#algorithm squad

[ag3ntv]

[[ happy ramadan but anyways. Why am I getting so much mpreg on my fyp ]]

[cjoatprehn]

Happy Escapril! I hope everyone’s having a good day so far. I’m dropping my first poem with @adventurerswritingguild second prompt from their list! Day two is “The Internet.” I really channeled this song for inspiration. It won’t read the same, the message is ultimately what I’m going for here.

Song Playing:

Here’s my poem with Alt Text provided. I hope you enjoy.

Oh snap! I maxed out tumblr tags for the first time! That’s a new record. 30 max. Huh. Good to know.

Update with Spoken Word

[#escapril Spoken Word] “A 25 year old Codger’s Cloud Rant” by CJOAT for AWG Shoutout @boburnham

It is April 10. I have another update. It took awhile. I have been getting worsening nightmares as of recent. So I haven’t been sleeping well. Rather at all.

That talk is not for this post.

I made a graphic for “A 25 Year Old Codger’s Cloud Rant.” I made it cyber themed based on the internet. It was hard to make due to the effect on my eyes but…this is an eyestrain warning. Be warned, as I cannot add the eyestrain tag when there’s 30 already.

I hope everyone has a good day, whenever you see this. You can do this. I’m proud of you.

[red-balloon12]

A YouTuber literally has a one hour video dedicated to explaining why “Whatever it Takes” is the worst Hazbin Song and I had to do a double take.

Excuse the fuck out of me, what?

[ijustreallylikecaptainamericaok]

Y'know... I can deal with Tumblr constantly recommending that I follow a bunch of B*cky/T*ny/St*cky/St*ny event blogs, given some events I've participated in in the past.

And I can almost deal with the fact that my "for you" tab sometimes shows me Anti St*ve/P*ggy/St*ggy posts, because some folks seem to suffer from some kind of allergy that prevents them from tagging properly.

But what grave error did I commit to make Tumblr think that I'd want to see "J*hn W*lker D*fense Squ*d" posts? And worse yet, ones that ship him with St*ve? Like, I'm all for giving my dear Steve a massive harem, but even I have some fucking standards.

[lightning-wyvern]

~ sense of authority

info lieutenant!sosuke aizen x male reader / smut drabble content male anatomy, he/him pronouns, he/him aligned pet names, rough punishment sexxxx, breeding?, 3 rounds, choking, heavy hair pulling, really deep-seated authority kink, the drabble starts in the middle of the sex notes pt. 2? networks @the-hoetei-13 ---> for work on it wednesday in the discord! [ wc ] 391 please reblog fanfictions when you read one you like! likes do not help writers' algorithms!

you let out a needy whine, and lieutenant aizen growls warningly, his lips about an inch from your ear. he's holding you down by your hips- quite easily, he's using one large, very pretty hand- while he fucks you at a steady pace towards blissful oblivion. the one hand he has free isn't exactly free, either- it's wrapped around your throat, making it so pleasantly hard to breathe.

your heart is racing- or was it? you couldn't tell. your brain is so fogged with sexual pleasure that you literally can't form a thought. not even a simple one. he's fucking you that good. but what did m/n do to deserve this? well..

m/n may or may not have attempted to dethrone him from the squad lieutenant position.

it didn't work out so well, as one would hope they couldn't tell.

now you're getting fucked brainless, and were you capable of complex thought, you'd say that you couldn't be happier to be in this position.

"you dare try to take my position from me, m/n?" lieutenant aizen growls, "you dare attempt to dethrone me?"

your only response is a weak little whimper.

"what a weak little mutt..." he snipes, "taking my cock like such a little champion. willing to get do anything to get dicked down by someone in a position of power over you..."

you feel a faint twinge of indignation- but he's right. you like it. you like authority, it's hot. people will do almost anything to get into a place of power, and for some reason that really turns you on. people in positions of power- especially in the soul society, seem to almost universally think they can treat people with less power in any way the want- and for whatever godforsaken reason...

you like it.

lieutenant aizen bites down aggressively on your neck with no warning, pulling you out of your miracle-made thoughts. the action elicits an animalistic groan from the back of your throat, making your eyes rolling up into your head.

"you will not get away with this, m/n." he hisses, his voice a dead-calm whisper, "you shall be punished."

the words that slide from his lips make your dick twitch in blind anticipation of what could be about to happen next- what is he gonna do to you now? whatever it is, you want it.

banners made by @cafekitsune

© uraharasfavoriteexperiment.

[ramblingthoughtsofayoungadult]

Bad PR-Jordan Li Fic

A/N: I saw someone post about needing a fic about Jordan being in a relationship where they're "unmarketable" and haven't been able to get the idea out of my head since. This is written with a black reader in mind. I also have a sequel in mind if anyone wants it.

Word Count: 3739

Warnings: Some sensuality and swearing.

I don't claim to own any characters or property from Gen V or The Boys. All credit to the original gif creators.

  Silence was something that I always thought I longed for. Every day for the past twenty years, there was noise, whether it was someone (usually multiple) talking, music blasting, cars going by, or screaming. By now, I thought I would have learned how to tune it out and focus on what was most important: save the little kids from a burning school, study as hard as I could to get into GOD U, and manipulate social media algorithms so much it would make tech experts’ heads spin.

   But, I hadn’t. Then, I thought I got used to the noise, the demands to take pictures with total strangers, the background noise of a song I was doing a TikTok challenge to, Liza, my Vought-assigned PR rep, and my parents insisting on what I should wear, and the constant buzzing in the back of my head that my ability caused. However, as I laid on Jordan’s bed, listening to them ramble about Brink, I didn’t mind the noise so much.

  “I mean, he’s kind of a mad genius but for good,” Jordan stated. Then, they turned to me with a sheepish smile on their face. “Sorry, I’m boring you, aren’t I?”

  I shook my head. “No, no, it’s alright. Brink’s brilliant and it’s amazing that you’re his mentee.” I pushed myself up onto my elbows. “Besides, you’re pretty cute when you’re excited.”

  Jordan rolled their eyes and slowly made their way towards me, stopping right at the foot of their bed. “Only when I’m excited?”

  “Shut up, you know you always look good,” I teased.

   They playfully flipped their hair and batted their eyes. “Well, we can’t all have a glam squad on call so I appreciate it.”

   I scoffed, rose to my knees, and playfully pushed their shoulder only for them to switch to their masculine form and grab my hand. “That’s not fair and I didn’t even ask for them, my parents and Liza insisted on it when I got in.”

   Jordan nodded but I could tell they weren’t listening since their eyes were on my lips. “I don’t feel like talking anymore.”

   Something about their deeper masculine voice sent tingles down my spine and made my stomach feel fuzzy. Then again, they easily caused the same effect in both forms. My breath caught in my throat as soon as our lips touched, and I could feel my heart rate pick up. I tried to relax in their gentle but firm grip as I wrapped my hands around their neck, but it was easier said than done.

   Suddenly, my back was against their bed and the kissing got more fervent. Jordan slipped their tongue down my throat and trailed one of their hands down my leg. I shivered as they pulled my leg up around their hip and pressed further into me.

   “I should’ve known this is what you meant when you said you wanted to hang out,” I breathed after pulling away for a second.

   “I had good intentions but you kept screwing me with your eyes,” Jordan huffed back.

   “No, I---” Jordan cut me off, switching to their feminine form and kissing my jaw, working their way down my neck. “Not…fair.”

   One of their hands slowly started trailing up under my (their) sweatshirt and I tried to stifle my giggles at the soft touch. After a couple of seconds, I couldn’t help but start giggling and covered my face when Jordan paused their actions and looked up at me.

   “Still ticklish?” Jordan teased.

   “Shut up, it’s your fault since they're your hands,” I groaned through another laugh.

   Jordan smirked at me and ran their hands down my waist, gently tapping my sides, causing more laughter on my end. I tried to reach for their hands to stop them but they were too good at dodging me. At some point during my laughter, my phone started ringing.

    “Ignore it,” Jordan whined as they pressed their head against my stomach, their big brown eyes somehow looking bigger and browner than usual.

   “I can’t,” I whined back as I pulled away from them and grabbed my phone from my desk. “It’s Liza, I have to answer.”

    Jordan rolled their eyes. “That bitch has the worst timing.”

   “She might not be able to help it.” I quickly answered the phone. “Hey, Liza.”

   “Y/N, I’m on campus and we need to talk ASAP. Meet me outside the Crimefighting building in five,” Liza rattled off.

   “Oh, sure, what’s it about?” I asked.

   “I’ll tell you when I see you.”

   She clicked off and I turned to Jordan, who was much less than pleased.

  “Let me guess, you have to go,” they said.

   “I’m sorry, it sounded important,” I said as I started grabbing my stuff from around their room. “I’ll try to make it quick.”

   “No, don’t worry about it.” They pushed themselves off the bed and stood in front of me, gently grabbing my hands in theirs. “It’s your career and I’m proud of you. I knew what I was getting into when the Cyclone became my girlfriend.”

    I wrinkled my nose. “Ugh, don’t say it like that. But I appreciate you and I will show you as much later.” I quickly kissed them and grabbed my shoes. Just as I was about to leave, I paused at something in their closet. “Is that my jacket?”

   Jordan shook their head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

   I snatched the item from the closet and held it out. “Jordan, you’re going to try to convince me that you’re into vintage Yves Saint Laurent?”

       “Your taste rubbed off on me,” they said with a shrug.

       “I’m flattered.” I put it back in their closet.  

        “By the way, do you know where my black hoodie went?”

       “See you later!”

        About four and a half minutes later, I was sitting at an outdoor table with Liza and my parents. Despite the summer heat, Liza was wearing a navy skirt suit, and her graying black hair was tied into a severe bun on the top of her head. She was typing on two different phones and her laptop simultaneously, deep blue eyes never staying on anything too long. My mom, who sat on my right, smiled kindly.

        “So, Y/N, how does it feel to be a junior?” she asked.

        “Great, Mom. I thought I told you and Dad that you didn’t have to hover this much since I am a junior now,” I said, glancing at my dad who was on my other side.

        “We’re not hovering, it’s been two days since we dropped you off,” Dad insisted. “Besides, this is about business.”

          “Wha---”

           “Oh my gosh, is that Y/N Y/L/N?” Someone squealed behind me.

          “Show time,” I sighed.

          The “someone” was actually two someones, a pair of what looked like freshmen. One was a tall, pretty brunette in a white graphic tee and matching mini skirt and the other was an equally pretty, slightly shorter brunette wearing jean shorts and Vans. The taller one held her V-Phone with a death grip.

           “Can we take a picture with you?” The taller one asked.

           “Of course.” I stood from my seat and made my way over to them.

           “I can take it.” But before my mom could stand, Liza shot up from her seat, grabbed the phone, and ushered us closer together.

           “Okay, Y/N in the middle, Tall Girl on the left, Short One on the right,” Liza instructed, eyes never looking up from the camera.

          “It’s Ashley,” the short one said.

          “Smile!”

          I did as I was told and the girls were walking away before I could even say an obligatory, “No problem.”

            Both my parents smiled as I sat back down.

            “It’s great to see that you’re still popular after all this time,” Dad said, his eyes hidden behind his tinted sunglasses.

             “As she should be. Y/N has thirty million followers across all her social media and she does amazing in the Midwest and the South, both tough demographics for young black women,” Liza stated.

            “Thanks, Liza,” I said, mindlessly playing with the ends of my butterfly locs. “So, you mentioned you were coming but left out my parents.”

            At this, Liza finally paused from typing and looked up at me. She slowly set her elbows on the table and rested her chin on top of her pale hands. My head involuntarily started shaking from side to side and Liza lifted one of her hands.

            “Let me speak first, Y/N, and then we can argue about it,” Liza stated.

            “The last time you said that, I ended up almost getting mauled by a dog during an animal shelter livestream,” I hissed.

             “Well, the dog had a serious history of trauma,” Liza insisted.

             “You didn’t inform me of that before insisting I cuddle with it for the camera!”

              “It was a learning lesson: you are fantastic under pressure.”

               I huffed and folded my arms over my chest. “So, what is this about?”

              Liza assumed her previous “Serious business” pose. “Like I was saying, you’re doing fantastic numbers. That last TikTok you and Cate did hit a hundred million views in less than twenty-four hours.”

            “The ‘Rover’ challenge wasn’t that hard,” I commented.

             “That’s amazing!” Mom practically cheered.

             “That’s my girl,” Dad said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

              I smiled despite the strong sense that a “but” was coming.

             “However,” Liza continued.

              Uh oh.

             “My job is to do everything in my power to make sure everyone associates Y/N Y/L/N and Cyclone with beauty, intelligence, grace, taste, and power. So, we are a little concerned about Jordan.”

              Immediately, my shoulders tensed and I gritted my teeth. “Who exactly is ‘we’?” I glanced at my parents.

                Mom’s eyes widened and I had no idea what Dad was doing.

                “No, of course not, Sweetie, we love Jordan. They have been a fantastic influence on you,” Mom insisted.

               I could feel my face warm up about what had transpired with Jordan a few minutes ago. I doubt that would fall under “good influence”, or any time we went out with the others. 

               “And they give you a run for your money when it comes to combat. You need someone challenging like them. Plus, that Luke boy isn’t bad either,” Dad added.

               As their words sunk in, I had a strange feeling that my parents were there to lessen a Vought-sized blow. My suspicions were confirmed when Liza’s lips pressed more firmly together and she was glancing at one of her phones.

               “Are you reading a script right now?” I seethed.

               Liza’s head shot up and she shook her head. “No, no, Y/N, not at all. Just some notes.” She quickly regrouped. “I understand that you’re happy and you’re probably having some fantastic sex right now----”

               “Liza!” I interrupted, praying that the ground would open and swallow me whole.

               Suddenly, Dad’s arm was back at his side, and Mom was suddenly very captivated by a pair of seniors skateboarding past.

               “But the facts are that a bi-gender Asian supe is not marketable in the Deep South or the Midwest,” Liza said. “I am not shaming Jordan for who they are but, my job is to sustain your relatable-but-unattainable brand and not let anything get in the way of it.”

              “You’re saying my partner is a threat to my career?” I asked, my voice much hollower than I intended.

               “Potentially. Now, I have come up with a very good alternative.” Liza turned her laptop so it was facing my parents and me. On it was a picture of Andre and some clips of us on social media. “Andre Anderson tested very well. Our focus group members responded positively to the black power couple aesthetic.”

             “We’ve met him before, he’s nice,” Mom offered.

              “He’s cool and I’ve met his dad and I could see us all getting along,” Dad mentioned.

               My head was swirling with so many thoughts that I was convinced I was either going to be overwhelmed by them or find one that was coherent enough to state. My mouth settled on, “It’s the twenty-first century and you’re all telling me I have to break up with my partner because of demographics? Jordan’s an amazing supe and they’re so smart, it’s scary. They can do---will do so much good and the only thing you care about is optics?”

               Mom gently touched my arm. “Y/N, please, calm down.”

When I glanced around, I noticed that several Vought-A-Burger wrappers, a couple of cigarettes, and a few panicked squirrels and rabbits were swirling around the table. Quickly, I released the small animals and put the trash in the nearby receptacle.

              “Sorry about that,” I muttered, eyeing Liza.

               “I understand that you have strong feelings for Jordan but, think about it. With the right moves, you could be living in The Tower with the legends of your generation. Sure, you’re number three at GOD U right now, but this status can easily go away. You’ve worked your entire life to be the hero that little black girls everywhere look up to. Don’t take Cyclone away from them before she even starts,” Liza warned.

               I desperately wanted to say something snarky, but my mind was blank. The only thing I could sense was my throat tightening up and my eyes beginning to well. I brushed a loc out of my face to play it off and tried to gain my thoughts.

              “How much time do I have before I make a decision?” I asked.

              “Twenty-four hours. I’ll be looking out for your call, text, email, or video call,” Liza stated as she started to pack her things.

                My parents stood and Mom gave me one of her warm hugs and Dad pulled me to his side.

              “It will be okay, Y/N,” he whispered.

               I swallowed the giant lump in my throat to thank him and then insisted on walking them back to their car.

              A few hours later, Elle Woods was sobbing in the fanciest restaurant in California while I carefully placed my baking pan in the oven. As much as I wanted to sob, I had no time for tears, I had to think. The thinking led me to have so many circular thoughts that my head spun and I resorted to baking and watching my favorite movie.

              If Elle could solve a murder case and exonerate her client as a first-year law student, I should be able to figure out this PR mess. On the one hand, I was happier with Jordan than I’ve ever been with anyone. On the other hand, my dreams and my family’s position were hanging by a thread.

            Maybe it was better that I channeled my energy into baking cupcakes.

            I exhaled a small gust of wind to clear the bowls and utensils from the counter and place them in the dishwasher. Then, I focused on pushing multiple gusts of wind from my hands to clean the counters and wash the dishes. By the time I was done, I was exhausted and flopped on my couch to mindlessly watch the movie.

            Unfortunately, the bright and colorful backdrop of Elle’s LSAT studying montage did nothing to take my mind off my dilemma. All I could think about was Jordan’s face when I told them. Breaking up with them would be like shooting a puppy’s mom in front of the puppy and making it watch it bleed out.

               How would I tell them anyway? Hey, babe, I’m sorry I had to run out on us almost hooking up to meet with Liza and my parents. Funny story, they want me to break up with you so that I have a shot at a career and date Andre instead. See you for that morning lecture?

             Knock! Knock! Knock!

            The sound jolted me from my thoughts, and I pushed myself off the couch to answer it. “Rufus, if you try to get me into your room again, I swear to----” I cut myself off at the sight of Jordan, in their feminine form, staring back at me.

            They wore a navy sweatshirt and black sweatpants. Also, their cheeks were more flushed than usual and they smelled like their sandalwood body wash, meaning they had probably stopped by the gym recently.

             “Is Rufus bothering you again? I’ll go murder him right now,” Jordan said.

              I quickly grabbed their wrist. “No, I appreciate the thought but I’m fine, besides, I can take care of myself.”

             “I know but I can’t help but worry.”

              A strange warm, tingling sensation ran its way from the center of my chest throughout the rest of my body. I was sure that if someone listened closely enough, they would hear me buzzing.

             I stepped aside to let Jordan in and leaned against the door to close it. “So, what brings you by?”

            They wandered over to my couch, sat down, and grabbed my phone off the coffee table. “Because you haven’t been answering my texts or calls.”

             “Crap, I am so sorry, Jordan, I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”

             Jordan glanced around my dorm. “I can see that.” They sniffed the air. “Legally Blonde and you’re baking, what happened at the meeting?” 

            Of course, Jordan would cut straight to the point. Usually, this kind of banter was pleasant but my stomach was in knots as Liza’s words and my parents’ expressions replayed in my mind.

           “What? I can’t bake and watch a comfort movie after a last-minute PR meeting?” I asked rhetorically, crossing the room to my desk to start organizing my textbooks.

           “Don’t try to deflect, Y/N. Tell me what happened.” Their voice was gentle but firm and I knew that they were not going to let me out of this conversation.

           So, I set Brink’s latest book down and sat across from Jordan on my tangerine accent chair. I prayed that I would find the right words to say before blurting them out. As soon as I made eye contact with them, my chest tightened.

          “Well, Liza surprised me by having my parents join us,” I started.

           Jordan raised their eyebrows. “Shit, this is serious.”

           “Uh-huh. Liza said that my numbers are doing great and I’m on track for a promising career.”

           “And?”

           I gulped. “And…she’s concerned that my personal choices might get in the way of that.”

          Jordan frowned. “Personal choices? Every college kid known to man has done illicit substances and drank alcohol underage. You’ve never been caught doing any of that anyway.”

        “You’re right but she wasn’t talking about partying; she was talking about us.”

         As soon as the bomb rolled off my tongue, I saw its impact on Jordan, from the flashing expressions of confusion and anger to the clenching of their fists. I just wanted to make it stop.

        “What?”

         As I rambled Liza’s reasoning, I could sense the hurt and animosity flowing from Jordan. Once I finished, the timer for the cupcakes went off and I jumped up to grab them. I could have cried at the momentary escape as I set them on the counter to cool.

        “She weaponized your desire to be a positive role model for other girls who look like you to screw you over,” Jordan said slowly.

           I wiped my hands on my sweatpants. “Liza’s doing her job, babe, and she’s looking at all angles, including how it could impact my goals.” I returned to my seat and folded my hands in my lap.

          “Her job is to make you choose between your relationship and your career?” Jordan asked. “That’s bullshit, this whole thing is.”

           “I know, Jordan, trust me, I know, I almost started a small tornado when she said it.”

            Jordan eyed me closely for a second. “What else did she say?”

           “What?”

           “I can tell you’re holding back, Y/N. Whatever else you have to say, it can’t be any worse.”

           They might have just jinxed that.

           “Liza thinks that Andre would be a better fit for me because a bunch of people like the idea of a black power couple.”

           Jordan had two angry responses: the first was they would attempt to tear down anything and everything around them unless consoled. The second was they would become unresponsive and deal with all their rage internally. That night, I got the second one. Their eyes were hollow and the color drained from their face. My eyes welled up as I hoped for them to start screaming, swearing, or something, but nothing happened.

         “But I don’t want to do it, Jordan, I think it’s so stupid.” I knelt in front of them, grabbed my phone from their hands, and set it aside to hold them. “My parents don’t even really agree with Liza because they know you and they think you’re awesome.”

        “What do you think?” they muttered.

        “Like I said, I think it’s stupid. We can figure something else out. Liza can spin us as the ultimate diverse power couple, huh?” I did my best to smile as widely as I could. “Come on, let’s forget about this. I made white velvet cupcakes with cream cheese filling. You can be my first taste tester once they cool.”

         Things would work out, they had to. We would figure something out and survive our junior year at GOD U with little to no incidents. Suddenly, Jordan’s hands slipped from my grasp and they shifted to their masculine form.

         “What if it doesn’t work out?” Jordan whispered.

          “What do you mean?” I replied.

         “I mean, you don’t necessarily have to be a supe but, I know that you’re scared for your parents. Your success has helped them a lot and it could destroy them if your reputation takes a hit,” they said. “And I’ve seen how little black girls light up when they see you now and how passionate you are about helping them and, I know that you’re just getting started and I don’t want to be in the way.”          “Jordan…”

         “I don’t want to hold you back anymore, Y/N,” they muttered.

         Their words sunk deep into my core like a boulder and took all my words with it. I wanted to tell them that they could never hold me back and that they made me a better super, a better person. But all I could do was watch as they stood and walked out of my dorm, taking our one and a half year relationship with them.

[ffdemon]

Another sad analyze between Echo body post Citadel and the other fallen Domino.

Echo loses three limbs. The same way he had lost Cutup, Droidbait and Hevy on Rishi Moon

As the Algorithm, he lost his free will. As Fives die, fighting to get the info out about the chips so the clones, his brothers, don’t lost their free will. Echo body carry is scars and the story of the Domino Squad. What mad is survival even more significative.

[the-bi-space-ace]

Echo & Unshakeable Trust

If we really want to talk about how Echo and trust are intertwined then I think we need to start at The Bad Batch arc of The Clone Wars in season 7. We see pretty clearly that the batch doesn’t trust him, even before they know him. They make snide remarks, doubt him, and are ready to take him down if he crosses them. Hell, they’re sure he’s a traitor. One of the earliest examples of this is when Hunter first claims it’s a trap. He even says they’ll tag along with the mission even just to say ‘I told you so.’ Oh how wrong he was. How wrong they all were.

They venture into Skako to save Echo, following Rex’s intuition and going along with it even if they don’t agree. They go, they’re not trusting about it, but they go. What they find is Echo, being used as the algorithm for the Separatists. Rex has no reason to doubt that this is against Echo’s will but the batch… they’re not so sure. 

Echo’s plan to escape through the vents is what saves them from Wat Tambor. They have no choice but to follow his plan, even if they aren’t sure if they can trust him yet. But following along and going with it is what gets them out of there. That doesn’t mean it fixes the doubt. The batch even hesitates before walking across the pipe to escape. They’re still sure he’s screwing them over. They have no idea why Anakin and Rex follow Echo’s plans blindly, even when they’re objectively ridiculous. 

Rex trusts him. Always. Every time. When Rex hears Echo’s voice he doesn’t ever doubt that Echo is still alive and on their side. Even in the bad batch season 3 when he’s questioned about whether or not Crosshair gave them all of the information Rex doesn’t doubt that Echo handled it and they have no reason to question that. It’s such a beautiful thing to watch. His faith in Echo has always been unshakable. Just as unshakable as Echo’s faith in himself. At first Rex isn’t sure Echo is battle ready after being rescued; it's never about distrusting Echo, it’s about not being sure he’s ready yet. Has he healed enough? Is he stable enough to pull this off? It’s care, caution, not doubt. 

Echo even points that out: ‘I’m not a liability, Rex.’ Mace Windu really had me cheering when he says if Echo has a plan then he’d like to hear it. When Mace asks if Echo is certain he even responds with ‘Absolutely.’ Echo doesn’t doubt himself and he isn’t about to start now. This confidence is something we see from him a lot. From how he plans, how he moves, what he says. He knows he’s good at what he does. It’s so refreshing to watch him be so confident and grow in that confidence as time moves forward. 

It’s here we start to really see the batch mistrust Echo. Tech voices this most often, followed by Hunter. Tech isn’t sure of Echo’s plan. He even goes as far as to say that ‘We don’t really know where his loyalties lie.’ You know what’s incredible about this? Rex follows it up with ‘Well, I know.’ Because he does. He doesn’t doubt Echo, has no reason to. The batch, however, isn’t ready for that yet. 

When Echo sends all the droids to the assembly complex and successfully shuts them all down is when both Hunter and Tech - the two who were the most vocal about their doubt in him - are ready to accept that Echo is on their side. He isn’t fighting against them, he never has been. They’re ready. Echo has proven himself without ever even really trying to.

Echo: ‘Was there ever any doubt?’ Tech: ‘Some.’

Echo trusts himself totally. He’s been trusted by his squads, by Fives, by Rex, by Cody. Hell, even Anakin, Mace, and Obi-Wan trust him. He’s been surrounded by people who are convinced of his skills. Being confronted by the batch who doesn’t trust him doesn’t even really faze him. He knows his intentions, he doesn’t need to fight their doubt. He just does what he’s always done and he proves himself in his actions. This confidence he has in himself is what carries him through everything and we only see that grow over time. (This post by @phantom-of-the-501st demonstrates how much he’s grown perfectly. Please go read it. It's amazing.) 

The batch saw him in action when they first met him, they had their time to doubt, and once Echo had proven to them that he was trustworthy and skilled they’ve trusted him fully ever since then. Hunter trusts him to be his second in command - the mission where they save Gregor comes to mind. He always hears Echo out and usually follows him into nearly certain death even if he doesn’t agree. Hunter trusts his word and he knows he wants only good things for them even when they don’t agree on how to get those good things. I think it’s especially important to note that they do disagree often but that is never cause to accuse the other of something in bad faith. The batch even trusts him to lead them into Kamino, right into enemy territory, when Hunter gets taken at the end of season 1. They follow his lead, listen to him, and know he’s got this. They’d never doubt him. Not for a second. Not now. Not when it’s Echo.

And of course we have this most recent episode, the thing that spurred this all on for me. This episode only solidifies for me that trust is a main thread in Echo’s story. He gets them a ship, has a disguise for Rampart, and he is ready to take on the brunt of their mission when things start to get dicey. Crosshair does say something about how Echo can’t infiltrate the ship alone which I am certain is more about worrying for him than it is doubt in his skillset. Letting Echo go into enemy territory without anyone else is difficult for them but they know he can do it. They always know he can pull it off, even if it’s absolutely ridiculous. When Rampart starts to bad mouth the plan Crosshair is right there with ‘Relax. Echo’s on it.’ I am still absolutely losing it over this line. To see Crosshair go from ‘besides, he’s just a reg’ to his hand on Echo’s shoulder in their first mission after they meet to ‘relax. Echo’s on it.’ That… That makes me so emotional. Of course the plan will work. It’s Echo. He’s got this. He knows exactly what he’s doing and he’s quick on his feet. It’ll work out. It’s Echo.

To follow that line with Hunter’s ‘Echo will come through. He just needs more time.’ just further solidifies that they wouldn’t doubt him, not anymore. He’s proved time and time again that he’s got this. They’re prepared to go with whatever scheme he proposes. He’s just as bad as them but he’s also got the skillset to back up his chaos. He fits in well. 

Echo is a skilled man. He’s an excellent strategist and he gets shit done. The batch has learned to trust him with their lives, as quickly and as unshakable as Rex’s faith in him. I think this is a beautiful thing to have seen over the course of our time with the batch. The batch puts their lives in Echo’s hands more than once and they don’t doubt him. Just like how he doesn’t doubt himself. The people around him trust him because he owns what he says, because he can back his shit up. 

It’s rather fitting that the intro quote in the last episode of The Bad Batch arc in The Clone Wars (S7 E4 Unfinished Business) is: Trust placed in another is trust earned. They learned a lot by watching Rex’s unshakeable faith in Echo and they knew that’s something they could do too by the end of their mission together. He proved his chaos, his strategies, and his intellect were invaluable. So much so that they wanted him with them, whatever that was going to look like. 

[cerastes]

OKAY, Reclamation Algorithm 2.

The first RA was a more arcade experience with meta progression: You had runs lasting only a few days, and you'd have to defend against a final boss horde in a much smaller overall map. Likewise, your resource acquisition was also much more explosive, such as getting a couple of Clash of Clans and other such resource-rich maps almost every run. You could only carry a few items other than what you had built on your base between runs, meaning that blowing up everything and saving a couple of things between runs was the way to go.

I think RA2 is easier overall than RA1 simply because it's a continuous, full-on mode that doesn't have an arcade, short-run based format. It goes on for as long as you play. Resource acquisition is slower because of its longer form nature, but it also does not at all pressure you with Linebreaker day 14 for example. Plus, the Energy System this time is much easier to manage, since you need Two Pops or Three Pops of Energy Drink to field an entire squad of 6 and under or 7 and above, respectively, whereas RA1 needed you to feed individual units from a Fountain of Energy Drink. That's not to say everything is easier; the Priestess and the Troubadour are much more challenging than anything RA1 threw at you -- Linebreaker, Ruinbringer, and Al-Rafiq --, and while the new horde bosses are fun, they are on about the same difficulty as those three, who are more or less tests of RA mechanics and if you are using them or not more than anything.

Make no mistake, this is ENDGAME endgame, especially in regards to Priestess and Troubadour, since you have to beat them in one Day -- two attempts at the map in which your progress is saved between attempts, BUT in which you can only use each unit once, so if you want to use 12 units per attempt, that'd be 24 units you think are up to par -- and they bring mean gimmicks that can be curbed somewhat by the season in which you fight them, but not entirely, and are still quite formidable even with the counter season. They were some of my favorite parts of the mode, personally, because not only is it a big, harsh challenge, it also reinforces the World Of Adventure nature of Terra: Even though they are unaligned with any of the big factions, you still have REALLY strong individuals roaming the land.

I think the main difficulty for a lot of people will come from choice overload: Arknights is already a game with a lot of player expression and a focus on gameplay, both aspects not at all the norm with gacha games and thus not what a lot of gacha gamers are used to, and while main content is kept very accessible to all skill levels, they do provide truly endgame challenges that can be quite demanding in terms of skill, for players that do dabble in the depth of player expression and team building that Arknights offers, such as High Multiplier (Waves/Natures) Integrated Strategies and 26+ Risk Contingency Contract.

This preamble is to say, Reclamation Algorithm has even more player expression and thus potential options for you to use. You have so, so many more tools other than just your Operators that a lot of people just don’t know what to do with them, hence why I think so many people find it so much harder than it truly is. Food for a myriad of different stat boosts and perks, structures to mold maps and enemy routing at your will, the ability to create your own ranged tiles or throw 5-block fridges at your enemies, purposefully overpowered tools like stun mines and supply stations at your beck and call, you can do so much in RA, and for some people, maybe it’s too much. Like an open world game does for some people, the sheer vastness of your options in RA2 might just blind and overwhelm some, especially since the average gacha player is very casual (and that’s not in the slightest an insult), and the average AK player watches clear guides without really understanding why the strat in the guide worked. Thus, in a mode in which player expression is king, the player that barely interacts with the baseline mechanics of the game, let alone those exclusive to RA, is not even part of the kingdom. For me personally, RA1 clicked the moment I realized just how nightmarishly strong the player is if they use food and structures, and after that, it was a non-stop streak of wins (unbroken in RA2 since RA1, too).

My advice to anyone trying to seriously get into RA2 is to just experiment as much as you can with anything that even remotely calls to you: Is there a unit you like a lot, like say, Bibeak? Well what if you give her insane attack, bulk and infinite SP to spam her skills? Food that buffs ATK, 2 shield generators and 2 supply stations on Bibeak makes this a reality. You wish Yato Kirin had no DP cost whatsoever? There’s food that makes her DP cost 0 no matter how many times you deploy her. You wonder what it’d be like for Eunectes to have 3 Block? Food does that. You think a particular map would be much more manageable if you could just have a Corrupting Heart-buffed 5-Block Mudrock in a particular chokepoint with no ranged tiles? You make your own ranged tile and then give Food to Mudrock to get her to 5 Block, or maybe 3 Block is enough, and you’d rather she has 75% extra Def and 35 more Res instead to make her truly unkillable, well, food does that too.

You just need to dabble into the possibilities a bit before it becomes crystal clear just how insane you can get.

[suikasweetheart]

Hind's Hall

Woah! Yeah, the people, they won't leave What is threatenin’ about divesting and wanting peace? The problem isn't the protests, it’s what they're protesting It goes against what our country is funding (Hey) Block the barricade until Palestine is free (Hey) Block the barricade until Palestine is free When I was seven, I learned a lesson from Cube and Eazy-E What was it again? Oh yeah, f**k the police (Woo)

Actors in badges protecting property And a system that was designed by white supremacy (Brrt) But the people are in the streets You can pay off Meta, you can't pay off me Politicians who serve by any means AIPAC, CUFI, and all the companies You see, we sell fear around the land of the free But this generation here is about to cut the strings You can ban TikTok, take us out the algorithm But it's too late, we've seen the truth, we bear witness Seen the rubble, the buildings, the mothers and the children And all the men that you murdered and then we see how you spin it Who gets the right to defend and who gets the right of resistance Has always been about dollars and the color of your pigment, but White supremacy is finally on blast Screaming "Free Palestine" ’til they’re home at last (Woo)

We see the lies in them, claiming it’s antisemitic to be anti-Zionist I've seen Jewish brothers and sisters out there and riding in Solidarity and screaming "Free Palestine" with them Organizin’, unlearning and finally cutting ties with A state that's gotta rely on an apartheid system to uphold an occupying violent History been repeating for the last seventy-five The Nakba never ended, the colonizer lied (Woo) If students in tents posted on the lawn Occupying the quad is really against the law And a reason to call in the police and their squad Where does genocide land in your definition, huh? (Hey; hey) Destroying every college in Gaza and every mosque Pushing everyone into Rafah and dropping bombs The blood is on your hands, Biden, we can see it all And f**k no, I'm not voting for you in the fall (Woo) Undecided, you can't twist the truth, the people out here united Never be defeated when freedom's on the horizon Yet the music industry's quiet, complicit in their platform of silence (Hey, woo)

What happened to the artist? What do you got to say? If I was on a label, you could drop me today I'd be fine with it 'cause the heart fed my page I want a ceasefire, f**k a response from Drake (Woo) What you willing to risk? What you willing to give? What if you were in Gaza? What if those were your kids? If the West was pretending that you didn't exist You'd want the world to stand up and the students finally did, let's get it (Woo)

[simpingforcreamsoda]

This is only step one of my master plan.

Step 2: Unleash Bean the Dynamite

Ok now that Superstars is out and people like it (mostly) can we PLEASE put Fang in the modern games/comics please. Let him talk. Give him a cooler gun (preferably some high tech laser revolver that aesthetically matches his bike). Make him a reoccurring mini boss. I don’t care. I’m just dying to see him interact with the modern cast in the games. Like:

Rouge: Rouge is a government secret agent that was formerly(?) a jewel thief. So she used to be an outlaw just like Fang, but is now one of the “good guys” while he’s still a hitman bounty hunter. Have these two ever crossed paths before? How would they interact with each other? How would they challenge each other’s viewpoints and vice versa?

Shadow: Fang used guns and bikes first! I want a scene where Fang accuses Shadow of cribbing his style. Also since Fang has been M.I.A. since before SA2 (I imagine he finally got arrested lol), it’d be funny if there was some scene where Fang’s like “what are you, Sonic’s emo cousin or something” then someone has to explain Shadow’s Lore™ to him and it just instantly cuts away to Fang’s confused yet horrified stare. Could also be a fun way to introduce Shadow’s backstory to newer fans.

The Chaotix: There’s a great arc in the Archie comics where Fang + Bark and Bean are looking for the same Chaos Emerald Team Chaotix (and Knuckles) is looking for. I honestly just want more of that. Fang and his boys bounce off of the detectives so naturally that you could convince me that they were planned to be intentional foils to each other

Silver: I think it’d be funny to have a scene/running gag where Silver, who’s from the future, goes on about how everyone in the main cast is considered a legendary hero/infamous villain by his time, then Fang shows up and Silver’s just like “uh, who are you?” and Fang is slightly offended over it

I don’t know if Sega still has their weird “classic characters can’t appear in modern games” rule, but Tailstube and some miscellaneous tweets show that the modern cast is allowed to at least recall the classic games as past adventures. So it really feels like there’s no reason to not put him (or any of the “classic” characters) in a modern title.

Sega please you’re doing so well just bring him home

[jovial-thunder]

Pre-alpha Lancer Tactics changelog

(cross-posting the full gif changelog here because folks seemed to like it last time I did)

We're aiming for getting the first public alpha for backers by the end of this month! Carpenter and I scoped out mechanics that can wait until after the alpha (e.g. grappling, hiding) in favor of tying up the hundred loose threads that are needed for something that approaches a playable game. So this is mostly a big ol changelog of an update from doing that.

But I also gave a talent talk at a local Portland Indie Game Squad event about engine architecture! It'll sound familiar if you've been reading these updates; I laid out the basic idea for this talk almost a year ago, back in the June 2023 update.

We've also signed contracts & had a kickoff meeting with our writers to start on the campaigns. While I've enjoyed like a year of engine-work, it'll be so so nice to start getting to tell stories. Data structures don't mean anything beyond how they affect humans & other life.

New Content

Implemented flying as a status; unit counts as +3 spaces above the current ground level and ignores terrain and elevation extra movement costs. Added hover + takeoff/land animations.

Gave deployables the ability to have 3D meshes instead of 2D sprites; we'll probably use this mostly when the deployable in question is climbable.

Related, I fixed a bug where after terrain destruction, all units recheck the ground height under them so they'll move down if the ground is shot out from under them. When the Jerichos do that, they say "oh heck, the ground is taller! I better move up to stand on it!" — not realizing that the taller ground they're seeing came from themselves.

Fixed by locking some units' rendering to the ground level; this means no stacking climbable things, which is a call I'm comfortable making. We ain't making minecraft here (I whisper to myself, gazing at the bottom of my tea mug). 

Block sizes are currently 1x1x0.5 — half as tall as they are wide. Since that was a size I pulled out of nowhere for convenience, we did some art tests for different block heights and camera angles. TLDR that size works great and we're leaving it.

Added Cone AOE pattern, courtesy of an algorithm NMcCoy sent me that guarantees the correct number of tiles are picked at the correct distance from the origin.

pick your aim angle

for each distance step N of your cone, make a list ("ring") of all the cells at that distance from your origin

sort those cells by angular distance from your aim angle, and include the N closest cells in that ring in the cone's area

Here's a gif they made of it in Bitsy:

Units face where you're planning on moving/targeting them.

Got Walking Armory's Shock option working. Added subtle (too subtle, now that I look at it) electricity effect.

Other things we've added but I don't have gifs for or failed to upload. You'll have to trust me. :)

disengage action

overcharge action

Improved Armament core bonus

basic mine explosion fx

explosion fx on character dying

Increase map elevation cap to 10. It's nice but definitely is risky with increasing the voxel space, gonna have to keep an eye on performance.

Added Structured + Stress event and the associated popups. Also added meltdown status (and hidden countdown), but there's not animation for this yet so your guy just abruptly disappears and leaves huge crater.

UI Improvements

Rearranged the portrait maker. Auto-expand the color picker so you don't have to keep clicking into a submenu.

Added topdown camera mode by pressing R for handling getting mechs out of tight spaces.

The action tooltips have been bothering me for a while; they extend up and cover prime play-area real estate in the center of the screen. So I redesigned them to be shorter and have a max height by putting long descriptions in a scrollable box. This sounds simple, but the redesign, pulling in all the correct data for the tags, and wiring up the tooltips took like seven hours. Game dev is hard, yo.

Put the unit inspect popups in lockable tooltips + added a bunch of tooltips to them.

Implemented the rest of Carpenter's cool hex-y action and end turn readout. I'm a big fan of whenever we can make the game look more like a game and less like a website (though he balances out my impulse for that for the sake of legibility).

Added a JANKY talent/frame picker. I swear we have designs for a better one, but sometimes you gotta just get it working. Also seen briefly here are basic level up/down and HASE buttons.

Other no-picture things:

Negated the map-scaling effect that happens when the window resizes to prevent bad pixel scaling of mechs at different resolutions; making the window bigger now just lets you see more play area instead of making things bigger.

WIP Objectives Bullets panel to give the current sitrep info

Wired up a buncha tooltips throughout the character sheet.

Under the Hood

Serialization: can save/load games! This is the payoff for sticking with that engine architecture I've been going on about. I had to add a serialization function to everything in the center layer which took a while, but it was fairly straightforward work with few curveballs.

Finished replacement of the kit/unit/reinforcement group/sitrep pickers with a new standardized system that can pull from stock data and user-saved data.

Updated to Godot 4.2.2; the game (and editor) has been crashing on exit for a LONG time and for the life of me I couldn't track down why, but this minor update in Godot completely fixed the bug. I still have no idea what was happening, but it's so cool to be working in an engine that's this active bugfixing-wise! 

Other Bugfixes

Pulled straight from the internal changelog, no edits for public parseability:

calculate cover for fliers correctly

no overwatch when outside of vertical threat

fixed skirmisher triggering for each attack in an AOE

fixed jumpjets boost-available detection

fixed mines not triggering when you step right on top of them // at a different elevation but still adjacent

weapon mods not a valid target for destruction

made camera pan less jumpy and adjust to the terrain height

better Buff name/desc localization

Fixed compcon planner letting you both boost and attack with one quick action.

Fix displayed movement points not updating

Prevent wrecks from going prone

fix berserkers not moving if they were exactly one tile away

hex mine uses deployer's save target instead of 0

restrict weapon mod selection if you don't have the SP to pay

fix deployable previews not going away

fix impaired not showing up in the unit inspector (its status code is 0 so there was a check that was like "looks like there's no status here")

fix skirmisher letting you move to a tile that should cost two movement if it's only one space away

fix hit percent calculation

fix rangefinder grid shader corner issues (this was like a full day to rewrite the shader to be better)

Teleporting costs the max(spaces traveled, elevation change) instead of always 1

So um, yeah, that's my talk, any questions? (I had a professor once tell us to never end a talk like this, so now of course it's the phrase that first comes to mind whenever I end a talk)

[man-down-in-hatchet-town]

HEY HATCHETFIELD FANS

1.1 MILLION VIEWS on NPMD already??? Amazing, incredible, I love you guys!!!! So have a recommendation!

If you love TGWDLM, Black Friday, and NPMD, then that must mean a few things: you love watching high-quality, FREE musical pro-shoots on YouTube; you love watching dark comedy that nonetheless remains goofy and silly; and you love watching Joey Richter, Lauren Lopez, and Corey Dorris do their thing. If all that's true, then you NEED to check out Joey, Lauren, and Corey in the Tin Can Bros new show How the Grunch Cribbed Christmas!!

I know, I know, a Christmas show? But stick with me. The opening number is literally called "Holly Jolly NON-DENOMINATIONAL Holiday Time" and they do a brilliant job of delivering on that promise while being very tongue-in-cheek about it. And, in classic Christmas Classic Fashion, most of the people who worked on the show are Jewish, so there's that.

This show is so goofy, and silly, and fun, with genuine emotional pathos running through its core (Scrags' storyline will break your heart even as you laugh along with the rest of us). There are brilliant design choices, iconic line deliveries, and some absolute bops that will stay in your head for the rest of time (if you like the music in Holy Musical B@tman, this score was written by the same guy!). The album's out, too, and the amount of love and care that was clearly put into it, all these additional little details added in, makes it a really special listen. And while having watched the previous Solve-It Squad shows will definitely be a plus, it's not at all necessary to see or enjoy Grunch. Like how you don't need to have seen TGWDLM to appreciate NPMD!

I know not every show is for every person, but you should definitely check out at least the first few minutes (which counts as an entire view and helps TCB in the algorithms so yay you!) to see if this special little show is up your alley or not. And if you don't have time to watch a full length musical at any point over the next few days, you're in luck! TCB release their longer projects over a series of shorter videos, so you can just watch one 10-15 minute chunk at a time! As of the morning of November 10, only the first fifteen minutes are on YouTube so you can catch up real quick and then be ready for the equally brief part 2 coming out this afternoon! (And if you're waiting for the entire show to come out so you can watch it all at once, that's cool too! But early views are important so maybe consider muting youtube and pulling up Grunch in the background for a couple of minutes). This amazing fandom really answered the call for Nerdy Prudes. Let's show some of that same energy for Grunch, yeah??

[canowhoopasshg]

This here is my own pride and joy! Best known as

COGITO ERGO BOOM

I think, therefore you explode.

This beauty here is my very own custom Monarch Chassis, courtesy of the Smith Shimano Corporation. This thing fields some of the most advanced guidance systems this side of the Long Rim PLUS the explosive ordnance to back it up. Despite its size and relative capacity for destruction, it's actually pretty quick. Being able to rapidly reposition, see over most other mechs and cover, field a wide array of high range weapons, and hack its opponents with its powerful on board computers and sensors, the Monarch makes for an excellent all-arounder run and gun mech. It's most impressive qualities are it's independently targeting Avenger Silos and its COMP/CON assisted seeking payload, a system that fires a missile at a target you can see only when it can absolutely guarantee the strike will be successful and an advanced computing algorithm that allows the Monarch to bypass all cover, armoring and resistances that it's enemies may have.

Now my Cogito is really something special. I've fitted her with some auxiliary concussion missiles of my own design, as well as a custom Smith Shimano ferrofluid paint job. She's also fitted with a good old GMS personal shield which comes in real handy (especially since the power draw starts pushing my reactor a bit which helps to fuel some other "dangerous" and "irresponsibly radioactive" personal modifications I've made to the Cogito).

As far as weapons she's fielding, We're packing a standard GMS Assault Rifle, because even with all the guided missiles in the system, sometimes all you need is a good old fashioned hail of bullets.

The next weapon is some total piece of shit I mounted before realizing that it didn't even work. Some rare piece of equipment some schmuck on the Icebreaker sold me, called it a "Verbal Gun" or something. I hooked it up with an SSC Stabilizer Mod and everything and when I took it down to the firing range to try it out, the damn thing wouldn't go off! Still looks pretty cool and had a decent camera built into the thing so I scrapped the original Monarch receptors and replaced it with that seeing as it was SSC compatible. Doesn't do anything too crazy but ever since I installed it every so often I'll get a pop up of a little guy on my hud when one of my squad mates takes a hit saying he's hungry and a button pops up to feed him some pellets. We'll whenever I press that pellet button the ferrofluid on my mech freaks the hell out and sorta... bites???? A chunk out of whoever just hit my teammate??? I've tried reaching out about it to my SSC contact but the messages never go through for some reason. Regardless, I'm gonna keep feeding him his "snicker-snacks", not just gonna let the poor little guy starve.

And last but not least. The Gandiva Missiles. Self guided rockets that lock onto anything with a computer and don't stop til they've given them a proper knock on the door if you know what I mean. I can hit anything with these bad boys, with or without my eyes closed. Each rocket is wirelessly in contact with the firing platform which is constantly sending and receiving combat data to a COMP/CON Hivemind out in the Core Worlds. In fact, I've gotten a couple messages from my sponsor contacts about some issues they've been having at the hivemind headquarters about some of their COMP/CON units getting infected with some kind of weird virus and that they suspect it may have something to do with my Gandivas in Calliope and their proximity to our unique dialect of COMP/CON (Shout out to my loyal camera man, Keith). Regardless of vocal quirks, this weapon is top of the line SSC firepower that I've been lucky enough to level at a number of Long Rim baddies.

Stay tuned for next time, where I'll be going over one of the other mechs piloted by Hell's Gate's finest.

Stay Frosty Brothbros! And remember! YOU ONLY NEED ONE ☝️😉!

[guide-for-the-untrained-eye]

ATTENTION ATTENTION STARKID, PULP, TCB, SMOSH AND SW FANS!!!

I apologise now for the many tags, but this is important, as many algorithms have just been pushing down these.

I come as a messenger of the good word of Tinlightenment to remind y’all that this Tin Can KS is ALL OR NOTHING! This means if we don’t get that last 90k, NONE of these are going to happen.

If y’all liked Headless from Shipwrecked’ Comedy (which idk how yoh wouldn’t lmao), we’ve got some amazing people from Headless in these projects, like James, Tom Lenk, the obvious babes with the bros, Curt, and OF COURSE MK! Thats just for Spy Another Day, as we have folks like Gabe in Solve It Squad and which also has Ashley from Poe Party AND The Lizzie Bennet Diaries! I feel like all these amazing amazing people deserve the chance to do more projects with each other in this circle!

I also know many of you like Joe Walker, and Joe said he’d come back for this, BUT said on stream that if they don’t get this, he’s not coming back to acting AT ALL. And I know no one wants that, let’s not let Joe down there!

And for a bonus draw to the StarKid fandom, especially the OG potterheads, just like with the Wiggly, Corey will be giving away a copy of the AVPSY script to a backer. If you want to put in for the drawing, just make sure you have backed!

Now to the Pulp fans, we’ve got 3/4 main leads in the Spy Another Day show! We would get Mariah as the lounge singer at the start, James as the informant, and Curt as, well, Agent Curt Mega. But ONLY if we get this!

As for y’all Smoshheads (do y’all have a fandom name idk?), the only way we get the amazing trio of Arasha, Angela, and Chase on The Great Debate is if we GET THIS LAST 90K! If y’all enjoy Arasha lying to everyone and the reactions to that, The Great Debate is right up your alley, I guarantee!

Not to mention the NEW NEW projects like Gross Prophets AND Intelligent Life which we just will NOT get if we don’t reach the goal, and that quite genuinely would be so upsetting, especially with Gross Prophets as this is the FIRST TCB project to have two AMAZING women (Ali Gordon and Angela Parrish) taking the helm on original music which would be AWESOME to see!

And for overseas peeps this also allows them to do shows out fo the US for the FIRST TIME EVER! Not only will they be doing a smaller version of Spy Another Day, but the reason they’ll be in the area is to also do the EDINBURGH FRINGE FEST with Solve it Squad which would be MASSIVE! Plus we will also get stuff in Adelaide as well! Alongside those we WILL get digital tickets for many of them, so even if you aren’t in the area, don’t let that deter you from pledging!

If anyone is waiting because they don’t have money now but will at the end, DO NOT WORRY! Just like with all Kickstarters prior and in the future, the money doesn’t come out it until AFTER the campaign is over! So get those pledges in now babes! Please we need all of your help!

Please, please go to tinlightenment.com and pledge, even 10-20 dollars is enough to help the bros pull off so many of these cool projects that ONLY can happen with your help. If you like any of these creators, please please help!

[callsignthirsty]

I'll do #9 "I don't care how good it feels you'd better not cum until I tell you to." With Bradley 😏

hey girl, hey —

so I’m finally getting around to the smut prompt fills from forever ago. please enjoy my first crack at writing Rooster. I had a fun time writing him, so hopefully it translates.

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x F!reader Word Count: 1005 Warnings: sex toys, slightly under-negotiated kink (kind of), in public, overstimulation (mentioned) Minors DNI

Smut Prompt #9

The last thing any of the Daggers had expected after the uranium mission was to be granted time off. Not that you were going to look a gift horse in the mouth when it meant that your boyfriend would be home for two whole months. The time off was a gift, and you were determined that you and Bradley would make the most of the unexpected time together.

All over his assigned housing.

After three weeks, the endorphins had you in a good—if slightly loopy, dick-drunk—mood, and when the Instagram algorithm struck while Bradley was in the shower, who were you to say no?

Which is how you ended up with your newest toy for $39.99 plus shipping and handling.

Frankly, you’d thought it would be hot. Sexy. Something to spice up your already adventurous sex life. The ad made it seem like a good time, and the premise was simple enough: a remote-controlled vibrating egg tethered to an app on your boyfriend’s phone.

You’d managed to keep hush-hush about it while it shipped, entertaining visions of Bradley activating the toy while you made dinner or watched a movie. Maybe, if you were both feeling up to it, you’d wear it out while the two of you were out on a date. A trip to enjoy sunbathing on the beach. So once your package had arrived, it was fair to say that when Bradley had invited you out to the beach, waggling his eyebrows as he offered you the toy and an opportunity to take your play outside, all from his open palm, you’d said yes with a smile.

What you hadn’t expected was for his squad mates to be there. Your fate sealed when a weak mechanical vibration made itself known between your legs as Phoenix pulled you into a hug.

Dogfight football, you’re sure, is a lot more fun to watch or ignore when you aren’t being tortured. You grab an ice cube from a nearby cooler and cup it to the back of your neck, but it does nothing to cool the fire raging inside you. You whine, face tilted up toward the sun. If anything, the shock of ice against your heated skin makes everything worse. Skin tingling. Senses heightened.

“Rooster!” you squeak, grabbing more than just your boyfriend’s attention to the point that you must remind yourself that no one else knows. “Can you c’mere real quick?”

Rooster smirks, all broad shoulders and glistening tan as he passes his Nerf ball off to Coyote and makes his way toward you. “Yeah, babe?”

“Please,” you whine when he’s close enough. You’ve already crimped your beer can, toes curling in the sand as you try desperately not to writhe for all his friends and other beachgoers to see.

“Please what?”

You don’t see his hand disappear into his pocket, but you feel it. This time, you can’t help but arch your back, a gasp tumbling from your lips. “I need to cum. God, just–” He cuts you off with his lips against yours, pressing you into sun-warmed sand, and you drag him with you. You open your mouth and welcome his tongue with your own as you press your chest to his, overeager to feel his body against yours. Every touch sends a zing straight to your core. You don’t care that you’re on the beach. You don’t even care that his friends can definitely see you. You just. Need. to cum.

You’re almost there when the vibrations cut out completely.

This time your groan is from frustration. Because what the hell? Did it just die on you?!

You’re contemplating a refund when Bradley parts from you with a nip to your lower lip. “I don’t care how good it feels,” he murmurs, close enough that his mustache tickles your lip when he speaks. The toy pulses once, then goes still again. “You’d better not cum until I tell you to.”

“Bradshaw!” Bradley’s head whips around to where one of his squad mates is heckling him back to their game.

“Be right there!” He presses a wet kiss right below the crux of your jaw. “Don’t worry, this game’s almost over.”

You heave a sigh of relief. “Thank god.” The sooner you can drag Bradley back to his housing assignment, the better.

“Best two out of three.”

You pout. “Bradley.”

“Then maybe some drinks. Wouldn’t want to leave if everyone’s sticking around.”

“If you really think I’m sticking around for you t–” You’re cut off as the vibrator kicks up again, this time settling into a pattern that is just light enough that you know it’ll drive you mad.

“Bradshaw! Let’s go!”

Rooster stands up, idly brushing sand from his shorts, sunglasses snug on his stupidly handsome face. “Be good.”

What follows is the longest, most tortuous game of dogfight football probably ever. It feels like Bradley purposefully lets the other team win the second game to force a tiebreaker, all while fiddling with his phone. By the time the third game wraps and everyone makes their way to the cooler, you’re flushed and covered in beads of sweat.

Ever observant, Phoenix clocks the shake in your hand as you pass her a water bottle. Her brow furrows. “You feeling alright?”

You open your mouth to tell her you’re okay, but nothing comes out.

“Hey, Roo!” someone echos, “your girl’s looking a little flushed. She okay?”

Bradley takes a knee at your side, offering you his water like that’ll help. “You okay, baby?” And because talking hadn’t worked for you so well last time, you glare. Or try to. You’re unable to hold it. There’s no real fire behind the look—desperation and oversensitivity set in a while ago.

“Might be heatstroke,” Fanboy suggests. “Have you been drinking enough water?”

“Yeah, I just–” you cut yourself off, eyes slamming shut as the rhythmic pulsing switches up again. Blindly, you smack Bradley’s hand away from his phone. “Take me home.”

“Alright, baby,” Bradley smiles, gathering you in his strong arms. “I’ve got ya.”