. "Sure. Be back soon, Sam. Love you."

"Love you too." Sam replied as Tucker and Danny awkwardly shuffled out of the hospital room.

The nurse watched them leave, then took a deep breath. "It's hospital policy to for this to be private. There's a few questions I have to ask first, but…" She opened the box. Inside, there was a positive pregnancy test, in a sanitary box, and some paperwork.

Sam looked shocked, covering her mouth and choking back a squeal. "I'm pregnant." She whispered. "I thought that. Could you bring my partners in?"

"Of course, but I have to ask a couple of questions before it, standard stuff."

"Oh. OK."

"First I have to give you this." The nurse gave Sam a couple of business cards with referrals to maternity resources, domestic violence hotlines, and reproductive care information. "Nothing personal, we give them to all patients with positive tests. In the same vein, have you experienced any threats of violence, acts of violence, coercion, or felt that your right to consent has been violated by chosen partners, friends, ex partners, or family members?"

"No."

"Would you like or have the need for confidential referrals to counseling on your pregnancy, either by our support counselors or religious clergy?"

"No."

"Would you like to keep the test?"

Sam smiled. "Yes. Could you bring my partners in?"

The nurse nodded, and closed up the box with the test inside. "In the box is the same forms and resources in writing, and some other paperwork. Congratulations."

"Thank you." Sam said, wiping away a few tears.

Tucker and Danny rushed back into the room, their voices overlapping with worry.

"Guys, enough. Open the box." Sam said, offering it to Danny.

Danny ripped it open, throwing the top aside. He dropped it in shock. "I'm…I'm…"

Tucker gasped, a huge grin on his face. "We are gonna be dads!" He yelled, rushing to hug Sam while shaking with excitement.

"I didn't know I could…" Danny said, obviously in shock.

"Danny, DANNY!" Sam yelled, snapping him out of his trance. "I demand attention for my sacrifice."

"Oh!" Danny squeaked, jumping into action. He gave Sam a peck on the cheek before grabbing her hand and flopping into one of the chairs. "We gotta call Jazzy."

"No, duh, but first, I want you two." Sam grumped, returning Danny's kiss. "I already have names for 'em." She said, resting her head on Danny's shoulder while Tucker was already looking up all the latest baby gear and thinking up his own.

"If it's Danny's bio kid, then it's gonna be Cassiopeia or Orion. If it's Tucker's bio kid, it's either Sadie or Orion. My selections are final and not up for debate."

"Yes, ma'am." Danny and Tucker intoned, only half joking. Sam's word was law, after all.

Danny counted backward in his head and gasped. "Uh, Sam. Who's gonna tell your parents that this one's probably mine?"

"Not it!" Danny and Tucker yelled, Sam catching on too late.

"Fuck." Sam hissed.

Danny chuckled. "Apparently, we are quite good at that." He earned a tug on the ear for that comment. "Ow. I deserved that."

Tucker did the math too. "Yep. First one is likely gonna be… no, wait, Danny failed math, we have got a fifty-fifty shot here."

"Meh. Doesn't mean much to me. I am bad at doing hair anyway." Sam said, only half joking.

[practically-an-x-man]

next and before the beginning? :)

Thank you!!! We'll go with an upcoming Eris fic for this one, set way back when he and Rick have only known each other for a few months

NEXT — the next line. meaning i will finish the sentence I’m on and write a new one, which you’ll get.

Actually ended up writing a bit more than just one new line, here you go! New lines are bolded!

“I’m still leaving.” she huffed, pushing off on her good hand until she was at the very edge of the bed, “I don’t take charity.” Eris was not afraid of pain. He’d been through far too much of it in his life- and when it all would heal in the end, why should he bother to let pain stop him? She’d forced herself through worse than this.  But they looked at the ruined mess of their legs, and they looked at the wooden floor below them, and an unpleasant anticipatory nausea twisted through his gut. She bit her tongue until she tasted blood. She wouldn’t be felled by pain. Not in front of Flag. Not in front of anybody.

BEFORE THE BEGINNING — three sentences (or more) about something that happened before the plot of my current project

Ooooh alright!! Definitely more than three sentences, but I'm honestly loving this

"Hey-" Flag grabbed his arm in a tight grip before he could keep moving, and Eris instinctively bared his teeth. The soldier didn't flinch. There was something intense about his expression, like an animal backed into a corner. "I need you to get the civilians out of here." "Since when is that my business?" Eris hissed, with a warning fire behind their eyes. Flag only tightened his grip on their arm, matching her intensity instead of backing away. "People are going to die." he snarled, and gestured at the husk of a building behind them, "IED. Bomb squad won't get here in time. I know you don't give one flying fuck about death, but these people aren't fighting. That's gotta mean something to you. If we don't get them out of here now, this whole fuckin' town's getting wiped off the map." He'd never seen Flag this serious- or this angry. In the few months Eris had known him, he always seemed to enter his work with a sort of calm competence. He kept his head. He didn't get rattled. "Let go of me." Rick released his hold on them immediately, though his eyes had bloomed with a sort of helplessness. He expected Eris to refuse, they could see it written across his face. He expected the same heartless monster as everybody else. Eris just shot him a pointed grin. "I'll do you one better, Flag."