#bond 24

[hunihimig]

where our blue is 🫧🐟🪸🐠

[dy3rs3v3]

James and Kirk goofing off backstage, also ft. Brian Tatler, in Oslo, Norway, 2024

Pics by Ross Halfin

[the-random-phan]

Ectoberhaunt Day 13

Isekai: Old Hero New World

[croszukis]

lane + arber pregame? — 12.14.24

[russellius]

@.georgerussell63: Easing into the weekend with my Ingenieur.

[starfish-spencer]

Jules and Lassie's friendship has me feeling soft y'all. Shawn and Gus have their own traditions and inside jokes and I bet that Jules and Lassie start to develop the same things. They go out to eat together and have movie nights at each other's places every week. Jules lets Lassie infodump about US history and guns as long as he wants and Lassie (begrudgingly) lets Jules paint his nails. They chat about all the latest gossip in the SBPD and gush over their crushes together. They tell each other (almost) all their secrets. Lassie stays with Jules 24/7 after the clock tower and comforts her when she and Shawn temporarily break up. Jules is one of the only people to see Lassie truly break down and cry and she holds him for as long as he needs and tells him that they're going to be okay. They have their own jokes that nobody else gets that they whisper to each other and giggle at. They laugh until neither of them can breathe. They hug each other every morning when they arrive at the station and when they leave, and casually hold hands. They started out as just coworkers but by the last few seasons they are basically platonic soulmates, parallel to Shawn and Gus. And I love that. I love them.

[llmsos]

Lin lie and others

[ratatatastic]

on checking in with former cats after cats first stanley cup (x)(x)

[feroluce]

“-and that's why I ain't allowed in Pier Point no more!” Boothill throws his head back and cackles, somehow completely comfortable on the bare floor of the archives. He's the very picture of ease, his arms behind his head, his legs bent and crossed.

Dan Heng barely looks up from his notebook, not much surprises him anymore after the first few tales of lawless exploits. “So they really have that many laws and restrictions there.” 

“And prob’ly a few more now that I've been through there! Heck, ya think they named any after me? I'm hopin’ so.” There's so much smug cockiness seeping through his voice Dan Heng could bottle it.

Silence settles in, stretches out. Dan Heng doodles pensive circles in the corner of his page.

He shouldn't ask. It's a private matter. It's none of his business. He of all people should know-

Something pokes his shoe, and when he looks up, Boothill has stretched one arm up to tap metallic fingertips against his foot. “Ain't like ya to hesitate.” With his head tipped back on the tiles and gazing at him upside down, Boothill's hair is out of his face and spooling out all over the floor, offering a rare view of his right side. His right eye is sealed over with a pitch-black patch, stark against his skin. Dan Heng wonders what he looks like behind it. “C'mon, then, out with it. Spill the beans, brother, just say it.”

“What does ‘Boothill’ mean?”

The man blinks at him, the crosshair in his cybernetic left eye flickering. Dan Heng shifts, smooths out his long coat. “I tried to look it up once. It's not in any database as a name...other than your wanted posters.” There's a thread beginning to fray near the hem, he should sew it up. “I couldn't find it anywhere.” 

He nearly takes it back, but- “Heh, ya that curious about me, darlin’?”

Dan Heng quickly levels his face into the most impassive, nonplussed expression he can muster, but Boothill has already turned away, head pillowed on his arms and face once again turned to the ceiling.

“But nah, ya wouldn't. Hah, like they'd allow any record of the language, fudgeheads.” One arm sweeps around blindly until it finds the edge of Boothill's hat, sets it back where it belongs on his head. Dan Heng shuffles around, scoots a little closer, but the brim is pulled too low to see his eyes anymore.

“It's ‘cause it's not a name. It's a noun.” All that's visible of his face is a sharp grin, pulled too tight at the edges.

“It's my people's word for a grave.”

Dan Heng's pencil stops.

“It's the kinda grave fer someone who died with their boots on. If ya catch my drift there.” Boothill's foot starts to bounce. “There was a war, and it got reeeeeal intense, yup. Folks started droppin’ like flies, ‘n’ there was bodies faster'n what we could bury ‘em.” A cooling fan kicks on somewhere. Dan Heng is pretty sure it's not any of the Express equipment.

“We lost some real good people there, real good. Mighty shame.” His hidden Vidyadhara ears detect a quiet metallic click, a whir, pressurized gas. Boothill's next words waft steam from his angry circuits into the air. “When I left, I decided to leave my name there, too. Didn't feel right otherwise. The life I lead now is a whole ‘nother existence.” And then Boothill turns his head, raises his hat, and Dan Heng suddenly feels pinned dead center, caught in that crosshair.

“Ya know what I mean, don'tcha?”

Dan Heng swallows.

Does Boothill know? Who he is and who came before him? There had been that moment in the Penacony Grand Theater, after he activated the Jade Abacus… Dan Heng had tried to shoo him out, keep him from seeing anything, but Boothill has the astounding ability to turn up exactly wherever people are trying to keep him away from.

If he did see, does he actually understand it? Does he know what a High Elder is? Does he know about the sedition of Imbibitor Lunae, the transmutation arcanum, everything Dan Feng had done and Dan Heng was punished for?

He doesn't want to explain it all. Not now. Possibly not ever, truth be told.

And it's not the same as Boothill leaving behind his old identity when whatever event happened that caused him to leave home. Not really. But…

But so far, Boothill has slid so easily into Dan Heng’s routine. His presence never feels like an intrusion. He's already figured out what he can push and when to back down. And even Dan Heng finds himself able to roll with whatever punches Boothill throws with baffling ease. They share too much in their methods and ideologies, and sometimes Dan Heng knows what Boothill will do seemingly before even Boothill himself knows.

“...Tell me about Talia and the Nailscrap Town.” Boothill must know he's avoiding the topic. He must. But the man just throws his head back and cackles, melting easily back into what they had been doing before, as he speaks fondly of a planet that Dan Heng has never visited.

Not today. But.

Dan Heng inches just a little closer, just enough to nudge his foot against a metal leg. Boothill doesn't pull away.

Maybe someday.

[naraeragon]

The deeper the bond with him

Bond 1: Strangers, close interactions unavailable

Bond 5: Let Yidhra hug him all the time

Bond 10: Hugs Yidhra on his own will and refuses to let go

[kybercrystals94]

Sounds Like Him

Read on Ao3 here!

Angstpril 2024 | Day 24 | Prompt 24: Ghost of You

Rated: G | Words: 435 | Summary: Wrecker and Crosshair talk about their lost brother. | Character Focus: Wrecker, Crosshair 

Wrecker groggily wakes to the sound of sure fingers typing. “Go to sleep, Tech,” he grumbles, turning over in the pull down bunk to face the wall. 

The typing stops abruptly. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.” Crosshair’s voice. Not Tech’s. Never Tech’s. 

Tech is dead. 

Wrecker rolls to his back, stares at the bunk above him. “Sorry,” he says. 

Crosshair makes a scoffing noise. “What for? I woke you up.”

“I thought you were Tech for a second,” Wrecker says. “It just sounded…like he was here. The way you were typing. Haven’t heard typing like that since before.”

Crosshair is quiet for a few moments, and Wrecker isn’t sure he’s going to answer, and then, “Hunter types like a newborn blurrg’s first steps.” 

Wrecker barks out a surprised laugh, turning his head to look at his brother. Crosshair smirks back at him. 

“I missed you, Cross,” Wrecker says. “A whole lot.” He isn’t sure why he’s suddenly feeling sentimental, but the words need to be said. 

He misses Tech. Every day. 

But he also missed Crosshair. 

Every day.  

Crosshair blinks at him, smile dropping. He glances away. “I missed you too.” 

Wrecker sits up, ducking his head so he doesn’t hit it on the upper bunk. He leans forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “Did Omega ever tell you about Tech winning a pod race?”

A half shrug and a nod. “A little. No details, but I got the gist of it.” 

“You should’ve seen him,” Wrecker says, becoming animated. “He was the craziest racer there.” 

Crosshair chuckles. “You sound surprised.” 

“Nah,” Wrecker says. “Just proud of him.” 

His little brother hums. “I would’ve liked to see that,” Crosshair mumbles, looking down at the data pad gone idle in his lap. He pecks one finger at the screen, igniting it to life, but he doesn’t do anything else with it. “There’s a lot of things I should’ve been here for.”

Wrecker swallows, but only lets his silence agree. 

“Maybe,” Crosshair continues once the quiet between them has settled, “you can tell me what happened…with the pod race.”

Wrecker grins so big it hurts. Until this moment, he hadn’t realized how badly he’d wanted to share this story with Crosshair. All the details, even the ones he and Tech and Omega had carefully left out when reporting to Hunter and Echo. 

“Well,” Wrecker says, swinging his legs over the side of the bunk. “I’ll have to start at the beginning.” 

Crosshair rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “Well, that’s obvious,” he snarks. 

And kriff, if he doesn’t sound just like Tech when he says it. 

@the-little-moment @just-here-with-my-thoughts, less than a week left of Angstpril! But that also means less than a week until the end of the Bad Batch 😭 I'm not ready!!

And I'm posting this story before the second to last episode airs just in case it ruins me emotionally....eeeeeep!

✨Let me know if you'd like to be added to my tag list!✨

Tag List: @followthepurrgil @isthereanechoinhere96 @amorfista @mooncommlink @arctrooper69 @nagyanna424 @proteatook @ezras-left-thumb @merkitty49

[createandconstruct]

I keep thinking about your toshinko baby au and how versatile it is!! 🥺 Thinking about the fluff in toshi seeing his kids play around, and how much he loves them.

Thinking about the angst in izuku asking gran while visiting, if nana had loved all might the same way he loved her as his mother, even though she had a biological son.

Thinking about the crack with big brother izuku trying to push the all might fanatic agenda onto his little sister bc in this household we love all might, only for her to ask "who" bc she only knows toshi in his small form, which leads to an exasperated "dad! dad is all might" from izuku

I will keep thinking abt this concept of yours 😭

Oh please, PLEASE keep feeding me.

Also wait I'm dying at that last part because the "Dad is All Might" agenda reminds me of radiotalk show with Daiki and Miyake where Miyake talks about how his own kid heard him do the "I AM HERE!" and is like "nah sounds different."

Like imagine Little Sister finally giving in to Izuku's hero propaganda and she also absolutely knows Izuku is Pro Hero Deku!! And that he was inspired by All Might! And while All Might's debut and fights aren't quite as cool or good as Deku he's still very cool!

And Toshinori is so touched and while it's been a few years he muscles up for a moment and gives his best "I AM HERE!" and she's just "mmmm I mean nice try dad but All Might's more muscular and his voice is a way deeper and also his hair is way taller."

Inko has to console him for the rest of the day as he sits in the corner sulking. Izuku as the die hard #1 All Might stan forever and also amazing teacher he is sets out to making a powerpoint and full breakdown as to "Why Dad IS in fact Actually the Hero All Might who is WAY better than Deku and is still the greatest hero in the world"

But UGH you have given me even MORE brain worms. Like: Toshi picking up both his kids despite his age. Izuku flustering that he's too big for this and "Dad you're gonna hurt yourself!" while Little Sis squeals from atop Toshi's shoulders. Gran being the one to call Toshi in the middle of the night and being like "You're first born visited me today. I'm too old to clean after your messes, boy. Give him a hug, buy him some hero merch, and give him so damn attention!!!" And when Gran hangs up Toshi is left reeling because what? Hadn't Izuku been the one putting some distance between them? He'd been the one to tell Toshi he was busy, and that he didn't have to wait up, and that it was fine because him and Inko probably had their hands full with the new ba- oh goddamnit he's screwed up hasn't he?

[dy3rs3v3]

A moment shared between Kirk and James on stage in Helsinki during Night 2 there of Metallica's M72 Tour, Finland, 2024

Pics by Ross Halfin

[paynomindtotheinsanity]

If anyone's wondering how Dib's day is going in this next update

Who's gonna tell him that it gets worse?

[la-galaxie-langblr]

It's so jover part 2

[russellius]

GEORGE RUSSELL photographed by Pier Nicola Bruno for Gentleman's Journal.