#and right now i am pretty much doubling everything i wrote

[dreamwatch]

Mine is Yours

Written for @corrodedcoffinfest

Day #23 - Prompt: Up And Coming | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: None | POV: Eddie | Pairing: None | Tags: Fluff, good Uncle Wayne, good nephew Eddie, the Munsons

It’s been a year since Eddie’s been home. 

He pulls up outside the trailer in Forest Hills. Wayne’s truck is more beat to shit than he remembers, but the thing was on its last legs when he left for Indy in ‘87. Theres gaffer tape holding up the rusting rear bumper, and the tires are near bald.

He let’s himself inside, careful not to wake Wayne; the one blessing that came from all the shit of 1986 was that the government gave them a double wide and the old man finally got a bedroom again. That was the one thing Eddie could never quite shake the shame of, especially when he was a high school senior seemingly unable to graduate. He’s hoping today’s visit will make up for it a little. 

He takes his sneakers off, new ones he only bought a few weeks ago, lines them up neatly next to Wayne’s work boots, then heads into the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. He had an early start, and what with the flight from LA (a flight!) and the drive from Indy, he’s aching for sleep.

He takes his coffee over to the couch, the red pleather one they picked up for a steal (because it was ugly as shit, Robin had said), puts his feet up and closes his eyes. Just for a minute.

“—die. Eddie. Hey, rise and shine.”

He wakes with a gasp, wisps of a memory, of leathery skin and tails and razor teeth.

“Wayne?”

“There he is.” Wayne straightens up, back cracking as he does. “You never said you were coming, or am I going senile?”

“Both,” Eddie says around a yawn.

Wayne sticks his hand in Eddie’s curls, ruffling them gently. “If you want breakfast and a place to stay, be nice.”

Eddie rolls off the couch, giving Wayne a hug before following him into the kitchen, perching himself on a stool to watch as Wayne sets about making them breakfast at five in the afternoon.

“Is everything okay? Not that I’m not happy to see you, just a long way to drive for a catch up.”

Eddie grins. “Actually, I flew.”

“Flew?” He whistles. “My boy, the rockstar.”

They sit at the table together, bacon, eggs and toast laid out in front of them, Wayne catching him up on the comings and goings of the plant and Forest Hills; old Rose Hannigan still being a nosey bitch as usual, and Dougie has a new dog and god the damn thing won’t stop barking during the day. It’s nice. It’s so different from LA, so small in the best way, and even though his relationship with home, with Hawkins, is so complex, cut through with slithers of painful memories, he misses it. He does. It doesn’t make all that much sense.

Or is it just Wayne he misses? The man who loved him and protected him when his father couldn’t (wouldn’t). The man who gave him everything and more, who was working himself to an early grave to look after a boy that wasn’t his own.

Eddie grabs his bag from the floor and slides the white envelope out, still neat and crisp. He pushes it across the table.

“What’s this?”

Eddie huffs a laugh. “Open it and find out.”

He gets a raised eyebrow back for his trouble, but he doesn’t take his eyes off Wayne. Doesn’t want to miss this.

Wayne grumbles about envelopes being too sticky these days and then he pulls out the slip of paper tucked inside and comes to a stop.

“What the hell is this?”

“It’s a check, Uncle Wayne.”

He shoots Eddie a scowl. “I can see it’s a check. Where— I don’t understand.”

Eddie fold his arms on the table in front of him. “The album is selling. It’s doing good, actually. We’re big in Germany, the UK, I think we’re doing pretty good in Japan too. You know I wrote most of those songs, right?”

Wayne gives him a little nod.

“Well I got a nice royalty check for that. Just came through a few weeks ago.” He gestures at the paper in Wayne’s hands. “And this is for you.”

“Eddie this is… Jesus Christ. Ten thousand dollars? You can’t be serious?”

And Eddie is full on smiling now, grinning ear to ear. “I got thirty thousand.” He laughs. “I still can’t believe it.”

“Eddie, I can’t take this.”

“You can and you’re gonna.” He’s deadly serious now. “These come quarterly, this one’s the second. They’re getting bigger. Sales are growing, so, there’s more coming. And even if there wasn’t, doesn’t matter. I want you to have this—“

“No—“

“Wayne—“

“No!“

“Jesus Christ, you stubborn old fart. I have money now, which means we have money now. I’m not in LA busting my ass for me, I’m doing it for us! And this is the start. That truck should have been put out to pasture before I started high school. You’ve never had a vacation. I’ve never seen you spend a dollar on yourself.”

“Never needed anything.”

“How about wanting? You get to want, Wayne. You deserve to want. And how about not having to worry where the money’s coming from when the roof leaks, or the boiler breaks? I don’t want you to have to worry anymore.”

Wayne shakes his head, but the fight is leaving him. “Ed…” he says, a little choked. He reaches his hand across the table and Eddie grabs it.

“I love you, old man. I want you to have this. Please?”

“I’m so fucking proud of you, you know that? Even before this,” he waves the check in the air. “I’ve always been proud of you.”

“I know. So, you going to take it? Get a new fucking truck?”

Eddie can see the pride on his uncle’s face, but he doesn’t need to; he’s always known. Always felt it.

Wayne squeezes Eddie’s hand, still looking a little shell shocked but smiling. Happy. 

“Reckon I might.”

[dawnbreakerluna]

I really like this theory! Because I was thinking the same during the last few chapters when we finally get a glimpse of Sylus and MCs memories. This is the link - https://x.com/millecreupe/status/1813809147508613476?t=2YsqG032kliHKY18Z4QKZg&s=19

The way I'm so dedicated to this cause that I ended up making a Twitter account just to view this.

Let me preface that I am a bit freaked out right now because everything OP wrote about in this thread is pretty much accurately aligned with every specific detail I've predicted/theorized about Sylus and his purpose of changing fate/breaking cycles/etc. I've delayed making any posts about lore because I genuinely don't want to go back into the story chapters to take screenshots and shit, it's very tedious to me LOL 😭😭😭😭😭 I promise I remember what I can, even if it's not miniscule details, I just take away the important things!

(Side note: I've previously predicted/prophesized things before that have come true & I'm a little spooked by it. I don't like to put things out there unless I'm super passionate about a subject LMFAO)

[Warning: VERY LONG info dump/theory post ahead!]

Often when it comes to unveiling or creating monsters, there is always a price to pay. That's the common formula for any story involving someone who has an alternate form or is on the verge of becoming something non-human. It takes a special kind of trigger - often, it's intense emotional states - to unleash a creature or be granted a uniquely regal power. (ex. Eren from AoT, Nero in DMC5, Ignis in Final Fantasy 15)

I'm going to follow the evidence listed in OP's thread for my references + additional responses to the thread that are relevant, which I will link here for easy clickback! (Thank you so much again anon!)

I want to dive into one of the examples I listed first before I proceed. (Light spoilers ahead, and iffy details since it's been so long since I played the game.) While Ignis doesn't have an alternate form whatsoever, there's a DLC in FF15 where you have the opportunity to play as him during the climatic event of main story. Essentially, this would involve Ignis changing the planned fate of the protagonist where he would end up sacrificing himself in the very end to save his world and his people. Ignis pretty much defies that fate, going against godly forces and sacrificing a part of himself that ends up changing the canon ending. In short: Ignis saves the protagonist, everybody else, and everything's great. Yay!

I'm a broken record at this point by saying Sylus' involvement is going to defy fate and interrupt the timelines. TLDR; He's going to ultimately save MC from her curse and break the cycles, no matter the cost.

First, let's discuss Sylus' Evol (power). Energy manipulation can mean a lot of things, though as far as the story has shown us, this means he can bend anything/anyone at will through energetic binds. Also, he can know someone's deepest desires, which is activated when his right eye glows.

At a certain point in Chapter 9 (or 2.1), Sylus mentions something about the MC's Evol being weaker/not as strong as before. While we know Energy Resonance is the MC's power, there seems to be something more at play when it comes to it. It's a likely possibility that the MC herself is more powerful beyond resonating with others, perhaps to the point of causing re/destruction.

I like what OP says in part 3 of the thread: "I assumed MC didn't kill him but instead resonated with Sylus, making his self healing ability double in power, AND at the same time directly **pouring the energy of her aether core into the core the he would be implanted, forcibly reshaping a "heart" in his body."

[Previous quote was in alignment to: "Sylus turned into a wanderer. And if mc died and didn't kill him there, he might completely turn into a wanderer..."]

It's hard to deter me from the belief that in the flashback we saw towards the end of 9.2 that Sylus was literally in a Wanderer form. The arm that moves and reaches out to MC is a lot bigger than her own and when looked at closer, you can make out a textured hand with claws. You can see his palm held out faced upwards, and a weapon floating(?) just atop the center of it.

[10/25 UPDATE: The last time I touched this post was back in July, LMAO. This has been sitting in my drafts for months, but now with the Sylus Translation Project, I'm happy to add it to this mini dissertation.]

Here are some points from the Reddit post that struck my interest the most:

[Changed Facts] Changes how Sylus's powers work: specifically, there are invisible shackles inside of his body that prevent him from absorbing even more power. There is not a tether that prevents him from "tapping into" more power. This is a fundamental power difference and has created a complete misunderstanding about how his powers truly work amongst English-only speakers in the global community.

[Missing Fact] Sylus's Aether Core works by him invading and taking over consciousness; he does not merely perform basic mind control, it's actually far more insidious and terrifying.

[Power Nerf] Sylus's powers are actually described as "all-powerful and all-encompassing" but this was somehow reduced into merely blocking exits.

I encourage you to read the entire post in full, for it shifts so much about Sylus' character. Though for me personally, it only justifies all my speculations and conclusions about his character even beyond mistranslation. I will repeat myself over and over and OVER again: Sylus is beyond powerful, way more than we even know and I'm honestly just waiting for Infold to do something to show this grand transformation or show of power.

With these fixed translation points, it makes sense why he's so desperate to resonate with MC. A few comments on the Reddit post have the same speculation I did that it's possible him and MC have the same Aether Cores in their bodies. [OP responded to a comment with: "MC hears things like "Devour," "He's yours," "It belongs to you," I almost wonder if it's actually because they share two halves of a single Aether Core…"] [[THIS I AGREE WITH HEAVILY.]] If this is the case, I don't doubt that Sylus knows this, but he would rather MC find this out on her own due to some morale of integrity, building her inner strength, etc.

TLDR; Her resonating with him would unleash those shackles. I also don't think it's amiss that MC also has some kind of shackles, but that's just me thinking of other possible scenarios. Everything is so vague with this story because we've only been fed so much tidbits.

But one thing's for sure... I really, really think these two are the true fated pair, to a certain degree. And why it's difficult for them to resonate is due to the fact that they both wield a power that can shift the world, the universe... everything altogether.

[sammunmak]

Specs & Max Freelance Police in: Hells-A-Poppin'!

+ sam’s vices !!

this is basically an au idea i had for the alt timeline! i wrote out all the changes to the first two seasons, but it's a bit on the longer side so i'm sticking it under the cut.

this takes place immediately after sam and max steal the elevator from their future selves. there’s no obvious changes at first. the director gives them another contract after telling her they misplaced the first one, but not without threat of not giving them another one if they manage to misplace this one. once they wrap up the case and free myra stump from the hypnosis, they take the elevator (and their music contract) with them and put it away in storage, vowing to never speak of the possibility that they just killed their future selves again. ah well, knowing themselves, they probably survive. everything else afterwards is pretty much the same, though when sam and max see superball for the first time sam asks max if he looks familiar. max takes one look at him and proudly declares nope, not at all, and that’s the end of that.

the first major change happens in 106.

hugh: for in all the universe, there’s only one force chaotic and destructive enough to stop me now! but you wouldn’t do that, would you max?

max: who, ME? well, i’m- i’m flattered, but-

hugh: no you wouldn’t, not without your trusty partner, at least.

max: huh?

sam: what exactly are you implying?

hugh: i’m going to… drumroll, please… [drumroll] separate your bliss!

max: really?

sam: what does that even mean?!

hugh: it means i chop off every part of you i don’t like! it’s like circumcision, but double the laughs.

max: he-ey!

sam: quiet, knucklehead.

sam gets split into 3 vices. gluttony, greed, and wrath. wrath is formed from sam’s right ear, greed is formed from sam’s left hand (it even keeps the wedding band!), and gluttony is formed from. well, the stomach. max loses all romantic interest he had in hugh bliss in that moment. 

max is very annoyed about the whole situation. he never has to do work on their cases, and suddenly he’s being forced to figure everything out on his own! but seeing sam’s awful blissed-out state is worse. blissed-out sam is basically just a big puppy. all smiles, completely clueless about everything around him, and has to be led around by his remaining hand if max wants him to go anywhere. max considers shooting him every time he makes a comment about hugging trees or something sentimental crap like that, but one look at that big dopey grin on sam’s face and he just can’t do it. he needs to turn sam back quickly, he’s turning into a sap just being near this… shell of his partner.

wrath is in the sanctuary, threatening the COPS for information on max’s whereabouts (yes it’s just noir sam lol). when max and bliss sam finally make their appearance, wrath almost immediately tries to shoot bliss sam. max stops it, of course. it seems like max is the only person wrath won’t lash out against. max has to open one of bluster blaster’s side panels, then get wrath close enough to it to shut the panel on his ear, pulling it off wrath when it tries freeing itself.

once sam gets his ear back, he seems to randomly decide to shoot at max.

max: what was that for?!

sam: i dunno, it just felt right.

when max walks into bosco’s store, he immediately makes eye contact with gluttony sam, who’s sitting on the floor eating a giant tub of ice cream. it doesn’t seem very interested in eating actual people (haha foreshadowing?) in the freezer are a bunch of popsicles. max can grab one and give it to gluttony, who’ll chomp it down wrapper and all. max has to put jimmy two-teeth into one of the wrappers in order to get gluttony to eat him, then pull out jimmy and sam’s stomach with the magic hat.

sam: anyone else suddenly got a hankerin’ for a fudgie freeze?

max: you don’t know how glad i am to hear you say those words.

greed is inside the office, hoarding just about everything in there and more. somehow there’s items in here max didn’t even know they had. or maybe greed just grabbed everything not bolted down to the floor on the way back to the office.

max has to buy bosco’s invention (which is just a big magnet), then use the spoon bending talisman to pull the spork out of the hugh bliss statue’s hand, give it to greed, and then use the magnet to drag its ass towards him and just yank sam’s hand off it.

sam: are you using that magnet?

max: nope! it’s all yours.

upon collecting all 3 vices, sam returns to normal, and they can now go fight hugh bliss. cue world of max :)

not much else changes until 204.

once they enter momma bosco’s store and accidentally reveal max’s lack of interest in girls, momma bosco becomes infatuated with him. sam and max try and argue against this for a while, until max tells her that he’s a married man.

ms b: i don’t see a ring on your finger.

max: well check again!

max flashes his left hand, revealing a bare ring finger. oh. he didn’t put on his ring today. sam is missing his ring as well. seems they got a bit excited when flint invited them on a case with him and forgot them.

(not gonna lie this whole puzzle isnt fully fleshed out. the whole plan would be that they have to go back to their prom and essentially crash it in order to help max realize he doesn’t like girls. i did also have the idea of superball printing marriage certificates instead of patents, which they’d need to grab one from him and hang it on the corkboard in the near future, then go to the distant future and take their wedding rings from their future selves. if i do ever have an idea of how exactly this all pans out i’ll make it into a fic or something. for now tho this is the best i could come up with.)

max is very proud to show off his new wedding ring to momma bosco.

later on, sam is glad he kept that music contract on him, once one of the pedros asks for one.

of course, despite keeping their past selves from boarding the UFO, the elevator is still oddly enough missing when they run back to it.

max: hey, the elevator’s gone! what gives?

sam: hmm… remember what got us into this whole mess, the temporal anomalies and whatnot? maybe it’s another one of those? maybe this is the universe’s way of trying to correct the timeline, and we have to leave the same way our future selves did, since we’re-

max: alright, alright! less talky more- figuring out how to get off this dang ship!

ah well, having two elevators seems a bit overkill anyway. 

not so long later, in 205:

sam: you better release our pals’ souls from hell, cause my excitable little friend is getting angry.

max: and i’m angry, too!

satan: there’s no need for that kind of talk. i’ll gladly release your friends. just sign this release.

max: hold on sam, i got this!

sam: …you sure, max? 

max: positive! watch this. [he pulls out a crayon and scribbles his name on the contract]

satan: and that’s that.

sam: well that was pretty easy.

satan: now just do me a favor and think of the most horrible thing you can imagine.

max: ooh, that might take a second, there’s so many- oh, maybe- wait no, i’ve got it!

satan: good. now off you go!

[max disappears]

sam: sweet summering sausages sweltering on a busy sidewalk, what did you do?!

satan: he traded his soul for that of all your friends. they never read the fine print. now max will spend eternity in his own personal hell!

max: back in the office? where’s my partner?

specs: i’m over here!

max finds himself stuck inside a now very tidy office with specs, the neat freak of the soda poppers.

max: so where’s my REAL partner?

specs: what are you talking about, i AM your real partner.

max: uh, no. last i checked my partner was a six foot tall dog in a suit, not… you.

specs: oh, max. clearly you’re confused. you’ve always had a terrible memory. but don’t worry, i’m here to keep everything in order for you.

max is just about ready to start ripping out patches of his fur when he sees sam, sticking his big nose through the hole in their office wall. after a bit of arguing, max remembers the key card. he yells at sam to use it so they can kick demon’s spec’s ass together. when sam gets in there they do just that, ending in sam throwing the demon out the open window. with max’s personal hell defeated and leonard’s soul free they leave and finally go and confront satan.

as a bonus, a fun change to a piece of dialogue in 201:

sam: how long do you think it’ll take for one of us to kick the bucket?

max: i dunno, but i think if one of us were to go, the other would follow very close behind. maybe not even by choice!

sam: does that mean if i go first, i can take you with me?

max: sure does! in fact, i encourage it!

[rubykgrant]

(a little thing I wrote for a bigger fic, but I like how absolutely nonsensical Jon and Martin's "meet-cute" was, and now Jon gets to let Martin know the secret dorky side he's been hiding behind his very serious attitude~)

“If you don’t mind me being blunt?”

“By all means,” Jon encourages him.

“When exactly did you start to notice me- that is, notice that you found me attractive?”

“Oh, well… haha, um- that actually happened almost right away…” Jon’s mouth makes that flat little smirk that means he’s mildly embarrassed.

“Right away? Oh, come on…” Martin has trouble believing that.

“No, honestly. Before I really even knew you, before I convinced myself you were the bane of my existence, my very FIRST thought when I saw you was- he’s lovely,”

“You’re just trying to butter me up!” Martin argues, but feels himself blushing. Just barely.

“Hmm, ‘lovely’ was the first WORD that formed in my head. I suppose my other thoughts were less articulate,” Jon doesn’t elaborate on that (only twice had he allowed himself to gush about his early thoughts regarding Martin, which never really went away; once to Georgie, once to Daisy. Georgie had called him a sap, and Daisy had called him unhinged. He wonders what they would have both said together, if they’d had the chance to compare notes).

Martin continues to shake his head, unconvinced.

Jon thinks this over.

“Do you remember when we met?” Jon asks, leaning beside Martin at the sink; his body-language looks like somebody at a pub, about to drop what they believe to be a winner of a pick-up line.

“Yes, unfortunately. I think we BOTH made pretty strong first-impressions on each other,” Martin replies.

“Mmm, very much so. But- when you first ran up, and asked if I had seen a dog? I thought you were trying to tell me a joke,”

“You thought- what? A joke?” Martin turns to look at Jon.

“A joke. I was surprised right out of my train of thought, forgot about whatever I had been doing, forgot to keep my aloof and serious attitude as the new Head Archivist. I didn’t know what to think, and I was so taken off-guard, it made me genuinely intrigued. I was even excited to see if I could figure out the joke, be all impressive and clever. But then…” Jon trailed off, rolling his eyes.

“Then I made it clear- an actual dog was running around inside the building,” Martin finished. “Honestly Jon, what kind of joke could that have been?”

“Hmm… have you seen a dog? I was hoping somebody could help me SPOT one,” Jon answers. Martin’s jaw drops. That was indeed a terrible pun… but Jon isn’t finished. “Have you seen a dog? I CANINE find it anywhere! Have you seen a dog? I’m having a RUFF time looking on my own! Have you seen a dog? I’ve searched this place a HOUND-dred times! Have you seen a dog? This one is im-PAW-sible for me to find! Have you seen a dog? I’m worried it might be in GREAT DANE-ger! Have you seen-”

“STOP, HAHAHA, STOP- YOU’RE GONNA KILL ME!” Martin doubles-over, and slides down against the cupboards under the sink. He’s laughing so hard he’s crying, and his cheeks hurt from smiling.

“Terrible puns aside, my first thoughts of you were- Oh, somebody is talking to me? Oh, he’s telling me a joke? Oh, he’s lovely. Oh, I can impress this lovely man when he sees how good I am at figuring out jokes! OH, HE LET A DOG INTO THE BUILDING!”

Martin laughs again, helplessly hiding his face in his knees. Jon steps away from the sink, crouching down in front of him. Martin continues to giggle, peeking through his fingers as Jon lightly strokes his hair.

“Is that what I should have done? Won your heart with bad puns?” Martin asks.

“I’m not sure I’m much of a prize, but you certainly won my heart, regardless. The problem was ME, almost everything about you kept catching my attention, I just had my head up my own arse. I’m not good enough for you,” Jon answers. Martin finally moves his hands away from his face, catching Jon’s with his own.

“Maybe you just need to step-up and BE good enough for me?”

“I can try,” Jon says with a smile that implies he’s actually determined to do exactly that. Martin leans forward and kisses him.

[decepti-thots]

Wayyy back in 2021, a good two years ago now, I wrote a post on a bad brain day that was less actual meta and more just me rambling that was me trying to unpick a specific thing I have a problem with in Dying of the Light as a kind of springboard into my bigger thematic issue with the arc. And I've always wanted to go back and redo it but never gotten around to it. But now I have! That's what this post is! You see what I am doing here.

Right, so. Hear me out here. The crux of it is that I think the turning point of DotL works a lot better in a scenario where Rodimus saves Megatron against his will. (This is a lie, the first thousand words of this are actually just about Rodimus and Megatron's narrative roles, but I swear I will get to the DotL bit.)

Let's back up a bit. One of the things that gets pointed out about the back half of MTMTE a lot is that Rodimus' arc quickly loses a lot of focus, and that this is jarring in a comic that had previously used him for a lot of its forward momentum narratively speaking. Rodimus didn't just get a lot of focus in early MTMTE in the sense of character spotlight, but also in how the same things that drove his "personal" arc drove the wider conflicts in the comic and pushed its overall story forward. That is to say: when Rodimus fucks something up for himself, or fixes something for himself, it has broader impact on the surrounding narrative. Rodimus' low point when the mess with Overlord comes out is also the comic's low point when a bunch of people have died and things reach a nadir. And when Rodimus resolves to change things after Remain in Light, it feels like a similar moment for the entire cast and story as a whole, this sense of "OK, now we're back on an upswing post-finale".

Megatron's introduction to the story massively reduces the degree of symbiosis like that between Rodimus and the story as a whole. Rodimus stops feeling like an ostensible protagonist among the ensemble even when he still gets pretty decent page time. I think the reason why is that a lot of the connections that were previously being drawn between his arc and the overall story progression shift to instead draw those links between Megatron and the direction of the story. Which causes a few issues, but in my opinion the biggest one is: Rodimus' entire character is designed to be a character who works like that. His arc is about understanding that his fuck ups have wide ranging consequences and how to be a leader that does not hide serial killers in the basement that ruin everyone's day. (He's very relatable, isn't he.) If you meaningfully reduce the degree to which his arc drives the broader conflicts of the plot, you can't really... do much with him. Because now, a ton of the page time when things go tits up in a big way gets handed over to Megatron for reasons of pursuing his arc, which also requires he face Big Consequences head on. And page time is scarce! But without Rodimus being the character whose investment in those big stakes is the focus, you don't have those opportunities to drive his character arc forward anymore, and frankly he was way too central for that to ever be anything but awkwardly noticeable as a dangling thread.

And I was scratching my head about why all this was such an issue when this is a comic that can pride itself on narrative efficiency above all else. Listen, MTMTE is really good at having almost everything pull double duty. The first issue is a masterclass in this on its own; every scene is using character dynamics to introduce multiple characters and often multiple relationships at once, foreshadowing is used to drop character notes, interpersonal dynamics are used to lay groundwork for bigger stories that will be told down the line. So the obvious answer to this issue is surely just that you need to incorporate the new character you're finding room for in your story into one of those dynamics.

Which I do think winds up being the issue. The comic never really manages to find a 'hook' for that Megatron-Rodimus dynamic that allows them to both occupy the same narrative space, as it were, where more than one or the other character they and their dynamic are driving the story together. So we wind up with this effect of Rodimus fading into the background of it. The problem seems to me to be that their arcs don't wind up with enough overlap for them to both occupy these story beats together without one of them- overwhelmingly Rodimus- seeming superfluous. The thing is, the arc set out for Megatron can't really be about his interpersonal issues with Rodimus. The scope is too big. You're never going to be able to turn them bickering due to a personality clash into fodder to drive the actual themes of it. Not in a way that feels actually relevant to what's at stake there.

Which means that to make them foils that can function as a tighter and more cohesive narrative unit, so that both of them can take equal billing in the "this is us moving the overarching plot forward" moments, I think the conflict between them needs to be operating on a thematic level. Because in MTMTE, it's... not? Seriously. It feels like it is, because it resembles what that setup looks like in other stories where characters are these ideological foils. But in what way is Rodimus, in MTMTE, a foil to the themes and aims of Megatron's arc? He's, errr. Not someone who has been an evil warlord? He's an Autobot who has... always been an Autobot? His arc just isn't obviously complementary because it's not an arc about redemption, or even really morality at all. (Note that characters don't really talk about Rodimus' fuck up with Overlord as a moral failing, but as a personal one. The moral framework doesn't tend to come into it with Rodimus, because that's not what the story is really interested in exploring with him.)

Which makes sense, because Rodimus' arc wasn't conceived to be a counterpart of Megatron's. And Megatron's wasn't designed around Rodimus. They are two lead characters whose arcs need them to be in very different stories for things to go in a direction that will bring out the beats of their respective arcs. And Megatron's got catchup to do in series two, so Megatron wins out.

But I don't think it actually has to be like that, because there is a way I think you can take the arcs as they're shown to us and intertwine them much more, which is where I can finally circle back around to the question of Dying of the Light.

At that point in the comic, I think you can say that the one really obvious parallel between the two that can be drawn is that (on admittedly different scales) they have both struggled to work out what accountability is supposed to look like. You have Rodimus who has been through the Overlord debacle and then Remain in Light, and you have Megatron who in DotL has the whole thing where he is confronted with just how many people he's killed. Rodimus in RiL especially has a whole thing where he dismisses the idea of dying heroically to make up for his mistakes getting people killed because it's cheap, and this is a defining character moment for him. It frames everything he does going forward and answers the question of "is Rodimus capable of taking actual responsibility", which sets us up for the vote and all that stuff. Rodimus is asked to risk dying to fix things and correctly identifies this as an easy way out and says "no, I'll do one better than that", and the remaining arc we get for him before Megatron's introduction is him dealing with fallout.

Dying of the Light has the scene for Megatron with the spark flowers, and while that scene does not tend to land for me overall, I can acknowledge that it has a really specific purpose: it's the point that Megatron's later attempt to just die with Tarn is calling back to. It explains his change in behaviour. What we've seen of Megatron up to that point suggests him as someone who is trying to make amends in the sense of balancing the scales- yes, he's done bad things, but now he's doing good things, and eventually this will even things out. The flower scene is there because it provides a visual metaphor for the sheer scope of what Megatron did, and importantly it provides that perspective to Megatron. It makes the point that doing this is clearly not possible given what, exactly, Megatron is making amends for. You can't just community service your way out of that graveyard, essentially.

So this allows us to look at Megatron trying to die alongside Tarn in DotL through the lens of him basically being like "there's no way for me to actually fix this, so all I can do is die for it". And this is where we run into the change that I think would allow this to be a point where Rodimus and Megatron's arcs could be tied together by a larger overarching theme: Rodimus thinks that's bullshit. Specifically, he thinks it's cheating. We know he does, because it's what he rejected in Remain in Light.

Rather than frame Rodimus as reaching for Megatron because of his personal investment in him as someone he's now come to care about, and Megatron accepting as a gesture towards accepting that friendship, I'd offer an alternative. Megatron does not accept and Rodimus hauls his ass out of there unwillingly. Not (just) because of their developing relationship, but because Rodimus is articulating an ideological disagreement with Megatron's conclusion; he thinks that Megatron accepting he has to die because there's no point trying to do anything about it is a cheat. Cowards' way out and all that.

This reintroduces Rodimus into the parts of the comic that are now mostly being progressed through Megatron's arc because now all of that is Rodimus' fault. He's the one who decided to save Megatron when he didn't have to, and any further consequences aren't just the consequences of Megatron trying to deal with what he's done and how it continues to impact everyone; they're also the result of Rodimus' decision to save him when he didn't have to. It also means that there's now a clear thematic concept being explored in the space between these two characters and how they differ. What does accountability look like? What does punishment look like? What investment do these characters have in those concepts? These are now disagreements that can not only fuel the panel-to-panel petty conflicts between these two characters, but their actual arcs. You can draw much stronger parallels between them than just 'this one's hotheaded and rash, and this one's not, and they are Bickering', which can drive individual character interactions but not the actual wider ideas the comic wants to engage with.

It opens up a lot of narrative space for these two characters to align their personal arcs in a way that engages what is at this point driving the overall plot forward, and it therefore allows them to both occupy that walking-inciting-incident position as opposed to just being like. Well I Guess Megatron Is The Protagonist Now. Their relationship becomes a central argument about what the comic is about that they can embody and express together, and conflict over whether the right choice was made can push them through the upcoming story beats.

Overall, MTMTE has an issue where it wants Megatron and Rodimus to be foils but can't actually find a place where they are outside the surface level. But they are both characters whose arcs are about being gigantic fuck ups and living with it, so the material like... exists! The text is there if you massage it right! And that's why I think they should have been even more dysfunctional. Megatron would be sooo mad Rodimus ruined his big death scene, and if nothing else, can we all please agree that would have been really funny.

[ace-and-ink]

the other day

(i almost called it yesterday)

i wrote a poem after class

called it a warm-up

called it cards

i did everything my professor said i shouldn’t

took advice from my writing professor

who said

“here are a list of writing rules

go break every single one of them”

i’ll take this one slower

because my theatre class got out early

and i got to eat this time

the soda fountain was busted

the cherry coke wasn’t that

we read of those who wrote

with inspiration of art

i’ll never write like

the way orphan made me feel

i hear i song

and i cry

and i steal half their lines

want me to do it again?

i’ll list what i’m listening to

“take it from me

i’m not looking for anybody

i’m sick of car rides

you lied while we lay back to side”

my friend (?????)

[for our audio listeners

if you’re ever out there

there’s a series of question marks

because i don’t know

what i want her to be]

said goodbye to me as she left

and i couldn’t catch her

i had to fix my desk

i sat with a pretty girl today

she reminds me of my old friend

the one i’ve written about before

the one i’ve compared myself to with a dying moth

i wish she’d look at me like she did

she smiled at the end

before fumbling her papers

and i almost relapsed on the spot

i saw a pretty girl in my building

she lives a floor above me

i think about how my elevator sometimes

doesn’t say what floor it was going to

and i always have to double check

i wonder what system it uses

or if it just didn’t want to say it

if it skipped a line on accident

if it just had too much going on at once

i don’t think i can call this a poem

what if i call myself a moth again?

i use dogs too often

my hair looked decent when

i left the bathroom this morning

i saw my reflection when the poem wouldn’t load

and i think i almost lost three years of progress

that girl was from here

in this city i’m familiar yet foreign to

i reread my own poem

and i’ve suddenly never used a metaphor in my life

i talked about rocks

and i wrote about moths

i’ll only be a hit online

- by online i mean i’ll get clicks

from my one online friend -

my roommate always keeps the door open

the same friend from before had her room rekeyed

i don’t know how to make this a poem

my professor would never take this

i keep getting snapchat notifications

of my old teammates from home

celebrating each other’s birthdays

i almost don’t even go home for mine

so should i use a simile?

should i add a metaphor?

i can’t say i agree with holly in that song right now

i can’t drive

but they’ve lied while we laid together

and they’re still going on about getting high

let’s see

what can i say here?

i feel like a fish in a fishbowl

- there’s my vehicle -

i can see everything i want

but i can’t get to any of it

- there’s my tenor -

my writing class made me feel

like i at least have a chance

so far poetry

has made me feel like i’ve been fooling myself

i can’t call this poetry

i can’t say i’m good at all

which isn’t the problem

it’s that i don’t feel like i can be

i’m laying in bed

the brain killer

and now i don’t want to go to geology

which isn’t for another hour

i’ll call this a warm-up

like i do

being the fraud artist i am

saying every piece i don’t like

was a practice sketch

so i don’t have to claim it

hey if i add a period here

can i call this all enjambment?

ah shit nevermind

there it goes

i’ll end it on this

anyway.

— warm-up: tenor

[grippingbeskar]

salt, ice and fire

chapter twenty one - push and pull

frank castle x fem!reader

warnings: swearing, canon typical violence, mentions of death, scars, injuries, franks a bit of a dick, then he’s sad?

a/n: i’m SORRY. i am a horrible human. this took so long and i have no idea if it’s worth it. But it needed so much editing i swear if you read the first thing i wrote you’d puke. i hope you enjoy bc i love writing angry frank and reader lmao.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“You can’t go.” You hear Matt say, but you can’t take your eyes off Frank.

“You gonna stop me?” Frank growls back, stepping to put himself between the two of you. To his credit, the lawyer doesn’t seem intimidated, more just pissed off.

“You? I don’t care what you do— but I made a promise to that kid outside and to your girlfriend that I’d do whatever it took to help her, and I’m not letting you ruin it because you want to let off steam and kill someone.”

“You do your job, I’ll do mine.” Frank says. Matt scoffs, shaking his head.

“You make my job pretty difficult if you go and play Bonnie and Clyde all through the capital. Bobby Gnucci is on the FBI’s most wanted list, and with everything going on in the past six months, it’s too risky. Not to mention Madani, who’s giving you one shot at living a semi-normal life.” Matt turns to you now, face angled in your direction over Franks shoulder. “If you know where he is, we can use him. Make him answer for the things he’s done to you, and what he’s probably doing to others.”

Your heart was slamming in your chest, and now Frank had turned to look at you. Almost like he expected you to know what you wanted. You thought you would want him dead. You want him to suffer, to watch him die the way he made you watch hundreds of others die; at your hands. But what Matt was saying made sense, too. With Bobby alive, if you could get him to Madani, maybe your own freedom was still on the table.

It seemed like the biggest problem you faced right now was figuring out how to stay anonymous. You couldn’t risk your enemies finding out who you were, let alone finding out you had a brother. Keeping your faces out of the public eye meant if you brought Bobby in, no one would be chasing you. One more loose end to tie up.

“If I— if we brought Bobby back here, would that mean there wouldn’t be a trial?” Frank walks out of your view, shaking his head, and you hear a door close softly behind you. Your heart pulls, but Matt starts talking before you can follow him.

“It’d be the trial of the decade, but you would be kept out of it. You’d be a key witness, and I can guarantee both you and your brother would be anonymous since you wouldn’t be on the stand. Plus, Madani can cover her ass and keep your face out of it completely.” It all sounds like something out of a dream you had, something so far off but now it was right in front of you. “It’ll be like you were never there.”

Another door opens, and your brother comes through, smiling. Like, really smiling. Taking in a deep breath, the idea of having options for freedom should feel like a weight off your chest— instead, it only makes you feel heavier.

“I… I need—“

“Take some time. We have a little bit now, if you really know where he is.” Matt nods knowingly, and you hear the distracted talking of Karen and your brother on the couch. He looks at you and smiles again, and you return it.

“He’ll be there.” You were certain of it. “I should…” Your head nods to the now closed door of Matt’s room, and he smirks.

“Good luck with that.” An exhausted laugh cracks it’s way out of your throat as you head towards the door.

When you open it, Frank is pacing on the opposite side of the room. He’s walking slow, but it’s one of the few times you’ve seen his hands anything but steady. When the door clicks shut behind you, he stops, looking up and keeping the distance of the double bed between you.

“We are not playing that game again.” Frank says, looking you dead in the eye.

“Frank, this is not a game.”

“It’s a fuckin’ joke.”

“This is a chance at a real life, and you might not like it— fuck, I hate it, but these things are gonna happen. You knew involving Madani would come at a cost, and this is it.”

“So this whole thing is my fucking fault?” Your head falls back, staring at the ceiling— it was like talking to a wall.

“No. I didn’t say that.”

“You remember the last time you had the bright idea to take someone hostage?” He steps back, leaning against the wall, and your mind flashes to the Colonel. Whole lot of good that did you. “We spent twenty four hours hauling that piece of shit in the back of a car, and he gave us nothing. Instead, he lead his men straight to you, and we ended up killing him anyways.”

“I know—“

“So you think now that Murdocks flashing a brief case and a few pretty words that all this ends with him in prison?” Anger dripped from every word, but you couldn’t feel his words hitting you. He wasn’t angry at you— it was something else. “None of this ends until Gnucci and every one of his men are dead and buried. I’m not risking your life because you want to play nice all of a sudden.”

“Frank, don’t—“

“No. I know how this shit goes, and if he’s not dead, it’s not over. You’ve already killed for this guy a hundred times over, and now you have the chance to get your own back and protect your brother, you’re not going to take it? You didn’t have a problem taking down the Colonel—“

“You shut the fuck up right now!” You spit, fists clenched hard. The sharp points of your nails come out against your will, digging into the flesh of your palm so hard you can feel blood pooling. “Who the fuck do you think you are, throwing that back in my face!? When you know exactly how much I have to get him back, you fucking prick!”

“That’s —“

“Shut up! This is my chance— my fucking chance. This is what I have to do. You don’t think I want him dead? You don’t think I fucking dreamed about it every day for years on end? I want him mounted on my god damn wall— but if it’s at the cost of my brothers shot at a free life away from all this, then I will cart Bobby’s ass across the country if I have to. I’m not saying we don’t take as many of his fucking guys down with us, but if they need Bobby to give Sam a chance to live like a normal kid, I’m doing it.” The gasping of both of your heated breaths is the only sound in the room, and Franks jaw stays shut tightly. “You heard what Matt said. If we can bring him here, we can do this quietly. I know you care about Sam, you wouldn’t have taken him in if you didn’t, and I know you care about Madani, and what happens to her.”

“I don’t give a fuck about any of this if Bobby Gnucci gets to live.” Like a gun had went off, you take a step back. It was probably the most selfish thing you’d heard him say since you met him. 

“That’s a lie, and you know it.”

“I’m not letting you do this.” He ignores your comment, his eyes going out of focus for a second.

“And me? If this is what I want?” He shakes his head, suddenly quiet. “I don’t want to live my life like this, Frank. I don’t want to run from people, or pretend to be legally dead. I want a—“

“A normal life. Yeah.” He sits on the floor, not looking at you. “I get it.”

“Nothing about my life is normal. I just… I want to not be worried my brothers going to die every god damn day! He was— I was never meant for a life like this. If I kill Bobby, I replace his men with the FBI, and everything he wanted to happen, happens anyway. Even if Madani fakes our death like you said, I have too many enemies, too many people that I’ve fucked with to be put in a globally accessible system like that. They’d come for me. For Sam!” You take a step around the bed, your voice getting softer as you try to take a few breaths and calm yourself down. “They’d come for you, and I can’t have that, even if you hate me for it.”

“I can handle my own shit.”

“I’m not saying you can’t, but this isn’t just New York. There’s thousands of them. It’s… you know what I did to them.” He doesn’t say anything, staring down at the floor. His head was in his hands, and even though Frank Castle was the silent type, something about this was unnerving. He was still half obstructed by the bed, but you couldn’t tell if taking a step forward would make him back up or come closer to you. You hadn’t yelled at each other like this since those shitty hotels you stayed in when you first met, and it left an acidic taste in your mouth.

“Guys like that don’t get to live. That’s not what I do.” Frank says finally, his voice muffled in his hands.

“I know. It’s not what I do, either. Like you said, I’ve killed for him a thousand times. Why should I change now?” It comes out more bitter than it should have, and Frank says something but you don’t hear it. “This is my chance to start fresh.”

“Fresh.” He grates, still not looking up. “You go get your fresh fuckin’ start.”

“Look at me.” He does, and then he finally stands up. In two, slow steps he clears the space between you. His face was hard, and he was breathing slow, like he was trying to keep himself controlled.

“You go. Get your fresh start, get your ass to Paris or wherever the hell you want to go and put all this behind you. You were never meant for this shit, right?” You blink a few times, trying to comprehend the sight before you. His eyes were a little red, and some look you hadn’t seen ever before is on his face.

“What are you talking about?”

“This is all I got! This— all this blood on your hands? It’s on mine too, but I don’t have a choice. There’s no way out. Killing Bobby is the only thing I can give you, and if that’s not what you want anymore than what the fuck are we doing?” His voice cracked, and even with all the shit he was saying your heart still broke hearing him sound like that. “This is the kind of man I am. I won’t keep your brother safe, and I’m not going to hold your fucking hand while we cart around assholes like Bobby Gnucci. I’m going to kill him— and I’m not changing my fucking mind.”

He was breathing so quick you thought he might pass out. Practically shaking, he held his ground, and you tried to drown out the sound of the TV getting louder outside. Frank must of been yelling, or at least talking loud enough for them to need to drown him out. You could see the regret in his face, in how he was practically folding in on himself, waiting for you to walk out on him. Instead, you stepped forward.

“No, you won’t.” His face was nearly touching yours, he was that close.

“No? You don’t know shit about me, then.” His voice was deadly soft. A strained whisper, voice breaking just a little. “This shit is real for me. You might not of wanted this— but I do. This is who I chose to be, and I’m not changing now.”

“I’m not asking you to change. I’m asking you to—“

“To what? Be your lap dog? Follow you around until you get bored of running? Cause I don’t get an immunity deal with the FEDS or a shiny new lawyer. This is all I got, sweetheart.” He was being mean, and any other day you’d throw it back to him, drop to his level, but his face right now was unlike you’d ever seen.

There was half of you that wanted to fight him. Throw as much venom back as he was spitting at you, be cruel and vindictive, and Hell— maybe there was a small voice in your head telling you to leave and finish this yourself. But the majority of you, the part that’s thawed out over these past few months with him knows that isn’t what he needs right now, and it isn’t what you really want. You tried to channel what he did that day in the hotel. Let him yell as much as he needed, and be there to pick up the pieces.

“I’m asking you to do this with me.” Your hands cup his face, and for a split second his eyes close, then open wide, still lined with rage.

“I can’t.” He tries to slip away but you hold him tight, fingertips borderline painful with their grip on him. He stops pulling when he feels you’re not going to let go. “I can’t let him go alive.”

“Yeah you can. You did it once before.”

“That was different. He didn’t…” Frank looks away from your eyes, at the little scar on your forehead, now completely healed. “The shit he did to you? You want me to let him go, baby?”

“Frank.” You sigh. Your shoulders sag, thumb tracing over his cheekbones.

“Christ. Fuck, I’m sorry. Let’s get out of here, we’ll get back to—“

“Do you love me?” He squeezes him eyes shut, like the question is as painful as a punch in the gut. “Frank, do you love me?”

“Fuck.” He hisses. “Don’t ask me that. Not now.”

“Too fucking bad. Answer me.” Your heart drops to your feet, terrified to hear the answer if it’s not the one you’re waiting for.

“Yeah. Yes. Yes.” Your thumb wipes away the tear on his cheek, keeping him steady as he nods. “Yes.”

“Then do this with me. We bring him back, together.” He was still nodding, eyes tightly shut, leaning against you like he’d break apart. “And Frank? This… this is not all you are.”

“Stop.” He whispers, the softness of it cracking away the hardest parts of you, turning them to warm tides. He was already shaking his head when you starting talking.

“You kept Sam safe. You did. You are that kind of man— and killing people is not all you are. It’s… that’s all I thought I was. For a long time, I thought I was a monster.” His hands grip your waist, and he leans into you further. “But you showed me I don’t have to be that. That I had choices, even if they were small. You told me I could make my own decisions, that I didn’t have to be what they made me— what I made myself into. And then, when you told me I could leave, I chose you. I chose to stay. Nothing will change that. No matter what happens next, even if you can’t do this with me, I will follow you anywhere you let me.”

“I can’t give you what you want.” You lean up on your toes and kiss his forehead lightly. “This will end for you, but it never ends for me. There ain’t a happy ending for this.”

“I don’t care. You are what I want. Even when this ends, I chose to stay. I want this, and whatever comes next. I just want you.” He hauls you to his mouth, the taste of salt and him mixing on your tongue. The kiss is desperate and pleading— apologetic and searching for forgiveness, and you give it. You could take whatever words he’d throw at you, like he would take yours. You were both stubborn and volatile and mean but it didn’t matter, because you were both here, and there wasn’t a single thing in the world that would trump the feeling of his mouth on yours.

You both only pull away when your gasping for air, one of Franks hands tangled in your hair while the other is wrapped snug around your waist. His eyes were still closed, almost like he was afraid to open them, but when he was ready you met them, like an equal. A team.

“We bring him back, alive. Kill the rest.” Frank says into your mouth and you nod.

“Burn that shit to the ground.” You say in earnest. You want that place destroyed— the lower levels were like the levels of Hell itself, and you wanted to make sure no one would ever see those walls again. “Sam—“

“Stays. If we aren’t cleaning house in Washington, he stays far away.” Frank says, and you roll your eyes.

“I was going to say that.”

“Were you?”

“Well, I don’t generally plan to bring the twelve year old on a hostage mission.” Frank blows out a breath, close enough to a laugh, and then goes quiet for a second. You know the guilt will be eating him up— he was constant like that. Guilt was practically his middle name. “You ever throw that Colonel shit in my face again, or any of it, and I’ll put you through the window.”

“I hope you do.” He looks down, searching for words he doesn’t have. He didn’t mean it, and you’d said twice as bad things to him in your time. Apologies felt like placebos at this point, and even if it was a bit mean, you’d take his real emotion over the fake shit he used to feed you any day.

“Just do what you said you would. Do this with me, and we won’t bring it up again.” You kiss him again, and he tightens his grip. You feel the press of his chest to yours tighten and release, and his head falls onto your shoulder.

“I’m scared.” He says lowly, and you physically feel your body slump in response to how… broken he sounds. “Scared of losing you. If he walks, he’s gonna come for you and the kid. I can’t lose… fuck, I can’t do it again. I can’t.”

“I am not going anywhere.” You nudge him upwards, his nose dragging along the soft skin of your neck.

“When I lost Maria and the kids… I won’t come back from that again. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t live with myself until I knew every single one of those fuckers were dead. You’re asking me to let this guy go after what he did to you and I can’t—“

“If he ever gets out, I’ll kill him myself. Besides, you’ll be with me. What do I have to worry about?” He nods once, and you fall into silence again. This one isn’t like the others. It’s comfortable. Soothing. He holds you for a second longer, and as he lets go his hands stay reaching out, afraid to let you slip through them.

“I don’t like compromise.” His eyes meet yours again, and you have to stop yourself from sighing in relief. He looks like him again, eyes focused on you like they have been since you met him.

“Don’t pout. It’s not cute.” He scoffs, muttering something as he heads for the door.

“Come on. You wanna do this, you can be the one to tell Murdock.” You walk up next to him, feigning an innocent expression. “I ain’t feeding that guys ego anymore.”

“Oh? I thought you guys were such close friends.” Frank growls a string of curse words under his breath as you both walk back into the living room.

“She tell you I was right?” Matthew says from the couch, and you wouldn’t be surprised if Frank shoved you out of the way and knocked him on the jaw.

“Fuck off.” Frank says instead, walking to the other side of the room to stand in the corner. Matt laughs, but you still can’t take your eyes off Frank, and the subtle smile he gives Sam even though he’s clearly pissed off.

“Your phones been ringing off the hook.” Matt looks at Frank and he takes any chance to get out of the room, disappearing from view. “You sort it out?”

“We’ll bring him back. Alive.” Matt nods. “But I can’t control what happens after that.”

“I only need a few hours.” You frown, confused. “I’m a really good lawyer.”

“So I’ve heard.” He laughs again, picking up a few papers from the table. “Look, I just want to say thank-you again. You didn’t have to do any of this, and I know it isn’t the easiest situation, but… I can’t tell you how much it means. To me and Sam, and Frank. Don’t tell him I said that, though.”

“I’m happy to. These kinds of cases are why I became a lawyer in the first place. Even if it means working with guys like him.” He nods to where Frank disappeared, and you blow out a breath.

“He’s not all bad.”

“I know.” Matt gives you a knowing smile before Frank comes back in the room. His face is devoid of any emotion from your talk earlier, and a pit of dread builds in your stomach at his hard expression.

“Madani. Says Bobby’s guys just broke into my old apartment. Took everything, burnt the rest. Karen’s old place, too.” Shit. “We need to move, now.”

“Okay— just let me…” You look down at Sam, who’s already standing next to you. Frank was looking at him too, and you didn’t like the look in his eye.

“She’s got somewhere for him.” He says softly. “He can’t stay here. It’s only a matter of time.”

“Where?” Your voice cracks.

“Some kind of witness protection. There’s too many of ‘em to track. He’s a sitting duck here.” He says the last part in your ear, and Matt somehow catches it.

“He’s safe here.” Matt says, and Frank laughs.

“They found us. Karen’s place. How long you think it’s going to take for them to find this place, or the next?” He was right. You knew it, and as much as you trusted Matt and Karen, they wouldn’t be enough. “Madani’s got the doctors family out and safe. He can go with them, stay there till we get this handled.”

Your throat was tight as you looked down at Sam’s face, thinking about the last time you told him you had to leave. You’d left him enough, you had no idea how to explain this to him—

“It’s okay. I can go.” Sam stands in front of you, looking about ten years older with that determined look on his face. “I can go, and then you’ll come back after, right?”

“Of course.” You bend down further, hugging him tightly. “Can’t get rid of me now.”

He was grinning— a big difference to the kid that you pulled out of the boot of that car just a day or two ago. The bruises on his face were fading, but that wasn’t the reason he was looking brighter. He was around people, ones that gave a shit about him, and he was getting the first taste of real freedom he’d remember. He looked up at Frank, then, smiling a little wider, and it was clear you weren’t the only sibling with an affinity for him.

“Go fuck him up, then.” Sam says seriously. You think about telling him he shouldn’t swear, but if your worst problem with this kid was him saying ‘fuck’ then you’ve gotten off pretty well.

Frank was already getting the remains of your stuff together, and you spent the remaining few minutes with Sam. You can hear Matt and Frank outside, Karen having disappeared to give you some space, and when the two of them came back in the room, Matt looked pissed and Frank was hanging at the door, face blank.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Meet you outside.” Frank said before leaving the living room and shoving the front door of Murdocks apartment out of his way.

He had spent all of four hours in that place, and it was four too fucking many. He was on edge now— and the argument with you was still heavy on his mind. Now Madani was calling with more bad news, and he started to feel like a caged animal.

He knew he was out of line with some of the shit he said, but like he told you; he was fucking scared. Last time he let someone live instead of just killin’ him it came back to bite him in the ass, and innocent people died. Because of him. His family was dead because he didn’t take care of the shit he should of. That wasn’t even the half of it. What he knows this guy has done to you, Frank wasn’t sure he was gonna have it in him not to put a bullet between his eyes the second he saw him.

He just couldn’t say no to you. Not when you asked him like that.

Walking outside, he leant against the car, rubbing the palms of his hands on his jeans. He could put it down to how many things could go wrong back in Washington, or the phone call with Madani, but really, the thing that was giving him sweaty palms and a headache was what you asked him. And what he’d said.

“Do you love me?”

“Yeah. Yes. Yes.”

He knows it’s not the first time he said it. The last time he wasn’t even sure if you’d caught it— your eyes rolled back in your head and you saying his name all high pitched and whiney like he loved to hear. He couldn’t help it; basically poured out of him. You’d looked so fucking pretty under him, and twenty four hours without you was enough to give him withdrawals. It made him nervous as shit, though, doesn’t matter how true it was.

He saw you come out the front of the apartment block, walking straight towards him. Frank was half sure you were going to come to your senses and walk up and smack the shit out of him, but you started to slow down just in time to wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him.

He couldn’t remember anything he was thinking about before, just that you were threading your hands in his hair like you always did, and he chased the feeling as you pushed against him. His hands went to your hips, bending down further so he could take control. He didn’t give a fuck about the people walking past, he let his hands wander wherever made you moan in his mouth the loudest, smiling a little as you squeaked when his hands grabbed a little harder on your ass.

You pulled back first, breathless and smiling, but he could see in your eyes you’d cried a little before you came down here.

“You okay?” You nodded quickly, kissing him again. He knew it was probably leaving Sam that had you upset, but he’d given you a hard time, too.

“Mhmm.” You hummed against his mouth. “You drive.”

“Huh?”

“You were a dick. You can drive.” You lean up to kiss him again, but before he can react you shove him out of the way, sliding yourself into the passenger seat. He blows out a laugh, closing your door for you.

“Yes, ma’am.” He can see your smile even through the tinted windows. It’s probably the sweetest thing he’s seen in a while.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“These, too.” You drop another magazine on the counter, and Frank looks down at you with a blank face. “What?”

He pays for the items, two bags full of shit you probably don’t need and snacks you won’t get through, but you were milking this apology for all it was worth. Besides, with you only being an hour out from Washington, things were about to get complicated. You would take every light moment you could.

“A little help?” You struggle with the overflowing bags, and Frank looks back at you.

“You’re fine.” He says, walking straight back out to the car. As you trail behind him, he’s almost enjoying watching you juggle your shit to the car, but he opens the door for you anyways. Sliding back into the front seats, Frank pulls out onto the highway. “Murdock texted. Sam made it safe.”

“You texting him?” Frank makes a sound, some kind of growl that makes you smirk. “Maybe I should be the one who’s jealous.”

“Funny.”

“I feel like shit. Palming him off.” You watched the muscles in Franks face twitch as he shook his head.

“You’re not palming him off. It’s keepin’ him safe. Besides, the way Madani told it, Doctors family was more than happy to take him in. Said they owed you their lives.” The thought makes you feel sick. They didn’t owe you anything— you were half the reason they were in danger in the first place. “They got kids, too. It’ll be good for him.”

“Yeah.” Frank puts his hand on your thigh, and your breath shakes for a different reason. He keeps it there, thumb stroking up and down just a little higher than normal, and you catch him glancing at you through the mirror.

“This’ll be over soon. All this shit.” Frank says, his voice a tone softer.

“I nearly choked last time I saw him.” Franks hand got tighter on your thigh, knowing you were talking about Bobby. “Going back there, knowing he’s waiting… it’s just freaking me out.”

“I’m not gonna let ‘im anywhere near you.” He stopped himself for a second, keeping his eyes on the road when he spoke again. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Sure I don’t.”

“You don’t. You… look, I can go in there, clean this shit out, meet you back in New York in a day.” You swallowed a laugh— because only he would make any of this seem that simple. Sure, you could give this over to him, or Madani, or you could have just told Karen where he was, and within the day it would be swarmed by agents.

All this could be over, and you could wash your hands of it.

But the truth was— even if you didn’t want to say it out loud, or admit it to anyone, you wanted this. You chose this, to finish this with your own two hands. You might not have wanted to turn out like this, but it was who you were now. You look at Frank, someone who’s life would have been completely different had he chosen a different life, but here he was. He had chosen to live like this, gotten the revenge he needed, and it might have taken a part of him with it, but you still looked at him and saw good.

For all the violence and blood on your hands, this was one time you were going to get what you needed— what you deserved.

“No. I want this.” Is all you said, and the two of you drove in silence, Franks hand never moving from your thigh.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

tag list:

@stress--relief

@hellskitchens-whore

@blkwayne

@itwasthereaminuteago

@margoo0

@daisykins

@paryl

@urlocalgeek

@hello-lisa1026

@castlesnchurches

@superbreadsoul

@lemon-world1

@officalpetergriffin

@batcreep

@quackson03

@violetsandroses8

@turningtoclown

@yourfriendhenrywinter

@peaky-shelby

@hollandorks

@23victoria

@fluffysteampunkd

@andiforgetaboutyoulongenough

@avaluna

[callmejudgement]

More on my Quirk

In my script I wrote I brief description of my quirk, but If you have not read Lord of the Mysteries you likely do not understand much of my powerset, so here’s a breakdown (with illustrations)!

Quirk: Magician

My quirk provides me with a series of 8 tricks to fool reality.

Trick 1: Flame jumping

With a snap of my fingers, I can teleport (or jump) between flammable objects (matches, candles, shoutō…). Unfortunately the radius is pretty small at 30 meters, but it does grant me simple flame manipulation within the range (in order to ignite the objects for the jump).

Trick 2: Illusions

By influencing the surrounding environment, I can create Illusions with colors, sounds, and smells that would be close to reality, allowing me to pass off the false as true and deceive the enemy.

Trick 3: Damage Transfer

As long as I am not dead and can still move my hand, I can transfer vital wounds to unimportant areas like arms, turning fatal wounds into minor injuries.

I can't transfer the damage to other people or items.

Each wound can only be transferred once.

I can also transfer the wounds of others.

Trick 4: Steel Card

I can turn paper into sharp objects which can be like throwing knives.

Trick 5: Air Bullets

I can produce air projectiles with power and speed comparable to that of bullets fired from a revolver just by mimicking sounds.

Trick 6: Paper Figurine Substitutes

I can transform a Paper Figurine into myself and swap places with the figurine. It can not only block a fatal blow, can also use these substitutes as a crude body double.

After using the substitution spell, I reappear in a different but nearby location.

Trick 7: Underwater Breathing Trick

I can create a thin, invisible air pipe which would allow me to breathe freely underwater as long as I do not swim deeper than its length (5 meters).

Trick 8: Historical Projections

I saved the best for last!

I can summon people or objects that existed in the past for a limited time. There are three factors that influence the probability of successfully summoning the target and the duration of the summoned target:

1 The more detailed and the better the understanding I have of the corresponding piece of history and matters, the higher the chance of success is and the longer it will last.

For example, say I want to summon giant military grade gun that I have only seen once — 5% success rate.

Summoning that same gun after researching how it works, who created it, when it was created, etc —70%

Summoning that same item after using it or owning it — 100%

2 When summoning people, it is easier to summon someone “weaker than me”.

Summoning OFA — 0.005%

Summoning Bakugou — 60%

3 Being closer/ friends with a target makes them easier to summon them and maintain their summon for a longer time!

Summoning Aizawa on first day of school — 5% success rate, lasts only for 3 minutes.

Summoning Aizawa after 6 months in 1A — 100%, success rate, lasts for 15 minutes.

I can currently only summon 3 Historical Projections at one point in time. However, there are ways to get around thie:

Say I want to summon a delicious meal that I ate in the past.

I need a table, chair, utensils, and the meal.

Wait! That's more than 3 items!

So instead of summoning everything separately, I'll summon the entire table from when I ate the meal. Including everything ontop of it (meal, plates, utensils).

Snazzy right? Now I just need a chair!

Caveats

A Projection of a person far stronger than me will be weaker than the original.

Historical Projections do not have intelligence, and can only act upon my orders. They also can only answer questions that the I know the answer to. This is because projections are not conscious or aware.

I also scripted incredible balance, flexibility, coordination and agility. Along with danger intuition that allows me to often pre-dodge attacks that would be very damaging or even lethal. However, I wouldn’t really say that this is apart of my quirk. Just think of it as training and genetics.

[badwolfwho1]

It's halfway through the year? Got any favorite albums/books/tv shows/whatever to recommend?

So for the first time I have actually been keeping a spreadsheet with the intent of ranking all the things this year to keep track of what I've read/watched etc and not rely on my memory so in theory this should be easy but in truth I've only been updating it for movies and books so I will have to rely on my memory after all.

Albums

I do not keep track of the albums I've been listening but I have been listening to Avantasia's discography lately and it's all been hitting for me, I think the Wicked Symphony especially was my favourite of their work.

I also listened to The Moody Blues' 'Days of Future Passed' just today so I'll mention that as well, I enjoyed it. (I fully intended to come back here and write some more later but I guess I didn't, it's neat I guess)

Judging based off my liked songs on Spotify I really liked most of Deep Purple's album 'House of Blue Light' and both of Savage Garden's albums.

For a perennial I still love The Bangles' third album "Everything", my first listen I had a few standouts like "In Your Room", "Be With You", "Something to Believe In" but I currently adore pretty much every track on there.

Have I listened to much modern this year? Alas no I am cursed by most of my current listening habits coming from deciding to check out whatever is being referenced in the current episode of Jojo that I'm rewatching and since I just reached Part 5 that means at best they'll be 25 years old.

Books

I've actually kept track of my books so this should be easy, 'Catch 22'; It's a classic for a reason, it's just really really good.

The Adrian Tchaikovsky zone; I read 'City of Last Chances', its sequel 'House of Open Wounds' and the final part of the Final Architecture trilogy 'Lords of Uncreation' this year, all phenomenal (2, 3 and 4 on my books of the year list), City of Last Chances slightly pips the others (and as the opener to a series is the easiest rec). You get a huge and diverse range of points of view all over a city under imperial occupation, great worldbuilding as I always expect from him. There's even a giant centipede what more can you ask for? (I'm also reading his Alien Clay right now, that's a stand alone novel starring a scientist exiled to a work camp on another planet because of his political activism, real good so far, love all the weird alien life it has. It'll probably be joining the Tchaikovsky zone unsure where at though yet)

Oh I've just noticed Bret Hart's biography isn't on my list so I gotta say "Hitman", incredible. The life of a wrestler is wild and Bret Hart especially has had quite the life. So much I didn't know about. The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be (but not the best on my list).

The rest of my top ten, CL Clarke's 'The Unbroken' and 'The Faithless', Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone's 'This is How You Lose the Time War', AK Larkwood's 'The Ten Thousand Eyes' and Garth Marenghi's Terrortome

Games

I feel like I've barely played any games this year. Slay the Spire is still the only Roguelike you'll ever need. I'll be replaying Slay the Princess when Pristine Cut comes out later this year so I'll throw that in here, that's an incredible horror visual novel, tons of branching paths, all voice acted to perfection. I'm in the middle of a Freedom Planet replay, so if you like classic 2D Sonic games this is a really good Soniclike

(Me from after I wrote all this) Oh yeah Hades II exists and I somehow forgot about it I have no idea how that happened. Yeah Supergiant (I always have to double check that in case I write Supermassive) always hits, every single one of their games is gold, Hades II continues that trend. It might still be Early Access but it quite comfortably surpasses release Hades I in content so I am incredibly excited to see how it grows.

Movies

Number 1 at my list is Godzilla Minus One, it's so good, I watched it last year, I watched it this year I'll probably watch it again in the Minus Colour version. I'm a Godzilla mark (I still have at least some objectivity Godzilla x Kong sitting at 12 hasn't even broken into my top 10, wait Oppenheimer isn't on here probably 13 then) and while I've definitely not even nearly seen of all Godzilla's filmography I think this is him comfortably at his best. As in all of his best films as a metaphor as well as a giant radioactive dinosaur.

I watched Rashomon the other day and it feels like a real basic thing to say but yeah Rashomon's really good, as with Catch-22 it's a classic for a reason. Not good enough to surpass a radioactive dinosaur apparently but what can?

And my number three on my list, Asteroid City, great framing device, great set design. Just a genuinely fascinating movie, had complete hold of my interest at all times.

The rest of my top ten in order The Banshees of Inisherin, Monster, Speed, The Menu, Happy Death Day, Scream, Scream 2 (Maybe Happy Death Day should be lower than the Screams actually) Oppenheimer is probably going to land somewhere in that top 10 as well.

TV

Delicious in Dungeon is good, everyone knows Delicious in Dungeon is good, everyone's watching it. World building, funny, great cast its all there, I should read the manga some time. I should definitely read more manga in general.

I've also watched The 8 Show, a Korean Drama show. Eight strangers are offered a chance to participate in a psuedo game show where they live on eight seperate floors and are paid money for the length of time the show goes on. The ones living on the lower floors earn less money and the ones on the higher ones earn more. (Shockingly it's a metaphor for capitalism). Things fairly rapidly degenerate. You'll obviously think of Squid Game watching this and its not as good as Squid Game but its still pretty good.

And obvs you know I'm still on that Buffy watch, on the cusp of finishing Series 6 of Buffy, the most frustrating so far in that it has some good ideas dragged down by a number of terrible decisions; magic becoming a metaphor for drugs, having to see those three nerds on screen frequently, that death etc etc.

Oh yeah I'm watching the Acolyte, I'm not gonna say its great but like its shockingly decent. Falls far short of Andor but aside from that its probably one of the best Star Wars shows they've made. If you like Star Wars this is one of the better shows to check out.

(Somehow I forgot I watched all of Hacks this year!?!?!?!) Great stuff, love those two. Hope they continue to be weird about each other forever.

Other

I'd love to rec a manga but I cantinue to only read two manga which are Hajime no Ippo and Jojo and they're both over 30 years old and still going and I cannot recommend something that long. Last time I mentioned Ippo was like at least six months ago I think I said it was slowly moving towards a conclusion it has moved no closer to a conclusion since then I think it's gonna be another decade. I still love it my favourite character is probably going to have his character arc finished by the end of the current arc, Mashiba's is going to become world champion, he is going to be respected rather than just feared, he's going to have friends, he is going to defeat the personification of the dirty boxing style that carried him through most of his career and he's going to stop being so overprotective over his sister. Either that or he'll get injured and have to retire from boxing forever in a karmic callback to his original sin in boxing when he broke Miyata's foot like thirtyodd years ago. Hopefully the first one.

[flipping-the-coin]

[Inquisitorial Report: Subject - Megatron of Kaon]

[Authorization Level: Alpha (Elite Guard Selective)]

[Listed Authorizations: Head Elite Guardsmech Smokescreen]

[Assigned Inquisitor: Hush]

[15 Vorns after Cybertron’s Restoration - One Vorn into assignment]

═════════════════

Hush here with another report. As usual, it's been a pretty tame stellar cycle. Megatron really doesn’t do much, Smokescreen. I’m not joking. I thought he was terrifying at first, and don’t mischaracterize me when I say he still is absolutely terrifying, but if you know how to deal with him, it isn’t all that bad. He’s been doing a lot of writing recently, but that’s about it. He wrote a rather well done piece on Orion Pax’s dancing. I didn’t think I was one for romantics, but even I can admit it was a wonderful little thing. It was so sweet and well thought out. I think Orion will like it when he reads it. I plan to go find some nice solarite blooms for Megatron to give to Orion alongside the poem he’s composed. It will be a lovely accent piece to really add to the feeling of the gift.

There really isn’t a lot about Megatron to discuss, but since I would like to meet glyph count and have something to do other than knit another three stuffed turbo foxes, I’m going to tell you more about what’s been going on. Hope you don’t mind Head Guardsmech, but I’m really quite bored and this is a nice way to get my thoughts recorded for when I inevitably have my memory wiped and I need a refresher on handling my targets.

So you know I made up a company, right? Of course you do, I put it in my last report. Anyway, I put on my disguise, changed my paint, and swapped out my visor for a gold one before going to meet Orion as my new persona, Melody. I double-checked that everything looked good and covered up the wings of my badge. Then, once it was a good way through the morning, I walked up and rang the doorbell with my bag of gardening tools. You have no idea how long I spent frantically learning about gardening. I read everything I could get my servos on and I even went to train under a florist for a few deca-cycles. I had Carnage go out and look for plants for me as well. Did you know that the ruins of Crystal City are filled with plants thought extinct? I mean the city has been on fire since the Quints blew up Vector Omega, but the fires aren’t as bad now, so I could feasibly go fetch some plants.

Right, back on topic. I made sure my disguise was perfect and then rang the bell. I made sure Megatron would be out at the time just so that in case things went south I would be able to book it without being murdered. Orion’s field is nasty, but it won’t outright kill a mech, at least not based on what I’ve seen. If the Primal Steward and Megatron can walk it off, I am sure I can handle it too. That said, Orion answered the door pretty quickly and seemed genuinely surprised to see anyone there at all. I smiled as nicely as I was able, and our interaction went something like this:

“Hello! I’m Melody from Melody Photographics and Landscaping! Would you happen to be Orion Pax?” 

Orion was really shocked when I introduced myself. He hesitated a lot at the door but replied soon enough.

“Yes, I am Head Archivist Pax. What can I do for you?”

 I think he was expecting me to demand money or something with how he was giving me a look. Maybe he thought Megatron hadn’t paid dear Melody for the pictures. He wouldn’t have been wrong if he had thought that. Megatron hasn’t paid me for scrap, but at this point, I do what I do because I’m bored, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

“I was hired to tend to your garden and the exterior of your hab. Would it be possible for me to step in so we can discuss what you would like to get from this arrangement? I can begin work as soon as I know the budget I will have available and what you would like to see your garden become.”

Again, he looked like someone had come and slapped him upside the helm with a brick. Honestly, I can see why Megatron is fond of Orion’s optics. They are very expressive when he’s running through lots of emotions. He invited me in pretty quickly, and we ended up sitting down to discuss plans over tea. Orion makes killer tea by the way. I don’t think I’ve had tea since I got put in this post of mine, so his tea was extra nice. Did you know he likes his tea with loose crystals? I didn’t but now I do. 

We chatted for a bit and he asked all about how I got my job and who hired me. I told him Megatron hired me to take care of the place since my photographs turned out well and he liked my work. I also let him know that I do have a feline named Carnage who stays with me to assist me with my visual impairment. That one I came up with on the spot when I accidentally slipped up about my visor. See, the one I was wearing wasn’t actually a medically enhanced one, it was just protective. I think he might have been worried I was hiding something, either that or he was just curious. Whatever the case, I panicked a bit and took off my visor to show him why I have it.

I might have scared him, but I don’t think so. It’s really hard to tell with Orion. Sometimes he’s as clear as crystal, and other times he’s impossible to read. He just looked at my mutated optics, asked if they were painful, and then made an understanding noise. It was… relieving to have somebody look at my face and not be disguised. Megatron is going to have a field day when he finds out that his nickname of 'spider’ for me is far more accurate than he originally assumed. I know what I look like. I know that it’s because of my optics that I was made into an Inquisitor.

Sorry, it’s just nice to not be immediately gagged at. Following my reveal, Orion asked about Carnage, to which I just stated that Carnage comes and goes but doesn’t cause trouble. Then, once he seemed confident in my genuine interest in gardening, he grabbed some datapads, floor plans, schematics, designs, and so much more that I didn’t even know he had. By the time he had everything laid out, his entire kitchen table was covered in documents detailing his property and how he would like his garden to look. It was honestly super fun working with him to design the layout of the garden. We spent all cycle debating what would look best where.

I’ll tell you what, though: Orion Pax is rich. Megatron never spends much shanix, so I haven’t actually seen the sheer amount of cash these two monsters have in their accounts. But when I asked how much I could spend and made it clear I was happy to purchase whatever was missing, Orion outright shut that idea down. He shook his helm and went over the expenses for the garden, which I will have you know are absolutely astronomical considering what Orion wants. This is what he told me:

“Melody, you look like you haven’t fueled properly in vorns. I am not going to have you take shanix out of your hard earned salary to pay for my garden. I have a substantial inheritance to my name, and even with all these expenses, I will still hardly scratch the surface of those funds.”

He showed me his account, Smokescreen. He’s got more shanix than some senators have at this point! He’s disgustingly wealthy, and I did, in fact, choke a bit when I read his account balance. Orion is related to Alpha Trion, right? Well, that fragger must have been swimming in funds because Orion looks like some sort of foreign prince with how much shanix he has just sitting around. He told me a good chunk of his inheritance was made null and void with the shift in economics and the new currency system, but that much of it still held strong because many of his assets are in relics, property, and documents.

It was wild. I ended up handing Megatron a copy of the amount of shanix in his and Orion’s accounts a few cycles later, and he did an actual spittake at the number. I can’t blame him. Even deca-cycles after the matter, I still find myself recalling just how much cash my targets have to their names. I haven’t seen that much money anywhere, much less in one place at the same time. 

Back on the subject of the garden. Orion made his plans, and I’ve been spending the past couple of deca-cyles hunting down things he wants. Orion has been helping too, and so far we meet once a deca-cycle to go over plans again. I’ve already begun clearing out the garden of all the random plant growth already there. The dirt is all sifted and energon shards have been distributed to fertilize it all. I got some bots to bring over the trees Orion ordered and I managed to convince Megatron to help me hold them up while I got the holes prepared. Currently, there is one huge techtite tree that shot up like a vining holoshade and two smaller trees from Crystal City that I grabbed. I don’t actually know what they are, and neither does Orion. We are both looking into it, but they are pretty so they are allowed to just kinda hang there.

I spent a cycle with Orion laying down walkways too. That was fun. We talked about all sorts of plants and had lunch on the deck after spending the morning laying down eco friendly path pieces. We got into an argument over a bench we were putting together for the garden, but that argument resolved itself when Megatron came out and showed us that we were both reading the manual wrong. We put one screw in the wrong place, and the whole thing looked like a fragged up mess.

I got laughed at and Orion got kisses. I may or may not have been rather bitter about that. But we got the bench finished and got seeds for some copper growths spread around. I expect them to grow in alongside the newest plants we have shipping in rather quickly. Oh, we also got a nice tea table put under the techtite tree. We’ve had lunch there once a deca-cycle ever since. First Aid even came by once and got to fuel with us! He’s really nice. I really enjoy First Aid’s company. He knows a great deal and is very caring. He took one look at my optics and prescribed me some medication I don’t know.

I’ve been taking it for a while now and I must say, while it hasn’t fixed my life’s problems or the sensitivity of my optics, I can now withstand a little more dust before my optics get all agitated. 

As a side note, Carnage has been sleeping on top of my cockpit for a while now, and just the other cycle I decided to open it up because he kept pawing at it. He jumped right in and refused to hop out. He hasn’t emerged in cycles, but he doesn’t seem to be very concerned. I can feel him in there and it’s actually pretty comforting. Is that normal? I mean, I know that some of the big fliers will let others ride in their cockpits, but are they supposed to have to fuel more afterwards?

That’s all I’ve got for now. I will keep you updated, as usual. 

═════════════════

[Report Received: Visibility Status - Seen]

[Note from Head Elite Guardsman Smokescreen: Hush for Primus’s sake, you are getting far too comfortable in your role. I can’t exactly stop you now, but please, be careful before giving away your weaknesses. As for your question? I am afraid I don’t have the answer. Very little is known about yours and others frame types. A lot of information was lost during the war. So unless you are in pain, I wouldn’t worry about it.]

[bluiex]

HI SOMEONE ASKED FOR BOTTOM SCAR FICS AND I AM DELIVERING

(sorry if someone already suggested some that i'm gonna suggest, i guess those fics are the ones who marked us)

I would like to start with mumscarian, classic, ya know?

Dicentra by rosemaryKnight is very good, the last chapter is just Scar getting ruined by Grian and Mumbo and it's filled with funny moments and heartfelt moments.

The Best Reward by Anonymous is also one where Scar gets, just, ruined by Grian and Mumbo and I'm pretty sure there's a sweet aftercare moment at the end.

Grounded by Anonymous is elf Scar being teased by Mumbo and Grian (Mumbo is a dom in this one, but like, hhhnghghgn he just... ruins Scar in all the best ways) and the aftercare scene is just so soft, and I think The Best Reward and this fic have similarities in the aftercare scene, bc I often mix them up.

it feels so good, oh, to be alone with (both of) you by Anonymous (theres a lot of anonymous fics in the bottom scar tag) is where Mumbo is the sub, but he does fuck Scar and both of them are just enjoying it. I swear Grian is also there, he's quite important in this fic. It does have mommy/daddy kink, so, be warned.

Breaking News: Does Scar is Omega? by Sumilacra is just. Poignant. Like, yes, there is smut at the end, but they're so soft to each other ad respect Scar's boundaries and it's one of the few Aspec Scar fics I found (can you tell I'm often on the Scar tag?)

Next up, Scarian and others, bc ooo boy, scarian is quite popular but with a third person as well.

all your little dooms by Anonymous is just, Scar in a dress and teasing the heck out of Grian.

insatiable by Anonymous is Grian and Scar not wanting to top and are asking kinda the whole server who wants to join them. You will eventually see why no one wants to and why Tango is stuck in the mix. Okay, this might not be Sub Scar, but it's too funny to let it pass under the radar.

CuteGuy's Present by mecha_apocalyspe7 is Scar wearing lingerie and Grian wants to ravish him. Bonus points, genderqueer Scar hehe

In his grasp by mecha_apocalyspe7 is just Scar and Grian having soft sex while Grian dirty talks him. It's one hell of a time.

elation in my promise by Anonymous is after MCC 28, Grian and Cub just want to ruin Scar in his pretty little dress he wore for the event. Peak sub Scar here, right after Grounded, The Best Reward and Dicentra.

You're So Pretty by goodtimeswithgrian is college AU and Scar is down bad for Grian, so much that he goes into subspace.

Chirp by TheDirtySpirit is just scarian soft sex, once again, but Scar is the bottom.

A Different Kind of Wager by Anonymous is after HEP lost against the Resistance, Grian gets to fuck Scar.

I'm stuck in the past, Your eyes are on the future, Who's left to watch the present? by Its5amHere is a much darker fic than any here, including rape and using kinks against the other. It's double life fic where the soulbond feels each other's sexual pleasure and, well, let's just say Joel and Etho will do everything to get the enchanter back.

Now, there's 3 fics I still want to suggest before I leave writing my WIPs and procrastinate.

The Burning One, who seizes what his heart desires by orphancrow is a Convex smut fic, where Cub is the Pharaoh and Scar is his slave and Cub teases him and I just need to promote orphancrow's fics, but they also wrote (in the same series) a cubriande (cub/Ariana Griande) fic and I felt like Scar wasn't enough of a big feature to include it here, but go check out their work for some good convex fics.

The other convex smut fic is Hubris by KieIsWrite, and warning for rape/non-con, bc it's sculk Cub fucking Scar into joining him in the ways of the sculk.

And finally, A Jimmy/Scar smut fic. jimmy's famous baths by mecha_apocalysp7 is Scar teasing Jimmy and he might not be sub, but he is a bottom and a slut, so, have at it.

Okay, sorry for the long ask, but someone summoned me and I had to suggest all these amazing works. Bloop out!

Heres the links for all the fics! :D since bloop cant link in asks

Dicentra Grounded it feels so good, oh to be alone with (both of) you Breaking News: Does Scar is Omega? All your little dooms insatiable CuteGuy's Present In his grasp elation in my promise You're pretty when in control Chirp A differentt kind of wager I'm stuck in the past, Your eyes are on the future, Who's left to watch the present? The Burning One Hubris jimmy's famous baths

[mylevisdontfitanymore]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF your last few fills are brain scrambling thank you for your service

Tbh I have been thinking about the fat himbo Bucky concept w the WG denial and then saw the recent curse one with clothes ripping and my brain said‼️

So: Any thoughts on himbo Buck just pouring out of his clothes and being like “Steve why did you shrink all my stuff in the wash🥺” since you wrote he was a former athlete just imagine some old teeny workout shorts w that stretch marked belly & lovehandles hanging out🥵plus hims poor ass about to rip the shorts in half. Meanwhile Steve probably has a coronary like “alsnsnsbd babe sorry bABE we’ll have to buy new ones” while totally stretching the daily peep show out until everything is impossible to fit Bucky’s fat ass steadily growing…hoo boy

If you want to write anything yeehaw but whatever you wanna do, if not I hope my horny ramblings were entertaining

Oblivious heavy himbo Bucky + Bucky's rapid weight gain curse

Thanks! ❤️

I am always happy to make people’s brains malfunction 😂

Also YES! That’s such a good combination 🤌🤌

Hell yes, himbo Bucky cursed to burst out of all of his clothes 🥵

I have to say though, as much as I love fast, super intense rapid weight gain… I think for himbo Bucky it would be really hot if he somehow gets cursed with a slower weight gain curse. Like, it’s still much faster than he would ever be able to put weight on irl, no matter how much he stuffed himself every day, but it’s not the instantaneous gain either. The curse is just slow enough that Steve can see Bucky expand if he keeps looking at Bucky for more than a few seconds. This also means that the curse is slow enough that Bucky doesn’t notice it - keeping on theme with the weight gain denial a little bit. Bucky isn’t paying enough attention and isn’t smart enough to notice there’s anything wrong.

Not right away.

Maybe Steve bought a charm off of someone claiming to be a witch... Maybe Steve had a sorcerer put a mild curse on Bucky that they promised would wear off after a little while... However you would like to imagine the curse came about, Steve knows that Bucky is growing much faster now than he would without some help. But, still, he isn't growing so fast as to give away the game.

So, how long will it take Bucky to notice? Such a pretty, sweet, and stupid boy. Place your bets now!

Stucky belly kink ahead! Be warned! It’s unbeta’d and there’s also some dub-con elements in it because Bucky doesn’t know, at first, that he’s been cursed and gaining weight. Otherwise, it’s the usual belly kink with stuffing, weight gain, tight clothes, etc.

Throughout the day when it kicks in, Bucky asks a bunch of stupid questions, like:

“Why are you looking at me so much, Steve?”

When Steve can’t help but zone out on Bucky. He’s watching Bucky chow down from across the kitchen island. Right now, Bucky’s happily munching on his fifth bowl of cereal. His fifth bowl even after Steve woke him up with the smell of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Steve had a protein shake, perfectly caloric and with the appropriate macronutrients. The traditional, sweet, and savory breakfast foods were all for Bucky.

And Bucky scarfed it all down plus, obviously, then some. Hence the five bowls of cereal.

Steve has been trying to keep his cool while watching Bucky’s double chin get thicker and thicker. He’s been trying not to lunge across the kitchen island to bury his face in between Bucky’s tits. Why does Bucky have to sleep shirtless and have breakfast shirtless? It’s killing Steve! 😫

Bucky’s tits have always been soft and tempting since he began gaining but watching them get plumper and plumper by the second is awful. Steve has to chew on the inside of his cheek to keep from reaching out and sinking his teeth into those tits. Or, Christ, his nipples. As he gains, slowly but surely, his nipples are getting bigger and bigger. Softer and softer looking. Pinker and pinker. Steve is dying to know if they’re any more sensitive now than they were last night before all this started. They have to be. Right now, his nipples look so hard. Steve wants to put his mouth on his lush tits so fucking bad.

Steve shakes his head, trying to be normal and throwing on a cheesy grin, “what? A guy can’t look at his best pal?”

Bucky slurps another spoonful of milk and sugary cereal and grins sweetly. His face is already fatter, oof, and his chubbier cheeks turn the prettiest pink at the compliment. He waves a hand as if to say, stop it! But he keeps eating and he keeps letting Steve stare.

Steve looks for a little while longer until Bucky squirms in place under his appreciative stare. When he squirms his tits jiggle. And Steve can’t take it. He’s sweating. He can’t even imagine what’s happening to that tummy of his under the kitchen counter between the curse and all the food he’s eating.

Steve rasps, “I’m gonna go shower.”

Bucky nods and reaches for the box sitting next to his bowl on the counter, pouring himself another bowl.

Oh, God.

Steve rushes off to the bathroom but he makes the mistake of looking back. And he’s presented with a way-too-hot view of Bucky’s ass and love handles slowly creeping wider and wider. He’s growing out of the kitchen island bar stool right in front of Steve’s eyes. If he sits there for the rest of the day… will the stool eventually break? Will he get too big? Will his ass get two, three, four times wider than that stool?

🥴🥴🥴

Steve is-

Steve is going to shower.

Steve is going to take a very long, very hot shower because… because his muscles hurt from his run earlier this morning. That’s. That’s also why he’s so sweaty. He went on a run before breakfast. Mmm-hmm. That’s it.

“Steve, why are my clothes so tight!?”

By the time Steve is done in the shower and has changed into his comfortable, I’m-not-leaving-the-house-today clothes, Bucky is sitting on the couch, still in his own PJs. Steve trips over nothing in the hallway. Turning the corner to reveal Bucky reveals that he is still eating. He’s got the second box of their cereal out (he must’ve finished the first already 🥵) and is putting handfuls of it right into his mouth. Not caring that it’s dry. Just. Hand-to-mouth. Feeding himself. Like he can’t stop. Almost like he doesn’t know he’s doing it.

“Huh?” Steve says intelligently.

Bucky pulls at his little workout shorts. Not basketball shorts but tiny, little shorts. Like the kind you see women running in these days. Like the kind of shorts that men wore in the 1980s. Hiding nothing.

And when Bucky pulls at his shorts - the ones he wore in college when he actually fit into them - he doesn’t pull at the waistband of the shorts. He can’t. It’s buried under his tummy. Instead, he pulls at the bottom hem of them. The bottom hem has ridden up to the very, very top of his thighs, sitting down the way he is, showing off the way his pale thighs spread on the sofa.

“My sleep shorts don’t fit anymore,” he pouts.

How did Steve not notice before that even his thighs are covered in little stretch marks? Sure, they’re light. But. They’re still there. How could he miss them!?

Steve might faint. He just… just had some alone time in the shower, how does he already need more?

Steve really wants to turn right back around so he isn’t completely overwhelmed by how fucking hot Bucky is but also he wants to go right up to Bucky and he wants to fall to his knees between his legs and he wants to sit there forever. He wants to watch Bucky grow bigger and bigger and bigger. He wants to touch him as he gets softer and softer, heavier and heavier, larger and larger. Steve does neither, instead, he comes up behind Bucky on the couch, pressing himself to the back of the couch for no reason (it’s definitely not to get a little friction and pressure against himself, nope) other than to be able to massage his shoulders. An excuse to touch him, to soothe him, and to say, “sorry, baby, I probably messed up the dryer settings. They must’ve shrunk last time I did laundry.”

Bucky crunches thoughtfully on his cereal.

Steve keeps massaging his shoulders, disbelieving his hands and his eyes, how can someone’s shoulders get fat? Fuck. 😮‍💨

“It’s okay,” Bucky says once he swallows. “Can I get more?”

“Of course.” Steve’s mind catches up to his mouth after he answers, “although… maybe not today.”

“Why not?” Bucky asks, “we’re not doing anything, right? We could go shopping?”

“Eh,” Steve shrugs and can’t help but stroke his fingers down Bucky’s throat as he swallows again. He gets goosebumps. “I just don’t feel like shopping today. Wouldn’t you rather relax all day anyway.” Standing over Bucky the way he is, Steve can see two kinds of progression - he can see the way Bucky’s belly makes slow, steady progress over his thighs, pushing farther and farther out, and he can see the way the amount of cereal in the box gets lower and lower.

“I do like doing nothing.” Bucky says, all sunny.

“I know, baby,” Steve pats his head and he thinks and you deserve to do nothing. Do nothing but get bigger and bigger. But, for now, he walks away. Only throwing over his shoulder, “are you gonna shower, Buck?”

“Eventually.”

“Steeeeve how come I’m so hungry? I’m hungry all the time but why am I so hungry today? Can you hear my stomach growling?”

It’s only an hour after Bucky had an early lunch when he asks that. He’s snacked more before lunch and he’s also showered by now.

(Steve may have mourned the loss of getting to keep an eye on Bucky’s growth while he was showering, singing carelessly and loudly and off-tune as he cleaned up, but that all dissipated when Bucky came back out with a few extra inches. Asking, “did you wash these clothes too, Stevie? They’re tight too. Tighter than my shorts!” And Steve can tell. The clean clothes he’s stuffed himself into are his own lazy day clothes. An old, college t-shirt that’s white with their navy blue college logo stretched over Bucky’s bigger tits. The bottom of the shirt doesn’t even come close to covering his gut. Half of it is just hanging out, showing off his thickening waist. Showing off how his poor shorts, another pair of little ones because, of course. They are being crushed under the weight of his tacked-on belly and chunky love handles as well as being stretched across his fat ass.)

And…

Can you hear my stomach growling, only an hour after I’ve stopped forcing food into it?

Steve totally can hear it growling. Gurgling. All that food shifting around inside him. Accelerating his growth.

Steve might also be able to hear it stretching. All that plush fat struggling to grow around the mass of food packed into one overtaxed stomach. Steve can’t describe the amount of hunger he suddenly feels himself. Is it wrong to want to bite him? He’s just so fat and plump and-

Steve licks his lips. If he didn’t close his mouth he might start drooling. He wouldn’t eat Bucky, obviously, but he does want to devour him. Y’know?

“Yeah,” Steve breathes in and out. Slow. Like Bucky’s never-ending growth. He doesn’t want to faint. “Yeah, you’re alway hungry, Buck. An’, yeah, I can hear your stomach growling. Are you sure you ate enough, baby? You gotta be hungry for a reason.”

Bucky pouts, “I thought I did eat enough!”

“Do you want some more?”

“Oh, please,” Bucky moans. He moans. And. Doesn’t even seem to notice. He’s so effortlessly hot. Steve can’t stand it. He walks to the fridge to pull out more leftovers to reheat but also to stick his head in the cold. While his back is turned, Steve also bites into his fist and lets out a moan of his own. He didn’t anticipate this being so hard on him. Bucky isn’t struggling like Steve is. Bucky is just enjoying himself. Ignorance is bliss. Stupid and so, wonderfully happy. It’s sweet. Steve can’t stand it, it’s so sweet. Like, why does even that turn him on?

God, he’s a pervert. 🥴😵‍💫

“Am I always this big Steve?”

Hdhfhdjs, Steve’s brain provides helpfully. He’s too stunned by the question to add anything right away. He can’t answer! For the last two hours, he’s been trying his best to not tear through the throw pillow he’s had in his lap with his hands fisted in it to keep himself from grabbing Bucky and giving up the game and also leaving it in his lap to hide how much he’s into what has been going on right under Bucky’s nose (more like under his double-chin and past his g-u-t 🥵).

Also for the past two hours he’s been swiveling his head between the TV playing some reality TV show that Bucky enjoys to Bucky himself.

Over the past two, maybe three, hours Bucky has been munching. Steadily getting more and more snacks from the pantry. Filling himself beyond full. Stuffing himself. Steve isn’t sure if he isn’t aware he’s full, not noticing the signals from his body while being so absorbed in his show, or… maybe the curse keeps his stomach growing as well as his fat? Like, he really can’t get full, his stomach getting larger and larger, or maybe all the calories are instantly being digested and used for more fat so, he has to eat to keep up. Steve doesn’t know. It doesn’t matter though.

All the matters is not exploding.

He’s all sweaty again and very turned on and paying way, way more attention to the sounds Bucky is making than anything else. His noisy tummy. His clothes creak - the seams scream under the pressure. His little huffs and puffs and satisfied moans. His “oofs” when he drags himself up, off the sofa. His laughter at himself, nearly unable to hold his balance under the weight of his always bigger body. His hiccups when he eats or drinks faster than his body knows what to do with and the following groans of overfullness along with the sound of his hands caressing his pregnant, over-due looking gut sitting in front of him.

“Steve?”

“Y-yeah?”

“Have I gotten bigger?” He asks, turning towards Steve, bringing one of his thick legs up onto the couch, and, oh, God, running a chubby hand over his enormous belly. “Or am I always like this?” To emphasize this he wiggles, just a little. Just enough to sway his belly back and forth which is better to Steve than any perfect, sinful strip tease could ever be. His big, fat, pale gut wobbling. All that lard hanging out, thick and round, from his t-shirt that might as well be a bra at this point, straining around his full breasts, the seams bringing to pop under his fat arms. His shorts have ridden up every time he sits back down on his fat ass, and have been pushed down by his growing belly until Steve can only see little peaks of them around his fat. They’re beginning to break too.

Does Bucky even know?

Does he know he’s practically naked?

Does he know he’s rapidly gaining weight yet?

Steve’s head is spinning, watching Bucky as he continues to touch himself.

“No,” Steve finally replies, breathless.

Bucky’s eyebrows come together. He obviously doesn’t understand. Sweet, stupid boy.

Which means Steve has to explain what’s going on. Bucky’s face, as he learns what’s been happening to him, is practically orgasmic. He loves it. Then, it’s Steve’s turn to ask a question, “so, you’ve been getting fatter all day, Buck, did you seriously not notice?”

Bucky shakes his head. He grabs an overflowing handful of blubber at the side of his ballooned belly - wide and fat and impossibly heavy, sticking out in front of him. And he leaves his hand there for long enough to feel himself growing.

Expanding.

Larger and Larger.

Bucky bites his lip, just feeling himself for a moment. Not even trying to put on a show for Steve but putting on the best possible one anyway. Especially when he seemingly can’t take it anymore, letting his head fall back with a ragged moan. Shifting his hips and murmuring, “no wonder I’ve felt so good all day, Stevie. I love getting fatter.”

It flickers through Steve’s mind to say, I know, it’s why I did this. I did it for you, sweet boy. But no thoughts are sticking for long in Steve’s head.

Besides, Steve can’t take it anymore, and he doesn’t have to. So, he pounces. Lunging forward and plastering himself around Bucky’s rotund gut. It feels so much better than it looks. It feels pornographic to have Bucky’s fat balloon against Steve’s own body, slowly working to push Steve out of Bucky’s crowded lap.

🥴🥴🥴

I hope you enjoyed!

[astudyinimagination]

Okay, okay, so what I'm hoping in the future is to return to my Star Wars AUs, and these are all going to take a lot of planning, but I'd like to continue them and actually finish them. Because, looking back at them, there's some good stuff in there! I want these finished just for me! :D

But if you guys want them, too, here's what I hope to get back to:

Legacy of Thrawn: AU to the Hand of Thrawn duology, wherein Thrawn's clone wakes up before Luke and Mara can kill him, and convinces them to let him help them restore order to the galaxy. This one is VERY old — I dropped it in 2010 and never finished it. It's so old that I am a significantly different person with significantly better writing skills, and I have a desperate need not just to finish the thing but rewrite it. I just... I know so much more than I did when I was twenty. xD

The Gentleness That Comes not from the Absence of Violence: My "Padmé Lives" AU. Padmé survives childbirth and takes her twins, Obi-Wan, and several of her handmaidens with her into hiding. This was my last NaNoWriMo project, and I think it's one of the best things I've ever written. The story isn't just about how Padmé's survival changes events, but how she copes with everything that's happened to her. She and Obi-Wan and the handmaidens... and eventually Ahsoka. (It was also written before the Padmé novels, so it's not rooted in the novels E.K. Johnston wrote, with all due respect to her.)

The Hermit and the Orphan: The "Obi-Wan adopts Mara" AU. Nine-year-old Mara Jade discovers that her beloved Emperor murdered her parents, and runs away... and right into Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine. They proceed to adopt each other, and Mara becomes best friends with Biggs Darklighter and Luke Skywalker.

Where Light Can Be: The "Mara joins the Rebellion" AU. Same starting point, different age — Mara makes her life-changing discovery a year after the destruction of the first Death Star, and defects to the Rebellion. She ends up joining Rogue Squadron, and joins Luke on his quest to learn more about the Jedi, hoping to learn how to use her abilities in ways that don't remind her of Palpatine. Of course, she and Luke fall in love, which will have a significant impact on the aftermath of Bespin...

Star-Crossed: The hardest of all of these. Sherlock Holmes in the Star Wars universe fusion. What do an orphan-turned-Jedi, a Chiss healer, a Queen, and a Senator-turned-Chancellor have in common? Oh, that they're a private consulting detective, a former army doctor, the doctor's wife, and a mathematics professor in another universe...

Unnamed Leia time-travel AU: Double Agent Vader AU, never started. Sometime before the Battle of Hoth, Leia falls back in time to the Clone Wars, to meet General Kenobi and his former apprentice who seems eerily familiar. When she finally meets Padmé Amidala, the mysteries of her biological family and her mentor Ekkreth finally start to fall into place. Permission to write the AU given by Fialleril years ago, and I had forgotten that until recently! And now that I have some pieces of the story in my head, I am not letting this one go again!

So that's... it, I'm pretty sure. That's the stuff that I've started, mostly within the past decade, that I really want to continue. And I'm hoping to have time this coming winter to do it. (I have... other commitments plus family stuff that is definitely going to keep me from fic writing until then.)

But in the meantime, if you want to come chat with me about stuff, ask me questions... I would be so happy to talk about all the ideas I've got that are hopefully going to all make it onto AO3 someday!

[suleikashideaway]

2023

So I see a lot of people around here with their various wrapped updates regarding the progression of their art. I never really considered that I had much to say, considering I'm such a baby writer and haven't actually published anything. Who am I to join the conversation?

On reflection, I do have a lot to say, and yeah, it's worth saying. 2023 was a big year for me as a writer. So for posterity's sake, I want it known here in my blog.

The big project: FF8

Technically I've been working on a final fantasy 8 fic for years at this point. The fact that it's so personal and complicated kept me from sharing it with anyone. It was for me. It made me happy. But this was the year I decided to at least start the attempt at making it publishable.

After several drafts of this story, early this year I finally reached a point where I could write THE END and mean it. At something close to 140k words, It felt like I had climbed a mountain. Of course, now I look back and see that it was a tiny little baby hill, but it was maybe one of the most important hills I've ever walked.

To my surprise, I found a beta right away, and from there my 2023 trajectory took off into the stratosphere. They know this already, but I have to thank my beta (and now one of my very best friends) @failed221b-chill for lifting me out of the solitude and teaching me so much about everything, but especially taking on the role of my personal writing tutor. Together we went line-by-line through part 1 of my 3-part story, and my little baby writing mind EXPLODED.

Lemme tell ya. The confidence I gained from that. Woof.

It was also made very clear that I had my work cut out for me. Not only did I decide to double the entire fucking thing (by adding in another POV that was initially going to be a separate work), but I realized I needed to rewrite pretty much all of my existing draft.

In the span of a few weeks, I drafted over 35k of the other POV for part 1. With my newfound writing knowledge, I'm going through, line-by-line, and making this story what I want it to be.

Though I feel like I've grown exponentially as a writer, I still feel like this fic, as it stands, is not ready for publishing. Part 1 is almost there...I'm inching closer every day...but I don't know how long it will take to get it done to my satisfaction.

And I'm okay with that. My original goal was to have the entire 3-part thing written and completely done before publishing. Now, I may consider sharing before that goal is accomplished. Stay tuned.

Another Project: Stardew Valley

Something I learned incidentally (that I bet a bunch of other people have already learned before me, and here I am trying to reinvent the wheel of course) was that I actually needed another writing project to bounce back and forth between. Before this year, in between writing my ff8 fic, I wrote an entire Stardew Valley slow burn romance harvey/farmer fic, probably around 150k words. It was extremely cathartic and fun to write butttt I reread it now and cringe, hard, at my lil baby writing skills. I'll never delete it, because obviously it was another little baby hill I needed to climb. But as it is, it will never see the light of day lol. I keep having thoughts of how to completely rewrite this piece, but at the moment it's pretty vague. Not sure I'll ever return.

Instead, I was wildly inspired by @not-poignant's take on Alex, and feverishly wrote my first-ever Alex stuff, somewhere around 12k words. This is currently sitting on a back-burner, awaiting my soul-searching to decide what I really want from the piece.

What's Next?

My ff8 fic will always have precedence. But it's a mammoth. And due to the nature of the content, it is sometimes emotionally very difficult for me to write it. Sooooo it may be a while. That's okay with me.

In the meantime, I'm super excited that the first @ffviiicharacterweek is happening in January!!! It's given me an opportunity to write much shorter pieces that I never would have gotten around to. Hopefully I'll be able to participate fully and enjoy the works that come out of that.

Overall, it's been a damn good year for writing.

So anyway, if anyone has given this post the time of day, thanks for sticking it out to the end! I'm certainly open for chatting about any of this stuff, or if you just want to talk I'm up for that, too! I hope you have a joyous new year!

[ew-headyhearts]

i am so sorry for asking this but can we pls get some more nsfw headcanons?&2&1&/ AHHH SORRY

Okay, let me preface this by saying this, I wrote these head canons while extremely high and I've been sitting on these bad boys for a while now. Forgive me if they're a little incoherent but I figured this was the best ask to share them with. Please mind the tags. If you're uncomfortable with anything skip this one.

TW: N$FW Topics, Tord being fucking nasty, everyone just being nasty, sex toys, edging, just the tip, biting, praise, strap-ons, messy sex, questionable use of pillows, stealing clothes, using said clothes in questionable ways, VERY questionable fantasies, "onii-chan", again Tord's fucking nasty, Who needs that many dildos ever?, NO BETA READ (future Squid stopped by and made everything more coherent. You're welcome), EVEN THE TAGS AREN'T SAFE, Squid's a mess right now, Don't do drugs, unless it's legal for you like me

Edd

Chronic pillow humper. He has cum on the sheets multiple times. Don't worry, he cleans it all up very well. He just tosses that shit in the wash and passes right out afterward.

A huge fan of clothes on sex. Let that man dry hump you until he's busting in his khakis.

Service top. Much prefers giving. The guy gives great head and he knows it.

Praise kink, praise kink, praise kink. Did I mention the praise kink? Whether he's giving or receiving it, it doesn't matter. You're both getting called pretty no matter who's getting pounded into.

He talks so much during sex. It's either he's talking about how good you are or he's describing in massive detail every little thing hes doing to your body. It doesn't even get better when he's going down on you.

A massive tease. He can spend hours just fucking you with the tip. It makes it so much more enjoyable for him.

Loves edging so much, like one of his favorite things is edging you both together and see who gets so desperate that they are practically drooling and barely able to form a thought.

Did I mention guided masturbation? He loves seeing his partner get off while he whispers right in their ear how to do it. And trust me, he pays extra close attention he knows nearly all of your sweet spots and he's going to abuse that information.

Matt

Likes to use a vibrator against his cock.

He is a total voyeur and definitely makes a show out of you watching him tease himself.

Also produces a lot of precum it WILL get everywhere.

Much prefers bottoming. Stuff his holes, yes please.

His absolute favorite is to ride you/your strap and look up into a mirror on the ceiling (becausd of course he has one). Then he can look at both of your pretty faces.

He's a total biter, the vampire episode just awakened it in him.

Pin him to the wall; it doesn't matter if you're way shorter than him. He will quite literally drop to his knees in front of you if you do so.

The few times he does top he's still so submissive. Seeks out praise so much.

The ONLY way to get him to take a dominant role is to bruise his ego, which takes quite a bit of effort.

Tom

Has one of those clear pocket pussies. No idea how else to describe it. It's clear and you can see his weenie through it.

He likes to masturbate in the shower. He says it makes clean-up quicker, but in reality, it's just because the water usually drowns out his moans.

Also a fan of fantasy toys, though he's mostly interested in having those absurd dildos. Too big for any sane person to use bc he's a size king and he loves the stretch. Has more than enough dildos that it's considered illegal in Texas.

Tom's a growler and does enjoy the occasional primal play.

Masturbates in the hoodie and would not complain if you did too.

Mutual masturbation, he is so weak for it. He'd probably use a double ended dildo just for funsies. It's a bonding experience.

Chaotic switch. Does not care who is getting stuffed. In fact, he really loves it if his partner would switch mid-sex. He's much more pliant if you do so.

He loves bondage on his partner but does not allow himself to be tied up. It's a trigger for him and that's not going to be fun for anyone.

Also, a drooler as he gets closer to cumming. It doesn't matter if he's topping or bottoming, there will be drool, and it will be messy.

Tord

Has a "just the tip" fantasy. He thinks he's improved every time, but, like- it takes 3 minutes of him just thrusting the head in before he's going absolutely rabid, wanting to fuck you deeper. He likes edging himself using his partner's hole.

Does not want to stop until either one of you is so overstimulated and fuckdrunk.

Will steal your underwear. He's fucking NASTY and uses it to jerk it. He might just wash them before returning them. Emphasis on might: he's nasty and probably gets off to the fact that he's come in your clothing multiple times.

I feel like he would have a fantasy where you call him "onni-chan"

Will buy you sex toys, but most of the time they're just tentacles. If you let him though, he'd love to make you one of his own. Don't give him that power. He'll make a secret remote to use anytime he's bored.

Will nut the second you come out in cosplay, or just dress up vaguely like one of those anime girls. It doesn't matter your gender; he goes nuts for miniskirts and thigh highs.

Secretly into being dominated. Put him in his place. Please? He wants it so bad but he won't admit it.

[tetsunabouquet]

Basic Instinct Chapter 27

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE! Today, the first chapter of Basic Instinct turnt 1 year old. I mentioned before how xenophobic native English speakers dragged me for my mistakes as a non-English speaker to the point I stopped publishing fanworks and I'll admit the lack of support also wasn't motivating. Basic Instinct is the first fanfic I've completed since my very first fanfic that I actually kept to myself that I wrote when I was 11 years old. Yes, I am saying completed as I had planned this to be the final chapter. There's something poetic about releasing the ending on Basic Instinct's birthday and it just feels right to end the story at this point. Don't worry guys, you guys will still be getting an epilogue and a blooper reel where I will be releasing some short funny scenes like the off screen dance Kotaro and the reader did at the Maji Burger in chapter 5. I thank every single one of you for being here on the journey! masterpost

Today, was Akashi's birthday. Rima had planned out everything and you, Momoi, Reo, Midorima and Kuroko had filled her in with the occasional comment about what they thought might be nice too. Last week, before winter break, Reo had slipped the invitations to Nebuya and Kotaro, and Momoi did the same for Kise and Aomine as Kuroko took care of Kagami and Murasakibara. Kagami had been a bit surprised to be invited too, but after careful thought everyone agreed Kagami also should be getting an invitation. You were glowing with excitement and wore a beautiful, expensive dress that Rima had given you as an advance Christmas gift as you did feel a bit insecure as Masaomi would drop by on the party. You didn't wanted to look cheap, knowing how he felt about you. Rima had her scary side, but she had embraced you like a granddaughter and you knew she truly had your back if Masaomi were to act coldly towards you. So if anyone should be scared, it should be him. At least, that's what you kept telling yourself. You had been as thoughtful as possiblr. For one, you had written his birthday note with the markers he had bought for you on your first date. It had been hard to think of a birthday gift, because what could you give a boy who had almost everything already? You had been grateful for your friend Mari-Chan. As the two of you had chatted about the topic and how you thought of perhaps a self-made gift, she had the most brilliant idea. With the help of everyone, you had managed to collect a decent number of photos of Akashi and his friends, the few ones of the two of you and Rima had doubles made of childhood photographs with his mother. Spending your money on a few magazines of National Geographic, you had created the most beautiful collage of nature pictures to create a pretty backdrop, and then you carefully started making a collage of Akashi and his loved ones on top of your first collage. Mari had given you the money for the frame as those magazines had blown your budget, telling you how you always had her back when she needed you and this time she wanted to help you. She also said she thought you and Akashi were a cute couple in general and how much happier you looked now that the two of you had one another. Mari nearly chocked in the tight embrace you'd given her. Now, as you entered the Kaneshiro mansion with your gift, you couldn't help but think of how the dress and the pretty mansion remembered you of a fairy tale, with you being the princess. Fujioka came to place your present with the others, and the old man smiled at you. "Thank you for giving him his joy back. This birthday will be the best my young master will have ever gotten, and its all thanks to your love that he's getting what he deserves. I'd be honored of serving you as the lady of the house one day." Your face got a little red and you could feel a few tears pricking your eyes. The compliment touched you, and you gave Fujioka your warmest smile. "And I thank you, for getting him to the warm home he deserves." "Oi, y/n-chan!" Kotaro yelled, arriving with Nebuya and you let out a soft chuckle. Another servant took the gifts of their hands and they led the three of you to the dining hall. The usual table was shoved into a corner where the small pile of gifts rested atop A new, larger table was seated in the center of the room, sporting the largest birthday cake you had ever seen in real life, and plates with various different foods. Midorima and Tamamura-san seemed to try their hardest to distract Murasakibara from eating before the party started. Kuroko, Kagami and Momoi were reacting to something stupid Aomine had said, Momoi was rolling her eyes and Kuroko was saying something you couldn't hear with Midorima's scolding drowning out his voice. Reo was chatting up with Umemiya-san and you guessed it was probably recipe related. You could recognize Yuuki, chatting up with some other maids as they eyed the commotion as you did. Only Kise hadn't arrived yet.

After another half hour, all of you gathered around as Fujioka went to get Rima and Akashi. Kise still wasn't there yet! You hoped it wouldn't hurt Akashi's feelings. As the anticipation arose in the room, and you could feel the excitement jittering in your skin, the doors opened. "Surprise!" They all yelled, only to see Kise in the doorway, carrying his gift. He chuckled as he walked into the room, "Hi!" "Kise, why are you so god damn late!" Aomine grumbled annoyed and Kise pouted. "Aominecchi, I am supposed to be fashionably late." At that you and several others chuckled, and just then did the doors open again, this time with the actual birthday boy, butler and grandma. As everyone gathered some air, they once more shouted, "Surprise!" Akashi looked on with big surprised eyes and then looked at his grandmother. "I thought you deserved an actual birthday." He couldn't help but feel his eyes water, and he hugged his grandmother. You broke out into a wide smile, looking onto his happiness. Akashi walked to your group and said, "I'm happy you made it to my birthday." "He's here now. Can we finally eat?" Murasakibara asked hungrily. Akashi chuckled and said, "Of course, let us feast on this occasion!" And so all of you took your own seat. The cake only had one candle, so Akashi did not have to worry about the cake's large size. He closed his eyes and made his wish, 'I wish my bonds with these people will never change.' All of you clapped as he blew out the candle, and almost with lightning speed did Murasakibara took a slice. Everyone looked flabbergasted at his audacity not to let Akashi go first, but he shrugged it off with a happy smile, because all of you were there and that was the gift he had always wanted. Each of you then took your then filled your own plate, and just as you took your first bite of food, did another butler bring in Masaomi, awkwardly holding a gift. "Take a seat father." Akashi said, and Masaomi handed his gift to the butler. You immediately felt anxious, but then Rima smiled at you and you couldn't help but smile back. 'thank you', you mouthed, for all her support. And the party did go over smoothly. Masaomi talked mostly with Rima and the servants that evening, observing you, Akashi and his friends from the sidelines. Which came much as a relief. Before you left to go back home, Akashi embraced you as you bid your goodbye to him in the garden. "You really look stunning in that dress. It suits you perfectly." He complimented and your face flushed red. "Thank you, your grandmother has great taste." He chuckled, his eyes bright and his smile so wide that it hurt but he couldn't help how happy he was. You wrapped your arms around his neck. "Happy birthday Sei." Akashi leaned in and kissed you with such delight, the two of you felt as if you were set afire. There was no moment more perfect then this.