#ally switch gone wrong

[comical-croagunk]

not sure what to ask about! do any of you have anything you've been wanting to say but haven't been able to?

BOY, DO I! I'VE GOT THUMBS NOW AND I'M MAKING IT EVERYONE ELSE'S PROBLEM!

Deklan is awesome. I'll curse you BAD if you even imply otherwise. They caught me in this decrepit old house and I was initially drawn to them because they were full of spite, and it was really good for feeding on. They're still really spiteful and I still feed off that, but they're also super kind when they have a strong bond with someone :)

That's even with their body being all busted up too. They're always checking in on us and making sure we're comfortable, and sometimes we have to make sure they don't extend themselves too thin. I think they feel bad for relying on us so much sometimes? But, uh, we have feelings and stuff. Personalities. All that. If we were unhappy or didn't want to, any of us could stop obeying their orders and requests. We all- okay well I'm not completely sure where Spotty and Honedge stand yet, but me and Cupcake and Serperior at minimum all wish we could fix them. Seeing the limitations set in was really scary?

And since we can't fix them, we do the next best thing, which is helping them. I'm often a nighttime snuggle buddy, and Cupcake helps them go places by carrying them on his back, and Serperior... Well you can't exactly break the bond between a person and their first Pokémon. Now there's Spotty and Honedge too. Spotty helps give them energy by taking a bit of Serperior's when he's sunning himself and giving it to them, and Honedge helps Sterling take care of us when they feel too yucky to do it themselves

I think this is a pretty great group :)

Yeah, I've got a few things to say. He often pretends he doesn't, but Sterling's got a really big heart under that super rough exterior. He shows that through actions, not words. And if he's doing something that doesn't seem likely to come from him, he's got a reason that he's just not saying out loud.

He's also terrible at taking compliments. Just, terrible. He freezes and then says something that sounds like he wants to hurt the person who said it. I've known this guy my whole life and it's only gotten worse. But it's also pretty funny.

Also? That "drink" he makes is more like sludge. Turn it down if he ever offers you any. That thing is a one-way ticket to meeting Arceus itself.

[comical-croagunk]

This seems dangerous. -Serperior

serperior use leaf blade bisexual sunday!

[syntheticavenger]

better off

Thank you to @geminixevans-stan for giving me the cheerleading I needed to get this finished.

Senator! Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Word Count: 1.8K

Warnings: World building so nothing really, unless you count heavy angst and mentions of a break up. If you follow my work, I’ve sprinkled in an Easter egg in here from another fic.

Summary | Keeping busy is something you know how to do well, especially after the publicized break up with your ex. As his political fame rises, so does the need for you to focus on yourself and keeping your walls up for self-preservation. If only it was that simple.

The ringing in his ears has finally stopped, President Wilson’s State of the Union speech bringing people to their feet, the applause thundering for more than a few minutes. 

Sam Wilson hasn’t always been known to be a rousing orator - years as a VA counselor meant he led with empathic firmness - but the determination in his voice, two years after the battle with former President Ross had nearly brought the world to the brink of destruction, President Wilson’s speech would be forever cemented in history.

“Senator Barnes!” A woman shouts, a microphone thrust in his face as she turns on her megawatt smile like she’s turned on some internal switch. “President Wilson’s speech is being hailed as a tremendous achievement, bringing multiple party lines together. As a longtime friend to President Wilson, I am sure you’re very proud of him tonight.”

”Very,” Bucky agrees, seeing Jules, the head of his staff, tap her watch. “President Wilson did not hold back on reminding the public of the things he had promised once he got into office and how he has delivered these promises to the great people of the United States and our allies and friends.”

Jules mouths the time as he pivots to leave.

”Thank you Senator, always a pleasure!”

The flashes of the cameras and more reporters yelling for him for another sound bite only makes his steps quicken to the waiting car. Normally, he would stop for another interview but time is of the essence - he has a speech he will be delivering to his constituents in less than six hours. 

“You alright?” Jules asks, looking up from her phone to inspect her boss. “We can move the speech back by a day, you know. You’ll get two hours of sleep if you’re lucky.”

”Two hours is a start.”

He can see her running her teeth over her lower lip, which means she wants to say more, even as her eyes go back to her phone.

”Jules.”

Her head snaps to attention at the mention of her name.

”Hmm?”

”What’s wrong?”

”Uh, nothing, I…” she trails off. “I sent her flowers. It’s her birthday today.”

Immediately he goes silent, his head sinking back into the headrest while Jules lets out a sad sigh. 

“It doesn’t have your name on it if that’s what you’re worried about,” she says quickly, pushing her black rimmed glasses back up her nose. “You didn’t ask this time but I figured you were busy with everything else going on so, I -”

”I didn’t forget. It’s been almost a year and a half.”

”I’m sorry, Bucky. I didn’t mean to interfere, I just know that you used to…” she stops, shaking her head as if to remind herself to drop the subject. “I’ll shut up.”

The car ride is quiet for a moment - almost too quiet to where he can hear the soft pull of the leather when he adjusts in his seat.

He knows exactly what day it is. He woke up this morning wondering what you would be doing, how a year prior he woke you up to breakfast in bed, a myriad of gifts placed around the room for you to open. You never wanted anything fancy, just a small celebration and he had done just that.

How it had all gone wrong was his fault.

”I’m sorry,” comes Jules’ reply after a moment. 

“I’m not mad, Jules,” Bucky replies. “Thank you for sending her flowers. For doing what I wanted to do but didn’t.”

”Why didn’t you?”

”She stopped taking my phone calls a year ago. I got the hint.”

”It wasn’t your finest moment,” Jules counters with a nod. “I think you had noble intentions.”

He lets out a snort as the car turns down the street, the airport in full view.

”Noble intentions? That usually means -“

”You fucked it up. She was good for you, Bucky. Remember President Barber? Married his VP! Now he’s the governor of Massachusetts and deliriously happy. You have to allow yourself to be happy, your constituents are great and the ones that aren’t? You give ‘em a big middle finger and move on.”

Jules is pleased with her little speech, nodding at the end of it as Bucky turns to look at her.

”You think she would survive these stories about my past? I barely survived.”

Jules pokes him in the shoulder.

”And look at you now,” she clarifies. “A whole public servant, Senator Barnes.”

-

Deep pink roses greet you when you open the door to your office, wrapped in a happy birthday sash in a sage green.

Your favorite color.

These same ones were delivered to your apartment two days ago, the ribbon a light pink. A gift from Jules, you know that much. Ever since she had seen you wear a pink dress to a dinner, instead of your monochromatic go-tos, she’d decided that pink was your favorite color.

It was a nice gesture, of course, acknowledging the occasion.

Birthdays are a thing of the past now, something you force yourself to think of as any other day, 

You have nowhere to put them, wondering if you can get a vase today in between your packed schedule. Running a business isn’t for the weak but it’s kept you busy and that’s all you can hope for these days.

Your attention goes back to the roses, a card peeking out from it that you hadn’t seen before. It could be anyone but you know it isn’t.

In fact, the minute you slip the silver letter opener under the envelope flap, you’re aware of the writing. It isn’t wordy but succinct and to the point, your eyes settling on his penmanship.

Happy birthday, beautiful. I miss you every day.

You’ve been strong.

Even when he was ending things, wiping your tears as he apologized over and over for hurting you - for hurting both of you - over a decision that he thought was best, you had been strong enough to know that you’d have to process the hurt, the feeling of betrayal that you believed you had been enough. 

Strong meant living the shared apartment you’d had for two years, mailing the key and garage opener certified mail as you licked your wounds, leaving a job you loved because you knew you would run into him and that was nearly as devastating a thought as the breakup itself. You’d cursed his name into your pillow, hot tears sinking into the satin fabric before you woke each day, a little stronger than the last.

You could be stronger, you tell yourself, shoving the card and envelope into a drawer when a knock at your door brings you back to center. After a moment, a head pokes inside, your assistant Rea cocking her head at the sight of you. Trying to fix your expression, you’re aware that you’ve let your emotions get the better of you, straightening your shoulders as Rea walks up to your desk.

”Goddamn it,” Rea mutters, pushing the door open as you try to sit up straight. “He did it again, didn’t he?”

She inspects them carefully, picking them up to inhale the scent.

”He’s good at this,” she continues, voiced filled with praise before it takes on a cautionary tone. “Are you gonna give in?”

You’re quick to deny her, shoving the card into the drawer.

”Give into what? Flowers for my birthday don’t mean anything.”

”It’s a nice gesture. Expensive too. I know French roses when I see them. ”

”Do you want them?” you ask, seeing her face go into shock at your offer.

”What?” Rea asks. “They’re for your birthday.”

”I don’t celebrate my birthday anymore, remember? They’re all yours.”

”I mean, you don’t have to tell me twice,” Rea says, pulling the bouquet toward her. “ I couldn’t impose… but if you insist.”

She doesn’t move from near your desk, intently watching you for a moment.

“What?” you ask, giving her a look.

“Happy birthday, boss. You may not believe in celebrating things anymore but I’m grateful for you every day.”

Rea gives you a smile before she plucks the bouquet off of the desk.

”And don’t stay late tonight because I know you,” she says in finality, closing the door behind her.

-

Jules watches as Bucky paces in his hotel suite, his tie hanging over his neck as he practices his notes. His support of a veterans bill means five rows dedicated to those who have served, the glint of his metal hand peeking out from his white shirt. He’s deep in thought, the minutes ticking by until he has to finish getting ready.

A notification on her phone makes her glance down.

Thank you. 

She knows better than to share this news, as small as it may seem. Her little confession about sending you flowers had turned into an uncomfortable silence, him diving headfirst into work. Great for his constituents and bad for her personal life. Focusing on his work meant more interviews, more town halls and more canvassing for up and coming electoral candidates.

It’s what he doesn’t say, the way he checks his phone to see if there are any signs of communication before placing it face down on the table, to the way he not so casually glances at your now deleted social media to see if you resurfaced.

Jules knows how quickly you had swept your presence off of social media, quitting your job at the law firm to pursue your own career. Whispers around your former social circles had said you had disappeared to start your own bid for office, a ploy to get back at Bucky for breaking up with you.

She’d known better.

If anything, removing all traces of your presence had been devastating, especially with how quickly you had done it.

Neither of you had gotten the closure you needed, him so quick to end things when the media began to poke around your personal life, cameras popping up when you least expected them and how his name was now appearing in fashion magazines, rather than the political heavyweight papers. He’d given you an out and you’d taken it and then some, leaving him reeling with a sense of loss that still continues to be felt, even by the way he’s written in a clause that his personal life is completely off limits when it comes to interviews.

And you, quick to accept your fate, ceasing all communication with him. The bad timing of his speaking engagements had meant he had left days after, leaving you to simply mail what was left of your relationship.

You hadn’t been there to see the absolute despair in his eyes, how fast his walls had come up when she had asked him if he needed time.

He checks his phone again, shaking his head as if to get himself out his thoughts, quickly fixing his tie in the mirror.

“Ten minutes,” Jules says in a warning, another notification coming through.

Jules? Tell him thank you as well.

She hides her smile at the idea of him sending you flowers after all.

[respectthepetty]

The Loyal Pin - Episode 6

The first reason I loved this episode was the fact that this episode began with the girls not only switching patterns (floral vs. lines) but also switching positions.

The second reason I loved this episode was Prik being extra by making noises and motions just to let Pin know that she knew what the lesbians were doing, and it wasn't sleeping.

And the third reason I loved this episode was THE SEX!

Pin and Anin kissing each other wherever and whenever is the kind of romantic storytelling I want to see!

And Pin and Anin having sex wherever and whenever is the kind of historical GL storytelling I want to see.

But as happy as I am that Pink Person Pin wore purple to combine her and Blue Beauty Anin's color,

And that they went on a a little date that paralleled the date that they had before Anin left for England the first time,

There are still color-coded forces (unintentionally) standing between them.

So even though these color-coded girls are in love

And having great sex about it,

Other people will continue to be whole ass problems for them!

(Not Pranot though. He sits at the same table with Prik since they are the only two people who seem to already support queer rights and wrongs!)

Because Anin's color-coded brother is being a big problem!

Anon has been consistently red color-coded, but Anin's oldest brother, Anantawut, who was once blue like her, stayed entirely brown this episode.

Which could be an issue if it means he'll become more traditional, conservative, and predictable.

And although I don't think Pin's mom ever means any harm, she is the epitome of femininity and womanhood.

She can cook. She can clean. She can manage an entire compound of servants all while looking docile, so as much as I love that Pin received the ruby set from Anin's mom for her birthday,

It feels like the jewelry is the first real step into chaining down Pin into a traditional role of womanhood like her mother since this came after the conversation about Pin and Anin needing to get married sooner rather than later.

Normally, red would be passion and heart, which is nice that Anin decided to put red berries on Pin's cake to show her she loved Pin.

But Pin lost her color a bit this episode when she became depressed that Anin was leaving again. Only the tiniest bit of pink lingered at the edge of her dress.

So I think her mother will be even more adamant that Pin get married so she will be too preoccupied with her husband and (new color) to dwell on her best friend being gone, but I think there is an ally in our royal midst!

Anantawut's new wife also seems like the epitome of femininity and womanhood because she can cook, clean, and take care of her prince.

But when I look closer, she is wearing pink AND blue.

And at the lunch where marriage is discussed, she is, once again, wearing pink and blue with a purple skirt (pictured above)

So even though Blue Beauty Anin doesn't have control of her circumstances now.

And neither does Pink Person Pin (who did not deserve to be left without a goodbye!)

I have faith that someone in this family will be able to support the girls when the times come because Prik can't be the only person in this house I respect.

Right?

[comical-croagunk]

still adjusting... to suddenly being human... but it's not terribly bad. i enjoy my hat...

deklan seems... more prone to feeling miserable, though... they can't connect with people like usual... and trying to comfort them physically has become difficult...

- spotty

Hello Rotomblr!

How is everyone doing today?

[mphoenix-7]

Bitter Allies [Soap x Reader]

Chapter 2: The Heat of Battle

Summary: The mission continues even after Soap warns you not to engage.

The slow burn continues.

Word Count: 4,427

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, swearing, blood, violence, death (not main characters), Soap is still mean, angst

A/N: This seems to be doing fairly well on here, so I’m going to post a few more chapters that are out currently on Wattpad. If it gets a big enough following, I’ll keep updating. Just a reminder my Wattpad username is Emily7love, and you can find Bitter Allies there as well!

Masterlist | <- Previous | Next ->

Bitter Allies • Part 2

The rifle kicked back hard against your shoulder as the first bullet excited the barrel of the gun. The silencer on the end did its job at making sure the discharge was hardly heard. However, it became obvious very quickly to the group of four men that they were under attack. As soon as the first man had been shot, they were all alerted.

The first shot you fired was a direct hit to the man's head, and he went down quick. You quickly snapped over to the guy standing on the left, also hitting that target successfully. Already you'd proved Soap wrong. However, this was where things got difficult.

In any kind of armed combat, seconds greatly mattered. Eliminating two targets was easy as long as you could land the shots. By the time the second guy realized something was up, only one second has passed, and by then he was mostly likely already gone. The third guy, however, had a lot more time to react, and the fourth even more so.

Two clean head shots, but by then, the other two had reacted. One was moving to cover and the other stood his ground, weapon raised right at you. A trigger pull away from death, but in this profession, that was always the case.

Their movement disrupted the zig-zag pattern you had hoped on making, forcing you to take additional seconds when aiming at the third guy. You originally had gone for the one running for cover to stop him from alerting other troops, but then your attention shifted to the guy who was looking at you from down his own barrel. That now became your top priority and costed you even more seconds due to switching targets.

You were pretty lucky. You managed to fire before the guy's finger could put enough pressure on the trigger. The shots were sloppy, but three clean hits to the torso did the job.

Once he was downed, you did a quick scan of the area, looking for the fourth guy. He'd no doubt already contacted someone else, blowing your cover. Your heart had already been hammering away in your chest but now it seemed to thump even harder at the realization you'd just completely screwed up this mission.

You keep your weapon raised in a firing position but allow your head to hang down, eyes squeezed shut. Your grip on your gun tightens, prepared any second now to hear the alarms go off, signaling something was wrong. The mission would just have to go on though. Albeit much more dangerous now, but it still needed to continue.

"Fuck, (y/n)..." You mutter to yourself. "Just find Soap and get to cover... You've survived worse-"

Not even ten seconds after you dumped the third target, you heard a soft thump and saw the fourth target laying dead up ahead. A knife was embedded into his neck, blood pooling rapidly in the dirt. A split second later, Soap emerged from behind the cover, ripping his knife from the target's throat with a swift, practiced motion. His icy gaze locked onto you, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent a spray of blood across the dirt. He sheathed his knife and strode toward you, each step radiating fury.

Before you knew it, he was grabbing a fist full of your uniform and slamming you back against the vehicle you'd been using for cover. You hoped the sound of your back hitting the metal door didn't attract any attention.

"What the fuck was that, States?!" He yelled at you as loudly as he dared given your current location. "The fucking hell were you thinking?? You nearly just blew our damn cover! Are you that much of a pure hackit that you can't follow fucking orders?!" He was seething mad, his accent noticeable thicker. This is probably the worst you've ever seen him, and you've seen Soap mad a lot. Still, you had some venom of your own.

"You are not my superior. You can't give me orders." You growl, hands coming up to grip his as they kept you pinned. You kept your eyes on his, refusing to break eye contact with him.

"Oh, can't I? Last I checked you weren't even a permanent member of this team." He smirks back, voice quieter now, but still just as dangerous.

"Still a member of this team, dumbass."

"You think you will be after this?"

His words hung heavy with you. Would Price really kicked you off the team for this? Nothing happened, you and Soap were alive, and the mission hadn't been compromised. Still, taking on four men by yourself when your field partner didn't want to wasn't exactly working as a team. Then again the same could be said for Soap not being willing to go with your plan.

"Nothing happened. I landed two perfect headshots and took down the third all by myself. We were fine." You try to defend yourself, foolishly getting caught up in trying to prove Soap wrong and forgetting about the fourth guy.

"Doesn't matter if you landed three perfect fucking head shots if the fourth one fucks us over, now does it!? What about the fourth guy, huh? What about him, States?! He was a second away from radioing for help. You almost cost us the entire mission and put us both at risk! You're up a pure dafty." He was still gripping your vest tightly, keeping you pressed back against the vehicle.

"Well that wouldn't have been a problem if you had just trusted me, and if we took them out together like I wanted to." You bite back. "And you were wrong. You said I couldn't land those headshots, and I did."

"You still on about that? So you got lucky! You're still bloody inconsistent. You make one half decent shot and then fuck up the next ten. Just like you did on that third and fourth target."

"Well that's what I have a teammate for! To help me take down targets! And you got him, so what's the big deal?"

Soap laughs at you then, a stressed and angry laugh. His head tips back slightly, and he shakes it. "That's your idea of teamwork?" He laughs, meeting your eyes again. "Forcing me to have to rush into a kill? How the hell did someone like you ever pass selection? You are horrible at this job, States. Just pack up and go home before you get actual good soldiers killed." With that, he finally releases you, roughly letting go of your vest but still remaining in front of you.

His words hurt. They made you tremble with rage. Your hands were balled up into fists at your side as you held back the urge to punch him. "You'd like that very much, wouldn't you?" You growl back to him, standing your ground as Soap takes two steps closer to you, his face practically inches from your own.

"Very much so." He nods, a little intimidating as he looked down at you.

"Well it's not going to happen. You are never going to make me leave. So get used to me being around, you hackit." You weren't even really sure what that word meant, but if Soap called you it, you knew it probably wasn't a nice thing to say.

Soap scoffs at you as you say the Scottish word. "You are the most stubborn and-"

"Bravo 7-1, Bravo 7-4, this is Bravo 0-7, give me sit rep." Ghost's voice crackled in your ear, and Soap's as well, cutting him off. You'd been quiet for too long.

Right as you brought a hand up to your radio to answer Ghost, Soap grabbed your wrist. "This isn't over, States." He warns, his voice filled with promise as he pushed your hand away from your radio. He then brought his free hand to his radio and answered Ghost.

"Ran into some trouble thanks to States. We're clear now. Still need to make entry."

"Copy," Ghost answers. "Got word there's some Russian vehicles about ten clicks out. We've got about fifteen minutes before we need to get off the mark."

"Shite." Soap curves. That wasn't going to be enough time. You still needed to make entry and disable their security. Even if you and Soap were quick and ran into no problems, that didn't leave enough time for the Alpha teams to come in, secure General Azamat, and leave before those Russian vehicles showed up.

"Ghost, that's not gonna be enough time." Soap tells him, backing away from you and pacing a little. His face was concentrated, forgetting about everything that happened earlier and focusing on the mission now.

"If we pull out now, we miss our chance," Ghost warns, his voice low and steady. "They'll know someone messed with their generators, and security will tighten up. Next time will be a hell of a lot harder."

"Then what's the plan?" Soap asks, sounding frustrated. This mission was going belly up very quickly.

Then you got an idea. "Ghost, send Alpha team to the front to draw their attention. That will pull most of the men in the camp to that area. Meanwhile, Soap and I will infiltrate the building, disable security, and secure General Azamat. You mentioned he'd most likely be inside this building, right? Once we have him, we'll need an exfil ready at the back of the camp. Disabling the main building's systems should open the back gate. Once we're out, Alpha team can pull back."

Without even giving Soap the opportunity to input his feedback, Ghost approved your plan. "Solid Plan B. Sending in Alpha Team now. Russian vehicles are nine clicks out. Move fast."

"Copy." You nod, glancing up at Soap. He still looked at you like how he always did, but something was different. You didn't know if it was a good or bad different though. It only lasted a few seconds before his usually hard and familiar expression returned.

"This doesn't change anything." He growls, as gunfire can be heard behind you, near the front of the camp.

Instantly, shouts can be heard from the West Building, and the quiet camp became alive. The area with all the tents where Soap wanted to cut through earlier start to rustle as men wake up to join the fight. In an effort not to get caught, Soap quickly runs over to one of the parked vehicles and pulls the door open.

"Inside! Now!" He hurriedly tells you, standing out of the way so you could get in first. Moving fast, you jump inside, feeling Soap give up a push to help boost you into the vehicle before getting in himself and closing the door. He pulls out his pistol, and you do the same, making sure to cock it.

"Get behind the driver's side seat and stay low." He tells you, wiggling a bit to try and fit himself into the same position behind the passenger's side. Him being bigger and more bulkier than you made it a lot harder for him to wedge in there comfortably.

A few seconds later, two men are getting into the vehicle from the driver and passenger side. You and Soap both duck down further once you hear the car door's open. The second they shut, you're moving. Like you'd been fighting together for years, you both wordlessly spring up and shoot the men in the side of the head.

From inside the vehicle, you can see and hear the others driving off, as well as see the area clearing out. You try to wait it out for as long as you can until the door by Soap open up. Another solider just thinking the vehicle was waiting for more passengers and trying to get in. He lets out a surprised yell at seeing Soap there, but is quickly silenced. Soap shoots him, shoves the dead body back, and then closes the door.

"Out your side!" He says, knowing that was going to attract a lot of attention from the few stragglers still trying to wake up and join the action. You quickly do as he says, pushing the door open and tumbling out with Soap right behind you. Without looking back to see how many enemies are in pursuit, you sprint for the West Building, focusing solely on reaching cover. Though how much safety and cover you'd find in that building, you didn't bank on it being much.

Surprisingly, there aren't any bullets being fired towards you as you run. Either the men hadn't seen you somehow, or they thought you were on the same side. Regardless, you weren't going to question it as you burst through the door with Soap, weapons raised.

The hallways were empty aside from two men, which Soap quickly took out. Once somewhat safe, you radioed in to Ghost. "Bravo 7-1 and 4 inside now. Heading to main security room to disable it."

"Copy. Seven clicks." Ghost updates. "Give 5 minutes for exil."

"Roger," Soap confirms before moving to the stairs. "Behind me. I'll take point." He tells you, starting up the steps with his weapon raised. You follow behind him closely, watching your six and trusting Soap to guide you up. The security panel you needed to access was on the top floor of the building, which was the third floor.

The stairs were clear, which made sense. Most of the men were probably filing down the stairs near the front since that's where all the action was. The security room, however, was not empty. As you approached the door, you could hear voices speaking Russian on the other side.

"I hear at least five." You say, making Soap give you a look as he position himself on the other side of the doorframe.

"There's no fucking way you can count how many there are based on voices." He claims, pulling out one of his flashbang grenades. "Flash out." He opens the door a crack and tosses it inside, waiting for the loud bang. As soon as it goes off, he kicks the door open and pushes in. He takes on the targets more directly in front and left while you focus on the ones to the right and to the far side of the room.

The room was clear in seconds. "Clear." Soap confirms, lowering his gun and making his way quickly to the panel. "There were more than five." He mutters, pulling out some bombs and securing them to different places on the panel.

"I said at least five." You point out with an eye roll, keeping your attention on the door that lead into the room.

"That just sounds like a lucky guess then." He claims, backing away from the panel. "Clear out. Charges are set." He tells you, pulling your attention over to the flashing red lights of the bombs he's just placed. You were about to do what he told you before your attention was pulled to the screen.

"Wait. Look." You tell him, walking over to the screen and pointing to it. "This is a map of the building. Look at this room down here. It's a bunker. I bet that's where our General is." You say. "Bet it's locked up. Hold off on blowing the charges until we're down there. Once the power goes out, the doors should open and we can take him by surprise."

Soap is hesitant, his jaw tight before he finally mutters a, "fine." Then instead of talking to you further, he radios in to Ghost. "Bravo 0-7, charges are set. We suspect Azamat's holed up in a bunker in this building. Moving to position by the bunker doors and then we'll blow the charge."

"Roger. Five clicks."

With that, you and Soap quickly make your way back down to the first floor to locate the bunker. Time was not on your side, so you needed to move fast. You of course ran into more resistance along the way. That was to be expected. Soap though, ever true to his callsign, breezed through it like it was nothing. It was like he'd gotten to practice and memorized the course ahead of time. He looked so in his element, almost like he was having fun. It was a nice change from the usual sour attitude he had around you. And for once, you were actually sort of working with him like you would Ghost or Gaz. Given the chaotic nature of the mission probably had a lot to do with that, but you hoped this would finally mark a breakthrough point with the Scot.

Once you'd gotten to the room where the bunker was supposed to be, all you needed to do was find it, blow the charges, and get the General. To your utter joy, the bunker was the most obvious thing in the room. A big metal door with a flashing red light above it. You took up the same positions you did last time at the security room as Soap pulled out the detonator.

"Bravo 0-7, we are outside the bunker and getting ready to blow the charges. Send in exfil." Soap updates Ghost.

"Done. Take the General the alive. Three and a half clicks."

Soap looks to you then. "When I blow this, all the lights are going to go out. Once I get the door open, throw a flash in. And for the love of sweet Jesus, do not kill Azamat."

You scowl at him, irritated that he was talking to you still like you were some lousy, trigger happy marine. Guess things haven't changed too much. "Yeah. I went to all the mission briefs and literally heard Ghost say that three seconds ago. I haven't forgotten."

"So she does listen. Shocker." As he speaks, he holds the detonator up and then presses the button, not giving you the chance to reply. There's a loud explosion upstairs, one that makes the building shake a little bit. The lights immediately power off, and you lower the night vision goggles attached to your helmet.

The red light above the door flickers a few times before going out, and the locks click loudly as they release. There's shouting heard from inside as the people in there start to panic. You ready a flashbang as Soap heaves the door open, and once there's a crack big enough for the flashbang, you toss it inside. There's a loud pop as it goes out and a bright flash of light. It causes the people inside to scream and spew out what you can only assume are curses in Russian.

As Soap finishes pushing the door open, you take point, able to see the room and the people inside thanks to the night vision goggles. You identify General Azamat instantly and work on taking out anyone in the room who posed a threat.

You aim at the heads of the men inside, but they were wearing helmets, making it more difficult to land decent shots. The flashbang had made them all very disoriented, buying you more time to actually line up the shots.

Soon, all the guards around General Azamat were downed, and Soap charged the General, who was pulling a pistol from his holster. You hear the grunt from Soap as he rams the General against the wall. There's a struggle as Soap forces the gun to point upwards and six bullets are rapidly discharged from the pistol. Once the gun is only making clicking sounds, signaling an empty clip, Soap punches the General, sending him to the ground.

"Stay the fuck down!" He growls at the General as he goes to restrict his hands behind his back. The voice he was using sounded familiar to the one he used with you when you argued.

The General curses Soap out in Russian, and you go to help him secure the target. Right as you kneel down to help though, Soap pushes you away.

"Cover the door in case-"

The room is filled with the sound of gunfire, and bright flashes come from the doorway. Soap gets hit and falls back, gasping, as you quickly raise your gun and return fire. The guy shooting hadn't been wearing any chest plates and went down with a few shots. As soon as it was clear again, you grab at the General, who was trying to get up now that Soap wasn't holding him down.

"Soap! Oh my God, are you ok?!" You ask, wanting to check on him, but you couldn't let go of the general. You see him from the corner of your eye, lying back, and can hear him gasping still. You worried his injuries were fatal. Sure, you couldn't stand Soap, but you didn't want him to die either.

Then, he leans forward and grabs at General Azamat. "Hit... the plate.." He gasps out, getting his breath back slowly. A second later, he'd pushed through the pain and pressed his pistol into Azamat's head.

"Stop moving, fucker! Get up!" He commands, hooking his free arm around his restrained ones and hauling him to his feet. "Walk!" He shouts once the General is up, giving him a harsh push and keeping the gun aimed at him.

"Who are you?" The General asks, his accent heavy as Soap pushes him out of the bunker. You take point, still a bit shaken up from Soap being shot.

"Shut the hell up and walk!" He growls, opting to grab a handful of the back of the General's suit and push him along instead. It was faster that way. While you make your way out of the West Building back the way you came, you radio to Ghost.

"Bravo 0-7, this is Bravo 7-4. Target secure. Repeat, target is secure. Heading to exfil now."

"Ah. An American." You hear Azamat say, earning a rough shove from Soap.

"I said shut up!”

"Copy that 7-4," Ghost replies. "Exfil in two minutes. Russians are one click out. Move it. Alpha team is pulling back."

"This is gonna be close." Soap mutters under his breath. He begins to pick up the pace a bit, or as much as he can while dragging along a General who didn't want to go with you.

Once outside, you're practically running to the gates, shooting at anyone you can. There was hardly any cover and more and more men seemed to be popping up. About halfway to the exit, you can see bullets hitting the dirt by your feet and hear them wizz past you. This was definitely the most dangerous position you'd been in during your whole career. At least in the other firefights you'd been in, you had your entire squad behind you. This time, it was just you and Soap.

A gargling yelling sound makes you look back, and you see the General is hunched over and falling to his knees. Soap is trying to get him back up, but he's not moving.

"Fuck! He's been shot." Soap notices, seeing red begin to stain his tan uniform. "States, keep moving!" He shouts over the gunfire, hoisting the General over his shoulder and continuing the run.

Your heart is pounding loudly in your ears, adrenaline the only thing keeping your legs moving. Before you know it though, you're through the gate, and you can see your exfil vehicle ahead.

"There it is!" You shout to Soap. "Almost there!" You push harder, your lungs burning. Someone from the passenger side of your exfil vehicle jumps out and opens your door. You pile in first and then help drag the General in as Soap gets him in the car. As bullets start to spray against the side of the vehicle, Soap jumps in. He is practically on top of the General, and slams his door shut.

"Go, go, go!!" Soap yells to the driver. You hear bullets showering the side of the vehicle, and the driver floors it, making you grip tightly onto the handle on the ceiling.

Once you can't hear the bullets hitting the metal doors of the vehicle anymore, you sigh a breath of relief. This mission had been a lot harder than you thought it was going to be. And it wasn't even over yet.

"States, help me sit him up." Soap says, getting your attention and pulling you out of your daze. You do as he asks, moving Azamat out from under Soap to the seat in the middle. Once he's sitting up, you can see his face has paled significantly and there was blood all over the seat and his suit.

"Shite.." Soap cures as you instantly start to apply pressure to the man's stomach. "Ghost, we have General Azamat and are on our way to the rendezvous. He's been shot though and is losing a lot of blood."

"Copy that. Keep him breathing. I'll have medical on standby. What about you and States?"

"We're good." He answers, turning his attention on the man's wound now. "Aside from feeling like I took a bullet to my chest. Oh wait, that did happen." Soap mutters, looking at you angrily.

You look up from where your hands are currently placed on the General's side, blood gushing out from between your fingers. You meet Soap's gaze and glower at him.

"Seriously? You're going to blame me for you getting shot in the plate?" Though of course he was going to blame that on you. Cause why wouldn't he?

"It's one hundred percent your fault! Someone needed to cover the door!" Soap was grabbing a med kit from under the seat and violently opening it to get some medical supplies.

"Are you fucking- you know what? No. I'm not doing this with you right now. This dude is bleeding out, and I'm not going to have you distract me and then blame this dude dying on me! Give me those fucking bandages!" You rip them from his hand and start stuffing the wound, making the General moan in protest.

"Whatever, States. Fuck you too."

You don't say a word to each other after that. The only words spoken are by you trying to keep the General awake, Soap talking to Ghost over the comms, or the occasion word or two from the guys in the front seats, talking to the other teams.

You couldn't wait to get to the helo, hand General Azamat off to the medical staff, and then get away from Soap.

[comical-croagunk]

April Fool's!

[this post is pretty long due to pictures, multiple short introductions, and explaining how this event will work]

Deklan wakes up with a grumble to a persistent and somewhat annoying buzzing sound, rubbing their gooey head with their gooey hand.

... That's not right.

They open their eyes and stare at their arm, which is now very green. And has a bunch of blobs in it. It's familiar, but they can't place it with sleepiness calling to them still.

"Deklan," a voice says, cutting through the buzzing in the room.

"Wuh?" they reply, finally looking away from their arm in the direction of the voice. They see... a Yanma?? They don't own a Yanma. It's hovering close to them and staring- or they think it is, at least. Deklan goes to swat at it; the Yanma dodges easily.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO FUCKING KILL ME?" says the Yanma, and they jolt, startled. But the inflection is so familiar, they could place the name to the voice even while dreaming.

"... Sterling?" they say, squinting their eyes slightly.

The Yanma- Sterling- sighs, dropping onto their blankets. The buzzing sound stops when he does, and they realize it was coming from the wings. "Finally. I've been trying to wake you up for the last ten minutes. We're both Pokémon, for some fucking reason, but I'm less concerned about that and more concerned about the PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE."

Deklan drops a flat "there's what", rising up out of bed. Sterling's comment about being a Pokémon doesn't even register; there's people in their house and there shouldn't be. "How did- what? What? Our Pokémon would've alerted us??? Or so I hope- agh, come on!"

They beeline for the door, Sterling right behind them. They stop in the hall, listening to try and pinpoint where the intruders are. Hushed voices get their attention pretty quickly. "... They're in the kitchen, I think?" they mumble.

"Mm. You want to startle them and then try attacking, or be sneaky about it?" he asks.

"I think your wings would give a stealth mission away... uh." Deklan looks at their arms again, then at the floor at the top of the stairs, which they're very much not standing on. "... Hang on. Am I a fucking REUNICLUS?"

"Shhh! Do you want them to hear us??" Sterling hisses at them.

A tall, peculiarly-dressed stranger appears at the foot of the stairs.

"We've been able to hear you both. You haven't exactly been quiet."

"WHAT THE FUCK," Sterling practically shrieks. Deklan, on the other hand, is focused on the stranger's eyes. They know those eyes very well. They've been around those eyes for over a decade.

"... Serperior?" they ask.

They receive a nod in turn. "Hello, Deklan. Sterling. Despite these... deeply unusual circumstances, it's good to see you both."

"Huh. Interesting. Hi!" They smile at their long-time friend and partner Pokémon.

"What the hell..." Sterling mumbles. "So, wait. You can understand us even while we're like this? And we can understand you?"

"Certainly. Honedge thinks it's likely because all of us are Pokémon to start with, not to mention some of us have been alongside one of you for a very long time." Serperior levels them both with a slightly intense stare. "I am not the only one affected. We've been practicing introductions for a little while. Please do not yell so much when you see the others. Not everybody is handling it as well as I am."

He beckons for them both to follow, then disappears back into the kitchen. Sterling and Deklan exchange a glance, then follow the now-human Pokémon.

"Oh, shit," Deklan says once they enter.

"Good morning!" Cupcake, their Stoutland, greets. "I tried going outside to check and see if anybody came near the house in the night, but my senses are... very dulled in this form."

Deklan offers him a kind smile. They're going to be normal about this. "Aw, thank you. That's appreciated."

He nods, the corners of his mustache lifting up a bit in what they assume is a smile.

"This is Spotty... How are your energy levels today?" their Shiinotic asks.

"Oh, um-" They hadn't been paying attention, really. They look down at their body as best as they can, then spin around slowly in the air once. "... I think it's fine? This is more jarring than anything. I don't have legs to exhaust. And my arms are huge."

She hums, and they're surprised that it sounds so lovely. "That's good... Let me know if that changes. I'm more than happy to continue lending you... well, maybe not energy right now, but my physical support...?"

How nice of her! they think.

"Deklan! Deklan! Hey! It's me, Patch!" their ever-excitable Banette says, bouncing on his feet.

Whether he's smiling or not under his mask, his infectious mood makes them grin, too. "Hey, Patch. You're not getting up to anything too mischievous, are you?"

"Whoooooooo's asking?" he asks with a laugh. "No, no, I'm not. Serperior would have my head if I did right now. Maybe once I'm back to normal, whenever that is!"

Deklan shakes their head in amusement.

They spot the familiar colors of a Honedge's cloth waving at them from behind the counter.

"Uh...?" they ask.

Serperior leans over. "She doesn't particularly like how she looks, so she doesn't want to be seen directly all that much. She'll respond if you say something to her, though."

That makes sense. Deklan thinks of a topic, then starts talking. "Hi, Honedge! Have you given any more thought to the name thing yet?"

"Um. I like the letter L now also."

"Awesome. I'll take it into consideration."

The cloth gives them a thumbs up.

"Tox," Sterling says.

"Sterling," his Toxicroak replies. "... I always thought you'd be something cooler if you were a Pokémon. Like... a Luxray. Or a Rampardos. You're telling me I could punt you?"

He's thrown off so quickly that he barks with laughter before regaining his composure. He's still smiling, though. "Hey. Rude. Try and punt me, I dare you. I've already gotten a pretty good handle on these wings."

She grins, though it looks a little like a smirk, too. "Nah. I don't wanna add to the current issue."

"Fair."

He and Hunter stare at each other silently for a few moments before she speaks. "So this is what being human is like. Feels weird to be so... hairless. And to have thumbs."

"You're telling me. Being able to see everywhere without turning my head is kind of headache-inducing. That's not even getting into the tail or wings," Sterling grumbles. "Your hair does look pretty nice, though. Makes you look just as fierce as you do as a Mightyena."

She bares her teeth at him, a gesture he's learned means that she's happy. "Thanks. I'll take what I can get when I look like this."

"... Hi," Lucky says meekly, peering out from behind Hunter.

"Hey." Sterling lowers himself so that his Dunsparce won't have to look up as much. "... Lots of changes in your life, huh?"

He looks down. "I miss my tent."

Oh, that's an easy fix, actually. "You're welcome to use the blankets on my bed. Honestly, do it whenever."

"... Really?" Lucky looks back to Sterling with a wondrous expression. "That's- thank you...!"

"Of course."

Serperior raps his knuckles against the counter. Once he has everyone's attention, he speaks.

"Well. Now that we've gotten introductions out of the way, what do we do first?"

---

[WELCOME TO THE APRIL FOOL'S EVENT!

We were planning on having this be just for a day, but with the amount of art I made... nah. This will be running UNTIL THE 8TH.

For the duration of the event, the now-human Pokémon are available for questions! You can still ask Sterling and Clobbopus things, but they currently can't understand anybody else aside from their own Pokémon (as well as each other), so anything directed towards them will instead be answered by one of their Pokémon. Tox will be answering most things directed to Sterling, if you want to get answers as to who he is without him evading the questions...

All posts for this event will be tagged with #ally switch gone wrong. Have fun!]

[comical-croagunk]

Could you actually teach Aggron to be financially responsible, whatever that means -patch

Financially responsible Aggron Friday!

[judgeanon]

So How About That Batgirl #3

I didn't transplant my review of #2 here because there wasn't that much more to say, especially in regards to Lady Shiva (which is always the most important part of any comic with her in it for me) but #3, hooo boy, there's a lot to talk about for this one.

It introduces, or maybe just expands, a concept that kinda had me feeling a bit nervous but eventually won me over, and still has room for some fun narrative trickery. So I'm gonna go ahead and post my full review of the issue down here:

Picking off where #2 left off, #3 starts with Shiva and Cass on a train heading out of Gotham to meet some allies in their fight against the unburied. And Cass is noooot happy about it.

These opening pages follow the same character dynamic we've seen so far, with Cass openly rejecting her mother's remarks while inwardly rejecting her mother in general -- her inner monologue constantly reassuring herself that Shiva is a lonely manipulative monster while Cass is a good person, clearly to try to chase away the guilt of leaving everyone behind. The desperation in Cass' inner voice to paint Shiva as an unredeemable monster is very palpable and very good in the face of everything that's happened so far.

But the next pages made me a little concerned, with Shiva berating Cass while goading her about her relation with the batfamily. And while we've seen Shiva take jabs at that before, notably in Hill's Outsiders, back then it felt more pointed (and a little meta, what with the whole "He won't even let you be Batgirl" thing), while here Shiva's comments on languages, while true in a way, felt more openly cruel. Bordering on villainous.

Had the issue stayed this way, I would've been very worried about this whole arc turning into yet another milquetoast "Evil bio mom, good found family" yarn. But then the track switches.

The lion's share of the issue is dedicated to introducing the survivors of the Order of Shiva, who have dedicated thier lives not to just worship the deadliest hands on Earth, but to study, learn & better themselves through her example. Which is an idea that could've gone very wrong. Personally? I think this is kinnnnnda neat. Mostly.

The thing is, I've never been a fan of Shiva having any kind of cult or organization built around her. I think it's the kind of stuff that can weigh her down and, at worst, just be used to make her more of a pure villain, like in Dixon's RICHAR DRAGON run. But in this issue, the idea slowly won me over with how Brombal uses it to explore two overlooked aspects of Shiva:

The first is that Shiva, at her best, tends to inspire others. Just by entering a person's life, Shiva, tends to change their perceptions of reality, of what's possible. When Shiva entered Vic's life, she indirectly got him to question a lot of things about how he viewed reality. Same with Dinah and, yes, Cass herself. And this order seems to be entirely built on that idea of Shiva as someone who makes people rethink everything (albeit with way more altruism than Shiva herself).

The other thing this whole scene explores is Shiva's dualities and seeming contradictions, her nature as both destroyer and restorer. Which is something I'm always happy to see, especially nowadays. But this is also where my one big problem with this issue lies: it pays a lot of lip service to Shiva as a healer without actually showing it.

A mention is made of Cass rejecting Shiva's help, but an actual moment of Shiva using her healing skills, to me, would've really helped support High Priest's Jayesh gushing praise of that dual nature.

Just a couple of panels of her doing some funky pressure point head massage, it's all I'm asking.

Beyond that, I do have one nitpick that's just about the one thing that keeps me from fully embracing this idea, and that's Shiva's level of involvement with the order. Jayesh drops a hint of how he met Shiva, and she seems to care at least a little for him and for the Order, but there's not a lot said about how much she helped them build and maintain it.

If they're all people who ran into her, had their minds opened and built an order around their idea of her, that's one thing. If she helped them build it then that's another. Her small moments of caring do seem to indicate she's also warmed up to them, which would suggest some relatively high involvement, which I don't really like. I'd much prefer the order being something that Shiva is aware of but keeps at arm's length, a bunch of well-intentioned groupies that, like the issue says, follow her example rather than her orders. The bottom line is that I don't like anything that Shiva seems to be too attached to, but even if she was, I'm still mostly OK with this idea.

Anyway, the final leg of the issue is dedicated to a very entertaining chase and fight across the rest of the train that's a delight to see. And while my copy's all digital, I imagine it's way better in paper. Miyazawa and Spicer clearly have a lot of fun with these pages and it continues the run's interesting dynamic of Cass and Shiva never being fully in sync during a fight, always fighting each other as much as whoever's all around them.

But apart from the action, the thing that rang a lot of bells for me was Cass' narration as it insists again that Shiva is nothing but a monster and that Cass is nothing like her, eventually flowing towards a very heroic list of all her family members and their core traits that's very nice and heartwarming... and desperate.

Because the narration in this scene all reads to me like Cass arguing with herself. It reads desperately like her trying to chase away the dual thoughts that her mother may not be a complete monster AND that she herself, Cass, really is a lot like her mother.

Hell, the scene is literally Cass running away from Shiva, punching through what she sees as undisputable proof of her mother's lies while checklisting the family she does want and love, physically and mentally fighting against even the possibility of Shiva being worthy of more than her disgust. It's not Cass rejecting Shiva for being evil, it's her trying to reject the evidence that she may have something resembling good in her.

So the whole thing takes a very heroic cliche, Cass naming all these loved one to give her strength, and turns into a flailing flurry of mental gymnastics from Cass to allow herself to keep rejecting Shiva, to maintain this inner image of her as a monster while refusing any connection with her. And it's all pretty compelling stuff.

The issue then ends with one final surprise as Cass runs into the rest of Shiva's allies: a resurrected Nyssa Al-Ghul, Angel Breaker and a brand new character we'll apparently learn more about next month. So yeah, this was an interesting issue. The pacing of the arc is still a bit slow, but with all the players (hopefully) at the table and three issues to go, I hope the rest of the arc will pick up steam and keep chugging along smoothly.

I wasn't expecting the Order of Shiva to get much more play after #1. I certainly wasn't expecting them to get expanded like this. And I definitely didn't expect it to win me over this much. Minor quibbles aside, I gotta give props to Brombal for the obvious thought he's put when laying down these tracks for Shiva, and I'm definitely in for the rest of the ride.

(then again, maybe I'm just being blinded by the intense relatability of my man Jayesh over here. I feel you, brother. Hope you survive this arc)

[kaylatoonz]

Amy meets everyone but Sonic

I think it would be funny/interesting if Amy doesn’t meet Sonic until the end or near climax of the movie.

From what I can remember from the games, Amy would almost always do something small within the sideline of the story that becomes impactful in the main story. Best example of this is how her interaction between Silver and Shadow both play a part in them switching from antagonist to friends/allies to Sonic and his friends.

If the SCU introduces Amy in the third film I think this would be the best way to go about it if she doesn’t get as much screen time. There could be a side plot where Amy is trying to find Sonic but she meets everyone that has some connection to him instead. Each person she meets she helps/supports them in a small but impactful way that helps Sonic and friends in a big way by the climax or end of the film.

They could give us a taste of Amy’s strengths and feisty nature by showing her teaming up with knuckles (maybe give them a dynamic similar to Sonic X or IDW). Then they can establish her kindness and determination to help those who have been wronged, by showing her helping tails at his lowest point (maybe Amy helps tails in his SA2 arc or help him break sonic out of prison island). Finally, by the climax of the film Amy indirectly helps Sonic in the biggest way possible by reminding Shadow of his promise to Maria which encourages him to aid Sonic in saving the world.

Bonus points if throughout the film there this running gag of Sonic and Amy keep just missing each other.

Amy just left after helping knuckles and wade defend citizens from strange creatures (black arms?)

Sonic: sorry I’m late to the party, I heard from tails that you guys might need some back up

Knuckles: no need little brother we have defeated our new foe with the help of a valiant new ally.

Sonic:?

Wade: yeah your pink girlfriend was a lot of help 😄

Knuckles:*look confuse then thoughtful*

Sonic:… Wade i don’t have a girlfriend why would you assume

Wade: oh she is a pink hedgehog like you and she got really excited when she found out that we know you so sh..

Sonic: Wade you can’t just assume we’re together just because we’re both hedgehogs I don’t even kno… wait! She's a hedgehog too?! And she’s on our side!

Where is she? I gotta meet her! * starts dashing round the battle field*

Wade: as I was just saying you just missed her and she was actually looking for yo..

Sonic: dang it! Maybe I can catch up to her, we could use all the help we can get if we’re fighting that faker. Contact tails for the deets gotta go! * runs off*

Wade: wait sonic she was look for.. and he’s gone

Knuckles: she could be a good partner, they’re both strong and reckless 🤔

Wade: I know right 😄

Amy get held up fighting off /distracting the guards while helping tails break sonic out of prison island

Sonic: thanks little bro I didn’t think I could broke out here on my own.

Tails: your welcome but I can’t take all the credit I had some outside help

Sonic: let me guess pink hedgehog

Tails: yeah you’ve met

Sonic: nope but I’ve heard great things. I seem to just miss her everywhere I go

Tails: *smirks* so the fastest thing alive can’t caught the girl

Sonic:*roll eyes* hardy har har, very funny… is she still around? I really like to meet this new heroine, maybe team up.

Tails: yeah she holding back the guards I can put her on speak if you insist 😏

Sonic: tails😑

Tails: ok ok Hey Amy do you copy?

Amy: yep still here though my hands are a bit full at the moment. How are things on your end? Did you find him? Do you need help?

Tails: yeah everything great I found him , we’re safe and he really interested in meeting you😏 (sonic: tails it’s not like that😠) so we were hoping we can make our escape and meet back at..

Amy: *wham!* That sounds great I.. *fzzzz* I can meet you guy at *fzzz* HEY! You better stay down or I’ll get my hammer and! *fzzz *wham!*

Tails and Sonic: hammer?

Amy: *fzzz* oops…

Tails: what do you mean oops…

* An explosion can be heard from the other end and the build shakes*

Tails: AMY! ARE YOU STILL THERE! ARE YOU OK?!?! AMY PLEASE RESPON-

Amy: I’m ok! I’m ok there’s just a lot more exits then we originally planned so I’m just gonna take one of those * awkward giggles* I’ll meet you guys at *fzzz* *line cuts*

Tails: * sighs in relief* well better luck next time Sonic I don’t think you’ll be catching miss rose any time soon.

Sonic: dang I was really hoping to catch her this time she sounds like a fun gal.

Tails:😏

Sonic: *lightly punches tails shoulder* welp we better make use of Amy’s specially made exits and get out of here.

After Amy reminds Shadow of his promise to Maria and so Shadow joins Sonic in facing the final threat of the film (black arm, bio lizard, metal sonic?).

Sonic: hey shads come to join the party? What changed your mind?

Shadow: your pink friend reminded me of something important…

Sonic: *looks confused for a second before realizing who he’s talking about*

Sonic: no way… she really is something special…😊

Shadow: she is…😌 now let get this over with this only one time thing got that faker😈

Sonic: whatever you say faker😈 now let’s kick some butts.

[fakesimp]

The Sorcerer or The Demon?

Warning !

Mentions of Blood ; Mentions of Burning ; Mention the use of a Knife ; Shu and Vox taking care of you ; Unestablished Relationship ( for now )

A/n !

God y'all are so quick to make it 200 notes, should've increased them eh? Fufu~

Part I <- ||

➶◜◝➴

"Looks like we got some uninvited guests"

. . .

Shu stood by the sliding paper door and his right hand slightly extended to his side, one of the paper shikigami went up to his palms and turned into a katana. Shu turn a bit to the side and throw them towards Vox, who immediately catches it as he walk up to The Sorcerer and as he is, you just realized how his body started to slowly emits mists around him and the room.

"Protection is the top priority." Shu whispered as he let the paper shikigamis slides the door open, "Now shall we send them back to where they belong?" He said and let out a soft chuckle before walking out of the room, followed by Vox behind him.

. . .

It is astonishingly terrifying, to see how they fought of the 'uninvited guests'. The way Vox just slice them off with his katana gracefully, you can see the blood dripping from his katana as The Demon stood in front of the dying person. And the next second, the body burns by the purple pink fire. And it is obvious who that fire belong to. Your eyes moved to where Shu is, he' smiling as his hand was pointed at the person who's now burnt into ashes.

Leaving no trace of dead bodies on the ground, and you don't know how long it has been going on. But the next thing you knew your now being held hostage, making the situation where Shu and Vox have to stop the killing spree as they look over at your figure that has been captured.

"D-drop the magic sorcery you did-! And, give us, ..t-that katana and we'll let them go-!" They stuttered, leaving The Demon raise a brow as he glances at his katana, the katana that he just used to slice up their allies.

Money.

It must've been the money they'll get from getting and selling Vox's Katana, "Do you even know what you're doing?" Shu asked looking calm as ever, his smile widen as the person that's holding you moving their knife even closer to your neck. "Switch."

The person blinked only for them to realize they're now holding The Demon instead of you, you blinked confusedly on what just happened. Shu walk up to you and gently wrap his left arm around your shoulder and pull you close to him, "Good luck with that" said The Sorcerer as he smiled at the enemy that's holding Vox, who was supposed to be holding you.

"Get, your hands off me you disgusting being."

. . .

Gone, they're gone.

Those people are gone, these two men finished them off like they're ants. Now you're at a different room, no longer at the room you're first open your eyes to. Vox who's currently wiping some of the blood off his katana. While Shu, are explaining to you about how did you just switched places with Vox.

"Do you remember when I ask you about do you like Shikigamis?" He asked as he then extended his hand towards you, only for one of the paper shikigami slips out from your kimono' sleeves. "Wh-" you blinked at the paper shikigami and then up at Shu, "Apologies, I knew something are going to happen as we take you here, so I got no choice but to slip one. Just in case, you know."

Now you're not curious about how he did that, you're more curious on why would he go that far to save you? When you're clearly nobody important, you're not a princess nor someone high ranking that needs a protection. You're just a villager that's trying to live a normal life, but it seems like you took a wrong path and ended up like you are now.

"Why..?" You whispered out, making Shu tilt his head at you, making his long ponytail slightly went to the side as he did so. "Hm? Why what? Why did I go that far to protect you?" He said that so casually, as if he just read your mind. "Y-yes..?" You replied a bit hesitant, earning a chuckle from him. "A question that I am also questioning on, So if I were to answer that question, it is going to be, I am not entirely sure why" The Sorcerer replied as his gloved hand gently brush against your hair.

"But for now, you should prioritize on surviving instead of asking that" He whispered, as he then slowly pull his hand away from you, "Human natures, They're so hard to understand. But I suppose that's what made them interesting." The Demon suddenly jumped into the conversation, making you and Shu turn your heads to him.

Vox just sheathed his katana, seems like he's done wiping off the blood, he gently put the katana away, only for it to disappear on thin air. "And you, you're much more interesting than those other humans I've encountered before" Said Vox, you don't know if you should take that as a compliment or an insult.

But either way, you're now in their house, getting a proper treatment and protection. You silently watch the two men talking to each other as you wonder what's gonna happen to you now.

"What's, ..gonna happen to me now..?" You asked, catching their attention, "Curious now are you, hm?" Vox replied as he then let out a small chuckle. "You want to live, don't you?" Shu smiled at you, "If you want to be, useful.. or, helpful perhaps," he trailed off, "You can do the house chores, you know how to do one, do you?" You nod your head as you stare at his violet eyes and Vox's golden eyes.

"Also, you are coming with us when, we're doing our, business. But no questions asked when we do." Vox continued and smirked at you, "If not, you're going to be all alone here, and you'll probably going to be captured again by them. Who knows~" Vox teased and let out a low chuckle, making The Sorcerer shook his head, "Don't worry, even if you want to stay here while we're out, I have my Shikigamis with you." Shu said and his hand then reached out to your head. Gently patting you, "And either of them will switched to either me or Vox, so don't worry too much okay?"

. . .

With that, your life have changed ever since they saved you, you did the house chores, cleaning up the house as they do their business in a room somewhere around the house.

Whenever Vox had a chance, he'll tease you a whole lot, especially when you're cleaning his room. Teasy and flirty remarks are sent to you, making you a having a bit difficulty to clean his room without his piercing golden eyes staring at you as you move, watching you, intently. Of course, with a smirk on his face that never fade away whenever he sees you.

Shu at the other hand, would be so quiet as he wrote something down on a book with his brush. You see him sitting behind a low table on the floor, paper rolls scattered around him, even on the table. It is a bit messy, but it seems like he's learning new sorcery type of things? You didn't want to bother him. It was peaceful with him.

But there are times when he just decided to stop what he's doing and asked you how you're doing as he watched you cleaning up the room. Asking how do you feel after living at the household, the way he smiled sweetly after he heard your reply made your heart flutter.

. . .

"Little human~" The way you slightly jolt at the nickname earning yourself a low chuckle behind you, you slowly turned around to see Vox leaning against the sliding door frame, arms crossed, "Come, Shu had summoned us to see him" you tilt your head and blinked, you put down the scrub and washed your hands before shaking your hand a bit to dry your hand a bit.

The moment both you and Vox arrived, Shu is sitting down on the floor, smiling warmly at you and him. "Sorry for the sudden call, but I want to ask you," he paused and looked at you, "Soon, it's going to be full moon, I believe, the Yokais would be out for hunting until next week." He continued, he then smiled at you a bit, sheepishly, "You sleeping alone would be a bit dangerous while the week goes on, it's just for a week.." he averted his eyes, and the next second you heard a small laughter next to you, "..By means, you're either staying in my room, or Shu's room."

You owlishly stared at Vox and then Shu who just gave you a sheepish smile, "Don't worry, I believe none of us will do anything weird to you. If that what you're thinking." The Demon teased, making you flustered. You're not even thinking that way, ... Or did you?

. . .

After that day, you're staying in either of their rooms, and today you decided to stay in Shu's room. You're now outside his room, contemplating if you should knock or not. Until you heard him chuckle, "Come in, what are you standing out there for?" You sheepishly opened the door, getting a bit flustered for getting caught standing at the door.

Shu smiled at you when he sees your face, "I'm sorry, this must be too much for you, I promise it'll be only for a week." He apologized and sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, ".. It's okay, you're just.. trying to, protect me" You said, making The Sorcerer let out a chuckle. "That is true."

The whole hour is filled with you chattering with him, sometimes sharing laughter too, until Vox just barges into the room, looking a bit, grumpy and sat down next to you rising one of his knee and rest his arm there, "How dare you two had fun without me"

. . .

The night goes unexpectedly fun for you, and for them. You fell asleep on Vox' shoulder by accident last night, but the next thing you knew when you opened your eyes, you're laying down on a futon. You look over to the side to see nobody behind the table, the spot where Shu usually would sit. But he's not there, you slowly rise up from the futon and looked around the room. It is genuinely calming to be in his room, soon after you gazed around, you heard footsteps coming to the room, a familiar hand slides the door open, revealing Shu standing outside his room, with some of his Shikigamis holding a plate of, food?

"Oh, you're awake, good morning, I bought breakfast.." he greeted you as he then sat down next to your futon, "Did you sleep well? You sure did stay up pretty late" he said and let out a chuckle, "We have a long day ahead, get yourself filled up."

. . .

The day goes without a problem, or so you thought.

You were walking at the garden, on your way back to the kitchen, and then suddenly you heard a thump behind you. Before you could check what's the cause, a pair of hand grabbed you and cover your mouth. The figure let out a sinister laugh,

"Go to sleep little one, you're now in my hands"

. . .

"Shu."

"I know, I am trying to find them, i never thought they have some guts to do that on a sheer daylight."

The two men are getting a bit anxious as they tried to find your whereabouts, you didn't have any shikigamis with you.

You could only pray they'll find you soon.

. . .

©fakesimp . 2023

|| Last Part ->

A/n !

Make this reach 300 notes ! And I'll make the third part. And I believe it's going to be the last one.. I believe..

Reblogs are muchly appreciated!

[comical-croagunk]

I have been instructed to type "I wasn't thinking about the other thing, but now I am. Hamburger help me." -Serperior

i hate packing all my homies hate packing

(after yesterday i feel the need to clarify i am, in fact, talking about packing a bag and not anything else)

[wynnd1]

I’m watching the Matrix for the first time and taking notes on everything that feels trans. I just got a little past the scene where Morpheus explains agents and I already have so many things so far lmao.

- “You've been down there, Neo. You already know that road. You know exactly where it ends. And I know that's not where you want to be” - Trinity really just called him an egg here.

- “You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I'm talking about?" - This is really close to how I explained knowing that I’m trans to my dad. Like REALLY close.

- That being immediately followed by a recommendation/offer of taking a blue pill (this was before estradiol was blue; I had to check bc the metaphor was backwards in my brain)

- The results of the pill being absolutely batshit crazy, terrifying, and unpredictable but clearly framed as the right choice

- The whole medical procedure after waking up feels a bit like bottom surgery metaphor. Yk, first you take the pill (HRT) which is scary at first and overwhelming, and you get to a place where you feel somewhat stable and safe, and then you’re getting surgery. Again, framed as a part of the right choice.

- Being introduced to a whole group of people, some new, some not, who are like you and understand what you’re going through, and they’ve gone through something similar

- Switch. If someone sent me that suggestion for a character I would just be sending an egg emoji back

- The system neo escaped from being made not out of malice, but out of the consequences of human society. Few people would argue that all technology is inherently evil in the present, but if it got to the point as in the Matrix, then a lot more people might. Same with the gender binary; it does have some beneficial purposes, but we rely on it, especially in an extreme way, we become slave to it. And in some ways, the only reason the gender binary exists is because we all allow it to, and therefore its existence relies on us.

- Learning a bunch of new skills very quickly that you wouldn’t have many reasons to learn unless you ended up here, thinking you have a hold on them, then finding out that you’ve got a long way to go

- Some seeming relatively straightforward advice from someone experiencing what you are suddenly makes you better

- It has the same basic rules, rules like gravity. What you must learn is that these rules are no different that the rules of a computer system. Some of them can be bent. Others can be broken.

- Make the jump scene

- the matrix is a system, and that you’re trying to help the people in it. The Matrix is just the gender binary, and the people inside might turn against you even if you thought they were allies or normal. Hmm. Just like how some people claim to be allies but think trans women should go into women’s bathrooms, or be in women’s sports, or that kids shouldn’t be able to receive gender affirming care.

[raayllum]

Teasers Timeline

With the teasers we've gotten this week, I want to try and assemble them into some kind of timeline. Spoilers and speculation ahead!

First off, there's the ones we know are taking place during 6x01 Startouched thanks to con spoilers, such as shots of the prison with Callum, his nightmare featuring Aaravos, Rayllum on the castle battlements, group discussion, them departing for the Starscraper, and Ezran comforting Zym about Zubeia.

Claudia and Terry is also probably from 6x01 (maybe Claudia commiserating with a flashback if it's from later on in the season) due to the beach location and her having to take wet/bloody clothes off. We can even see that one pantleg is shorter than the other.

Now onto the rest, with episode titles as a slight guideline.

This shot with Corvus, Zym, and Soren is likely from 6x02 Love, War, and Mushrooms, given they went looking for Zubeia and Soren meets up with Corvus at the Sunfire camp.

I also wouldn't be surprised if the "Ezran at the castle" and Janaya is around here. If Viren is alive, he could be showing up in Katolis (or Claudia is there to find the fake prison) and Janaya is preparing for war now that Sol Regem has the sun seed. Likewise, this is one of two places I could see the screencap of the Viren and Kpp'Ar flashback being; Viren may be heading back to try to free Kpp'Ar (and may do so with the staf?? If Rayllum didn't take his coin) and thereby reflecting on their past.

Then we get Rayla and Callum on the burning ship in 6x03 Frozen Ship. There's less fire when they're first there together and Callum needs to get his staff back, and significantly more fire when Rayla is there on her own despite being near the same hole in the roof and Callum not being in frame anymore.

Then they head to the Starscraper (and potentially face the big scary dragon along the way, though that could be a trial for 6x05 as well).

Rayla's line about "The fate of the entire world is at stake," her expression, as well as Stella's (almost angry?) expression makes me think she's trying to reason with Callum > telling the celestial elves what's going on, but it really could be either.

Big dragon could also be the trial or thing they're flying off too as well, after the infamous Chin Touch (and possible smooch) given that the clouds from what may be their room seems to match what we see in the background.

If the dragon adventure with Luna Tenebris' unsuitable heir is on the way to the Starscraper, I'd guess it'll have something to do with the moonstone collar its wearing (perhaps an enchantment that cloaks the starscraper from outside viewers?). If it's after, then I have no clue WHY beyond the celestial elves going "you gotta".

At the same time, Karim and Janai are preparing for war. The search for Zubeia must've been either successful or they had to give up and switch gears, as Ezran has 1) left Katolis to be here and 2) reunited with Corvus and with Zym, only to be captured and need rescuing from his favourite dragon pal (Zym's covering them, but it also seems Ez and Corvus showed up on horses so.. parlay gone wrong?)

The amount of Sol Regem regalia on their outfits and Karim's tent makes me think he's already used the sun seed to heal / ally with Sol Regem, or that he's very very close to doing so.

I do think he ultimately goes through with it, though, given that the next time we see Sol Regem, his eyes aren't healed but his wings are 100% patched up and Pharos is seemingly riding him into battle, with Janai and Amaya leading their ground assault.

Amaya still has her crown, and Aanya might show up to help -- the cliffs match the ones she's landing on -- at Ezran's behest, but it's probably not enough.

If she loses but lives, that could be why we see her almost in mourning at the sun seed tree

And I think that's it for now! More speculation and teasers to follow soon I'm sure

[scrollsfromarebornrealm]

Prompt #1: Steer

-----------

"How the fuck do you steer this thing?" Reinhardt asked, looming over the skyslipper's passenger side. Then he grunted as a hand seized his collar and pulled him back.

"Absolutely the fuck not." Augustine commanded. "I'm driving." Climbing past Zurvan's Dominant, the paladin dropped his bag next to the skyslipper's driver seat.

"Since when the hells do you get to drive?!" Reinhardt demanded.

"Since I don't trust you, don't trust my brother, and I especially do not trust Sebastian." Augustine bent over to adjust the pedals for his height.

"Halone take the wheel." Sebastian cracked, placing his own satchel into the skyslipper's carryon. That done, he dropped into the first passenger seat.

Would rather not. Came the snarky reply.

"How long is it going to take to get to..wherever the hells we're going?" Mathye asked, climbing on board.

"Whenever Ryne says 'stop' apparently." Augustine replied, settling down in the driver's seat. He started to flick the slipper's control switches as Reinhardt tossed his bag into the carryon hammock.

"Where's Riven?"

"First slipper. And I tried to get her out of it, but she said no." At least Riven was with Thancred, which mollified Augustine somewhat. The scheming of the Exarch and Urianger was still raw amongst the tight-knit group--despite explanations and apologies. As a tactician, Augustine could understand why the pair had done it--even more so when the Exarch had revealed all other ways had failed. But as a Dominant, as Riven's friend, as one of her brothers...

Augustine. Halone murmured. The paladin started. Inhaling, he forced himself to let go of the wheel--he'd been gripping it to the point where he was starting to crush the metal.

"Sorry." He whispered.

It's alright. Halone let a gentle touch of frost brush over her First Dominant's fingers. It...will take time for things to settle. Time for wounds to heal, time for trust--if it could be recovered--to regrow. The Scions could not afford division amongst themselves, nor could the Dominants afford quarrels with their keepers turned friends/allies. The goddess of Ice and War hoped that the...expedition into the Empty would begin the healing process.

"I am not sitting next to this dumbass." Mathye declared, breaking into Halone's musings. "Sebastian, switch with me."

"No."

"What's wrong with sitting next to me?!" Reinhardt demanded. Augustine rolled his eyes, slipping the key into the skyslipper's ignition.

"Mat." He called out warningly as the machina coughed and rattled to life with a loud roar. "All of you. Behave!"

"I have an idea for a game."

"I will fucking kill you." Augustine sighed again, turning around so he could start backing up.

"Why did I even volunteer to do this?" He asked the air.

Reinhardt is not to be trusted with anything mobile, my Dominant would probably drive all of us into a ditch whenever his patience snapped, and do you honestly want your brother behind the wheel? Odin countered.

"We crashed one time!" Reinhardt protested.

Once was enough. Zurvan rumbled.

"I should have gone with Zoissette and the others." Augustine sighed.

[comical-croagunk]

My trainer's said that he's gonna love me extra to spite you specifically.

- Tox

today's topic of hatred is ... !

croagunk . and toxicroak .