#Weed Smokescreen

[sgrplmjnxxx]

Intoxicated 🚬 cw// bong,smoking

It will take forever to finish this again so i didn't lined it (stressful af)

Yeee,so,I wanna draw robots vaping,smoking or whatever. The best character choice will be smokecreen ofc,he's hitting dark energon,probably? or more legal substance than dark energon. That good shit probably addictive? contagious? or something >:3

also its been forever since i drew them together. They're also besties bitches <3

[love-ces4r-us]

[thoughtsandfeelings18]

[disgruntled-detectives]

I’m gonna say something that’s been weighing on me a bit lately.

I wish to hell that non-Jews hadn’t learned the word antisemitism. Hear me out.

I just watched a video of an anti-racism content creator. She is Black, but not Jewish. She had a video that was directed at Jewish people about her “concern” about the “misuse, harm, abuse, weaponization of the term “antisemitic” levied by Jews at anyone who is pro-Palestinian. And I just blocked her in disgust.

Because first of all, YES. the charge of antisemitism HAS been used to silence any criticism of Israel by bad faith actors. Do you wanna know who I see this THE MOST from?! RIGHT WING GENTILE POLITICIANS.

Most of the time, when Jews say it, it’s because it’s there. And I’m SICK of non Jews gaslighting us about it. This shit is baked into our culture here in the west. It’s fucking everywhere, and unless you have actively done the work to unlearn your biases and unpack your personal antisemitism, you aren’t qualified to speak about it. And you certainly are not qualified to speak over Jewish voices who are begging you to see it.

Have I seen some Jews reflexively saying pro-Palestine content is antisemitic? Yes. Yes I have. But. Jews are fucking traumatized. I don’t know a single Jewish person that wasn’t in some way personally affected by October 7th. Whether it’s a family member, friend, acquaintance being murdered or kidnapped, or even just knowing that 1300 of our people were murdered and several hundred were kidnapped, and over a hundred remain hostages months later. October 7th 2023 was the single biggest massacre of Jews since the fucking Holocaust. And antisemitism in the diaspora has grown to a frightening degree. My friends synagogue was bomb threatened. Synagogues all across the diaspora have been threatened. I personally have had absolutely disgusting things said to me both IRL and online and I’m thankful it’s only been words. A man was arrested in London for being openly Jewish walking past a protest. A Jewish student was jabbed in the eye by a protester with a Palestinian flag. And so no. I don’t fucking blame Jews for having a traumatized response. I believe Jews have a responsibility to try and see past their trauma. To advocate for the freedom and liberation of all peoples. To repair the world. Tikkun Olam. But I don’t blame them if they can’t.

But the number of Jews levying the charge of antisemitism at something that inherently isn’t utterly pales in comparison to the amount of bad faith right wing gentiles I’ve seen using it as a smokescreen for their Islamophobia.

I’m sick of Jews being accused of making this shit up as a result. Because it IS there. Not all the time. Not in everything. But it still there. Just because YOU don’t see it gentiles, doesn’t mean it’s not fucking there. And it’s YOUR responsibility as non Jews to weed that shit out and keep it out of your pro-Palestinian protests.

[hvsngi]

ㅤ⠀⠀⠀ ⎯⎯ㅤ 煙⠀⠀░░⠀⠀SMOKE n' CHOKE⠀⠀◌⠀⠀m. lee⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ╰⠀⠀✹⠀cw:⠀nsfw ─ ⠀male reader smoker!mark⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ under the influence smut ( both ) praise⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ pwop soloist!reader dacryphilia btm!reader⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ established relationship⠀⠀⠀✿⠀⠀⠀⠀503 words

⠀⠀✹⠀⠀the thick smokescreen around you and mark could almost shield one's eyes from the sinful acts happening behind it. a guttural moan trickled past your kiss-bruised lips as mark slammed his hips against your ass, hitting the bundle of nerves within you at full force. your vision went white, the beginning of euphoria beginning to burn on your skin. the influence of the drug you'd smoked beforehand was amplifying the feeling by 10 times, something your body simply wasn't made to handle.

"so fuckin' tight," mark breathed, his lips by your ear. you could feel his warm breath wrap around your spine, arching your back up away from his chest. tangible and utter bliss plunged itself deep into your bloodstream as you let out another pathetic whine at how deep he was. "you're so good, y/n. so f—fucking good to me." his words were going to your brain, causing you to fall apart in his arms.

it was like that with mark — the brain-melting dirty talk he exuded. especially now, after you had gone off on tour, leaving him all alone whilst you ventured to different countries. he simply couldn't contain himself, even more so when he had a little weed in his system. he was always happy to indulge in you when he got high and horny. you were like a reward he couldn't resist. he ached for you when you were gone, and when he had you, he had to make sure you only craved him.

your face was buried in the cushions of his sofa, muffled cries absorbed by the cotton below. "mark," you choked out, trying to think of anything except the way he was currently molding you to the shape of him. each thrust made you conform to the curve of his body. "too much. it's too — too much."

mark hummed, slowing down a bit. "can you give me one more, baby?" you had already come twice, and he was asking for another one. god, he'd be the death of you. when you nodded, he wrapped his fingers around your dick, stroking it to the same rhythm as his thrusts. tears filled your eyes at the overstimulated feeling you got from it, but it felt far too amazing to stop.

when he noticed the tears in your eyes, he reached up with his other hand to wipe them away. "aw... my poor baby. so fucked out n' crying. so cute." he punctuated his statement with a harsh thrust, making your body jolt forward with the force. your eyes rolled back as he continued on relentlessly, losing any coherence you might've had left to the hands of your boyfriend.

after a few more thrusts, you came again for the third time, tightening around mark hard as stars blurred your vision and your arms gave out. you felt him spill into you moments later — warm and plenty — with a praise of 'so perfect. my perfect boy.' falling from his lips. pulling out, he collapsed next to you, tugging you into his arms.

"so... when's the next tour?"

you felt your eye twitch. "mm. i love you too, mark." he laughed and buried his face into your throat. "i love you, y/n. so much. my perfect, beautiful boy."

[bennett-ametyst]

For the meme, I present:

The self indulgent tf armada AU where everyone lives in Rome, the Daje AU (part 1)

(Translations under the cut)

🟥🟨🟥🟨🟥🟨🟥🟨🟥

Optimus Prime (25 yo)

-Follows the literature course in Sapienza (the BIGgest uni in Rome)

-Popular among this peers for his "Boy Next Door" charm, his idealism, and the lecture notes which offers for free (most of the time students sell their notes), and his good looks

-"Education is the right of all sentient beings"

-Politically engaged, organize protests and events for the faculty

-Despite this, he is extremely shy

-Has a backpack with an embarassing amount of pockets and useful things

-He did judo, but stopped at blue belt

-He's a tutor to high school students for classical subjects

-Few know this, but he attended the ITIS in Tor Sapienza (a zone in east Rome, unrelated to the university) with Megatron, when they often fought (people in ITIS fight a lot)

-Now he moved to Tufello (a chill zone in north Rome)

Red Alert (24 yo)

-He follows and does medicine at Policlinico (famed hospital and also were Sapienza's medicine courses are)

-Childhood friend of Optimus and Jetfire

-No one ever saw him sleep (medicine students have the most insane schedules, even if the degree course lasts 7 years)

-He doesn't accept less than 27/30 (exam votes)

-Miraculously on time with the exams schedule

-"Imagine how cool it must be living near Uni" (he took an apartment, dormitories aren't really a thing here)

-Since he lives near, they always assign him night shifts

-Consuming inhuman amounts of coffee has made him nearly immune to caffeine, so he purposely invented a more powerful distillate to stay awake

-Sometimes he tells about his special internship at Tivoli's hospital, he remembers it like a Vietnam flashback

-Always pissed off 24/7, but under all of that he cares a lot about his friends

-During the exam period, he smokes like a chimney ("I'll stop when I get that degree")

Jetfire (24 yo) (I think I'm in love with this drawing)

-He follows the philosophy course in Sapienza (literature's same faculty, the name is literally called "literature and philosophy")

-Optimus' best friend since forever

-He lives in Tufello since he was born

-Part of the Young Communist Front and the Congregation of Stoners at Uni

-Once he starts talking about the fight against capitalism, no one can stop him

-He always has a few grams of weed hidden somewere, (where the police will never find it)

-Every situation is a good situation to start stadium choirs (stadium choirs don't always have to do with football)

-On campus he dresses colorfully, but he has a battle outfit specific for protests (he's the one who brings fumogens)

-He's always seen on the Pratone (big ass lawn at the campus were students rest) smoking weed or playing SOAD on his acoustic guitar, nobody knows if he actually goes to class.

-Was an AS Roma die-hard fan before the Captain Totti left, now he pretends he doesn't care about the team (holding back tears)

-He attended the Liceo Artistico at Ripetta (art high school in the center), he wanted to do the painter, however the fact that in Italy this work sector it is not taken seriously or protected at all in which you can't do what you want or studied for a living or else you'll end up under a bridge, the other option it's taking orders from a company to make deceptive graphics, was enough to radicalize him.

-He had an accident with his scooter, breaking both his left leg and the muretto* of his house (for some obscure reason the scooter remained intact and I cant find an english word for *low walls we use with fences)

Smokescreen (26 yo)

-He follows engineering in Roma 3 (another big university in Rome but they forgot to change from the default name)

-Always doing internships at construction sites, "It's to gain experience" he says

-He lives in Rione Testaccio, here he spends Saturday evenings in the movida with his friends or the other workers

-"What are those idiots doing? The next rains will destroy everything" (looking at workers trying to fix something the wrong way)

-He did the professional high school, probably the only one in class that was committed to learning

-Gymbro with a almost infinite set of skills as mason, mechanic, and nutritionist

-"How much do you bench press?"

-Despite his rough appearance, he's a cinnamon roll ready for everything for his friends, expressing it in small jobs in his field, personalized training plans and telling them they should have a healthier lifestyle over every single problem they have (especially Red Alert and Jetfire)

-When Jetfire crashed with his scooter, he fixed his muretto, in exchange Jet would quit smoking for at least 6 months (he didn't succeed)

-His daily routine: 5:30 wake up; 6:00 breakfast with an apple and cappuccino; 6:30 jogging around Mount Testaccio; 7:07 bus up to the construction site; 7:45 coffee with the other workers; 8:00 to 12:00 internship work; 12:15 square pizza for lunch from Pinuccio; 13:00-16:00 course lessons at San Paolo; 18:30 gym; 20:00 dinner with 200g of pasta and rotisserie chicken; 21:00 herbal tea and then sleep.

-Bonus: he doesn't have a car, he always prefers public transport, it's "less stressful" (if course, he lives in the center)

[lets-try-some-writing]

Got any fluff pieces for the sparkling kids in there? Taking place after the whole "we consent to using the artifact" thing, though. Maybe Miko snuggling up with Prime and her brothers after a long day?

Heck yeah! Another excuse to write for my favorite AU! Fluff coming right up lovely anon!

Growth and Zoomies

The sparklings are exhausting to handle, but normally manageable. But of course nothing remains static with three very different sparklings in the base. Optimus really should have expected his once human charges to grow like weeds, but with the stress of everything it ended up sneaking up on him.

He woke up one day to Miko going absolutely nuts in base, running and gliding from point A to B, rubbing against everything, screaming for attention, and overall being far more demanding than usual. No bot in base had any clue what was going on, and so Optimus took one for the team and went to the only other semi-reliable mech who might have an answer. And so he called up Starscream with promises of having one on one time with Miko in exchange for his help regarding the issue, as long as the base's location remained secret of course. The seeker happily agreed to the terms and within the hour he was brought to base to take a look at Miko.

His first response at seeing Miko trying to gnaw on Ratchet's finals was to laugh hysterically, much to the displeasure of the medic and most of the team before he finally composed himself and got around to explaining. After a quick lesson from Starscream, Optimus and the team were made aware of the fact that Miko's behavior stemmed from the fact that she was growing. Young flight frames become highly active during phases of growth to burn off excess energy while their frames reformat. They were also warned that she would start shedding and become incredibly clingy for anywhere from a week to a month. Of course they hardly had any time to process what they had been taught before Starscream was off playing Uncle to Miko.

Still the team managed. Optimus dealt with the insanity of Miko's "zoomies" as Smokescreen called them, constantly tolerating her crawling all over his frame and leaping from anything and everything. Meanwhile Ratchet and the team took care of Raf and Jack to the best of their abilities while picking up Miko's shed armor. Miko was tended to with increadible care due to her vulnerable state and Optimus carried her around as best he was able to keep her need for attention sated. Extra energon scouting trips also had to be made but it was all within acceptable parameters... until Jack started showing signs of growth too.

Thankfully there was no need to call another Decepticon for information as Optimus was well acquainted with war frame growth conditions and symptoms. However Optimus did have to end up requisitioning Ultra Magnus's aid to get a very much paranoid and almost feral Jack into a nest before he would calm down. He then stayed curled up around Jack for several hours, humming to him and overall keeping him calm. War frames tend to go a little berserk when growing due to how vulnerable they are during the transition, that with their plating falling off left and right to make way for new armor. As such there was no way Optimus could leave Jack alone, lest he go on a rampage fighting everyone and likely harming himself in the process.

Everything was fine for a while. Jack stayed with Optimus in his berthroom with Rafael while Miko played nearby. But soon enough their growth picked up a notch, leading their already heightened instincts to crawl to a new level of sensitivity. Jack NEEDED Optimus with him at all times, more specifically he needed to feel Optimus physically and through the bond between them. That alone was exhausting to maintain, but combined with Miko's need to play and shed her armor through activity... it led to issues.

Miko needed attention and care, but Jack also needed to feel protected and secure. Miko wanted to move and play, but Jack wanted to remain in a safe location away from prying optics with his Sire. Not to mention Rafael still needed to be kept near Optimus at all times to keep the Caretaker-sparkling bond strong. The team could only do so much for Optimus and the sparklings, with Bumblebee and Smokescreen babysitting Miko as much as they were able to give Optimus time with Jack. Arcee made valiant efforts to give Jack the sense of protection he desired but he would only remain calm in her hold for so long before he needed Optimus again. And Ratchet did try to take on the burden Rafael came with as best he was able, but nothing can beat the care of a Primary Caretaker.

It was not even three days into Miko and Jack's growth spurts that Rafael joined in as well, very nearly causing Optimus to have a nervous breakdown due to stress. He may or may not have had to shove the sparkling onto the team for a while despite the protests of his little ones to go have a silent meltdown by himself for a while, but that is neither confirmed or denied. Whatever the case, Rafael's own requirements soon became evident.

He needed to be exposed to Optimus's spark to properly imprint on him and begin truly undergoing his first major reformat. That alone would have been easy enough to handle if Rafael was Optimus's only sparkling. He could have just taken a week off and hidden away with Rafael taking care to only show his sacred source of life to his sparkling. But no, he also had to handle two other sparklings who needed directly opposing kinds of attention and care. In the end, Optimus ended up just laying around in a makeshift nest with his chassis parted slightly to give Rafael the spark signature he needed to bond. That way Miko could still play and Jack could feel secure with Optimus keeping him protected behind a small mountain of soft metals and fluffy blankets.

It was simply put, hellish for everyone involved. Optimus couldn't move more than two feet away without Jack panicking or stay still for too long lest Miko start screaming. All while having to keep the team at a distance so that he could still maintain some form of privacy with his spark being partially exposed. But by the end of what was dubbed "The Week of Trial" by the team, the sparklings were finally settled, each exhausted and free of most of their armor, leaving their soft protoform visible. Optimus, being practically dead on his pedes, fell into deep recharge as soon as Miko calmed enough to join him. Jack and Rafael had no qualms against this and soon enough the whole family was recharging in one big pile.

The team came by to check on them after it had been quiet for too long and were unable to stop the smiles that grew on their faces as they saw the wholesome scene. Smokescreen and Bumblebee quietly joined the cuddle pile and relished in the comfort of their family as well. Meanwhile Arcee and Ratchet not so subtly took about a thousand pictures to go into their very much secret (or so they like to think) file devoted entirely to capturing wholesome moments like the one playing out before them. Ultra Magnus just nodded at finally seeing the little family resting and moved to guard the door so that they wouldn't be disturbed. Bulkhead and Wheeljack weren't even allowed in the room as they were sure to wake up the slumbering pile of bots. June came in and watched with mixed sorrow and awe at seeing her son be so comfortable with Optimus but also more peaceful than she had ever seen him when he was human.

Despite the ups and downs of raising Jack, Miko, and Rafael, the team and Optimus wouldn't have it any other way.

[x-manson-annotated]

X-Manson Annotated Chapter 5 - Part Four: Adrenochrome.

This chapter delves into some shit that I only thought was within recent conspiracy culture. The cult has been harvesting adrenochrome and making it from cloned pituitary glands.

*Gun sales, human trafficking, outright theft from FBI agents?

**Charlie's selling a line to the general public.

***So the church kind of spawned after Xavier established the school. That accounts for how normal the property looked when the o5 class, the Giant Size staff, and the New Mutants generation of students were there. The actual belief systems began to be established once Cable got on the scene and started collaborating with Xavier.

*The Church of The Mutant Messiah, some kind of mix between X-Force and The Askani cult from the comics?

**When Captain America throws his mighty shield! 🎶All those who oppose the shield mu- Oh sweet merciful Christ, there's a bunch of body parts in here!

*Banner went back to his usual human form. Given the relatively short amount of time between events, does this version of him have more control over the hulk aspect of himself? How old is Bruce Banner? If everyone's ageing in real time, he'd probably be in his sixties or so by 2000, right?

***Here's where we get into the weeds of things. Adrenochrome is a real chemical compound that has been synthesized in some small aspects into a drug. It doesn't work how conspiracy theorists say it does. As far as I can tell it doesn't produce a tangible high.

****The recreational drug aspect of it is an invention of writers who when they first put pen to paper, probably believed that Adrenochrome caused schizophrenia. This is notably shown within the movie and book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" by Hunter S. Thompson. Some cite this as being where most myths about the compound originate. The then germinates into the conspiracy theories that are just The Blood Libel revamped for the modern age.

People saying "Oh they're harvesting the blood of scared children to retain their youth or to get the greatest high of all" is a myth made up by people broken by capitalism.

Doctor Benway seems to be operating in a similar vein to these conspiracy theories, but I didn't know they existed within the early 2000s. I mostly know it from Qanon and Pizza Gate conspiracy theories, myself.

*I think the technology came from them killing Essex and taking his shit too.

**I wonder if Hank really believes that.

*Possible.

**GRID: Gay Related Immune Deficiency, the early name given to HIV/AIDS, but because Hank cured it, it never progressed to have that name, I suppose.

*Sour Grapes? Are you being serious, Bruce?

**Possibly to act as a smokescreen for his involvement with the cult?

***What sort of lie did Hank spin to Bruce Banner?

*I feel like out of all of the Avengers, Simon is probably not super well equipped to deal with any of this.

**Also, if we're thinking...Simon was turned into a being made of energy by a nazi super scientist...so in addition to all this other alternate-history nonsense, that also probably exists.

Six in the Lake:

Bobby Drake

Sean Cassidy

Rogue

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

*How did you know she was dead?

*I don't know, wiseass, because she was a body in the lake!

**Organs were intact because of the Kree shift in body makeup?

*Pour one out for a real one.

*Jesus fucking christ, they made it harder to identify bodies.

*Failed attempts at making a messiah.

[a-cat-in-toffee]

Talking about smoke and drinking but

Seer - only smokes when stressed about something (smokes keep autoing to smokescreen)

Wisperer - same with drinking but smokes daily <- trying to break habit though

Hacker - can't consume either

hacker.. giggles my guys uhhhh

wight - used to but doesn't do either anymore

mechanic - smokes, only drinks in company

civ - drank alcohol once, upset his stomach, and spent the rest of the night throwing up. he does not drink. he smokes weed though

ghost - can't consume either </3

[booksandchainmail]

Pale 11.1

“More than you’d think.  But it’s like… secrets in a small town type stuff.  Blood in the streets, a struggling defense against invaders.  Killings, gunmen, cannibalism, underage drinking…” “What shows are you watching?” “…But the cannibal types are on the side of the good guys, I think.  When they aren’t too hungry.” “Is this from a game?” “There’s not much game about it.  It’s deathly serious.  But it’s the kind of serious where you have to joke about it and play it off as non-serious to your mom, while she’s all confused, you know?” “I’m definitely confused.  I do like your imagination though.  I wish I could keep up with it.”

Verona really does just tell her parents what's going on, secure in the knowledge that they won't follow up about it. I mean sure, I don't blame Verona's mom for not realizing everything Verona said has happened, but I think saying "There's something dangerous and serious in a way where I have to joke like it's a game to you." should raise some questions

Verona said, deciding it was best not to push things too far, fun as it was. As important as it was to leave a trail of breadcrumbs in case something bad happened.

oh. Well that's grim, but probably a good idea. Though if the girls die suddenly and violently, I think having had a trail of clues indicating that this was an ongoing problem parents didn't notice might make it worse.

“Mom.  Did you pay him?  Or threaten him?  It matters if I’m eventually going back there.  I want to know what’s going on.”

incredibly depressing to be able to put an exact financial value on how much your presence is worth to your father

“No.  No, not bad.  I hope not, anyway.  It seemed easy and streamlined, me leaving you with your dad while I got set up, and then with how bitter you were, and distance?  It felt easier to not force things.”

Verona also often takes an easy route in daily life, but not about things that matter to her. Which means either she's unlike her mother in that, or it implies some bad things about how important Verona is to her mother.

“High school daughters,” Lucy countered.

congratulations!

“Feels shitty.  It’s like, I’ve got this impulse to, I dunno, do stuff.  Like, picking up a broom and sweeping and doing laundry and helping out and-”

I get this when I visit people, and that's under normal circumstance

She drew the symbols necessary and then arranged the papers around the room.  She pressed two against the big window at one side of Lucy’s room. It would obscure any vision of spying eyes and confuse any listening ears. “We good?” Lucy asked. She gave Lucy a nod.

huh, was the disagreement a smokescreen? IIRC they've don that before

She set the pieces of her mask aside, sorted out books, put pens and markers into her left pants pocket, ground up glamour from the flower Guilherme had given her in her right pants pocket with three folded up bits of paper with feathers sticking up out of them, ready to quickly deploy transformations.  Back right pants pocket held a stack of spell cards.

petition to get Verona some cargo pants

Avery wore running shorts and an athletic tee with a pocket, which seemed like an oxymoron when it came to the shirt’s purpose.

does anyone ever use breast pockets on shirts?

Shadows deepened, then the light shone through, as if a cloud had passed over the moon and then let it shine brighter immediately after.  What looked like dense trees and a patch of nature at the corner of this area was opened up like an optical illusion had revealed itself, showing the narrow one-lane street that extended into the trees, and the tall, not-especially-taken-care-of house tucked into the trees.  The skeleton of a for-sale sign was set into the lawn, the top portion with the realtor’s face worn by weather, the lower half that hung from the horizontal part of the post had fallen off and was mostly covered in weeds and tall grass. “City magic is so badass,” Avery said.

Agreed

Possible Demesne for Verona?

“They’re definitely more active, and more sloppy,” Lucy said.  “Edith especially.  But it doesn’t feel scared.”

and getting the cube back wasn't brought up in Edith and Maricica's conversation

Lucy shook her head.  “Which takes us back full circle to the big fat question of why they aren’t freaking out.  And I have this sick little feeling in my stomach that makes no sense, but… what if we have it wrong?”

goddammit. My theories!

“But none of them know for absolute sure who did it, I don’t think,” Lucy replied.  “And this sick feeling in my gut is… what if it’s our soldier friend?  What if we have it wrong and he would get both coup and claim?” “Hasn’t he said he doesn’t want it?” Verona asked.  “But he’ll take it anyway?” “Could be he doesn’t want it but he needs it?” Lucy asked.  “What if our soldier friend isn’t a friend but a major culprit, we screwed up when interviewing him or jumped to conclusions, and the furs are… I dunno.  Secondary?”

huh. I don't think so. I hope not! I don't John was involved with making the Choir out of Yalda, he seemed surprised to find out about that. I suppose he could have been recruited later? But that seems shaky. Maybe becoming the Carmine Judge would let him help Yalda, but I don't see how.

���E was making clothes, right?” Avery asked.

I missed that, can you check the measurements?

“This isn’t going to be one of those situations where we get to gather the information and do a big badass whodunnit moment, huh?” Verona asked.

:(

“When I went to check in with the Judges, I asked if they could give us any kind of protection,” Avery said.  “They kind of said no.  Uhh, as I remember it, the protection we get for taking care of Kennet is what we get, karmically speaking.  We make our own karma.” “I’m finding myself struggling to realize what the point of them is,” Lucy said.

lol. But also yes. Maybe their role is more as arbiters than as criminal judges? Settling property disputes, overseeing contracts, offering a neutral enforcing party for negotiations

“I think they handle the stuff that’s really broken,” Verona said.  “There wasn’t anything super relevant in the books, but there were figures that seemed judge-like who would set quests and point the right people in the right ways to handle anything that was really bad.  In other places you get Lords and committees deciding what needs handling.  The Others who are threatening the seal of Solomon, monsters too big for any one person to defeat, breaches between worlds, stuff.”

or that! Scary to think this doesn't rise to their attention

“That’s the exact kind of moment you should be super cool and confident.  Unflappable, badass Avery,” Verona told her, grinning.

I would like to think that being very flappable and earnest can also work.

“Three times we were wronged,” Verona mused aloud, “That deserves righting.  We can ask for the judges to hand us the ability to right the wrong.  If they can control how karma happens, then let that karma be protection during and immediately after the arrest.  Access to any power that might be held back from us as we try to put it into effect. We need answers from her so we’re not asking for her to be forsworn.”

So like I was saying, arbiters of fairness not of criminal cases

“She was hurting, she was alone, she tried to reach out, and I was busy feeling sorry for myself.  Hurt, Booker gone, having to leave out information for my mom, mostly staying in my room, trying to think of a good way through this whole situation, you know?”

Oof yeah, and Avery gets hurt more by feeling left out, while Lucy reacts strongly to feeling like she has to manage things for other people

“Yeah,” Lucy said, one side of her mouth pulling back hard, disappointed, upset.  “I was scared.” That disappointment and upset gave way to something else, fleeting, deeper, vulnerable.  Lucy looked away a moment later.

and she almost died! And didn't have anyone on hand to talk about it with, and I'm guessing she didn't want to admit to Avery how scared she was

“Really, really close.  And then I was scared too, of what if being in close contact with a ghoul infected me.  Close calls with death, right?”

gods that sounds terrifying.

“I wanted to ask someone for clarification on that but didn’t know who to trust, and didn’t really trust anyone, for a little bit there, and I didn’t even want to go outside.”

And to extend Lucy's fox symbolism, this reminds me of the thing that some wild animals do when injured/sick, of holing up alone and just waiting to see if they die. (Note: I do not know if this applies specifically to foxes). This is mostly not a useful behavior for humans, but man if the urge to just cut down on contact and be terrified and emotional in private isn't relatable (thinking back to Lucy not wanting her mother to see her cry)

“Talk to me?  Send me a frigging mail?  You say you didn’t know who to reach out and talk to?  Me!  Me me me me or Avery or your mom or me!  I can frigging take it, Luce!”

yeah!

“We are cosmically frigging bound together, you jerk!"

I like this line. More frustrated expressions of endless affection please

Worst of both worlds when I can tell something’s wrong and you won’t let me help!

yeah :(

“Avery needs something like this too,” Lucy said.  “The big intense hug.  It’s harder to figure out.”

I'm not sure if the pre-hug scuffling would work on Avery or not

“Okay.  Why don’t we call Avery’s parents and see about her coming over?  Be ready for them to say it’s too late.”

sleepover!

Verona pointed toward the window.  Avery turned, looking, and Verona lunged, rising up out of the bed, and hauled her down, backwards, onto the bed.  Avery lay there, barely on the edge of the bed, Verona holding her from behind, feet still on the ground.  After about ten seconds she tried to get her feet up onto the bed, failed twice, and succeeded on the third try.  They shuffled over so Avery wasn’t constantly on the verge of falling off the bed.

:)

[love-ces4r-us]

[ask-smokescreen]

"CRISIS? MAKING THIS FOR YOU."

He's got Smokescreen a gift. At first glance, it appears to be some kind of miniaturized cable tree, trimmed and trained to stay in a rather small pot. Upon closer inspection, it's just some weirdly bushy weed, absolutely thriving in there.

YEAH!! It's Cranberry!!! Happy Cranberry!!

And, aww- you made this for me, Dere? All by yourself? Woah.

/He will, in return, put a wreath on Derecho. It's a fake plant, but a plant nonetheless, and even comes with exclusive pinecones and ribbons!/

[flipping-the-coin]

Guardsman Recruit - Paradox: Entry #001

[10 Vorns after the restoration of Cybertron]

[Cycle 1 of training]

[Recording begins]

══════════════════

Is this thing on? I think so...

Right, my designation is Paradox! I was told by my Commander that I needed to begin keeping a record of my time in training so that once I finish I can review it. He says its so that when the time comes we can see how much we have changed for the better. I think its a little silly, but I am not going to be the one to tell the mech who served under the last Prime "no".

Anyway, as I said, my designation is Paradox and I was drafted into the ranks of the elite guard after I proved my worth in the trials. My Nurturer is a wonderful femme, but she's always been religious. As soon as she heard the guard were looking for young recruits, she sent me out to go try. I didn't see the harm in making the attempt, I already wanted to join up with the military and the guard are kind of military affiliated right? If nothing else it made my Nurturer happy, so I gave it a shot and somehow succeeded. She very nearly started crying when I came home to pack up my things and head to boot camp! She gave me a holo projector with a picture of us together so I don't forget to come visit her once and a while.

I asked the Commander if I could send her messages, but he said no. He said something about training being a time to step away from mortal attachments to become something greater. I don't mean to be rude or anything, seriously no shade toward Commander Smokescreen, I know he fought in the war and all... but I think he might have a screw loose somewhere. Its just boot camp and he's treating it like we are about to go on some sacred pilgrimage. I know the guard are tied to the Primacy and that's an organization that's religious as scrap, but still, feels a bit over the top.

But enough about that, let me tell you, those trials were no joke! Only mecha under five vorns were allowed to enter them, then we had to go through all sorts of slag to pass!

There was a medical assessment where some Primacy doctors took energon samples, poked at all of my components, scanned every part of me, and made me do a physical fitness test. I thought I was going to die with how many strange poses they made me do and how many laps I had to run. I think I did well though since at least half of the others who joined me were weeded out during the examination. There was even a poor mech who ended up overheating two laps in. It was probably best he didn't get past the trials, I think he would have rolled over and died honestly.

Once we finished that, the head doctor sent us into a separate room where we were given a pretty tough assessment. There was a fully fledged guardsman there and she was armed to the denta. No joke, she looked ready for war. Her entire frame was covered in this intricate armor that I think was magnetized to her plating or something. She had all these super intricate engravings all over her as well, and I couldn't read any of them. I think they were in the old language or something. I'd never seen a guardsman up close until then, and I couldn't help but admire the care that went into her armor and the way the gold and blue meshed. With that said, it still felt a little over the top, although I am sure there is a slag ton of symbolism or something behind it.

Anyway, she lined us up and then stared us all down one by one. I don't know what she was looking for, but three of the others were dismissed after she looked into their optics. That put me on edge I will admit, but not nearly as much as when she sat us down and gave each of us a written test. The questions were very odd. Some were expected, mainly math, reading comprehension, writing, and science. But then as I answered those, there were more and more questions all about topics with no active relation to academic studies. The questions were ones like "What is a Prime?", "What does it mean to be loyal?", "If forced to choose, would you die for the benefit of the people as a whole or flee to survive?", and "How important is individualism?". Super strange stuff, but I answered as best as I could.

The guardsman looked our answers over and graded them way faster than I ever thought possible. It took maybe ten Kliks and that was with nearly fifty different tests! But as soon as she finished another twenty mecha were dismissed and taken away. Those of us that remained were quickly herded into some sort of training ground. There we were each allowed to pick a weapon of our choosing. We weren't told what was going on, so to be safe I chose a spear. I don't mean to brag, but my Nurturer was pretty fragging fine with the spear and I inherited that skillset! I doubt anyone but the most battle hardened could beat me when I've got my weapon on me! And that's even after I got my aft handed to me!

It was literally the most terrifying thing ever when all of us suddenly found ourselves facing off against actual guardsmen! I swear on Primus's name we fought ACTUAL guardsmen! I got pitted against a particularly large guardsman with that same elaborate gold and blue armor. His face was largely covered by a mask, but I could see these super intricate engravings around his optics that were so small I only saw them as he charged at me.

I thought I was going to die as I desperately fended off the guardsman's blade. I looked everywhere, begging for help with my field... but not a spark moved. My fellows were in the same position and the watching guardsman merely stared us down with optics that were... so cold... so very apathetic and calculating. Looking back... I don't think they would have cared if we died...

But that is beside the point. I am unsure how long I struggled for, but I did much better than the others thanks to my Nurturer's training. I was by no means winning or even driving the guardsman back, but I was keeping myself alive. I was covered in small cuts and minor gashes, and honestly I think he was toying with me. The guardsman's field was held close, silent and without emotion. It startled me... but the way he used his blade told me that if he really wanted to, he could have ended me with one simple swing.

Time seemed to blur as I fought with my spear. I stopped paying attention to the others or the guardsman that watched my struggle without a care in the world. I was desperate and I could only keep my optics on where I thought my enemy would strike next. My fans burned and my frame hurt in so many places, but I was scared... I didn't want to die... so I kept fighting. I kept trying to buy myself but a moment longer. Then just as the guardsman finally swept my pedes out from under me, I think I had a bit of a revelation.

I saw the guardsman raise his blade above my helm. I saw his optics as they shone and I saw the cold and simple resolve there. And in that moment... I wasn't afraid anymore. I saw the blade, I knew what it meant, but I found myself unworried. I fought as hard as I could, and that was all there was to it.

Then the blade dug into the ground next to my helm and the guardsman stood, reaching down to help me get back onto my pedes. I was shocked and I could hardly think, but the guardsman watching gave an approving nod and instead of being sent away with the doctors like ten others that made it to the last part of the trials, my shoulders were clasped by the guardsman... and I could have sworn on every possible power in this universe that they smiled. Not with their mouths of course, but I could sense it for the briefest of moments in their fields as they brought me among their number and presented me and the remaining potential recruits to Commander Smokescreen.

Commander Smokescreen was shorter than I expected, but then again, according to the records he is only barely out of younglinghood. He had this look to him that was so very contradictory yet that fit him perfectly at the same time. His face was very youthful and the way he held himself spoke of energy with no place to be poured. If one didn't look all that closely I wouldn't blame them for thinking him just another youngling playing soldier. However his optics were just as cold as the other guardsman and his field firmly clamped tight around him. The way he stood was stiff yet prepared his frame to act at a moment's notice. His voice certainly didn't help the oddity of his identity.

He told us we had passed the trials. He told us that we were going to become part of the chosen, the Prime's honor guard and personal attendants. Commander Smokescreen used many sub-glyphs that I don't know and he spoke in a strange accent that hinted at reverence. But as I said before, I am pretty sure he's missing something upstairs, so I don't blame him for sounding weird. Eventually though he ran through some rules and what to expect, answered a few questions, and then directed us to return home to collect our items. We were told to return to the trial grounds in three cycles, and if we failed to turn up that we would be hunted down and dragged back.

A little scary honestly. But the guard are like the army after all. Gotta make a point to keep trouble makers in line I guess. Anyway I followed orders, got a special meal with my Nurturer, packed up, came to the trial grounds, and now I am here. I thought I was going to have to bunk with someone, but nope. Its just me in a small room in the guard barracks. Its pretty plain with just a simple berth, one shelf for my stuff, and a desk with this recording device. The ceiling is covered in Primacy symbols, but I think its mostly for show.

Well, I think that's enough for this cycle. Tomorrow training starts and I think I will try to record my mental state or whatever once a deca-cycle or so. I hope I can finish up training soon so I can show my Nurturer how far I've come. I think she'll be proud.

Elite Guardsman Paradox signing off!

══════════════════

[Recording ends]

[Recording uploaded to guardsman recruit supervisor for review]

[Training plan in development]

[codenamejudas]

@shatterscreen

Indeed! I had a good harvest of those flowers you like so much, so I prepared a small bouquet for you. /And, he is offering a rather large weed bouquet./

!!!

"You brought me flowers!" Judas snatches the bouquet up. It's the exact kind of green he likes. "That's real sweet. C'mere," he says, trying to climb up onto Smokescreen's hand.

[silverwritesthings]

First request of your event guuurrrrll!! gimme the HCs for Scara(post Sumeru), Smokescreen, Bumblebee (prime because im old), and Diluc pllllzzz. Luv ya sis!

I will be breaking up this request into two parts <3 Just to help keep TF and Genshin things separated. I'll post the second part soon!

Diluc and Post-Sumeru Scaramouche headcanons and pets under the cut!

Post Sumeru Scaramouche

After the events of the archon quest, Scaramouche is in a coma for some time. During this time, Nahida personally oversees his care, and occasionally visits him in his dreamscapes. His dreams are full of familiar images from both Sumeru and Inazuma, but some images are not so familiar. He dreams of the days from before the Fatui. Living with the villagers on Seirai. After the fall of the island, when he lived on Tatarasuna. The mortal friends he made, though they would eventually “betray” him. Nahida has seen these dreams for herself, and through them, she has seen Raiden. He still believes that emotions are foolish, weak things. But he is learning to embrace them after his newfound freedom. He has started allowing himself little freedoms, allowing himself to feel emotions. 

What greater freedom is there, than the ability to leave his past behind? Scaramouche has adopted a young black cat, much like the ones he remembers from Asase Shrine. Her name is Kimiko, and she does an excellent job of soothing his tears.

Diluc Ragnvindr

Diluc has many nightmares of the events following his father’s death. A favorite headcanon of mine is that highly skilled vision wielders (and uncommonly, those with Delusions), can have such great control over their elemental abilities that they can use them without hurting the ones they are directed at. 

Diluc hadn’t truly meant for his phoenix to burn Kaeya all those years ago. In truth, his attack on Kaeya was just another reason he thought he should leave Mondstat. He, who had such great control over his abilities, had proven a threat to the people and places he so dearly cared for. 

Diluc houses several animals at the Winery. Dogs, cats, a few horses, and even a small flock of sheep and goats to help maintain the grounds. He himself owns a pair of Black-back hounds, appropriately named Dusk and Dawn. A few cats live throughout the winery as pest control, and inside the manor itself are several that can be found occasionally curled up on the master’s lap as he sits at his desk, or curled up at his side when he sleeps. His favorite animal at the winery is his horse, which I have affectionately named Alette. (Thanks to @mmmairon for the wonderful art that inspired this.) She was quite young when she was given to the young lord, a gift from his father just before that awful day. She was in the care of the winery and Kaeya during his years away has become incredibly bonded to him even after his absence. The sheep and goats help keep weeds at bay throughout the winery, and Diluc can occasionally be seen watching the young lambs and kids in the early spring. Adelinde has woken to several early mornings with the young lord laid before the fireplace, a sickly lamb asleep in his arms. He wishes to reconcile with his brother, but isn’t sure where to begin, or even if Kaeya wishes to consider him a brother. Whenever he catches wind of a certain calvary captain being injured or ill, you can be certain that an anonymous package will be delivered containing some of the foods they both enjoyed as children, along with a bottle of the finest apple cider the winery produces. Adelaide cares deeply for the two of them, and with Diluc’s permission, continues to assist Kaeya whenever possible.

Diluc’s favorite cat at the winery is a young white and orange kitten he found during one of his Dark Knight escapades. The little one doesn’t seem to care for many others, preferring the company of the young master himself. He has recently started calling it “Ember”.

[docholligay]

Boy, not to get into the weeds here but man oh manischewitz am I about to.

So we have Junna chasing Nana all around, spouting off these quotations from people, as she often does, about learning and striving and how you have to crawl before you can walk and all these things that are very wise and all that, but I was looking  *25 minutes later after reading a shitton of Goethe* at the at Goethe quote, and I was like, “That has to be from Faust, but it sounds wrong” Faust is a poem. It is not at all structured in the way she quotes him. So I went on a deep dive. And I found the original German. And also, i found out that this PARTICULAR quotation comes from a book called The Volcano, which is referencing Faust, but there is no translation that I can lay hands on that uses that strangely constructed translation. German, of course, has its own stuff going on, but there is absolutely no indication of that ellipsis in the original, NOR anything being left out that would necessitate such a thing.

So I have two choices here:

A) It’s a translation, not error, maybe, but mild laziness. THey googled “Goethe quote striving” or something and found the one that sounded the most like a poetic quote

B) This is saying something about Junna. Junna is getting so wrapped up in how good those words sound, how they could be a credo, something for her to swear by, that she is missing that actual context and meaning of the words themselves, because...is she working? Is she striving? I mean, this isn’t even going into the decontextualization of all the things she says, this is me weirdly focusing on this one thing and how there is a very specific, odd, translation that was used for its own narrative device, being now used for a second narrative idea. And what does that even mean?

ANYWAY, SORRY ABOUT THAT. Back to our regularly scheduled programming, we see that the word star is surrounding Nana, that Junna is attacking using that, defending herself, but they aren’t REAL stars. At the end of the day, they are just words. You can say all the things you want but they are not action, and Junna is using them as a cage and smokescreen that ultimately proves ineffective.