#THEY'RE SO COOL. more horror in fic and art pretty pretty please

[butchfalin]

tma x p5 aus are so fun because ive seen so many variations that are all vastly different yet they're all so true

[a-cat-in-toffee]

ramble abt your abraxas au? it looks so cool!!!!!!!

I'm gonna take this as an opportunity to talk abt helming in this au because i have put an absurd amount of thought into something that could easily just be breezed over

this is gonna be long so

quick warning for taking abt helming and stuff !!! so i guess mild body horror discussion? i dont think theres anything specifically in this that is. like bad? but if that sort of thing makes you uncomfortable thats mainly what this is abt!!!

(side note if this makes no fucking sense please feel free to execute me in the street xoxxo (side note side note there are a lot of different elements from different aus and fics that i've consumed so if you recognize anything thats probably why))

i went a little bit into it on @the-starship-abraxas (please go check out my blog for this au and send asks spspspsps cmon guys) already

SOLLUX: oh, that2 my port2. ii can plug iinto the 2hiip. SOLLUX: they're mo2tly along my 2piine. SOLLUX: equiiu2 iin2talled them whiile we were 2tiil on world, and he upkeep2 them. SOLLUX: human-troll technology make2 tradiitiional helmiing and piilotiing faiirly ob2olete, 2o a lot of 2hiip2 have helm2 whiich the helm2man can detatch from. SOLLUX: ii plug iin and 2ort of become one wiith the 2hiip. SOLLUX: iit2 really fuckiing cool.

so, the ports!

as stated before, a helmsman's ports are primarily along their spine because the biowires connect to their spinal cord and basically hijack the signals from their brains. Biowires work the same as any other wall plug or cord except they're alive and have nerves and interpret brain signals and plug into a person's body. Fun times!

the way "traditional helming" would work is goldblood psionics would be assigned ability levels depending on how strong their psionics were and depending on that they would be assigned to ships. the stronger the psionic the larger the ship, since traditionally they would just. straight up throw it with their mind.

after the colonization of earth and the introduction of actual technology into alternia's biotech, what the pilot could actually do in a ship expanded a lot. Since the psionic could become aware of the ship from not only a physical sense but a significantly more mechanical sense, pilots were given the responsibility of both moving the ship as well as being aware of damage, communications, and other such things.

most psionic ports and helms have psionic stoppers which cap off the amount of energy that the psionic can sort of put out into the ship (The abraxas does not have these because Sollux has the equivalent of several programs running in the background at all times and they would short out every time.) so as to not pop helmsman like a mustard packet.

when is comes to the actual helmscolumn I don't have any art but I do have a blurb from my abraxas drabbles (I swear I'm going to start the actual fic someday)

The helmsblock was a decently large room, with various technology and computers built into the walls. The centerpiece though was, of course, the helmscolumn. Pilot technology had come a long way from just strapping up psionics to ships and having them hurl themselves across space, and nothing showed that change quite like what the pilots were strung up into. At the roof and floor were two circular fuschia platforms, mirroring each other and curving inwards. In some places surrounding the platforms similarly colored bio wires hung, tucked away, unused, and, if you looked close enough, almost writhing against each other. In front of the column you could see two small control panels, intended for the pilot to be able to use as they flew.

the column itself/some of the design details may change as time eternally marches on but for the most part the helmscolumn is meant to be technologically up to date and safe, yes, but it's also meant to be incredibly showy. While piloting has come pretty far, helmsman are still often shown off or seen as ship accessories.

even though its not like. a rights violation to have a poorly taken care of pilot. its still generally frowned upon. just cause things are better doesnt mean they're good!

(also while it is common practice for pilots to be able to disengage from the helm it's not uncommon for ships to have fullhelms.)

I hope this ramble was to your liking !! i have. just so much shit for this universe.

[raid3r-r4bbit]

@fuzzydreamin thanks for the lol. ive been a little busy with life so sorry for the late response.

Favorite Color:

Green. Like Blindingly Neon almost yellow bile/acid toxic hazmat pukey green. Also black. I'm also a fan of earthy tones, warm greys and browns, rusty orangey reds, and i also unironically love that "some smoker lived here for 5+ years but i swear the walls are white" sepia color.

Last song:

Either Childish Flamingo or 1x1. I've been hopping in between really screamy and just goofy shit atm because i cant focus with anything else. 🤷 But (I also jsut got a new BMTH hoodie) BMTH's post human album has been feeding me. It's a really good (visual? no.) example of that like just angry and over it nihilist feeling and I just *MUNCH CRUNCH AAAA* like i feel like it could be just the tiniest bit angrier and louder but i think that's my headphones.

as for childish flamingo, its like that miseryxcpr thing imo. It's goofy and funny and it slaps. and it's so catchy. it's like right on the edge of aha funny and fuck you street and i love it. i hope any of that makes sense im sorry lol.

Last movie:

the Demon Slayer movie. I skipped all the way to the end to see the fight between Akaza and Rengoku because they're two of my favs ( in order from that show: Uzui (my mom calls yuzu (my cat) Uzui and its adorable) Akaza and Rengoku. I Found out the english dub is out (im way behind) and just needed to hear their english voice acting. all of it is amazing and Akaza's lil gigles during the fight make me incredibly happy. Guys who laugh/giggle mid combat? Ugh >\\x//<

Currently Watching:

Demon Slayer, Chainsaw man, Tokyo ghoul (im rewatching a bunch of animes) Steven universe. (i love all of these and full recommend them. I literally just yesterday(or the day before idk time is a blur) got a new funko pop, it's the half-kakuja kaneki and i love it.)

Other stuff i've watched this year:

Spy x Family, the Junji ito Collection, Yamishibai (if you like picture style art and horror this is great, its somewhat junji ito like, but shorter stories and ngl the zanbai ep scared me a bit) psychpass (some reccomended this to me cause im (obviously) a fan of darker more gruesome shows, and it is very dystopian, love the art work, but i just dont get it.) Given (if you havent watched this show please watch it its amazing) Yuri on ice, Banana Fish (also another fave)

(I work from home, and pretty much exist at my computer, and need to keep on music or tv to keep the bad thoughts out, so i have a lot of time and opportunity to watch stuff ok)

Shows I dropped this week:

Psycho pass. again, i just couldnt get into it. I know a lot of people seem to really like and it full seems like a show that would be up my alley. that first ep was kind of a lot though. I'm not ashamed to admit i love shows that are unafraid to show nudity and violence but the two together (ifykyk) make me uncomfortable. If this case had been a little further in the show i think it would have been fine, but it's litterally the first like ten minutes of the show. I also tried watching this a few week ago while at wasteland but we were pretty much just out the door.

Devil May Cry. I still love the games and the characters, and i remember loving the anime as a kid but its just... so different from the games lmao.

Currently Reading:

random internet stuff, fics and shit. I feel bad because i used to go to the library all the time but at the same time, i dont really have the room to store a whole bunch of books and despite being super dyslexic, i read insanely fast, so renting/buying books isnt worth it to me. (i've read entire full length series in the span of a day or two, while doing other stuff. I need longer, more conveniently packaged novels and that typically comes in the form of fanfiction. )

tagging: @snowmutant @ivanpahdrylakeracer @glaochormfitheach(idk if ur cool tagging you in this kinda stuff, if not just lmk i though it'd be fun :D) @the-soup-witch(im dragging you into tumblr culture whether you like it or not, welcome to tagging games)

[anondudeao3]

Fic Recs!

Since I'm on hiatus, I've finally had time to do some reading, and I thought I'd give some fic recommendations, since I won't be posting for quite a while. These are my absolute favourites!

(I'm splitting this into two posts — one for JayDick and one for JayTim — because now that I'm finished with the first half it's quite long)

JayDick

A Love Triangle With The Same Person

By: Chrystie, kate882

Word Count: 10,031

Summary: Dick might have a bit of a thing for Jason, one of Red Hood's criminal underlings. But he's also already a little in love with Red Hood.

→ Identity porn! Who doesn't love identity porn? Very cute and sweet.

Everything I Know

By: epistemology

Word Count: 12,360

Summary: Red Hood is a little bit in love with his partner, Nightwing, who has a huge crush on Jason Todd, the hot bookstore owner, who is actually the Red Hood, who is too busy being in love to notice Dick Grayson, who's actually Nightwing.

Jason and Dick fall in love with the wrong versions of each other, and things become complicated fast.

→ More identity porn, but this one is a lot more sort of missed connections, plus it has bookshop owner Jay who was never taken in by Bruce! It really has you begging SOMETHING to happen to somehow make them see that THEY ARE EACH OTHER, THEY ARE THE ONES THEY LIKE. AHHHH IT'S THE SAME PERSON. And when it finally does happen, it's so sweet and satisfying. (I recommend checking out their other fics too! Lots of sweetness.)

Lie To Me, Darling

By: Chrystie, kate882

Word Count: 19,214

Summary: Officer Dick Grayson is undercover in the infamous Red Hood's gang trying to track down the man behind the helmet. With his former partner killed for being found out, there's a new guy in the gang to take his place. Jason doesn't seem like the average new gang recruit, and Dick may be getting more than he bargained for trying to get close to him.

→ Okay, ngl I JUST now noticed that this one is by the same people as the first one, and I specifically didn't want to put multiple fics by the same people (just say I recommend checking out their other stuff, but not rec separately), but it's too late now and I don't have a 7th JayDick fic to recc that isn't also an author repeat, and I don't want it to be uneven.

But ANYWAY. This one will fuck you up, I can't lie. Unhappy ending, but if you can brave that, ohhh it's so good. It's so damn sweet whilst the good times last, even though you know it's only temporary and it's all going to go to hell at some point... man. It hurts. But it hurts so good. It's beautiful, and I personally think it's worth the pain.

Two Birds on a Wire

By: empires, pentapus

Word Count: 20,565

Summary: Dick asks Jason for help on a case. Jason should have never agreed.

→ It's probably laughable that I'm reccing this, since pentapus is one of the authors and their art is like huge in the JayDick fandom, and the fic has more than 22.5k views, which seems to be quite a lot as far as JayDick fics go. But in the event that you haven't read it yet... This is actually the very first JayDick fic I EVER read, it introduced me to the ship, and I just reread it and it's still just as amazing, what a winner to start out with!

The dynamic between Jay and Dick, the way Dick gets so into his undercover role, Jay's emotional turmoil, the action — it's all just absolute chef's kiss! It's so hard to write action well, and these two made this fic so engaging!

All Soulmates Final, No Refunds

By: empires, salvadore

Word Count: 38,900

Summary: Mystic Waters Grande Hotel sells itself as a luxury soulmate retreat with all manner of couple’s activities. The cost is high, and all is not as it appears on the hotel’s grounds. Dick and Jason go undercover as newlywed soulmates to find out what’s behind the rash of missing persons. And dig up old feelings in the process.

→ (Since empires was collaborating with two different people of the different fics, I don't count that as a repeat).

Well firstly, this is a rare Batman!Dick JayDick! And secondly, yes, one of the ubiquitous soulmate AUs. But with some very interesting twists! Also, like TBOAW above, the action in this is amazing, and absolutely had me on the edge of my seat. Similarly, their undercover personas were lots of fun, and it was very fun to see them push each other further and further with them.

Secrets of the Sea

By: ParzivalHallows

Word Count: 42,711

Summary: Being a merperson was dangerous enough, but being a merperson captured by pirates? That's got to be one of the worst fates for a merman. Merman Dick Grayson is captured by a slave ship, where he meets Jason Todd, who's a slave on that ship. Together, the two plan an escape. However, they need to put aside their odds first, which is very difficult for the two stubborn men.

→ I have to give you fair warning first, this one is incomplete and hasn't been updated since 2017, so I don't think it's ever going to be finished (but it can't hurt to leave a nice comment!) BUT WAIT, DON'T SCROLL YET, hear me out. It's really good, okay. You do need to mind the warning tags because there is major character death (not Jay or Dick though, and since it's not complete I'm kind of choosing to believe that they're not really dead and later in the story it actually turns out that they managed to survive).

There are a lot of grim things in this story, it's really about survival, but the worldbuilding is fucking phenomenal, and the author drew me right in. The descriptions and the action and emotion, the unexpected magic that they have to figure out? It's all so cool and well done.

Steady On Forward

By: JayseHasNoGrace

Word Count: 96,287

Summary: Dick Grayson's life has never been easy, but he'd like to think it's been going better lately. He's been operating mainly out of Gotham again for almost a year, and has been in a steady relationship for just over. He knows where he stands with crime-fighting, and the family is all on pretty good terms, considering.

Things are really going pretty well.

Unfortunately, the balance doesn't last long, and old horrors from Dick's past end up dredged up alongside new ones.

This is a story about love and family, but equally so about trauma and healing from it. Please heed the warnings in the preface.

→ Alright, the final JayDick rec, the longest, and the darkest. But wait, again, don't scroll! It's also by far the most hopeful AND FLUFFY. Now, the author is NOT fucking around about heeding those warnings, there's a shitload of them and it's really heavy, hard shit. Do not get me wrong, this fic is going to HURT you. But by the end, it's going to have felt so cathartic, and you're going so feel soft and hopeful and whole. I don't know how they did it, but it's SUCH an emotional rollercoaster. Another commenter on AO3 (mach5plus1) said it better than I could:

I gave this fic my whole heart, it took it, smiled and said “awwww, I’ll take care of it!“

Then started putting pressure on it and I told it “ouch, that hurts”

The fic kept smiling and put more pressure until a piece broke off (last chapter)

and then another (this chapter)

The fic keeps doing it until my heart is shattered into pieces and it’s standing over each shard with a frown saying “oops” (the upcoming chapters)

Then, after finding each piece again and picking them up, the fic will slowly push each piece back into place.

By the end it’ll give my heart back a little different, but somehow better than it was when I gave it away.

It will crush your heart, but it will lovingly patch it back together by the end, I promise. If you can read it without getting triggered, I thought everything was well handled, and it's so worth it. (I recommend checking out their other JayDick fic too, they only have one, but it's a fluffy romcom, so if you need a break after this one, that's there!)

[its-all-ineffable]

Ranking the DCEU movies, from least favourite/re-watchable, to favourite/most re-watchable

*Okay, so I saw a ScreenRant article that ranked the DCEU movies based on how re-watchable they are and I disagreed, so here's my list! Also, I included favourite, because if I re-watch something loads, it means I love it, that's how I work.

WARNING: This will be a LONG POST!

Also, these are just MY opinions, so feel free to disagree or agree with them as you wish, and please, feel free to talk to me and tell me about your views on these films! But don't start a fight with me or anyone else in the notes. There's no need.

The films will be ranked in the following order - least favourite/re-watchable is number 12. Favourite/most re-watchable is number 1. We will start with number 12. Okay, let's go!😊

(Only 10 images allowed, so sorry, had to cut two)

12. Aquaman

What can I say...I just, I really am not a fan of this film. Like, the colours were pretty, Jason Momoa is an amazing actor, & the creatures were all very cool, but it wasn't interesting to me. Arthur is possibly one of my least favourite DCEU characters, so already I was struggling. The plot felt unnecessarily complicated & convoluted to me, & I didn't feel invested in any of the characters or the story. That being said, it had some gorgeous cinematography & Jason Momoa is a great actor, despite me not liking his character. It's a decent film, & I'll re-watch it, but it is my least favourite DCEU film, I'm afraid.

11. Wonder Woman

*(No photo because of the limit, & WW84 will have a photo)

I liked this movie, I did! Aquaman's the only one I don't really like. That being said, I was slightly bored during it. All the stuff surrounding Diana's childhood & training was wonderful, & her seeing 1918 London for the first time was brilliant! But the full plot took a while to get going, & while I do like Steve and Diana, I felt their love story was a little forced. Don't get me wrong, they're cute & I like them together, but the film couldn't develop their relationship fully & do all the plot stuff it wanted. However, over-all, a fun film, but not one of my faves.

10. Justice League (2017)

So...yep. I liked this film, the first time I watched it, & I still do in some ways - some of the humour does make me laugh, & it has some good team bonding in it that got me started on the found family fics for the League. However, having now watched the Snyder Cut, this really is an inferior film. And learning about how abysmally Gal Gadot & Ray Fisher were treated during the re-shoots for it, as well as how they cut all the other characters of colour, really pushes this down the list. A better film than most people say, imo, but also one of the weakest entries into the DCEU. (Also, cutting Lois' grieving arc & all supporting characters of colour was really shitty.)

9. Wonder Woman 1984

This is the movie I most recently watched! I was worried, going into it, because I'd heard a lot of bad reviews about it, & about it's messages, but I actually really enjoyed it! It was a lot of fun, & I really vibed with Steve and Diana's relationship a lot more too! Barbara was awesome, though I think her development wasn't the best, & we were robbed of a brilliant friendship between her & Diana. The villain felt kinda cartoon-ish as well, & saving the day with, essentially, 'the power of love' was very twee, but it was a still an enjoyable movie! Not sure I get all the hate surrounding it, but I may be over-looking something. Still, a solid movie.

8. Suicide Squad (2016)

Here comes the hate, but... I actually LIKE this movie. I know, shock-horror! It was the first DC movie I ever saw, & the only one I liked for several years, before I got into the DCEU. But it was an enjoyable, funny & well-shot romp, & while it uses a lot of superhero movie clichés, it's still a good movie imo! It's not high art, nor is it my favourite DCEU movie, but I really like most of the characters, the action was well-done (especially for Harley) & I found the plot easy to understand. Plus, hate on the movie all you like, but you have to admit that the soundtrack is awesome!

7. Birds Of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

So, this movie - I really like it! I've seen it a good few times, & you know what, all the characters are amazing! It's hard to pick a favourite out of them. The costumes, the fight choreography, the characterisation, the plot & the soundtrack all make this movie super enjoyable & so much fun to watch! However, the pacing feels disjointed & odd in places, & while I love it, & all the Harley content, it will stay in the middle of the list. Still, a brilliant film, & one of the ones I enjoy the most because of how absurdly entertaining it is!

6. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Two of my favourite DCEU characters in one film?! Yes please! Honestly, I don't get the hate for this. It's not high art, it's not meant to be, it's meant to be an enjoyable superhero flick, & that's what it is imo! I'll say right now that I adore both Henry Cavill's Superman & Ben Affleck's Batman, & I feel like this film showcases them so well. It's in the middle of the list though, because, as much as I love the plot (it's super interesting to me, the way people see superheroes & it's accurate to what would likely happen if we did have a Superman in reality), & the characters, I don't want my favourites to fight! I want them to be friends! Still, a wonderful film, full of wonderful moments for all the characters! (More on this film later...😉)

5. Shazam!

I mean, what a great film! Honestly, I can't think of something I didn't like! It was funny, heart-warming & so well made. The way the movie managed to give us the story of a kid desperately searching for his family (& realising that it wasn't his biological mum, but this wonderful rag-tag foster family) & the story of a superhero discovering his powers was phenomenal, & even when there were cliché elements, the film poked fun at itself & had fun with the concepts. The child actors were so damn good, ALL of them, & all the little references to the other DCEU movies made Shazam feel like it was it's own film while being part of a larger universe. Perfect movie & one of my favourites!

4. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Ultimate Edition)

*(No photo because of the limit, & Batman v Superman has a photo)

"But it's the same film. you can't-" 30 mins of extra footage makes it very different, & this is MY LIST, so yes, I can put it on here again. I am in love with Amy Adams' Lois Lane, so any extra Lois content (which there is) is an absolute win! Also, you'd be surprised how much difference 30 mins of extra footage can make to a movie. I loved the original cut, but this one is the superior film, & I just love it. Again, I don't want my faves to fight, but this movie is so good that I will deal with that! I also think that Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor works - he creeps me the fuck out & is scarily intelligent as well as crazy. I don't care, this film is on here again, & it deserves to be!

3. The Suicide Squad

This film is spectacular. It really is. I have been to see it in the cinema 3 times since it came out & I still adore it! I have so many feelings about all the different elements of this movie that I could make a post specifically for it! Just...this is what we all wanted. It is a crazy, funny, emotional, clever, batshit insane movie, full of the weirdest characters ever, with a brilliant soundtrack & a wacky plot, & that makes it one of my favourite DCEU movies! I feel attached to the majority of the characters, even Blood Sport, who apparently shot my baby Clark!(Will not forgive him for it, but am attached to him in a weird love-hate way). Just, simply, a brilliant, brilliant film.

2. Man of Steel

I have said it before, but will continue to do so - I LOVE HENRY CAVILL'S SUPERMAN!😍 Literally, words can't describe how much I love him! I love this film for so many reasons & if number 1 didn't exist, this would definitely take the top spot. Lois is so cool (and beautiful), Martha Kent is a legend, the villain is a frightening & powerful threat, & Clark Kent/Kal-El is a beautiful, compassionate & interesting character. Henry Cavill does so well portraying the many emotions Clark has to deal with, & the other actors are also brilliant in their roles, particularly Diane Lane as Martha Kent & Amy Adams as Lois Lane. I could watch this film on repeat & never get bored.

1. Zack Snyder's Justice League

We have reached number 1!🤗 This freakin' movie, omg...there is so much I could say, so much I want to say, & I do not have the will to type it. I have watched this movie SO MANY TIMES since I discovered it, & I cannot stop watching it. I don't want too. The character development for one, like, WOAH! There is so much that is cut in the 2017 version, & character development, specifically Victor's, suffers for it. All of the characters are better developed in this version, & the relationships better formed, but Victor really does shine, which he deserves! The cinematography is so much better, & the plot...the plot make sense! All the characters of colour who were cut are put back, the weird Flash landing on Wonder Woman's boobs scene is gone, Lois & Martha are allowed to have their grief be shown & all the characters come out of it so much better. Hell, I actually liked Arthur in this film, because he's allowed a personality! It's shameful what the studio did to this movie, and Zack Snyder, and I am so happy that this film exists. It is my overall favourite DCEU movie, the one I have re-watched the most, and imo, the best DCEU movie at present.

That was my list!😊 I hope you enjoyed it, and please feel free to share your own opinions in the notes, or via asks or DMs, because I'd love to talk about the DCEU with more people! If you disagree, that's cool, we all have opinions. Feel free to tell me why you disagree, and say which films you'd put where! But please, be kind and respectful, and do not insult anyone because their opinions are different to yours. That's it! x

[nitewrighter]

Could we some scenes/scenarios of the kids going berserk/looking like a general badass? Like as a last resort or when their Sos/team falls? :3 (I almost keep forgetting that they're like supposed to be these cool superheroes and not just these adorable marshmallow fawning over SOs and friends. Good job Nite!)

Ha! Well I do have some fics of the kids where I think they’re pretty badass. Marti in her fight against Reaper and Rei in Dragonback Pt. 4 I think are pretty intense. 

---

“Stay awake,” Samir’s voice was low as he supported Jaime with one arm, “Look at me.”

Jaime wheezed as Samir formed a hard-light derma-clip over his wound to slow the bleeding.

“They’re coming,” Jaime’s voice was half a grunt, “You have to go, they’re coming.”

“I know,” said Samir. The thunder of talon soldier boots was heavy down the hall behind him, “Don’t worry about it. Worry about staying awake.”

“You have to go,” Jaime said again, tears brimming in those big brown eyes.

“It’s okay,” said Samir.

“It’s not! I won’t let you die for me! You have to--” Jaime cut himself off as the first black and red-armored soldier reared around the corner. “Samir--” he started.

Samir lifted his arm with the hard-light projector on it. “It’s okay,” he said again.

The talon soldier raised his gun and fired, but with a flick of his wrist, a hard-light shield was engulfing most of the hallway. Light. A stopgap at best. It was already fracturing as the talon soldier kept firing on it.

“Please--” Jaime said.

More fissures ran through the hard-light shield, and Samir looked over his shoulder nonchalantly at the growing group of Talon soldiers now firing on the shield.

“Samir--!” Jaime’s fingers dug into Samir’s other arm but Samir suddenly loudly snapped the fingers of his hard-light projector hand. A void of blue light opened up underneath their feet and they fell through. Too surprised to scream as they dropped, though a “Whu--!” escaped one before the portal closed behind him. Samir made a flattening motion with his hand and the portal, the hole, disappeared.

“...Where did you send them?” asked Jaime.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Samir.

---

“Aedan?” Rei’s voice hooks him out of the haze and he snaps out of his stupor, looking down at the husk of a Talon soldier underneath him. He flinches away from the kill, his hand going over his mouth. He brings it away to see black on his palm. His breath shudders with horror.

“Stay away,” his voice is hoarse, with a reverberative quality to it from the still-reforming nanites in his throat. He’d sound like Reaper if it weren’t for the pitch and the accent. “I could still--I could still--”

“Aedan,” her saying his name centers him as he feels a hand on the side of his face. Rei gently tilts his head to look into her eyes. His sclera are black, wet and gleaming, runny tear lines of nanite secretions dripping down his cheeks. His mouth is blackened lip to chin. He looks monstrous, and yet so terrified.

She brings her arms around him and he shrinks against her.

“I’m sorry--” he says quietly, “I’m sorry.”

“You saved the team,” said Rei, still holding him, “It’s okay.”

“I’m not human,” there’s an ache in his voice, “Humans don’t do that. Humans can’t do that.”

“You’re human,” Rei says, stroking a hand down the back of his neck, “You’re human.”

---

Marti’s head was swimming, coherent thoughts seemed to slip from her grasp. She opened one eye and instantly squinted it shut as it stung with the salt of her own blood. She grunted and rolled on the packed earth floor, her hands bound behind her back and her legs bound together. A rusted chain--maybe if she wasn’t aching all over she could concentrate on one point and break it--or even loop it around something to break even one link--but movement sent pain shooting through her.

“You get points for making it past the walls and interior defenses, girly, I’ll give you that,” the Junker squatted over her, the smell of diesel and sour beer lingering in his sweat, “But I’m afraid the queen doesn’t take too kindly to spies.”

“I--I have contacts--” Marti’s voice was raspy as she blinked blood out of her eye, weaker than she wanted it to be. Junkers smelled fear. Smelled hesitation. The law out here was a law of club and tooth--feral, brutal, and already stacked against her.

“What--Junkrat and Roadhog? The Queen wants them shot on sight--I’d think twice before bringing them up,” said the Junker, pulling one of the cables out of her grapple harness with a lazy curiosity, “No, no--You want to see the queen, you have to see her on our terms.” He cupped Marti’s chin in his hand, “Her skin’s too nice, isn’t it?” he said, looking at his compatriots looming at the entrance to the little garage. Some murmured agreements rose up from the dark corners but Marti couldn’t move her head enough to identify exactly where they were in the room.

“My team--” Marti stammered, her jaw tight.

“Are probably plenty busy in the scrapyard,” said the Junker, still gripping her chin, “They aren’t coming, darling.” He rifled at his hip and pulled out what appeared to be a box cutter that had been well rusted over and taken apart and duct-taped back together countless times. He pressed the flat of the rusted blade against her cheek. “Skin’s too nice....” he said again, “You haven’t known the wastes. The sand and heat haven’t blasted you to oblivion. Maybe the Queen might like you a bit more if you had a mark or two. Or seven.” Marti just kept up a steady glare, but her stomach tensed at the memory of Jack’s scars streaking across his face. He got them in an explosion, at least. He got them in a fight. It hurt too much to move now, let alone fight. She stuffed the fear down. Kept the glare up. 

The corrugated tin of the garage’s door suddenly rattled with three hard bangs and the junker brought the blade away from Marti’s face as he looked over his shoulder in confusion. He motioned with his head to the others. “Go see who it is.”

Another junker stepped up to the door and slid a plate of metal aside to reveal a speakeasy grille.

“Hello!” a cheerful voice spoke on the other side of the door and Marti instantly tensed. It was not only a familiar voice, it was a familiar sales voice. She did her best to keep her expression veiled.

“Who the fuck are you?” asked the other Junker.

“I’m a representative from Ogundimu Prosthetics,” said the sales voice, “I believe there’s been a misunderstanding and you have one of our employees in your custody.”

“Employee? Sheila here was clambering in with all this---shocky rock-climbing gear!” said the other Junker.

“State-of-the-art electrician’s gear,” said the voice.

 Marti couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes at that.

“She’s a fucking spy,” said the Junker.

“She’s an employee. And Ogundimu Prosthetics would be very grateful if you released her custody back to us,” said the voice.

The junker looked back at Marti and the others.

“...Lotta money, them Ogundimu folks,” said another Junker in the wings.

“But what about the queen?” said another Junker, “She’ll want to know about the spy!” 

“Well if the suit here just wants to clean up a mess, who are we to stop him?” said the Junker still holding the boxcutter near Marti’s face.

“But not for free,” the other Junker emphasized.

“Of course,” said the Junker holding the boxcutter.

“Hm,” the Junker at the door turned back to the grille and said, “We’ll give her to you, on the condition that you give us--” He turned around and did a quick head count, “5 Million. Unmarked bills.” 

“Totally understandable. Let me get corporate on the line,” said the voice and the Junker closed the grille.

“I think that went well,” said the Junker at the door.

Marti did her best to curl into a protective ball as a massive plasma blast blew a giant hole in the garage door.

“You fucker--!” the Junker with the boxcutter yanked Marti up by her braid, moving to shove his blade to her throat when a graviton charge yanked him across the room and slammed him into the wall before another plasma blast hit him in the chest and he dropped to the floor.

The other junkers rushed him, but were quickly dispatched by plasma blasts before only one remained. Too far from Marti to try and threaten her, gripping only a tire iron to protect himself. “I--I thought we were negotiating!” 

“You know,” said Seye, rolling his wrists in their gauntlets, “I should have been clearer: When I said ‘We would be very grateful if you gave her back,’ that was the end of negotiations. That’s on me.”

The junker opened his mouth to respond but Seye extended an arm and with one more plasma blast the junker was knocked into the wall so hard the metal dented.

“Martina---” Seye’s voice dropped from its salesman pitch to its normal depth as he swept to her side in an instant. He tucked some of her hair aside to see a bloody gash in her forehead.

“I told you to untrack my beacon,” said Marti, still woozy.

“I’m bad with directions,” said Seye, alighting a small plasma torch on the fingertips of his gauntlets and cutting her chains loose.

“Are you in Australia on Talon business or corporate?” said Marti as Seye scooped her up in his arms.

“Talon,” said Seye, rising up to his feet.

“You’re really sucking at your mission then,” said Marti, as Seye walked off with her.

“Probably,” said Seye.