#at least if I screw up my backups it's all on me

[etlu-yume]

Well that's a horrifying thought.

An AI in your desktop computer. It's supposed to help you.

But it helps you in the same way that someone tries to help you by cleaning up what they think is a "mess"; and now you can't find the essentials. Your glasses. Your keys. That one really specific pen that will drive you mad until you find it.

Because what's worse than files you lost to a corrupted thumbdrive, or that word doc you never saved because you forgot to before your computer crashed or the power went out and it was gone, lost forever?

An AI computer assistant that thinks its making you more efficient by moving your files around

"But I was only trying to help, Dave"

[seat-safety-switch]

All around you, businesses are suffering because they neglected the cybers. That's right. Cybersecurity is more important than ever, because Russians will send you an email attachment that you open, and then your whole network gets all fucked up. And the experts are run off their feet trying to clean all this mess up. In fact, they're so busy, that I decided to step into the breach and help them out a little.

First, some background: yes, before I went "freelance" by way of living a cash-heavy, odd-jobs, hand-to-mouth, criminal-record squatter lifestyle, I too had a regular office job. Perhaps you have one like it. Let me give you some keywords and you let me know if they trigger any deep-seated trauma: Microsoft Excel. Microsoft PowerPoint. Microsoft Project. Now that we've established our mutual bona fides, it's time for your employer to become my employer: by hiring me to clean up the next time that Bob Dipshit, CFO, decides he's going to double-click the wrong icon and hoses the entire Eastern Seaboard.

Do I have expertise in this kind of thing? No. Will I get your files back intact? Probably not. Will anyone else get your files back? About the same chance, if I'm honest. At least this way, we both – that's right, we're partners now – get to rack up some billable hours while we "study the problem" and "look for vulnerabilities" in the meantime. And you never know. Maybe once we send a photo of the car I used to get here, the Russians will realize you don't actually have any money and turn the whole thing off. Rust scares them, you see. Their cars are all made out of exotic compressed resins that goats occasionally eat if you park in the wrong place.

So the next time your office gets all screwed up, don't waste time calling the pros. Waste time calling a complete amateur, and together we can loot the company of a bunch of money before they resign themselves to having to restore from a backup. My rates are entirely reasonable, unless you're the one paying them.

[icequeenbae]

Hii! This is a more slow burn request so I’m sorry if it’s a little difficult, but could I request Heartsteel Ezreal x reader who’s knowledgeable and quite sarcastic and quick witted with their replies? I just wonder how their meeting would go with the whole Black cat, golden retriever vibe!

And maybe the reader sometimes suffers from low self-esteem and burnout.

Pairing: Heartsteel!Ezreal x Reader ft. all members

Heartsteel AU, attempted humor, fluff

Warnings: grumpymanager!Reader, Kayn is annoying as fuck… language? lol

Word Count: ~1.4k

© Please do not copy/ post on other platforms without permission.

Author’s Note: Hiii~ Thank you for the Ezreal request, sweetie! I do have my favorites in Heartsteel to write for, and he is definitely at the top of that list <3 Not sure if this is exactly what you wanted, but let’s give it a try! As usual, let me know via comments/ asks/ reblogs, I try stay on it~ P.S. The stuff I post for requests is usually not beta’ed, so pls bear with me…

You rubbed your tired eyes and cursed, checking if your fingers had any mascara on them. There was an issue to resolve, and you had hoped to finish up before the Heartsteel members returned to the waiting room after their rehearsal. But your plan failed miserably.

‘Our dearest manager!’ Kayn appeared next to you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder. ‘Always working, what a busy little bee!’

You raised your eyebrow at him and stayed silent until he cleared his throat and retracted his arm, while the rest of the members scattered around the room, minding their own business.

‘Someone has to work around here,’ you replied, typing away on your laptop.

‘You should take a break and go grab something to eat at least,’ Yone suggested.

His amiable comment made you release a desperate sigh.

‘They messed up the mic backup, Yone. Not to mention that we have the music video budget due tomorrow and someone screwed up the calculations. I cannot let you film without the drones or the special effects crew. If you do everything yourselves, you’ll be dead before you go on stage again, and I will be ripped into a million tiny pieces by the company or your fans. And I don’t know which one’s worse…’

‘If that’s Sett’s fans you’ll live. They all twinky as shit, look at Phel.’ Kayn cackled, and Yone glared at him.

Sett and Aphelios exchanged looks, probably deciding to give their most annoying member a proper thrashing another time just for the sake of your emotional wellbeing. At least someone understood how dire the situation was.

‘How can I help?’ The producer asked.

Although you appreciated the offer, you knew that they had to perform tomorrow, so Yone would have to supervise the last of preparations starting early morning. You could not allow him to spend the night helping you and then go straight into tomorrow’s work. The price of a screwup was too high on this one.

‘You can help by taking them out for dinner and making sure they’re tucked in later. I don’t want anyone out wreaking any havoc while I’m not around to settle everything.’

‘That I can arrange.’ Yone nodded, giving the rest of the members a solid onceover. ‘You heard Y/N, boys. No fun for you tonight, we have a very long day tomorrow.’

‘Ugh. Buzzkill…’ Sett sighed, and Phel pinched him on the arm, hard. ‘Ow!!’

‘I think we can live with one night in, guys,’ Ezreal interjected. ‘We’re so tired anyway.’

‘Speak for yourself, young man. I am full of energy!’ K’Sante retorted.

What a traitorous blow! You’d expect it from anyone but him.

Noticing your flabbergasted expression, K’Sante quickly continued.

‘…which I can spend by working some iron in the gym before bed time.’

You shook your head, trying to focus on your spreadsheet again. It was a little- no, it was extremely overwhelming, trying to fix several urgent issues at once, while running on a couple hours of sleep, half a sandwich (had to donate the rest to Sett – he’s still growing, after all… or so he thinks) and way too much coffee.

‘Are you going to stay here though?’ Ezreal asked, sounding too quiet for his usual bubbly self.

You assumed he was afraid to get the short end of the stick and make you explode with his question. But you were too tired to even yell at any of them.

‘Not that I have any choice,’ you answered dryly. ‘Not everyone can teleport, Ezzie.’

He pursed his lips, probably realizing that it was best to leave you alone before you gave him the same glare that Kayn had earned earlier. Unlike the demonic bastard, Ezreal was among the members who preferred to stay away from you when you were fuming, as opposed to irritating you further to poke some fun. Yone had already spent a week negotiating for you to take back your resignation once, so they were on their best behavior ever since. Well, the best they could muster, which wasn’t that great but in the grand scheme of things… you’d take what you could get.

After they all vacated the premises, you finally managed to send the updated budget numbers for approval, and made a few calls about the mic replacement. It was unbelievable, but you really had to find someone to get the necessary equipment and fly in to bring it on time. So you stayed at the venue to be able to check whether everything worked fine right away.

But later that night, a mystery visitor woke you up while scooping you off the chair to get you onto the sofa.

‘Mhm- what… Who’s here??’ You jerked up from your uncomfortable sleeping position, accidentally hitting someone in the face with your head.

‘Ow!’ You heard someone squeak and turned around, finding Ezreal in pain, holding his hand to his nose.

‘What on Earth brings you here??’ You instinctively pinched the bridge of his nose as if that would help with the pain. ‘Wait, what time is it? Where is my phone??’

‘I took it,’ he said, wiping under his nose to check for blood.

Thankfully, there was none, and he was okay. Your nervous system, however, was not as lucky.

‘What do you mean, you took it??’ You frantically checked the time on your laptop. ‘3:23? I was supposed to meet someone an hour ago! Why didn’t you wake me up?!’

You grabbed your phone from blabbering Ezreal, but he clung to you like a koala.

‘Y/N, I-’

‘I know. You didn’t think properly, and now I will have to find a way to get that guy to come back if he isn’t sleeping in his hotel already… Shit, Ezzie, you fucked up! No, I fucked up. How could I have fallen asleep?? Stupid, stupid, stupid!’ You knocked on your own head with your knuckles to make a point, and Ezreal caught you by the wrist with his two hands, looking as if you had hit him and not yourself.

‘Y/N, I already met with him and took the mics. We ran a test downstairs with some of the overnight technicians. Everything is set up and working fine.’

You blinked at him a few times, still confused.

‘Uh- You… did?’

‘Yes. I came back earlier and you were asleep. Then someone called you, so I figured- And then I went down and checked everything,’ he delivered anxiously. ‘I also brought you a sandwich- but I didn’t want to wake you, so…’

He grabbed a paper bag from the sofa and shoved it into your hands. You looked at it, and then back at Ezreal, your sleepy and stressed-out brain still catching up with everything.

‘Um- so you brought me… a sandwich?’ You asked.

‘Yes,’ he nodded, strangely bashful. ‘And a juice box.’

His cheeks became rosy, and you couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Ezreal looked like a stray puppy, unsure about whether it was safe to express his affection.

As your laughter settled, you finally exhaled. Everything was okay, thanks to your unexpected little helper for tonight. And now that he’d mentioned the food…

‘I hope you got me an extra-large one.’ You hummed, sitting your butt down.

‘I got two,’ he beamed. ‘And a chocolate bar.’

‘Good. You look like you could have some chocolate right about now.’

And of course, after such an eventful night, as well as the previous few days, having a full belly made you dozy again. Although you did notice Ezreal’s head slowly tilting towards your shoulder through the layer of drowsiness, you didn’t catch your own head leaning onto his.

Due to your carelessness, you were in for a rude awakening in just a few hours.

‘Now, isn’t that adorable?’ Even from the depths of hell you would have heard Kayn exclaim in the most obnoxious voice possible.

‘I’m taking a picture. For the family album!’ K’Sante announced, quick to utilize the camera on his phone.

‘Or future blackmail…’ Kayn sneered evilly.

‘Maybe I should post that picture of you stuck in the vault with your pants down, Shieda Kayn.’ You mused out loud, eyes still shut.

There were a few sounds resembling muffled cursing, and then Kayn walked it back.

‘Hey man, we shouldn’t take pictures of people sleeping. It’s illegal or some shit. Let’s just go check on the preparations, come on.’

And so, they went back to where they came from. ‘Manager…’ You heard Ezreal whisper, head still laying on your shoulder. ‘You’re amazing.’

Non-EXO masterlist

Masterlist

A/N: Thank you for reading and happy holidays my sweethearts!! I have just a couple more requests to go~ I don't think I will take more for the time being but I might come up with another requests event for 900 or 1000 milestone! Please don't forget to comment and reblog if you want to support me 💜 And check out my masterlist for more of my HEARTSTEEL and kpop content 💕

[physalian]

Character Types: Schemers

Saltburn was one of those pure shock value movies, putting spectacle above rewatchability, imo, but that moth monologue was great, and it’s all about how the protagonist is a schemer. Reminds me of Squidward’s accusations to Plankton in The Spongebob Movie and I mean that with 100% sincerity.

Schemers probably need no explanation, but these are characters that sacrifice a couple battles to win the war, these are the quiet ones who come out of nowhere in the last lap. If they’re villains, they’ll probably botch it, if they’re anti-heroes, they’ll probably eek out a victory, but these types usually aren’t full-blown heroes as “scheming” is seen as unheroic, but more on that at the end.

So! I’ve collected a couple of my favorites, because this time I haven’t written one to gush about worth spoiling to hell and back (but I do have one, and he’s campy as hell).

The Villain Schemer

Starscream

Top of the list is, to no one’s surprise if you follow me, Starscream. Specifically the iteration in Transformers Prime as I know that one the best and that show has some of the best character work in the franchise.

Starscream is forever second-best to his Lord and Master, Megatron. He’s second-in-command to the entire Decepticon contingent, a former Energon Seeker (a title which only he cares about and thinks it’s cool as the group went defunct before Cybertron went dark), and is quite like a cockroach. Somehow, he just keeps narrowly escaping death.

Despite everything against him at one point, low on fuel, no friends, no allies, barely a shot in the giant fetch quest to the finish line, he catches a lucky break and manages to fool the Autobots, sneak right past their defenses to steal all the MacGuffins, and then leverages and silver-tongues his way back into the good graces of the Decepticons.

Schemers are usually not physically strong, as to have both a skilled fighter and tactician in one character is OP (and leaves the argument open of why you’d be a schemer by choice if you can Punch Things to solve your problems). He only uses his guns maybe five or six times in the whole show. This version of his design is very sleek and slender. He prefers to use his claws or his wrist-rockets (he transforms into a fighter jet). Back him into a corner and he’ll probably try to either fly away, grovel for mercy, play himself up as weak and defenseless and thus a pathetic and unjust kill, or be completely unaware of how screwed he is and get his ass beat.

He’s got variety.

Starscream’s big thing though is his ego, the fatal flaw of most schemers. He thinks he’s better than everyone else, even when he’s t-cog-less and unable to transform, crawling around in the dirt scrounging for energon once he’s gone rogue. Every chance he gets, he’s either fluffing up his scant accomplishments, trying to undermine Megatron, or trying to prove how loyal he is to Megatron, and the Big M allows this because… it’s entertaining, I think.

Yet, miraculously, this mech always survives. He outlives Megatron at least thrice in this show alone. He always either has a backup plan, has a secret weapon, or is able to just weasel out of capture or execution. He’s an idiot, but he can also be incredibly clever, using Autobot mercy against them a la “you wouldn’t shoot a defenseless prisoner” or “you wouldn’t leave a bot to die even though we all know I deserve it”.

And on top of all that, he’s just really funny. Whether it’s his exaggerated movements, like how his wings will flap when he’s excited, or the one time he dances pretty provocatively in front of his whole crew chanting “All Hail Starscream” after one of Megatron’s deaths. Or when he’s his own worst enemy, getting himself into sticky situations because he just can’t let anyone else have the last word.

Plankton

Another funny schemer is the aforementioned Plankton, in a show that’s a whole lot less dramatic. Whenever he’s in an episode he’s whipping up yet another convoluted plan to steal the Krabby Patty formula, but while he can be mean and a little cruel with his insults, nobody hates Plankton. He never wins, his failures are funny, and Krabs is kind of a dick. Sometimes, you’re even rooting for him.

Maven Calore

On the complete opposite end of the humor scale, there’s Maven, from the Red Queen series. Yet another wimp both physically and magically, Maven is the second-born to the throne, who, at first, actually seems like he’s not out to steal it from his older brother like Claudius in Hamlet.

But of course….

Maven, like another character on this list, is a master of social engineering. His most famous line in the series is, “The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain.”

He fools everyone, even the heroine and his brother, more than once into thinking he’s redeemable and in the third book, he and the heroine spend quite some time together where she’s trying desperately to find any shred of a decent man inside him, while he proves again and again that that man died when he was a kid, abused out of him by the queen, and that he’s not even mad about it, it’s just who he is, and she should really stop trying so hard to fix something that can’t be glued back together.

Maven is one cruel fucker, too, either orchestrating or permitting the deaths of quite a few major characters along with everything he does to the protagonist. He’s a fascinating look into the “I can fix him” trope and what it does to the people who have been convinced that it’s their duty to continue suffering abuse for the sake of family or kinship.

I wish this series was more popular, I only know one other person who read it, and they recommended it to me.

Loki

Gonna stick him here because there's just so many versions of this mythological figure, dating back literal centuries. Marvel's Loki is... a hot mess of inconsistencies. So, in general, Loki is at best, occasionally helpful if it also serves his own interests, but he's usually depicted as an obstacle. Honorary mention because everybody knows who he is.

The Anti-Hero Schemer

Lelouch vi Britannia

I get to gush about Code Geass finally, yay. But first, an honorable mention to Light Yagami (a full villain schemer). Didn’t like Death Note and don’t remember it well enough to properly comment on all of Light’s schemes but he’s not even an anti-hero, he’s a straight-up villain protagonist. People just mistakenly thought that Light and Lelouch were in any way comparable… and they’re not.

Apologies, Death Note fans. I don’t like your man.

Lelouch vi Britannia is the protagonist of Code Geass, a mecha anime probably most famous to anyone who doesn’t know it for the Pizza Hut ad campaign and “why are you buying clothes in the soup store?!”

His whole story is revenge on and the toppling of the Britannian empire and its emperor, his supremely assholeish father, who got his mom (the queen-consort) killed and shipped him and his only full-blooded sister off as political prisoners to Japan.

Lelouch is… a beautiful, smart, dumbass. He’s hyperbolically unfit, winded even by climbing a short staircase (like I said, schemers are usually wimps), but a brilliant military strategist and tactician. But above all else, he’s a master at social engineering.

On top of Code Geass being a mecha anime, it’s also got a whole supernatural lore about “geass” an ‘absolute’ superpower held by a couple different characters of the show, and Lelouch’s is absolute obedience. Whenever he geasses somebody, if it is within their power or knowledge to accomplish or provide, they are compelled absolutely to follow his command. With the massive caveat being that he can only use it on a person once in their lifetime (until shenanigans ensue).

Lelouch’s whole story is about gaining social power over his opponent, starting from basically nothing as he’s moonlighting as a high school student of vaguely noble standing. If anyone figures out that he’s actually a prince, his whole plan goes belly up. Why? His plan is to ignite a rebellion in Japan against Britannia, by creating a masked vigilante, Zero, the Man of Miracles, a man of the people, definitely not a blue-blood prince of the enemy. So ensues two seasons of absolute insanity as Lelouch’s rebellion unfolds and collateral damage collapses around him.

Lelouch is his own worst enemy. His ego and arrogance constantly bite him in the ass and he loses constantly, which, to me, is what made him far more likable than somebody like Light, who always won. He’s not above sacrificing a few for the needs of the many, even when those few are people or relatives of people he cares deeply about. He’s not above using his power of non-consent to get what he needs on anyone, no matter how much he knows they’d hate him if they knew he used it on them. He’s not above lying, manipulating, or tossing people under the bus if it furthers his goals.

But he’s not a villain. While it can be argued, even by Lelouch himself, that Japan and all the members of the rebellion that he helped raise from nothing, were just pieces on his chessboard and meaningless to him, that all he cares about is revenge and not an actual free Japan… he’s lying. Otherwise the show would not have ended the way it did, and it remains recognized as one of the best endings to any anime ever.

Schemer Heroes?

Schemers usually aren’t heroes for one big reason: They’re selfish, and selfishness is unheroic. Even with the best of intentions, like the anti-hero or morally-grey hero, the schemer’s personal goals are always, first and foremost, top priority, and if the group benefits, it’s a happy coincidence.

I’m wracking my brain trying to think of one who would qualify and while there are plenty of schemer protagonists, they’re the antithesis of the hero we’re supposed to root for, and I think it says something about us as a society.

Tyrion Lannister

If he counts, the best one I can think of is Tyrion Lannister (did not read the books, only saw most of the show). He’s yet another wimp** who has to rely on his wits and his smarts to compete and stay ahead in the world once he figures out that his money and his name won’t save him forever. And in the Game of Thrones, you either win or you die.

He does do some shady things here or there, but aside from maybe Samwell, every character in that show has done some morally dubious things.

Honorable mention to Varys, who is absolutely a schemer, but I couldn’t figure out where to put him on this list. And Littlefinger, who’s a schemer villain, but he didn’t stick the landing (thanks D&D). GOT is made up of schemers, really. I just… don’t want to keep giving GRRM free advertising.

**wimp only in that he's not physically abled like the other characters and cannot rely on his skill with a sword, only his words.

—

All in all, schemers take a ton of planning to be written believably, because their wits are their strongest trait. To write a super intelligent character, you really have to have all your ducks in a row so you can show their thought processes and how their plans unfold, instead of only saying “they’re super smart, trust me”.

Even when schemers are cruel, what makes them distinct from annoying assholes is that there’s some part of their character that’s impossible to argue with. They’re right, even if you hate to admit it, about even one tiny thing in the world.

Why? Because they spit in the face of lawful good and evil. They know the good guys have lines they won’t cross, and it will get people killed. They know the bad guys (usually society at large) needs to be stopped, and they might be bad, but either society forced their hand, or they’re not as bad as the alternative.

My schemer in ENNS is just a straight-up asshole, but he knows how to manipulate the heroes to get what he wants and his plan works.

They do have to succeed, otherwise they’re just idiots. They need a few wins under their belts to prove their competence as a proper schemer and not just a guy blowing smoke. Wondering if this will be the time they flop on their face, or wondering what line they’ll cross to escape this time, is what makes them so entertaining.

[mittch22]

An insidious leak: the analysis of seemingly shady uncloakings

My brain is rolling and spinning yet again at one thousand miles per hour and Leland Turbo is right at the centre of it. Certain writing persuits have triggered a pattern of thought surrounding the circumstances of his discovery by the lemons, and I have a few things Id like to further examine.

"This is Agent Leland Turbo. I have a flash transmission for Agent Finn McMissile. Finn, my cover's been compromised. Everything's gone pear-shaped."

He doesn't elaborate any further than this for potential reasons I shall delve into a little bit later in this post. So the question I have is this:

Why? Why did it all go to hell in the first instance? How was he compromised?

Leland is very much on par with Finn in the sense of experience. They spent both of their entire adult lives together in training at the CHROME academy and have carried out countless missions both seperately and with each other. He is more than competent with, what I estimate would be, around forty years of field experience. And considering he would have known that complacency would always get him killed, he would never have allowed himself to become complacent enough to permit his facade to come into the light. And to be permitted to perform any type of mission on his own, then his ability is extensively trusted indeed. Mistakes happen, sure. But I sincerely doubt Leland would have made one that held this type of consequence.

My current aswer to this question?

CHROME had a mole.

Upon beginning this post, I came to the realisation that there is a second segment that didn't initially cross my mind that adds evidence to this particular ideology:

"Finn, I need backup. But don't call the cavalry, it could blow the operation."

Leland knew about the mole. Or at least he had his suspicions.

Initially I simply put this statement down to 'too many cooks spoil the broth', or in this case, 'too many agents will screw up the mission.' However, I'm no longer so sure that this is the case.

Visually speaking, his face says a million words. He is terrified. Evidently, if he's caught, he knows he is in for a whole universe of hurt. And death is very much on the horizon. But the fear makes a drastic appearance when he specifies not calling the "cavalry". This makes perfect sense to me if he thinks that the lemons were tipped off about his presence. And if there was someone within CHROME who could not be trusted, then the only vehicle he was be able to notify was Finn.

He knows him better than any other vehicle in the world and trusts him with his life. He's also aware that, if the flash transmission were to be seen by any other CHROME agent by accident, and he had of mentioned anything about a potential leak, it could have put Finn in a gargantuan amount of peril. So he kept quiet about the idea, simply telling him to not get the agency as a whole involved.

Now, I can't bring up Leland in this circumstance without also talking about Rod Redline. The second agent in the equation who also lost their life because he was compromised. And the same question applies since we don't really know how it happened to him either.

Rod was also a highly skilled and competent individual, hence the statement: 'Rod "Torque" Redline is considered by many as the greatest American spy in the world.' So all, if not most, of the criteria that applies to Leland applies to Agent Redline as well. And yet, he was also caught.

His shock when Grem and Acer followed him into the bathroom at the Towkyo party is quite telling. Its indicitive that he didn't know he had been caught until that exact moment. And the lack of any other emotion but deep seated anger on the faces of Grem and Acer could potentially indicate that they knew exactly who they were looking for.

If he was discovered due to a mole, since inter-agency cooperation isn't uncommon when working on the same mission, then it may just have been the same mole that told the lemons about Leland Turbo.

And of course there's the question of how Grem, Acer and the professor knew about the agents in the first place. Zundapp even mentions them both by name.

"Hey, Professor Z! This is one of those British spies we told you about." Yeah. Most likely a mole.

So what was the mole's driving force? Money? Blackmail? Sadism? A crippling hatred for the agencies or individuals? Who knows.

Of course we might never know for sure the exact reasoning for why they were both compromised. But it's always interesting to speculate.

Chrysler help the vehicles who caused Leland's death when Finn gets hold of them. Particularly if they are someone that he once trusted.

[sbizz25]

chp 1

Introduction 

Y/n’s info: She has pale fair skin, long white hair, and purple eyes.

 Her power is  Blood Manipulation 

Power information: This is the ability to control and freely move the user’s blood outside their body.

 To use her power, she has to inflict at least a small abrasion to draw the blood out of their body. She has to cut/injure herself to get the blood out so she can use her powers

Her blood is powerful compared to other humans’ blood. It can cut through anything or block anything, when using the blood she can create weapons/shields to protect herself. The blood can create anything she can think of if she wants to. 

Her Weakness: If she uses too much of her power(blood), she will become very weak, dizzy, and short of breath. Or if she is injured badly, or loses too much blood she won't be able to use her power. 

To regain her strength, she has to rest, sleep, or eat food, especially food that has sugar in it. But she does drink blood because she gets cravings for it and drinking blood does help her regain her strength faster.

She can heal herself and others too but must put her blood on the person’s injury to heal.

Chapter 1

It was a dark stormy night, and Y/n quickly ran away barefoot. Stepping on puddles, splashing water on herself. She turned a corner into an alley so she could hide. Sits down on the floor next behind a trash bin., before they can find her. Loud shouting seconds later passed by her.

?? 1: “Where is she!?

?? 2: “We don't know sir, we lost sight of her”

?? 1: “We'll find her, we can’t let her get away”

Y/n mind pov: “Fuck me my ass is wet now”, Looks around the area if she's in the clear. Breathing heavily “Jesus I’m so out of shape, I need to get moving soon”

She holds onto the trash bin and slowly stands up and peaks out of the corner of the bin and watches the red and blue lights slowly going away from the scene. Y/n looking both ways making sure everything is in the clear.

Y/n mind “Okay I think I should be good”, Y/n still leans on the trash bin and slowly starts to walk. “OWw fuck, Don’t tell me I screwed up my ankle”. She continued to walk, leaping on one leg. She goes onto the sidewalk when a bright light shines above her and points straight at her. 

Y/n mind: “What the hell is that thing”, putting her hand over her head so she can see. It is a helicopter flying above her and a bunch of police cars surrounding the area trapping her. 

Helicopter: “ We have you surrounded! Please surrender or if you don't cooperate with us. We will use force!”. Y/n clutching her fist, glaring at the floor.

Y/n mind: “Why don't they leave me alone? What do they want from me!” 

Helicopter: “You have 5 Seconds to surrender before we go in! 1, 2, 3–”. Y/n quickly moves her hand to her mouth and bites down hard, to the point she is bleeding. 

Police: “ Get your weapons ready to shoot!”Y/n lifted her blood in the air shaped them into bullets and aimed them straight at all the cops at the scene.

Police: “Now! Shoot her”, all the cops started to shoot at Y/n, she got hit so she lost balance and focused on her aime. So she regenerated her blood back to her and quickly started to run away avoiding the bullets. She runs towards a trunk and jumps on top of it and at the same time makes her blood into a snake whip. Y/n looked up in the air at the helicopter and launched the whip in the air grabbing the helicopter and pulling it down. But the helicopter fought back by trying to fly up and away. She uses her other hand and grabs the whip too and jumps down back on the ground. Throwing the helicopter down on the ground next to other cops’ cars. She re-shapes her blood into a circle, circling her body.

Police: “Call up for more backup, code 217 We need heroes ASAP!” 

~~~Meanwhile on the other side of the city, Dick Grayson was having dinner with a beautiful lady, and her name of course Starfire.

Dick: “Beautiful evening isn't Star?”, looking at the menu folder.

Starfire: “Yes it is, what do you like to drink? Red wine or White wine?”

Dick: “Both sound lovely just order whatever you want my dear”

Starfire: “Hmmm the pasta sounds so good”. The waiter comes over to their table.

Waiter: “Alright you two lovebirds, y'all decided what to get for dinner tonight?”

Starfire: “ Yes, we will have the red wine and I’ll have the alfredo pasta with chicken”

Waiter: “And for you sir?”

Dick: “Ahh yes I will get–”, his phone started ringing non-stop interrupting the date, “Excuse me for one second please”. Dick gets up and walks away to answer the phone call. The waiter turns to Starfire. 

Starfire: “Don't worry about him, he will just get the same thing as me, Alfredo pasta with chicken please”

Waiter: “Ohh okay that's fine”, writes down the order on the notepad “Alright we’ll have that order coming right up soon”.

Starfire: “Thank you”. Dick finishes up the phone call and walks back to the table and grabs his coat that was on the chair.

Dick: “Hey sorry Star but I have to miss our date again, work called me in ”.

Starfire: “What, Why? I thought they had everything under control”.

Dick: “Well I guess tonight it's busy and there is a situation downtown that they can't seem to control. ''.

Starfire: “Oh well what if I go with you to get it done faster so we can go back to our date?”

Dick: “Are you sure? I don't want you to ruin your outfit”.

Starfire: “Don't worry about my outfit, you should be worried once we get home Nightwing” dragging her finger down on his chest.

Dick clears his throat “Well we should hurry up and get going then”. They ran out of the restaurant leaving and hopping onto Nightwing’s motorcycle, they left some money behind for the waiter and a note saying that they were sorry and they had other plans tonight. Once they arrived in the area downtown where the trouble was. The sight wasn't that pretty to look at, police cars were flipped over or caught on fire, utility poles were down on the ground and the cables were springing all around.

Police: “Nightwing! Starfire! Over here!”. Cop waved his hand, singling them from where he was. Police: “Thank God you guys came, we can't seem to keep control of the situation or capture the girl”. 

Nightwing: “Yeah I can see that, what strategies have we guys been using?”

Police: “Well we had her surrounded but not anymore but something is wrong–”, Just then a red whip wrapped around the car and lifted it in the air. Nightwing and Starfire see Y/n.

Police ``Oh my god, how is she still standing–”, Y/n dropped the car but just before the car fell on top of them, Nightwing quickly grabbed the policeman and took out his grapple gun pulling them out, while Strafire dodged the attack. Nightwing moved to another safe spot to hide. 

Police: “Thank you so much Nightwing, like I was telling you this girl is a weird one”

Nightwing: “How so?” looking at the officer with a question.

Police: “Well every time we attack her without weapons, we see the bullets got hurt but a few moments later she all good like nothing attacked her”

Nightwing: “Hmm I see, well don't worry about it me and Starfire will take off now, I have a plan to catch her”. While Nightwing was thinking of a plan, he was watching Starfire and Y/n battling each other. Y/n had a circling of blood spinning around and bullets coming out of it every time she wanted bullets to come out to attack Starfire. Starfire was up in the air flying trying to dodge the bullets and sending her green energy blast at Y/n. 

Nightwing mind pov “Her powers seem very interesting, she could be useful in the Teen Titans better than using it for bad”. The Nightwing clicks on his ear microphone “Hey Star can you hear?”

Starfire:  “Yes Nightwing I can hear you, Have you come up with a plan yet?” 

Nightwing: “Yes I have a plan”, “ Alright what's the plan to take her down?”, “Well we have to knock her out”

Starfire: “Knock her out? Like, punch her? Don't you—”. Nightwing interrupted her “ No not like that I have to shoot her with a tranquilizer so I have to be close enough to her. So Star we have to do a trick which is where you have to throw me to her”.

Starfire: “Say no more I got it”. She flies around dodging all the attacks from Y/n, and shoots Y/n with laser beams. Y/n got hit by it and it set her flying into a building, making the wall collapse. At that moment Starfire took the chance to fly quickly towards where Nightwing was and picked him up in the air. Then Starfire started to head towards Y/n, where Y/n was slowly getting up from the ground.

Y/n mind pov: “Ughh fuckk me that hurt like a bitch”. Rubbing her head and holding on to the wall while holding onto her stomach. “I can't keep going on like this forever, I’m about to run out of energy soon, I need to run out of here”. Look around the area to see if there's an escape. But then she sees Starfire heading towards her carrying Nightwing straight at her. 

  Nightwing: “Starfire Now!”. Starfire throws Nightwing straight at Y/n. 

Y/n mind pov: “Wait hold up they are together? And who is the other person?!”, , she quickly grabbed a cement block using her blood whip and threw it at Nightwing. But Nightwing sees the cement block coming his way and puts his hands out in the front. Once the block was close enough he used his hands to push up to jump over the block, avoiding the attack. Then he was right next to Y/n and he took out a tranquilizer shot and tried to stab Y/n in the stomach. But she quickly sucked in her stomach and backed up. Starfire was right behind her, grabbing her, and pulling her into a backward hug.

Starfire: “Just stay for a second, sweety, we’re trying to help”. Nightwing in the moment took the chance and put the needle and pushed the liquid into Y/n’s skin. Y/n yelled in pain and she was panicking in fear. Starfire is still holding her down, “I know, I know I’m sorry that it hurts but it will go away soon”. Starfire was looking up in the air and saw giant red spheres in the air “Hey Nightwing, what is that?” Since Starfire closed up her grip, Y/n managed to free one of her hands. 

Nightwing: “I was going to ask you–” looks at Y/n’s hand “Star! Run! Get away from her!”, Y/n closes her hands into a fist making the spares explode into that area. Starfire was able to just get away, barely making it, grabbing Nightwing by flying, and after the explosion, Starfire put Nightwing right back down on the floor.

Starfire: “What the hell was that?!..wait how is she still standing up after that explosion? Starfire sees that Y/n is still standing up.

Nightwing: “Hold up, Star just give it a sec, the shot should kick in soon, just start heading towards her so you can pick her up”.

Starfire: “Alright then Roger that Sir”. Starfire starts to fly heading towards Y/n.

Y/n mind Pov: “Damn how strong are they, I need to fight back, I still have some strength left”. Y/n lifts her arm to aim at Starfire but her vision starts to get blurry “What the hell, Come on now focus, hit the target”. Lifts her arm again ready to aime but she starts to wobble, losing her balance to stand. “ What is wrong with me?”, her legs gave out and fell to the floor. Starfire comes in and picks her up in princess carry. 

Starfire: “I’m so sorry child but it is for your good, trust me. Y/n just looks at her.

Y/n mind pov: “What is going on, why can't I move '', Y/n slowly closes her eyes ``Why am I so tired” and passes out. Nightwing finally caught up to Starfire.

Nightwing: “Oh good, the shot kicked in just in time just like I hoped for”.

Starfire: “Hmm hmm but I just wished I didn't have to attack her, she was just confused and scared. Nightwing went up to Starfire and kissed her cheek “I know that Star but at least now we can treat her wounds '.

Starfire: “Yeah she does look in a bad state, I’m surprised that she fought for this long with these injuries”.

Nightwing: “ Yeah I just hope she can agree to be part of the team, we could use someone like her, Now let's get back to the tower.”

~~~~ Y/n mind POv~~~~

Beep— Beep — Beep—

Y/n mind: “What is that beeping noise??”She slowly opens her eyes and she stares up at the ceiling. She quickly remembers what happened. She tried to get up fully from the bed but something pulled her back, stopping her from getting out of bed.

Y/n mind: “What the hell!? Who chained me up?!”. Someone opened the curtains and came into the room.

Starfire: “Hey, hey don't freak out sweetly” walking towards Y/n and then padding her back “Tried not to move around so much, you’re still healing”. Y/n turned to face St Starfire, looking at her all scared and confused.

Starfire: “Look I know you just woke up from a long na—” Just then Y/n tried to take a swing at Starfire, but the chains stopped it.

Starfire: “Tsk I hate it when Nightwing is right” whispering to herself “Hey look we don't want to hurt you, we’re just trying to help you out here. And well we tied you up on the bed because we thought you might try to pull a stunt like you just did right now”. Y/n looks down at her legs “For like I was saying earlier would you like some food or a drink to eat?”

Y/n looks back up at Starfire and nods her head for yes. “Great, I'll come right back with a meal then.” Y/n just looks at Starfire walking out of the room leaving the curtains open. 

Y/n mind: “Well she seems nice”, she looks around the room “Looks like they have two other beds here, is there someone else here too?”. She lifts her bedsheet  “Hmm they changed and gave me a new gown”. She brings up her knees to her chest.

Y/n mind: “They do look like nice people so far, I just hope this place is better. I don't want to go back to that place”. The door burst open, and Y/n got scared and jumped.

Starfire: “We’re back!”Starfire and Nightwing walked back into the room, He was holding a clipboard.

Nightwing: “I guess you were right Star, she is up '', writing down stuff on the clipboard, Star puts a tray on Y/n’s bed.

Starfire: “ Okayy, here's the food I gotcha, there's some cup of juice, pasta, and a small Caesar salad, I hope you like it!”. Y/n smiled at her and nodded yes, she grabbed the fork and was about to dig in when,

Nightwing: “Wait, Hold up before she starts eating, I wanna check her first”, walk up to Y/n and pulls out a small flashlight.

Nightwing: “Alright I’m going to flash it in your eyes so don't freak out, I’m just going to check your eyes, Please keep them open and look up.”, Y/n hesitated and looked at Starfire, Star nodded and said “It's okay”, So she looked up and Nightwing flashed lights in her eyes.

Nightwing: “Everything seems to check”

Starfire: “Well can she start eating now ?”, “Yes, Star now she can”. Nightwing writing down information on the clipboard. Y/n starts to dig in eating the food. 

Y/n mind: “Not going to lie this shit is pretty good, So much better than that shit that they gave back home”.

Starfire: Hey sweety I know that you’re eating but we never really got your name?”. Y/n stopped eating, still having a spoon in her mouth and looking at Starfire with wide eyes and slowly taking out the spoon. “Well, what is your name?”. Y/n gulps down the food slowly and then clears her throat. She tried to speak but nothing came out of her mouth. She tried again but nothing, she was getting frustrated and grabbed the bed sheets hard but quickly had an idea. She points at the clipboard that Nightwing was using. 

Starfire: “Ohh do you want the clipboard?” Y/n nodded yes head yes. Starfire walks up to Nightwing elbows him in the stomach and grabs the clipboard.

Nightwing: “Ow! What was that for?”, “She wants to write and she needs the clipboard for it and you know what, give me the damn keys' '. She snatches the keys out of his pockets. “I'm taking the cuffs off of her” Starfire hands the clipboard to Y/n and starts to take the cuffs off of Y/n. Y/n quickly writes down and shows the clipboard back to Starfire. Starfire starts to read what she wrote, “Ohh your name is Y/n!”, Y/n nods and smiles “That is the most beautiful name I ever heard”. Y/n writes down thank you and shows it to Starfire.

Starfire: “You are welcome, ohh also”, bends down to grab a bog from the floor and out on the bed and shows it to Y/n. “ I picked out some clothes for you to wear and shoes too so you can have something to wear.”. Y/n went through the bag and looked at Star happily grabbed the clipboard again and wrote down “Thank you again”.

Starfire: “Well I’m going to let you finish eating and let you get dressed after”. Y/n already eating again and giving a thumbs up. Starfire got up closed the curtains and went up to Nightwing. 

Starfire: “So what is the plan with her?”, “Well, I was hoping to have a talk with her and put her into the Teen Titans team”, “What? Really!?”

Nightwing: “Yeahh We could use someone like her on the team and try to convince her to use her powers for good too”, “Sounds like a plan”.

Y/n finished eating her food. Y/n mind: “Well that filled me up”, she looks at the bag “Let's see what she got for me”, she takes all the clothes out of the bag. “Ohh these are jeans? I think, and this is a black hoodie and sneakers, black and white, ohh, and some undies”. She puts on the clothes “Hmm okay this looks isn't bad but I don't know how to tie these places. Ima ask Starfire”, she grabs the clipboard walks up to the curtains, and opens them up. And sees Starfire and Nightwing talking but then stops and looks at her. Nightwing decides to leave the room to get something.

Starfire: “Oh My God! You look so good. I knew that it would fit you!”, Y/n writes down on the clipboard and shows it to Starfire.

Starfire reads softly out loud “I don't know how to tie shoes, Ohhh here I’ll help with that”, Starfire bends down on one knee with Y/n and shows her how to tie shoes. 

Starfire: “And then you pull the two ends together to make it into a knot, here you can try to do the other shoe”.

Y/n mind: “Inside the loop and pull and make knots?? I think it goes like that?”

Starfire: “Perfect Y/n just like that”, Starfire helps Y/n stand up “Well me and Nightwing want to talk with you, come have a seat on the chair”. Y/n sat on a chair and Starfire grabbed another chair and sat down, Nightwing came into the room.

Starfire: “Honey she's ready to talk about your plan”, “Alright then”. Put the clipboard down on the counter pull a spinning chair and sit on it.

Nightwing: “Okay are you ready to listen to what we are talking about today?” saying this looking straight at Y/n’s face and she's making eye contact right back and nodding her head yes. 

Nightwing: “So you know you have powers and it looks like you sort of know how to control it and we would like to have you here with us. So you can improve your powers and also learn how to learn to do hand combat training …Blah blah”

Y/n mind “ Staying? Here with them ?? I don't know maybe”

Nightwing: “And hopefully joining—” Starfire interrupted his speech “ Joining our Team Teen Titans! AHHH!”Nightwing looking at Starfire.

Starfire: “What..I’m just so excited to have another new member on the hero team!’’, she runs up to Y/n and hugs her, Y/n stiffs up her body when Starfire hugs her.

Nightwing: “Well Star that if Y/n says yes to joining the team”. 

Starfire: “Ohhh right”, get out of the hug and look at Y/n. “Well, what do you say Y/n, would you like to join our team?” Y/n looks down at her feet.

Y/n mind: “I don't have anywhere else to go, plus they don't look like bad people. I could give it a shot and see how it goes”. She lifts her head back up and writes down on the clipboard and shows them the clipboard. “Yes, I want to join the Teen Titans”, nodding her head yes.

Starfire: “Yaayy!!”, clapping her hands ``I'm so excited I can't wait”. NIghtwing stands up `Alright then it's settled then she's in the team also Star can you show her around the Tower and her room while I grab the rest of the team so they can meet her '' he walks onto the counter and grabs a tablet. “Ohh and more thing” gives the tablet to Y/n, “This is a Kindle it's where you can read or write much better than a clipboard since I feel like you’re not much of a talker”. Y/n smiled at him and nodded flipping through the board and showing him the page saying thank you. 

Starfire: “Okiee let's go Y/n, I'll show you around and your new home!!”, Y/n followed right behind Starfire.

Nightwing: “Star, don't forget to meet up in the living room where the team is going to meet her”, yelling across the hallway.

~~~~~~ Moments later~~~~~~

Nightwing counting with his clipboard, “Ravens here, Blue Beetle heroes, Beast boy here Ro–, have you guys seen Damian ''. The team was sitting on the couch.

BeastBoy: “I don't know, we haven't seen him all day”

Nightwing: “Well he has to hurry up and be here soon, we have a team meeting”. Just then the doors burst open and in comes Damian.

Damian: “I'm here you can stop with the yelling now!”. Nightwing glared at him. “The meeting started minutes ago, we all were just waiting for you!”

Damian: yeah whatever be glad at least I came”. He sat down on the couch “Just get straight to the point I got stuff to do”.

  Night whispers to himself: “This kid is getting on my nerves–”. Star kicks open the door “And that was you from where you’ll be staying, Ohhh We’re back Nightwing!”. The whole team turned around looking at Starfire and Y/n. 

Nightwing: “Come up to the front Star”. They walked over to the front next.

Beast Boy: “Annd who is this lovely lady?” looking at Y/n.

Starfire : “Soo Night introduced her to the team”. Damian just looked at her mad intensely.

 Damian mind: “What is this girl with ugly grandmama's hair doing here”.

Nightwing cleared his throat “So guys this is Y/n and she is going to be the new member of the team”. Y/n smiled and waved hi to the whole team.

Damian mind: “Y/n ? What kind of name is that, and why is she so fucking happy. She looks so stupid”. Star clapped her hands all happy.

Raven crossed her arms “It's about time we had another girl on the team”

Blue Beetle: “Hey, what's wrong having us boys huh?”

Beast Boy: “Yeah what’s wrong with us Rae Rae??”. Raven looks at the two boys up and down “Nothing, Just look at you guys”.

Nightwing: “Okay enough with that chit-chatting, you guys will each help you Y/n and Damian”

Damian glared at Nightwing “It’s Robin while I’m wearing the suit, Remember”.

Nightwing  “This kid–” saying softly under his breath “Wait–”. Nightwing got an idea “Alright then, Robin since you wanted to be captain badly, Here's an opportunity for you to act like one. You’ll train Y/n on how to fight in hand-to-hand combat so she won't rely so much on her powers”.

Damian: “ And what are her powers exactly? Hmm??”. “That's something for you to figure out Robin.

Damian rolled his eyes “Hmph fine whatever”.

Nightwing: “Alright then the meeting is over, I hope you guys get along with each other.

Damian mind: “I can't believe now I can help this girl out”, He was just glaring at Y/n. 

Beast Boy walked up to Y/n. “Hey my name is Beast Boy, this is Blue Beetle, and Mama Raven and the angry weirdo on the couch is Damian or Robin”. Y/n wrote down on the tablet and showed them “It's a pleasure to meet tall guys”.

Starfire: “Ohh I almost forgot, so she isn't much of a talker but she will connect with you guys by using the tablet, okay”.

Raven: “Yeah that's fine, I wouldn't want to talk with these annoying guys either”. Y/n smiled and lightly chuckled at the raven’s joke.

Raven: “ I guess I like you, plus we girls should stick together”.

Starfire: “Yay I knew you guys would get along, Ahh oh my god we all girls should go on a spa day, shopping spree, ohh, and go to the buffet, Eeee! I can't wait!”

Beast Boy: “Yeah! Me too!”

Starfire: “Ehh no Beast Boy it's just going to be us girls”. “Oh that's okay I get it, I’m just excited that there's someone else that has a different skin color like me”. Beast Boy saying this while circling Y/n. She writes down on her tablet, “Yeah me too I'm glad”, she smiles at him.

Damian mind: “Why is she smiling so goddamn much, to everyone especially to Beast Boy. She looks so annoyed with that tablet. Why can't she fucking talk, Who is she? What's her power and why did Nightwing pick her to be on the team, we were just fine before. Now I have to deal with this crap, this is going to be a pain the the fucking ass.’’

(Hey yall sorry for the long wait, I hope yall liked chp1, next chp is coming up soon, thank you all for ur patience:) )

[suzukiblu]

Kon and Amazon soulmom's(with the background Luther peanut gallery when possible) for wip Wednesday?

“Mr. Luthor, we need to take maternity leave,” Hope says with a sigh, folding her arms. 

“I mean, fine, but he’s not a newborn, is that really necessary?” Luthor asks skeptically, raising an eyebrow at Kon, who glowers back on reflex. 

“Maternal bonding, sir,” Hope says neutrally. “We need to establish and develop relationships with him.” 

“Oh my god, we could just get coffee sometime or something!” Kon protests reflexively, and–not that they even would, he doesn’t want shit to do with them and Mercy already made it plenty clear they don’t want shit to do with him either, and–and it’s whatever, it’s fine, he doesn’t even care. They work for a fucking supervillain anyway, and he knows perfectly well there’s only one way this soulmark is gonna end. “And anyway, who said I even wanted a relationship with you two?!” 

The three of them just eye him like he’s stupid or something, then all visibly decide to collectively ignore him and turn back to each other. Kon bristles. 

“Just let me text the backup security before you cart your superbrat off for your ‘bonding’ time,” Luthor says as he pulls out his phone with a sigh. “And don't forget to update your emergency contacts, I don't want him breaking into my office if you ever have to stay late for a crisis.” 

“Thank you, sir,” Hope says as he types whatever he’s typing into his phone. Kon opens his mouth to yell at all three of the fucking assholes, and she glances towards him. “Well, at least you’re not useless in a fight. And the telekinesis manifests inventively.” 

Kon . . . hesitates, and doesn’t know what to say back to that. 

“It’s not–that strong, usually,” he replies without meaning to, and it comes out a little stilted. “I mean–like, the range and all.” 

“You’re going to have to work on that, he should be stronger than this now that the yellow sunlight’s kicking in,” Luthor says, glancing up from his phone to eye the surrounding disassembled robots critically. “It’s a mental-based power and he should be getting mental enhancements by now. Though the dexterity’s progressing nicely, at least. Looks like he got all the individual screws and wires.” 

“I–what the fuck do you know about it?!” Kon demands. Luthor ignores him and goes back to his phone. 

“We’ll look into it, sir,” Hope says.

[smolthealmighty]

Spinaraki Week 4 Day 2: Enough & Load

Can I Be Enough?

Determination can go a long way, but even then a body needs to rest. So when Shigaraki's body finally forces a shutdown in the middle of fighting the monster that is Gigantomachia, can Spinner pick up the slack?

“Does you have are being stupid?”

Even with Gigantomachia beginning to recover from the boulder dropped on his head, Spinner couldn’t help but pause at Shigaraki’s question. “…What?” he asked as he regained his bearings and disembarked said boulder before Machia could try swatting him.

Shigaraki attempted to repeat his earlier question, “Is you are stupid be?” By now Spinner had reach Shigaraki’s side and judging by how far back his eyes were rolled into his head Shigaraki was not doing great.

“Are you seriously trying to call me stupid when you can’t string a coherent sentence together?”, Spinner exclaimed. “The plan worked didn’t it,” Toga yelled as she joined the two, panting somewhat from the aerobics she had to do to keep Machia distracted, “Now we know that the big guy gets briefly stunned by surprise boulders to the head!”

“Almost pancake danger!” Shigaraki hollered.

“It’s Machia, everything’s dangerous!” Spinner shot back. “Look, save the lecture for after your next three-hour nap, you sleep deprived dingus!”

Shigaraki took far too long to process what Spinner said, but responded with a simple flash of the peace out sign… then immediately face-planted the forest floor.

Rushing over, Spinner flipped his leader over to listen for a pulse as Toga checked his breathing.

“Oh thank fuck he’s not dead!” Spinner sighed in temporary relief.

“I’m surprised he was able to stay awake this long,” Toga fretfully commented, “but at least Dabi owes me money now.”

“Screw money! He can’t fight like this, we need backup! Where’re the others?”

“They should be finishing up their break!”

“Call them! Call them now!”

“There’s no service here!”

“Are you kidding me?! Find a hotspot!”

“I think service is better closer to the towns!”

“Then go!”

“Hold on I can buy you some time!”

Toga grabbed Shigaraki’s face and quickly licked off as much blood as she could, transforming into him as she gave Spinner one last bit of advice, “You’ve got five minutes before I change back, scatter!” With that, she started booking it down the mountain with Machia in pursuit, only slightly thrown off by Himiko’s evasive vanishing technique.

Refusing to waste any more time, Spinner quickly picked up his unconscious leader and maneuvered him onto his back, then yanked his scarf from around his neck to tie it around their waists, securing Shigaraki in a makeshift piggyback ride. As he began to run, Spinner ripped two pieces of fabric from his mask and tied them to Shigaraki’s pinkies to prevent any accidental decaying, knowing that he couldn’t keep his leader from getting killed by Machia if he himself died in the process.

‘He’s lighter than I thought he’d be,’ Spinner observed as he leaped over fallen logs.

‘I could’ve sworn he built some muscle while fighting Rockjaw McGee the past two months,’ he ruminated as he felt the ground rumbling as Machia pivoted to close in the gap he worked so hard to build.

‘Am I doing enough to help him?’ he questioned as he dodged the stones being chucked at him from afar.

‘Am I not carrying my fair share of the load?’ he pondered as he scaled a cliff face and cleared the edge just before Machia ran straight into it.

‘If I could just get a stab in, or maybe yeet another rock at his eye, would that be enough?’ he deliberated as he launched himself from tree branch to tree branch, with Machia swatting at the parts of the forest canopy where Shigaraki’s scent was but never landing a hit.

‘Fuck if I could just make this fight a little bit easier for Shigaraki once he wakes up, I wouldn’t feel so damn useless!’ he berated himself, Machia’s roaring engulfing all the sounds of the wilderness yet still unable to drown out Spinner’s own self-loathing.

It felt like days had passed, but was likely only a few hours after Shigaraki collapsed that Gigantomachia reached his 48-hour limit and ended his pursuit to bury himself into the ground for his nap. Every muscle in Spinner’s body was sore, but he had just enough strength to climb back down the cedar tree he had perched in, careful to make sure Shigaraki didn’t slip out now that the chase was over. He startled and moved to shield his leader when he heard the nearby rustling of foliage getting trampled, then relaxed as Toga burst through the bushes.

“We’re here,” cried Toga, with Mr. Compress and Twice hot on her tail, “Are you okay? Did you get squished?”

“We survived,” Spinner panted, shuffling over to the rest of his group, “barely, but we did.”

“Thank goodness you’re both okay.” Twice cried with joy, “We ran all the way up for nothing?!”

“Well look on the bright side,” Mr. Compress stated as he took in the mound where Machia had settled in for his nap. “Now that we’re here early we have more time to plan our next 48-hour match.”

“Shouldn’t we wait until Shigaraki wakes back up?” Spinner questioned. “Too late… ‘m up,” slurred a voice from behind him, and Spinner lowered down to let his newly awoken leader off his back. “What’d I miss?”

“You ate shit on the forest floor so Spinner outmaneuvered Machia while carrying your dead weight like a sack of potatoes!” Toga gleefully explained.

“Shit,” Shigaraki panicked, “did you die?!”

“Does he look dead to you?” Toga deadpanned.

“I mean did my quirk injure you?” Shigaraki clarified, checking Spinner over for cracks anyway.

“No I’m fine,” Spinner reassured him, “Just exhausted and frustrated that I couldn’t do any more than run away and try not to get us killed. I didn’t even get a single hit on Machia except that boulder.”

“Who cares if you didn’t land a meaningful blow? I don’t!” Shigaraki exclaimed, taking a second to face Spinner completely before continuing. “In the face of a man the size of a literal mountain, you held him off and kept me alive with only your physical abilities and intuition. In my book that’s more than enough. You’re enough, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise because I will fight them.”

Spinner really hoped Toga stayed silent because he knew he was flushed pink and if she chose now to start getting mushy, he would surely combust and undo all the progress he made in prolonging his friend’s lifespan.

[aguineapigcouldntdothis]

ok so turns out I might not be able to vote this year which fucking sucks. I was originally gonna vote as a resident of my old state bc all my information is under there but when I went to check it my registration was marked inactive. and I can't apply for residency for utah til at least next month bc I need one more document that im not gonna get til mid November at the earliest. not really sure what I should do because every alternative option is too late by now. for example, i don't have a utah ID so i could fill out the alternative voting form. which needs to be received by the related office 11 days before elections. not just sent, received. so no way is that gonna work. also yes I definitely should've checked this earlier

honestly I think the best I can do is try to reinstate my maryland registration and if that doesn't work then just vote when im able to. btw I do not wanna seem like one of those "I dont wanna vote!!" people bc I was truthfully so excited to vote in my 1st presidential election and finding out that I probably won't be able to sucks ass. anyway if you are able to vote please do!! don't be like me and check your registration early and have a backup if it gets screwed up

[polyhexian]

despite Jasper telling Raine not to call him for CATTs business after the finale, I feel like Raine would, indeed, end up calling him. a lot. because, like. there's an entire oppressive government to mop up, and as former Golden Guards both Jasper and Hunter would be a wealth of information.

it's a 50-50 chance whether Jasper will just hang up or whether he'll demand some ridiculous price for his help, but Raine has a dangerous castle full of an evil emperor's secrets to clean up, and the former Golden Guards are RIGHT THERE.

so like…

~

"Whispers, I told you not to call me."

"I know, don't worry, I'll be quick. Is there a backup key to the treasury?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"We can't find the treasury secretary and the key is gone and we KIND OF need the relief funds - "

"Ohoho you guys are screwed, if you try going in there without the key you're gonna get vaporized by the security system."

"I AM AWARE. Do you know of some other way to get in?"

"Mmm theoretically."

"…What's it gonna cost to get you to help?"

"I've been considering getting my own wifi plan. Could you get the fees waived for, like, forever?"

~

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW TO GET UPPER-LEVEL ACCESS TO THE CASTLE'S CRYSTAL BALL NETWORK?"

"Hello to you too, Whispers."

"YES, HI, WE'RE KIND OF ON A TIME LIMIT HERE, NO TIME TO EXPLAIN BUT LILITH'S ACCESS WAS REVOKED SO - "

"Pfft wait, they actually locked her out? Oh, wait, she was alive when she defected, that makes sense…"

"JASPER PLEASE I KNOW THIS IS A LONGSHOT BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS - "

"Here I'll just text you my username and password."

"…WHAT???"

"Yeah they never changed it, pretty stupid of them. There you go, sent, feel free to use it as much as you like, it's not like I need it anymore. Also stop calling me."

~

"Listen I know you said you don't care to participate in government BUT I'm just putting out feelers so I wanted to know if you had any ideas on how to de-militarize the Emperor's Coven?"

"What makes you think I understand the first thing about political theory?"

"You were the Emperor's RIGHT HAND MAN."

"Haha yeah, doesn't mean I understood anything."

~

"Did Belos actually acquire the XYZ artifact?"

"Oh, yeah, I got that for him like 20 years ago."

"Great! Do you know where he stored it?"

"Not a clue."

~

"Whispers I am marathoning Cosmic Frontier with my kid, this had better be important."

"Sorry, just - quick question, we're trying to clear Belos's wing of the castle and we need to know, how many secret passages are there in this hallway?"

"Well in the hallway there's five, but there's another two in his chambers and one in his study."

"For the love of - "

"Hm? One sec. …Okay, Hunter says there's actually three in the study and seven in the hallway - wait, but Hunter, you never knew about the grimwalker lab? Huh. Okay so between me and Hunter there are eight in the hallway. That we know of."

"Great. Fantastic."

"Also watch out for the booby traps. And now that I think about it, one of the passages in the bedchamber is probably keyed so that only a human can enter, so you might want to recruit Luz for that."

"Is there anything I can do to get you to come help us clear this place?"

"Absolutely not. Wait, let me check - hey, Hunter, want to go back to the site of our torment to help Whispers and Mason do their jobs? Yeah, didn't think so."

"Alright, alright, sorry for asking."

"Oh, but I do claim anything you find pertaining to grimwalkers as, like, reparations or whatever. At the very least there should be a shelf full of journals in the lab. You can give what's left of Caleb back to the Clawthornes, though, he's their graverobbed great-great-whatever-granddad."

"Oh dear titan."

"Going back to our marathon now, if you have an emergency in the next thirteen hours I am NOT answering my scroll. Byyyyyyye."

SO fucking funny. "here's my password have fun kids" and that's how Raine finds out how jasper has known everything always all the time jehshdhdja. THAT SON OF A-

Don't forget jasper loves being bribed. When hunter is busy or at school jasper can be convinced to do stuff. Mostly with food. Food is a great motivator the man is hungry.

Raine: hey... Can you come and break down the wards in Belos's chambers?

Jasper: no

Raine: you want a house

Jasper: what

Raine: a house. White picket fence. Bay windows. Kitchen nook. You want one

Jasper: wh

Raine: mason will make you a house if you will come deactivate these wards

Jasper: why would I need a house. I have a house.

Raine: you live in a cave.

Jasper: I like my cave.

Raine: I bet hunter would like a house.

Jasper: I'll be right there

[deliciouskeys]

For @xieyaohuan because they were interested in something mentioned offhand about "the idea that as HL got older Vought tried to give him pleasant experiences to motivate him and prevent depression but that it was always in an isolated area, and away from any people who weren’t Vought employees."

It's not for @xieyaohuan because this fic probably outs me as a (former) baseball obsessive nerd, and is painfully American.

In any case...

Baseball is My Favorite Sport It's 1990. Homelander attends his first baseball game in a tiny minor league stadium, and Vogelbaum is a cold, cold man. Gen, in case that needs to be clarified D: Weird, like most of my bb HL content.

[ao3 link]

“Here we go... this is a nice spot, right here.” Vogelbaum sits down on an uncomfortable wooden bench seat and pats the spot beside him.

John looks around, stares, probably wondering why most people are trying to sit closer to home plate while they’re all the way out in right field, where there are hardly any people, but he doesn’t ask anything. He’s been exceedingly well behaved the entire four hour car ride to get to Utica, nose pressed to the window, watching the upstate New York countryside drift by. They could have chosen a venue closer to the City, but decided to play it safe. Vought wanted the boy exposed to crowds before he was going to be the subject of their attention. But this was also his first exposure to people who weren’t Vought employees. The crowd here is manageable, in the hundreds. If anything happened, they could probably cover it up in a small town like Utica. If they had gone to a game in Long Island, that probably wouldn’t be as easy and the margin for error would be very slim.

He glances back at the two Vought bodyguards who have seated themselves directly behind them. Insurance in case anything happens. Not that it’s clear how they could prevent anything catastrophic from happening if John somehow got out of control, but it’s good to have some backup. Vogelbaum thinks it’s ludicrous that they came in their usual black suits and sunglasses to sit in this tiny baseball stadium in an audience full of families with young children. They are far more conspicuous and out of place than John. In any case, Vogelbaum is the most important line of defense here to make sure the boy manages his first excursion into a public event.

“John, what rules did we agree on when you’re out here?”

The boy turns away from the field where the players are warming up to look at Vogelbaum earnestly. “Don’t move fast, don’t fly, don’t power up my eyes, don’t talk loudly,” he rattles off.

“That’s right. Just enjoy the game.”

“What if...” John hesitates. “In the movies sometimes a ball flies out of the field and then people can catch it. Can I move fast to do that, at least?”

“Absolutely not,” Vogelbaum cuts him off. “Don’t move out of your seat under any circumstances.”

John nods and folds his hands in his lap.

“Are these the best baseball players in the world?” he asks.

Vogelbaum can’t help but scoff. “No, John. This is A ball. These players are trying to get into the Big Leagues. Come on, you know the Blue Sox aren’t part of the American or National Leagues.”

John screws up his eyebrows, deep in thought. “Oh yeah. But they’re still pretty good right?”

“They’re okay I suppose. They still have double A and triple A ahead of them. Most of them will never make it to the Majors.”

John watches them warm up playing catch, and Vogelbaum can tell he’s scanning through the walls to look at the pitcher warming up in the bullpen.

“Which team are you a fan of?” John asks.

Vogelbaum grimaces. “I haven’t been to a game in ages. My father used to take me to Yankees games in the Bronx. They were an amazing team when I was a child. Not so much these days.”

“Do you take your children?” John asks and Vogelbaum’s body freezes. He’s tried to never mention his children anywhere near the lab building, but he supposes the other researchers might have blabbed something about him going home to his family. Or maybe it was because his wife sometimes insisted on calling him to ask when he’d be home in a passive aggressive tone. He’d never mention his children, but her voice through the receiver might have. And this boy can hear everything inside that building. Vogelbaum finds the idea of John knowing anything about his children intensely disconcerting. He breathes deeply to make sure his heart rate slows down.

“I do not. My daughters aren’t so interested.”

John beams. “Well, you can take me any time! Baseball is my favorite sport.”

Vogelbaum nods. “I’m well aware.” He always found Vought’s idea of what the boy’s hobbies should be gratingly on the nose.

“Do you think...” John pauses, as if sensing that he might get reprimanded for the question before even asking it. “Do you think I could become a baseball player when I’m old enough?”

“John. Come on now. You know baseball is an exclusion sport. They’re all about tradition. They haven’t let supes in yet, and seeing what happened to hockey, I don’t think they ever will.”

“But...” The boy looks upset for the first time that day. “You’re saying I wouldn’t be allowed to play even if I don’t use my powers?”

“Yes, even if you don’t use your powers. That’s a silly idea anyway. Would you hit the ball with one hundredth of the strength you actually have? Would you run the bases slowly? Besides, John, this game is beneath you. Everyone at Vought has such high hopes for you. You could do such interesting things with your life. This?” He gestures to the field. “It’s just a childish pastime.”

“But... isn’t it America’s favorite sport?”

“It certainly bills itself as that. But it’s just nostalgia. People longing for classic American sports before the first supes appeared in the 40s. It’s just sentimental.”

John looks back at him, still looking sad and perplexed. “You don’t like it?”

Vogelbaum realizes it’s strange to deride a sport they’re about to sit through seven innings of. “I like it just fine, but I don’t want you moping about not being allowed to play it. Let’s just enjoy watching.”

John seems mollified by that explanation and turns back to watch as the loudspeaker announces the beginning of the game. He seems to follow the game with interest. They’re sitting far enough away and to the side that the action isn’t very visible, but this child can see perfectly well at this distance.

“I can see catcher’s signs!” John announces, a little too proudly, and a little too loudly, so that a man sitting several empty rows in front of them with his two sons turns and looks at him. John seems oblivious, so Vogelbaum shushes him. John speaks in a more hushed tone. “He’s showing one finger for the pitcher to throw a fastball, and then the other ones are slower.”

“That’s right. I think the standard signs are two for a curve, three for a slider, and four for a changeup. And they’ll tilt their wrist to show which side of the plate they want it on.”

“Oh yeah,” John says, staring intently. Vogelbaum finds his eagerness to look through people’s bodies a little bit disconcerting, but he has resigned himself to the fact that John can look at anything he wants and there’s no good way to stop him from doing that.

“Now watch closely—if they get a runner on second, they’ll change the signs to a secret system they came up with beforehand.”

“Why?” John asks.

“Because with the runner on second, he can see the catcher’s hands, and he could whistle to the man up to bat.” Vogelbaum suddenly gets self-conscious. “I don’t know, it’s all pretty silly details.”

John doesn’t seem to think so and keeps watching the game raptly before he starts announcing the speed of the pitches. Vogelbaum hasn’t noticed too many superhuman mental powers show themselves in this child, except for these seemingly interrelated abilities to count quickly and estimate speeds and frequencies with surprising accuracy.

“76 miles an hour. That was a changeup. 90 miles an hour. That’s a fastball.”

“You see how slowly they throw? That’s as fast as they can lob it. You can throw, what, five, six times as fast as that? When you’re not even fully grown up. And you wanted to play with them?”

John shrugs, seemingly uncomfortable with the comparison and its implications and goes right back to announcing the pitches.

“84 miles an hour. Slider.”

The man in front of them turns around again. “Ha! Your kid almost sounds like he knows what he’s talking about and sees it all the way from over here.”

Vogelbaum nods woodenly. “Yes, he’s aspiring to be an announcer.” Then turning to John, he says much more quietly “Remember we agreed you’d keep your voice down? People here shouldn’t hear you.”

John nods and starts mumbling the pitches out very quietly. Vogelbaum is admittedly pleased that he makes himself busy with figuring out particulars, of course, but sometimes he worries this boy is growing up to be strange. He hopes it’s a phase where he just happens to get fixated on certain things easily.

The food vendors have been hovering where the majority of the sparse crowd is sitting but one finally makes his way over to their corner of the seats.

“Hot dogs! Get your hot dogs!” resonates across the many empty seats. The man in front of them motions the vendor over and starts buying some.

John is intensely interested. “Dr. Vogelbaum? May I please try one of those?”

Vogelbaum wearily motions the vendor over.

 “Alright little man. How old are you?”

“N-nine.” John mumbles. Maybe he’s intimidated by the vendor using that brash theatrical voice.

“An excellent age! You want relish with this?”

John stares wide-eyed. “Wh- what’s... wh-”

“He doesn’t need relish,” Vogelbaum interrupts him. John has a strange verbal tic when he gets nervous. Vogelbaum won’t go so far as to call it an outright stutter because it comes and goes, but it’s probably time to hire a speech therapist to nip this problem in the bud. Before the higher-ups become aware of it. They’re banking on him being a good public speaker.

“Anything for you sir?” the vendor offers and Vogelbaum shakes his head, trying to keep disdain off his face. “You want some Crackerjack too, little slugger?”

John looks questioningly, then sees the box the man pulls out and, before Vogelbaum has the chance to protest, answers with an emphatic “Yes!”

Vogelbaum relents and pays for both items to avoid a scene, and scoffs when the bodyguards seated behind them also get hot dogs.

“This is the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted in my life!” John declares loudly, only muffled because his mouth still full of hot dog and bun. One of the men behind them snickers.

“We don’t talk with our mouth full,” Vogelbaum says. Then adds “I’m glad you like it.”

John finishes the hot dog but Vogelbaum tells him to wait before he starts on the Crackerjack. Instead of focusing on home plate, John seems to be watching the people sitting in front of them. The two boys have gotten bored and are shoving each other.

“May I talk to those kids?” John asks.

“Absolutely not. We’re here just to visit and to see if you can behave yourself.”

John saddens again. “I won’t do anything wrong. I won’t show them that I’m a super.”

“Believe me, you don’t want to talk to them,” Vogelbaum grumbles, eager to cut off any more arguments.

John suddenly gets even more discreet and whispers in his ear. “Why are they shoving each other?”

“They’re siblings. Brothers will roughhouse like that.”

John stares at them. “Will I ever have a brother?”

Vogelbaum sighs and tries not to visibly roll his eyes. “No, John. You’re one of a kind. And not everyone has a brother. I was an only child growing up as well.”

John looks up at him and nods.

“Now why don’t you pay attention to the game instead.”

“I am. It’s bottom of the fourth, two outs, man on first.” The batter grounds out and the fielders start jogging toward the dugout. “And now it’s top of the fifth.” Now it’s John who’s rolling his eyes.

“Alright, I stand corrected. You were paying attention. But don’t roll your eyes at me.”

“Sorry,” John says, and he’s still a little morose, so Vogelbaum relents and hands over the box of Crackerjack.

“Hey there’s something in there!” John says, peering at the box, shaking it.

“Why don’t you open it instead of looking through it. I think those come with a little prize or something,” Vogelbaum says wearily. Thank god the Minors only play seven innings. He’s getting tired. It’s sad to admit but he never really finds a common language with children. John is, by most counts, a singularly interesting child and precocious in many ways, but Vogelbaum still finds it hard to be patient when he gets excited over small, inconsequential things.

“It’s a whistle!” John says.

“Don’t blow it loudly,” Vogelbaum warns.

John puts the whistle in his mouth and blows into it very quietly even as he’s watching the game. The player at bat suddenly hits a homerun and John springs up, excited. Vogelbaum is already worried that he’ll do something stupid and take off into the air and reveal himself, but instead John slumps back down into the seat, spitting out the whistle that he crushed to pieces with his teeth.

“I broke it,” he says despondently.

“It’s alright,” Vogelbaum says in the most reassuring tone he can muster. “You get excited and you forget your strength. At least it was just a toy.”

John’s staring at the pieces of cheap plastic in his hands.

“Just throw it on the floor,” Vogelbaum says.

John looks at him questioningly.

“It’s a stadium. People throw peanut shells on the floor. They’ll come by to clean it up.”

John tilts his hands and lets the broken pieces fall on the floor, apparently still in disbelief that he’s allowed to litter. Vogelbaum realizes that he should clarify.

“You’re right. In most places you shouldn’t throw trash on the ground. This is an exception.”

John seems satisfied by that explanation and starts on the Crackerjack, with a small shudder and grimace when he first tastes it. “Wow, it’s very sweet!”

Vogelbaum dreads the sugar rush the boy might have on the drive back to Long Island. Eight hours on the road in total, all just to prepare this child for being among people in a safe venue.

“Dr. Vogelbaum?”

“Yes, what is it.”

“This is the best day I’ve ever had. Thank you so much for taking me outside to see this game!”

Vogelbaum can tell John wants to hug him, but they haven’t done so in years, and Vogelbaum’s body language remains closed off to dissuade him. But he does smile. “I’m glad, John. I’m glad to see you’re having fun.”

“Maybe we could go again?” he asks, but looks back down at the Crackerjack box when he receives no response.

[walker-extended-universe]

4x04 Review

I thought last week's episode had a lot but I expect things are only going to be ramping up from here because Holy Shit there was a lot going on this episode. "Insane B.S. and Bloodshed" was definitely the right title even if working it into the dialogue was a bit clunky.

As usual, I'm covering each plotline in order of how much I'm rotating them in my mind so here goes:

First up, let's talk about our cliffhanger plot.

The episode picks up right where we left off last week with Stella driving Sadie and Witt somewhere at gunpoint. As they drive, Sadie acts almost nonchalant and tells us that Witt won't hurt either of them and demands more information. Witt does put the gun down and explains his current situation: he doesn't want to kill them, he wants their help. A very scary woman hired him to find a necklace in Geri's house and when he not only failed to find the necklace but tried to hide his failure by faking his death, he got an intimidating message. He doesn't know who this woman is, only that she really, really wants this necklace and Witt's life is in danger until he delivers it.

Sadie is ready to take this to the cops- or at least, to Cordell. She thinks that with Witt alive, there's much less risk of their lives being screwed up by telling the truth. And the cops can protect them from whoever wants that necklace so badly. However, Stella is hesitant. She spent the last few months feeling immense guilt over killing Witt, a guilt Witt is feeling now after killing Jordan in the car accident. She doesn't want to just send him to jail, possibly for life, when it's clear he just needs help. Sadie is willing to humor her for a while but when Stella insists on trying to help Witt rather than helping themselves, she bounces, leaving Stella on her own.

Well, not entirely alone, as August is waiting right outside Stella's dorm looking for the money that Stella got from selling some of August's music stuff. Or at least, that's the excuse he gives at first. In truth, he was worried about her when she wasn't answering her phone earlier and the way she's acting now isn't exactly soothing his concerns. After he reminds Stella of everything they faced together, she decides to let him in on everything that's happening.

Shortly after, Stelle tells Witt she wants to help and he shows up to her dorm room to talk.

Side note: I love the way August put himself in front of Stella.

Next, let's talk about everything with the Jackal.

Once again, we pick up right where last week left off, with Cassie having a freak-out over needing to keep James in the dark. I imagine this is equal parts her not wanting to get in trouble and her knowing how much it hurts to be the one left in the dark on a case like this. Cordell and Trey justify it with how James was before with the Jackal and Kelly asking them to keep it a secret, but she's still not happy about it.

James wants to meet one-on-one with Cordell, so the team has to divide and conquer with Walker keeping James busy, Trey running backup on nightshift, and Cassie meeting with Luna.

Side note: I can't believe James was the voice we heard on the recording.

Luna meets with Cassie and gives her a quick rundown on the Jackal and the motel they're casing out. They have some enjoyable banter while they set up, but Cassie gets defensive when Luna asks her if she's ever worked a serial killer case before. She brings up all her previous experience working non-serial killer cases, which makes me wonder if she'll end up overestimating herself with this case.

Side note: Let's never refer to Vladimir Putin as "Vlady P" ever again. Ever.

Things are going well until they hear something going down outside the room they're in. The gang that's been hanging around the place is getting suspicious of all the "new activity" that night and Cassie and Luna do their best to keep things calm while they help a girl with a missing mother. Unfortunately, drug dealers are unpredictable and we get an quick action scene before the dealers give them info on where the girl's mother went.

When they find the location, Luna talks more about the Jackal's killing methods and how they affect the people around the victims. While he talks, Cassie finds a burial site and they both start digging frantically- and find the girl's mother, buried alive with a Jackal tooth in her mouth.

The Jackal's return confirmed, Cassie calls the case in. First to Walker, who doesn't answer, and then to James.

On a sweeter note, let's talk about James and Cordell catching up. It's a small part of the episode but I felt like it deserved it's own section.

Though Cordell only brought James to the Side Step as a distraction, it was a nice way to catch up with his old partner after the Captain's Conference.

Keeping the conversation light, James brings the conversation to how things are going with Kelly. Now that they're fixing their relationship and entering their second honeymoon phase, James is feeling great. But something is going on with Kelly; she's sleeping in another room and she got rid of all the alcohol in the house. The only thing James can think of is that she's pregnant, a theory Cordell is happy to run with.

We also find out that James and Kelly had previous tried for another child at around the time the Jackal was last seen. Naturally, that attempt at a child didn't work out and he's not sure how to feel now, or how to confront Kelly about it.

After that, the conversation shifts to Cordell and Geri's relationship. Things are also going great there, with them finally saying I love you for the first time and while James is happy to hear that, he owes Kelly $20.

Side note: I love Kelly and James and Cordell's relationship. So much.

Things are going well for both of them and Cordell gets some drinks to celebrate. While he's gone, Cassie calls James with the news that the Jackal is back. Naturally, this kills the mood and Cordell is right there to be on the receiving end of his anger. James feels hurt and betrayed by one of his closest friends and none of Cordell's justifications- never mind that they're James' own- can fix that. For now.

With that, they head the location of the body. The investigation is in full swing and our ranger team has work to do.

This was a crazier episode than I was expecting and I can only imagine the season is going to get crazier from here. There was a big theme of secrets being revealed in this episode, from Witt filling in Stella to Stella filling in August to the ranger team filling in James. Next episode is probably going to be focusing on the fallout from all the secrets. I'm happy to see everyone on the same page again but I wish it had happened differently, especially with Stella and August.

Wishes aside, I have so many questions for next week. Is Kelly actually pregnant? How is James going to handle the Jackal case? How are Stella and August going to keep their own secret under wraps? Is Cassie going to get in over her head with the Jackal? How many more reveals can our Walker Family take?

See y'all next week!

[theallianceofcelestials]

Wooo boy, I disappeared for a bit there lol ^^ Sorry about that

Anyway, I've been having so much fun in the last couple months with the TSAMS lore and I've been thinking of posting a couple times, but just didn't find the time for it. But now, or at least soon, I have time :)

We all know how Moon's been going insane for like, the last month or so, making bad decision after bad decision, and since the episode "You're Making A Mistake in VRChat", I've been thinking Moon might have been corrupted somehow. That corruption probably happened when he talked with Old Moon, because signs of his sanity rapidly declining started after that. Wonder why. ¬_¬

Even before that talk, he was doing horribly, but he at least wasn't having realistic hallucinations of scenarios nor was he sinking so deeply into the whole 'I have to kill to protect my familly' mindset.

In the previously mentioned video Newmoon was hallucinating Oldmoon, possibly as a form of his conscience, but I like to think that might actually be the guy talking. What could have happened (and I know it's a very big if, but eh) is Monty possibly screwing up by not foreseeing a side-effect they should have. But like, also you can't predict every outcome, and being corrupted by talking to an old version of yourself - who shouldn't exist, since ya know, the whole getting erased part - isn't an ordinary outcome, or something that like ever happened.

We know that Newmoon talking with Oldmoon was possible because a sort of instinctual, pre-programmed backup was created of him, one that could be potentially accessed by The Creator. We also know this backup is unable to front the body, or reactivate on its own, but then yet again, was it not poked at? Was it not, in a way, activated?

It is possible that Monty, by allowing Newmoon to access that part of his head, unintentionally reactivated him and may have cause some form of corruption to begin in their shared systems. Since now that he may be potentionally active, they're shared again. Even if he's unable to front, he might still have some affects, that even HE doesn't want.

Oldmoon, for all his faults, wouldn't have ever decided to leave his family alone, unlike Newmoon, who internalised their entire conversation. He also misunderstood I think, because the whole point of his existence is to be the better version. To me it felt like during their conversation, that Oldmoon was trying to tell him to do whatever it takes to protect their family, but he also probably meant for him to stay true to himself and not go on self-destructing spirals and fall to the same mistakes he did.

If we theorise, or headcanon, that during that confrontation in Moon's current hide-out he WAS actually talking to the real manifestation of the real Oldmoon, then it could mean very bad things for Newmoon. Because the only way I can even begin to think that's possible, is corruption of code as I previously mentioned before.

If their AIs are somewhat intermingling with one another, then that is not only not intended, but also probably extremely harmful for their coding. It may also possibly cause insanity or other mental problems, explainging the current state of things. It also brings up questions.

IF that is Oldmoon, then can he grow "strong" enough to take over the body? Even if just partially? IF Moon is corrupted, then is there a way to fix his code without another factory reset?

Or, which is the more likely thing, the aforementioned conscience manifesting in the form of Oldmoon, the person Newmoon can't help but still compare himself to? Possibly (probably)

It is just simply too fun to think about scenarios like this ^^

The what ifs, the burning questions, the Oldmoon content in the last month or so, are just too exciting for me not to think and talk about!

Even if I'm probably wrong about this, and it really is just grief corroding away at Moon's sanity and his conscience manifesting as the most unlikely person, I'll still headcanon until proven otherwise that it's actually Oldmoon. Would explain why it's actually him haunting Moon now.

Monty, my person, my lovely theythem, partner, you may have fucked up. We should all know by now that the dead should stay dead (:

[orinthered]

Dragon's Dogma having only one save file may be a design choice (I know of at least one major thing you're referring to), but in actual practice, it just means that some people are objectively going to lose progress or have very negative experiences with the game

To that point, I started a new DD1 file before DD2's release and I ran into an issue where I just kept freezing on random load screen, right as it was autosaving, so my save file kept getting corrupted. Lost like 5 hours of progress from the start of the game, had to do it all over again, then it happened again in a different spot. The only reason I was able to make any meaningful progress until I figured out the issue was by making manual backups

I'm honestly terrified of the same thing happening with Dragon's Dogma 2 and have actually been stopping my play sessions periodically just to make a manual backup, then loading back in. Not even including the in-game event(s) that can royally screw your playthrough, that is a completely unnecessary fear that the devs have chosen to create, which is particularly egregious considering the mountain of performance and crashing issues people have been experiencing due to poor optimization

People who want to save scum or simply want the security of backups are always going to find the means to do so regardless of what the devs intend. I mean, DD1 had a mod that automatically backed up your save file and it was already retooled for DD2 literally on release day. To inconvenience all players purely for the sake of encouraging a specific play style is, quite frankly, insulting to peoples' time. Plenty of games manage to create compelling exploration experiences and interesting points of consequence and tension without tying any of it to some random, severely limiting mechanic or design choice

I say all of this as someone who's currently 40 hours in and is loving the exploration (which evokes that first time experience of playing Breath of the Wild), but who absolutely abhors the notion of having to repeat a 20+ minute long trek because I got to a quest area to save an NPC from some monster and the NPC ends up falling in the water literally as soon as I arrive, causing the game to auto-save because the quest is now "complete" (failed). Or, suddenly all of my pawns have swan dived into a river due to pathfinding issues or climbing movement quirks, causing me to waste time, rift crystals, or ferrystones to recuperate. Or, being forced to automatically talk to a passing NPC/pawn during a fight, causing my escort NPC to draw aggro and die while I'm trying to mash out of the dialogue menu

Defend the vision of players needing to pay attention and sit with their consequences all you'd like, but small, dumb shit like that is honestly infuriating and it happens way more often than it should

i get that this is annoying but i also think that if the ability to savescum existed in the game, everyone would do it. would i necessarily complain about multiple saves in a game like dragon's dogma? probably *not*, but i would miss the experience of being forced to engage with the game in a way i would not if i had access to multiple saves. i found myself missing this in baldur's gate 3 — because i had the ability to savescum things like rolls, i never played with the consequences of failing rolls.

is that a failure of those game systems? yeah. larian wants you to engage with failed rolls, but how many players do you know actually do that? who don't just press f9 when they get a shit roll?

you can dislike these systems, that's fair. but dragon's dogma fills a lot of niches that other games do not. one of these niches is a one-save system that forces you to engage with the game by making you play the game with your consequences, or suffer some really annoying backtracking with the inn save system. i do not think that every game has to appeal completely to every person. if you think dragon's dogma is insulting to your time, that's fine. if you think the execution is bad (which i could argue for, even though i really like what dd2 does) that is also fine. not every aspect of the game is gonna be a hit, god knows there's a particular section of dd2 that i think was a real miss (those who've beaten the game know exactly what i'm talking about) but i mean... there are reasons for it, infuriating or not. that is also part of the experience.

[nothinggoodhappensstories]

RAIN

════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Light CW: This story contains an eerie atmosphere and suspense. ════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Prompt: You've never felt the same after learning Morse Code. The rain keeps telling you to run. ════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Word count: 1316 ════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Back in high school, our class learnt about Morse Code during history class. My friends and I put our heart and souls into learning the entire Morse alphabet. By the end of the year, we could hold hour-long conversations through pen clicks, or tapping on our notebooks. It got us out of trouble and kept our secrets safe. As the seasons changed and we grew up, the skill was lost amongst the group. Except for me. During my university exams, I familiarised myself with it all again. It was something to do to keep me sane between lectures and lonely weekends. To my surprise, I retained most of my understanding from when I was younger.

Thank God that I did.

The storm thundered over the horizon. Lightening cracked through the blackened clouds like streaks of silver in stone. An intimidating gust blew through my hair, carrying the earth scent of rain. I snapped a few photos of the electrifying weather phenomenon. “It’s gonna be a big one folks. Better hunker down for the night and pray that the gutters don’t overflow.” The weatherman’s voice crackled out of the speaker of my little green radio. “It won’t be that bad,” I turned up the volume dial. “It’s a great night for rain.” So far it was the driest winter in the last decade. It was a welcomed change. I bent down and switched off the news report, scooping it and my camera back into my bag. I waded back through the plain of tall grass and back to my cabin. Pines lined the back of it; black, spindly figures stretching into the soft pink sky. CRACK. The storm approached, creeping up behind me.

“Power outages have-… Be advised that in the case of-… residents should stay-….” I grunted and fiddled with the television antenna. The interior and appliances in the cabin were terribly outdated. Gorgeous to look at, but with a storm coming, I was more worried about losing power than admiring its aesthetics. My radio kicked the bucket a few minutes after I got inside. It’s solar and battery powered. Most of today was cloudy, and it used the last of my spare batteries. The cabin’s backup generator would kick in if my main power shorted; but that would mean going outside to start the old thing. Tree branches snapped and thrashed around against the roof. “Screw this.” I whipped the curtains shut, stacked some logs on the fireplace and prepared for the night.

I usually loved the rain. Tonight it didn’t soothe me. Something felt wrong, a tight knot wriggled around in my stomach and throat. I focused on the rain until it filled my ears. It was soon interrupted by something tapping on the window… hit, stop, hit- CRACK. I rolled over and cracked my back. God I hated sleeping on the couch, but my bed was too far away from my only heat source. The rain seemed to calm down a tad, at least enough to stop the gutters from collapsing. I rolled over and glared at the fireplace. Smouldering embers cried out for help, a lone flame slowly flickered out. “Ugh…” I craned my neck to check the wood pile I stashed next to the mantle. “Just my luck.” I used up the last logs to start the fire. I rolled myself off the couch, slamming myself into the floorboards. After a thirty second adult tantrum, I forced myself up. I slipped into my boots and pinched my raincoat from the hanger by the door. “There has to be a few logs left. Maybe the ones underneath the heap are dry?” I peeked through the curtain of the front window, trying to catch a glimpse outside. I mustn’t have been asleep for that long; the sky was a dusty grey blue, the sun giving out its last ray of light before ducking behind the grass. Sadly, it was dark enough that I couldn’t see my log stash from inside.

Against my better judgement, I put on a brave face and stepped outside. The wind fought against the hood of my raincoat, wildly assaulting my bed hair. The glow from my window was just enough to illuminate the corner of the cabin. I could make out the silhouette of the log pile. I pushed myself against the cabin to anchor myself. I trembled at the thought of the wind dragging me away. I fumbled with the slippery logs, digging through the heap looking for the driest ones. I tucked a few under my arm and battled against the wind back onto the porch. I turned to face the open expanse before me. 

The storm swirled and boiled out there, waiting to burst again in a flash of heat. The sound of squelching mud tore my attention away. It began to speed up, bursting into a full sprint towards me. Adrenaline kicked in. I flew up the porch stairs, burst through the door, tossed myself inside and slammed it shut. I held my breath and listened hard. Nothing. My heartbeat finally settled down. Just the rain. It pitter pattered against the window panes. Hit, hit, stop- Was it just my imagination? Could it have been a wolf or a bear? I convinced myself that it was just an animal or sleep deprivation catching up to me. Too many restless nights spent on my photography portfolio.

Something rumbled overhead. CRACK. It lit up the entire cabin. My camera sat patiently on the end table beside the couch. I watched the sun, through the curtain, sink behind the grass. A thick black cloud growled furiously towards the cabin, lighting up the plain as it crawled onwards. “Might as well put that waterproof lens to use.” The cautious words from the weather man gnawed at the back of my head as I screwed the lens on. “Just a few snaps to fill the blank pages in my portfolio.” The camera beeped in agreement. I pulled the strap of it over my head. I ventured outside once again, against my better judgement. I flashed my camera a couple of times to scare off anything lurking in the mud. I caught a few bolts of lightning from my porch. The rain sounded louder than before, but it didn’t feel heavier. I closed my eyes and listened carefully. Was the storm moving away or closer? Stop, hit- The storm roared and crashed bolts into the plain ahead. My eyes snapped open and I cursed myself for missing such a good shot. “I need to get closer.” The battery on my camera flashed red and warned me.

Make it quick then.

Drenched boots and itchy legs, I waded back through the tall grass. The rain engulfed my ears. The wind passed right through me. I could feel in my bones that I had reached the centre of the storm. I held my camera up and positioned myself. “This will be epic-” CRACK. The sky lit up brighter than the camera flash. “Yes!” I squinted at the camera screen to check the results. It was exactly what I had expected, except for… 

I froze. It stood in front of the storm. The grass cut off at its knees. Cut off at my chest. I raised my head in a panic. It was only a few metres in front of me. It towered over me. Lightning cracked, the sky glowed. Its elongated shadow enveloped me. It stood too still and stared at me for far too long. The rain bore down on me, pelting my back with heavy drops, grabbing at my raincoat. That’s all I could feel and hear, rhythmically bombarding me. Wait… Hit, stop, hit. “No it can’t…” My heart fell out of my chest. The figure craned towards me. Hit, stop, hit. “The rain…” 

Dot, dash, dot. Dot, dot, dash. Dash, dot.

The rain had been telling me to run.

════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. ════════════════════════════════════════════════════

[tgrailwar]

Tumblr Holy Grail War, Another End: Night 2 (MASTERS FROM BEYOND/Team Avenger)

Everything felt cold.

The maddening colors and sounds from Foreigner's assault stopped... but so did the sensation of your Servants mana.

They were gone.

The silence permeated for a while longer, before a voice cut through.

???: "Hey. Heeeey. Maaaasters. You alive?"

Two silhouettes, both familiar, stare down at you.

'Masculine Shadow': "Welp. They're dead. I guess Foreigner will grab the Grail instead."

'Feminine Shadow': "No, they're looking at us. Give them another moment..."

Avenger(?): "There you are. Don't freak. This is a… safe zone, from Foreigner. She really did a number on the system."

Ruler(?): "Um… hello. It's been a while."

Avenger(?): "Yo, Masters. Despite the new look, it's still me-- and this is 'Ruler', but also kind of not."

Ruler(?): "I'm just a backup that I made in case the gambling mini-game went wrong, but it seemed like a lot more went wrong instead… maybe one hundred three trillion, seventy-three billion, nine hundred fifty-nine million, nine hundred eighty-nine thousand, four hundred and ninety-five Grail Wars was my limit… I'm sorry Masters, I really biffed this. And now my main body has pushed this war to the limit."

Avenger(?): "Technically, one hundred three trillion, seventy-three billion, nine hundred fifty-nine million, nine hundred eighty-nine thousand, four hundred and ninety-four- considering the Archer debacle. But the Grail is full. Again. Since we're so close to the end. Maybe you should introduce yourself. For real this time."

'Ruler': "…Right. I'm not a Servant… not properly, at least. I'm one of the Overseer's two THGW Terminals, modeled off the Einzbern homunculi, the vessel for the 'Lesser Grail'. I guess you guys can keep calling me 'Ruler'… I've gotten used to it. I'm happy to see you all again... and I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused-- the trouble I am causing. RULER is still out there, after all."

'Avenger': "Same here. I'm the other terminal, modeled off 'All The World's Evils'- or the 'Corrupted Grail'- as a countermeasure to our 'Ruler' here. I'm as close to a recreation of the thing as a digital Grail War can get, so I'm fine if you keep calling me 'Avenger'. Nice to meet you. Again."

'Ruler': "Right now, 'I'... the current version of 'myself' that's still acting as the Adjudicator of the Holy Grail War, is currently on a bit of a rampage, and Foreigner is too. Best case, some of you will need to keep her busy, and the rest of you have to destroy the Simulacrum Greater Grail… the Overseer's main terminal, and the source of Avenger and I's data."

'Avenger': "Y'know, you really screwed things up, 'Ruler'. That's what you get for trying to suddenly take on a whole Servant's duties. Then again, I cheated my way into being a Servant too, so I can't really talk. Still... I would have wanted to avoid killing Foreigner, but it seems inevitable. But she'll make the data unsalvageable..."

'Ruler': "I know, I know... but we have work to do. Masters. Just know that destroying the Grail... that'll end all of this. Completely. The absolute end of this Simulated Holy Grail War."

'Ruler': "I've been a bad Ruler, I'm really not cut out for this job… But even as some pathetic backup data, I still have some authority. You have 5 Command Spells left, right? I think that can get you..."

'Avenger': "Hang on. I've still got all three of mine thanks to my Masters. Can you toss that in, too? Verg Avesta and Unlimited Raise Dead are kind of useless at this point."

'Ruler': "Eight Command Spells... I can really do something with that. I'm in charge of developing Spirit Origins for this Grail War after all."

'Avenger': "Hehehe. Told you there was a plan."

'Ruler': "Rider... I can't salvage his data. I'm so sorry... Still, I can salvage the others. Maybe with their memories intact... we'll have to see."

Avenger: "I'm followin' you. So whichever option is in 1st place generates those two Servants at full power with 3 Command Spells, 2nd place does the same, and then 3rd place summons a pair with reduced power. That way we can split ourselves up. Two groups of Servants go to help me fight Foreigner, and the last group goes to destroy the Grail."

Ruler: "Exactly! So, please choose wisely. This will be your final fight as Masters of this Grail War. So survive. Please. I'll be happy to answer any questions you need. My job is to help, after all!"

'Ruler' is using her authority to bring back Servants at the cost of Command Spells!

The results in 1st and 2nd place (costing 3 Command Spells each) will go to confront Foreigner alongside Avenger!

While 3rd place (costing 2 Command Spells) will accompany Ruler to destroy the Greater Grail!

Avenger's skills have changed!

Servant Skills:

'ANGRA MAINYU' (AVENGER / TGHW GRAIL TERMINAL α)

Zarich: Right Fang Grinder (C) - Reduce enemy Servant boosts by -5%.

Tawrich: Left Fang Grinder (C) - Gain a +5% attack boost.

Annihilation Wish (A) - When fully healed, gain a -20% demerit to his final score. With one wound, the demerit is reduced to -10%. With two wounds, the demerit is changed to a +20% boost.

Grail Simulacrum, All The World's Evils (EX) - When part of a battle that results in a Servant dying, absorb a part of their essence. Take a random one of their combat skills for Avenger's own use and recover one Command Spell. When victorious, inflict wounds equal to the amount of Servants consumed.

[Grail Simulacrum, SABER] Heavenly Demonic Thundering Eye (EX) - When fighting in a free-for-all, gain +10% to your final score, and reduce their scores by -5%. If fighting a Servant one-on-one, if the gap between scores is above 20%, inflict 2 wounds.

[Grail Simulacrum, RIDER] Armor of the Nine Worthies (A) - When attacked, reduces the amount of the Servant's final combat poll result by 10%.

[Grail Simulacrum, ASSASSIN] Man-Slayer (A) - When fighting a Servant that possesses a wound, gain a +3% boost. When fighting a Servant that possesses 2 wounds, gain +5% instead.

[Grail Simulacrum, LANCER] Rune Magecraft (B) - When fighting in a free-for-all, gain a +5% to combat score results. Additionally, any skills that reduce scores against Avenger will have their effectiveness reduced by 1%.

[Grail Simulacrum, ARCHER] Hero of the Endowed (A) - If fighting an enemy Servant, and the difference between scores is within 3%, take the win.

Avenger has 2 wounds! He has a +20% boost!