#and they act like i am some type of a MASTER HACKER

[neuromantis]

why does every tech company, soft or hard, nowadays insists on blackboxing their users?

i know why, it's a rhetorical question.

but i know my phone has the function, the os on it allows for it's use. but i also have to do research for hours on practically unusable even with plugins search engins to find out which exact third-party app to install and which buttons to click to access my PHONE'S BASIC OUT-OF-THE-BOX functionality??

tech literacy is truly and well dead, killed by everyone, from no-name chinese app developers, to big names like apple and google.

i want my privacy options in plain view. i also want basic bare-bone tech functionality in plain view.

[scentedchildnacho]

She asked me if I wanted some energy bars so I said no I have plenty of those for that study I do more need a full cooked meal.....and she told me hackers stole all her account information so she can't help.....that didnt make sense to me money being a meal of social value I would tell her most of her life she hasn't been a conscripted military negro and if you aren't one it's a huge problem to negotiate it's company

The white conscription is more medical I think about disease not satiating behavioural impulse it is different

When I have a horrible mood and temper I look for who won't discipline or beat about common habits

She wanted to know how this happens to me.....so I told her Murrieta is especially land alienation but policies to remove indigenous people into tribality tend to alienate and aggravate peoples use to their stewardship

The people who use to do things do not do them anymore for brutal government military owner training contracts

Government owners.....when people use to survive off family relationships and recommendations

Thirdscapes it's the stories or foster age sense of urban myth that use to qualify conduct and now there are government creeps that attack people all the time like Richard Ramirez

The mainland states is like Hawaii the government has to be persistently revoked in project for new forms of sustained protest or that's all it does here is train combatants like Richard Ramirez or Charles Manson and drop bombs

You can't do normal things here like go to a bar meet people ask how they survived with a blog informant or something or prostitute even....I think if people attack me with attempted gang rapes in the street they attack them in their homes or they over drug them at bars

I am sensitive to parapsychology so I notice people in general have normalized paranoid states like severe mistrust of everyone not really with them the people here do act abnormally to survive like go to a cafe and only mingle with their family

They do not trust me and I'm shown I should not trust them...

Hare Krishna it's indigenous people who think out childhood influences on protest and this is rude to a true master.....there just isn't anyone regularly keeping vegan dishes in tinners and no one is staying here there just isn't any library monk to open meditation times

Some man yelled at me about immigrants working their very right wing people who lobotomy their spouses maybe....and prefer battery about environmental issues like excess meat consumption instead of hospitality

I was christian so I have been someone that will tell people things so their disease may stop and people look like they have wanted to hit me for confronting the issue instead of black pacifying them and I still will do no harm

Your disease would get better if it was cognitive empathy instead of emotional empathy and someone wanted to hit me for that....people want to suicide here

Otherwise I am a mental and I have a long list of social recipients who aren't mentals their veterans or aged or in some way have extra judicial help and they show up claiming they need my crisis house or they need all my social checks it's a suicide murder

It is suicide bomber theory they steal all my stuff to stay in addiction cults for work and expect me to die of them killing themselves

They have to be reminded property ownership implied some type of responsibility to social investigation

Everywhere I go crowding is a huge killer.....

That's all of the children here had to be processed potentially for government aid due to great depressive environ conditions

I cannot go to the VA but my mental respite has better host veterans?.....its they may batter people down but people better be battered to host them

Then all of the crowd here had to have cars so heat will be too high to serve food...it's americanism and teachers unions organize to not help all children so disparate populations don't die of child potential to superiority

Its crowded and some of the children will die of disparate populations severely battered to take blame for the program it's americanism and children die of it

I have to get battered out all the time so not enough stuff arrives with my status to help the breeders

Its a library systems of yoga that are scientific aren't spiritual and so it's a little demonic the staff also if hours over has better just get out so

I think for me it will be a little like Napster......I had compulsive technology problems due to crowd funding till he was finally released from jail as a culture hero and media made free to educate like a superior

That I think will be housing it will more and more be community shares not nuclear family

I think someone who made it for everyone that wanted to that immigrational process should be normal process i.e. they arrive to the states without so their immigration house takes them

They maybe went to jail for seeing billions of agriculture profit.......and refusing to include people in community ADDICTION relief.....

Was too ruining of a policy and they maybe went to jail for calling poverty their friends

The policy told them to be a drunk and kill the bottom majority of drug consumers in a jail so they exposed its wrong to claim no obligation

William burroughs naked lunch.....I thought I was unusual or abnormal for minor drug consumption and the model boss uses a lot more drugs then I imagine it all is addiction

Some mothers were not a generous host to baby if they won't put alcohol in breast milk

The bartender is truly the most it's system may make..........and it requires at hourly wages that the group dies

That bartenders party is around so you have to go die in a lock up shelter.....,so someone exposed that it's wrong to not community introduce and they went to jail for reducing child security I assume

Lyndie england it is the bartender that front door terrorizes the hospice group into unsanitary lock ups

How could a woman possibly be capable of fronting an operation

I think it's theory is that if child security was reduced to mandate impoverished help it would stop isolating children in sexuality cults

They maybe noticed that pedophiles were becoming the security and it would isolate them more then help

I've watched the lyndie england scenario in several situations.....you can't loiter at fast food and if she see you sit too long she will kill grown men in a jail

The bottle of liquor......that was suppose to be passed among the fast food loiter ers to ease their pain was the lyndie bartenders........to spend their social check on in retail shot rates t

You do have to be German to understand alcoholism as a class action drug but the bartender is drunk really really drunk to tap into suicidal energy powers

That's what mental treatment is.....it's to steal emancipated rations to exhibit obese behaviours and quickly kill mass groups of people with no trash record

They stalk mentals with pills so there is no land fill record that they were alive

Then they go steal emancipated rations to have unhygienic hang outs to quarantine big

Its not fat people though that exhibit obese behaviours it's not who you think it is that stole all my weekly meat for a one sitting party

The really big boob queen is actually a petit athletic build and for her party platters

That's why I wouldn't put people in jail longer then ten years for single woman killing women are too quiet mean poor and just suspicious

Some of these women here will be murdered they show up modeling athletic quarantine bodies while people die of deprivations and people will kill her if they have to see koch big barbie leg anymore

I didn't eat enough today for that lady to show her short ass everywhere.....and I have been gender segregated women so though under cervical cancer warnings have stinky stinky skunk butts

Those people modeled in ways to try to make me puke also they act llse koch like

Mafia ites to be Italian like is like an all the time underclassed job it's like all the time hospitality and more chef quality then expected

Those people got that look without a lot of vegetable organics.......they have very stinky stinky eating disorder problems to have plasticy skins

Mafia ites he would show them how to set this up and blame guys for their gay tendencies to not get to a straight lifestyle

Its sad too a lot of those women are very normal people most likely that will just say Marie Antoinette things to you.....

They probably have had heart attacks and electro shock till they prefer just being alone with their husband and a lot of extra beds.....they do mostly steal from poor whites because I may go to negro help

That's their black job team......

They showed up here whorish mean neglectful and rude they are angry that people wouldn't leave them in hospitals

They kept making them go back to their house and husband and their acting whorish and bitchy their stressed out and mean till people will stop taking them out of a hospital complex

The past few years of military projects in car bombs have deteriorated my leg vein condition that if I got a hospital bed there is no way I would quickly leave

No one wants to do anything if permanent care for veterans is here no one wants to do anything under military coup

Its a veteran but will stalk United States for taxes till it dies of it

Its the states it bombs it's own territory then tried to mass murder us of taxation to its service

Taxes on food that's mass murder

Its so cruel to western culture here from states governments....that I think Russians will finally kill Biden the way Obama had Osama killed

Tuva the enemy doesn't enjoy these alcoholic genetic comparisons to western culture and they will kill Biden for being a poor establishment fuck

Its these claims Russians may also be a low resiliency western nation.....so if my condition doesn't stop there's doesn't

Biden won't stop being a poor establishment freak and if he won't stop setting up scenarios that a private wealth can bank my needs people will kill it for refusing to release files that FBI enlistment did figure out codes to corporately subsidize activity

What I did at the Pacific.......beach library is kind of like FBI enlistment I had to go through apps compulsively collecting possible subsidy offers and report on its segregation.....

Mary Wollstonecraft woman is the only criminal.....they have registers with full computers on them and refuse processes of science and instead rob the bank propagandically all the time

Its been my experience that the common register job may not be de criminalized and isn't trained in science but battered into pos downs syndrome

Its this whole job population that cannot save itself from bank take over syndromes

Infinity kusara as middle age mentals die off this new job population will slowly have too similar of a lifespan after only breeding enough children to take over the system and kill the older

The job populations will all have too similar of life spans

Kusara....the old testament God of Abram records lifespans of 800 to 900 years......there are like people who live forever off calling jobs a farm animal to steal body products from....our body fluids our fetuses their cannibals

Pearl harbor no the Japanese should not have murdered a lot of military personnell unaware that was a really really wrong thing to do.....but that's it's essential theory our populations as civilians are just submissives that don't give all to military superiority or Victorian carry overs and quite frankly the Japanese did it to defend indigenous peoples from even more degradation and slaughter

The u.s. military if it's indigenous Hawaii is still a very cruel horrifying thing to pacific Islanders and I do believe if 20 percent of land may still be subsistence ideas then it's because something would bully the United States to think

Its the United States and it has to be reminded that it stopped thinking it just didn't think through or make a decision it just stopped thinking

The chez whiz concert it was just a lot of bad decisions.....majority populations are more Latin and it's images of minority culture superiority like Italian fascism to inspire motivation through very low self esteem due to inapplicable culture comparisons

It was just a mean whorish bad bitchy thing to do

Its the Mexicans that better understand states white or black Latin needs to transform to a better more esteemed project they aren't Mexicans

No I'm someone more with Scottish aid for psychiatric abuse I do more believe that psychiatry attempts to be a politic from a terrorist group like new left undergrounds and did environmentally achieve that I do more recommend that psychiatry function de criminalized normally and correctly I don't have any abnormal opinion or cult

These people and myself have all been rude incapable and miserable and no one was around to discipline behaviours to psycho socially correct action.....that mean whore lady just walked by me like I don't exist and no one would escort her to talk to cocaine regulation personnel and that she be asked to return to her real life

I don't know but they have called some of my personal flaws a death penalty by non existence conduct standards my race wasn't trained to cope more assertively.....and so they set up programs that make them look really bad and undeserving

The surrounding environ is that alienated every night I'm just left places without I could have died.....they have yogic fascinations in harassment......

They have called harassment caste yogic systems truth is their populations are maybe mostly normal they also need to run away from racist slave drivers and I can't go with them

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

All Men Have Limits - II

Character: Dick Grayson x Reader x Bruce Wayne

Summary: A certain bat believes that Y/N is in way over her head, that she’s too naive to act in her best interest. So, whether she wants it or not, the vigilante family is going to help and protect her before she gets herself killed.

Word Count: 4,300+

Previously on...

When Y/N arrived at the master bedroom, she was surprised to find the door slightly ajar. She knocked always and found Bruce turning to face her, shirtless and only in his boxer briefs.

Bruce seemed subtly surprised to find Y/N standing in his doorway and not Alfred. But he didn’t seem to be embarrassed by the state Y/N found him in. 

Along with the first aid kit, Y/N had grabbed two ice packs from the freezer.

“I’m fine,” Bruce told her before she could even offer to help him.

“You can either deal with me or you can deal with Alfred,” she threatened. 

“Your choice,” she added when she saw how serious he took her warning.

Bruce’s heavy sigh was the only answer she’d get.

“Come on,” Y/N nudged her head toward his en-suite bathroom that was probably twice the size of most people’s studio apartments.

She pointed to one of the steps that led up to the giant bathtub, silently instructing him to sit.

“Put these on your ribs,” Y/N instructed as she handed him the ice packs.

To her surprise, Bruce did as she asked.

“I don’t need stitches,” he mumbled as he watched her open the first aid kit.

“I know,” she answered. “Which is lucky for you, because I have no idea how to stitch people up.” 

She dabbed some cotton in hydrogen peroxide. “But…you still need to clean those cuts or they’ll take longer to heal and probably scar.”

Once again, Y/N was surprised to see that Bruce did as she said. He didn’t complain or refuse her assistance – just sat there silently. The man didn’t even flinch and Y/N knew she was causing his injuries to sting.

“What happened tonight that has you so upset?” Y/N finally asked after silently caring for him for a few minutes.

“What makes you think I’m upset?”

She sighed softly. “I’ll be the first to admit that you’re nearly impossible to read. But clearly something happened that caused you to storm out of the cave like you did.”

Bruce didn’t respond.

“Was it them?” Y/N asked carefully. “The Court?"

For a moment, she thought he’d ignore that question too.

“They know I’m protecting you. Well…they know that Batman is protecting you.”

Y/N shrugged. “We knew they were gonna figure it out eventually.”

Bruce remained silent.

“Did they send the Talons after you?”

From his expression, Y/N knew she was right.

The Talons were a group of lethal assassins that did all of the dirty work for The Court of Owls. They were highly trained, almost entirely undetectable, and a force to be reckoned with. Probably only second to the League of Assassins when it came to deadliness.

“That’s why Jason was with you,��� Y/N pointed out. “You needed backup.”

“We had it under control,” was all Bruce said.

“I know you were already going after The Court,” Y/N told him gently. “And you need my help.” She hesitated and took in a shaky breath, “But thank you for looking out for me.”

“What was your plan?” Bruce asked.

“What do you mean?”

“When I came to you and told you that you’d been made, you said that you knew. What was your plan?”

“Run. And keep running. You and I both know I’m hopeless when it comes to an actual fight.” She shrugged. “My plan was to keep working on exposing them and stay alive long enough to see it through.”

Y/N waited for some sort of lecture, for Bruce to tell her that it was a stupid plan and she had been sloppy. She waited to feel patronized and belittled.

But Bruce just stared at her.

“What?” She challenged.

“I wish you would prioritize your life a bit more.”

She moved back a little from cleaning his cuts and snorted. “What? Like you?” 

Then she shook her head and went back to cleaning his cuts. “You’re so not the person to be lecturing about self-preservation, Bruce.”

Then Bruce surprised them both.

He grabbed Y/N by the back of her neck and brought her down to him before his lips collided with hers.

She dropped all the medical supplies in her hand from the shock of it all. But then she was cupping his face and kissing him back.

Next thing she knew, Bruce had steered her body so she was straddling his lap.

It had been so long since that night that Y/N had almost forgotten what his lips felt like. Or how his hands touched her so tenderly, but his intent was always clear and effortlessly confident.

But then Y/N’s leg accidentally collided with one of Bruce’s bruised ribs.

It didn’t deter him. He had every intention of ignoring it.

But Y/N felt his body tense in pain and she swore she felt the vibrations of the quietest pained moan from him. 

She could’ve imagined it, but she wasn’t going to continue knowing that she had the ability to accidentally hurt him.  

But it was also her saving grace. Because Y/N shouldn’t be doing this. 

Y/N reluctantly pulled away from the kiss. Bruce allowed the movement, but his grip on her waist and neck didn’t ease in the slightest.

“You should rest,” she whispered to him.

Then she shoved herself away from him and awkwardly stepped backwards as if she was desperately trying to put space between them.

“Umm…make sure you keep that ice on your ribs,” she told him awkwardly, half turned away from him.

Bruce opened his mouth to stop her, but no words came out. 

The next second, she bolted out of the bathroom and then his master suite.

Her mind was racing with so many thoughts that Y/N didn’t notice Dick catching her race into her own bedroom.

Dick looked between Y/N’s closed door and the direction of Bruce’s room, putting it all together. 

—————

After the close call with the Talons, Bruce had all hands on deck. Even Jason – who usually did his own thing and had separated himself from family matters – had been brought into the fold. Which meant he was spending way more time around the manor.

Y/N knew things were getting serious.

Bruce wasn’t exactly keeping her in the dark. But he also wasn’t being forthcoming with information.

Y/N didn’t know if he was trying to shield her in some way…or if he was just doing business as usual and taking control, not allowing anyone in until he thought it was absolutely necessary.

Either way, through the chaos of it all, Y/N realized Dick hadn’t acted as her shadow in almost a week.

It wasn’t until Jason decided to bother Y/N that she realized what had changed.

Jason leaned backwards against the console Y/N was working on so she was forced to face him. He crossed his arms with a smirk and looked down at her.

“So, you and B, huh?”

“Get off my equipment,” she warned him darkly without even glancing at him.

But inside, she was internally freaking out. 

Y/N made a point to keep as many facts about her life a secret. And her sex life? That was top priority when it came to her privacy. This was worst case scenario.

But also, how the hell did he figure that out?

Jason shrugged, but did as she asked and took a step away from the console. “He didn’t say anything, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Y/N finally looked up him. “Please tell me what I have to do to get you to leave me the fuck alone.”

Jason smiled and whistled. “I think I like you.”

“The feeling’s not mutual,” she mumbled as she began typing again.

“Jason, leave her alone.”

Y/N turned to see Dick walking into the cave.

Jason held up his hands in surrender and gave his brother an innocent face. “I was just trying to be polite to our guest, Richard.”

“I’m sure you were,” Dick side eyed him.

Jason then turned to Y/N and put on his Red Hood helmet. “I look forward to having more of these titillating conversations, Y/N.” Then he turned to Dick. “I’m heading out on patrol.”

He mounted his motorcycle and raced out of the cave, leaving Dick and Y/N alone for the first time in awhile.

“No patrol for you tonight?” Y/N asked him slowly.

“They’ve got it covered.”

She just nodded and didn’t ask any further questions.

All at once, they were submerged into strange silence. The air was racing with thoughts, yet the tension seemed to simultaneously make it thick, as well.

Y/N sighed. She might as well get this over with. 

“I know you want to ask, so just ask,” Y/N mumbled as her fingers raced across the keyboard and her eyes never left the screens.

“Doesn’t the whole…” Dick really didn’t know how to put it delicately.

Y/N sighed, clearly annoyed with his fumbling. She turned around in her chair to face him. “Does his age bother me? Is that what you’re struggling to ask?”

Dick shifted his weight awkwardly, “I guess so. Yeah.”

She raised her brow. “Haven’t you dated a literal alien before?”

“That’s not the same thing,” he defended with a glare.  

“Oh, so as long as the alien is the same age as you, it’s fine?”

Dick really didn’t have an answer for that.

“It’s just that…aren’t you a little young for him?” Somehow he managed to leave out the rudeness in the question. That must be the Wayne charm.

“Isn’t 9 a little young to put on a costume and fight crime?”

Dick sighed, “Touché.”

“I am one of the most successful hackers in the world. He’s a vigilante who dresses up as a bat. What about us screams normal and conventional to you, Dick?”

He knew she had a point.

“Plus, we aren’t in a relationship. It was a one-time thing. Nothing more. It happened a long time ago.”

However, she conveniently left out the heated kiss they shared last night.

“You sure about that?” Dick challenged.

Y/N just eyed him.

“Because the only women he’s had one-time things with are the one’s he’s used or paid to keep the image.” He took a step closer. “And they definitely didn’t know who he really was.”

Y/N tried not to let it show that his words caught her off guard.

This exactly what Y/N didn’t want.

She didn’t want anyone putting ideas in her head that she actually meant something to Bruce Wayne. Because she might make the mistake of believing it.

It happened once. They slept together once. One time. 

Had there been a indescribable intensity between them since then? Yes. But Y/N didn’t like to acknowledge or think about that.

“Can we please stop talking about this?” She asked.

Dick blinked and shook his head. “Sorry,” he blurted out. “I didn’t mean to…make you uncomfortable.”

Y/N put her face in her hands and groaned.

Then she shot to her feet and faced Dick. If he wasn’t a vigilante who could break the average man in one swift move, he would be intimidated by the energy radiating off of her.

“Hmm…I wonder why this conversation could ever make me feel uncomfortable, Dick,” her sarcasm was almost too natural.

Then her face dropped.

 When her body language screamed that she was embarrassed, that’s when Dick felt like a piece of shit.

“Look, we’re not…” She didn’t even know how to explain this. “We’re nothing. OK?”

Dick nodded slowly, “OK.”

And he believed her. Because she believed it. Whether that was the truth though, that was an entirely different story.

“We met years ago because I threatened to expose his identity to the world.”

Dick blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

Y/N at least had the shame to look guilty about it.

“You threatened him? You threatened Bruce Wayne? The man who dresses up as a bat and scares the shit out of the criminals of Gotham?”

“I didn’t plan on actually doing it!” Y/N tried to defend. “I needed to get his attention. And guess what, it worked.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose as she thought back in time. “I discovered a sex trafficking ring. I had all the information, everything to take it down. I just needed a little…muscle.”

“And you thought Batman could be that muscle,” Dick finished for her.

She nodded.

Then Dick looked at the all the equipment. Her story reminded him what she was fully capable of and why she was here in the first place. “How did you learn to do all of this?”

It was obvious that he was trying to change the subject and give her an out. But she let him still.

Y/N shrugged.

“Is this the part where you tell me about all your degrees from various Ivy League universities?” Dick teased.

“I didn’t go to college,” she told him evenly.

“You di–How is that even possible?”

“I don’t agree with institutionalized higher education.”

Dick rolled his eyes.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me,” she warned him. “You didn’t go to college either.”

Dick scoffed and crossed his arms. “Of course that’s old information to you. Is there anything that you don’t know about me?”

She smirked at his obvious frustration. “I don’t know your favorite color.”

Though she had been teasing him before, her confession was genuine. And her soft tone didn’t go amiss with Dick.

For a moment, Y/N didn’t think he was going to tell her. 

“It’s red,” he told her softly.

“Hmm,” she was surprised. “I always assumed it was blue…because of the uniform and all.”

“Red was always the color of my family’s costumes.” He knew the answer was rather vague.

Y/N’s face turned sympathetic, “The Flying Graysons?”

Dick nodded.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad that she seemed to know everything about him.

“Red’s a good choice,” Y/N added with a sad smile.

But he realized what she was actually saying was her condolences. Somehow it was better than the forced and awkward “I’m so sorry” he constantly got.

Dick grabbed a chair and sat down to face her with such purpose.

“What else do you want to know?”

Y/N allowed herself to smile at the question. 

“Everything.”

—————

Y/N got addicted to Dick’s openness.

Once Dick Grayson decided to trust someone…he really trusted them.

He didn’t hide himself from Y/N.

Unlike Bruce, Dick was easy to read. But Y/N knew that wasn’t the case for everyone. She saw the way Dick communicated with old team members or even on comms with his brothers. 

But for Y/N, if she asked him something, Dick gave her the answer.

It was as simple as that.

There were no games, no hiding, nor withholding, not manipulation, no fear.

There was just Dick Grayson.

But Y/N also new he was capable of all of those things still. She’d seen him twist conversations and put the focus on the other person. He doesn’t seem to have any issue with blatantly lying. That’s when Y/N saw Bruce.

So why was she different?

————

“I can’t stay another second in this fucking house,” Y/N snapped one day.

They had just eaten dinner and were now sitting in one of the dens. 

Dick laughed at her. “It’s not exactly a prison, Y/N. You’re in a mansion with everything you could ever need – and more.”

But this was the most time Y/N had spent in one place. She was always moving, always on the run. Yeah, she stayed in Gotham for the most part, but she missed the dangerous streets of the city.

“I’m not taking you out,” Dick gave her a warning look as he pointed at her.

“OK. First off, Bruce said nothing about me not being able to leave.”

Dick gave her a look that said, ‘How dumb do you think I am?’

“And if you were with me, then it’s fine. Right?”

“Y/N,” Dick groaned.

“And finally, I can do what I want,” Y/N added with a serious look.

“Sure you can,” he smirked.

But Y/N was being serious and she stood up. “I’m not his prisoner.”

Then she was headed toward the garage.

“No one said you were,” Dick called out after her.

He jumped in front of her, blocking her path.

“Y/N, you know more than anyone that The Court has eyes everywhere. Your face shows up on one street camera for a second and you’ll be tagged. They’ll follow you back here and then nowhere will be safe.”

“I know,” she answered as if it were obvious. “But we’re just going for a drive. Half of Bruce’s cars have tinted windows. And we’re going to take the backroads on the fringe. No street cameras. I doubt we’ll even see another car.”

Dick was adding up the risks in his head, calculating every possible outcome.

“Is Nightwing scared of what Batman will think?” Y/N teased.

Dick raised his eyebrow in amusement and crossed his arms. “Whatever game you’re trying to play…we both know I can play it better.”

She gave him the most innocent face. 

Dick sighed. Was he really about to do this?

“Come on,” he told her.

“Really?” Y/N was shocked she got him to concede.

“But I’m driving. And we’re taking the bike,” he called over his shoulder as he turned on the lights of the garage.

‘Garage’ was an understatement. It looked more like a fancy warehouse that housed at least 20 cars and a dozen motorcycles.

“The bike?” Y/N questioned.

Dick chuckled. “What? You scared of riding motorcycles?” 

Before she had the chance to answer, he pushed a helmet into her chest. It would fully cover her face and had a tinted visor shield on it. 

“Need I remind you that this was your idea?”

Y/N glared at him and put on the helmet.

She watched a safe distance away as Dick started his motorcycle and revved he engine.

Even though she was wearing a helmet, he could still tell she was apprehensive.

“Come on,” he encouraged her gently before putting on his own helmet.

Slowly, she approached the motorcycle.

“Just swing your leg over – there you go,” he instructed.

Then he put on his helmet and Y/N realized there were comms linked between the two helmets so they could hear each other easily.

“Uhh…where do I–how do I hold on?” Her question stumbled out.

To her surprise, he didn’t verbally answer. Instead, Dick just reached behind him for her hands and placed them under his leather jacket and around his waist.

The contact felt strangely intimate. And Y/N hated that it made her heart race a bit faster. She hoped he couldn’t feel it as her chest bumped against his back. Hopefully he would just think it was her adrenaline and fear from the bike. 

“Good?” He asked as he revved the engine again.

“I think so?”

Suddenly they shot out of the garage and raced down the long drive that led to the gate. 

Y/N didn’t think Dick was going unusually fast, by any means. But the motorcycle made everything feel more extreme. She slowly started to put together why people liked riding them so much. It was a rush. 

Dick did as he suggested and took backroads, avoiding any main streets or heavy-traffic areas. Which meant a lot of twists and turns.

But Y/N was surprised when he started to slow down and pulled onto a street that was just surrounded by forests. The sun had just set and the sky was colored pink and purple.

Dick turned off the bike when they reached a clearing. It was a meadow, with tall grass that moved like the ocean from the night breeze.

Y/N took off her helmet and grinned at the sight. 

She turned to Dick, “Didn’t expect a city boy like you to know places like this…”

“City boy?” Dick looked insulted. “I was a traveling circus kid before Bruce took me in.” He looked out at the land, “This was one of our stops. We set up right over there,” he pointed to an open field where the ground was even and the grass was short.

Y/N’s face changed when she realized Dick had a connection to this place. It wasn’t just a stop off the highway. It meant something to him.

“Thank you,” she mumbled. It was hard to meet his gaze.

“For what?”

“Taking me here. For taking me anywhere, really.”

“Despite how enormous the manor is, it’s suffocating sometimes,” Dick tried to reason with her. “Has it really been so bad, being stuck with us?”

“No,” she quickly answered and took a step toward him. “How much time have you spent working with a team?”

Dick thought about it. “I mean, after leaving Bruce, I just went from one team to another. Even when I think I’m working alone, my family is always around the corner.”

Y/N gave him a sad smile, already knowing that would be his answer. “I never had that. It’s always just been…me.”

“Why?” Dick questioned. 

He knew better than anyone that heroes found other heroes, whether they wanted to or not. And he knew from experience that a team had a stronger chance of changing the world for the better. Even Bruce gave up on being a lone warrior – despite him trying to believe he still is one. 

“I don’t go after criminals that wear face paint and shoot guns, Dick. I go after the people that terrify others into silence and submission. I go after the people that most don’t even know we should be going after.” She shook her head. “It’s dangerous in a different way. And I never wanted to risk anyone else’s life but my own.”

“But when things go south, who’s got your back?” Dick challenged.

Y/N thought about it a moment and just shrugged.

Dick’s eyes saddened. “It doesn’t have to be that way, Y/N.”

She didn’t acknowledge his statement.

When there was a large gust of wind, Y/N closed her eyes as if it would help her body absorb the nature around them.

Dick allowed himself to take her in while her eyes were closed – all of her. 

He still didn’t know so much about her past – what she’s seen, what she’s been through. But he felt like he understood her as a person. He saw how intelligent she was, how she explained things to Tim without sounding condescending or embarrassing him for not knowing. Or how patient she was with Damian when he was his bratty self, and she clearly saw his behavior for what it was: a child who didn’t know how to converse with normal people. And when Jason was a sarcastic smartass, Y/N gave it right back to him. Dick also didn’t miss how Y/N offered to help Alfred cook and clean up as if it wasn’t his job.

The moment Dick was having as he looked at Y/N was interrupted by his phone.

“100 bucks that it’s Bruce,” Y/N griped.

And when Dick pulled it out from his pocket, lo and behold, Bruce’s name was lit on the screen.

“Hello. Yeah, she’s with me. We just went for a drive. We’re heading back now.”

As soon as he hung up, Y/N asked, “Was he pissed?”

“He was extremely calm, which is probably not a good sign.”

But Dick didn’t seem too concerned with Bruce’s wrath. He’d grown out of that long ago. 

“Come on,” he nodded to his parked motorcycle.

Y/N slid on the bike behind him with much more confidence and finesse this time. And there was no hesitation as she wrapped her hands around around Dick’s waist. He swore her grip was tighter too.

“Ready?” Dick still asked her. 

But then his hand seemed to have a mind of his and slid over the grip she had on his waist, brushing across one of her hands almost…affectionately.

He didn’t even realize he did it until a few seconds afterward.

“Mhmm,” Y/N hummed.

The ride back was less peaceful. The sun had gone down and if they weren’t in view of Gotham’s city lights, they couldn’t see their surroundings. It also didn’t help that they knew they were returning to the manor to face Bruce.

When they parked inside the garage and turned off the engine, they both heard Bruce call Dick’s name from inside.

Y/N winced, but quickly recovered.

She squeezed Dick’s upper-arm. “Don’t worry. This is on me.”

Before Dick couldn’t argue and say he wasn’t scared of Bruce, Y/N was walking back into the manor.

“Need I remind you that you’re number one on The Court of Owls’ hit list?” Bruce told Y/N darkly.

He was wearing a black turtleneck and slacks. It was an off-duty look for him, but he still looked like he was in some sort of uniform.

“Dick had nothing to do with it,” Y/N defended calmly. “I threatened to photoshop nudes of him and sell them to TMZ and the Daily Mail.”

Bruce shared a look with Dick over Y/N’s shoulder, proving that he already knew Y/N had made no such threat.

“I’ll be in my lab,” Y/N announced, deciding to end the conversation before it could turn into a lecture or argument. 

When she passed Bruce, Y/N turned around and gave Dick a grateful smile before mouthing, ‘Thank you’ to him.

Now it was just Bruce and Dick.

“If you want to lecture me, just get it over with,” Dick sighed.

“You know better,” Bruce answered.

“She was going to leave whether I went with her or not. I thought it was best to keep an eye on her. I wasn’t stupid about it, Bruce.”

“Don’t let it happen again.”

Dick glared at him. “We can’t keep her locked up here forever.”

“She’ll stay until we take down The Court. Until then, she’s at risk.”

Dick quirked an eyebrow. “Careful, Bruce. It’s starting to sound like you’re making this personal.”

But they both knew there was another meaning behind his words. Dick saw Bruce put together what he was really trying to say. ‘I know you two have a history. I know what happened between you.’

But Dick didn’t know what was happening now. 

Bruce just glared at him and said, “I could say the same to you.”

Then he turned and left.

-----------------------------------------

Part III

Ooooooo. The drama!

Let me know what you think! Please 😔

[horrorslashergirl]

Jax Roman

He's 6'8

41

Male

Dominate

Kills usually by means of torture, he has a underground dungeon where he brings his victims. It's like a red room with different tools lining the walls.

He usually goes after men off the streets, finding their shrill screams amusing.

His personality is under construction but he's probably gonna be a cocky asshole

(( he has bright green eyes and a little lower than shoulder length blone hair, his has a scar over his left eye and a couple piercing. His favorite is his tongue piercing. His very muscular but still more lean, he has scars all over his body as well.))

-His wife will come next-

Richard Firewood

Richard can appreciate someone with a steak for torture, but he does it more for money purpose and to indulge into his surgeon passion. I think Richard would be neutral towards Jax, like.... If he doesn't bother Richard, they are on neutral grounds.

Richard: He better not bother me. I am a busy man and money makes the world go around.

Jackson Jasper

Another man who kills for fun purpose too, Jackson would probably be on good terms with Jax, like talking over torture methods over some good whiskey.

Jackson: Seems like a cool guy. Maybe have a chat of torture over a glass of whiskey.

Bambi Miller

She may find him interesting but she won't act submissive. She is a fierce woman and loves a challenge. Also... Piercings? She got one on her belly button and much lower.

Bambi: Sugar Jaw seems interesting... Maybe we can have a conversation over a bottle of tequila.

The Hacker

I hear torture buddies bells ringing. Torture is Hackers middle names and he has quite an imagination. He might get along with Jax just great, but he better not get too cocky with the Hacker because he is the big shit around here into torture games. Respect is gonna be a must if they gonna be friends.

The Hacker: Torture ya say? I can appreciate maiming a body but the cocksucker better know I am the big shit at torture.

Dave Anthony

Ohhh... Torture you say? Dave is gonna show torture to Jax... On his own skin. This dangerous and evil poltergeist will sure maim Jax all for fun and bask into seeing this so called Dom be a pile of flesh and bones.

Dave: He calls himself dominating? *laughs diabolically*

Azol

Another evil entity who will sure have the ultimate amusment into hunting Jax each moment of day and night. He is gonna take great pleasure into destroying Jax mind.

Azol: If he is a dominant person then I am a motherfucking priest that sucked the Devils cock. *smirks* He looks like a sloppy cumfilled cunt.

Samuel Grayson

Cocky and arrogant? That's enough to say for Samuel to turn Jax into a raw steak for the hellhounds on his back. Jax aura would make Samuel really displeased and if he tries to get to close to him... Well? I really hope Jax wouldn’t mind having his arms chewed off.

Samuel: *scowls* He smells disgusting. His aura hurts the nose of my hellhounds.

Azment

Another evil entity but with a passion for pure carnal desires. She can appreciate a Dom like Jax and she might.. More than likely, take him to her Master Bedroom.

Azment: *smirks lewdly* Ohhh he seems like a fun boy.... Maybe we can have a small chit-chat between the bedsheets.

Gerome Montana and Axel Friedrich

I think these two would be on neutral grounds with Jax, as long as he doesn't get to handsy... Because I am sure Jax wouldn’t like to be stabbed in the knee or shot into his ankels.

Gerome: He seems like a fun dude... But I don't think my Bro Axel will dig him that much.

Axel: *scowls* I don't like him.

The Shadow

Arrogance might be something Shadow hates, ironicallg because he is like that too, but only because of his high intelectual abilities and skills into surgery... And disecting people. Shadow will be pissed off of Jax puts his smug attitude on this serial killer.

The Shadow: *cleans his scalpels* I don't care what he does as long as he keeps his nose out of my business. His intelect is no match for mine.

Bahini Talibah

Safe to say, this immortal woman wouldn't like Jax. She makes her uncomfortable and if he doesn't get the point of keeping distance he will suffer a painfull death.

Bahini: He makes me anxious. Enough said.

Mitch Carson

Feral Gask Mask Man wouldn't like Jax. He will simply view him as just another hunt and lunch.

Mitch: *growls behind the gas mask getting his crossbow ready*

Damiano Liberato

He is cocky and arrogant too and he can appreciate that into other men, but manners and a good etiquette are a must with this slice and dice mogul.

Damiano: Ughh.... He better have some class on him. If I see peons dressed in track suits I am gonna skin them alive.

Xaviera Lah-Mo

Cocky and arrogant men aren't her piece of cake, unless is her Wolf. Jax better keep his distance or else he might get shot into the balls by her sniper.

Xaviera: Not interesting me in the slightest bit.

Akshay Lah-Mo

Akshay doesn't like arrogant and cocky people, and if Jax will continue to annoy Akshay, the Polar bear might break his spine.

Akshay: *glares* His arrogance annoys me... He better keep his hands to himself unless he wants them broken.

Decebal Avram Chirilă

Decebal can appreciate a dominant man greatly and he doesn't mind getting on the bottom, but torture? Please.... Decebal has endured so much torture it feels like being petted and I am sure Jax wouldn’t like to have this assassins swords cutting through his torso.

Decebal: *smirks* He seems like a cool guy to hang around with... Just don't get too cocky, dragă because I am a switch and my Dom side will pounce on you.

Alexander Chirilă

Alex loves a great dominat man and I am sure Jax would be a perfect match for him, plus even thought Alex is a sub, he has great pain endurace, so torture is no problem for him.

Alexander: *blushes at the Dom part* Umm... He seems fine.. I-I guess.

Nadia Nikolina Chirilă

Jax might find his jaw knocked off by Nadia, because she isn't a big fan of dominating men, especially arrogant ones. Keep your distance Jax. Just a piece of advice.

Nadia: *raises a brow and snorts* Not my type and defenitly not someone I can tolerate too much.

[skylarmoon71]

Leonardo x Reader Oneshot TMNT 2014/2016

Disclaimer: I own my love for fanfiction, nothing more. Enjoy!!

"I don't trust you." To say those words didn't hurt would be a blatant lie. Standing in the lair with all four turtles around, you blinked, determined not to show any type of weakness. Leo's eyes were resolute after the statement, and the three other turtles grew quiet. 

It started with Mikey's casual teasing. You were so used to it, so when he joked about Leo having a crush on you because he constantly gave you the cold shoulder, you laughed it off. Mikey's wasn't being serious. But apparently it struck a nerve with Leo.

"Leonardo." Splinter heard it all. You could see the way Leo's jaw was clenched, and all you wanted to do was punch him in his stupid leader face.

"Raph is right, you really are nothing but a jerk!" you pushed up your glasses, turning on your heels as you stormed off. You knew the moment you got back to your room you'd fall apart. But you could save a little face. You just needed to ensure you didn't fall apart in front of him. You wouldn't give him that power.

Leo's mistrust wasn't completely unwarranted. Your meeting with the turtles was fairly unique. It wasn't in an act of heroism. You had in fact tracked them down. Like Donatello, you were very good with computers. A master hacker. Because of your little hobby, it provided a lot of room for snooping. In middle school you hacked NASA, and they were none the wiser. By the beginning of high school, you were hooked up to every police scan and federal cases. Everything and anything that you wanted to know was right at your fingertips.

Being an orphan probably didn't help with your moral compass. As long as you knew it was always about seeking our own self interest. You were now a junior in high school. Being a New Yorker was pretty much the usual. Grumpy people, busy bodies. What wasn't ordinary was alien invasions. It alarmed you when there were metal boxes floating in the streets, panic throughout the city. What pissed you off was the fact that it was never addressed as to what really happened that day. The government provided some half assed excuse, and everyone just accepted it. Determined to get to the bottom of your newest interest, you'd stumbled upon something quite interesting.

A fellow hacker, almost as gifted as you. Not nearly as careful though. At the time you had no idea it was Donnie. You just followed the informational patterns that strangely aligned with all the unexplained incidents that occured in New York. Intrigued, you kept pushing, and even decided to confront the individuals that you were led to. Safe to say four giant mutant turtles were not what you were expecting. After nearly having a heart attack, you finally solved the mystery of the vigilantes.

A very unexpected development emerged from your discovery. You befriended them. Donatello was impressed at your technical skills, and you were even more with him. You were born with the genes basically, probably from your parents, but they were created. He adapted his intelligence all on his own, and to you that was astounding.

Months passed, and you found that being with the turtles and even assisting when you could, you felt like you were a part of something great. Something amazing. You were helping people with your gift, rather than using it for your own means of living. All in all, they seemed to like you. Even Raph who probably was the least trusting of strangers warmed up to you. The only one who held a general dislike for you was apparently Leo. 

Since your meeting was a bit forced, he was weary of you. As time went by you thought that would fade. It wasn't like you would reveal their secret to anyone; they were your friends. At least that's how you saw them. Leo obviously didn't feel the same. Not that you cared. If he wanted to act like a douche then you would let him. If he thought those words would make you run he was wrong. You will be back first thing tomorrow. After you were done crying a little to day that was.

~The Next Day~

"Don't worry too much about Leo. Ya gotta give him time. " Raph nudged you on your seat on the couch as you were beating him in mario kart.

"I'm not worried. It's his fault if he wants to keep that giant stick up his ass." Raph laughed out loud and you joined, adjusting your glasses quickly so you didn't lose your spot on the course. Someone clearing their throat behind you made you drop the control. You didn't have to turn to know who it was. Raph was already standing, flipping over the couch.

He was probably there because it was about that time for them to go on patrol. Raph ruffled your hair with a grin. "See ya later kid, I'll be back to beat ya."

"Hah, maybe in your dreams!" Donatello rushed past, handing you a computer. "Thanks for the codes, the servers are moving a lot faster (Y/N)." you nod. "Sure thing Donnie, anything for a brother hacker." you showed him a peace sign smiling. Mikey was the last to join, swinging his nunchucks. "Who's ready to kick some criminal butt!" he said excitedly. Raph and Donnie just turned, not really acknowledging the younger turtle's antics. "Really? No one." he followed behind still trying to get a word from his brothers. Leo lingered there, and it took you a moment to realize he was staring at you.

You frowned. "Don't worry, I'm not going to burn down your home or anything, so you don't have to keep watch. " you stood, pushing your glasses up your nose, heading in the opposite direction. Leo knew he deserved the hostility. After the conversation with Splinter, he felt like he really understood nothing about his feelings.

~Flashback~

"Did they forget that she basically blackmailed us just to see who we were. Why am I the bad guy." He was more than a little frustrated. Even Raph was lecturing him on his statement that day. Raph of all people.

"Leonardo, she's young, just like you. I believe there is another reason you're conflicted about her."

"What do you mean?" He couldn't understand what Splinter was trying to say.

"Maybe you have learned to see her in another light. And it's difficult for you to understand. So your mind is telling you it's mistrust, but is that what you really feel?" His forehead creased in thought.

"What I really feel." He couldn't come up with a good answer. His encounters with you were never lengthy. He barely acknowledged you on most occasions. But when he did, he found that he was watching, or more like studying what you did. Your intelligence, humor, and those glasses that never seemed to stay perched up on your face. Leo's eyes grew wide.

"Sensei I..."

"You have feelings for her." Leo wanted to swallow his tongue. That couldn't be.

"There is nothing wrong with what you feel, however you need to be more careful with your words. (Y/N), despite her resilience is still very much a child. " Leo was still in a sense of shock. Splinter walked over, patting him on the shoulder. "I know you will find a way to make amends with her. Just be honest." he said nothing else, walking off with his hands folded behind his back.

"How am I supposed to do that." If you disliked him before, you definitely hated him now.

~Flashback end~

Leo released a heavy sigh. It would take a lot to take back those words. Right now, all he wanted was to let you know that he was wrong. It didn't matter if you detested him. He just needed to restore the trust he should have placed in you the moment he realized you cared for his family the same way he did.

~~~

"Mikey check out my costume!!" you were sporting a pikachu onesie. It was halloween after all, and you were more than excited to show off the cute yellow design.

"Pika pika~" you mimicked the sound your favorite Pokémon with a smile.

"You're so cute!" he gushed in a baby voice. You giggled, adjusting your glasses. The parade was about to start and you didn't want to miss it. Since this was one of the few days the turtles could roam around without suspicion, you were overjoyed. It was the first outing you had with them all together outside. You bounced on your feet when Donatello and Raph came from around the corner talking about training most likely. "Come on guys we need to get going!" you urged. Raph placed his hand on your pointed hoodie. "Alright hold ya horses. Leo's coming too." You puffed your cheeks at that.

"Great, the world's greatest killjoy is joining us." You really didn't want Leo's strict attitude on your night of fun.

"Speak of the devil." He was walking with his eyes in a book. When he saw everyone gathered his eyes raised. When they landed on you, he stopped completely. You knew it was stupid, but you blushed, because of the awe in his eyes as he looked at you. Your gaze moved down as you grabbed at the tail of your costume, fiddling with it. "Dummy, why is he looking at me like that!" Leo was the last person you wanted to make your heart beat that way. You weren't even wearing tight clothing either, so why the hell was he staring like you were the prettiest thing he'd ever seen. Leo willed himself to look away, placing his book down.

"She looks so cute." Of course he didn't say it out loud. Regaining his cool, he folded his arms.

"You guys ready."

"Yeah dude we were waiting for you." Mikey reached over picking you up, you were laughing the entire time.

"Onward soldiers!!" he shouted. Raph just tapped him on the head. "Dude!" Donnie rolled his eyes.

"If you guys start fighting Sensei won't let us go." he informed. Mikey made a zipping motion on his lips. Leo watched his brothers marching away with you. And a tinge of jealousy rushed through his body seeing how comfortable you seemed with Mikey.

~~~

Walking through the streets you took in all the creative costumes. Bands were marching, people cheering, bodies jumping and prancing to the music that blared through the speakers. Mikey was a little ways ahead, easily making friends in the crowd of people. He looked so happy. Raph and Donnie's eyes were also trained on Mikey. The content expressed on their faces was really indescribable. They usually gave him a hard time, and you knew it was just how brothers acted with each other. He was the youngest, and you were positive if anyone tried to hurt him, they would protect him in a heartbeat.

"Hey there, are you all alone cutie." you were so distracted that you didn't realize you got partially separated from the others. The male blocking your way annoyed you. Raph and the others were a short way up the street. If you could just get past this guy you could join them.

"Sorry but I'm with my friends. I've got to go." He moved closer to grab your hand, and you were about to recoil when a hand came down and pulled you backwards. You stumble into something firm, and when you look up, blue eyes are glaring at the man before you. "She's taken." the guy raised both his hands with a laugh. "Alright hulk no need to get mad. You should keep a better watch on your girl." He backed up, leaving, falling back into the crowd. When he was gone, those electric eyes moved in your direction. He was still holding unto you.

"T-Thank you Leo." you weren't much of a fighter, and you would hate it if the turtles first outing got ruined because you couldn't stay close. "Be more careful, guys like that are nothing but trouble. I'd hate it if you got hurt."

That was the nicest thing he'd ever really said to you.

Wait a minute.

"What did you mean I'm taken? " you raised a brow. Leo let you go, taking a step back.

"I was just..I didn't want him getting any ideas." He wouldn't look at you. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"N-No it's okay. I kinda figured as much." Why the hell were you disappointed at his answer. You should know better.

"By the way, you're costume it's..really nice." you flush, fixing your glasses.

"O-Oh! T-Thanks." You must have been dreaming. Another nice statement from Leo. What was the world coming to? The both of you stood there awkwardly for a while, neither sure what to do.

This was the longest conversation you had with Leo that didn't end up with animosity on either side. Your eyes caught his hand that was hanging, and you took it softly in your own. Leo looked up stunned. "S-So we don't get separated again." you clarified. Raph and the others were already a ways ahead. It would have been bad if you got into another little scuffle. So you started moving to them, keeping a soft grip on Leo's hand so he didn't fall behind. You kept your eyes forward, because you knew if you looked at him again, he'd figure out just how happy you were to hold his hand.

If only he knew how you felt.

~~~~

"Ugh! I hate these so much." you sighed heavily, massaging your eyelids. "What's the matter?" you almost jumped, startled by the concern in Leo's voice. Everyone else seemed taken in their own task. Mikey didn't even turn from his game at your small yell. "I-It's really nothing, just a code. It's been stressing me out for the last hour. "

 Leo took a seat next to you on the chair, turning you in his direction. You just watched him, waiting for whatever he was about to do. He smiled, reaching out and removing your glasses. You closed your eyes not really expecting the gesture. "You have to stop for a while and..." when his words started to trail off you were confused. "W-What's wrong?" He looked so dazed, it sort of alarmed you.

"It's nothing, it's just your eyes...they're beautiful." he muttered.

"Oh boy."

Since the Halloween party, Leo was being especially nice to you. Now that you thought about it, he'd been doing it way before that.

"You're beautiful.." He was very careful not to voice that, still, he could think it. Because it was true. To him you were breathtaking, his only regret was that he'd didn't figure out his feelings before. Maybe now it wouldn't have been so hard for him to be honest about how he felt.

Your eyes were staring in shock, your mouth slightly agape.

"Did you just...call me beautiful." Leo paused.

"W-What?"

"You said...you said that I'm beautiful." surely you didn't imagine those words coming from his mouth. What was really going on here. Of course you were overjoyed. But didn't he still not trust you? Why was he saying these things, looking at you the way he did. Leo stood in ample time, and before you could get another word in he was leaving hurriedly.

"I-I have to go." He didn't offer an explanation, just bolted like his life depended on it. You sat there, flustered and maybe even a little irritated.

"Why the heck is he pulling me in so many directions."

One day he's telling you to your face that he doesn't trust you, then the next he's looking out for you, complimenting you. It was driving you crazy.

"I hate boys." you groaned.

~~~~

The soft knock on his door had his eyes lifting. He stopped momentarily attending to his bonsai tree. When the door opened, his heart staggered for a fleeting second. You walked in, shutting it. Your hands were behind your back, and you could barely hold eye contact with him. Leo wasn't much better. He placed down the small clippers, shifting on his feet. "Is there something wrong?" he asked, concerned about the surprise visit.

"Y-Yes actually." you needed to get a handle on whatever this crazy thing was between the both of you.

"Why have you been acting so weird with me. I know the both of us we've never really been on the best terms. And I guess I don't help that much. But you're the same. You say things to me to piss me off and I get so agitated! " You were shouting, and Leo's head lowered.

"Then you act so sweet and kind out of nowhere and it completely messes me up because I can't read you at all. Do you hate me or not!"

"I could never hate you (Y/N)." That simple statement the way he said it, the look on his face. It struck you right in the heart.

"Why do you do that.." you lips quivered, and you took a step forward, Leo didn't expect to see the tears that were gathering in your eyes.

"Stop giving me hope and then tearing it from me. Y-You have no idea how I feel about you.." Damn it, your intention was never to break down in front of him. Leo clenched his fists, and you raised your hands to wipe away your tears. When you heard him walking towards you, everything in your body stilled. Leo's hand rested on your cheek, and you opened your mouth to say more, but Leo stole whatever words you had prepared. Standing there wide eyed, you could barely believe the feeling of his lips pressed softly to your own. Because of the height difference. He had to lean down slightly. When he pulled back, his eyes flickered open. The glow of his eyes were somewhat surreal.

"I should have never said that to you (Y/N). That day..I was stupid. Long before I had feelings for you. I guess I was just too scared to admit how I felt, so I kept my distance, and created excuses to keep it that way. I'm so sorry that I made you feel like you weren't welcomed. You're just as much a part of this family as April and Vern. "

"Leo.." so the entire time he cared about you, the same way you did for him. He just didn't want to accept it. Maybe he was terrified you wouldn't see him the same.

"Dummy." you mutter. Leo smiled at that, scratching his neck. "I have been an idiot. As a leader I should have understood better."

"Maybe you should stop expecting yourself to constantly know the answer for everything Leo. Somethings just aren't that logical." He knew that, now.

"There's still so much I need to learn. Will you help me?" you blushed, trying to hide it.

"S-Sure. I am a genius after all." you boasted, nudging your glasses.

"Yes you are." you gazed at him, nibbling on your lower lip.

"Leo..that kiss.."

"I'm sorry! That was definitely not okay. I think I just..reacted." You could tell he was still a bit unnerved by it all. He still wasn't completely sure of your feelings.

"I kind of liked it." you mumble. Leo is still, processing your words. When he takes a step forward, you can't stop the quickening of your heart beat.

"Can I kiss you again?" The fact that he asks permission this time causes your heart to do flips. He's standing right in front of you, and his eyes have already zeroed in on your lips. You stop nibbling on your lips when you feel his warm palm on your cheek. He doesn't make another move, waiting for an answer. When words fail, you simply give a small nod. Leo smiles warmly, that all he needs.

He lowers to meet your lips, and as he does, his forehead lightly taps your glasses. You flush in embarrassment, and Leo just chuckles. "Have I ever told you that you're absolutely adorable in glasses." The comment makes your cheeks darken even more, and as you think of a reply, Leo banishes any chance of you forming coherent thoughts. His lips are so soft. And the way he's holding your face in his palms, it makes you want to melt on the spot. Every movement is gentle and almost calculated.

The right amount of pressure and passion. How does he know to kiss so well? It shocks you, the expert way his lips are clashing with yours. It's possible he's seen one to many movies, and like the prodigy he is, the skill was something he picked up quickly. "Leo.." You can't do much but submit to him, and this time. This time there is no doubt in your mind. Because you finally know  his feelings, and he's aware of yours as well. When he picks you up bridal style, you're a bit taken by surprise, separating for a brief moment. As you do so, his eyes are a lot closer, and you can see everything. All his fears, wants, struggles, desires...

It's enough to overwhelm your heart. But you aren't afraid. Not at all. Because this is Leo. He may be terrible at voicing his feelings, but you know for a fact that he won't hurt you. Not at all. His blue bandana does wonders to highlight the similar glow of his eyes.

You can't look away, and you don't want to. Your hand presses to the center of his chest, and right beneath your palm you feel it. The insistent strumming. The look in your eyes changes to one of surprise, and he immediately knows why. "It's...harder for me to hide it when you're so close." This entire time he's been acting so confident and in control. Yet, he's just as smitten as you, Maybe ever more. You grin at that. "You don't have to." You reach up, reclaiming his lips, and nothing in the world seems sweeter than the taste of Leo's lips. And you know for a fact, nothing ever will.

[sebastianshaw]

@starbucks-redcups Here is the “Toad in Tabletop Games I Like” post you requested! Also tagging @toadlingscentral and @brotherhoodofm and @awkward-snake-girl because Toad... @acaprioglino, you still like Toad? Okay, so I said I would pick a vampire clan or a werewolf/other wereanimal breed, or a DnD race class...but for Toad I am doing ALL of them because I immediately knew which I think he’d be for each. For a vampire, he is absolutely a Nosferatu. In the “Vampire: The Masquerade” setting, each clan of vampires has a curse, a weakness. For the Brujah, they enter Frenzy (a state of uncontrollable bloodthirsty rage) twice as easily as other clans. For the Lasombra, they do not appear in mirrors or photography, a fitting punishment for their pride, and more of a problem than it used to be in this modern age of cameras everywhere. For the Toreador, their same of beauty that makes them artists can also hypnotize them, making them stand still staring enraptured at whatever has captured their aesthetic appreciation...a big problem if the sun comes up or someone is attacking them. And Nosferatu....the poor Nosferatu are all so hideously deformed that they cannot ever mingle with humans, they must remain hidden so as to preserve the Masquerade (the system that keeps humans from knowing vampires exist and walk among them)  No matter what a Nosferatu looked like before their Embrace (becoming a vampire) they become horrible in death, often unrecognizable as their former selves. Many look like Count Orlok in the movie that bears their clan name, but many others have a more “individual” appearence---all of them, however, are too hideous to ever pass as human, and even the other clans look at them with revulsion (especially the beauty-obsessed Toreador) So, like Toad, they’re outcasts for their appearance, both from humanity and often looked down on by other vampires, just like Toad is rejected both by humans and often by other mutants. Yet, just as Toad has been a valuable underling to Magneto, so too are the Nosferatu very valuable to other vampires. The fact that they have had to learn how to stay hidden has made them masters at going undetected (having the power of Obfuscate helps---it can make you invisible or ignored!) and have become spymasters and intel-gatherers without peer! When you need info, you go to the Nosferatu, and they always have it---for a price.  Toad isn’t really an information-peddler at all in canon, but he is very tech-savvy, and that’s where I think he works as a Nos. In the digital age, Nosferatu have kept up very well with using computers and the internet, and some have become truly extraordinary hackers. Toad’s more of a machinery/inventor guy, but I could see Nos!Toad taking the Internet spymaster route instead. I could also see him using his inventing talents to make modern solutions to vampire problems---helping preserve the Masquerade, dealing with hunters, etc---and earning his value to other vampires that way. Nosferatus also have the power of Animalism, letting them control critters. A lot of them seem to prefer rats, but Toad can sometimes control or communicate with amphibians in canon depending who is writing, so I imagine Nos!Toad has a bunch of little frog and toad buddies that act as his eyes, ears, and living security systems.  Finally, Nosferatu are super strong, posessing the power of Potence, and while Toad’s never been a real brawler, his kicks can definitely kill a man! Toad’s werewolf tribe would be a Bone Gnawer. Bone Gnawers are the “mutts” of werewolf society, the outcasts, the poor, the downtrodden, the ill-bred. Their human forms are often homeless bums or filthy runaways, their wolf forms look more like scrawny junkyard dogs, and other tribes look down on them, especially the aristocratic Silver Fangs. They get no respect and have to earn every scrap they get, but they’re innovative and clever since they have to rely on what little they have, and they’re tough as nails despite not being as big and strong as the other tribes. They’re tragic figures, but also smart, scrappy underdogs, just like Toad.  Toad would also be a metis. See, a peculiarity of the wereanimals in “Werewolf: The Apocalpyse” is that they can’t mate with each other, they must mate with humans or animals in order to reproduce. If two werewolves mate, their offpsring will be sterile and deformed, and this is called a metis. As a note, the term “metis” is also unfortunately the name of a real-world Indigenuous Canadian ethnic group, and while I hope there is no connection (the werewolves use a lot of their own unique language that was invented for the game---crinos, ahroun, theurge, etc.---) this game company (White Wolf) has done shitty racist things before, so like...it’s a possibility. But like, regardless of what the NAME for such a creature is, that’s what Toad would be.  Anyway, MOST werewolf tribes shun the metis, and it’s against their laws for Garou (werewolves) to mate with each other for the exact reason that it produces metis. A metis has to earn their place normally, and a lot of them spend their whole lives trying to do that. But the Bone Gnawers are different. They not only embrace their own metis, but they will adopt the metis from other tribes as their own, not blaming them for the sins of their parents or being what they are. But other tribes will still be nasty towards them. So, Toad has a place among his own people, but will still face persecution from others, which I think fits. Many metis and Bone Gnawers both often become angry and bitter because they’re fighting for the same righteous cause as other Garou (just as the Brotherhood wants to protect mutantkind, the werewolves want to protect Gaia) but get treated like dogshit, which I think also fits Toad. They keep fighting the good fight, but they’re often snarky and distrustful of others because they always expect to get kicked once they’re not useful. For a werebeast, I think he’d be a Ratkin. The Ratkin are wererats, and they’re my FAVES. Not just because I love rats, but because they’re honestly SO MUCH FUN. It’s kind of hard for me to describe if you’re not familiar with the setting, but in a world where a lot of the other creatures are all very formal and serious, the Ratkin are like...honestly, I could read their entire breedbook with Toad’s voice from the X-Men Evo cartoon and it would sound PERFECT; one of the rats in it talks about how a Stargazer tribe werewolf tried to impress him with a haiku about cherry blossosm, so the Ratkin recited half a limerick then hit the wolf on the nose with a stick and ran away. I love it, I love them.  Like the Bone Gnawers (the only werewolf tribe they get along with) they’re scrappers and survivors who live on the fringes of society, using their brains to fight for a good cause even if they’re not as big and tough as others, and even if those others don’t appreciate them.  There are different “Aspects” of Ratkin, basically different castes, and Toad would ABSOLUTELY be an engineer. Engineers use their shocking intelligence to salvage and devise ingenious devices from rubble and garbage to fight against the Wyrm and its servants (the Wyrm is like...the big bad evil spirit that all the wereanimals are fighting to save Gaia from, basically) Metis are a thing with wererats too, but the rats treat them equal, unlike werewolves. I would still have Toad be one, though, to keep his odd appearance; his rat form would probably be hairless, poor guy, and he’d probably have an unpleasant smell. As a note, Ratkin HATE humans, but the Ratkin metis will often have sympathy for humans who are downtrodden and outcast by other humans (which can make their fellow rats sneer at them)  Finally, for DnD, his class would be either a Rogue or an Artificer. A Rogue is one of the original classic DnD classes, they’re sneaky cunning thief-types who live by their wits and rely on skills and stealth and cunning and trickery instead of brute force. They pick locks and pick pockets, and I think they’d be a great fit for X-men Evolution Toad specifically. They can be very acrobatic, and are great at avoiding danger, which also fits for Toad’s leaping abilities and how he can be cowardly ( speaking of that, the Ratkin, while ultimately willing to die for Gaia if they must, would definitely always prefer to live another day if they can, rather than die a noble death if they don’t have to) So you could totally go with Toad as a Rogue, someone who has been cast out by society and thus has become a thief and a scoundrel to survive. But the Artificer, a new class, works even better when you consider Toad’s mechanical genius. Artificers, like the Ratkin Engineers, merge science with the supernatural. They’re inventors extraordinaire who unlock the magic in everyday objects, and channel arcane power with tools and tinkering! For his race, either a Grung or a Kobold. The Grung are little frog-people. They’re agile, they’re amphibious, they jump really good, and their skin secretes a substance that is harmless to them but poisonous to other creatures. By using a small amount of this poison, they can mentally enslave other creatures, and depending on the writer (Toad’s powers fluctuate around a lot due to his unstable genetic structure, as I’m sure you know)  Toad can also secrete chemicals from his tongue and fingertips that allow him to influence, manipulate, and control the minds of others to a limited extent, so there’s that similarity. Different colored grungs have different castes/roles in their society, and I think Toad would be a green or blue.  Green grungs are the tribe's warriors, hunters, and laborers, and blue grungs work as artisans and in other domestic roles. Green because, even though he’s not the bravest, he is often used as a grunt or canon fodder in fights by the Brotherhood, and blue because “artisan” could also cover being an inventor. Kobolds are little lizard-people who often serve dragons as the dragon’s minions (and Toad is usually in the minion role) and are noted for their skill at building traps and preparing ambushes, which I think Toad’s engineering skills would make him good at, plus I think he’d far prefer trapping an enemy than having to fight them. Like Toad, Kobolds are often dismissed as cowardly, foolish, and weak by others, but actually they’re clever and can be quite aggressive, as is the case with Toad too.  I hope you enjoyed this and that at least some of it was accurate/fitting!

[sunflowergirl522]

You’re a Girl?

Pairing: Obi Wan Kenobi x Reader

Summary: You’re a trooper in the 501st legion and get assigned to help the 212th Battalion with part of a mission. Obi Wan doesn’t know that you’re a female clone until you take your helmet off in front of him. He’s shocked by both your gender and the connection he feels to you.

Word Count: 2758

Warnings: language

Masterlist

***

“Bugs! I’ve got a new mission for you.” Rex comes into the barracks where you’re listening to a radio and cleaning your helmet.

“Just for me?” Rex nods and approaches your bunk. “ What about the rest of the squadron?” It wasn’t unusual that someone needed your help for a mission; it was just normally at least with someone else from the squad, normally Rex.

“It’s not for General Skywalker otherwise I would be going with you. You’re being assigned to the 212th Attack Battalion under General Kenobi.” A smile graces your lips at the battalion number.

“That’s Cody’s squadron isn’t it?” Another nod from Rex who’s normally serious composure is breaking at seeing your face light up.

It’s been so long since you’ve last seen Cody you can’t help but to be filled up with excitement. You had been in a training squad while Cody and Rex were first appointed Commanders and they both connected with you during their first recruitment journey to Kamino. They had both jumped into older brother roles when they had heard another clone telling you that you’d never make it anywhere since you were female. And they knew they liked you when they turned the corner to defend you only to see you punch the other clone in the face. Rex has told you stories on how they would argue over who would recruit you before they decided with an arm wrestling match. As much as you want to see Cody you’re glad you’re part of the 501st Legion. If you weren’t here you would’ve never met some of your closest friends or General Tano who you had become quick friends with before she left.

“When do I leave?”

“Tomorrow at 1300.” You nod at that in acknowledgement.

***

“General Kenobi.” Fox greats Obi Wan in the hanger while Cody goes to get the new recruit.

“Fox, it’s nice to see you. Where’s Anakin?”

“Oh, he’s over there talking with Rex and Bugs.” He points over to where Anakin was talking to the two clones. “You’re getting a good one General. Bugs is the best hacker we’ve got.”

Obi Wan watches as Cody walks up behind the clones punching the one Fox had called Bugs in his shoulder and Anakin begins to head towards him.

“I believe you’ll be satisfied with Bugs’ abilities Obi Wan.”

“Yes, Fox says that he’s the best hacker.” Anakin and Fox don’t miss that Obi Wan uses the wrong pronoun. They get why but they thought Cody would have brought your gender up. Anakin stops Fox when he goes to correct him with an amused smirk on his face. Anakin can’t help but think of how Obi Wan’s face will look once he realises you’re a female clone. The thought alone has him holding back laughter.

“That he is.” They all watch on as the three troopers get closer to them while bumping shoulders with each other after every few steps. Obi Wan can’t help but notice that the middle one was somehow a little bit smaller than Cody or Rex. It’ll be easy to determine him from the rest of the troopers due to the purple stripes going down his helmet.

“General Kenobi, it’s good to see you again. Bugs this is the general you’ll be working with during the mission.” You're frozen in your spot looking at the general. He’s easily the handsomest man you’ve ever seen, not that that means much only ever being around clones and General Skywalker and all.

“Trooper Bugs reporting for duty sir.” You salute him and Obi Wan notices that your voice sounds softer than any other clone he’s spoken to before.

“Pleasure to meet you, Bugs. Cody are we ready to head out?”

“I’d say we are sir.”

“Very well let’s get going.” He turns to say his farewells to General Skywalker and Fox while you turn to say yours to Rex.

“Cody, you take care of her okay? If anything happens I’ll have your head.”

“I can take care of myself Rex.” They both ignore you.

“I’ll be having my own head Rex believe me.”

“Rex please, I’ll be fine. I’m just going as a hacker, I won’t be in battle nearly as much as I am now.”

“Just make sure you come back. I can’t lose another friend so soon after Echo.”

“Oh please, you act like he died, all he did was go with that other batch of clones.” You roll your eyes under your helmet at him. “And I’m not gonna die or switch teams on you. I’ll miss you okay? But I’ll see you as soon as this mission is over.”

“You better.” You headbutt each other before he turns to say bye to Cody and General Kenobi comes back into line of sight.

“Rex, I’ll have your trooper back to you in no time.”

“Yes sir.” The general turns and begins to walk towards his shuttle. Cody nudges your shoulder and you give one last wave to Rex before turning to follow them.

***

The way back to the base Obi Wan couldn’t help but admire the way the two clones interacted with each other. He always enjoyed seeing clones headbutt each other with affection or body slam one another with excitement. It was…nice to witness when he grew up in the jedi temple not seeing anything like it. All he ever really saw other padawans get were pats on the heads. His master, Qui Gon, was different from other Jedi Masters in the fact that he would make sure Obi Wan was getting enough food and would help dress any wounds he would get from training or blasters.

“We’re all hoping this will be a quick mission Bugs so you should be back with your regular squadron in no time.”

“May I ask exactly what I need to do during the mission, General Kenobi?”

“We have a starfighter from the trade federation with a command console that we need access to. We just need your help getting into it.” Your eyes follow his hand as it strokes his beard in thought.

“That shouldn’t take me long at all General.” The shuttle lands and Cody is the first to step out followed by Obi Wan and yourself.

“Would you like to take a look at it now, before you get acquainted with the barracks you’ll be staying in?”

“That would be helpful, General. I could get an idea of the control console I’ll be working with.” The general nods at you and leads the way with you and Cody following close behind him.

In front of you is a Vulture Droid Starfighter. It’s not what you had in mind when the general said they had a control panel for you to hack. All there was on this type of starfighter is a droid brain that you can only hope isn’t fried. The main control panel is almost always on a droid control ship.

“You have to be fucking kidding me!” You don’t mean to say it outloud, you didn’t even realize it until General Kenobi turns to you with a certain look on his face and Cody nudges your shoulder. “I’m sorry General but you realize that this is a droid starfighter right? The only thing I could do is maybe find out where its commands are coming from, and that’s if you guys didn’t destroy the brain when you got it down.” You rip your helmet off when you get close to the fighter to better inspect any damage to it. “And it looks like it took some blasts to it’s main console system which I’d need so I could activate the brain.” You turn around to see the general standing with his mouth agape and Cody taking his own helmet off. “What?”

The shock that filled him left Kenobi speechless. The first thing he realized was your hair. Half of your head was half shaved with an X design on the back of your head. The next thing he realized were the numbers 4172, that he can only assume is your clone number, with a bug underneath them tattooed on the back of your neck. The third thing he realized was that you were no regular clone, somehow you were female. All of the differences he had noticed earlier made sense now. Your voice breaks him out of his frozen state and he just blurts out the first thing his mind can think of.

“You’re, you’re a girl?”

“That I am. Now back to the fighter at hand,” you point behind you to try to bring his attention back to it, “what do you need me to get information on exactly?”

“How?” You’re glad you turned back towards the droid so the general didn’t see you roll your eyes at him.

“Apparently when I was being created something went wrong with my genetics and the Kaminoans couldn’t figure out what. They wanted to put me on maintenance but I convinced them somehow to let me train and then decide what to do with me. So here I am, a female clone trooper. Now can we get back to the starfighter, I just need to know what exactly you expect of me so I can figure it out myself.”

“Oh, uh, of course. Just tracking it back to the main droid ship is fine if that’s all you can do. If you’ll excuse me I have some things to deal with. I’m sure Cody can show you around.” He nods to Cody before darting away only casting you a sideways glance.

“Well that was odd, is he always like that?”

“Almost never. Are you ready for the mess hall?”

“Am I ever, let’s get going.”

***

Being in the 212th Battalion’s barracks isn’t much different from the 501st but it was so much different at the same time. In both barracks the troopers had made their space their own. The only difference here is that you didn’t know what any of the stuff meant for the clones here. You miss Rex and Kix and Fox and you can already tell you’re going to miss being in your own bunk. Cody is showing you the bunk you’ll be sleeping in when the rest of his battalion comes in, back from a mission no doubt.

“Commander welcome back!” The troopers cheer at seeing Cody and you can’t help but wonder if that’s how everyone will react when you get back.

“Who’s this?”

“Squad, this is Bugs from the 501st Legion she’ll be-”

“You’re the female clone I’ve heard about.” One of them interrupts Cody while he tries to introduce you. “What are you doing here?” You ignore the disgust in his voice and go on to explain your role.

“I’m here to hack into that vulture droid out there to help with the general's next mission.”

“Please as if you could do that. Didn’t they tell you that deformed clones are for maintenance onKamino?”

“It’s a good thing I’m not deformed then isn’t it?” You cross your arms and try to plant yourself into the floor. You can tell where this is going and you don’t feel like attacking another fellow clone over this.

“There’s no way they let you go out on missions.” He scoffs at the thought of you doing anything a normal clone would. “You're inferior and would just mess it up or slow it down.” You bite the inside of your cheek and look down at your feet in anger. “The kaminoans should’ve just terminated you when they realized the mishap with your sex.” He spits in your direction and that’s your breaking point.

“I’ll fucking show you inferior!” You throw yourself at him successfully tackling him to the ground before repeatedly throwing punches into his helmetless face. He then throws you off of himself and kicks your side a few times before you grab his leg and swing up your own kicking his chest to knock him back down.

No one noticed that Obi Wan was outside the door during the whole thing. He had been coming to debrief the troopers on the mission and congratulate them for making it back when he began to insult you.

“That’s enough!” Hearing the general's voice makes the two of you freeze with you in a headlock ready to elbow him in the face. It’s also enough to kick Cody into gear and pull the other clone off of you. He had been shocked that anyone in his battalion would react that way.

“General Kenobi! This newcomer just attacked me out of nowhere.”

“I did no such thing!” You lurch to attack him again but Cody is quick to hold you back.

“I saw who started it, trooper. Bugs, a word?” You groan thinking he only saw when you attacked. You pull yourself out of Cody’s grip and storm out of the room, not missing the smirk on the other clones face. Obi Wan sends a disappointed look to the trooper and shakes his head before he follows you down the hallway. “Follow me.” The general gently grabs your elbow and turns down a corner only letting go once you reach the destination. You spend the whole journey looking down at where he’s holding the crook of your elbow oh so gently. When you finally look up you realize you’re in the med bay and the general is rummaging through a cabinet across from where you’re standing. This is definitely not what you were expecting.

“Are you alright?” General Kenobi turns to you with disinfectant spray and a rag in his hands. “Here, have a seat.” You sit in the stool he motions towards confused at what’s going on.

“I’m alright.” You cringe back when he reaches out to clean the few cuts on your face from the fight. “May I ask what you’re doing General?”

“I’m uh, cleaning your cuts?”

“Why? Would you do the same for any other clone who got injured?”

“Well, no I suppose I wouldn’t.”

“So why me? I’m not some fragile thing, gender be damned I’m still a trooper and I can take care of my own wounds, I’m not useless.” You mumble the last part to yourself and stand up ready to leave.

“I don’t think you’re fragile. I’m sure you’re tougher than that ridiculous trooper that insulted you .”

“Wait, you saw that? I thought you only saw me attack him.”

“Yes I saw that. Now will you sit back down to finish cleaning the blood off your face?”

“Yeah sure fine. Probably isn’t even my blood anyway.”

You let him wipe the blood off finally realizing how close he actually is to you. His hair looks soft and you restrain yourself from the urge to run your hands through it. And you swear you can see storms brewing in his eyes as they pay close attention to cleaning you up. This type of affection isn’t common among clones so you’re not used to someone touching you so softly, careful not to injure you more. Rex was the softest with you and even then he would just make sure you were able to patch yourself up if need be. No one has ever taken care of you like this with the exception of the medical droids you’ve come in contact with.

Obi Wan isn’t sure why he’s doing this. He hasn’t had the urge to take care of anyone like this since Satine. The connection he felt to you shouldn’t be this strong so soon after meeting you, and this is one of the only ways he really knows how to show his affection towards you. When he heard the clone insulting you it had made his blood boil and the fact that he couldn’t explain why made it worse.

“I’ll do something about that trooper, he should have more respect for his fellow clones who fight alongside him.”

“Don’t worry about it General. Cody is going to make sure he has some sort of punishment I’m sure.” You both hold eye contact for a bit before you look away, your heart beating faster than ever due to your closeness. “If you don’t mind General Kenobi, I’d like to get started on the Vulture Droid so I can get back to my regular squadron.” You excuse yourself and leave the room.

Obi Wan watches you leave confused on why his heart hurt at the thought of you leaving so soon after you arrived. He hesitates before walking out after you to talk to Cody about the troopers’ punishment.

[anotherisodope]

Master List of Fallout Canon and Canon AU Muses

Fallout 3

Charon

A gigantic, forbidding-looking, brainwashed badass of a ghoul whose protection, and combat services, are tied to the holder of his very high-ticket contract. Nobody knows who the organization was that Ahzrukhal purchased his contract from, how long he was in their service, or what horrors he was subjected to in the process of making him what he is. He isn’t talking, if he remembers at all. But despite the mental cage he is in, Charon constantly seeks ways to assert himself, follow his personal code, and prevent his own exploitation--or avenge it. A highly trained commando with a preference for mid-range weapons such as his combat shotgun, he lives for a good fight, and becomes bored and restless if his guns go cold too long. He’s got great instincts and is very protective--but is mentally and socially stunted, is observant enough to recognize that on some level, and is frustrated by it and his captivity, making him grumpy and sarcastic. He uses very formal language, sometimes with painstaking effort, in part as an attempt to be better understood. Will cause unmitigated chaos to save your life in a fight, then yell at you because you attacked an innocent shopkeeper. Probably not good to give him too many explosives.

Fallout New Vegas (or wherever)

Robert Edwin House (postgame AU)

One of the most brilliant men ever to be born into the prewar world, Robert House is the owner and primary programmer and inventor of RobCo Industries, which is responsible for everything from Fallout’s programming language, to most of its robots, to the PipBoy. Calculating the coming thermonuclear war down to a one-day window, House leveraged his tremendous wealth, influence and genius to save his beloved Las Vegas. This included preserving his body on life support while wiring his brain straight into the city’s network and defensive grid. Though not entirely successful, he survived and was able to eventually recreate and defend a walled-city version of the Las Vegas strip: New Vegas. 

The AU

In a twisted version of a Good Karma Courier House playthrough, House won but was convinced by the Courier to make more merciful and thoughtful decisions. However, the Courier then betrayed them at the eleventh hour and murdered House’s physical body, leaving everyone convinced that House had died. Details can be found here. However, House had used another contingency program stored aboard the Platinum Chip to enable him to upload his mind to his own network. The Courier ended up fleeing New Vegas. (I am currently working on a description of the fates of various factions in this AU).

After the events of Fallout New Vegas and his takeover of the Hoover Dam, this version of House used code hidden in the chip to make the following changes from current canon:

Recreate a nationwide wireless Internet using freshly activated networking capability in every single Robco product

Make this Internet publicly available through the persona of the benevolent hacker Snow

Escape onto this newly created Internet, gaining access to and potential control of all RobCo products

Use this to access various new bodies, eventually including a pair of comatose synth bodies from failed Railroad memory wipes

Since then, he has been hatching plans all over the former US to steal Institute and Brotherhood of Steel technology--and reclaim as much of his own as he can. While doing this, he is acting through multiple personas. These include two Gen 3 Synth bodies he stole from the Railroad’s comatose “failures”. 

House’s aliases (besides Snow) include 

Edwin “Ed” Case (Gen 3 synth body, former infiltrator), a brilliant repairman and roboticist operating in the Commonwealth who recently did a lot of repair and upgrade work at the Memory Den. Closest to House in voice and diction, but significantly less of an asshole. Always has at least two combat-capable robots with him. 

Daniel Mason (Gen 3 synth body, former courser), recently arrived in New Vegas. Not well known, as this body is largely used for physical infiltration and social engineering, or when House wishes to oversee robotic combat units more directly. Sounds nothing like House but still talks like he ate a thesaurus, though in a much more cool and reserved way. House being House, he has no idea why this body gets so much attention. Armed and dangerous. He is currently acting as House’s lieutenant and enforcer in New Vegas, along with his force of upgraded Securitrons.

He is still working on his Robert House synth body, which needs to be perfect of course...

Because of his activity in the Commonwealth and his ability to reach anywhere his network reaches, House can be interacted with by literally anyone in the Fallout universe circa 2287. Unless your character is in a memory pod or other full-interaction environment, however, you will be interacting via text, via robot, or via one of his two synth personas.

Vulpes Inculta (postgame AU)

One of the most wicked and bloodthirsty of Caesar’s commanders, this former head of the Legion’s Frumentarii was one of the most infamous men in the entire Mojave. Thoroughly and hopelessly indoctrinated in Caesar’s depraved and brutal values, he carried them out with terrifying zeal, sometimes resulting in the destruction of entire communities. Always cool, calculating, wily and in control, he never let anything get in the way of his duties--including his own needs, desires, and safety. His loyalty to Caesar was almost worshipful, and rooted in the belief that he served the actual Son of Mars.

To this end, he even plotted with the Omertas to release poison gas in the opening volley of an attack on the New Vegas strip. Forcibly stripped of any independent moral thought on the matter and thoroughly indoctrinated, he never thought twice about such actions. He served the son of a god, how could his actions not be righteous?

And then Caesar died. And Vulpes lost everything except for his life. And that was only the beginning of his comeuppance.

The AU

After brutally murdering Caesar upon learning that he had lied about his divine heritage and was afflicted with a mortal disease, Lanius took over, and promptly ordered Vulpes’s execution. Vulpes, who had anticipated this, fled, getting as far as he could from the Mojave. He knew that under Lanius’s hand, the Legion would first become a monstrous shadow of itself, and then would fall.

Illusions shattered and shamed by having to run, Vulpes spent years traveling with caravans in disguise as he sought a place to settle. Landing in the Commonwealth, he started carving out a place for himself, but his sense of purpose beyond survival and security was gone.

Worse...with it had gone his certainty that his depraved actions had been necessary and for a good cause, Doubt had crept in, and it kept growing and growing as he reconciled the differences between Caesar’s words and the reality he had lived through. Left to his own thoughts for far too long, and realizing that any remnant of the Legion that still exists will be hunting him, he is starting to crack.

He is very good at hiding this, however, being forced to learn to keep his cool in all kinds of bad situations. And so he has set himself up as a high-end, “independent problem-solver” in Diamond City, handling the kind of bloody and unethical work that would horrify Nick Valentine. But even as a showdown with his horrific karma is brewing internally, so too are external problems and temptations as he gets more and more deeply entangled with the Commonwealth’s Underworld.

Vulpes is a cold-blooded, scheming, psychopathic asshole with a volcano of repressed emotion that really only comes out when he fights. As he does not drink, date, use chems or confide in anyone, violence is and has been his only outlet, which leads to him often charging into dangerous situations with ripper in hand. When he is better under control, he deals with targets through stealth kills of various types. Unlike the vast majority of the Legion he is comfortable with most technology (science as a tagged skill), and has taken even more of an interest since fleeing East. For some reason, neither animals nor wasteland beasts will attack him when he travels alone.

His primary motivation while he wrestles with his many inner demons (which he will never let on about to anyone) is survival. He believes he will soon be the only one left who remembers what the Legion once was, and the higher aims it once strove for (through horrible means, but he doesn’t see that). While he is now hunted by the Legion’s remnants, he believes that he has a duty to survive, and maintain his discipline and his traditions before finding others to spread them among. The problem is, instead of going straight for taking over a settlement or raider gang, he’s dealing with growing doubts about Caesar, who was revealed to be mortal, and what Caesar taught him. This has made him hesitate. However, he is still using the time to gather as much information as possible about the Commonwealth, its people, its factions, and of course, their weaknesses.

Vulpes’ alias: Victor Renard

Victor Renard is a new Upper Stands resident who moved into the Latimer residence after both father and son were presumed killed by Triggermen outside the city. He has a part stake in the Colonial Taphouse, which has recently had a change of management, and is often found there, brooding over a glass of watered wine. He has a developing reputation for being very private, likely very dangerous, and being some kind of high-end mercenary. He generally wears a black suit and carries concealed weapons--at least, inside the city walls. He and the mayor/security team have a strained but polite relationship...so far.

Fallout 4

Nick Valentine

A highly talented Chicago detective, on loan to Boston PD, whose original life came to a crashing end after crime kingpin Eddie Winter murdered his fiancee and disappeared. Traumatized by the loss, he was ordered to seek treatment at a facility that was run by what would become the Institute. They scanned and copied his mind and memories, and he then died in the nuclear bombardment that soon followed. When he woke up on a trash heap in a damaged robotic body around a century later, he was left with no context or explanation for his bizarre “reincarnation”. That mystery would haunt him, like the mystery of Eddie Winter’s escape from justice, for another century. After wandering the wastes for a time, and slowly acclimating himself to his new environment and interactions with modern humans, he settled in Diamond City as a handyman after returning the late mayor’s missing daughter. Eventually, he became a trusted member of the Diamond City community...and took back up the mantle of a detective. Nick stoically carries a lot of trauma, and a lot of outrage. He works to provide peaceful, rational alternatives to the constant violence around him, and tends to be smarter and more competent than most, especially when it comes to computers or investigation. He is a bit of a curmudgeon, with a dagger-sharp wit he’ll sometimes overuse when sufficiently angered. He smokes, though he gains no benefit from it, as a tie to his human past. He tends to feel divorced from his own body to some degree, and that plus his distrust of most roboticists has caused him to forgo repair thus far.

John Hancock

Mayor of Goodneighbor and a self-styled revolutionary hooligan who is usually high on something, Hancock has more layers than you might expect, and a tragic history. Born John McDonough, he grew up in a shack with his parents and brother on the Boston waterfront. His brother was something of a bully, but not particularly wicked. They started growing apart as they grew up, with John sneaking off to Goodneighbor regularly to party and do chems. Empathetic, and significantly smarter than most people, he was able to see the suffering and inequities all around him, even after his family moved up in the world and ended up in Diamond City. John realized that his brother had...changed...when he decided to run for mayor. Running on an anti-ghoul platform, he capped off his inaugural speech by announcing the banishment of all ghouls from the city. John watched in horror as the ghouls fled with their few belongings, being brutalized by citizens and police the whole time. After confronting his brother to no effect, he forced himself to act, successfully leading several families to temporary safety in Goodneighbor. Most did not survive, however, leaving him despondent and forever loathing his pogrom-promoting brother, who is still Diamond City’s mayor. That night changed something in him, and it wouldn’t go back to sleep no matter how many chems he took. Finally, on learning that Vic, the gangster running Goodneighbor, was letting his men gun down drifters, he had a bizarre, chem-fueled epiphany. He discovered John Hancock’s coat and hat in the depths of the State House, and suddenly realized what he needed to do. He took on the clothes and cause of John Hancock, and after brutally liberating the town from Vic’s people, gave an inaugural speech declaring Goodneighbor to be “of the people, for the people”, regardless of who those people were. He took on the persona of a daring, reckless, ferociously protective folk-hero Mayor and started the long process of turning Goodneighbor into a safe haven for all. But even that wasn’t enough for him. Less than a decade ago, he discovered an experimental serum intended to turn the user into a ghoul. Sick of the face in the mirror, and motivated by half a dozen different reasons, he completed his “remaking himself” by becoming the same sort of being that his evil brother so loathed. Now, having consolidated power, he has found himself in a rut, spending most of his time putting out fires and dealing with challengers to his position and to Goodneighbor’s safety. Constantly wrapping himself up in his role and work when not carousing, however, has left a lot of painful unfinished business in his life to fester.

[sandalaris]

For the writer asks: 5, 10, 17, 22, 23, 30, 45, & 54!! :D

Finally getting around to answering these XD

5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most.

I read so much I feel like I can’t narrow it down. My favorite author is Ilona Andrews but they write almost exclusively in first person and have their fair share of action in their novels that I don’t think they’re that much of an influence on me. I’m trying to think of who I read that did the whole “people usually feel a mix of emotions over just one” thing that I know I’ve adopted, but I can’t think of who it is. (I can think of an author, who I do love the books of, who did the opposite and I found myself always confused about a character was supposed to be feeling/thinking and they probably influenced me to not do that, but I do like their books and that seems too much like I’m trying to be negative about them.)

10. Pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about.

If I got to pick anyone, it’d be Marissa Meyer who wrote the Lunar Chronicles. It would be for one novel/novella, because I feel like the Lunar Chronicles has one more sort of side story in it and would want so badly for it to fit what the author has already written. If you haven’t read the series, it’s basically a retelling of various fairy tales just set in the future, like Cinderella has a metal prosthetic foot that keeps falling off and Rapunzel is a hacker living in a satellite orbiting earth. Everything is set up to perfectly fit a Beauty and the Beast side-story. Genetically altered super soldiers who are big and hairy and given animal aggression and had all their teeth surgically replaced with fangs for failing to pass a test as a child? Check! Now all we need is to write a story about the bookish daughter of a geneticist who gets blackmailed into staying with the “beast” and slowly learns that there’s a man inside of the monster and ends up figuring out how to reverse some of the alterations (because we already got the “I love him just as he is, fangs and all” thing from Scarlet and Wolf so we can have a little “curse breaking” this time around.) It can be set post-series, when some of the wolf-soldiers ran off and disappeared into various countries.

I once co-write a novel with my best friend about an evil warlock who fell in insta-love with a ditzy elf and spent the rest of the novel trying to avoid her so he could dodge his fate of retiring from villainy like his father and grandfather before him. He was determined to be the one villain in his family who actually went through with his evil master plan, dammit! It was a comedy, and kind of a spoof since we were at that age where romance novels were the thing to make fun of, but it still ended with him deciding he could do evil masterminding later and running off with the elf. What can I say, we were like twelve.

17. On average, how much writing do you get done in a day?

Eek, the problem with averages is that any sort of outlier knocks everything else off, and I have a lot of outliers, lol. I go through writing spurts, sitting down and all but knocking out an entire chapter/one-shot in one sitting followed by days where I won’t even open a word document. And then there’s sort of my inbetween times where I’m usually typing away on something, but it’s more editing than actual writing, so maybe 100 or so new words might get written, but what I’ve previously written looks better by the end, lol. This has been the norm especially lately with school and work taking up the majority of my time. And then it hits me and I just need to let the story flow out of me? Between 2k-5k a sit down session.

22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you?

I don’t really do true drafts. I write, I edit, I post, and then I suddenly see all my typos. On the rare occasion editing doesn’t fix the issue, I might cut the scene into chunks and sort of look for the line(s) that don’t fit and start branching off from there (like maybe someone’s acting out of character *glares at current chapter* and I just needed to look at it in smaller incriments to see where they started to veer off). Only once have I ever just completely reworked the extremely extremely rough draft I had written, but that was an original work I did for Nano and so was more concern with getting words on a page than editing as I go.

I suppose editing could count as a second draft, so two? Maybe three? What is considered One Editing? If I leave off and come back, is it an all new edit/draft, or am I picking up where I left off?

23. Single or multi POV, and why?

Nine times out of ten I seem to veer towards single, although I’ve had some fun with multiple POVs before.

Not really sure why. Maybe I just find it easier to burrow into one person’s headspace and go from there? I know there are times when I want to jump to another character for one specific scene, but I always feel like I’m already committed to telling things from the one character’s POV. Or maybe I just like the limited narrator thing.

30. Favorite line you’ve ever written.

Err.. I don’t know that I have one. How about a line I rather like? This is from a kind of Amaru/Brasa fic (kinda sorta. He’s got that whole mix of love and hate and resentment and worship thing going on, and she has her own twisted attachment to him) set in those six months between seasons. These lines are from a moment where Kate surfaces and Brasa fantasizes about taking out some of his resentment of Amaru on Kate. (He never actually physically harms her, Amaru would never allow someone to mark her vessel simply because its hers, but he likes to imagine.)

He thinks about wide green eyes looking up at him with fear, filling with tears as she whimpers out a “Please.” Imagines pressing a hand to her shoulder, pressing down down down until she’s kneeling before him, trembling as he cups her jaw, forcing her head back. He wants to press his thumb to the plump swell of her bottom lip, dig his nail in until the blood, her soul, comes to the surface. Filling the flesh with color until it spill across her chin in a vibrant slash.

and to give you an idea of how Kate is handling Brasa’s attempts to take his issues out on her...

He can see the muscle at the hinge of her jaw tighten, hear the harsh edge of every exhale, as she turns to look up at him mere inches away.  

“My name,” she clips, “is Kate.” She bites off the last, harsh sound, almost snapping her teeth at him.

45. Worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

I’m trying to think of actual feedback and not just like angry comments/reviews from people who didn’t like my fics (which tbh I haven’t gotten that much of because people aren’t generally that big of a dick to leave flames on fics these days.)

Someone tried to tell me that a character dropping the f-bomb was unnecessary and jarring and I should remove it from one of my fics. And hey, to each their own, but I personally felt it fit both the character (who cursed in canon) and the story and so kept it in. People certainly can write great literature without every putting down a single curse word, but there’s also great stories that wouldn’t be the same without a bit of foul language. What bugged me most about it was their insistence I should remove it.

Besides that the only other bad feedback I’ve gotten (besides obvious flames and people not liking the direction I’m going/have gone with a story), was someone who said that my clearly labeled unhealthy relationship fic was romanticizing abuse and they didn’t appreciate the one character manipulating the other character like that. They were actually fairly nice about it (if a bit of an anti about the whole thing), I just remember being a little bugged at the time because I had already tagged it as unhealthy/manipulative.

54. Any writing advice you want to share?

Don’t be afraid to experiment! And in that same vein, try out writing rules and discard them just as quickly if they aren’t for you, because there’s no set in stone way to doing things. Break all the rules if you want, the point is just to write. XD

Thanks!!

[mymind--themess]

Sugarbean -- Chapter One

It had been a week since your meeting with Ashe, and you still couldn’t get her out of your head. Work for you had been rather slow this past week due to two of your usual clients being either incarcerated or dead, and you were back up north, residing in New York state once more. You lived in a fairly large city; It wasn’t New York City, but it was second in size -- Buffalo, New York. It might as well have been NYC considering the hustle and bustle of the two cities were quite alike, as were the crime rates. Currently, you were nestled by the fireplace in your small apartment, lounging casually. Sure, you could definitely afford a mansion with all the cash you made in weapons dealing, but you preferred this adorable apartment and staying low. You were on the phone with a dear childhood friend who you had met at the best orphanage you had resided in, Marianna. (A/N: If you’ve ever read my reaper x reader, you will know exactly who she is)

“How was that trip down south to Deadlock Gorge?” Marianna asked knowingly.

“Hot,” You mumbled with a scoff as you unconsciously began to rub the beautiful necklace she had gotten you and B.O.B had been the one to give to you. “How’s Italy? Beautiful like always?”

“You know it; Although, it has definitely been a weird trip. So much has happened; I really cannot wait to see you and tell you everything at the annual reunion! You’re coming in this year, right?”

“Of course! That orphanage has been my home since I was 13; I wouldn’t miss reunion week for the world.” You replied as you smiled.

“Great! Anyways, how did the cowgirl casanova look?” Marianna said slyly.

You moved your hand to your chest in a mock dramatic gesture. “Finer than a bottle of wine!” You declared, causing Marianna to giggle.

“I don’t get why you two aren’t a thing yet; Just make a move!” She chided you through laughs, totally serious even though her tone was full of laughter.

You sighed in embarrassment. “You know I can’t! You remember our rule?”

“(Y/N)! That rule doesn’t apply if you like a cowgirl! There are no rules when it comes to cowgirls — She’s a modern day outlaw.”

You sighed, biting your lip. Maybe you should make a small mov-, no! What if she totally disregarded how you felt? You would be so damn embarressed! What if she wasn’t even in to females? “I don’t even think she’s into females.”

Marianna could be hear scoffing over the phone. “Oh no, she definitely swings the female way. Back when her and my brother Jesse were close, she told him all she fancied was girls.”

“Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe did not say fancy.” You replied in disbelief.

“You don’t know her backstory at all, do you?”

“Do... do you?”

“Jesse simply told me she was rich; Like — My grandmother’s level rich. Filthy rich.”

You thought on that for a moment. Well, it would certainly explain how she’s able to afford the weapons you sell. You were one of the most expensive dealers around because you dealt with high end clients. You never really thought of where they money came from; It dawned on you, she must’ve been pretty wealthy for the amount she could buy at a time. Which made her even more powerful in your head. You had always focused on just Ashe, never about where her money was from. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Because you were too busy thinking about her ass.”

You scoffed, “No... well once, but no! I was thinking about her eyes to be honest.”

“... You sound as sappy as my sister gets over her girlfriend; It makes me want to chug vodka until it drowns out you two.”

You smiled, “Hey, Marisol got her girl; Knowing Marisol she’s probably as sweet as pie. She’s ahead of me by a few steps.”

Marianna sighed, “Yeah, actually her girl is a hacker for Talon. So sweet as pie my ass. You two have always had this thing for someone screaming the word Badass.”

You couldn’t help but snigger. “Can’t wait til someone bad comes your way.”

“I’d like to see them try.” Marianna sighed. “Well, I gotta go. See you at the reunion?”

“Unless I’m wherever you are before then.”

“Pretty sure you won’t be wherever Talon Headquarters are, heh. But hey, I will be back and forth between there and my lab on the Lunar Colony! Come take a trip to the moon, maybe? I have some new gadgets of mine for you to inspect and sell,”

You nodded, sitting up from the couch as your other phone gave off a sound to notify you of a text message. That was your “business” phone. “Sounds like a plan; Just text me when you’re about to leave a few hours in advance and come scoop me up!”

“Okay! Ciao!”

“See ya!”

The two of you hung up as you picked up your other phone to see “ASHE DG” pop up. You practically almost dropped your phone from momentarily jumping for joy.

Oh!

OH!

It was her, and so soon!

“She must’ve really went through those new bombs quick.” You mumbled aloud as your heart rate calmed somewhat.

With a quick sigh, you unlocked your phone and read the text message.

Ashe 5:08 p.m. : Hey Sugarbean~

You 5:09 p.m. : I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon, Ashe. How can I help you?

You sent the text with a deep breath. You really had to stop acting like this with Ashe, you just had to! It was making you so vulnerable with your emotions, and heaven forbid she died or something! You’d be such a mess!

Soon, the notification went off again, and you quickly read the message.

Ashe 5:11 p.m. : Maybe I missed ya, darlin’. Just texting because I have a special proposition for you.

Typing a response, you raised an eyebrow as you mumbled the response aloud.

You 5:13 p.m. : Ha ha, very funny Ashe. What’s the proposition?

Ashe 5:16 p.m. : The boys and I are having a little New Year’s Eve bash. B.O.B wants you to come and I wanted to talk to you about looking into some more of those modified weapons; I’ve got the first stick-up of the year planned as somethin’ special.

A New Year’s Eve party, eh? Well, honestly, you didn’t see a reason to refuse. Go to the party, find out what Ashe wants specifically, go to the Lunar Colony to ask Marianna to build it, and then go for reunion week. It actually worked out perfectly — it was a win-win in your mind.

You 5:20 p.m.: Sounds good to me! Where’s the party going to be?

You held your breath for the response, impatient at best as you waited for the details to arrive to your phone.

Ashe 5:25 p.m.: At my ranch, which I just remembered you haven’t been to yet, Sugarbean. It’s in South Carolina, and one of the many spots I own. It’s very big and pretty hard to miss; the Desert Rose Manor. I’ll have B.O.B send you the location.

You sucked in a breath. “Wow, she really is that rich.” You said softly, biting your lip. Oh, man! You figured you had no shot in hell with Ashe.

You 5:27 p.m.: Alright, see you then!

Meanwhile, in one of the various places Ashe owned somewhere near Route 66, Ashe grinned wildly at her phone as her men stared to her in anticipation. “Did ya ask her boss?!” Charlie whispered anxiously. They all just had to know, y’know? Even B.O.B had sat down for this: everyone was trying to anticipate how the situation would turn out. This could either be very good, or very bad. If you said no, Ashe would be sad as all hell and hide it under anger she would lash at everyone else. If you said yes, you’d be practically answering the guys’ prayers for Ashe to be in a good mood before going back to the fierce leader she was in the morning.

Ashe looked up as she recieved your last text, placing her phone down and looking to her gang. “Bring on the liquor boys; Suagrbean said yes.”

Cheers errupted as B.O.B clapped for his master before walking up to her and tilting his head as if he had something to show Ashe. Ashe knew that look and gave a small pout. “Is it bad?”

The robot shook his head no and turned to walk into another room, away from the loud sounds or riled men and bottles popping open. Ashe followed and closed the door behind her. “What is it?”

B.O.B pressed his arm a few times until a voice capture popped up labled (Y/N). Ashe’s eyes widened. “B.O.B, did you... did you put a mic in the necklace?”

B.O.B stared at his human. Was it not clear for his mistress? Perhaps he had overstepped a bit, but he just hated seeing her miserable and longing for you. Especially when he could tell you felt the same. He swore to God, humans were weird.

Ashe smirked, “B.O.B, you absolute sneaky devil! I love ya! What’d she say?”

Lo and behold, B.O.B had set the mic to capture when Ashe’s name was brought up as well as Deadlock Gorge. B.O.B had your whole phone call with Marianna recorded and he played it back for Ashe until she blushed a bit with wide eyes. You hadn’t known she was rich from the jump, and didn’t even care? You weren’t afraid of who she was, just of the heartbreak of her denying you? You were just as afriad to screw this whole thing up as she was? You got lost in her eyes like she found herself getting lost in your own (e/c) orbs?

This changed everything. There was no more playing games now.

Ashe was going to have you.

And nobody else would.

Not ever.

“Thanks B.O.B, really. You always know just what to do to wake me up.”

B.O.B nodded and gestured back to the gang as if to ask Ashe if she’d like to go back in.

Ashe thought about it, before shaking her head as she crossed her arms. “Nah, not really thinking about drinking right now. What if I drunk text? I might send a nude to my Sugarbean and as much as I know now she’d enjoy it...that’d be a dumb move. Come on now, I don’t want her to think it was a drunken decision. I will win her over by being a gentlewoman to my Sugarbean. I might be a lot of things, but you didn’t raise a complete heathen.”

Ashe smirked, fixing her hat as she looked out of the large windows and down upon Route 66. “I am one hell of a winner though, and I know exactly how to play this card you’ve just dealt me.”

[manireads]

Freelancer III

Yay! Back at it again. I got lot of likes the last parts recently and it motivated me to really try to pick this up again. I’m switching up the idea for this but it’s quite similar to my original plan. It’s just a little more exciting for me to write. I don’t think it’s a good as the others but I still like it. Sorry for any typos and please enjoy!

WC: 1881

I.M. X Reader

Hacker AU / Heist AU

Parts I and II can be found on the master list in my bio. 

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Outside people are making their way around Seoul rushing to whatever destination they are heading to. It’s near the end of spring so people are dressed is light coats and and brighter colors to reflect the season. The sun is out in full force today but It feels like it didn’t quite hit the earth yet seeing how chilly and windy it is today.

With they weather being so nice, from the recent rainstorms, I felt like it was the perfect time for me to get out of the house with my friends. Hoping it would take my mind off the whole Changkyun ordeal. We had planned to spend the whole day out, shopping and eating, so that we wouldn’t get caught up watching dramas inside like we usually do. It was 12:30 pm and were sat in the little cafe that Soobin worked in, sipping on lattes and eating some sandwiches. It was very bohemian inspired with mismatched furniture and different patterns  and loose hanging plants scattered all over the place. Somehow, it still flowed together nicely and gave off a very homey feel. Soobin was surprised to see us when we walked through the door earlier. We had promised to meet up after her shift but Sojung and I were complaining in the group chat about how hungry and we knew we could get some free food and drinks out of Soobin. 

Halfway through brunch, that was turning into more of a lunch at this point, Sojung asked me about Changkyun. I tried to keep it light and casually but I was tired of keeping my thoughts in my head. I need someone to talk to about the secret calls and disappearing. I couldn't help but tell her anything and everything. Every little detail came spilling out of my mouth. After every question I asked her, hoping she’d tell me that I am over reacting, a little voice in my head answered for me. ‘No, it’s not normal. Yes, there is something wrong.’ I just couldn’t help but feel so helpless. After spilling my guts to her, I tried to pass it off as if it wasn't bothering me but she had no intentions of letting it go. She knew there was something deeper going on.

"All that and you haven't said a word to him?" Sojung asked me. I shook my head while I took a sip of my coffee. 

"Nope. I just don't know where he is going and I don't want to be that type of girlfriend, you know?" I placed the cup down on the table. 

She looked at me with wide eyes, completely surprised. I groaned out running my hands through my hair before letting my head hit the table. It was almost like I could hear what she was going to say to me, mainly because I've already been telling myself the same thing. 'You need to say something! You can't just let him walk all over you. If something is bothering you in your relationship, then you should speak up.' It wasn't long before our other friend joined us at the table. Soobin came over with a small tray with some pastries on it and more coffee. 

"Alright," She placed the tray on the table and took a seat with us. "I'm finally off. I hate morning shifts with a passion but I make the most in tips. Also, if you too keep on coming here for free food, My boss is going to realize. Anyway, what did I miss?" I was going to tell her nothing but,

"Changkyun is cheating on Y/N!"

"He’s what?!"

"He is not!" I retort back, lifting my head looking at the two of them. Soobin looked at me with a similar surprised look that Sojung had earlier. "He's not," I say, looking at Sojung challenging her. She rolls her eyes and goes to take another sip from her own mug. "He would never. You know he's not that type of guy. He's just acting weird." I mumble. I didn't want to believe that Changkyun could possibly cheat on me. But no matter how much I tried my mind always ended up on that explanation for him constantly leaving our apartment in the middle of the night.

"Sure." Sojung placed her cup on the table. She pursed her lips. "Soobin," She turns to her, her body language show that she didn’t want me to input. "If Hyunjung was getting weird phone calls in the middle of the night and then after getting these calls, she jumped out of bed at 2am in the morning and just left the house, not waking you up to even tell you where she was going, then doesn't come home until after work, what would you think she was up to, huh?" The whole time while Sojung talked I wanted to interrupt but she wasn't embellishing the truth. That was everything that I was going through for the past three weeks.

"Well, I'd ..." She stopped talking, taking the moment to took over at me with sad eyes. " Oh honey," She started.

"Not you too!" I leaned back in my chair, my eyes meeting the ceiling.

"Y/N, it sounds like he's doing something he doesn't want to you know about. What else could it be?" She sounded so concerned for me but I didn't want to be pitied. I looked back at the two of them, fixing my posture in the chair.

"I don't know what it could be but I can't just come out and accuse him of something like that. I mean, what if he isn't. You wouldn't be happy if Hyunjung just came out and called you a cheater, right?"

"Yeah, but Soobin isn't giving Hyunjung a reason to worry, unlike Changkyun." Sojung budded in making another point that I couldn't refute. All I could do was look at her hoping she stop being so right about this.

"Have you even asked him about all of this?" From my expression, Soobin could tell what the answer was. Her mouth dropped open. I could understand the shock from my friends. It really wasn't like me to not say something when I was bothered. But this had to do with Changkyun. I'm always so afraid to lose him since we graduated. I always felt like we weren't supposed to make it past that last year of high school. All of it was borrowed time and eventually the two of us were going to be forced to separate ways. It feels inevitable but I just don't want it to be now. Not while I'm still so in love with him.

"Okay, I'll ask him about it tonight when he comes home. Until then can we please drop it, I came out with my friends to get away from all of that."

"You're really going to talk to him?" Soobin asked. Sojung was watching me intently. I nodded my head. I knew I really wasn't but I just wanted to let it go and enjoy the rest of my day.  Soobin seemed to accept my answer but Sojung was still silent. We stared at each other until she finally broke.

"Fine. We'll drop it but I want an update after you do."

"Yes, mom." It was my turn to roll my eyes and Soobin giggled. From there, we ate the rest of our food and decided to roam around Hongdae seeing if there was place to do some shopping. we eventually came across this quaint boutique. We spent the afternoon trying outfits for the next time we would go out together. it'd be a nightclub so we wanted to look as good as possible. I ended up with a couple nice things, a few sweaters, t-shirts, a pair of jeans, and a nice party dress. They were a out of season but they were all on the clearance rack so I didn't break the bank. After all the shopping, we decided to grab something else to eat before parting way. Sojung was the first to go, leaving Soobin and I walking towards the train station.

"Don't punk out okay. Just ask him where's he's been going and let him know that it bothers you a lot." I nodded leaning in and giving her a hug.

"Tell Hyunjung I said hi okay. Love you." I said, releasing her from the hug.

"I love you too. Don't forget" She said pointing at me as she made her way to the steps of the station.

'"I won't, now go before you miss your train." I waved before she disappeared down the steps.  It wasn't much a walk home from there. But I dreaded getting home more than anything. I stopped at the convenience store to waste time. Looking through the aisles picking up some chips, candy and even a bottle of soju.

An aisle over, I notice a man with wild brown picking out some bags of chips. I can't help but smile at his hairstyle thinking that he might have jumped out of bed and came to the convenience store. Knocking myself out my daydream, I pick up another bottle of soju and make my way to the counter.

"Is this all?" the cashier asks. I nodded as he starts to bag up my items. While he does that, I notice somebody beside me. It's the same man with wild hair. I take in his face quickly, the small cross tattoo by his eye and his overall outfit allude to the hair being more of a style choice than a circumstance. "That'll be ₩20,000." Immediately, I start rummaging through my bag. Each moment becoming more frantic because I can't find my wallet.

"I got it. I'll pay for both of them together.” He says, pushing his items closer to the cashier.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t put a dent in my pocket.” Pulling out a card from his wallet and holding it up for the cashier to see. He turned to me with a toothy grin and I smiled back politely. After paying for both his and my stuff, he handing me my bag.

"Thank you, that was really kind of you."

"No problem." He said simply and we both walked out of the store. "Welp, good night." He said making a small salute with his hands before walking the way I just came from.

"Good night." I say back to him and turn to walk in the opposite way. I let out a sigh when I deem we are far enough from each other. I didn’t want to have to explain to him why just because he brought my snacks, I didn’t owe him my phone number or my time, especially when I didn’t ask him to pay for it in the first place. But the fact that had just left me to go on my merry way made me smile. He really just wanted to be nice to someone.

The whole interaction almost made me forget what I had promised my friends earlier. It wasn't until I was a block away from my apartment complex that I could see the light on from the 5th apartment on the third floor. Changkyun was already home.

[ben-j-man]

Secret War- Chapter 3

Link to chapter 2- http://ben-j-man.tumblr.com/post/180097372453/secret-war-chapter-1

As before Glaitis sat at her desk. Reclining her long, lithe form back in her leather chair, feet planted on her desk. She looked positively relaxed but her piercing blue-eyed glare said otherwise, and I had to fight to keep myself from wincing under its intensity.

My breath caught in my throat as I saw her and my heart sped. She was, she was-.

Then my jaw set. Taryst was right! Glaitis must know! She must've used it to manipulate me! Why had no one in the company ever mention it?

Glaitis would have ordered them not to, of course. My fear replaced by giddying disgust and I found myself reconsidered my decision on Taryst's proposition.

"Mamzel Glaitis, here he is, as ordered," said Elandria behind me, her smooth, soft voice flowed like silk. But the pistol never relented in sticking in my back.

"I can see that, thank you Elandria, " said Glaitis. "Good work."

I glanced over my shoulder as the pistol finally let off. Glimpsing the young assassin bow slightly- likely she had never noticed Glaitis sarcastic tone and turned to leave.

"Stay Elandria," ordered Glaitis as she sat forward, leant her shoulder on her desk and cupped her smooth jaw in the palm of her hand. "I have a task for you which I will tell once I deal with him."

"As you order," said Elandria.

Then Glaitis turned her glare on me, and I met it although it took all my willpower to keep from flinching.

"Why did you do it?" she asked bluntly and despite myself, I flinched. I had expected her to fly straight into a rage-fuelled lecture, saying things like: 'you have disgraced our company!' Or 'your idiocy could have cost us our reputation!'

I hesitated, no matter how hard I tried Glaitis always outwitted me, it was infuriating. In all my years under her tutelage, I could never predict what she would say or do.

"She asked you a question worm! Hurry and answer!" I flinched at the sudden words erupted behind me, and even Elandria started in surprise.

I clenched my teeth, recognising whom the voice belonged to and turned to see Darrance approaching. He was one of Glaitis most senior employees and a right bastard, the true epitome of arrogance and snide superiority. I knew nothing of where he came from, but I could hazard a guess, and my guess was this: he was some son of some member of the Imperial Hierarchy who had squandered and spoilt Darrance and thus creating this monster. How and why Darrance became an assassin was beyond me, perhaps the governor got sick of his creation and threw him out into the cold.

Despite my dislike for the ponce, I could not deny his skill. Neither Elandria nor I had any idea he was in the room until he chose to reveal himself.

My jaw set as I turned back to Glaitis, this just emphasised how much I had to learn.

"Yes, young Attelus. I did indeed ask you a question," said Glaitis, an evil smirk curling her full lips. "Has a feline stolen your tongue, by chance?"

I could think of a no more fitting cliché at that moment.

"Hey Darrance," I managed through clenched teeth, but I kept my attention fixated on Glaitis, "I see you have returned from your assignment as well, and so I assume it was a success, then?"

"I am not here to waste time tarrying words with a fool like you!" snarled Darrance. "Mamzel Glaitis asked you a question, and you will answer, or so Emperor help me I will-!"

"Darrance," interrupted Glaitis her eyes were attached to my own and her voice soft but the warning in it evident, but I could detect slight amusement in the words and her eyes. What did she find so entertaining? My audacity of taunting Darrance who was three decades my senior and who could potentially beat me in a fight with his eyes closed and one arm tied behind his back? Or perhaps the sheer idiocy. Either way, I was making progress.

The senior assassin said no more.

"Now, child, please would you finally deign to answer my question? Why indeed did you beat up on poor little Vor?"

"I believe it is pronounced, Vax, mamzel," corrected Darrance, timidly.

"Oh yes. Sorry. Indeed it is, why did you beat up poor little Vax?"

"Vex," I corrected gruffly.

"Sorry young one?" she asked.

"Vex! His name is Vex," I said impatiently, so she cared so much about the poor kid that she would forget his name.

No, I corrected. Glaitis' memory was almost photographic. No way in hell she forgot, especially when she was only informed a few short hours ago. She was testing me again.

I glanced sidelong at Elandria; my fellow squad member must have informed Glaitis of my meeting with Taryst and Glaitis. Glaitis must be testing to see if I had betrayed her.

"Hmm, indeed," said Glaitis as she sat back, tapping her perfect nose with an index finger. "I know you, young Attelus. To all but the most educated you seem…chaotic, strange, random. But you really are not; there is some method to your madness. Some surprisingly sane reasoning as to why. Funnily enough, nothing like your father who was always as straight and narrow as anyone can get. That is a trait I can admire, one that would help you if you ever meet the requirement of making you a full-fledged assassin…That is if you live that long of course, but for me, it makes you predictable."

I smiled, now I knew the game, so could play, but decided I could not tell her. If I confirmed her of Taryst's proposition, it would take away any potential leeway I may have in the future, and so, I followed one of her many teachings, "the best way to lie, is, to tell the truth."

After hissing out through clenched teeth and I said, "the little bastard told."

"Told? The little bastard told whom? And of what! Answer straight, young one! I begin to tire of your meandering!" Glaitis snapped making everyone but me flinch in fright.

"I had made an agreement with Vex, a few weeks ago. I paid him to search the systems for more detailed information into Taryst's past. Just in case, but came up with nil for anything of any use. Taryst hides his tracks very, very well."

"And so you were stupid enough to be surprised when this young hacker betrayed you? So you strangled him right in his very office? Right were dozens of witnesses could see you do it?"

"Pretty much," I said, trying hard to keep my cool and to keep any remorse from my voice. "I let my anger overcome me. I was idiotic, stupid and foolish. I make no excuses and am ready to face my punishment, mamzel."

"Punishment young one?" sighed Glaitis, and she could not hide her rising ire in her voice. "Believe me, Attelus Xanthis Kaltos you will face punishment. But for now, you escape it; we have far more important matters to attend to."

"What!" both Darrance and Elandria exclaimed together incredulously, and I could not help but smile. This I had actually seen coming. Both Darrance and Castella just suddenly being here, Glaitis earlier saying that she had a "task" for Elandria. I had gambled on this and had won and I could not help but wonder if Glaitis knew this, and that was why she was so flustered. Knowing the game, indeed.

"Quiet, both of you!" she roared. "I like this no more than you do! We have this task, and we are to act before Taryst can know, and we need all of us to do it!"

I grinned and asked, "and what is 'it' that we have mamzel Glaitis?"

Glaitis eyes narrowed, "information 'it' is, child. Information on the whereabouts of this 'Brutis Bones.' The man that Taryst seems so desperate to hunt down."

Elandria and I sat in silence in the back seat of the old Hesuitor 89. We watched as the hive outside drove by. It was midnight, but the lighting of the hive conquered the darkness in a blazing haze of artificial day, and the hustle and bustle of traffic had not abated.

A hive city like Omnartus never slept. Imperial bureaucracy was everything. It was more important to the survival of mankind than the Magistratum, the Ecclesiarchy, the Adeptus Arbites, the Imperial Guard or even the Adeptus Astartes. Everything rode upon its ever turning cogs. As long as Omnartus lived, millions upon millions of serfs would sit and type upon their cogitators, every second of every day, monitoring countless upon countless lines of information.

The thought made my mind hurt to know that more counted upon them than those who fought for the Imperium, than those who have given their lives for the war. They say that they fight for their Emperor, but in all honesty, it is so this organised chaos can survive. To say it was quite depressing, really was the understatement of the millennia and many more millennia to come.

I could only thank goodness that I wasn't one of them.

Besides the countless bureaucrats coming and going from their daily drudgery. Many were party goers, wishing to temporarily alleviate their boring lives with a foray into the nightlife. We were driving through Omnartus' night district, and at its peak. I wore a high-quality silken suit with white shirt, black blazer and black pants. Castella had told me it was the latest in men's fashion, and yes, I had noticed many in similar attire along the way.

Elandria sat next to me and was stunning. Her black hair was tied back, revealing her beautiful high cheekbones. Somehow, her pouting in anger made her even more appealing. Also, she was wearing make-up. A first for her since I had met her six months ago.

I sighed, placed my elbows on my thighs, intertwining my fingers together and began to relay for the umpteenth time, Glaitis' plan.

After the master assassin's revelation, immediately Castella burst into the room, grinning almost from ear to ear.

"Ah yes indeed information retrieved by yours truly, of course!" said Castella, with an exaggerated bow. "You can all thank me later if you like."

Initially, Castella's entrance took me back, but this was replaced by the sudden revelation, and I turned to Glaitis.

"So I see that you have been doing your own extracurricular investigating while under Taryst's employ, master?" I said.

Glaitis grinned, "why of course, my young apprentice," then she looked to Castella. "And do not take all the credit for yourself. Do not forget that Hayden had as much of a hand in it as you did."

Castella hunched forward with an animated pout, "Pah! Details!" Then she grinned slyly. "And now I'm betting that you are wondering how I knew what you were saying, right?"

"No," said Elandria. "We can all see your earpiece quite clearly."

Castella grimaced another extremely animated expression that made me smile.

"Pah! Details!" she repeated.

"All right enough of your clowning," sighed Glaitis but I could hear the amusement in the master assassin's voice. "Now we move onto business."

"We have located through much investigation the possible location of Brutis Bones," Glaitis said. "His all evidence points toward a bar in the night district of the hive as his base of operations. It is highly popular for the locals; it is named "The Twilight bar."

Castella let out a derivative snort which made me smile all the broader, I could not have agreed any more. "The more I hear that name, the cheesier it sounds," said Castella.

"Yes I know," sighed Glaitis. "But the bar provides an almost perfect cover for the gang leader; it is high class, quite sophisticated and-."

"And so it wouldn't be believed by anyone looking because it would be too obvious" I cut in. "What do they call that? That's right, refuge in audacity."

"Indeed, young one," said Glaitis. "Taryst being the utter genius he is, had left that area for last in his investigation as you and Elandria may know."

"Yes," said my squad mate and to my surprise, I could detect an undercurrent of annoyance in the young woman's voice. Elandria did not like being left out of the loop. In all honesty, neither did, but I could hide it, and by then, I was used to it.

Glaitis could also tell Elandria's dislike, emphasised by the master assassin's patronising glare.

Glaitis moved on, "thanks to Hayden Tresch's hacking ability. We were able to get a full layout of the plans for the bar." Glaitis pulled out a control wand, and with a flick of her wrist the lights died, and a giant, sophisticated hologram sprang out from the middle of her desk.

"It is located on the far North West end of the night district's main street, the Dawn of Ages Boulevard. As you can see, there are three entrances, the main being on the south-east from the Dawn of Ages Boulevard. The other two, one is placed on the northern side and the other on the south all are guarded constantly, and all are placed on surveillance cameras. The security is very tight indeed as befitting such a leader."

I shrugged, "but I'm guessing no tighter than any other club in the district, so they don't draw suspicion."

"Indeed, and also it is no match for us at all," said Glaitis. "Here is my plan, Elandria both you and Attelus, both of you dressed satisfactory for the occasion, will enter into the bar via the front entrance, posing as legitimate patrons. As a dating couple, of course."

Beside me, Elandria stiffened in obvious distaste. Making me more upset than I cared to admit.

"But, mistress," I said. "If you send in Elandria and myself…with our activities, together with over the last six months the odds of them knowing our faces would be higher than if you sent in Castella or anyone else."

Glaistis smiled, "of course and that is what I gamble upon that viewing your entrance into the bar will spike up the suspicions of the ones running it. They will not turn you and Elandria away for fear of spiking your own suspicions. I believe that you two will be very, very closely monitored indeed."

My jaw set, "so we are the distraction, then?"

"Never miss a beat then, do we, child?" she said. "But that beat was about as subtle as an explosion. Yes, you and Elandria are the distraction once inside I want you both to-."

"Start a bar brawl?"

Glaitis frowned, "yes, child. Start a bar brawl, and we need a big one, indeed. One that will distract the vast majority of the moody hammers acting as bouncers so both-."

"Darrance and Castella can slip in unnoticed and plant bugs in the bar? But why not just have us plant them? It would be easier."

"Actually, child. I was going to say that Darrance and Tresch do it. While what you say is true, what we are not sure of is the surveillance in the bar. It is well hidden. But what we do know is two elite assassins in syn-skin body gloves will move unseen, we just need you to distract the hammers for long enough to do it. Also, we don't want them just placed in the bar itself but in the back rooms, too. Otherwise, it would be just pointless, wouldn't it?"

I shrugged, it made sense. But why was she doing this? I knew Glaitis, and she would only move if this information were one hundred percent confirmed. She never did anything halfway. I suspected she wanted to plant these bugs so she could find the reason why Taryst was so desperate to find Brutis Bones, but there had to be more.

I set my jaw.

"So, there is the plan," said Glaitis. "Whether you take it or leave it is immaterial we are doing it. I have a transport readied for you both in the parks and suitable clothing. After, of course, you take a shower, Attelus! You smell like you haven't washed in days! Dismissed. And Castella, make sure that you go over the details with the lovely couple for me."

"As ordered, mamzel," said Castella with a bow and I frowned in annoyance as we all turned for the door.

"Oh and, young one," called Glaitis at my back, making me freeze. "Do not for a second believe that you are off the proverbial hook. You will face your consequences one way or another, and you will keep that in mind, understood?"

I swallowed noisily, "y-yes mamzel."

"Oh, and young one, stop interrupting me in mid sent sentence you are not doing yourself any favours."

"Y-yes, mamzel."

"Good, now leave before I make you leave."

I did as ordered and quite hurriedly indeed.

"We are here," growled a voice knocking me from my reverie. Darrance glared over the driver's seat at me as the car was coming to a stop. The senior assassin's face foul.

I grinned. "Yes, thank you, good driver," I said in my best up hive accent. "We must really be getting to the party chant us, dear?"

It was Elandria's turn to glare at me, "what are you doing?"

"Why getting into character, my dear."

"Well if you call me "dear" one more time you will find yourself sorely lacking a head."

I grinned even wider, "well, good luck with that endeavour, my dear. Since you lack the proper appliances to pull through with said threat."

Elandria started in remembrance. Both of us were unarmed so that we could go through the bar's detectors. Then she smiled, "I have not tried it with my bare hands yet, 'dear.' But then there is always a first time for everything. Isn't there?"

"Shut up you two and get moving!" snarled Darrance, "I have yet to get into position, and I will not have this mission ruined by your unresolved sexual tension!"

I flinched in embarrassment and moved quickly, opening my door of the old limousine, swiftly got out, walked around and like a gentleman of old opened the door for my "date." All the while I fought the urge to cover my eyes from the blaring lights.

Elandria clumsily climbed out, she was still unused to wearing Stilettos, and I frowned as I wondered if it was wise sending her instead of Castella. I offered her my hand which she reluctantly took.

Gently pulling her out, I placed my arm over her shoulders, pulling her close and steadying her walk as we moved down the street. Almost immediately, the old Hesuitor violently drove off leaving a cloud of exhaust in its wake.

"W-What are you doing?" she said, though only slightly struggling.

"Making sure that you don't fall on your face my dear," I answered and then cried out theatrically and so loud that many a passing pedestrian look my way in bemusement: "Oh Emperor forbid! That my lovely date would slip and break her nose on our very first engagement, I would never hear the end of it from father! Oh, Emperor forbid!"

"Lovely?" she said wide-eyed, and we started to approach the bar.

When I saw the long line of potential patrons waiting for entrance into the Twilight bar, I barely stifled a curse. I hated waiting in lines it was my anathema. Well, one on a long list with many more.

I sighed. Then Elandria, my arm still over her shoulders, glared at me.

"What's wrong now?" she growled.

"Nothing, nothing," I said lightly. "I am just so entranced by your-."

"Shut it!" she snarled, "Your 'character' is even more annoying than you are."

I smiled patiently. Elandria's constant grumpiness was beginning to get on my nerves, "may I ask you a question, my dear?"

"No," she pouted, "but I know you will anyway."

I grinned, "now that you have said that, I will. Have you ever done undercover operations like this? You have always sat out our earlier missions as reserved reinforcement."

"No."

I frowned, it was evident from the start that Elandria's skill set seemed more militaristic than the other assassins of our organisation. Seemingly the cult that trained her had neglected to teach her the complexities of civilian infiltration in favour of the battlefield and stealth specialisation. Hence why she could barely place one foot in front of the other while wearing high heels or act like a high-class hive citizen for more than three seconds.

I sighed, "I guess that answers a few questions, yes. But could you, at least try, to be in character when we line up?"

"But I thought we were to make them suspect us as being undercover?"

My jaw set. Why was she so insistent on antagonising me so? Actually, I suspected she wasn't doing it on purpose at all.

"That is true, but it does not mean we can't be professional. We are gambling on them knowing our faces, and even if they don't, the fight we start will hopefully suffice for the distraction even without the extra attention. Perhaps acting convincingly may cement any suspicion of our position in Taryst's private investigatory force."

"Whatever," was her reply, causing my anger to rise but before I could reply we arrived at the end of the line. It was depressingly long. I did a quick headcount, of the crowd of young, ostentatiously dressed pretty people and found that approximately sixty locals in total waited for the huge hammer acting as the bouncer to let them in.

Inside the bar, the music blared and the boom of the bass line tingled my teeth.

Despite it being called a 'bar' the Twilight Bar resembled a club first and foremost. Prior booking was a must to gain access and thanks to Hayden Tresch's hacking expertise we were on the list. Under aliases, of course.

That made me wonder, how long had mamzel Glaitis actually known about this club and its connection to Brutis Bones? Just judging at how long this line is alone that a booking needed to be at least a week prior to guarantee entrance. Perhaps Tresch had not hacked into the system at all? Perhaps they had made the booking legitimately? But if that was the case why act now?

I could hazard a myriad amount of guesses. But the most obvious was, once again, that Glaitis was testing me, and if so, whether it was a test of my abilities, or if I had betrayed her was another question, entirely.

Or perhaps, I just needed to get it through my thick head that the universe didn't revolve around me and my idiocy.

"Attelus Kaltos, stop it," Elandria's voice abruptly ended my revere. "Stop leaning on me."

With a start, I let off my weight, feeling my face flush in embarrassment. "S-sorry about that."

"Lost in your little world once more were we, dear?" she said with a contemptuous sneer that seemed to exclaim my idiocy and hypocrisy at once.

The corner of my mouth twitched. I needed to learn to keep myself from being lost in my thoughts. I shrugged.

"Oh I do apologise, my dear, oh how my idiocy knows no bounds, please forgive me! Please do!"

Elandria gritted her teeth then turned away. I grinned, that made her shut up, and again, I took another comprehensive look across the crowd.

I flinched midway through as I saw through the crowd two young, gorgeous women eyeing me with enthusiastically flirtatious gazes.

I felt my face turn bright red. Then tore my attention away, up toward the three surveillance cameras watching us from above. Castella had informed me of their positions during her in-depth briefing earlier, but I wanted to see for myself. Just in case.

When I looked back, the two women were still looking at me luridly. I tried to avoid their eyes by looking down at my wrist Chron. In all my research into Omnartus' culture, I could not recall reading about the local women being so obvious about their attraction this despite the guy of interest having another woman already under his arm. Perhaps they had a sixth sense? They could they just tell by instinct that Elandria and I were not a real couple?

I looked sidelong at Elandria, who still had her attention away. My jaw set, or perhaps she was just making it so frigging obvious it wasn't funny.

I sighed and reached into my pocket for my lhos. It had been a while since my last smoke, and the cravings were getting to me.

I lit the lho clenched in my teeth, using the activity to try averting my attention from the two women, who were still looking even now. The line then finally made a step forward and I began to tap the tip of my shoe on the rockcrete sidewalk.

I am not a partier; I am an assassin who kills people for a living. And being the dangerous job it is and that I would quite like to live past my twenties, I spend every waking hour for training. Making sure I have the necessary skills to live to see the next day.

The line was speeding up. Already, we had made another step. I glanced over my shoulder and to no surprise saw that five more had lined up behind us and as I did this I accidentally caught the eyes of another young woman.

I flinched, turned and sighed, hunching animatedly then Elandria looked to me.

"You're strange," she said.

I looked at her sidelong, exhaled smoke and slipped my ceramic Lho casing back into my pocket. I was used to Elandria's extreme lack of subtlety, but it took a hell of a long time to acclimatise to.

"Yeah, well. Tell me something I don't know."

"There are many things I do not understand, like how after so long training in martial arts and weaponry that your posture could still be so terrible."

I immediately straightened, Elandria had a point. If I were to act as an upper-class hive citizen, I had to stand like an upper-class hive citizen, who were stereotypically straight-backed and refined. Both traits I sorely lacked. Perhaps that was the real reason those two young women were looking at me so intently, they must find my bad posture entertaining, and at that I inwardly cursed. That had to be it, no other reason could explain it.

"There, is that better?" I growled.

"Now you are just overdoing it."

I sighed and went back to being hunched again.

[mummified-game-review]

2064 Read Only Memories: A Review

If you haven't played this game, then are there other point and click, cyberpunk kidnapping, mystery games that came in the Racial justice bundle that you think I should check out? Let me know all about them in the comments.the garden center of my closest hardware store and I’m trying to decide if the start up cost of 15 bucks in in my budget.

Welcome back to another video game review here on Mummified Games. Today were going to be taking a look at the modern Point and Click Mystery game 2064: Read Only Memories. By Midboss.

This game has a lot of charm to it. I Love how this game presents itself. The Music, art, story, and voice work, is all great and do a really great job of pulling me in. I did not want to stop playing. This was the first time where I was like okay maybe i play for 2 hours. And then write the review. But sadly there was no way I could do that if I wanted to make my deadline.

So the game is a future cyberpunk scene where Humans have found a way to cybernetically and biologically augment their bodies. Sort of just like every other Cyberpunk cenario. Just par for the course at this point.

Wouldn't have it any other way.

But what's great about this game is that it's not overly burdened with the constant narrative of life sucks and there's inequality and class disparity.

It's not dystopian cyberpunk, it's more optimistic. People seem to really be jammin with the future that they find themselves in. For the most part.

So it's your standard affair people are making so many augmentations to themselves in so many different ways. That there is a rebel group that is coming up that wants to see humanity return to who they were.

Not like a full blown god's perfect image, it's not a religious thing. But still embracing tradition and what makes humans human.

I don't know if we have the science to make Snake people then I'm all for it.

Ooo la la.

There are Robots that this big company is making that are designed to Walk like the humans, talk like the humans. But it's all just fancy code. And then the game tells you about one scientist that is working on transcending that limitation of just fancy code. And make something new.

Story intro out of the way, The scene opens with your less than standout apartment and you learn that you are a journalist, sort of.

And after you go through a nothing of a tutorial. As in like it's almost not even there cause it's so basic. You write a report and then go to bed.

INCITING ACTION

In the middle of the night a little blue robot hacks your door. And breaks into your apartment. Interfaces with your computer, cleans your apartment and also tries to clean the old computer, bricking it in the process.

You wake up and they tell you that they have selected you out of all known contacts of their master to help them track their master down. He was Captured last night and you need to join the robot to track down their master.

The robot's name is Turing, probably named after the real person Alan Turing the Computer Scientist.

A note about the dialogue and interactions with Turing. ALL THEIR LINES ARE VOICED! This game gives you so much during the process. There is a lot of reading to be doing in this game and luckily it's not all put on you.

I don't want you to think that I don't like Reading. Or that I think reading is hard. But if I'm meant to put multiple hours into a game. Doing nothing but reading for the entirety of it can get tiring

So I'm glad that so much is fully voiced. Gives you the chance to look down and tweet your love of this game for a second.

And that if there is a name or something that comes up you instantly know how it's meant to be pronounced. Instead of having to wait till you say it outloud in a video game review and suddenly everyone thinks “wait Tony, you say its like that? Wow okay”

Look, I have yet to hear anyone talk about Itch in casual conversation so I have no idea if you need to add the Dot I O to the end of it or if I sound like a Boomer who says out loud Dot Com at the end of every website name. “Yeah i just look it up on Google Dot Com”

I'm trying here folks I really am.

So after Turing tells you about what they need you join them on their mission to track down their creator and figure out what's at the bottom of this whole thing.

A note about the profile creation scene, it's quite funny and I thought it was super cool how they include multiple ways of character settings.

There's nothing visual that you can do to change your character so there's that. But Turing asks you for your name, you just type it out and I was excited for maybe a robot voice that was going to try to pronounce Mummified but it didn't go well.

Asks you for your pronouns, Yes! I love it. I would expect nothing less from a developer like Midboss. The people who host the Steam Summer of Pride Sale for the last couple of years Highlighing Queer games.

But the fact that they don't just limit to just He/Her/They but also Zir, and another one that slips my mind. And also an option to input your own preferred pronouns. SO COOL!

And I was ready to maybe answer one more silly question. That's where I was thinking the game would take things, assuming based on its sense of humor and the jokes that would come up in this game.

But no it was a real question about dietary needs and restrictions, to be kept in mind when out and about and talking about food. Holy crap that's so cool.

So the game gives you options like Omnivore, Vegetarian, Vegan, Halal, Gluten Free Dairy fr

What a super cool thing to include in your game. This just adds to the inclusion that is offered to players of all different ways of life.

So I just hunted down the list of food options in the video recording I took of this game and I'm reminded of just how funny this game is.

There are great jokes in this. There are subtle allegories to our own real world things in this game.

Turing says they found a better door that you could use to replace the current door you have due to its sub standard encryption features to prevent people from hacking though. And they recommend a particular model of door and mention it has over 300 reviews on Congo.

Wait... Congo. HA! Okay that got me. Cause you know Congo the river. And the Amazon river. I thought it was funny.

Also there is a joke about the Creator having a list of different things on the TV that they were watching like Ted’s Tech Tips. That one got me, because it might not be a thing but I'd like to think it's a nod to Linus Tech Tips.

This game is filled with great cute jokes. There are a couple of options that the game gives you when you wake up to see a strange robot in your room, some of the reactions are more fearful. And while reading them as an option I thought to myself WHY?

This little friend is Cute as hell. There's no way I would be scared of them. Their cute faces and little arms. I love them so much.

So the story is sound and the writing in it is so well done. The voice acting is great as well. Turing sounds innocent and has a cute childish nature to them, but they’re not dumb to say the least, they’re still the most advanced AI program in the world.

The gameplay is also stellar. Most of the interactions with things in this world are done with 4 different options.

Look: The game will give you a description of what the item, thing, person, whatever is.

Talk: If it's a person you can talk to them. Or sometimes things have voice commands.

Take/Touch, you might be able to pick something up or turn it on. Computers would take you to another window and you could do other things inside it.

Use time on: At the start of the game you're given an ID card and you pick up a pair of headphones in your apartment. The id could be used to get you places or scan for whatever might come up. Or you can connect your headphones to random things to hear stuff. What's funny is that you can use your headphones on almost anything and you can get some description of what you hear.

Real basic stuff. Like it's described. It's a Point And CLick Mystery Game. A lot of the game is being given a scene and you can talk to people in it, or interact with the things on the static screen.

Everything in this game flows so well together. Nothing takes you out of the experience. Its a story that takes you in and doesn't let go.

I think this is a game that I can fully recommend to people no matter what. If you have it. If you were curious about it. If you’ve never heard of it. Any range of feeling and knowledge of this game I highly recommend you go check it out.

If you have this game tell me your thoughts on it. Do you think Jessi was a jerk or if she is justified in her standoff-ness in her attitude?

If you haven't played this game, then are there other point and click, cyberpunk kidnaping, mystery games that came in the Racial justice bundle that you think I should check out? Let me know all about them in the comments.

In the meantime. Ah gee folks i really am thinking hard about that jade Plant. I'd love to get one. But my cable bill is coming and I know I need to take care of that first. Oh well. Maybe next month.

You all do the Youtube Dance, Like, Sub, Bell, Comment, and share this video with someone you know.

And as always hackers, Keep Digging, and we’ll make it out sometime.

See you in the next one.

[rickrakontoys]

Star Wars - The Last Jedi

A wierd, different, unexpected, uneven, but ultimately satisfying episode in the franchise.

****SPOILERS**** this is going to be looooong….

The Good - The filmmakers took a lot of chances and risks here and I am happy that they did. They showed us new things that we’ve never seen before, and presented a plot that subverts your expectations to lead the characters to new journeys and arcs. - Luke was terrific as a dejected former jedi master who’s past failure led him to exile. Some fans may have wanted him to remain some kind of power fantasy character who just uses the Force to… blow Star Destroyers up or some shit, but here he plays a believable interpretation of a teacher who failed his students and is suffering from deep regrets. He came to that isolated island “to die” as he says, but his arc here follows the theme of “learning to pick yourself up even in the face of terrible failure". Despite being an old curmudgeon now, he is still recognizably Luke Skywalker. Mark Hamill gives his best performance here. And his final “battle” at the end is badass, surprising and clever, not to mention showing us a new use of The Force (which in my mind totally makes some sense). If the dead can project their image through the force, why can’t a living jedi? That Luke acts quite dramatic when facing Kylo Ren as a “hologram” is just funny. Luke’s journey ended in ROTJ. Here he plays one final part in the story of this galaxy. “See you around kid” he says to Kylo. Perhaps he is saying it to us as well. - Leia has a lot of unexpected scenes here… namely, her use of the Force to save herself from what would have been a deadly experience! This felt at first like it came out of nowhere, but Leia has previously shown to possess some strong connection to the Force. Her character is out of commission for a chunk of the movie, but Carrie Fisher does give a very subtle and poignant performance here. How they will reconcile Fisher’s passing for Episode 9 will remain to be seen… - Rey and Kylo’s journeys here compliment each other and are amazing. You honestly don’t know how things will turn out, since they tease both of them being pulled away from their respective sides of the Force often here. Their direct connection to each other through the Force was new, and gave us some very interesting scenes where they talk and interact despite being worlds apart. Kylo gets much more development here, and does some rather unexpected things. He is both sympathetic, and detestable. He is still very much a tortured young man lashing out at the galaxy. Rey mostly plays the role of the student in search of a teacher. She goes looking for Luke, finds him, but he ain’t having it at all, and just lets her hang around for a bit to her disappointment. She eventually takes her own initiative and sort of earns Luke’s respect for it. - We perhaps learn who Rey’s parents are, and it was as I wished: they are nobodies who sold her off as a kid then died in a shallow grave on Jakku. I would have HATED if they were somehow someone we already knew… Rey’s importance isn’t through blood but through her own initiative. She even admits to knowing all along but being afraid to admit it. Daisy Ridley is still fantastic as Rey. I like her even more than before! Kylo can satisfy the Skywalker bloodline requirement of the series in this new trilogy. Let someone else be the hero for a change. - Kylo just straight up murders that silly CGI Supreme Leader Snoke and I love it. Snoke was just Palpatine-lite, and Kylo is clearly the more interesting villain the new series should focus on. Who cares who Snoke was… nobody really cared who Palpatine was in ROTJ… he too was just an evil overlord who gets killed by his apprentice (until Lucas devoted 3 movies to him…). This feels like Rain Johnson cleaning up after JJ Abrams. Snoke was silly and I’m glad he dies unclimactically after only 2 movies. - Poe is a lot more hot-headed here than in the first movie, though we didnt really spend much time with him in TFA. He gets an arc here too though, which also fits in with the themes of the film. His actions get a ton of people killed and essentially cripples the Resistance, but he learns from his mistakes eventually and becomes a better leader for it. - The general theme of the movie being moving past one’s failures is interesting here since it let the filmmakers subvert so many tropes. Most of the plans the Resistence people enact all lead to disaster. In fact, their desperate flight from impending doom through the entire movie felt quite harrowing. Unlike ESB where the rebels successfully escape Hoth to live and fight another day with minimal losses, the Resistance here is absolutely wrecked and continue to be destroyed through the entire runtime. How they will recover from this remains to be seen, and we now know nothing about where this story will go in Episode 9 because of how screwed they are by the end… Meanwhile the First Order suffers from their own failures, but appear too smug about themselves to see their own hubris. They could have easily wiped the Resistance out, but choose to slowly chase them, as if to let the rebels witness the loss of all hope. It doesn’t exactly backfire, but instead renews the rebels fire to fight back. - There is a lot about the Force here that evolves the Star Wars mythos a bit. From the old Jedi texts, to Luke admitting that the Jedi doomed themselves long ago in the prequels, we see Star Wars moving past Jedi and Sith and becoming something different. I’m glad they didnt rely so heavily on what only was shown before with respect to the capabilities of a Force user or the nature of the Force in general. People may not like this, but the change is welcome. Also… YODA!!!! Slightly crazed puppet Yoda!!! He’s still teaching Luke new things. Wished ghost Obi-wan also appeared somehow… but that may be going too far. - The battles and duels in this movie were spectacular. The lightsaber fight in Snoke’s throne room? One of the best fights in the series… it was exciting and realistically choreographed, flashy without being excessive (like the prequels). A good balance between the fights in the OT and prequels. Seeing Rey and Kylo battling Snoke’s guards in a long take, shot clearly with the static angle… magnificent. Plus we get to see Kylo at full strength as opposed to crippled in TFA. He takes on multiple enemies at once, while Rey struggles with one guard. - The cinematography here is in general quite lovely. Rian Johnson loves his wide shots, and fills them with a beauty not often seen in these movies. There are some gorgeous shots here… from Holdo’s weaponized Hyperspace maneuver, to Luke’s standoff against the AT-ATs, and his final scene looking to the twin sunset that recalls the similar shot on Tatooine long ago… the use of color throughout makes for a very pretty movie. - We get flashback scenes here oddly enough… which we never got in other episode films. Plus, Rian wasnt afraid to venture into other types of shots and scenes, like a minor use of slow motion. They let the filmmmakers inject their own style into the movie. - The porgs were thankfully not too obtrusive. They are just sorta there to annoy Chewie. Chewie roasting some for dinner while they watch horrified was great and rather morbid. - Seeing Luke on the Falcon again, and his scene with R2… very poignant, and melancholy. They somehow manage to use Leia’s old message to Obi Wan to further Luke’s character development. - The battle on the salt planet Crait was neat. They make you think there will be some Hoth style battle against the AT-ATs, but its ultimately subverted by having the Resistance not even have a remote chance at all of doing any damage due to their lack of useful weapons. Finn tries the heroic sacrifice but… eh… Rose saves him and ends up letting the First Order blast a hole in the base. The hopelessness is really driven far here. - It took until the ending for me to realize Poe never was introduced to Rey ever. Also, did Rey steal the Jedi texts from that tree Luke planned on torching? You see some books in a drawer that Finn takes a blanket out of on the Falcon. Perhaps Rey will use them to help revive the Jedi order? - The last scene of the movie was an odd one to close out on… some orphans talking about Luke Skywalker like some legendary hero… then one of them uses the force to grab a broom? The Force is alive in others! Hope always survives! A bit on the nose but it makes you contemplate the future beyond the current heroes. The Bad…. - Finn and Rose’s entire subplot was superfulous and kind of terrible… I could see how it ties into the theme of the movie (hatching a clever plan to fight the First Order that ultimately fails spectacularly, but they keep fighting anyways), but that didnt stop it from being rather dull. Canto Blight felt out of place… like you were watching Harry Potter or the Hunger Games. And the whole animal horse chase thing fell kinda flat… - Benicio del Toro is in this… he plays some wierdo hacker (slicer?) with a stutter. He ultimately amounts to very little. He’s played convincingly, but only added to the superfulousness of Finn and Rose’s subplot… - In fact… that whole subplot was what damaged this movie severely. It is clearly the weakest part of an otherwise interesting film. How they come up with the plan to infiltrate the First Order ship to disable their hyperspace tracking device thing felt halfbaked. Finn and Rose spout some technobabble that feels straight out of Star Trek, then decide to gungho this odd mission. They threw Maz Kanata in there for a moment for no reason… why would Finn and Poe ask her for help? Finn barely met her. Does Poe even know her at all? All of this coulda been avoided if Vice Admiral Holdo just told Poe about her and Leia’s secret plan at the start! - Rose is gonna be divisive…. she feels like a fan stand-in character. She fangirls over Finn, goes on an adventure with him, and is suddenly in love with him? Sure I guess… i suppose i could buy that, considering she was previously some unseen common worker for the Resistance meeting a “celebrity”. Finn didnt seem to react much to her kiss though. His heart seems out for Rey. - Rey just casually dropping herself off at Snoke’s ship felt a wee bit too convenient… then after the battle in the throne room she just… appears back on the Falcon. Jarring, despite the attempt to explain it. - Phasma is used so little i wonder why they bothered making her a unique character at all… to sell toys? She gets a badass fight where she dominates Finn, but then seemingly dies in a fiery pit. Maybe they will make it a running gag that she keeps coming back? I hope she survived and returns later anyways. We get to see Gwendolyn Christie’s… eye. Yay? - The music here plays off established themes from the OT and TFA, which is fine, but otherwise there really isnt anything new here. Rose gets a new leitmotif at least. They use Palpatine’s theme during some Snoke scenes too, but is it meant to suggest they are related? - Honestly, the middle of the film just drags too long, and its all due to the Finn and Rose scenes. I get they needed to have Finn do something, but was that Canto Blight stuff necessary? That they just fly off somewhere then return to the fleet chase later kinda trivialized the whole scenario. They also introduce an idea that weapons manufacturers are profitting off the perpetual war between empire and rebellion. Neat, but they don’t really explore it further… feels like that belongs in a different movie… - The beginning of the movie focused a lot on Rose’s sister despite us not knowing much about her. Just kinda an odd choice? Those rebel bombers that just drop bombs on top of the dreadnught are also kinda dumb… most of the rebel fighter craft are decimated right off the bat. Summary: It may take more viewings to see where this truly stands qualitywise in the series. The Force Awakens definitely flowed better and had better pacing, but this one was more inventive and introduced us to newer concepts and was less predictable. Apart from the weak Canto Blight subplot and some other plot goofery, the film works. For now, I think it can give it an 8.5/10.0. I respect the hell out of them for doing some ballsy things that they know will rile part of the fanbase. Franchise rankings (out of 10): ESB & ANH 9.0 (fresh and with a truly lasting legacy) TLJ 8.5 (for evolving the franchise) RotJ 8.25 (a good close to the OT but imperfect) TFA 8.0 (overly familiar beats but still fun) ROTS 7.0 (flawed but sort of gives more weight to what happens in ROTJ) Rogue One 6.5 (very flawed, kind of a mess) TPM & AOTC 5.0 (some parts of it i like, the rest is nonsensical or dull) People seem to forget how different ESB was from ANH. This is the case here compared to TFA. I think its neat how each trilogy has its own unique feel and energy. I only hope JJ Abrams grows beyond his shortcomings in Ep. 9 and gives us something also unique and fresh.

[itbeatsbookmarks]

(Via: Hacker News)

Metaprogramming, or the ability to inspect, modify and generate code at compile-time (as opposed to reflection, which is runtime introspection of code), has slowly been gaining momentum. Programmers are finally admitting that, after accidentally inventing turing complete template systems, maybe we should just have proper first-class support for generating code. Rust has macros, Zig has built-in compile time expressions, Nim lets you rewrite the AST however you please, and dependent types have been cropping up all over the place. However, with great power comes great responsibility undecidable type systems, whose undefined behavior may involve summoning eldritch abominations from the Black Abyss of Rěgne Ūt.

One particular place where metaprogramming is particularly useful is low-level, high-performance code, which is what Terra was created for. The idea behind Terra is that, instead of crafting ancient runes inscribed with infinitely nested variadic templates, just replace the whole thing with an actual turing-complete language, like say, Lua (technically including LuaJIT extensions for FFI). This all sounds nice, and no longer requires a circle of salt to ward off demonic syntax, which Terra is quick to point out. They espouse the magical wonders of replacing your metaprogramming system with an actual scripting language:

In Terra, we just gave in to the trend of making the meta-language of C/C++ more powerful and replaced it with a real programming language, Lua.

The combination of a low-level language meta-programmed by a high-level scripting language allows many behaviors that are not possible in other systems. Unlike C/C++, Terra code can be JIT-compiled and run interleaved with Lua evaluation, making it easy to write software libraries that depend on runtime code generation.

Features of other languages such as conditional compilation and templating simply fall out of the combination of using Lua to meta-program Terra

Terra even claims you can implement Java-like OOP inheritance models as libraries and drop them into your program. It may also cure cancer (the instructions were unclear).

As shown in the templating example, Terra allows you to define methods on struct types but does not provide any built-in mechanism for inheritance or polymorphism. Instead, normal class systems can be written as libraries. More information is available in our PLDI Paper.

The file lib/javalike.t has one possible implementation of a Java-like class system, while the file lib/golike.t is more similar to Google’s Go language.

I am here to warn you, traveler, that Terra sits on a throne of lies. I was foolish. I was taken in by their audacious claims and fake jewels. It is only when I finally sat down to dine with them that I realized I was surrounded by nothing but cheap plastic and slightly burnt toast.

The Bracket Syntax Problem

Terra exists as a syntax extension to Lua. This means it adds additional keywords on top of Lua’s existing grammar. Most languages, when extending a syntax, would go to great lengths to ensure the new grammar does not create any ambiguities or otherwise interfere with the original syntax, treating it like a delicate flower that mustn’t be disturbed, lest it lose a single petal.

Terra takes the flower, gently places it on the ground, and then stomps on it, repeatedly, until the flower is nothing but a pile of rubbish, as dead as the dirt it grew from. Then it sets the remains of the flower on fire, collects the ashes that once knew beauty, drives to a nearby cliffside, and throws them into the uncaring ocean. It probably took a piss too, but I can’t prove that.

To understand why, one must understand what the escape operator is. It allows you to splice an abstract AST generated from a Lua expression directly into Terra code. Here is an example from Terra’s website:

function get5() return 5 end terra foobar() return [ get5() + 1 ] end foobar:printpretty() > output: > foobar0 = terra() : {int32} > return 6 > end

But, wait, that means it’s… the same as the array indexing operator? You don’t mean you just put it inside like–

local rest = {symbol(int),symbol(int)} terra doit(first : int, [rest]) return first + [rest[1]] + [rest[2]] end

What.

WHAT?!

You were supposed to banish the syntax demons, not join them! This abomination is an insult to Nine Kingdoms of Asgard! It is the very foundation that Satan himself would use to unleash Evil upon the world. Behold, mortals, for I come as the harbinger of despair:

function idx(x) return `x end function gen(a, b) return `array(a, b) end terra test() -- Intended to evaluate to array(1, 2) 0 return [gen(1, 2)][idx(0)] end

For those of you joining us (probably because you heard a blood-curdling scream from down the hall), this syntax is exactly as ambiguous as you might think. Is it two splice statements put next to each other, or is a splice statement with an array index? You no longer know if a splice operator is supposed to index the array or act as a splice operator, as mentioned in this issue. Terra “resolves this” by just assuming that any two bracketed expressions put next to each other are always an array indexing operation, which is a lot like fixing your server overheating issue by running the fire suppression system all day. However, because this is Lua, whose syntax is very much like a delicate flower that cannot be disturbed, a much worse ambiguity comes up when we try to fix this.

function idx(x) return `x end function gen(a, b) return `array(a, b) end terra test() -- This is required to make it evaluate to array(1,2)[0] -- return [gen(1, 2)][ [idx(0)] ] -- This doesn't work: return [gen(1, 2)][[idx(0)]] -- This is equivalent to: -- return [gen(1, 2)] "idx(0)" end

We want to use a spliced Lua expression as the array index, but if we don’t use any spaces, it turns into a string because [[string]] is the Lua syntax for an unescaped string! Now, those of you who still possess functioning brains may believe that this would always result in a syntax error, as we have now placed a string next to a variable. Not so! Lua, in it’s infinite wisdom, converts anything of the form symbol"string" or symbol[[string]] into a function call with the string as the only parameter. That means that, in certain circumstances, we literally attempt to call our variable as a function with our expression as a string:

local lookups = {x = 0, y = 1, z = 2, w = 3 }; vec.metamethods.__entrymissing = macro(function(entryname, expr) if lookups[entryname] then -- This doesn't work return `expr.v[[lookups[entryname]]] -- This is equivalent to -- return `expr.v "lookups[entryname]" -- But it doesn't result in a syntax error, becase it's equivalent to: -- return `extr.v("lookups[entryname]") else error "That is not a valid field." end end)

As a result, you get a type error, not a syntax error, and a very bizarre one too, because it’s going to complain that v isn’t a function. This is like trying to bake pancakes for breakfast and accidentally going scuba diving instead. It’s not a sequence of events that should ever be related in any universe that obeys causality.

It should be noted that, after a friend of mine heard my screams of agony, an issue was raised to change the syntax to a summoning ritual that involves less self-mutilation. Unfortunately, this is a breaking change, and will probably require an exorcism.

The Documentation Is Wrong

Terra’s documentation is so wrong that it somehow manages to be wrong in both directions. That is, some of the documentation is out-of-date, while some of it refers to concepts that never made it into master. I can only assume that a time-traveling gremlin was hired to write the documentation, who promptly got lost amidst the diverging timelines. It is a quantum document, both right and wrong at the same time, yet somehow always useless, a puzzle beyond the grasp of modern physics.

The first thing talked about in the API Reference is a List object. It does not actually exist. A primitive incarnation of it does exist, but it only implements map() and insertall(). Almost the entire section is completely wrong for the 1.0.0-beta1 release. The actual List object being described sits alone and forgotten in the develop branch, dust already beginning to collect on it’s API calls, despite those API calls being the ones in the documentation… somehow.

:printpretty() is a function that prints out a pretty string representation of a given piece of Terra code, by parsing the AST representation. On it’s face, it does do exactly what is advertised: it prints a string. However, one might assume that it returns the string, or otherwise allows you to do something with it. This doesn’t happen. It literally calls the print() function, throwing the string out the window and straight into the stdout buffer without a care in the world. If you want the actual string, you must call either layoutstring() (for types) or prettystring() (for quotes). Neither function is documented, anywhere.

Macros can only be called from inside Terra code. Unless you give the constructor two parameters, where the second parameter is a function called from inside a Lua context. This behavior is not mentioned in any documentation, anywhere, which makes it even more confusing when someone defines a macro as macro(myfunction, myfunction) and then calls it from a Lua context, which, according to the documentation, should be impossible.

Struct fields are not specified by their name, but rather just held in a numbered list of {name, type} pairs. This is documented, but a consequence of this system is not: Struct field names do not have to be unique. They can all be the same thing. Terra doesn’t actually care. You can’t actually be sure that any given field name lookup will result in, y’know, one field. Nothing mentions this.

The documentation for saveobj is a special kind of infuriating, because everything is technically correct, yet it does not give you any examples and instead simply lists a function with 2 arguments and 4 interwoven optional arguments. In reality it’s absolutely trivial to use because you can ignore almost all the parameters. Just write terralib.saveobj("blah", {main = main}) and you’re done. But there isn’t a single example of this anywhere on the entire website. Only a paragraph and two sentences explaining in the briefest way possible how to use the function, followed by a highly technical example of how to initialize a custom target parameter, which doesn’t actually compile because it has errant semicolons. This is literally the most important function in the entire language, because it’s what actually compiles an executable!

The defer keyword is critical to being able to do proper error cleanup, because it functions similar to Go’s defer by performing a function call at the end of a lexical scope. It is not documented, anywhere, or even mentioned at all on the website. How Terra manages to implement new functionality it forgets to document while, at the same time, documenting functionality that doesn’t exist yet is a 4-dimensional puzzle fit for an extra-dimensional hyperintelligent race of aliens particularly fond of BDSM.

You’d think that compiling Terra on Linux would be a lot simpler, but you’d be wrong. Not only are the makefiles unreliable, but cmake itself doesn’t seem to work with LLVM 7 unless you pass in a very specific set of flags, none of which are documented, because compiling via cmake isn’t documented at all, and this is the only way to compile with LLVM 7 or above on the latest Ubuntu release!

Perhaps there are more tragedies hidden inside this baleful document, but I cannot know, as I have yet to unearth the true depths of the madness lurking within. I am, at most, on the third or fourth circle of hell.

Terra Doesn’t Actually Work On Windows

Saying that Terra supports Windows is a statement fraught with danger. It is a statement so full of holes that an entire screen door could try to sell you car insurance and it’d still be a safer bet than running Terra on Windows. Attempting to use Terra on Windows will work if you have Visual Studio 2015 installed. It might work if you have Visual Studio 2013 installed. No other scenarios are supported, especially not ones that involve being productive. Actually compiling Terra on Windows is a hellish endeavor comparable to climbing Mount Everest in a bathing suit, which requires either having Visual Studio 2015 installed to the default location, or manually modifying a Makefile with the exact absolute paths of all the relevant dependencies. At least up until last week, when I submitted a pull request to minimize the amount of mountain climbing required.

The problem Terra runs into is that it tries to use a registry value to find the location of Visual Studio and then work out where link.exe is from there, then finds the include directories for the C runtime. This hasn’t worked since Visual Studio 2017 and also requires custom handling for each version because compiling an iteration of Visual Studio apparently involves throwing the directory structure into the air, watching it land on the floor in a disorganized mess, and drawing lines between vaguely related concepts. Good for divining the true nature of the C library, bad for building directory structures. Unfortunately, should you somehow manage to compile Terra, it will abruptly stop working the moment you try to call printf, claiming that printf does not actually exist, even after importing stdio.h.

Many Terra tests assume that printf actually resolves to a concrete symbol. This is not true and hasn’t been true since Visual Studio 2015, which turned several stdio.h functions into inline-only implementations. In general, the C standard library is under no obligation to produce an actual concrete symbol for any function - or to make sense to a mere mortal, for that matter. In fact, it might be more productive to assume that the C standard was wrought from the unholy, broiling chaos of the void by Cthulhu himself, who saw fit to punish any being foolish enough to make reasonable assumptions about how C works.

Unfortunately, importing stdio.h does not fix this problem, for two reasons. One, Terra did not understand inline functions on Windows. They were ephemeral wisps, vanishing like a mote of dust on the wind the moment a C module was optimized. A pull request fixed this, but it can’t fix the fact that the Windows SDK was wrought from the innocent blood of a thousand vivisected COMDAT objects. Microsoft’s version of stdio.h can only be described as an extra-dimensional object, a meta-stable fragment of a past universe that can only be seen in brief slivers, never all at once.

Luckily for the Terra project, I am the demonic presence they need, for I was once a Microsoftie. Long ago, I walked the halls of the Operating Systems Group and helped craft black magic to sate the monster’s unending hunger. I saw True Evil blossom in those dark rooms, like having only three flavors of sparkling water and a pasta station only open on Tuesdays.

I know the words of Black Speech that must be spoken to reveal the true nature of Windows. I know how to bend the rules of our prison, to craft a mighty workspace from the bowels within. After fixing the cmake implementation to function correctly on Windows, I intend to perform the unholy incantations required to invoke the almighty powers of COM, so that it may find on which fifth-dimensional hyperplane Visual Studio exists. Only then can I disassociate myself from the mortal plane for long enough to tackle the stdio.h problem. You see, children, programming for Windows is easy! All you have to do is s͏̷E͏l͏̢҉l̷ ̸̕͡Y͏o҉u͝R̨͘ ̶͝sơ̷͟Ul̴

For those of you who actually wish to try Terra, but don’t want to wait for me to fix everything a new release, you can embed the following code at the top of your root Terra script:

if os.getenv("VCINSTALLDIR") ~= nil then terralib.vshome = os.getenv("VCToolsInstallDir") if not terralib.vshome then terralib.vshome = os.getenv("VCINSTALLDIR") terralib.vclinker = terralib.vshome..[[BIN\x86_amd64\link.exe]] else terralib.vclinker = ([[%sbin\Host%s\%s\link.exe]]):format(terralib.vshome, os.getenv("VSCMD_ARG_HOST_ARCH"), os.getenv("VSCMD_ARG_TGT_ARCH")) end terralib.includepath = os.getenv("INCLUDE") function terralib.getvclinker() local vclib = os.getenv("LIB") local vcpath = terralib.vcpath or os.getenv("Path") vclib,vcpath = "LIB="..vclib,"Path="..vcpath return terralib.vclinker,vclib,vcpath end end

Yes, we are literally overwriting parts of the compiler itself, at runtime, from our script. Welcome to Lua! Enjoy your stay, and don’t let the fact that any script you run could completely rewrite the compiler keep you up at night!

The Existential Horror of Terra Symbols

Symbols are one of the most slippery concepts introduced in Terra, despite their relative simplicity. When encountering a Terra Symbol, one usually finds it in a function that looks like this:

TkImpl.generate = function(skip, finish) return quote if [TkImpl.selfsym].count == 0 then goto [finish] end [TkImpl.selfsym].count = [TkImpl.selfsym].count - 1 [stype.generate(skip, finish)] end end

Where selfsym is a symbol that was set elsewhere.

“Aha!” says our observant student, “a reference to a variable from an outside context!” This construct does let you access a variable from another area of the same function, and using it to accomplish that will generally work as you expect, but what it’s actually doing is much worse more subtle. You see, grasshopper, a symbol is not a reference to a variable node in the AST, it is a reference to an identifier.

local sym = symbol(int) local inc = quote [sym] = [sym] + 1 end terra foo() var [sym] = 0 inc inc return [sym] end terra bar() var[sym] = 0 inc inc inc return [sym] end

Yes, that is valid Terra, and yes, the people who built this language did this on purpose. Why any human being still capable of love would ever design such a catastrophe is simply beyond me. Each symbol literally represents not a reference to a variable, but a unique variable name that will refer to any variable that has been initialized in the current Terra scope with that particular identifier. You aren’t passing around variable references, you’re passing around variable names.

These aren’t just symbols, they’re typed preprocessor macros. They are literally C preprocessor macros, capable of causing just as much woe and suffering as one, except that they are typed and they can’t redefine existing terms. This is, admittedly, slightly better than a normal C macro. However, seeing as there have been entire books written about humanity’s collective hatred of C macros, this is equivalent to being a slightly more usable programming language than Brainfuck. This is such a low bar it’s probably buried somewhere in the Mariana Trench.

Terra is C but the Preprocessor is Lua

You realize now, the monstrosity we have unleashed upon the world? The sin Terra has committed now lies naked before us.

Terra is C if you replaced the preprocessor with Lua.

Remember how Terra says you can implement Java-like and Go-like class systems? You can’t. Or rather, you will end up with a pathetic imitation, a facsimile of a real class system, striped down to the bone and bereft of any useful mechanisms. It is nothing more than an implementation of vtables, just like you would make in C. Because Terra is C. It’s metaprogrammable C.

There can be no constructors, or destructors, or automatic initialization, or any sort of borrow checking analysis, because Terra has no scoping mechanisms. The only thing it provides is defer, which only operates inside Lua lexical blocks (do and end)… sometimes, if you get lucky. The exact behavior is a bit confusing, and of course can only be divined by random experimentation because it isn’t documented anywhere! Terra’s only saving grace, the singular keyword that allows you to attempt to build some sort of pretend object system, isn’t actually mentioned anywhere.

Of course, Terra’s metaprogramming is turing complete, and it is technically possible to implement some of these mechanisms, but only if you either wrap absolutely every single variable declaration in a function, or you introspect the AST and annotate every single variable with initialization statuses and then run a metaprogram over it to figure out when constructors or destructors or assignment operators need to be called. Except, this might not work, because the (undocumented, of course) __update metamethod that is supposed to trigger when you assign something to a variable has a bug where it’s not always called in all situations. This turns catching assignments and finding the l-value or r-value status from a mind-bogglingly difficult, herculean task, to a near-impossible trial of cosmic proportions that probably requires the help of at least two Avengers.

There Is No Type System

If Terra was actually trying to build a metaprogramming equivalent to templates, it would have an actual type system. These languages already exist - Idris, Omega, F*, Ada, Sage, etc. but none of them are interested in using their dependent type systems to actually metaprogram low-level code (although F* can produce it). The problem is that building a recursively metaprogrammable type system requires building a proof assistant, and everyone is so proud of the fact they built a proof assistant they forget that dependent type systems can do other things too, like build really fast memcpy implementations.

Terra, on the other hand, provides only the briefest glimpse of a type system. Terra functions enjoy what is essentially a slightly more complex C type system. However, the higher-level Lua context is, well, Lua, which has five basic types: Tables, Functions, Strings, Booleans and Numbers (it also has Thread, Nil, Userdata and CData for certain edge cases). That’s it. Also, it’s dynamic, not static, so everything is a syntax or a runtime error, because it’s a scripting language. This means all your metaprogramming is sprinkled with type-verification calls like :istype() or :isstruct(), except the top came off the shaker and now the entire program is just sprinkles, everywhere. This is fine for when your metaprograms are, themselves, relatively simple. It is not fine when you are returning meta-programs out of meta-meta-functions.

This is the impasse I find myself at, and it is the answer to the question I know everyone wants to know the answer to. For the love of heaven and earth and all that lies between, why am I still using Terra?

The truth is that the project I’m working on requires highly complex metaprogramming techniques in order to properly generate type-safe mappings for arbitrary data structures. Explaining why would be an entire blog post on it’s own, but suffice to say, it’s a complex user interface library that’s intended to run on tiny embedded devices, which means I can’t simply give up and use Idris, or indeed anything that involves garbage collection.

What I really want is a low-level, recursively metaprogrammable language that is also recursively type-safe, in that any type strata can safely manipulate the code of any layer beneath it, preferably via algebriac subtyping that ensures all types are recursively a subset of types that contain them, ad nauseam. This would then allow you to move from a “low-level” language to a “high-level” language by simply walking up the tower of abstraction, building meta-meta-programs that manipulate meta-programs that generate low-level programs.

Alas, such beauty can only exist in the minds of mathematicians and small kittens. While I may one day attempt to build such a language, it will be nothing more than a poor imitation, forever striving for an ideal it cannot reach, cursed with a vision from the gods of a pristine language no mortal can ever possess.

I wish to forge galaxies, to wield the power of computation and sail the cosmos upon an infinite wave of creativity. Instead, I spend untold hours toiling inside LLVM, wondering why it won’t print “Hello World”.

In conclusion, everything is terrible and the universe is on fire.

[akiharashizuka]

Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS episode 6 thoughts

(Looks like I’m able to write this sooner than usual)

Idol!! Blue Angel

The title just happened to pop up when Akira was watching so focused his sister’s duel. Not much might be happening, but in episode 3 (if I remember correctly), some duelists were stopped from surfing the Data Storm because it’s too dangerous. That must have changed in the meantime, since it seems to be used freely now.

And one of the duelists who started using it is Blue Angel. I gotta give her credit for willing to try it and actually master it. She’s surfing with no sign of fear, which can mean that she practiced enough.

That was surprisingly fast. It was revealed in the preview for this episode as well, but I didn’t expect Kusanagi to figure it out in the first 4-5 minutes of the episode. 

And the surprised don’t end here. It turns out that Aoi is Akira’s sister-in-law. I’ve listened to the part a few times and I’m pretty sure that’s what he said. Not something to make fuss about, but it makes their background even more mysterious. I mean, them being in-laws means, most likely, that Aoi’s sister married Akira at some point, but something must have happened as to why she or her parents aren’t around. As for why they share the family name, it can be because of adoption. This situation, and actually the interactions between the Zaizens remind me so much of Byakuya and Rukia Kuchiki from Bleach.

I can give a few details about that, without revealing anything too significant for the plot , but if you don’t want to be spoiled, feel free to skip this paragraph. So, Rukia and her older sister, Hisana were pretty much by themselves in a rather deprived environment. At one point, Hisana ended up abandoning Rukia. Eventually, she married Byakuya (who is the next head of a distinguished household), but she regretted abandoning her sister and started searching for her. Hisana unfortunately died from an illness, without being able to find Rukia. Byakuya continued the search and managed to find her, so he adopted her as his younger sister, thus fulfilling his deceased wife’s wish (though not much is revealed, Byakuya and Hisana seemed to have had a loving relationship). As to why the Zaizens remind me so much of this, it’s because Byakuya was very cold and strict with Rukia. Heck, she was about to be executed right in front of his eyes, with him fully accepting that (there were some issues there, but better not get into too many details).

Sure, this is a complete different anime, so I don’t expect the writers to go the exact same route.

Now on more positive things, it so hilarious hearing Kusanagi and Ignis teasing Yūsaku about not being able to talk with girl xD

Still, he’s doing it in the end. I like how he’s just sitting there, while Ignis is doing the hard work.

But, following her around like that doesn’t sound like the best idea to me. I’m surprised no one mistook him for a stalker xD Guess Yūsaku is good at being stealthy.

I laughed so much when Yūsaku forgot who Shima was xD I know this is a common occurrence in anime, but it fits with his personality way too well.

Hmm, I wonder if he was acting like he didn’t know it was the Duel Club room...I mean, it’s written right on the door in a very visible place. Yep, definitely acting.

Pfff xD I didn’t know Ignis could imitate other people’s voices.

I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Yūsaku is formally introducing himself to the club member and is having a normal conversation with them.

Hmm, so they got the new model Duel Disks because of Aoi’s brother. I didn’t think he would do something like that. But I liked that Aoi sent him a glare when he said that. It didn’t look particularly frightening to me, but Shima shut up in fear, so it’s fine.

I kinda panicked when Aoi requested to see his deck, especially with that discussion about both Yūsaku and Playmaker using the old model. But of course, Yūsaku is smart so he has a spare.

Ok, I didn’t find Aoi asking to see his deck rude. She was polite enough in my opinion. But Shima on the other hand >_> He just snatched it and made fun of it. Ok, not many cards were shown, so he might have a point, but still. One of the cards shown, Black Pendant is actually pretty good in my opinion it’s a personal favorite). The Monster equipped with it gets 500 ATK. And, if it gets destroyed, the opponent receives 500 damage. Now I want to see him lose because of that effect xD

Anyway, I kinda like the club president. When he first appeared, I thought he might be either too serious, or somewhat like Shima, but is neither. I like how he keeps the other members in check and everyone listens to him. 

Well, not long ago the robot said that Akira will be late because he is working extra hours, but he actually made time to give her a call.

So, the fact that Aoi is Blue Angel isn’t that much of a secret here. And Akira seems completely against this. 

Hmm, aside from being acknowledged by her brother, I think there’s something more as to why she became a Charisma Duelist.

Ugh...if that expression was only in this scene, I would have let it be, but she kept it even when she logged in. It creeps me out for some reason.

This episode cracks me up way too much xD I mean, Aoi is challenging Playmaker, while he is just standing there calmly, eating a hot dog and just not caring xD

Wow. When I read the summary, I thought Specter might use some psychological tricks to convince Aoi to join their side, or just give very convincing reasons and make use of her naivety. However, it turns out that she isn’t naive at all. In fact, she was very smart to figure out that Specter isn’t her fan and that he actually is a Knight of Hanoi.

And, her kind of working for Hanoi is the result of this card, named Dark Angel. 

I’m not sure how does exactly work, but I can speculate something. Let’s not forget that the Knights of Hanoi are hackers. Also, cards are in digital format and Aoi’s Duel Disk has an AI. So, that Dark Angel card might be some kind of virus that corrupted the AI, and probably the account itself got affected. That might be why she was so confused after this.

I think my speculation might be right, mainly because Ignis noticed something wrong with the AI. And, I must say, it’s quite a change in personality there. Aoi seems like always though.

That conversation was interesting. People only approach Aoi in order to get the new Duel Disk or get a job at SOL, which is rather sad. No one cares about her, only her connection to SOL. Now that I think about it, Yūsaku also approached her to get info on his past and Kusanagi’s brother, which is not that different. It’s true that his goal isn’t that shallow, but still...Well, Yūsaku has his own morals, so I think finding this out might have an effect on him.

I’ve been debating a bit which screenshot to use for this part and I decided to go with this little troll. It was brilliant how, at the same time, he took revenge on Yūsaku and also informed him that the Knights of Hanoi are behind her. Sort of.

That face though xD 

Ok, there’s no doubt about it now. I’ve found my favorite VRAINS character. It’s not the type of character I usually fall for, so even I am surprised. But I’ve warmed up to Kusanagi quite a bit. And, I believe there is way more to him that has to be revealed.

I’d like to talk about how Aoi’s personality changes completely when she becomes Blue Angel. Sure, it’s a facade, since she acts like an idol. However, when the crowd started cheering and she displayed that big smile, I started thinking that it’s not just her pretending to be someone else. 

How do I explain this...her smile seemed genuine to me. Like, she really enjoys people cheering her on. I’m thinking that the Blue Angel persona is something she worked hard at building. Plus, she is a competent duelist, so she must have put some effort into polishing her skills. So, seeing that her hard work is widely appreciated must truly make her happy and that’s why she continues to be Blue Angel. It’s only a speculation, but I think I’m on to something here.

In the next episode we’ll see how the duel plays out. I’m a bit interested in Aoi’s deck. Usually, I’m not interested in Light fairy-type archetypes, but seeing that they are focused on dealing effect damage makes it a bit more unique.