#cuz his friend has a couple servers he runs

[outer-edges]

wait my minecraft post had more interaction than I anticipated. if i made a server that’s bedrock (console) and java crossplayable would anyone be interested in joining? my brother taught me how to host one for free without giving out my IP and word on the street is it can be played by both java and bedrock 🫢

[rev-pirate]

Pixlriffs announcing ZloyXP has been added to the server! (decidedly vanilla s2e6)

I always love moments like these so much. I'm always left with a profound sense of awe whenever i witness clips like these in hindsight. Or even think back on stuff like this in my own life. Like Man this guy has No Idea the sort of long-lasting friendship this moment is about to lead to.

Transcript:

We have a new member of Decidedly Vanilla playing on the server at last! It's not like we wanted to replace Logan but we definitely wanted to have somebody else in the lineup pretty soon. And we have a new member in the form of ZloyXP who is somebody we were aware of kind of peripherally but we didn't necessarily run in the same circles except he's on Magicraft with bRanN and Ovi and a few of our other friends and bRanN liked him and thought we should give him a chance and the rest of us very much agreed! He's an excellent builder, he's a very very funny guy, has his own kind of like roleplay stuff going on which we think is cool cuz we've been doing a bit of roleplay on the server recently and we think he's a good fit for that. So welcome Zloy to the server! You've probably heard of him before and his videos are definitely going to be around. He's already made one from the server, I think, when he arrived and he's got a couple of other things coming up, so pay attention to this guy.

[shittyness]

I posted 599 times in 2022

That's 237 more posts than 2021!

114 posts created (19%)

485 posts reblogged (81%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@cyanroads

@the3rddenialist

@neonwizardheehee

@fearforthestorm

@shittyness

I tagged 310 of my posts in 2022

Only 48% of my posts had no tags

#ask - 17 posts

#<- prev tags - 13 posts

#empires smp - 12 posts

#grian - 12 posts

#theories - 11 posts

#evo smp - 10 posts

#<- prev - 9 posts

#evo - 9 posts

#the watchers - 8 posts

#anonymous - 8 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i have 2-3 copies of every book (well just one of eacg accompany book like demigod diaries) but i have 3full copies of the main books ofhoo

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Oli released a new video

spoilers ahead

that bit with Pearl is the part I was most interested by

so as you may or may not know sausage made Pearl canonically god of afterlife and when he died the final time he went to live with her in her Hermitcraft season 8 base while in her empire skin (that’s not really relevant rn but I feel like I can do something with it later) 

and then when Oli went up there he was shocked at the amount of her and sausage’s player heads were just around and was put off by her explanation of they had a legendary battle and sausage is now sleeping

and when Pearl invited him to stay in heaven with them he sounded scared like she was going to hurt him and he ran off

if you’ve watched Pearls empires pov (or sausage’s tbh) you know that she was a fighter she loved to battle and spar and was constantly changing that high of battle, she didn’t even really care if she lost half the time she just wanted to fight

this is proven in her first fight with Xornoth because after he finally managed to kill her using admin abilities and creative she wasn’t upset she lost at all she was more upset at the fact he wouldn’t actually fight her but hardly that

she knows sausage and by now (especially after the epic battle) they most likely know each other’s fighting styles extremely well so although she probably still loves fighting sausage when a new challenger approached she was excited to say the least

but he left to go be alive, so she sent him to where she last was empire’s smp 

I have a couple ideas on why she might have done this (if it was her that is)

1) he wanted his friends and a lot of the people from afterlife are on empires so it would be familiar faces even if they don’t know him

2) she wanted to use him to keep an eye on her friends as she wasn’t there this time

3) maybe she sent him as her champion/angel to try to keep another demon off the server

4) I don’t think it would be this one but maybe it was to try to get him to be ready to join her in heaven cuz he ran away from her in fear

or maybe it’s something else entirely I don’t know yet

and I really hope I get more then a day before this is proven wrong this time

I am really excited to see where this is going and to see what oli knows

and I’ll probably go into different parts of the episode later but this is a Pearl post I like talking about pearl ok?

70 notes - Posted August 10, 2022

#4

NEW THOUGHT NEW THOUGHT 

ok ok so, you know how when you get stressed it’s harder to keep calm and and shit?

What if Grian gets more watcher-like when he gets stressed

if we run with the “the watchers are evil and he ran away” thought process, then it would make sense that he would have anxiety whenever he thought of them

Then he would start having more watcher features show up; his eyes/wings turn purple, he gets more eyes, etc

and with those showing up, he’d get more anxious and get more features, turning into a spiral of he can’t calm down until he isn’t in his watcher form, and he can’t get out of watcher form until he calms down

even if we go with the “the watchers aren’t evil, just chaotic fucks/ overbearing parents and Grian left just cuz he wanted to” it still works

It works because Grian would be afraid of how the other hermits would react

he has no idea if they know what a watcher it, if they’ve met one before, or their opinions on them

so he’d be afraid of scared or disgusting his new friends just for what he is

thus the spiral again

Maybe eventually the other hermits start to find out, by either he tells them or they walk in on him in the midst of a spiral

Pearl would know by the time she showed up -cuz she is a watcher- 

none of them would really mind, I think at most Scar would be mock offended Grian didn’t tell him sooner, and then go into a million questions 

but even after they all know, he still get anxious when he starts to turn, so he has really good control of his emotions

Credit to this amazing cosplay for the inspiration 

95 notes - Posted November 11, 2022

#3

GUYS I THOUGHT OF SOMETHING WITH JIMMY

OK OK SO

throughout empires season 1 there was a popular thought that Joel, the mad king of Mezalia, was a terracotta statue 

and at the end I saw a post, I think it was fanart, about Joel trying to make his friends out of terracotta, but over time as he tries to perfect them he forgets how they’re supposed to look

Jimmy was one of Joel’s friends

Jimmy was the only one that looked really close to the original 

Jimmy came to life, but wasn’t the same as the Cod Father

After a while, Joel couldn’t take it anymore, he couldn’t stand to be near the terracotta Jimmy 

So he left, and right as he died, Pearl brought him to god-hood

and after thousands of years, he began to forget about the terracotta Jimmy, he began to resent the man he once was

Jimmy knows what happened with Joel, his only friend, and resents him for leaving hime behind

Eventually Jimmy set out to find the now god Joel, and give him a piece of his mind

On his travels he runs into Scott and his new magic eye, Scott can tell that Jimmy isn’t human, and is made of some type of magic

The two start talking and Jimmy tells Scott about Joel and his mission to find him

Scott doesn’t forget this, and refuses to accept Joel as a god

By the time Jimmy finally finds Joel, he has almost completely forgotten him

but he knows what Jimmy is, and he hates the reminder of his past life

and Jimmy obviously hates him for leaving him behind, and forgetting him

But he choses to be the bigger person and he goes off and becomes the sheriff of the mesa

Joel, upon finding this out, takes this opportunity to continuously remind Jimmy he isn’t human and never will be human

Jimmy doesn’t like it but figures Joel will stop eventually

that is until he calls Jimmy a toy in front of his friends, and then it starts to make them believe it too

and when he starts to protest it Joel just doubles down

turning it from a joke to a curse

he can’t admit admit it, he can’t give Joel the satisfaction

nor can he truly accept that he never was and never will be human

So now anytime he starts turning into a toy, he stops it then and there; re-sculpting a new terracotta arm, removing the pull string and hiding it, etc

he isn’t human, but he isn’t a toy either, not yet at least

115 notes - Posted November 6, 2022

#2

i'm trying to figure out what relationship grian has with the watchers (that i like better)

we have the basic: the watchers kidnapped him! and traumatized him! and while i love love that one, it's amazing for like angst and shit. but if you actually watch the Evo end poem, you have to admit that grian did choose to join the watchers, so the most you can say is that he didn't feel like he had a choice

so i'm gonna take that and change it a bit

when the watchers offered grian a spot in their ranks, they did give him a choice, but didn't tell him the full truth. they told him all of the powers he would gain, but none of the draw backs. they promised him the world, but didn't tell him the chains that would hold him to it. basically gave him an offer he couldn't refuse and he took the bait, hook, line, and sinker.

that's still good for lore/angst, but addresses that grian choose to be a watcher (also it seems like something the watchers would do)

or my other one was, grian joins the watchers and it goes as he expected and the watchers are kinda like panicked parents who are slowly regretting their choice to adopt him. while at the same time he's rubbing off on them and they're becoming more chaotic (maybe they yoink pearl so grian is less lonely)

i like that cuz it's kinda funny, no angst here, just good ol family dynamics

124 notes - Posted March 15, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

i really hope all of scott and pearls deaths are scotts fault

i hope pearl takes her time, makes friends and allies, only goes after like surface iron, and almost never gets herself in danger

and when scott gets in trouble she eats food and works to regen their hearts

because i want scotts downfall to be his own fault

i don’t want him being able to blame pearl for his deaths, or his health losses, he doesn’t want his soulmate but i hope she still works hard for the both of then

289 notes - Posted June 19, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[samrose8888]

I was running a parahumans rp server for a few friends a couple years back and also had a chess themed team that they fought against. Been a while but iirc they were mercenaries and were defending a casino that my players let slip they were going to rob soon. The powers were simple but it was fun to think up:

Pawn - Master power that lets him make duplicates of himself. Damage taken by any of the Pawns is split evenly amongst them so like a punch split up between a dozen Pawns barely hurts.

Rook - Mover power that has him move in straight lines really fast and is invincible while moving.

Knight - Rook's twin sister. Basically the same power but she jumps up, hovers in air while targetting, and then shoots down at the ground where she aimed. Invincible while hovering as well as moving.

Bishop - Blaster power that creates gold disks that shoot beams of kinetic energy. Gives her a low mover rating too cuz she can stand on the disks and use them to fly slowly.

Queen - Not sure what classification this is, maybe brute? Basically he creates hardlight constructs around his body to make himself into a really big sword wielding knight type of thing.

King - Striker power that when she touches someone they join her network; sharing all their senses and able to communicate thoughts instantly.

Grandmaster - Thinker power that makes him a great battle strategist. Normally he's limited by needing to communicate his commands verbally and not having access to all the info if his team is split up but with King's power he gets all the info and gives commands instantly.

Anyone want to see the Chess themed cape team I made?

[detectivesofty]

staking your claim | j.h.

Summary: Natalie has problems with Nina and you’re helping out, like the good future sister (in-law??) you are

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Doctor!Reader / Natalie Manning x Will Halstead / Nina Shore x Will Halstead

Song I listened to while writing: Bust Your Windows by Glee (cuz it’s a fucking bop)

Author’s Note: I literally wrote this in one sitting bc I got inspired lmao. This is very heavily centered around Natalie and Reader’s friendship, because I feel like Nat needs someone in her corner. This takes place in Season 2, Ep. 19 of Chicago Med and I know Jay and Reader’s relationship doesn’t make sense canon-wise, but this is a fanfic after all, so let’s just pretend that Jay and Reader have been in a commited relationship with each other for a while. Happy reading!

Warnings: mentions of alcohol

Word Count: 1,9k

“Hey Y/N,” Nina greeted you and you barely glanced up to greet her back, your focus entirely on your notes. Nina then turned to Natalie, who was standing right next to you.

“Hey Natalie. Can I ask you a favor?”

Natalie, held a finger up. “Uhm, one second,” she said, turning back to April. “Hey April, can you try and track down Connor for me?”

“Alright.”

“Thank you!” Natalie turned back to Nina, the stress written all over her face. “Sorry. What’s up?”

“I was going to give this to Will, but he’s busy. Can I leave it with you?”

That suddenly got your attention. Why would Nina ever ask Natalie for a favor regarding Will?

Natalie paused as well. “Sure,” she then replied, reaching a hand out for the jersey.

“He’s going to watch the game with his brother tonight. I slept in it last night and when he left this morning I was still in bed,” Nina added with a laugh and you furrowed your brows, while you kept your head down. 

“I’d leave it in his locker but I wanted to make sure he gets it.”

You rolled your eyes, but put on a smile when Nina looked at you. She wasn’t the best actress and you could see right through her act, even if Natalie didn’t.

Natalie seemed a bit lost as she held the jersey, glancing at you briefly. “... Okay?”

“Thanks. You’re the best. Bye Y/N, see you later!” Nina called over to you before leaving the ED. 

You forced a smile and waved at her, before turning to Natalie. She was still staring at the jersey in her hands and you nudged her gently. 

“Hey you okay?” 

Natalie nodded quickly, putting the jersey away. “Yeah, I am fine… But Nina was acting weird, right?”

Chuckling, you shrugged with your shoulders. You didn’t really like Nina with Will, if you were honest. She seemed nice enough, but you never clicked with her, despite her constant efforts to spend time with you. In your eyes, Natalie was the perfect one for Will. Especially because you knew of Will’s feelings for Natalie, you know, before the thing with Nina started. 

“Duh. She’s trying to mark her territory, it was so obvious.”

“What?” 

“I am pretty sure that she sees you as a threat, Nat. And the other day-”

“Doctor Manning, Doctor Y/L/N! Incoming, vehicular accident, two girls and their mother!”

Natalie gave you a look, which meant she was in no way done with this conversation. But for the meantime, you took care of the two hurt girls. Unfortunately, the day didn’t progress as you had expected it to go. The hospital’s server got hacked and you had to resort to old-fashioned blackboards, without knowing patients’ medical history. 

At the end of the day, you were completely exhausted and just wanted to fall in bed. You threw your jacket on and grabbed your purse, when Natalie came into the lounge. 

“Hey Y/N, are you going home?” 

You gave her a tired smile and nodded. “Yeah, I am beat.”

“I wanted to talk about the thing you mentioned this morning…?”

Frowning, you thought back to earlier until you finally remembered. “Oh yeah, uhm. Do you maybe want to come over? Jay’s watching the game at a bar with Will so I’ll be alone tonight.”

“Yeah, sure. That sounds nice. I’ll just swing by Helen real quick to check on Owen, and then I’ll come over, yeah?”

Nodding, you gave her a thumbs up, rubbing her shoulder. “See you later, Nat.” With that, you left the ED and drove home to an empty apartment. The moment you stepped into your home, you let out a loud sigh at the sight of Jay’s shoes being all over the place. Moving in together was Jay’s idea. Your jobs ate up a lot of your time and when Jay was on a hard case, you often had gone days without seeing each other. Living together had a lot of pros, but that was before you knew Jay loved leaving his shoes where he took them off, which could be basically anywhere in the apartment. 

But you loved that man, so you’d put them away for now and kick his ass later. 

Dropping off your purse on its designated place, you headed to the shower straight away. After a refreshing shower, you ordered pizza for you and Natalie, when a text from Jay came in.

Jay: hey babe, you home yet?

You: yeah, just got out of the shower

Jay: Without me?😜

You: First of all, ew You: second of all, you’re too old to be using emojis

Jay: 😭

You: nat’s coming over now and I just ordered some pizza

Jay: okay, have fun, love you Jay: save me some slices!

You: Love you too. And no!

At that moment, the doorbell rang and you put the phone away to open the door, expecting either Natalie or the delivery guy. But instead, it was Natalie, the delivery girl. 

“I bumped into the delivery boy on my way up and paid him,” Natalie said and you beamed at her, ushering her in. 

“You didn’t have to do that. Come in!”

You grabbed a bottle of wine and two wine glasses, then situated yourself on the couch with Natalie. The two of you devoured a couple of slices before Natalie spoke up. 

“So. About what you said this morning… Why would Nina see me as a threat? I don’t see Will that way.”

Pouring yourself another glass of wine, you gave Natalie a look. “Really? I see the way you look at him, Nat. The two of you have always been dancing around each other. Nina has eyes, she can see that.”

Natalie opened her mouth, frowning, before she closed it again. 

“I never did anything while they were dating, I swear,” she insisted and you gave her a smile. 

“I know, Natalie. No one thinks that, I promise.”

“It’s just…” She sighed. “At first, I didn’t want to rush into a relationship, because I haven’t worked through my grief yet. And then Will wanted to move on, which I totally understood. And with Jeff, I thought he was the right one, considering his history with my Jeff. But then he turned out to be the complete opposite. And now… Will’s with Nina and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“At this point, I think you should just let their relationship run its course. I know it sounds kind of mean to say that, but I don’t think that they’re a good fit. You and Will are. You challenge each other, but also make each other better. I can see how you look at him when you think no one is watching; Will looks at you the same way, Nat.”

You could see the hope glimmer in her eyes and while you didn’t want your friend to get hurt, since Will and Nina are in fact still dating and even living together, you knew how right you were. You spent endless hours talking to Will about Natalie and you knew that feelings like that didn’t disappear overnight. 

“I just don’t want Nina to think I am trying to step on her toes and ruin their relationship, you know,” Natalie added. “The way she acted today kind of intimidated me.”

“Yeah I totally get that. She was acting a bit crazy,” you laughed and Natalie grinned at you, nudging you with her shoulder. 

“Enough about me and my problems. How are things with Jay?”

“Oh, things are good.”

The rest of the night passed in a blur while you and Natalie talked about everything and everyone. Nights like these were much too rare and you enjoyed spending time with your friends outside of work. It was nearing one am when you heard keys jangling at the front door, you and Natalie instinctively turning to the door. 

As the door opened, Jay stilled in the doorway, like a deer caught in headlights. 

“Hey Jay.” 

“Hey babe.”

Jay waved, slightly abashed as he took his shoes off. “Hey guys, thought you were already in bed,” he mumbled, walking over to the couch to press a kiss on your head and high five Natalie. “I am just going to go to the bathroom real quick,” Jay told you and disappeared into the bathroom. 

“I think that’s my cue to leave,” Natalie said, yawning loudly. “Don’t want to be too tired for work tomorrow.” 

You walked her to the door and leaned against the doorway while she collected her things.

“Thanks for today, Y/N. I really needed that.”

Smiling, you pulled her in a tight hug. “Anytime, Nat. That’s what friends are for. Get home safely, okay?” 

“I will. Say bye to Jay for me,” Natalie answered and you nodded, waving before you closed the door. With a yawn, you locked it and trudged over to the coffee table to clean it up, throwing the pizza cartons in the trash and putting the wine glasses in the dishwasher. You looked up when Jay came out of the bathroom, looking around. 

“Nat already left?”

You nodded and wrapped your arms around his neck. “Yeah. It’s late and we have work tomorrow. You okay?”

“Mhm,” Jay nodded, leaning in to kiss you. The kiss was short and sweet, which made you smile against his lips. You pulled away after a while, observing him. His cheeks were flushed and it was obvious he’s had a few beers. 

“What did you guys talk about?”

You snorted out a laugh. “Uh, about Will.”

“What about Will?” Jay raised a confused eyebrow. 

“You know. Will and Nat. Nina came up to her today, trying to stake her claim. Waving around Will’s jersey like it was a prize. It was ridiculous.”

Jay laughed, shaking his head. “She did? Nina’s crazy.”

Shrugging with your shoulders, you pursed your lips. “I kinda get her. I mean, if anyone would even think about getting with my man, I’d whack them.”

“Yeah?” Jay asked, smirking at you in amusement. “You’d be willing to go to prison for me?”

“As if you’d let me go to prison,” you snorted and he chuckled, leaning his forehead against yours. 

“Yeah you’re right. Can’t let anyone hurt my girl.” 

You felt warmth spreading in your chest, just like it did everytime Jay called you his girl, even after all this time. 

“You wanna go to bed?” Jay asked softly and you nodded, looking up at him. 

“Carry me?”

He groaned out, but complied anyway, hooking his arms under your thighs to hoist you up, carrying you into the bedroom. The two of you quickly got changed and slipped under the sheets, cuddling up. 

“You know,” Jay murmured, nosing along your neck. “I think you’re right about Will and Natalie. He’s still got that look in his eyes when he talks about her.”

“Yeah? I thought so. He should stop leading Nina on, then. It’s not really fair.”

“Tell him. He listens to you more.”

You rolled your eyes and swatted Jay’s hands away, reaching for your phone to text Will.

You: Get your head in the game, Will. If you still have feelings for Natalie, you should end things with Nina. It’s not fair for either of them. 

Unsurprisingly, ellipses popped up a minute later.

Will is typing…

Will: You’re right. Thanks.

[madisonrooney]

hi it's your secret santa! first of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! i hope you have a wonderful day! how are you celebrating, if you are at all? safely, i hope! either way i hope you manage to find a way to have a great day full of love!! consider my christmas gift a belated birthday gift as well lol. anyway i loved reading your last answer, it was so thoughtful and sweet. i realized after reading that i barely know anything about dove lol so follow up q: what about dove makes you love her so much?

sorry for the late response! the last couple days have been v busy and ive been super tired and dissociative on top of it so i made a point to save this bc i wanted to give it my full attention!

first of all thank you!! i was going to do a virtual meet and greet with one of my favs from jersey boys but he got confused about timezones so we rescheduled but were doing it next week! then i went to a virtual walt disney family museum panel, had pizza for dinner and watched some liv and maddie, my mom made a cookie cake that we ate while watching the grinch musical, and then some friends and i watched the jersey boys movie together over skype!

im so glad you enjoyed reading my last answer! and oof thats another loaded question (i love it tho)

- like i said when first talking about what drew me to her and liv and maddie, a big thing is just how much passion and love she puts into her characters. ofc she puts passion into every character she plays, but its the passion she puts into characters like liv, maddie, and mal that means the most to me. that goes back to the fact that ive dealt with a lot of negativity directed towards me for enjoying disney channel, and then you have dove out here saying “yah im a teenager/twenty-something who not only respects what theyre doing on disney channel, but puts my all into it” not to mention she even won an emmy for playing liv and maddie in season 4! i hope that passion and talent has started to change the conversation about disney channel, and tbh i think it has at least a bit.  ofc, none of this is to say other people her age acting on disney channel arent talented and passionate, but idk, something about her has always stood out to me. i find her to be more animated and expressive than most. it can be hard for me to read emotions in live action movies and shows, so thats been really important for me. not to mention she was not only playing the lead but TWO lead characters on a four season show with distinct personalities but also subtle similarities. AND the main character in the biggest DCOM franchise in years for 5 years running now. PLUS the fact that there was a period where those were both happening at the same time. she was only 16 when she started all this and hadnt even had any big roles prior to it!! she had a lot of responsibility so it was amazing to see her not only pull it off, but excel at it.

- i just love like....her aesthetic?? shes always seemed to be a very old soul to me, into old jazz music and poetry and stuff like that. its just very charming. and for her to have that aesthetic on top of being a disney channel actress is a fascinating juxtaposition.

- this is kind of sappy and it gets tiring to hear it said over and over again but that doesnt mean it isnt true: i love how transparent she is about her struggles with mental health issues, trauma, and such. she has been for a long time but even more so over the last year or two. no shade to anyone else, but a lot of actors dont really give you a look into their personal lives, they just share and promote their product. im not saying theres anything wrong with that, its good to know what youre comfortable sharing, ive just felt all the more close to her with her being as open as she is, especially as someone who has gone through trauma myself, albeit different from hers.

- kind of connected to that, i love how important spreading kindness, positivity, and love is to her. thats another thing thats been said a million times but still, its very important to me.

for example. she’ll randomly tweet things like “i love you” a lot. im one to always think of the thought process that goes on behind whatever someone posts, texts, etc., bc personally i put a lot of a thought into pretty much anything i say or do before i put it out there publicly, probably bc of my social anxiety. even tho its a simple statement and takes her a couple seconds to post, she still had to have the thought “i want to remind my fans that theyre loved” or something along those lines. and she has this thought FREQUENTLY. to just randomly get a notification every few days or weeks or so of her saying something like that is just very heartwarming to me.

the reason i connected with miley so much when she helped me through my initial trauma was bc it felt like even if no one loved me, she loves her fans, thus she loves me. thus the person i love and admire the most loves me. even if its only one person, it can be enough. it was for me at the time. i feel that same way with dove. when she came into my life, i didn’t feel as unloved, but her love was still helpful to me.

- of course i need to specifically talk about her kindness in person too. dont get me wrong (ive been saying that a lot havent i lol), i totally and completely loved her long before i met her, but naturally, i love her 10x more after the experiences ive had getting to know her in person.

i could go ONNNNNNN about the experiences ive had with her, and i have lol, and if you already heard me ramble about this in the server i apologize, but the most important thing ive taken away from every encounter ive had with her is this: she always goes the extra mile. she always goes out of her way to make people feel special. what i mean by that is she could say/do HALF as much as she has when meeting me and i would still leave over the moon feeling loved. you can tell she does this in excess bc she really truly means it and cares about people like me, she doesnt have any kind of ulterior motive and isnt just going through the motions doing whats asked of her, she simply cares about me and the rest of her fans. some examples - the first time we met, i was sobbing (lol) and she hugged me for a really long time, rocking me back and forth, brushing my hair with her thumb, calling me sweetheart and honey. she even started to tear up a bit herself. - a couple months later, i went to my first liv and maddie taping. i was preparing to reintroduce myself (i looked a little different bc id been cosplaying as maddie the first time i met her) and ofc when preparing myself, i fantasized pretty heavily as i usually do and pictured myself showing her the pic of us on my phone, her gasping, jumping out of her chair screaming, and hugging me, thinking that was probably way more than i was gonna get. that is EXACTLY what happened. then she went on to tell me how my costume made her whole weekend. things like this would continue to happen where i would set the bar impossibly high and not only would she meet it but she’d exceed it. - our usual interaction from there on would start with her face lighting up when she saw me, her calling me some kind of cute name like love or baby, and then hugging me without me even having to initiate it. - when i saw her in mamma mia, i didnt know when id be seeing her again afterwards after pretty consistently getting to see her for 2 years, so i wanted to make sure we got some kind of closure. at the stage door, i reminded her how much she meant to me and just expected like an “aww i love you too” or something back, but she said “you are an angel in my life” and i will never forget that. obvs, i havent told her ALL the details about what she and her characters mean to me but like...she can tell. she can tell if im in a homemade maddie costume sobbing into her arms that theres something there, and shes VERY appreciative of that. - i thankfully got to see her at a meet and greet a few months later and every time i thought i should get going cuz i didnt want to hold the line up, she would just open her arms for another hug. speaking of being appreciative, she even said “thank you for being such a supportive fan.” as i left, i turned around to say one last goodbye. i made sure she wasnt with the next fan yet and yelled out “bye!” and she yelled back “I LOVE YOU!!” and blew me a kiss. again, its the little things. - i saw her at a small panel in new york a few months after that. she walked in the room when the lights were down as they were playing a clip, she quietly waved hi to everyone, then saw me and loudly whispered HI BABY!!! and stopped on her way to the stage to give me a hug. (then she looked at me from the stage and asked which way i thought she should cross her legs for the interview lol) - sometimes when she sees im next in line, shell give me a knowing smile or whisper “hi baby!!” or something like that. she saw me in the crowd after clueless and seemed to make a point to come to me last bc she knew wed be talking for a while, which we did. she even told me she’d seen me in the audience, asking if i was in the front on the left, which i was.

even all that is still just scratching the surface. weve “known” each other for 5 years now and every time i think she’s done the most she can do, she outdoes herself again. not to mention when im at these events, i see her treat all the fans she meets with all of that kindness too. naturally all of this has made me love her all the more.

- finally, lets just be honest here..........................shes REALLY fucking hot.

[ruiyuki-archives]

Star Tear AU - Alt. Timeline: Todoroki ver. [Part 1]

This is an AU I wrote on the todomomo discord server eons ago. Anything posted to this blog will be transcripts of old original work and not really edited, save for formatting. I have no guarantees if I will ever finish these AUs either so these will only be kept as an archive.

Original transcript posted to tdmm discord: Aug 2020

Momo ver. Alternate timeline: Todo ver. Part 1 || Todo ver. Part 2 || Todo ver. Part 3

Star tears in which Todoroki falls for Momo first.

shortly after the exam with Aizawa he doesn’t know what he’s feeling but just admires her strength and quick thinking

and him hanging out with Deku and Iida at lunch means Todo hears all the nice and good things Momo does when she and Iida to discuss class prez stuff

which intensifies this ??admiration?? and respect more

and he just?? Holds onto those feelings unable to figure out what they are until idk maybe holidays where 1A and 1B throw that holiday hotpot party

and Momos really cute lookin’ in that Santa hat she made with the festive turtleneck

and so that feeling inside Todo grows into something more??? bc "oh shit she cute".... and Todo’s blushing while looking at her from afar. Probably.

so Todo talks to Fuyumi abt it and Fuyumi’s like: “I think you like her Shouto”

and he writes to his mom abt it and Rei's like: “she sounds like a lovely girl Shouto”

and he texts Natsuo abt it and Natsu's like: “aw little bro has a crush”

but all the while this is happening, Momo's gotten closer with Iida over class prez stuff and hero stuff and everyone in 1A (read: mina and hagakure) think iimomo might be a thing???

ofc Momo denies it and making excuses politely like "no no ofc not we're being responsible class prez and vice prez" but she’s kinda stuttery while doing so, so no one buys it

and no ones brave enough to ask Iida except Ochako but he gives some straight laced answer like "i admire her work ethic and respect her as a hero and vice prez" but he also has some tint of blush across his cheeks

so idk fast forward to graduation where Todo's been holding onto these feelings for Momo since first year and iimomo is still very very likely

so its all cherry blossom petals flying around and congratulatory celebrations

and when Todo sees Momo amongst the sakura trees smiling like he's never seen before (bc they're finally officially heroes!!) he thinks she’s beautiful

but just as he's about to approach her, Iida approaches her and Todo can see she's blushing and he knows its really not good to eavesdrop on one of his best friends and the girl he likes

But... he's curious.

or so he lies to himself.

Ofc what he hears isnt what he ever wants to,,,,

cuz Iida just confessed to her.

and she feels the same.

and a star tear slips from Todo's eye as he walks away.

he stops mid step as he touches his cheek bc he didnt even realize he was crying

but what are these tears??? What’s happening?? He's never had these before bc even though Todo is an emotional crier, he doesn’t cry that often.. only when he is completely overwhelmed with emotion

so he has this dumbfounded expression staring at his fingers as these star tears are twinkling out of his eyes catching sunlight and sakura petals

until he hears "Youre a fucking idiot" from a few steps away

Bakugou. 

(Baku really likes eavesdropping ok its not the first time lol)

Baku: theyre called star tears.

Todo: You know what these are?

Baku: it happens when you like someone and that person doesnt like you back, idiot.

Todo: ... oh.

Baku: get that shit sorted or you'll go blind

(And for those who are curious, yes maaaayyybe Bakugou has a case of the stars in this timeline too, that’s how he knows. To whom? I'll let you decide bc honestly, I just want todobaku brotp bonding over unrequited love)

so now Todo thinks he might be fucked. One of his best friends confessed to the girl he likes too and she likes him back and now Todo has this disease that might make him go blind and might get in the way of heroing (which they've all secured post graduation positions by now) and what can he do about it?

nothing, says the doctor he sees. The disease is not curable and the only way to stop it is to have your feelings returned else you'll go colour blind and then completely blind, so he's told.

ya he's really fucked.

maybe its a good thing then, that he doesnt cry often. It makes it easier to ice over these feelings, freeze them in time with the memories of U.A.; of his last congratulations to her and her smile at the end of the ceremony an hour after he overheard that confession

maybe its another good thing that right after graduation, everyone went off to their own positions as side kicks with agencies across japan, focusing on heroing

but its 3 months after graduation that Iida tells Deku and Todoroki that he is seeing Momo when they meet up every Friday to catch up

its 6 months after graduation that its publicly announced in Hero Magazine that Ingenium and Creati are dating

its 9 months after graduation that he sees Iida and Momo attending the Hero Association's rising stars gala as a couple and are seated at the same table as them

(Bakugou is scowling at him across the table.)

Todo tries. He really does. To be happy for them.

but he's angry at himself that he can't be happy for them. That it saddens him to see Momo glowing under the ballroom lights but its not himself to make her shine like that, its Iida. That he sees she is the one to make Iida genuinely happy in the way his eyes light up when he smiles at her.

and all three times Todo goes home, lies down alone in his room, an arm slung across his forehead as the star tears leak from his eyes.

he starts to lose seeing colour at 12 months.

after 24 months he needs glasses for colour correction (and ironically gets a sponsorship with the brand. The fashion magazines print headlines for weeks "Hot-Cold Hero Shouto Fall Fashion! See page 7 spread for his newest spotted specks and turtle necks")

at 36 months Iida breaks the news. Iida's gonna propose to Yaoyorozu and wants him, Deku, and his brother to be his groomsmen

she said yes.

and a part of Todo washes away with the star tears flooding him room and twinkling against the tatami.

he tries to stay out of the wedding planning as much as possible. He'll go to the tuxedo fittings as requested and still keep up hearing the updates when seeing Iida and Deku for their weekly get together on Friday nights. 

But for anything involving Momo's presence, there will always be a "sorry i have a mission that week", "sorry im visiting my mom", "sorry Endeavor needs to see me about the agency"

... all excuses Bakugou knows, but the others pay no mind. They are rising heroes near the top of the billboard by now

month 48. Wedding day.

she's stunning. Gorgeous. A near goddess walking down the aisle on her big day.

but she's not walking down for him. No its for iida.

there was the ceremony, the cheers, the congratulations, the reception. Fairy lights around the dance floor and along the walls, champagne glittering after the sound of a cork

Todoroki stands off to against the wall as the night dies down, a glass in hand, watching the newly weds grace the dance floor.

someone slides up beside him, he feels the presence. Bakugou.

"She's beautiful isnt she?"

"Yeah."

. . .

a star tear falls from Todoroki's eyes, twinkle hidden among the fairy lights and champagne glitter.

she's beautiful, but maybe its a good thing I can't see

somebody said: what if she knows everything that had happened and the reason why he couldn't continue his career is bc of her?

me: ok you’re asking for it

Momo, 3 months pregnant with iimomo baby, announces with Iida the news to their friends

the soon to be parents want to choose godparents for the baby so Iida gets to choose the baby’s godmother and Momo gets to choose the godfather

and ofc along with the announcement Momo asks Todoroki to be the kid’s godfather

he can’t say no to her.

the same week later Todo and Momo's agencies are requested to deal with this one villain case while Ingenium's agency deals with another in another town (later turns out the cases were connected)

small talk, civil, very professional between Momo and Todo when they’re in the debriefing

at this point Todo's pretty much completely blind and uses some special contact lenses from Hatsume to help "see"

but the contact lenses can only do so much as to detect light movement and shadows and it reallllllllly doesnt work well when he's using his fire 

so Todo already had tossed around the idea of running away to the mountains like Roy did in the FMA 2003 ending, "mysteriously" retiring bc really his vision cannot keep up

until this last mission with Momo

and really its been nearly a decade now since they last worked together side by side (not since U.A. he thinks).. so just let the blind man be selfish one last time

and so smth smth missiom happens, Todo and Momo fighting side by side

but Momo senses there’s something off with Todo's movements? His reflexes are slower.. it doesnt seem like he's prediciting the opponents moves like he used to.. he's more so reacting and retaliating than attacking..

she chalks it up to that they havent fought side by side in a long time and his style must’ve changed and really, she doesnt know him anymore... not like she used to

smth smth 3 months pregnant Momo gets hurt, knocked unconscious for a bit

Todo saves her

and when she comes to, while Todo's holding her, star tears fall onto her cheek from Todo's eyes. 

She's shocked. Reaches up to gently graze a finger tip at his left cheek.

"Todoroki-san, these are?"

and again its like Todo didnt realize he was crying. He jerks away from her hand and brushes her off with "its nothing”. Changes the subject with "are you ok?"

Momo: yes.. i think so

Todo: and the baby?

Momo, sitting up: we're ok I think

Todo, moving away: good

the mission concludes and they meet up with Ingenium’s group to wrap up the two ends. Todo slips away before Iida and Momo and approach him

theres no activity from Todoroki for the next month

neither Iida, Deku or anyone else in 1A know where he went except the Hero Association's vague comment on "Hot Cold Hero Shouto has taken a sudden indefinite hiatus"

(Only Todo’s family knows and Endeavor asked the Association to say "hiatus" instead of "retirement" bc Enji wants to believe in his son making a comeback. He didnt stop Shouto from taking off)

and ofc Momo upon hearing this is so confused??? Her last mission with him was the last time she saw him and he was crying. Why was he crying? Strange star tears twinkling and landing on her cheeks? What even is that phenomenon?

its too many questions and ofc Momo's gonna investigate. For the sake of her friend.

so she digs up all the texts she can find on star tears. Internet search all the possibilities. Consults the doctors at the hospital. Even asks Tenya if Todoroki has been acting strangely during their weekly catch ups.

but Tenya tells her Todoroki hasnt been the the meet ups since after their wedding

so she asks anyone in their pro hero circle of associates she can think of. Tsukiyomi, Burnin', heros from his agency, anyone she can think of that has worked with Todoroki before and could comment on his behaviour

no body knows. No body noticed anything different either. Sure there were some off days but the Hot Cold Hero Shouto was always on his game being one of the top 3 heroes on the billboard charts

she searches and searches, splitting time interviewing colleagues and researching the possible star tears phenomenon

until eventually her search takes her to...

Bakugou.

Of course.

Momo, pleading: please Bakugou, you know something about him dont you?

Bakugou, who at this point had been very careful trying not to get cornered knowing her investigation: save it pony tail, you’re about to have a baby. Go have people harass you about that brat in your oven instead of harassing other people

Momo, nearly begging: please. You and I both know he's strong and a good hero that would not suddenly retire. Whatever he is doing, he might need help.. please tell me Bakugou.

... theres something about pregnant women that you cant say no to.

Bakugou, relenting: tch. The half ass is somewhere in Yokohama

and thats all she needs nearly running waddling (as fast as a pregnant woman could) out the door

Bakugou, calling out after her, still reluctant: when find that half ass, i suggest you throw him a gift. Literally. Throw it at him. He deserves it.

she finds him along the port, watching the sunset in Yokohama (its really not that hard to find someone with heterochromia and two tone hair in a city, especially if youre a hero that knows what methods heroes will use to go incognito)

and for some inkling of a feeling, Momo takes Bakugou's advice. She has a carton of strawberry milk in hand.

Momo, a few feet away from him: Todoroki-san, it's been a while.

Todo, turning his head in her direction: Yaoyorozu...?

Momo, sadly smiling: the sunset is beautiful here isnt it?

Todo, brows furrowing: .. sure. Yaoyorozu what are you doing here--

Momo, interrupting him: --i brought some snacks. Strawberry milk, you liked this while we were in school right? Catch.

she tosses it at him.

he tries to reach out.

But he'es completely off. And misses

Momo, sad: Todoroki-san. You're blind, arent you?

Todo, guilty: ah.

Momo, tearing up: will you please tell me?

he still can say no to her and confesses his story

and when he's finished telling the tale of star tears, the stars above are twinkling too

she's crying and choking and sobbing through tears and its intensified by baby Iida with pregnancy hormones

But the last thing she manages to croak out at the very least is still wholly her

She apologizes

“Im so sorry Todoroki- san. I cant love you that way.”

“I know.”

END NOTES:

red is the last color Todoroki wanted to lose because it reminds him of Momo

during missions, as long as he could see her, “that’s ok” he thought. she is the only one he sees in color. that is okay with him

to him, Momo is his shining star. And there’s something tragically poetic of him losing his sight to the stars if its for his shining star Momo

He leaves the last stars in a tiny little jar like those paper stars as a gift for her with just the words on a note "goodbye Momo" the day after she finds him in Yokohama

Momo has the jar of stars forever on her bedside and looks at them with this melancholy expression. Baby Iida grows up and asks mom: "what is that jar of stars?" 

Momo responds: "a gift from someone that was blinded by love"

Bakugou in this timeline had a case of star tears too but I'd like to think he got his feelings requited so he never went blind to contrast Todo

So thats why Baku is (begrudgingly) sympathetic to Todo cuz he thinks: “that could’ve been me”

The ending shot of a blind Todoroki in a dark room, all alone, eyes closed, thinking back to Momo's shining smile from UA surrounded by star light with a sad smile on his face and it fades to black

> archives masterpost

[kitten1618x]

GoT Afterthoughts ep. 08x01 ‘Winterfell’ (Part 1)

Whew! I’m sorry this has taken so long. I’ve got two munchkins home from school with a stomach bug, and they’ve been cutting into my rewatch and write-up.

~

So, a few things before we kick this bad boy off... I have not read or interacted much with anyone (except writing up that post yesterday about the opening creds) and I have avoided the discord server (even though I’m DYING to gush) as to not skew my own perception of the episode. Those of you who follow my blog know that I am partial to political!jon, but here’s your heads up for anyone else that just stumbled onto this recap. And with that...

~

We begin the journey of our last season similarly to the way we began our very first: An excited Winter Town boy frantically scrambling to find a better view of the royal retinue marching on Winterfell—complete with the same musical score. Let’s call that strike one against Jon and Dany, as we all know what a farce that first royal couples’ relationship was.

~

This boy, as he shimmies up a nearby tree, very much reminds me of a combination of both Arya and Bran in the pilot — Arya even spies him and smiles, as she stands watching with the smallfolk (a nice book nod). Her face at initially seeing her big brother Jon makes my heart skip a few beats, and I kind of got the feeling she was going to call out for him, but changed her mind. She looks down then, and I’m honestly so worried for their reunion because they have both changed so much, and Arya isn’t the same little girl he remembers.

~

Her smile fades as Jon and Dany pass her by, and the Hound comes into view. Her feelings with Sandor have always been complicated, but we don’t have much time to dwell on that, because Gendry rounds the corner and there’s a different kind of smile lighting up Arya’s face now—and I’m so stoked for their reunion, because it’s what I deserve. WE ALL DESERVE THIS OKAY?!?!?!

~

And what do we have here? Ahhhh yes, the typical D&D ‘cock’ and/or (in this case) ‘balls’ banter via Varys and Tyrion as they once again travel together in another wooden box. You know, we damn well better get the payoff to the jackass/honeycomb/brothel joke this season, or I swear by the old gods and the new that I’m blowing up the Sept of Baelor... oh wait.

~

Missandei looks visibly uncomfortable at the impassive stares of the Northerners as they ride by. However, Jon did warn them about the North—which he reiterates to a rather annoyed looking Dany, who no doubt expected a much more warmer welcoming for coming to “save the North”—but it’s pretty clear there will be no Myhsa crowd-surfing here.

~

A screeching overhead sends the Northerners frantically running for cover as a smug-looking Daenerys smirks proudly at the fear her dragon children instill when they split the skies above. Let’s be real here — that was no coincidence. Remember this?

Dany is in complete control of Drogon, and let’s call a spade a spade: this was a cheap intimidation tactic driven by spite. And I honestly can’t even say I blame the girl, but it’s probably not the best way to make new friends, either—especially when they are all of the mindset that “a Targaryen cannot be trusted”. Just sayin’, Dany girl.

~

And we have Arya’s reaction to seeing Dragons for the first time as they soar high up over Winterfell and Sansa, who watches from the ramparts. Sansa’s reaction is quite similar to Cersei’s—as in, she really doesn’t have one. Someone please cue My Chick Bad by Ludacris!!

Jon and Dany enter the courtyard and Jon springs from his horse to bring Bran in for a signature Stark squeeze and a forehead kiss (another season one callback). He proudly admires how Bran has grown and is now a man, only for Bran to answer with some vague and emotionless three-eyed raven shit, before staring down Daenerys while Jon moves to Sansa’s open arms.

~

*Perhaps no one informed Jon about Bran going all sentient-being?

~

I’m sure most of you already noticed that while this is supposed to be the same hug scene we were shown in the HBO teaser, it’s not the same shot, nor the same angle. In the teaser, Jon makes this soft face and goes straight to Sansa’s arms...

But in the actual episode, Jon goes straight to Bran’s arms, and his expression is quite different...

And in the teaser the hug is much longer in duration, and Sansa doesn’t look up at Dany until the end—still not relinquishing her hold on Jon.

However, in the episode, we get a shorter version and a different angle, while Bran and Sansa simultaneously stink-eye Dany the entire time.

*please note Jon’s expression isn’t the same as it is in the hbo teaser—which begs to differ WHY they chose such a romantic shot of these siblings to hype the final season? I mean, I know why... do you? 😉

~

Annnnnnd moving right along. Jon asks where his darling baby sister Arya has gotten to, as to which Sansa replies “lurking somewhere” — which is an odd response, but I’m not gonna lie, it did make me chuckle a little. If I had to make a guess on this odd dialogue (other than the D’s just suck at dialogue sometimes), I imagine it serves the purpose of leading Jon to assume that the girls still have the same strained relationship of their youth.

~

Not one to stand by idle while getting eye-fucked from all directions (and not in a good way), Dany sashays over to be introduced to the stunning redhead Jon was hugging on, to learn she is (only) his sister (whew!), and the Lady of Winterfell. And with that said, I need to take a moment to address something to all the antis who will probably hop on this post (cuz I know y’all are there): Jon is NOT the Lord of Winterfell. Winterfell does NOT belong to him, not even as warden of the North, not even a little bit. He has no say, no ownership, no NOTHING on Winterfell. The only way he becomes the Lord of Winterfell is if he marries his cousin, Sansa Stark — which is just ONE of the many reasons WHY a marriage between them is advantageous. Tell your friends.

~

The tension kicks up a notch as the introductions proceed and Dany feeds Sansa platitudes of how beautiful she and the North are. Perhaps her words are meant to be kind, but after all she’s been through, Sansa is not here for the bullshit — remember how nice Miranda was in the beginning too? Besides, my girl’s jealousy is so thick, she’s almost GREEN. So, giving Dany a full-bodied once over, she haughtily replies “Winterfell is yours, Your Grace.”

~

Annnnnnd...

Before a full-blown catfight ensues, Bran throws some ice on the situation—and by ice, I mean ice dragon (harr harr harrrr). The wall has come down, and your dragon is one of them now, he informs Dany—whom of course is horrified by the news. (And probably by Bran too, as I assume she, like Jon, did not get the Bran is the 3ER memo).

~

We move into the Great Hall where we learn that Sansa has already made the intelligent decision to call all their banners to retreat to Winterfell as soon as they knew that the wall had fallen. Little Ned Umber isn’t really sure whom he’s supposed to address or how (bless his little heart), but in any event, he’s getting the horses and carts he needs to safely bring the rest of his people back to Winterfell. Jon tells the maester to summon the Nights Watch as well.

~

And of course you know little Lady Mormont has some shit to say. She’s not pleased with the turn of events and wastes no time voicing her opinion and stirring the ire of the Northerners. But hey,

(Sorry, I couldn’t help myself).

But more on that later, because Jon looks really nervous as little Lyanna throws shade — and his first instinct is to turn and share a look with his sister, errr wife, cousin!, Sansa.

~

I feel like he was looking to her for support, but she’s got none to offer at the moment. So, he pulls himself together and tries to calm the dissent by giving another rousing ‘we need allies and I brought them’ speech, and he actually says something VERY interesting here: “I had a choice: keep my crown or protect the north. I chose the north.” I mean, he ain’t lying, and the best place to hide something is right in plain sight, after all—and of course nothing about that statement sounds political or off at all, does it? I mean, because the Dany stans/jonerii insist that Dany agreed and was FULLY onboard to come north before Jon bent the knee, so why would he say that, then? Go on, tell me...

~

Tyrion decides to throw in his unwanted .02 — simultaneously backing up Jon and feeding Dany’s savior complex (the greatest army blah blah blah — gods, I cannot wait until everyone sees how useless the dragons will be against the NK, especially when using them to roast the wights puts their own soldiers at risk). His words aren’t met with any gratitude when he also drops the bomb that another enemy house of the North is also on its way to Winterfell.

~

Sansa is taken aback but recovers quickly. Armed with her signature snark, she asks how they’re expected to feed the ‘worlds greatest army’ — something she did not prepare for — chased by a sassy, “what do dragons eat, anyway?”

But wa-wa-wait, HOLD UP. Did Dany just— Did she just throw down the gauntlet?

~

Why, I believe she did, my friends! jskslkdlsksjsklslsljsllsl 😂😂😂😂

~

I can’t even with this episode, guys. It’s like I’m watching a medieval version of Melrose Place (google it, youngin’s) with Jane and Sydney throwing shots by the poolside!

Okay, okay, but all joking and snark aside, Sansa has got a valid point. She isn’t prepared to feed all these extra mouths PLUS two fucken huge dragons. I mean, winter is here, and where could they possibly find enough food to sustain everyone? It’s almost as if the show is making it a point to remind us about the lack of food and where did we last see wagons loaded with food? Oh right, I remember...

Put this one behind Northern Independence on the list of ‘Petty Things That Won’t Matter Because the AotD is Coming’ — you know, because who needs food to survive? And who the hell wants independence, anyway?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

~

Moving right along, and holy mother, maiden and crone, this is getting long and I’ve barely scratched the first 15 minutes of the show!

~

You know what? Nevermind, I’m just gonna go ahead and publish this, and post the rest tomorow when I finish it — I know y’all are thirsty anyway. lol Forgive the sloppiness, as I did this ALL on mobile, and my paragraph breaks kept disappearing and arrrrrghh tumblr!

~

*Some gifs/images mine. The others were taken from google. Thanks if it’s yours!!

[fluffy-marshmallow-heart]

Drake's Diary ch.13 - The Beaumont Bash

Words: 4231

It's the day after Drake and Emma's monumental kiss, and it's time for the last party of the season! What truths will emerge tonight?

  Drake walked into the Beaumont estate, still frazzled from the previous night. He hadn’t slept a wink after kissing Emma and replayed the scene over and over in his head. How did he let himself lose control like that? And then instead of talking about it, he just left without saying goodbye to anyone. And when he ran into Liam and discovered they were going on a date…that weighed on him heavily. He knew he must look absolutely exhausted, but this was the last event of the social season, and he needed to be here. But really, he just wanted to run away and never look back.

  As more guests arrive, servers distribute drinks and appetizers, and he grabs a glass of champagne. Definitely going to need some alcohol to get through this.

As he wandered around, his eyes found Emma’s in the sea of streaming guests. Unable to stop himself, he went right over to her.

“Welcome to Beaumont Bash…you’ll recognize some of these fine floral arrangements as yours…” She told him, her face straight and not showing any emotion.

She looks absolutely beautiful…just like a princess…a blue gown, gold trimming…wow

“Rose…You look…”

“Yes?”

He cleared his throat “…Ready for the party. Everything here really came together.”

“I know, right? Though…you don’t look like you’re dressed for the occasion.” She said, frowning.

“You don’t like my look? This shirt’s clean.”

She scoffed “I guess that’s the most I should expect. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dress up for one of these fancy events. It might be a nice change of pace for you, getting out of your comfort zone.”

Ouch. That’s the first time that comment had any sting to it.

He shrugged “Eh. Fashion is subjective. Besides, people are here to see the Prince, not me.”

Emma shakes her head and Drake barely caught the words she was muttering to herself.

“Guess I don’t count as wanting to see you.”

His breath caught, and he couldn’t believe what he’d heard. She went on a date with Liam. She can’t be serious. Should I ask her about it? Should I apologize? Maybe I should have made more of an effort…

Before he could decide, Hana bounces over to them.

"Emma! Maxwell! I’ve never been to the Beaumont estate before. This looks wonderful.”

“Thank you, Hana…” Maxwell said

“And Emma! You look amazing!” She exclaimed

Drake sighed. She really does. Damn it. I should have at least worn a different shirt.

Emma smiled “Thank you. As always, you look lovely too”

A server comes near the group, handing out the caviar and paprika appetizers.

“Our creations!” Maxwell squealed

“I hope people like them…” Emma said nervously

Drake overheard Kiara from the next table “Uhh…What is this dish?”

Maxwell leans over to Kiara’s table. “What you have there is a deconstructed delicacy of caviar cultivated from pampered hake fish of the Swedish fjords with paprika harvested from a micro-nursery in Provence.”

The ladies take delicate bites of the appetizers

Penelope smiled “Wow…so fancy…I like them! Spicy, salty, definitely unique.”

Kiara agreed “Mmmm…It reminds me of when I dined at the top of la tour Eiffel in Paris! Did you use the same chef?”

“Someone comparable.” Maxwell told her before turning back to Emma. “Well, the reactions to our appetizers seem mostly positive.”

Emma snorted “They like the food? Really? I can’t believe we pulled that off!”

“Yeah. I really thought this would be a complete disaster.” Drake told them. He could feel Emma glaring at him and there was no way he was going to look at her just now.

“I told you…it’s all in the marketing!” Maxwell clapped him on the shoulder, oblivious to the tension.

Emma gave a small smile at that, but it fades as Lady Madeleine and Lady Olivia enter together.

“Duchess Olivia…Countess Madeleine…Welcome” She greeted.

Madeleine looked her up and down. “Lady Emma. Don��t you look…well…nice. And the Beaumont’s have certainly outdone themselves”

Olivia smirked “Yes, this isn’t as tacky an affair as I’d imagined it would be.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“As you should, Now, let’s get this evening over with…where’s the wine?”

Olivia brushes past, but Madeleine lingers. She looks at Prince Liam sitting at his table up front before turning back to Emma.

“You must be feeling pretty smug”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Emma started, before Madeleine interrupted her.

“I’ve been hearing some rumors that you’ve become a frontrunner going into the coronation.”

“Madeleine, it’s not a race.” Emma sighed.

“Isn’t it though? In a way?”

“No. It’s about the Prince and who he wants to marry.”

Come on, Rose. You know he wants to marry you. Of course, you don’t think it’s a race. You already won.

Madeleine rose an eyebrow “…Right. You may have the upper hand while we’re at the Beaumont estate, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be chosen as queen. You never know what might happen…”

Shaking her head, Emma just replied “Madeleine, may the best woman win.”

“Yes. The Best woman.”

As Madeleine walks away, Bertrand stands up on the dais to address the attendees. “Welcome, everyone. If you’ll please take your seats, dinner will begin shortly.

“That’s my cue. I have a seat in the back, so I’ll see you after dinner.” Drake said, eyeing Emma.

“And I better go and take my seat with the other ladies.” Hana told them.

“I wish we could have all sat together.” Emma said sadly.

You were in charge of the seating chart. You could have made that happen…Although…Bertrand wouldn’t have allowed it either. Maybe she did try. I’m such a jerk.

Drake spoke again. “Hey, don’t look so disappointed, Rose. You’re sitting with royalty. I learned a long time ago I don’t fit in there. But don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll be able to handle one dinner without us.”

“Right…” She said glumly.

Drake, Emma, and Maxwell all went their separate ways and Drake couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He had started getting used to sitting with them, and it was much more enjoyable than sitting by himself. Get it together, Walker. It’s been this way your whole life. Forever sitting alone.

He watched as Emma takes her seat at the head table, Liam sitting on her left, Bertrand on her right. As the King and Queen are seated beside the Prince, servers come out bearing the main course. Everyone looks happy, and Drake started eating his own food. At least his meal was hot.

After dinner, Bertrand had everyone gather in the Grand Hall as he walks halfway up the staircase and started a speech. “Citizens, nobles, friends, we’ve gathered here today to celebrate the end of the social season. So, if you’ll hear me out, I’d like to share a few words…”

As soon as he started talking, Drake saw Emma and Maxwell disappear. He frowned. What’s that about? Shouldn’t they be right there with him?

After a few moments, they come back, Emma with a dagger and Maxwell with a flail

Oh no. Maxwell has a weapon. This never ends well.

“…and so, with all of House Beaumont with me, let’s propose a toast!” Bertrand announced.

Maxwell and Emma go up the stairs, weapons and champagne bottles in hand.

“To our gracious royal family…”

“To all those here tonight!” Maxwell interrupted

“And to the Brothers Beaumont! Our legendary hosts, who I wouldn’t be here without.” Emma grinned

“Let’s rock this place to the ground!” Maxwell finished.

Maxwell swings the flail into a champagne bottle, shattering it entirely. Champagne runs down the steps.

Drake could barely watch as it was Emma’s turn. But thankfully, she swings at the bottle, slicing the top clean off. Champagne foams out, dripping onto the stairs.

Maxwell looks impressed, and Drake definitely was. She certainly had style.

Bertrand grabbed a glass. “From all of us at House Beaumont…thank you!”

Everyone cheers as the servers’ rush forward to hand out glasses of champagne to everyone.

Drake meandered around again, unsure of what to do. He felt like a fish out of water. He didn’t belong here, and he wanted to leave. Bertrand picks up an open bottle of champagne and takes a big swig. Music blasts from the sound system, and Maxwell slides down the railing. From the doorways leading into the room, professional dancers and acrobats stream in.

“I hope you’re ready. Cuz the Maxwell special is in the house!” Maxwell moonwalks onto the middle of the floor to the music’s increasing tempo. “I am the myth…the man…the legend. Witness me!” He drops into a flurry of breakdance moves. Drake moves to join Emma, Liam, and Hana.

“It’s been less than two minutes, and my ears hurt…” Drake complained

“Come on, Drake, you usually give it at least five minutes before tapping out.” Liam laughed.

“There’s so much happening!” Hana exclaimed

“That’s the problem.” Drake muttered. He thought it couldn’t get worse but then…

“Bring out the horses!” Bertrand shouted

“The horses!? You’re bringing horses in here??” Emma gasped, as someone on the staff leads out a couple beautiful steeds.

“Who’s ready for a little horse riding?”

“I am!” Maxwell announced, running forward and mounting a horse.

“Great…” Drake frowned. This really can only end badly.

“Who joins me?” He calls out. “The Prince?”

Liam shook his head, still grinning. “I nominate Drake as my proxy

“Oh, no. you’re not forcing me into the saddle tonight” Drake glared at him.

“I vote for Emma!” Hana said excitedly

“I believe I have my own horse, thank you very much.” Emma told her.

“One that made the trip with me from the palace…” Liam told her softly. Emma looked at him in surprise as a joyful smile broke out on her face. A 3rd horse arrives, the one Emma had named Chica Linda. Emma mounts. “Hey girl, I missed you.”

She rides around the room with Maxwell, waving to party goers “My fellow Cordonians…Today, I ride for Cordonia!”

“For Cordonia!” Hana joined in.

“Woo, riding a horse. Yay.” Drake grimaced, still afraid something terrible was about to happen.

Maxwell nudges Emma, and they get off the horses, giving someone else the reigns. Drake breathed a sigh of relief. At least nothing bad happened to Emma. I mean Maxwell. At least nothing bad happened to Maxwell.

Liam approaches Emma and taps her shoulder. Before he has a chance to say what he wanted, Olivia cut in

“Liam, there you are! Don’t forget you promised me a drink…”

Liam smiles apologetically at Emma and bids her farewell. He kisses her on the cheek and whispers something in her ear.

Ugh why do I do this to myself? Why can’t I stop watching her? Especially when she’s with Liam. It feels so…awful.

  The party rages into the night…and then later…

  Fragments of split apples litter the floor. The bust of Maxwell’s great grandfather is riddled with cracks and chips, an arrow protrudes from his eye, while the apple on his head remains unscathed. Kiara lies in the corner of the room, while Penelope drapes her arms around a horse. Bertrand sits against a column, a sword in one hand and an empty bottle of champagne in the other, talking to himself and smiling.

In the middle of the carnage, Maxwell continues to dance. “Break it down. Nice and slow.”

“You’re still going?” Emma asks wearily.

He shrugged “If I stop, the party stops. It’s like that Louis the 14th quote. I am the party. How’re you feeling? I hope it wasn’t too hard on you.”

“I feel so-so. A party that rocks you to your core also drains you to your core.”

“Truer words have rarely been spoken.” Maxwell agreed.

Drake looked around. “It’s over. I’m officially free.”

Maxwell’s mouth fell open. “What do you mean it’s over? The party is just getting started.”

Drake’s eyebrows shot up. “Lady Penelope is literally talking to a horse. The party has done its job.”

Emma giggled. “Back home, this was always about the time we’d break out a game of truth or dare, but I bet you guys are too classy for that.”

“You’d be betting wrong! I love truth or dare.” Maxwell exclaimed.

Hana’s eyebrows furrowed. “Truth or dare? That sounds dangerous…”

Emma looked at her slyly. “Well…only if you have something to hide…or a fear of embarrassing stunts…”

“It sounds…fun!” Hana mused, breaking into a smile.

Emma laughed. “I can’t believe you’ve never played! Now we’ve got to do it.”

Drake grimaced. “Oh no. I’m not playing truth or dare.”

“Come on, Drake, there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Emma winked at him

“Do it, do it!” Maxwell started

“I see where this is going…”

“Drake Drake Drake!” Maxwell chanted.

“Ugh okay…fine. I’ll play, just stop chanting my name.”

Always chanting my fucking name to get me to do something I don’t want to.

“Whoohoo! Someone’s going streaking tonight!” Maxwell hollered.

“We can play in my room” Hana suggested, and the 4 friends headed up the stairs.

 “This is so exciting! How do we start?” Hana asked, excitedly.

“Heh. Usually with a few drinks” Drake told her. Let’s definitely get more alcohol going for this.

Hana nodded “Oooh there’s a full bar! What do you guys want?”

Maxwell thought a moment. “Make me something fruity and delicious. I know! I want Sex on the Beach!”

Hana’s jaw dropped. “Oh my! I don’t think…”

“It’s a drink…Never mind, I’ll make it myself.” Maxwell walked over to the bar and Drake smothered a laugh. She is so clueless.

“I’ll just have…”

“Let me guess. Whiskey.” Emma said.

“I’m getting predictable, aren’t I?” Drake admitted.

She smirked “Maybe just a little bit.”

“What about you, Emma?” Hana asked.

“Sex on the beach sounds amazing right now.” Emma replied, not even looking in Hana’s direction. Instead, she had locked eyes with Drake, and he didn’t miss that undertone in her voice.

He swallowed, hard. She did that on purpose.

Hana pours herself champagne “Cheers, Friends! Thank you for joining me tonight!”

Drake rose his glass, still looking at Emma. “Cheers.”

“To friendship!” Maxwell toasted.

“To friendship! And Truth or dare!” Emma said

Drake grimaced. These people sure are excited. “Oh boy, this is going to be a long night.”

“Drinks have been accomplished. Now, what comes next?” Hana asked.

“Someone goes first.” Maxwell replied.

“Rose should start. This was her idea.”

Maxwell nodded. “Okay, Emma…truth or dare?”

“I choose truth.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. I’ve got a great one for you. If you were stranded on a deserted island, where you’ll never see anyone or any civilization ever again…which one of us would you want with you?”

“I’d want Drake.”

Drake snapped his attention back to her. “Me?”

Oh, come ooonnnnn “Be honest, Rose, you just want me there so I’m suffering as much as you are.”

She grinned “Mostly just to see how you’d look in a grass skirt.”

“Hey!” Drake laughed.

“Just kidding. I think you’d be gruff and grumpy, but deep down, when it counts, you’d probably save me from a tiger attack or something.”

“Well. I’d feel terrible if a tiger ate my only companion.”

“And there wouldn’t be any nobles around, or courtly intrigue or gossip…In fact, I think you might enjoy being stranded more than palace life.”

“You never know”

Drake and Emma were both still grinning at each other, leaning towards each other, Drake noticing how her eyes were sparkling, before Maxwell cleared his throat and the moment was over.

“Right! Okay, Maxwell, you’re turn. Truth or Dare?” Emma asked

Once again, she chose me. She always chooses me. I wonder if I will ever be able to do the same?

“Dealer’s choice! I’m not afraid of anything!” Maxwell told her

Emma nodded. “Okay then…Tell us a secret that no one else knows about you.”

“Aw, I’m an open book! Everyone knows everything about me!”

Drake rose an eyebrow. “Nope.”

“Not true at all.” Emma agreed.

“We know almost nothing about you!” Hana joined in.

Maxwell looked between the three of them, confused. “Well, all anyone ever had to do was ask. Okay, let’s see…I hate carousels.”

“Really?” Emma asked incredulously. “I thought everyone loved carousels”

Maxwell shook his head. “When I was little, the royal court took all the kids to a theme park for the Prince’s birthday. But when we were on the carousel, some reporters got in and mobbed us. The security team did their best to get us all out of there, but I was the last one they got to. So, I was stuck on this dumb carousel for what seemed like forever with people taking pictures and shouting questions to me. I was only 3…I had no idea what was really going on. And because our parents had spent so much time trying to warn us about dangers, I thought I was about to get murdered.”

“Aww…Maxwell…”

“I’m fine. It was a long time ago.”

“Still…”

Maxwell laughed. “Geez, this is why I don’t like to talk about serious stuff. I’m fine, you guys! Just forget it! Next up…Hana…truth or dare?”

“Oh…um..truth!”

“Tell us about your first kiss.”

“My first kiss? Well…it was actually a very chaste courtship. Our first kiss was in front of a professional photographer for our engagement photo shoot. My parents were insistent that we publish a very public announcement in all the papers. It was…somewhat awkward.”

“He wasn’t a great kisser?” Emma asked, sympathetically.

“He missed.”

“He…missed? How?” Drake piped in

Hana shrugged. “He kissed my ear. Well, he punctured his lip on my earring, actually. He started bleeding. I felt terrible. My parents were furious that he ruined my dress. It was a complete disaster.”

Emma’s jaw dropped “Hana…You deserved a better first kiss than that!”

Hana smiled. “Thank you, Emma, but it wasn’t so bad. Looking back, it was actually pretty funny. I mean, who can miss that badly on a kiss?”

“Ha! I know what you mean. What a loser…” Maxwell said, not making eye contact with anyone.

“Maxwell…” Drake warned. “It’s called truth or dare for a reason.”

He threw his hands up. “Okay, maybe I accidentally kissed someone’s chin but that’s like, a totally understandable mistake, right? I mean, it’s right below the mouth…”

“Heehee. Yes, that’s completely normal” Hana assured him.

“But there’s all kinds of first kisses, Hana.” Emma said. Everyone looked at her, surprised.

“What?” She asked. “It’s true! When you kiss someone for the first time, it’s like getting that first kiss back.”

“I…don’t understand.” Hana said, eyebrows furrowed.

Emma laughed. “Okay, well. When you meet someone, and hang out, for example. Maybe you even become best friends with that person…”

Oh no. What is she doing? Is she going to tell them??

She continued “The first time you and that person kiss…it can be magical. There’s passion, heat, want, need,…sometimes even love.” She ended in a whisper, eyes downcast.

Drake swallowed and felt his face flush. She wasn’t giving anything about the two of them away, hell, she wasn’t even looking at him, but he might draw attention if he didn’t stop blushing. But as he tended to do around her, he couldn’t stop himself from trying to make her feel better.

“Yes…there is that.” Drake agreed softly. Emma rose her eyes to look into his, and the vulnerability there took his breath away. She had never looked at him like that before. It made him want to run to her and scoop her into his arms.

“This is getting too heavy.” Maxwell announced. “My turn again.  Emma, I dare you to go streak through the ballroom in your underwear!”

“That’s not fair! It’s not her turn!” Hana laughed

“Yeah, and she didn’t even choose ‘dare.’” Drake told him.

Maxwell sighed. “Well, someone should streak tonight, or this game is a bust. Come now, Emma, it’s your game. Who will it be?”

And here it comes.

“Drake” She chose

Yup. There it is. Every time.

He shook his head, trying to hide his smile, and the friends make their way to the now empty ballroom

“The things I do for you people.” He grumbled as he removed his clothes. He takes a deep breath and sprints through the room.

“Woo! Go Drake!” Emma shouted

Drake sprints back and stops in front of the three of them. “Satisfied?”

“Yep! Now what?” Maxwell asked.

“I’m going to join in!” Emma exclaimed. She tugs off her clothes. “We can’t make Drake be the only one. Come on, Hana!”

Hmm. A black bra this time. Very nice….dammit, stop staring.

“Okay! It does look fun!” Hana agreed.  She pulls off her clothes. “Let’s go!”

“Maxwell?” Emma asked.

“I’ll be the photographer.”

“Maxwell!” She scolded.

“I mean, I’ll stand guard!”

Carrying their clothes, Emma, Drake, and Hana take off running around the ballroom.

“Wooo!” Emma screams

“Freeeeeeedom!” Drake called out, smiling from ear to ear.

“Truth or dare!” Hana shouted.

They race back to Maxwell and back to Hana’s room…where they collapse on the bed, laughing and panting, before they get dressed.

“I can’t believe we just did that!” Hana laughed

Drake nodded “Ah, the magic of truth or dare.”

“This was so much fun tonight! Thank you!”

“Any time” Emma told her.

Maxwell just shrugged. “You know me, I don’t need much of an excuse to party.”

“I’m in…still not sure why I came this time, but I guess I’d do it again.” Drake said.

“Oh my gosh, Drake, I think we’re graduating from friends to best friends!” Hana exclaimed.

Drake held his hands in front of him. “Whoa whoa whoa…Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

Maxwell clapped him on the shoulder. “I dunno, man. We all drink together, goof off together, spend most of our time together…”

“No”

Hana hugs Drake’s arm. “It’s too late Drake. We are best friends!”

Drake frowned. “I guess I’m just going to have to accept this, huh?”

Emma smiled. “It’s probably for the best. You could do much worse than the three of us.”

Drake chuckled.  “That’s true, isn’t it?” He sighs. “Okay. You got me.”

“Yay!” Maxwell cheered

“Yay!” Hana agreed

“Please tell me this isn’t a thing we do now.” Drake said, looking over at Emma.

“Drake…yay!” Emma exclaimed with a laugh.

“I’m surrounded.” Drake grimaced.

“But in a good way, right?” Maxwell asked.

“I said what I said.” Drake told him

Just then, Hana stifles a massive yawn.

Maxwell nodded at her. “Okay, we should probably call it a night before we break Hana…” Everyone stands up and starts making their goodbyes.

“Goodnight! This has been a very memorable evening!” Hana called

“Good night, guys.” Drake said

“G’night!” Emma grinned

They dispersed in the hallway, and once Maxwell was out of sight Emma turned back to Drake.

“You didn’t say goodbye last night” She accused

“I…you’re right. I’m sorry, Rose.”

Both her eyebrows shot up. “Oh! I wasn’t expecting it to be that easy.”

Drake just shrugged. “I know when I’m in the wrong. Besides, it took most of the party to get you to warm back up to me.”

They started walking down the hall again, and after a brief pause, the question that had been coursing through him the whole day came tumbling out.

“How was your date with Liam?”

Emma stopped walking and turned to look at him again slowly. “How did you know about that?” She asked

“Erm…I…ran into Liam as I was leaving last night.” Drake admitted.

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly and she resumed walking again. Drake walked alongside her, still waiting for an answer. He shuddered. Maybe it went a little too well.

“Well, this is me.” She said, stopping in front of a door and unlocking it.

“Right…” Drake said.

“Drake…if you had actually stuck around another 5 minutes last night, you would know…I didn’t go on a date with Liam.”

“Wh-what? But he said…” Drake started, confused

“You talked to him before he came inside. I told him I was too tired from party prep. I thought Bertrand was going to have a heart attack.” She laughed.

Drake was still just standing there, completely dumbfounded. “Why did you say that?” He asked incredulously.

She just smiled and turned to open her door. Once inside, she turned to close it again.

“Because I’d just had the most magical first kiss of my entire life.” She said softly. “And I wanted to go dream about it as soon as I could.”

Drake’s mouth fell open at her confession. She smirked at him and started closing her door. “Goodnight, Drake.”

The door clicked shut, leaving Drake still standing there in the hallway with his mouth agape.

Did that just happen? What the…what does that…how am I…do I knock and see if she lets me in? No, no, I definitely can’t do that…oh my god, the coronation. The coronation is next, and Liam is going to choose her.

He turned slowly and started shuffling to his room. He’ll ask her to marry him…and no one says no to Liam…although…she said no to the date…Fuck! Now what? I need to make sure she knows how I feel about her. Otherwise…I think I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.

@annekebbphotography @carabeth @gardeningourmet @eileendannie @dancetothestoriesinyoursoul @alesana45 @zigortega4life @imaketerriblechoices @blackwidow2721 @flowerpowell  @agent-bossypants @sleepwalkingelite

 @drakewalkerisreal

@notoriouscs

[eerythingisshaka]

The Coffee Prince Pt. 4

(T’Challa x Reader)

 *Part 1*  *Part 2* *Part 3*

Word Count: 7.1k

Plot:  Stuck in your ways of living, one day at the coffee shop, you run into a tall dark roast that threatens to wake you up from your romantic hibernation.

*Previously*

You close your room door, tossing T’Challa Jr. on your bed.  Kicking your shoes off, taking your hair down, you pull out your phone.

Home safe!  You send to him.  You put your phone down and unclothe to get comfortable.  Suddenly a ding sounds and you dive for your device.  

Glory to Bast.  Sleep well, umhle.

You read it a couple of times before setting your phone back down.  Laying down, you clutch your prized possession T’Challa won you to your chest as the day’s event float in your head: euphorically exhausted.

The next few weeks with T’Challa that follow are some of the best you have experienced in a long time.  You guys meet at the coffee shop from time to time when your schedules allow, and take evening walks to vent about your days and life, ending with sweet kisses before you guys part ways.  You can’t remember the last time you walked into work on cloud nine, but T’Challa seemed to be doing that for you now.

This day however was particularly tasking.  Your company’s online server was down, causing an uptick in calls from begrudging customers wanting answers on when their products would be available again to use.  The worst part was that your processors had no clue what the problem is or how long it would take to fix, so you try your best to white lie your way to keeping customers satisfied enough to keep from threatening to revoke their memberships.  Just before you are at your wits end however, you see your phone light up with T’Challa’s name calling in.  T’Challa wasn’t a big texter; he likes to hear your voice and feels texting is too impersonal which you thought was quite sweet but could be inconvenient at times.  You pick up and speak in a low tone.

“Heyyy, Chacha, what’s up?”  You were still kind of trying to figure out a nickname for him.  You kinda like this one.

“So much, right now, umhle.  I could really use a break at the moment.  Are you free to meet?”

You look at the queue of calls sitting in your phone line and the stack of paperwork you need to upload and organize.

“Yeah, I can step away for a bit.  The usual?”

“If you don’t mind.  We could do something else if you’d rather.”  His tone tickles your eardrum as you imagine him saying that in another context, but T’Challa was completely pure in his intentions with you most of the time.

“No, no.  I could kill for some caffeine right now and it’s closer.  My energy is too low to walk far.” you say with a whine.

“Ms. Macchiato, in her true form.  I’ll see you there then.”  

“Ok, see you!”  You’re cheesing as you hang up the phone.  You look around at your other co-workers completely ignoring the queue and roll your eyes as you walk out.  No way in hell you would be the only person putting in phone work around here.  You remind yourself to do some job searching later when possible.  

Walking into the shop, the smell of the coffee beans roasting was enough to make you moan audibly.  You were so damn ready to wrap your lips on the rim, letting the warm liquid rejuvenate your spirit.  As you approach the register, you hear a voice call to you.

“(Y/N)!  Over here!”  T’Challa waves from a table by the window.  

You wave and mime the you are going to order something and he replies, “I’ve got you right here, umhle.”  

You squint as you see the extra cup sitting in front of him with your name correctly scrawled along the side.  Walking up to him your heart swells with appreciation.  T’Challa stands up placing a hand on your arm and a kiss on your cheek.

“You didn’t have to buy it for me.  I owe you for a couple other ones already.”  you say taking your seat.

T’Challa hisses his disdain for your comment.  “You have no reason to pay me back.  That’s not how I do things; my treat is seeing you in front of me.”

You feel heat rise to your face from something other than the coffee.  You hide your goofy smile in your cup as you take a sip.

T’Challa smirks at you a while before continuing, “A hard days work looks good on you, by the way.  I know you said things have been piling up, that’s why I wondered if you would even be able to see me today.”  T’Challa sips from his ‘Thomas’ cup.

You tweak your mouth as you shift in your seat, “Yeah, I just figured, the work will still be there whether I take a break now or later.  And trust me, the work will still be there for me to do alone.”

“Ahh, so your co-workers aren’t as dedicated as you seem to be.”  T’Challa summizes.

“I mean, dedicated is a strong word.  I do what I need to do to get things cuz otherwise I’m going to hear someone’s mouth about it, and I don’t needed that added stress, you know?”

T’Challa nods hugging himself in contemplation, “I see what you mean.  Your situation seems to be working in comparison with mine.  You know of my community work in high-crime areas?”

You nod.  T’Challa had spoken of his work with a non-profit to rebuild some areas that were pretty violent and drug ridden that you knew all too well.

“Well, of course it is not so simple as to give people things and expect them to use the materials to create a better situation for themselves with education.  So we are trying to do that, educate, but everyone is at a different learning level, and not everyone learns at the same rate or method.  So, as much as we would love to be projecting great numbers of progress, they have been slow to come and almost stagnant at times due to us still trying to build a foundation for a successful program.”  T’Challa lifts his hands in surrender, shaking his head as he grips his cup up, staring into space.

“I get it.  That’s some of the hardest work in the world; helping others in a completely selfless way.  It can consume you, corrupt people and forget the mission at large.  But I think you have a good head on your shoulders to keep things on track.”  You reach for T’Challa’s hand, running your thumb along his slightly rough knuckles.

T’Challa sighs deeply watching your hand on his; his eyelids halfen his eyes.  You see his shoulders start to relax as he grips your hand in yours.

“Look at that.  It looks funny to me how polar opposite our hands are.”  You stretch his out, raising it up to mirror yours, palm to palm.  “Mine is stout and chubby, yours long and knuckly.”  You chuckle to yourself regarding the assessment,

T’Challa interlaces his fingers in yours, his eyes smizing, “It’s a beautiful combination, I think.  I need something soft to rest my hands on.”

Your heart skipped a beat at this statement.  T’Challa kept doing things like this.  You smile at him and he just smiles back, kissing the back of your hand gingerly, maintaining the hold as he drinks from his cup.  Does he really not realize the double entendre or are you just too hot for him at this point?  That’s something Tavia has practically put a countdown on: the time when you all fully express yourselves physically.

T’Challa says, “We have a community get-together happening this weekend by the way.  You could come by; there will be food, music, games, the works.  I’ll be working a little bit of everything, trying to spread the word of our program for people to take advantage of, but I could escort you around.”  T’Challa says with a smile.

“Oh yeah!  I’d love to see you in action over there.  You had me at free food, but you know, the kids are the future as well.”  You quip.

T’Challa scoffs, “Well that’s what the food is there for.  Cheapest advertising tool known to man.”  T’Challa looks at his watch, “I think I may have taken more of your time than I anticipated.”  

You look at your phone at get a mini heart attack.  Someone may actually notice your absence this time.  You could just say you were in the bathroom the whole time.  You both get up to leave the coffee shop.  

Once outside you guys turn to each other.  A thought crosses your mind and you start to speak but decide against it.  

T’Challa, always observant, notices.  “What’s on your mind, umhle?”

“Uhh...I don’t, mm.”  You bite your tongue.

T’Challa rests his hand on your arm, sending an electricity through you that you found to be completely unfair.  “If you can’t make the community event, it is alright.  Your rest is more important. And I know you have plenty other things to do.”

“No, it’s not that.  But um, are...do we…”  T’Challa looks at your expectantly.  “Are we...exclusive?”

There it is.  Something that has been plaguing you for a while is how much you guys have hung out and gotten to know each other, but you couldn’t place if you guys were good friends who just kiss sometimes, or if he was looking for anything more.  

“Are we exclusive?”  T’Challa parrots back.

You nod, not wanting to say much else out of embarrassment.

T’Challa steps in front of you slowly leaning to whisper in your ear, “I don’t kiss my friends the way I kiss you, umhle.”

His bass snakes your inner ear like the serpent on an apple, as you twinge to keep your juices from flowing on sight.

He pulls from your ear staring you, hand resting on your hip.  “And I am a one woman kind of man, (Y/N).  Don’t think anyone else could carry a single percent of my attention from you.”  Looking to your mouth he hovers his over it before allowing you to close the gap between you.  His lips fit with yours perfectly as the suction creates a chorus of smacks, sealing the definition of your relationship.

A low grunt comes from T’Challa as he sighs deeply pulling from you.  “So, do you like me?  Yes or no?”  He smiles goofily at you as you laugh at his childish question.

Stifling your smile, you say, “Maaaybe.  But it’s in your favor.”

Heading back to your place, Tavia is posted on the couch with an array of books and papers scattered around her.  She is back in school to earn a certification in something you keep forgetting.  

Tavia looks at you over her glasses, “Whaddup, doh?”

“Nuthin much, girl.  You?” You kick off your shoes and throw your keys in a bowl.

“Hun, you lookin at it.  Procrastination remains the death of me.  Them white folks still giving you hell at the job?”

“Yeah, they stay lazing around and I’m tending the field like Boss asks.”  You exasperate as you plop on the easy chair massaging your scalp.

“You need to get the fuck outta there.  They don’t appreciate you.  And you too smart for that busy work.”

“Yeah.  It would be so much easier if I could just stay and not start all over in a new place, though.”

Tavia wags a finger, “Uh-uh.  Cuz then you would be getting more responsibility that does not reflect in your pay.  Leave!!”

You marinate on Tavia’s words.  It seems like she’s right honestly.  You have no position in that job and there is no way to work up because positions get taken quick or just aren’t available.

“At least we can get our frustrations all out on some canvas at the Sip and Paint Saturday.  Groupon finally came through with something good.”  Tavia says bobbing her neck as she reads her notes.

Your stomach drops as you remember the plan you made last week with her.  “Uhh…”

Tavia snaps to look at you, “Uhhh? Uh what?”

You play with your fingers as you speak, “So I ran into T’Challa today…”

“And?”  Tavia winds her hand in the air for you to hurry up.

“He has a thing at his non-profit.  Like a block party type thing.  I said I would help…”  You squeak out, waiting for the storm to blown.

Tavia looks at you frozen with blank expression.  “Ok, I see.”

You recoil into your body as you continue, “Are you mad?”

“NAH!  You good!  I get it, dick is important to lock down.  I applaud your efforts.”  Tavia whips out her phone.  “I guess I’ll get back on this app life.  The Groupon is only good in for a couple, not single.”

You go over to half hug Tavia, “I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Girl.”

“Tsk, make it up by making that dick dance for you.  That’s all I ask.”  She pats your head on her shoulder before rolling it to get you off her.

You go to your room as you hear Tavia’s phone pinging on and on.  “See?  I got options too!”

Saturday comes and you make your way to the park the community party was being held at.  Balloons and tables were in abundance; speakers were playing everything you heard on the radio and then some.  The smell of burgers and brats filled the air and your stomach instantly caved in with hunger.  T’Challa said they were good on set up and really just wanted you to enjoy yourself for the most part.  

Making your way through the crowd, you go to the food table to fix a plate.  You smile and thank the servers as they pile your plate with the goods.  Once you make it to the dessert area, you feel two hands grip sides, making you jump a little.

“I have to admit, the sweets on that table would only disappoint you.”  A voice you know too well tickles your hearing as his lips greet the side of your face.

You turn to see T’Challa smiling at you.  “They look pretty good to me, what’s the problem?”

“As sweet as your lips are, they’d only taste sour.”  he says screwing his lips in disgust before planting his mouth on yours.  You didn’t need the plate or dessert if this was all that touched your lips today.

“Brother!  This is not the way you introduce me to your girlfriend, eh?”  a voice says behind you.

A young lady with braids in a bun shakes her head clicking her tongue at the both of you.  “Shame, shame, I must say.  We have health codes to maintain, please move the PDA along elsewhere.”

T’Challa smiles speaking to her, “(Y/N), this talkative volunteer is my sister, Shuri.  I told you about her a little bit.”

Shuri nods proudly, sticking her hand out.  “The pleasure is all mine.  I am the subject of many people’s conversations, I’m just that memorable.  And don’t let him fool you, I am running this operation, not just volunteering.”

Taking her handshake, you buck your eyes at T’Challa “Oh?”

T’Challa shifts his weight, pursing his lips, “Shuri, you know better than to fib.  This isn’t Wakanda, you have a secondary position here.”

Shuri waves her hand in his face, “Ah ah ah!  Bump all of that, Brother.  Science and tech is the most important aspect of the program, no surprise.  The public schools here do nothing to emphasize the importance and hone their knowledge to be able to apply what they learn outside the classroom.  Also, I meant the picnic anyway.  You barely lifted a finger to decorate.”

“Bast!  I did more than life a finger.  Anything heavy was my job to handle!  Cutting up cake is not ‘doing everything’.”  T’Challa exclaims.

Shuri holds a fist up to her face and demonstrates a winding motion next to it.  “I wonder what will pop up?”  Her middle finger slowly unravels.

“Can I get the apple pie, please?”  a person asks.

Shuri drops her hands and puts on a winning smile, “Of course!  We have plenty, so don’t hold back!” She says as she hands over a pre-cut slice.

You were getting your life to the back and forth between T’Challa and Shuri.  Rubbing T’Challa’s  back you dismiss yourselves.  “Thank you Shuri, and it was so nice to meet you.”

“Likewise, (Y/N).  He can’t shut up about you, so use that to your advantage.”

T’Challa moans in frustration shaking his head as he leads you away to a table to sit.

You sit and start to to smack on your food.

“(Y/N), I’m going to make rounds for a bit.  Will you be ok here?”

You nod with a mouth full of food hindering your speech.  T’Challa smiles, kissing your forehead as he walks toward some informational tables.  The whole party seemed to be a smash hit.  Hordes of people walked around enjoying the sites and music.  Kids ran after each other and got their faces painted.  Shuri moved from the dessert table to the science area where she and others demonstrated simple experiments making fog and foam appear from virtually thin air.  There was a mini exhibit on an element called ‘vibranium’ that you hadn’t heard of before so maybe you would check that out.  

Finishing your plate, you definitely had The Itis, so you needed to get up and do something.  You weren’t sure where T’Challa went, but you went around to enjoy the sights regardless.  You played a couple of the carnival games, trying to knock bottles down with a nerf gun and that one cornhole game that’s always a classic.  

You waited in line forever to get your face painted and while the clown lady was giving you a gorgeous flower on your cheek, a voice calls out to you.

“Yaaass!  Getcho face BEAT for the Gods!”

Turning slightly to not mess up the creation, you see Tavia made it to the party.

“Hey girl!  Whatchu doin here?  You didn’t say you were coming!”  You exclaim taking her hand lovingly.  

“I love surprises though, so here I be!  I did wanna be nosy too though.  Where’s Tobago?”

You roll your eyes, “Tavia, I will knock you clean the fuck out if you get his name wrong in front to his face.  T-Cha-lla.”

“Listen, it only matters that you get Thalia’s name right.  Don’t worry bout me!  Where is he anyway?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.  I thought he would be escorting me around but he got caught up in the mix I guess.  Why are you here though?  Ain’t Sip and Paint tonight?”

Tavia nods, “Uh-huh.  I found a willing participant to accompany so I’ll be leaving, like now.”

The lady gives you a mirror to show you the finished art on you.  “Ok, well have fun.  I know this is about to wrap up too in like 15 minutes, so if I don’t do anything after, I’ll be home.”

“Please, do something else!  You made your way out here for the nigga to abandon you for most of it.  He owes you somethin!”  She raises her eyebrows at you suggestively.

“Ok!  Bye!”  You say dismissing her.

As Tavia leaves, you look around to see where T’Challa went.  Instead, you see Shuri breaking down the science exhibit area and decide to ask her.

“Hey, Shuri.  Have you seen your brother around?”

Shuri looks across the way, “I don’t know actually but I hope he is deflating the bounce house.  People will keep coming and kids will never leave if that stays up.”  Shuri struggles to fold a table and you reach down to bend the leg joint of it so it folds.

“Ugh, thanks (Y/N).”

“No problem!  Do you need help with anything else around here?  I got nothing else to do.”

Shuri nods looking around,  “If you collect some tablecloths and toss them.  They are disposable so we aren’t keeping them.  After that, we got tables we are loading up in the trucks nearby.  Don’t wear yourself out though!  Just a couple would be a great start and you can leave whenever you want.”

“Ok, will do.  This was an amazing event by the way.”

Shuri laughs with her tongue out, as she brushes her shoulders off, “I does what I can!”

Collecting the tablecloths you think about how beyond her years Shuri appears to be.  The girl is a teenager, but is of course so smart and has a great business-head on her shoulders.  Plus it was so cute to hear her talking shit with her accent; she really was down!  You wanted to be her when you got your life together.  

With all of the tablecloths disposed of, you head to tipping a table and getting it folded.

“Eh!  My sister has you working now?”  T’Challa comes out of nowhere, reaching to fold the legs down.

“No, I volunteered!  I wasn’t doing anything else so…”

T’Challa raises the table on its side, walking the table to the truck.  “I’m sorry about that, by the way.  There was a lot of behind the scenes stuff that I had to help with that was...unexpected.”

You nod, quiet.  You couldn’t hide your disappointment.  “I still saw a lot though, escorted on not.  This place was hopping with shit to do.”

T’Challa steps in front of you, grasping your chin, eyes locked on you suddenly.  Your insides jump at the anticipation of what was to come from his touch.  

He turns your head slightly to the left, studying your art, “Ahhh, a purple flower.  It almost resembles the Heart Shaped Herb from back home.”

Your pace steadies as you realize his intentions.  “Yeah?  I just wanted something pretty and purple and boom!  There it is.”  

T’Challa nods, licking his lips as he studies your face.  Letting go, he say, “Let me make it up to you.  We could get some dinner...or a movie.”  You contemplate the options.  “Or both?  We could really paint the town if you want, so we can catch up.”  He says softly caressing your painted cheek.  Your center began to throb again.  T’Challa was always making it impossible to think clearly when he is talking about completely normal things but not giving you any room to breath.  If it weren’t for the people around, you would press up on him right now; that’s what you wanted to do!

“Both is good,”  you squeak out before moving away to go back to get another table.  You walked with a bounce to ensure he would have a show as you walked away.    

T’Challa had three tables down as you had just finished folding your one.  Walking it back to the truck, your foot hits a hole in the ground you didn’t see.  You lose your balance as you try to hold the table, but it sends you off kilter even more.  A sharp pain shoots through your ankle as you land, the table plops on top of you.  

You yelp in pain as you try to push the table off and not move your leg.  Suddenly the table is clear off of you and you see T’Challa over you, face riddled with worry.

“(Y/N), are you ok?  Where are you hurt?”  He asks, kneeling and holding your head in his hands.

You point down to your leg.  “My ankle!  God!”

Shuri has come over to look it over.  She presses something on her bracelet causing a stream of light to cascade over your swelling foot.  Your skeletal make up in your ankle is revealed for a short period.

“What is that?”  you ask, having never seen that kind of technology.  

Ignoring you, Shuri says, “It isn’t broken, thank Bast.  We can’t handle an OSHA case right now, right brother?”  Shuri jabs him, chuckling.  T’Challa’s returned expression snaps her back to a professional tone.  “Like I said, not broken, just sprained so she needs to lay off of it a while: wrap it, ice it, the works.”  She instructs as she heads back to her duties.

T’Challa nods, “Ok, come (Y/N).  I’ll take you home.”

You didn’t protest this time.  Your ankle hurt like hell, so a free ride couldn’t hurt.  T’Challa reaches your arm around his shoulders and reaches his arm under your knees to lift you.

“Whoa, whoa!  I don’t like that.  Please, I’ll hop.” you say.

T’Challa looks at you incredulously, “It will be faster if I carried you.”

Your body tenses up, “Come on, I don’t wanna...weigh you down or whatever.  Please, this is embarrassing enough.”

T’Challa bats his eyes realizing the problem, “Do you think I cannot lift you?”

You lean your head back, mortified.  “I know you are strong, I can tell.  But I’m a sturdy gal, I’m just trying to warn you.”

T’Challa sucks his teeth, going at lifting you again.  You close your eyes tightly as your weight becomes nothing in his arms.  You feel the bounce of his stride as you peak to see you are in motion.  T’Challa looks ahead, no signs of strain, he looks at you and winks.  Your cat could meow with how good he was making you feel right now showing off himself.  You hadn’t been lifted since grade school, and your current boo does it like you are a toddler.  God bless it.  

T’Challa puts you down a moment to get the door to his Lexus open.  T’Challa takes your hands as you slowly sit down, folding your legs in, careful to not bump your ankle against the door.

“How are you feeling?”  T’Challa asks, resting his hand on your knee, eyes wide with concern.

You nod, “I’m good, don’t worry.”  You cup the side of his face, causing him to lean his face into your palm.  He turns to kiss your palm before getting up to close your door and make his way to the drivers’ side.

Starting the engine, he asks, “Alright, now what is your address?”  as he searches for the GPS program in his dash.  You give it to him, praying to God Tavia hadn’t made it home yet.

Once you guys are on the road, T’Challa reaches over for one of your hands in your lap.  “Are you still ok?”

“Yeah, more than.  Thanks, by the way, for the ride.”

“Ahh, don’t thank me.  It’s the least I could do.  You were such a big help today.”  T’Challa says gripping your hand a little tighter.

“Hardly!  I took down two tables and almost broke an ankle.  Plus we won’t be able to go out tonight cuz of me.”  You say disappointedly.

“If I was by your side like I said I would, there would be known of these issues to begin with.”  T’Challa takes your hand, kissing the back of it.  

You almost forget your ankle when he warms you up like that.  A man admitting fault was a big turn on, you had to admit.  And you loved how affectionate he was, without pressure; just enough.  Looking at your ankle you remember something from earlier, “What was that device Shuri used?  It was like a portable X-Ray device?”

T’Challa nods slowly, “Precisely what it was.  Shuri developed it in her lab in Wakanda and it’s been pretty vital to our village.”

You think on this, “Wow, you guys have a lot more to you than I imagined.  It’s beautiful.”

T’Challa smirks, “The Western media would make you think we are impoverished but we have handled ourselves without outside help, and I think that says something.”  Your mind was churning with so many other questions but before you knew it, you guys made it your your place.  

Luckily you all have an elevator, so T’Challa only carried you, without hesitation, to the elevator then your door.  Setting you down, you get your keys together to find the one for your door.

“Umm, once I get inside, I should be able to manage if you need to make it back to the park.”  you say nervously.  

“Oh, they wouldn’t miss one person, I think.  If it’s comfortable with you, I want to check your ankle once more before I head back, though.”  He looks at you with a serious expression.

You nod, turning to the door to hide your excitement.  As you open the door, the apartment is dark and quiet, so Tavia must be having a good night.  Turning on the lights, you start hobbling to the couch.  T’Challa doesn’t miss a beat, ducking under your arm to support you as you sit down.  

T’Challa takes a couple decorative pillows and props them under your ankle, lightly inspecting it.  

“Well it doesn’t look worse, which is good.  Do you have little baggies and ice?”

You nod and point, “The fridge makes it, yeah.  And the drawer under the microwave should have some lunch bags to fill.”  

T’Challa gets to work, Macgyvering an ice bag for you.   As you lay back, you catch yourself smelling like the outside, and instantly get embarrassed.  You can’t get comfortable when you’re funky anyway, plus T’Challa would help you hobble around so might as well use him while he is here.

“Uh, T’Challa, can you hold off on the bag for a second.  I need to go to my room, if you can spare your shoulders.”  you ask.

“All the more for you to lean on, umhle.”  T’Challa says lovingly, as you direct him to the right room.  “It’s nice to see how you live on a daily basis.  You keep a nice home.”  T’Challa says as you reach your room.”

“My roommate gets most of the decorating credit, I gotta say.  I do tell her when to reel it in though, so points for creative direction goes to moi.”

As you step into your room, you declare, “So I need to shower, cuz yikes.”  You say sniffing yourself.  “But did you want to stick around or….”

“I would love to!”  He answers a little quicker than necessary.  “No problem at all.  Do you want me to order something?  We could still have our dinner here.”

“Yes!  Good idea.  Let’s just do a pizza, from that local spot we passed.”

“I am well aware of it.  Excellent choice.”  He takes his phone out as you get a change of clothes and head for the bathroom.

In the shower you give yourself a pep talk.  You are a goddess, queen!  With your prince out there lying in wait for this body.  He wants ALLADIS, sis!  Don’t get nervous, or shy.  If you run out of things to talk about, hey, you are on a bed, fill in the blanks.  Damn, Tavia really got into you.

You lather your body in berry scents as you rinse, giving yourself a towel off and quick moisturization.  You picked some shorts and a baby doll tank  to wear.  Still pajamas, but with a hint of lingerie appeal.  Opening the door you step out to see T’Challa flipping through the TV channels.  His head cranes in your direction.

“I didn’t think I’d smell something so heavenly until the pizza arrived.”  He says smiling, eyes darting down your body.

“Haha, good one.”  You say limping to the bed, sitting back.

“Was it too….”

“Don’t!”

“....cheesy?”  T’Challa says scrunching his nose.

You slap his back with an audible thud.  He holds takes your calf, placing it on his lap to ice with the bag he made earlier.  The cool sensation was relieving, making you moan audibly.  You bite your lip when you realize how comfortable you were getting.

T’Challa massages your calf as he holds the bag on your ankle, “Does that relieve you, umhle?”

You nod before answering, “Yeah, it does.  Keep doing it.”  You say, your vocal cords suddenly laced with honey as your voice dips seductively.

T’Challa rubs your calf some more.  “I told you it is nice to have something soft to rest my hands on.” studying your leg as he goes.

You could’ve jumped out of your skin with that comment.  So he DID know the double entendre, sly devil!

You chuckle trying to keep from freaking out before saying, “I’m pretty soft just out the shower though, don’t be fooled.  Takes a lot to maintain.”  You make a face behind T’Challa at your words.  Snatching an insult out of the jaws of a compliment, nice.

“You make it look effortless.” he says looking up at you.  “You think you could lend me some products?”  he says showing all those beautiful teeth to you.

You smile into your chest shaking your head.  “You can have whatever you like.  But you have to follow the steps or you’ll just be a mess!”

T’Challa squints at you, “Eh?  What process are you talking about?”

You swallow, hoping this doesn’t go over his head, “Well, you are on the right track practically.  I like to start with my calves, very important.  But I have so much more leg to go.”

T’Challa nods slowly, appearing to understand.  “I see, so then we go to…”  His hand hovers above your thigh.  You shiver in anticipation, “The knee!” planting his hand on your kneecap.

You guffaw, “Right!  Can’t neglect ashy knees! True!  Then what, Chacha?”

He looks at your knee quizzically like its a jigsaw to solve, “The only way to go is the…”  and without a word he snakes his hand up your thigh.  You bite your lip, elevating your hips under his touch.  

T’Challa tucks his lips as he notices your movement, “Is your reaction normal for the process?”   he asks as his voice has caught the honey coated timbre of seduction as well.  His eyes glaze over, looking from your face to your body, mouthslightly agape to the treats he will hopefully be soon to receive.

His hands grip both your thighs, one working inner, the other outer; his long hands encompass the surface area of your thickness easily.  Your walls start to talk back to you, awaiting their turn for a massage.

“When it’s done right, yeah.”  you say, unafraid at this point.  You pull T’Challa’s face into yours, gripping the back of head.  The kiss starts off as your regular ones do, only once did T’Challa try to slip tongue, but you go into a schoolgirl giggle fit when he had.  This time was different, there was no ‘will he, won’t he’ because you were both on the same page.  Your mouths opened simultaneously to welcome each other in.  T’Challa moves your leg away gently as the ice bag falls to the floor.  One of his hands grips your booty cheek, spreading it about like dough.  You felt the spread in your lips as you moaned against his mouth, gripping his back to wrestle his shirt up, feeling the warmth of his skin.  

You lean back on the bed as T’Challa hovers over you, sucking your neck; the sounds sensations of his lips against you could make you climax on its own.  Then he got the nerve to pepper your collarbone and chest area with kisses, gripping your titties up like the were ripe for the picking.

“I have been wanting to explore your body for weeks.”  He says suckling on your neck in between.  “You can’t imagine the torture I have sustained to remain respectful.”

You shiver at this confession.  All the feelings you had and that he gave you were mutual.  “I think I can, ‘Challa.  I feel it, 10 times more.”

You hadn’t gotten this far before, and it was becoming overwhelming for you.  You either had to stop or get it in.  Reaching for the button of his pants, you were shooting for the latter.  T’Challa freezes above you as he watches your hands undo his pants.  His breathing is heavily laden as you work the fly down to relieve his growing protrusion.

T’Challa begins to ask, “Umhle, are you sure-” before there is a knock on the front door.

You instantly dry up as you forgot the pizza was on the way, dropping your hands frustratedly.  T’Challa rests his head on your shoulder a moment, before unmounting you to gain his composure on the side of the bed.

You don’t see his face but an awkward amount of time passes before you sit up.  “I’ll get the door...”

T’Challa waves his hand in protest, “No, you rest your ankle, I’ve got it, I just...need time.”  He gets up, buckling and zipping his pants as he walks outside.  You cross your arms in wait, thinking about what almost happened.  You would have to take another shower with all the preheating he did to your oven.

T’Challa stands at the door with the box in his hand.  “Did you want to eat in here?”

He looked at you like a lost puppy.  You weren’t sure what he was thinking of, but you figured the moment between you both has passed for now.

You nod, patting the bed.  “Yeah, nothing fancy here.  Come on.”

T’Challa sits on the edge of the other side, placing the box between you both.  He picks up the ice bag to place on your ankle once more, patting your leg like cattle this time.  

The fresh smells makes your stomach churn as you remember how hungry you were, grabbing a slice; T’Challa takes one as well, taking a big bite.  You turn the TV to one of your tried and true comedies to binge.  As the canned laughter fills your room, you look over to T’Challa looking like he is about ready to doze off.

“T’Challa?”  you call to him.

His eyes flutter open as he looks to you, a lazy smile spreads across his face.  “I’m sorry, umhle.  I’m more tired than I thought before.”  He gets up to stretch, joints popping, groaning with relief.

“You can sleep over if you want...just sleeping, you know.  You’re tired, I’m tired, let’s just...sleep.”  you say rambling.  You wanted to make sure there was no pressure to spontaneously perform again.

T’Challa leans over the bed kissing you on the side of your face.  “You would take in a lost Wakandan to lay his head at your residence?”

You give him a defiant look, “I didn’t say the whole village, now.  Just you!”  You both laugh as he takes the pizza box and sets it on your table.  

“Plus my ankle has felt much better since you been here.”  You tell him as if he needed further convincing.  He climbs in next to you, resting his head on you, wrapping his arm around your waist.

“Then let’s dream for a speedy recovery.”  He says sleepily.

You feel his hand rub your side gently, slowing up until he goes to sleep.  The hum of his breathing sounds so sweet to you as you close your eyes to listen to its melody.  Turning off the TV, you shimmy down to lay next to him, stirring T’Challa only a little, who adjusts to pull you in for spooning as you call it a night.  You thought about how wild the night progressed but you still wouldn’t change a minute of it.  His arms beat the panther plushie you have been hugging on any day.

Morning rays flood your room as the sun woke you up.  You start to stretch and jerk with alarm when you feel him around you still.  You forgot for a second he stayed with you.  Adjusting your titties back in your shirt, you hear him waking up behind you as well.

“Mmm, is it morning already?”  T’Challa groaned.

“It is, Chacha.”  You look back at him, eyes still squinting awake but smiling at nonetheless.   “Do you want to do breakfast?”  you ask turning to face him.

T’Challa rubs your back as he replies, “I wish I could.  But I have to get back to the center to debrief about yesterday’s festivities.  It’s already-” he looks at his watch.  “9:30 am.  I’ll be there around noon, so I’ll go home and freshen up first.”

You whine at his plans, rubbing his chest for coaxing, “I don’t want you to go yet…”

His forehead meets yours, “How about I order you breakfast to enjoy in my absence and we make a date for my place next week?”  He looks at you for a reply.

You wipe some sleep out of his eye before answering, “I guess that sounds good.”  You exchange smiles before pecking a kiss on each other.  

Suddenly music blasts from the living room.  Tavia has been on a workout kick that requires a trap soundtrack to stay motivated.

T’Challa winces at the noise, “And we can be free from interruptions...”  He twirls a wayward twist in your hair.  “Completely free to do...anything.”

You squeeze your thighs at the thought before squirming away to get up.  “I’d like that, T’Challa.  Let me walk you out.”

Opening your bedroom door, you see Tavia hopping from one side of the room to the other.  She sees you come out.

“Hey girl!  Listen, when I’m done, let’s do a brunch thing or somethin!  I’m starving and got some stories for you!”  After one rotation she looks back at you for reply, by now noticing T’Challa.  Tavia stops in her tracks, pausing her video.

“Tavia, this is T’Challa.”  You make faces, pointing at Tavia from behind him as he walks over to her.

“Nice to meet a friend of (Y/N)’s.  I have heard wonderful things.”

“Same here...T’Cha...lla.”  Tavia says dumbfounded.  You give her a thumbs up.

You and T’Challa walk over to the front door going outside to kiss each other goodbye once more before closing the door.  

You and Tavia look at each other in silence for a second before bursting out in shrieks and giggles, jumping around.

“That’s my BITCH!  I see you with that morning after glow on you!  Talk to me, tell me something GOODT!”

You guys park on the couch before you start, “Ok, so first things first, we didn’t sleep together; like we literally just slept.”

Tavia instantly checked out.  “Oh HELL NO!  Did he go down on you at least?”

You shake your head.

“Come ON, B!  Well what the fuck is there to talk about??  How is he here in the morning but not for getting it in.  You need to swipe your card before it expires!”

“It doesn’t expire, hoe!  And I’m more than ready to swipe it, cash it, turn it in to the authorities, but if you let me tell the story-”

A knock raps on the door.  You both look at each other confused before you get up to answer.  Peeping through the hole, you see a delivery man, you think.

Opening the door, the man holds two sacks to you.

“Delivery, miss!”

“We didn’t order anything…” You say looking to Tavia.

The delivery man looks at the receipt. “A….Ms. Macchiato?”

The name rings bells.  T’Challa said he would order breakfast for you, but you forgot to turn it down.  

Tavia comes up behind you, “What is it?”

“T’Challa got us breakfast,”  you say taking the bags and thanking him.

“Bish whet??  Gimme gimme gimme!”

Tavia rips open a bag to see the omelettes, hashbrowns, toast, boiled eggs, sausage, bacon.  

Another knock comes to the door.  You jump to get it.

“Here are the drinks too, Miss.”  the delivery man huffs and puffs.

“Oh thank you!”  you reply taking the OJ and apple juice cups.

Tavia is tearing through her spinach omelette when she says, “Ok, I’m ready to hear it.  What freaky shit you put on him to do alladis??”

Part 5

Other Works

King Kil’mawalls  

T’akia

N’Jadaka’s Helpful Hands

Some Weeks Are Better Than Others

Song of Stevens

Commencement Day

Wakanda Got Y’all

My Ragtag

@sweetpeachjones@scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade@hairhattedghooligan@universalbri @therevolution-willbelive@you-like-this-chain @sarcastic-sunshines@airis-paris14 @afraiddreamingandloving @kreolemami @lalapalooza718 @syreanne

No mans land Tags

afraiddreamingandloving groovybbyy and nyeebey, yall here too! I just can’t tag you for some reason <3</p>

[ventingblacklist]

4x4  Gaia “I thought I could make it better, that I could protect my baby. I mean, that’s my one job…to protect my child.”

Gaia is sick. Living in the woods. Calls his wife and kid and tells them to leave town, cuz he has a new target.

He takes out a mechanic so he can take his place and steal a helicopter later. 

Liz is going through some of the papers on Kirk when her laptop chirps. Kirk is calling. Kirk: Hello, Masha. I know it’s late, but I wanted to speak to you alone. Liz: Where is she?

Kirk: I never wanted you to be apart from her. Liz: Where’s my daughter?! Kirk: Right here, safe.

“If you so much as… If you hurt her…”

“I know the truth. The only reason you came for me… you think we can cure you, that our blood can…”

Kirk: Yes, the blood is what I need, but it’s not what I want. What I want is for us to be together, but that can’t happen until Reddington’s out of your life. Only you can make that happen.

“I see you’re wearing your mother’s bracelet. I’m glad.”

“I want you to know that your baby is safe. This link is open day or night any time you want to see Agnes.” Tom later discusses the link with Liz. He wants to trace it to get Agnes back. Liz is like, it wouldn’t work, he’s anticipated that.

“If he hurts her, he loses me....What does Kirk want more than anything in the world? For me to trust him… to care for him. And because it’s what he desires most, it’s the easiest way to deceive him.

“He’ll see what he wants to see… my affection. He won’t see what’s real… my deception. This link is an opportunity for me to get close to Kirk. And I can’t do anything to jeopardize that.”

Tom: Liz, I think you’re being naive. Liz: I know you think that. And I’m asking you to trust me.

I kind of agree with Liz on this one. Not just about the link tracing, but the being able to see her thing. Red called it unbelievably cruel. Keeping the kid away, but having that link open. Which, I guess. 

I don't have kids so there are some things I'm not going to get, but if I was worried for my kid's well-being, I'd rather be able to see them than not. If I can't get to them at the moment, at least I know they're okay. Drive me nuts, otherwise. Especially in the wake of blood talk. Liz is hoping to use this to get to Kirk. Not in the tracing way, but in the gaining his trust way. She wants to use it. 

Kirk isn’t happy about keeping Liz and Agnes apart, but he doesn't want Red near Agnes any more than Red wants Kirk near Agnes.

I think of parallels a lot, and Agnes might be a replay not just for Kaplan, but for Kirk. Red is not going to get his hooks in another one. He took Kirk’s daughter; he will not have his granddaughter.

Agnes is motivation for Kaplan as well. It's too late, she's already failed Liz, but she could still save Agnes. 

Kirk here, and Kaplan later, want Reddington out of the picture.

Kirk wants Liz to reject Reddington, later tries to kill Reddington. Talks on his death bed of Liz taking his fortune and getting away from Reddington.

Kirk lets it go after the whisper; lets her go when it’s confirmed beyond doubt that Liz is not his child.

Kaplan never lets it go. To the end, she's trying to get Liz to walk away. 

Liz might see this same motivation going forward into season six. Her life is a giant mess, but maybe she can clean it up for Agnes. Agnes’ father is already gone. And she’s away from her mother for a long time. But maybe Liz can stop things from deteriorating further. 

Liz meets with Red. He tells her about Gaia. 

After Liz briefs the task force, Aram grabs Samar and says sorry for not being able to talk, but they can grab lunch, and Samar is like, it's okay, I figured it out. I’m transferring.

Samar is going to be a bit snippy today as she's all hurt in general. First Liz, now Aram. Ressler grabs her after another Gaia briefing. Ressler: Aram told me you put in for a transfer. Navabi, trust me, I understand how angry you are with Keen for doing what she did…

Samar: Yes, and that is part of why I’m leaving, but it’s not just that. It… It’s this place. You never know where you stand with anyone… whether they’ll be there for you when you need them.

Ressler: If there’s anything I can do to get you to reconsider, you let me know. I’ll do it. You’re a good partner.

Samar: I wish there was. I really do.

Aw, look at them all friends now. 

Gaia takes out an energy company guy so he can take his place and sabotage a pipeline. Or something. Kaplan wakes up in hunter guy's cabin. 

Kirk gets a transfusion and some bad news from his doc. His  body is starting to reject the transfusions. Six months to live, maybe less. Odette: There is a solution. Kirk: We’ve already discussed this. Reifler: It’s unacceptable. Odette: Easy for you to say. You’re not the one that’s gonna die. Kirk: No, I am, and I agree with Sebastian.

Kirk: We’re exploring other cures. Odette: We were. Before we lost the Ribowski virus, before the U.S. government froze your assets.

Reifler: If the girl is a genetic match, and there’s no guarantee that she is, extracting stem cells from such a young child is extremely dangerous and could prove fatal.

Odette: ....We are out of time, and we are out of resources. The only way to save your life is if we put that child’s in jeopardy. Odette is clearly jealous of Kirk's fun new obsession. Doesn't give a crap about Liz or the kid. What a fun new stepmom Liz has acquired. 

She also seems to actually care about Kirk. Even though he’s clearly still in love with his dead spy wife.

Ressler and Samar run after Gaia. He gets away. But they nab a fake id he used to get into the faciliity. 

Red takes the id to Glen at a bowling alley to find out who made it. 

Glen calls in a guy. The guy gives them Gaia’s address. 

Red and Liz go out to Gaia's school bus.

"Photo of a pregnant woman. But no child. Maybe the child was taken or… or died....”

“We’re going to get her back, Lizzy.”

Gaia bursts into his ex-wife's house to tell her to get out of the state. We see that his kid is disfigured.

Tom meets with an old colleague to trace the signal and get Agnes back. Aram informs the task force that Gaia's strike on a pipeline will include a nuclear facility in its blast radius. It's gonna be bad. 

Night falls. Tom and his little troop prepare to raid the house. 

Liz is sitting in the post office working. She opens the video feed and calls Tom.

Liz: I’m looking at our little girl. It’s almost like a baby monitor, like she’s in the next room. Tom: Only she’s not. Kirk has her. Liz: I know. I asked you this morning to trust me, not to trace the link. I want you to know it means everything to me that you are okay with that. Thank you. Tom: Everything’s gonna be all right, Liz. Blow her a kiss for me.

Liz sings Agnes a lullaby while Tom and company raid the place where the servers are, but not where Kirk is.

It’s a setup. A place full of cameras so Kirk can see if she violates his trust. And she did. Or, he thinks she did. 

Kirk: I thought we had an understanding. Liz: About what? What are you talking about? Kirk: You traced this feed.

“No. No, I didn’t. There must be some mistake.”

Liz: ...Wait. That had nothing to do with me. Kirk: I’m sorry, Masha. Liz: No, I told Tom. I specifically said…

"No! Please bring her back! I’m begging you! Bring her back!”

Liz has spent like five minutes with her kid since she was born. She's frantic. Desperate to at least see her. Can't do that anymore. 

Tom and Liz both trying to get the kid back in their own way. Tom not telling her things. Liz blows up at him at the end of the episode. Perfectly natural fight, I just hate that they patch it up in like two seconds.

Liz all forgiving him, saying that if his family was the reason they were in danger... um. Actually, his family is involved too. Scottie, you may have heard of her, hired Solomon who sent you on a car chase that almost killed Agnes in utero. But Tom hasn't told you that.

Super happy couple. They never talk about anything apparently, but they really like getting married.

Red goes to see Glen. Shows him the picture of the pregnant woman they found in Gaia's bus. Glen screws with him before agreeing to help.

Hunter helps Kate sit up and feeds her. Asks if the people who did this to her are coming back. She says no and thanks him. 

The task force finds out who Gaia is. Ressler and Samar go to the helicopter place and just miss him. "I’m a dead man walking thanks to Fukushima. It poisoned my innocent unborn son into someone people look at as if he’s a monster! Now, whoever dies from this, they’ve got it coming." Fun fact: from what I can find, nobody actually died from radiation poisoning following Fukushima. People died from evacuation, displacement. The earthquake and tsunami. I'm not entirely sure how this was supposed to poison his unborn son? Apparently his helicopter was flown into an unscheduled radiation venting. How does that...? Did his wife fly into it too? Does radiation poisoning get passed on? Like, genetically? Seems unlikely. Whatever. 

Anyway, they can't scramble fighters or shut down the pipeline fast enough. But Aram hacks into the helicopter and can shut the rotor down. But he freezes. 

“If I click on this, he’ll die. I’ve killed somebody once. I can’t take another life again.” Cooper hits the key like it's no big thing. Glad they were in the office instead of Aram alone in the back of a van or something. 

Thank goodness all this happened or Gaia would have killed millions of people, probably. One good thing came out of the running/kidnapping.

Red meets with Maya (Gaia’s wife) in a diner. Needs her to contact her kid's doctor, who, incidentally, is also Kirk's doctor. 

“My name is Raymond. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Skyler.”

Aw. 

“They live in a delightful space somewhere between dreams and reality. They taste color, hear shapes, see sounds. We should all have such special needs.”

"There is a child. Her life hangs in the balance. I believe Skyler’s doctor could save her.”

It's interesting that they go with a special needs child's doctor, when they could have gone with an adult's doctor, to save the child, Agnes. As there's talk of doing a risky stem cell procedure on her. I think perhaps the writers left the door open to have something happen to Agnes and didn't walk through it.   Aram comes in all chipper. Samar shuts that right down. “You made the wrong call today.”

She’s not wrong.

Liz: We talked about this! We agreed!

Tom: Yeah, on how you felt. I told you I disagreed.

Liz: What you didn’t tell me was that you were gonna do something about it. Instead, you went behind my back and did exactly what I told you not to do.

Tom: ...I’m not gonna fight with you about this, Liz! I did what I thought was best! And nobody is sorrier than me that it didn’t work!

Liz: Oh, no. I know someone who’s sorrier. Our daughter… who now, because of you, is God knows where. ...She's probably in the same spot, actually. You just can't see her now. And I doubt she even notices this is happening.

Reifler is taken at the end of this ep, after his house call. He’ll tell Liz that Kirk moves Agnes around anyway to keep Reddington from finding her. 

There’s a deleted scene that fits in somewhere of Liz staring at her cellphone, willing the video link to reappear. 

Meanwhile, the evil stepmother encourages Kirk to take the risk. 

"I know you don’t want to. But you need to use the child.”

They really play up Kirk using her. And then never tell us for sure whether or not he used her. Lovely high stakes to nowhere. 

At this point, I don’t think he did. He’s still got six months or so at this juncture. Well, maybe less. But he’s fine at the moment. I don’t think he’d use Agnes until it got super desperate. And she wouldn’t be a match to him anyway, apparently.   

Red meets with Liz in his car. Tells her what it was all about, getting Skylar's doctor. “Owen Ayers and his son Skyler share a rare blood disorder. But Dr. Sebastian Reifler is one with a particularly relevant distinction. He treats both Skyler Ayers and Alexander Kirk. If we can get to his doctor, we can get to Kirk. We’re getting close, Lizzy.”

"I lied to you. You asked if Kirk had reached out, and I told you he hadn’t. That wasn’t true. He set up a link… a video feed so I could see Agnes.”

“How incredibly cruel.”

“Tom tried to trace the link, tried to find Agnes, but Kirk found out, and now, uh…”

“She’s gone.”

“I thought I could make it better, that I could protect my baby. I mean, that’s my one job… to protect my child. Make her feel safe at any cost.”

“To hold her. To tell her everything’s gonna be okay. But now because of me, because of what I’ve done, I can’t even do that.”

♪ How does this happen to us all? ♪

I include those lyrics cuz yeah. I haven't seen such a glaring parallel since Red and Liz sitting over the harbormaster's daughter. 

Red is angry at Liz at the start of Miles McGrath. He's still stand offish in Gaia, though not as much after spilling the blood news to Liz at the end of McGrath. There's still distance between them, but he can't sit there and see that pain without having a reaction.  Red snatches the doc.

Kaplan wakes up with a chain around her ankle.

[buckybarnesappreciationsociety]

Love Isn’t A Color; It’s An Emotion (Becca’s Growing Up)

Summary: Rebecca Charlene Rogers, a happy chubby cheeked toddler, loved spending time with her parents, Steve and Asha. Also, her ‘Nana.’ Outside of adults, she rarely had interaction with kids her age outside of the park playground.

Steve and Asha have a decision to make…..to daycare or not to daycare; that is the question.

Characters: Steve Rogers x WoC Asha Rogers

Word Count: 1,289

Warnings: None

Growing up as an only child has its advantages and drawbacks. Rebecca Charlene Rogers longed for a playmate. Sure, Steve, Asha and her grandmother were fine, but they weren’t always available.

Skipping into the kitchen, Becca fluttered her long lashes at Steve. “Daddy, I wanna pway house wif you.”

Folding his newspaper, her understanding father chuckled, “Peanut, daddy’s reading. Not right now. Maybe later?”

With a dejected expression, Becca sulked. “‘kay daddy. Bye.” Now, if there’s one thing Steven Grant Rogers can’t stand, it’s seeing his baby girl sad.

“C’mere sweetheart.” Reaching her little arms up, Steve lifted Becca in his lap. “I know’ya want daddy to play with ya and I will.”

“Awwight. I go pway wif toys in my woom.” By now, Becca’s beautiful eyes were glossed with unshed tears.

At that moment, Steve realized how lonely Becca was. She longed to interact with toddlers her age. The experience would be beneficial not only for her, but Asha and Steve as well.

“Peanut, tell ya what. Mommy and I will talk about you going to daycare.”

Confused, Becca asked, “Daddy, whut day cawr?”

“Well honey, at daycare, you meet other kids your age, learn your ABC’s, colors, shapes and listen to the teacher read. It’s really fun. Would you like that?’

“Uh huh. Tank you daddy. I wuv you.” Becca placed a kiss on his firm thigh and ran to her room.

Speaking to her stuffed ‘friends’, Becca announced, “I going to day cawr and pway wif fwiends.

Bye for now.”

She went down the line, kissing each bear and saying, “I wuv allllll my fwiends.”

Stark Industries boasts the best day care center in the world. Why? Because Edward Anthony Stark performed a stringent vetting for all employees; teachers, cafeteria cooks and servers, custodians and security!

Steve knew Becca would be safe, but he knew Asha would avoid the idea like a plague.

Fretting, Steve rubbed the back of his neck, giving a mental pep talk to himself. “Okay Rogers. You can do this.” At that moment a light bulb appeared over his head. Jazz, candles, and a bubble bath. Can’t forget flowers.

First, Steve ordered 2 dozen assorted flowers; 12 confetti mums and 12 stemmed Gerbera daisies.

Next, feeding and bathing Becca. That wasn’t a problem because his baby girl loved spaghetti and meat sauce. Yes, it was messy but Steve was prepared. After dinner, she watched Frozen for the umpteenth time.

He pan seared a couple T-bone steaks, roasted garlic potatoes, salad and rolls. For dessert,  chocolate mousse with whipped cream. Asha favored Riesling wine, so her attentive husband chilled a bottle, along with a 2 wine glasses.

Asha called and said she’d be home around 7 p.m. That was perfect timing for Steve. Looking at the clock he saw that it was 6:55 p.m.

As fate would have it, the case assigned to Asha demanded more of her time than previously thought. This was a blessing, more than a curse. More time to finish putting the final touches on ‘Operation Romance.’.

Checking on his daughter, Steve found Becca sound asleep on the sofa cuddling her Iron Man bear. Pulling the phone from his shorts, Steve snapped the precious moment, sharing it with Tony and Asha.

Tony, in return, typed a snide comment……….

See Capsicle, even Becca loves me more than her old man. #UncleTonyRocks

YOU DESERVE THE BEST

After putting Becca to bed, around 8:15 p.m., Steve heard the familiar sound of keys and heels.

Asha’s curiosity peaked, as she saw the gentle flicker of candles. “Babe, what’s going on?”

Standing before her was Steve, wearing a black Under Armour t-shirt, grey sweats and a huge smile.

“Welcome home Mrs. Rogers. I missed you.” Steve held her close to his chest, laying a hot kiss on her lips.

Trying to catch her breath, “Whoa, Mr. Rogers! You take my breath away. Is all of this for me?”

“Of course doll. Nothing’s too good for’ya.”

Steve pulled out her seat. “Why thank you kind sir.” He proceeded to serve her and sit down.

ULTERIOR MOTIVE

It was now or never. “Um doll?” In between bites, “Yes baby?” Swallowing hard, “How would’ya feel about Peanut going to day care?”

Laying her fork on the table and narrowing her grey eyes, “So, is this why you’re buttering me up?” Asha’s tone sound accusatory.

“Naw love. You deserve this. See, Peanut said she didn’t have any friends a-”

Brows furrowed, Asha inquired, “What? She said that?”

“Yeah. Becca wanted me to play and I had reports to do. It broke my heart.”

This is an all too familiar feeling Asha knows well. The last thing she wanted was Becca being a loner. She craved interaction with kids her age.

“Alright love,” Asha affirmed.

Kissing her hand, “We’ll do it tomorrow. Right now though, finish your dinner ‘cuz there’s a bubble bath waiting for ya. Afterwards, some mommy and daddy time.”

Asha quirked her eyebrow. “Mmmm sounds devine. You, my love, are just what the doctor ordered. I love you Steve.”

Pushing back from the table, Steve scooped Asha from the chair, carried her bridal style to the bedroom, gently kicking the door shut.

I’M NOT READY

Asha, Steve and Becca attended open house at Stark Daycare Center. You could see the wonder in Becca’s eyes as she looked at bright tables, chairs, bookshelves, letters around the walls, pictures of animals. And the best part, there were other 3 year olds.

The class and parents were in awe of Captain America. Trying to deflect the attention from himself, Steve pulled Asha to his side, “I think Peanut’s gonna be just fine.” Turning her head, Asha wiped a tear from her face. “Where did time go babe?. Our baby’s in day care.”

Mrs. Nasserman, one of the instructors, asked the kids their names. When Becca’s turn came, she proudly stated, “Webecca Wogers. I’m fwree,” she said holding up 2 fingers on her left hand and 1 on her right.Steve and Asha beamed with pride.

For the next hour, while parents milled about looking over the room, the kids sang songs, played on the iPads and also snacks were served.

Running to her parents, Becca announced, “Mommy, daddy we ate fwoot and say ABC.”

Asha asked her baby girl to recite the alphabets. ��‘Kay. ABCCGFGKLOP.” Steve thought it was the cutest thing ever. He even made a video to send to the team. Asha and Becca clapped.

“Yay Webecca big gurl,” Becca’s toothy grin spread from ear to ear.

In that moment, Steve and Asha knew daycare would was beneficial to Becca’s growth. Interacting with kids her age means she won’t be alone.

SURPRISE

Tangled together on the sofa, Steve mused, “I’m so happy Becca’s going to daycare.” Gazing into his eyes, Asha whispered, “So am I. And just think, this time next year, she’ll have someone to play with at home.”

Steve’s eyes bulged. “D-d-doll are ya joking?” “No Mr. Rogers. I’m 8 weeks. I didn’t say anything because I wanted to be certain. SURPRISE!” Wiping his eyes, the overjoyed super soldier leaned in and kissed his wife. “You and Becca are my world. Now, there’s another Peanut on the way. Gosh doll, m’so happy.” “So am I sweetheart.”

[enigmatic-elegance]

Mas’ list of people you should probably follow.

The other day I made a big post on those people who deeply impacted me this past year. But this post is gunna be a lot broader. This will be a list of people who are generally just awesome folks, people I think you should follow or check out if you don’t already know about them.

Because it will likely be a big list, I’m only going to make a small sentence or two comment on each to keep it brisk.

And hey, if you don’t see your name here, don’t feel bad. Just means we likely need to RP more, yeah? Get to know me, let me get to know you, let’s share some fun times. And if I forgot you I’m sorry. I am trying to include a lot of names so it’s likely I miss one or two. I still love you.

Cool on with the show.

People

@jazimina @risrielthron Same person. Fantastic writer, runs the courier, very polite and open to people. Good person to know.

@percy-dewdancer Great dude. Knows his shit. Will throw down for his people. Been around, and makes good stories, so check him out.

@the-elf-mahat Sweetheart extreme, fantastic character too, trust me you’ll be glad you took the time to know her.

@grannyshanny @damn-she-big Good dude. Tells it how it is, dude also can write up a storm if given the chance.

@eldricceverton If you can actually catch him for RP the guy will melt your face off with 20 paras of gold.

@thebattlesheep Shy, but a sweetheart. She wants to involve in more stories so go bother her, send her posts, and asks, and love.

@soapiewhitacre They have had a bit of a hard time recently with their muse so took a break but they are a really great writer and a good person so well worth the follow.

@in-ghis-we-trust Coming soon back to the game, time permitting. So go check out this pupper so when she gets back she’ll get all the love.

@berundo-the-deadbeat Okay for real I underestimated this guy when I first met him cuz the char seems silly but then you realize this guy is one of the best writers you’ll ever meet.

@jebweaver So goddamn underrated. For the quality this guy puts out dude should get way more notes and recognition. Just go check it out, read a post or two. Trust me.

@devilsdaughter2 Homegirl has her finger to the pulse. She gets mad excited, loves to talk characters and pretty much whatever you want. Good place to get some solid content.

@the-news-nerd @elyza-morrowbranch @dunnedinsniper This guy gives his opinions without shame. Turns out he’s usually pretty spot on. Great RPer to boot, so all around a win.

@kingofthewolves Great dude, great friend, and makes stories that will rip your heart out while also piecing it back together with sap and fluff. Go check em.

@xerxes-jasper This one is a great shadow RPer. But plays the character less of a horror and more of a human. That’s rare, and admirable. Very worth the follow.

@cedrickholtstories He’s a damn good writer. We have not talked a lot OOC but I’m impressed with his content and you will be too.

@paladin-cynae On the flipside here, I don’t know too much about the characters ICly, but OOCly such a sweet and caring sort. Definitely someone worth knowing.

@gwenya Worth a lot of love. And likely will try to punt me for putting them on this list. But genuinely a selfless sort.

@adhelin We are a lot alike. so if you like me, you will likely enjoy her too. If you don’t like me..why are you here? She’s a good sort, cares for her friends and guild. Respect.

@thegreatnyehehe Seriously. Follow. This is not even an option.

@firebiter @brooke-it @clothespanda Phenomenal RPer with even more amazing characters. And can pretty much get along with most people well. Trust me, good follow.

@fire-and-swords Fire-hearted person but damn fun to RP with. Encourage them a bit out of their comfort zone and you’ll be rewarded with some great stories.

@addie-the-pirate Super kind. Very open. Friendly. And to follow up a brilliant writer and imaginative sort. Definitely worth a follow.

@xana-the-witchhearted The textbook definition of a sweetheart.

@theodorebennas Lawful characters usually annoy me but he does it super damn well. Plus OOcly really open and friendly sort.

@demetrius-devereaux We’ve had our differences to be sure but if you want dark RP he’s a go-to. Plus respect for a damn good writer.

@sparkling-adventurer Goddamn cutie.

@elaianna A grand writer and by what I can see an extremely friendly person. Cares a lot for server events and supporting others, gotta respect that.

@khadorek This guy and I don’t chat too much but he always takes interest in other’s works and creations. It’s refreshing.

@harveedeadweight Dude is a meme sure but take part in some of his stories you’ll see he’s a brilliant and imaginative writer.

@summysparklesprocket Only RPed a few times but they are on point as an RPer. Plus, a serious Gnome, too damn rare. They definitely deserve props.

@high-inquisitor Sort of watch them from afar but they are a damn good writer so they deserve attention for it.

@saltylulu Hey so this person is a sweet thing and also a pretty darn good writer when you can get em pinned for RP.

@susan-gampre So NSFW as hell but a cool person. Worth checking out for sure.

@inquisitive-baker Only RPed a few times with them but a really cool ‘neutral’ character.

Guild Corner

@the-royal-courier This is the number one source for alliance news. A great place to keep up to date on events and help promote your own stories.

@thedragonlorenews I’m not Horde active but I still follow them to keep up with the cool things the Horde is up to.

@householt Great writers. Truly. They also don’t force their agenda on other guilds but will work to include others if they wish it. I have a lot of respect for them.

@housestygian I don’t see them around as much of late but they were always really square with me. I think they are coming active again, so worth a check out for sure.

@ludlowvineyards Been around for a while and always provided great content both of their own and supporting others. Check them out.

@wra-lifeline-advocates Not really a guild, but a damn good resource.

@veil-of-ashes New Hordeside RP, but their people have it on lock by what I can see. If you are on Horde, check em out, hit them up.

@stormwinduniv Still make some really solid server events. And they are all so damn unique too. Like, super cool stuff.

Art Corner

@vinsketchbook @vintrove One of the best wow artists I’ve encountered. Made the brilliant portrait of Mas and is working on another at the moment. Great prices, very professional, definitely recommend.

@ferachidoesart A great artist, and their style always makes me smile. Well worth checking out.

@whimsicallyart A killer artist with a great writer to back it all up. The full package, worth the follow absolutely.

@anzka The go-to for great Gnome art.

@auggusst @auggusst-art The improvement on her art has been astonishing, and she deserves more love then she gets. Totally advise supporting her, well worth checking out.

@blackdogmelancholy Already gave props to them in the People area but they are a killer artist too so absolutely check them out.

@@cat-bat @catbatart Fantastic artist, already got a commission from them that I adore. Professional, and works really fast with great quality.

@planktonheretic Their art hits the perfect niche of tasty buff orcs and amazing animated expressions. I already got a piece from them and lord knows I’m going to get more in time.

@artofaokori I have a few small pieces from them but their style is so unique and makes me smile every time. Great for cute characters.

@bloodydamnit Makes some of the most lifelike art pieces I have ever seen. And covers a broad range of genres and games.

@littleliongod Worked with me so well in coupling my sibling pair into one piece. It’s great when an artist takes time to ask questions and assure you get exactly what you are looking for.

@musingzero Just commissioned two pieces from them and they blew my mind. Namely because I had no real references for either of them and from nothing she just built perfectly the characters and brought them to life. Amazing.

[afterspark-podcast]

Let’s Play Transformers War for Cybertron, Chapter 3 Transcript

Episode

[This can also be found on AO3!]

[Into Music]

[The main menu for Transformers War for Cybertron displays.]

O: Hi, guys!  Sooo, uh, we found out a thing last week.  Um, they shut the servers for this game down, and you need the servers in order to play multiplayer.  Soo... here’s what we’re gonna do.  Ah, I’m gonna play, uh, and, uh, Specs and Chezni are going to provide commentary, probably while I’m making a fool of myself.  And that’s how we’re gonna finish this damn- game dammit, because we are going to finish this.  I started it, I wanna finish it.

C: A moment of silence for the Activision servers.

S: [sighs] Yup.

C: [laughs]

O: [laughs] Fuck you Activision.

S: [laughs]

O: I get it, just why can I not host a game or something!?  I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.  I’m just annoyed, because I was actually having fun playing multiplayer and I’m like, oh COME ON!

S: It was fun, I’d been looking forward to it.

O: Well, hopefully, you’ll still be somewhat amused by watching me play.  Unfortunately, and I’m- I’m really sad, cause I was so happy, I was like, yay, Chezni’s going to play as Soundwave, because I refuse to play as Soundwave, cause he basically, has a healing gun, which is all but useless when you have like, computer allies.  So I’m like, oh yay, Soundwave will get some love!  Mm-mm.  Mm-mm.

S: [laughs]

O: And I refuse to play as anybody that isn’t Megatron in the Decepticon campaign, if he’s available, because unlike most of the other guns, you cannot pick up the Fusion Cannon as a drop, I am using the damn Fusion Cannon.

S: Ah.

C: You can’t steal Megatron’s arm?

O: [laughs] No, but in the sequel game you can!

[Owls selects Campaign > Solo Campaign > Chapter Select.]

C: I’m pretty sure that’s wrong…

O: [laughs] Well, I mean why not, the man stole a Prime arm- er, a Prime’s arm in Transformers: Prime, did he not?

[Chapter III, Iacon Destroyed is selected.]

O: Alright, uh, wait- what chapter was it?  Yeah, Iacon Destroyed.

[Owls clicks on the first checkpoint before immediately backing out and then clicking on it again.  The character selection menu is displayed and she scrolls through the three available characters for the level, Megatron, Soundwave, and Breakdown.]

O: We are in Iacon Destroyed, uh, our three characters available are: Breakdown, Soundwave, and Megatron.  And Soundwave, rather sadly, doesn’t like, have any way to use his cassettes when you’re playing as him.  Which makes me sad.

S: Aww.  That’s disapp-

O: Cuz he definitely- he definitely uses them to fight you later.

S: That’s disappointing.  I would have liked to play with um, Breakdown.

O: Yeah.

C: Yess.  Specs you- you’re with me in that you’re- you’re a big Breakdown fan, right?  Oh, no, wait!  This is Breakdown, not Knockout, sorry!

O: [laughs]

S: Well, I- I like both of them.

C: Is Knockout in this game?

O: No, not at all!

S: No.

O: Knockout was created wholesale for Prime.  Like he’s not- he didn’t appear in anything before that.

S: Yeah.

O: Whereas Breakdown, even if Prime wasn’t out yet (which I don’t think it was) was a character that existed in G1.

S: Yes, he came out late in Season 2, and he was part of the Stunticons.  And his personality quirk is that he’s very neurotic.

C: Heh.

S: Like, he thinks street lights are staring at him.

C & O: [laugh]

O: Wow, that was quite different in Prime, wasn’t it? [laughs]

C: Wow.

S: Well, that’s just in G1, he’s not paranoid about things in uh, Prime.  Cuz he’s an entirely different character with a completely different origin- origin, probably.  Though, a lot of people like to write him as originally being a member of the Stunticons.

O: Is it bad my brain sunk- just jumped straight to, “Well, it’s amazing how much less neurotic he is after getting boned for a couple million years, huh?”

A: [laugh]

S: Oh god, the fact that apparently Breakdown-

O: I’m just saying, somebody look at Knockout and tell me that boy don’t fuck.  I’m just saying! [laughs]

S: Well, the fact that Knockout’s entire design philosophy was apparently, make him sexy.

O & S: [laugh]

C: [imitating TFP Starscream] “Oh, you’re one of those.”

O & S: [laugh]

O: Starscream, you have no room to talk! [laughs]

C & S: [laugh]

O: NOOO room! [laughs]

S: Now I kinda wanna go get out the Prime artbook, but this is not the time!  So let’s get to the- let’s get to the game.

C: Right, right.

O: Let’s get to me blowing things up!

[Owls selects Megatron and the game goes to a loading screen, before opening up with a text crawl narrated, yet again, by Steve Blum.

Narrator: Hungry for more power.]

O: [quietly] Oh, thank fuck.  It was so loud guys, it was so loud, and now it’s not! [Referring to the sound issues in the last couple of chapters. ~O]

[Narrator: Megatron plans to corrupt the very core of Cybertron itself with Dark Energon.  But to do so, he must first find the Omega Key.  Which will unlock the gateway to the core.]

O: Nothing bad can happen with this plan!

S: [sighs] Oh, Megatron.  He wants-

[Narrator: Megatron launches a full scale assault on Iacon, capital city of the Autobots where the key is protected by Zeta Prime--leader of the Autobots.]

O: This is a terrible idea!  Why does he think this is a good idea!?

S: He really wants the Space Crack.

O: I- I guess, but- but did he need to give it to the planet!? [laughs]

S: He wants to infect the planet with Space Crack to get more Space Crack.

O: Ah, so he needs a Space Crack generating machine.

[An in-game cinematic starts with a drop ship hovering close to the ground in what appears to be the middle of a city.  Megatron, Soundwave, and Breakdown jump off the ship onto the ground below, while Starscream drops out of the ship, and floats a little above the group in robot mode.

Megatron: Starscream - continue forward and meet Zeta Prime’s armies on the front line!

Starscream: Have no fear, Lord Megatron!  Under my leadership, Decepticon victory is assured!]

O: Oh, shut up.

[Megatron: Do not fail me!

Starscream transforms and flies off into the sky.

Breakdown: Why aren’t we joining the main battle, Megatron?

Megatron: While Starscream attacks Zeta Prime’s armies head on, we shall move behind enemy lines and obtain the Omega Key.

As Megatron talks, the camera view cuts back and forth between the three party members as well as the battle they’ve been dropped into.  Around them Autobot and Decepticon forces are fighting each other.]

O: Because-

[Breakdown: The Omega what?]

O: -he basically, will be invisible.

[Soundwave: The Omega Key grants access to the Core of Cybertron.]

C: Omega say what?

O: Soundwave <3

[Megatron: Once I have access to the core, I will infuse it with Dark Energon and subject the entire planet’s energy supply to MY WILL!

New Objective, Enter the Stellar Galleries, displays briefly on the right side of the screen.

The camera swaps to the gameplay view.  The party has been dropped off on a raised platform that has two sets of stairs leading down to ground level off to the right and left.

In front of them is a large reddish-brown building, surrounded by more reddish-brown structures on either side.  Directly in front of the building there appears to be some kind of courtyard, that contains blueish energon flowing like water in two fountains, two artificial waterfalls on either side of the courtyard, as well as additional water features visible at the building’s entrance.

The front of the building resembles a face with two eyes and a mouth.]

C: Does that building have a face?

[Autobot: Decepticon intruders!  They’re inside the city!

Megatron stops and looks up at the weird face on the building.]

O: You know, it might?

[Breakdown: Autobots attacking!  Hey, wasn’t Starscream supposed to keep these guys occupied?

The group is in the middle of a firefight, and Megatron is hit by a shot before running over to the edge of the raised platform the party is on and looking around.  He shoots an Autobot at a sentry gun.]

O: Oh fuck, who’s shooting at me bug- you bastards!

[Megatron: Even the Autobots aren’t foolish enough to leave the Stellar Galleries undefended.  Destroy them!]

O: That one exploded...

C: So Specs, now we get to act like uh, we're the masters of everything and we would never make any of the mistakes- [laughs]

O: [laughs] Yeah, yeah, you guys have fun over there.  I'll just uh, you know- I'll put my metaphorical life on the line.

[Megatron continues to shoot at Autobots with his Fusion Cannon and attempts to avoid taking enemy fire.]

C: [laughs]

O: Or, you know, insert comment about, “I still have a Fusion Cannon here, thank you!”

S: Yeah, oh-

O: Fucking rocket fucker. [laughs]

[Megatron takes aim at an Autobot hiding behind a large energy shield.  Periodically, the shield drops and the Autobot shots missiles, leaving them vulnerable for a few seconds.]

S: Oh.  I like... I can't decide if the lighting is like, very warm or if that's supposed to be the metal color.  One of those things- pieces of wall looks like a face, and it’s kind of-

O: [laughs] That’s what Chezni said too.

S: -fucking with me.

O: [laughs] The building is staring at you Specs!  The building is staring at you, it’s a friendly building!

[Megatron jumps down off the platform and takes aim at some Autobots he couldn’t see in his previous vantage point.]

S: Nooo…

O: I feel like I’m in a- like, watch- now I feel like I’m watching a children’s show where like, everything has faces. [laughs]

S: Yeah.

C: Your friends on the right exploded for like, no reason.

O: Will you stay still, you!?

[Several Autobots run up to the area where Megatron and some Decepticon grunts are.  Megatron attempts to shoot them but misses multiple times before finally hitting them.]

S: Oh.

O: Megatron!  We need more bullets, or you need to have better aim!

[Megatron is still firing on Autobots, but is running low on ammunition.]

S: Hm, so-

[Autobots continue to target Megatron.]

O: Oh my god, go away!  Oh sorry, Specs.

S: This area actually looks like it would be really pretty... if it wasn't in the middle of a firefight.

O: Yeah!

C: I agree.

O: Yeah, it does.  And, you know, we're actually outside in what passes as daylight on Cybertron?  Which, uh, which we- we haven't gotten to see like this entire time, you know?

[Megatron turns around in a circle, looking up at the sky which is reddish orange in color.]

S: Yeah.

C: So, wait, is it normal for Cybertron to have water?

O: Uh... yeah-

S: That’s not water.

O: It’s Energon.

C: Oh.

[The immediate Autobots defeated, the party moves forward towards the interior of the building, walking past all of the ‘water’ features.]

C: The Energon must flow.

O: Although, som- sometimes it has water?  Sometimes it doesn’t.  Sometimes it has the Sea of Rust?

S: Sometimes it's got other things.  I mean, it could be uh, like, some sort of metal with a very low melting point.

O: Yeah.

C: Gotcha.

O: Pick one?

[Megatron is able to fully replenish his Fusion Cannon ammo.  Off to his left a weapon chest is visible, he walks over to it.]

O: Oh good, a gun.  Sniper rifle?

[Megatron smashes the chest and receives a Scatter Blaster (Full-Auto).]

O: No?  No?  Oh, damn.

[Megatron walks over to the left, smashing another ammo chest and then walking around to an area with multiple artificial waterfalls.]

S: Just the fact that your method of opening certain things just involves beating the shit out of it with-

O: Why- why do you think I’m like, “Megatron smash!”  [laughs] Cuz it- it's very, very accurate, thank you.

S: Yeah.

[Seeing nothing else of value, Megatron turns around and transforms into vehicle mode, heading further into the interior of the building.]

O: Look, if I’m playing as a hulking warlord, I’m gonna have fun with it, okay?

[Soundwave: Megatron -- sensors indicate Autobot energy signatures nearby.

Breakdown: Where?  I don’t see anything...

After heading up some stairs, Megatron exits into another smaller open air courtyard.  In the middle stands a giant statue of some unknown Cybertronian.  Soundwave and Breakdown follow behind Megatron, while three Decepticon grunts are waiting in front of the statue.]

O: I keep trying to shoot the Decepticons, because I’m like, “PEOPLE ARE RUNNING AT ME!”

[Megatron: The Autobots are here, no doubt skulking in the shadows.]

O: Do you have any room to talk?

C: Ah, yes, the Autobots, known for their skulking.

O: Yes!

[The Decepticon grunts are all killed when some energy blasts come out of nowhere.

Decepticon Grunt: NOOO!

Megatron backs up and begins looking around the room.]

O: Oh god, even our guys sound stupid when they die.

S: Known for their deception.

C: [laughs]

[Breakdown: They’re all around us!]

S: Nevermind our uh, faction name.

[Megatron: Return fire!  Destroy anything that moves!]

C: Right.

O: You are being deceived-

[Megatron is destroyed by energy blasts from the invisible enemies, and Owls is kicked out to the Mission Failed screen.]

O: -goddammit. [laughs]

C: [laughs]

S: Bye, Megatron.

O: I am deceiving myself, apparently!

[Owls selects, “Restart From Last Checkpoint,” and the game reloads at the doorway to the second courtyard.

New Objective, Enter the Stellar Galleries, displays briefly on the right side of the screen.]

C: Just shaking off the rust!

O: Uh-huh.  I- why- I wish it would have saved me picking shit up though.

[Megatron turns around and smashes the weapon chest behind him to pick up a Scatter Blaster.

Megatron: This shall be the downfall of countless Autobots!

He then runs over to an ammo chest and smashes it to refill his ammo.

Megatron: Argh!]

C: Alright, so they're here for the Omega Key, and they want the Omega Key because…?

[Megatron enters the doorway, walking out into the same courtyard as before.

Soundwave: Megatron -- sensors indicate Autobot energy signatures nearby.

Breakdown: Where?  I don’t see anything...]

O: They need the key to get to the center of the planet, so he can put is Space Crack into the planet.

[Megatron: The Autobots are here, no doubt skulking in the shadows.

The 3 Decepticon grunts are killed, a firefight ensues.]

S: I kind of want to say that the Omega Key is supposed to open the Omega Lock and it-

O: Well, it’s held by Omega Supreme, so you’re not wrong.

S: [sighs]

C: Omega Supreme.

S: They really like their Omega naming.

[The party moves forward and begins attacking the invisible enemies.

Breakdown: They’re all around us!

Megatron: Return fire!  Destroy anything that moves!]

O: You know, the one that sounds like a burrito!

C: Yeah.

S: [laughs]

C: Sounds like the kind of thing you’d go to a fast food restaurant and order.

S: Except that um, having um, having that order means that you automatically want to murder all the Constructicons.

O: [laughs] Your rage at the Constructicons will be complete!

C: Yeah, so I’d like an- a number 6?  An Omega Supreme with a side ord- with a side of killing all the Destructicons.

O: Constructicons, but yes.

C: Constructicons, sorry.

O: What- sorry, with a side of uh, the rage at being betrayed by my Constructicon bros.

S: Yup.

C: So wait, are those the green and purple ones?

O: Yup.

S: Yes.

O: They make Devastator!

S: They are construction equipment.

[Megatron chases around a particularly troublesome enemy that keeps dodging his shoots.]

C: Why does Omega Supreme hate them?

O: Watch our podcast and find out! [laughs]

S: Yeah...

C: I edit your podcast!

O: We haven’t gotten to that episode yet, that’s why I’m making that joke. [laughs]

C: Gotcha.

[The last enemy is taken out, Megatron grabs some additional ammo, and heads down some stairs to where Breakdown and Soundwave are waiting.]

O: But yes, please Specs, feel free to enlighten him, I just had to rib him first. [laughs]

S: It involves um... crimes against architecture.

O: [laughs]

C: Great. [unintelligible]

O: [continues laughing] “Crimes against architecture,” huh?

S: Well, that's roughly what happens.  Very roughly.

[The party exits into a circular area that is open to the sky.  In the distance an Autobot drop ship crashes.  Megatron throws a grenade into the center of the area.

Note: Owls did not mean to throw the grenade.

Breakdown: What are you trying to do!?]

C: Megatron keeps his troops on his toes.  “Didn't expect me throw a grenade at your feet, did ya!?”

[Starscream (COM): Megatron -- the Dark Energon is proving every bit as formidable as you predicted!  The Autobot armies crumble before it!]

O: [deep voice] On your toes, Breakdown!  On your toes!

C: [laughs]

[The party heads through a doorway on their right, and onto a walkway.  Megatron grabs a Scatter Blaster from a nearby weapon chest.

Megatron: Excellent, Starscream.  Continue engaging them so that I can acquire the Omega Key.

Breakdown: There’s something off about that Starscream guy, Megatron.  I don’t trust him.]

C: So wait, that was um, those enemies you were fighting earlier were invisible weren’t they?

O: Yup.

S: Yeah, they turned up in one of the previous areas.

[Megatron: Oh, I trust Starscream about as far as I can blast him… but he shows a rare cunning that I find intriguing.

The party continues up a ramp, once they reach level ground again, Megatron walks over to a gun that is lying on the ground.  It is revealed to be a Null Ray (10x Scope) and he picks it up before continuing forward.]

O: THANK YOU!

[Soundwave: Be aware -- snipers at the entrance.

Megatron: Move forward and flank them!  Let nothing stand in my way!

Megatron takes cover around the corner and shoots at the snipers with the Null Ray he just acquired.]

S: Though, I'm not sure what they are or what they do based off of in previous uh..

O: I don’t know.

C: They’re all Smokescreens.

O: [laughs] Mirage.

S: They’re more likely be to be Mirage.

O: Are they’re all Mirages?

[The party moves out into another large open area, with a big fountain in the middle and Megatron takes cover behind the fountain, still shooting Autobots.]

C: Mirage, sorry.  I don’t know why, I get Mirage and Smokescreen mixed up.

O: Well, I mean, they do similar things but in completely different ways?

S: Yeah.

O: Uh, Mirage keeps people from seeing him by turning invisible.  Smokescreen keeps people from seeing things by generating smoke.

S: Yeah.

C: So ones really fancy, and the other one just pollutes the environment, got it.

S: [laughs] More or less.

O: Yeah!  Yeah, you know what?  I feel like- I-I, you know, I have the feeling Mirage would agree with that statement.  Like, a lot.  You would probably have made his day by describing it that way. [laughs]

[The last Autobots in the area are defeated.  Megatron walks around the fountain passing another gun, before finding an ammo chest and smashing it.]

O: Smash~

[Megatron passes under a large arch directly in front of the fountain, passing by another ammo chest and smashing it.]

O: Why did I do that?  That doesn’t get me anything.  I like to smash things, that’s what’s going on here.

C: It’s addicting.

[The party continues forward, passing by two large water features and heading up some stairs.]

O: [quietly] Smash, smash, smash, smash, smash, smash, smash, smash.

[Breakdown?: Let’s go, Decepticons!

The party turns a corner and comes across a bridge flanked by a multitude of statues.  Autobot snipers are on some platform above the bridge, shooting down at the party.]

S: Breakdown looks so tiny compared to um, to Megatron.

C: Yeah.

[Megatron takes out three Autobots with the sniper rifle in rapid succession.]

C: Those guys didn’t stand a chance.

S: You're very good at the sniper stuff.

O: Eh, it’s easier? [laughs] Cuz I’m not in a firefight.  I don’t actually do that well when I uh-

[Autobot reinforcements come out of an entry way behind the platforms and jump down onto the bridge, firing on Megatron and the others.]

O: I wish this sho- thing in the sequel where you could swap arms- um, I don’t very well in the middle of a fight, unfortunately.

[Megatron runs in front of the bridge so he can take cover on the other side and better aim at the enemy, and then takes out the remaining two Autobots.

Megatron: Decepticons cannot be stopped!]

C: Yup, Owls is our sniper.

O: So I just do this.  And then, they threw the sniper into the game by herself. [laughs]

C: I'm the one who gets lost, and Specs is the one who runs up and cuts people.

A: [laugh]

O: I’m gonna cut ya.

S: Well, you're not the only one who gets lost Chezni, I do too.

[Megatron grabs some ammo and then walks over to Breakdown and Soundwave, who are standing in front of a locked door.

Soundwave: Megatron, the gate to the Stellar Galleries is locked.

Megatron: I anticipated this.  A powerful infusion of Dark Energon will bend the doors to my will!

Megatron uses Dark Energon and destroys the door, allowing them to walk in at their convenience.]

C: That is true.  We both get lost.

S: Yeah, the problem I find is just that a lot of, um.  Well, a lot of games have to reuse uh, environment assets enough that I have difficulty ident- identifying other areas.  Cuz ia lot of it just looks the same to me.

[Upon entering the tunnel, Megatron smashes two nearby Autobots who had been injured by the Dark Energon blast.]

C: Yeah.

O: It all looks the fucking same!

S: Pretty much.

[Megatron briefly enters a room before turning around and exploring the adjacent hallways. He picks up some health from a health chest and returns to the room.  There is a large rotating pillar in the center that has multiple sets of lasers at varying heights, and seven spaced out platforms surrounding the center pillar.  Three of the platforms have some sort of batteries on them that the quest markers are indicating, 4 are smaller, circular and at a lower level than the ledge the party entered on.  Blue energon is visible on the floor.

Autobot Security System: Initiating defense grid.

Soundwave: Megatron -- those batteries feed the security grid.

Megatron: Quickly!  Infuse the batteries with Dark Energon!

New Objective, “Disable the security system,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.]

O: [singing to the tune of the Star Wars theme]  Space crack!  It’s some space crack!  He wants to use some space crack for THINGS!

[Megatron dodges a laserbeam and jumps to the platform on his left, landing on the one right below it that a battery is on.]

C: Megatron- just used his force powers to open that door.

O: Yes.

C: But… why does he not just use his force powers to do everything now?

O: I- he kinda does use for it for a bunch of things?

[By the time Megatron gets to the battery it has already been infected with Dark Energon.  Sentry guns pop out of the wall and fire on him and Breakdown.

Breakdown: We gotta turn of these lasers before we all get fried!]

C: Or was he just like, super charged when he first got it and now he’s coming off-

O: I mean, I think he was super charged uh, when he first got it, uh, for sure, but-

S: Yeah, and now he’s-

C: And now he’s just chasing after that.

[Megatron takes aim at the sentry guns around the room, trying to dodge the guns and laser with limited success.]

O: Yeah, he’s chasing after that high- what is shooting at me?

S: That sweet, sweet high.

C: I think you’re shooting yourself.

S: Also-

O: Maybe I am, but I didn’t think I could do that the Fusion Cannon.

C: Oh.

[Breakdown: We gotta turn of these lasers before we all get fried!

Megatron jumps up on a higher platform, and attempts to jump to a higher platform with a battery on it, but aborts and lands back on the platform he jumped from when it doesn’t look like he can make it.]

O: Ugh.

S: I don't know how you're supposed to turn off the lasers.

C: Violence.

O: I know there must be a way, I just don’t remember how.

C: See, Specs, after watching all of um, you know, the- the footage that I’ve edited for the- vid- epi- videos that we were able to play together in.  You are amazing good at finding-

[Soundwave: Scans indicate that the batteries power the security grid.

Megatron jumps back up on the platform he entered on and attempts to go around the pillar and jump on another platform but instead just walks off the edge, landing in the energon and dying instantly.]

O: That’s-!  I- do- it’s- die! [annoyed gibberish noises]

[The Mission Failed screen displays, Owls selects ‘Restart From Last Checkpoint’, and the game loads at the doorway to the pillar room.

New Objective, Enter the Stellar Galleries, displays briefly on the right side of the screen.]

C: [laughs] You are amazingly good at finding the button you need to push.

[Autobot Security System: Initiating defense grid.

New Objective, “Disable the security system,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.

Soundwave: Megatron -- those batteries feed the security grid.

Megatron: Quickly!  Infuse the batteries with Dark Energon!]

O: Yeah, I'm actually suffering from that right now.

[Megatron jumps over to the battery platform on his left and plants a detpak on it.]

C: I think you- I think Specs nailed like 75% of anything we needed to interact with.

S: I don't know, it's a talent, I guess?

C: [laughs]

[Megatron jumps over to the battery platform across from the entrance and plants a detpak on it as well.  He then turns around and bashes a health chest to get health before jumping to the last battery platform, but before he lands, Breakdown runs over and plants a Detpak on the battery and it explodes.]

S: Maybe you're supposed to shoot something?  Maybe?

C: I think she just needed to go over and hit the computer.

[The lasers deactivate, and the middle pillar is now covered in Dark Energon and little bits of purple electricity are coming off it and the three battery packs.

Autobot Security System: Security measures deactivated.

Megatron: Soundwave.  Damage report.

Soundwave: Scans show minimal damage.]

C: Looks like it’s off now.

O: Yup.

S: Oh, that’s good.

C: So, that’s good.

[New Objective, “Find the Omega Key,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.

The blue energon on the floor has also disappeared- Megatron jumps down to the floor and the party leaves through a newly opened door.]

O: Yeah, I had to- I had to, you know, put my Space Crack all up in it.  That’s what I had to do.  Mmm-hm.  Mmm-hm.  Seems legit.

[The party walks down a hallway that opens up into a long room.  Across the room a weapon chest is visible.]

O: And now I literally do not care about any other gun, because I have the two I want.

[Sentry guns on the walls to the left begin firing at the party, who fire back.

Megatron: Now...time for more strategic slaughter!]

C: How do you think Starscream would feel about him using his gun?

O: How do you think he got it?

S: He might find it hot?

O: [laughs] There we go, yeah.

C: [laughs]

[Two Autobots also begin firing on the party, who make quick work of them.]

S: It’s like, obviously this is the hottest thing.

O: I mean the only thing hotter is him using Megatron, right?

S: Yeah.

O: [laughs]

[The Autobots destroyed, Megatron walks around the room, destroying weapon chests and picking up ammo.

Soundwave: Megatron, our data indicates that the Omega Key is located just beyond that door.

Megatron: Excellent!  This venture has proven far less taxing than I had anticipated.]

C: Now that would be a fun part of a game, if in multiplayer Megatron could turn into a gun and other people could use him.

[Breakdown: Are you serious?  I’m feelin’ pretty taxed, myself.]

O: That would be weird but…

S: That could be... kind of weird-

C: [laughs]

S: Actually, I’m wondering what that sort of…

C: Well, I don’t know it’s just-

S: Like, would other people have the ability to actually shoot you or would you still have control of the shooting?

C: No, I think- I think they would just move and you would shoot.

S: That could be interesting.

O: [laugh] That would be interesting.

S: Like, it might give you a powerup or something?

C: Yeah.

O: I will see that and raise you, imagine trying to have to control a combiner between three people.

C: That would be fun!

S: Oh god, five people.

O: Yeah, no-no-no, I know- I know but- but like, if you could- had to limit it or something so there were only 3 players.

C: Yeah.

O: Um, I just think it sounds funny.

[Megatron walks over to a large doorway where Breakdown and Soundwave are standing and destroys the door with Dark Energon.  The party walks forward into a large room centered around a floating sphere (presumably a model of Cybertron), with smaller circular bodies orbiting it.  To the left and right there are staircases that wind their way up the wall.

Soundwave: The Autobots maintain these rooms for tranquil contemplation.]

S: Honestly, it's reminds me of that game like um, QWOP, I think?

C: Yeah.

[Breakdown: Tranquil contemplation?  What does that even mean?]

S: Basically where you have to control each of the limbs with uh, um…

C: Q, W, O, P.

[Megatron: It means the Autobots laze about and whine over their own inadequacies.  Ugh… what a waste of time and resources.  Decepticons!  Find the Omega Key!]

S: Yeah, or there's a similar game where you have to control a horse.

O: [snorts]

S: Or a unicorn and often it just flops.

C: Yeah, you’re lucky if you can do anything with it.

[Megatron jumps on a nearby platform and begins shooting some of the small spheres orbiting the model.]

O: Apparently Megaton is, in fact, petty enough to shoot these things.

C: Yeah, what- what- is that-

O: He's like, “They're all wimps!  They have a meditation room, how dare they have that!”

C: Ah!

[Megatron begins running up the staircase on his left.]

S: Oh, I was under the impression that they were like, ads.

C: He-

O: [laughs]

[Megatron jumps off the stairs and roams around the first floor of the room some more looking for any missed items.  Not finding anything else, he looks up and continues shooting spheres as he walks back over to the stairs.]

C: “Megatron hates ads!”

S: Or at least that’s what I was thinking.

O: [continues laughing]

C: “Oil change at Sparky’s?  I’ll show you oil change!”

O: [continues laughing] Goddammit.

C: “This is for interrupting my SpaceTube episode!”

O: “It was from SPACE!” [laughs] I do love that idea, I love the idea of it being uh, of- those being like, pop up ads, that’s way funnier.

[Megatron walks back up the stairs arriving on a platform with Breakdown and Soundwave.  To the right is a console.

Megatron: Behold, Decepticons!  The Omega Key!]

C: Yeah, Specs, that’s amazing.

S: I mean, honestly- [laughs] You're welcome, it's just, Cybertron seems like the sort of place where you would have pop-up ads everywhere.

O: Yeah!

C: [laughs]

O: Also, apparently the Omega Key was just here, in this room.

C: What?  In the room with all the space pop-ups?!

S: [laughs]

O: Yes.

C: They didn’t even know they’d come-

S: Well, but maybe they’re representations of the moons?  In which case, it looks like there's an awful lot of Cybertronian moons.

[Megatron walks over to the console and activates it.  The reddish-orange forcefield around a small floating orb in front of the console drops, and the sphere opens, revealing nothing inside but the indent of where a key should be.

Breakdown: Wow.  That is one empty container.]

O: [snorts] Thanks, Breakdown.

[A hologram of Zeta Prime appears above the empty key container.  The camera pans around behind him as he points at Megatron.

Zeta Prime: Megatron, I’m warning you right now.  You are toying with forces beyond your understanding or control.]

O: What is it with Primes and their chins?

[Megatron: Ah, Zeta Prime.  I see you’re still afraid to face me in person.]

C: I was thinking the same thing.

S: Maybe they based it off of, um, Animated?  Cuz that was one chin-tastic animation.

[Zeta Prime: Ha!  Predictable as ever, right down to the empty words.  The Omega Key is under MY protection now, Megatron.]

O: Yeah, Animated is just chin-tastic all the way through, let’s be honest.

S: Yeah.

O: But Sentinel had like, the chinny- the most chin-tastic chin out of all of the chins. [laughs]

S: The chinniest chin chin chin.

C & O: [laugh]

[Megatron: That is hardly a deterrent.  I will enjoy taking the Omega Key from your lifeless hands.]

O: Oh, you have it, so I just have to kill you to get it, cool. [laughs]

[A variety of Autobot enemies appear and a fight ensues.

New Objective, “Defeat Autobot ambushers,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.]

C: [laughs] “Right, wait- that's not what you're supposed to think!”

S: Oh no-

O: “You’re supposed to be like, Oh no, that sounds difficult!”

S: And Megatron's just like, “Oh, you're challenging me?”

O: “-BIIITCH!”

S: Congratulations!  You’re dead!

C: What a terrible case of me murdering you, you seem to have come down with.

O & S: [laugh]

[Megatron: [laughs] For glory!

Megatron is on the stairway, shooting the various Autobots with the Null Ray, and taking them down in rapid succession.]

O: Oh yes, please just- just stand there let me shoot you, that- that's my favorite thing, yes.

C: Man, Owls makes this look easy.

S: Yeah.

[To the left of the screen some Autobots begin to fire on Megatron who runs behind a pillar to continue shooting.]

O: Ah!

C: I remember these doggone flying guys in the first chapter and I had no idea what to do.

S: Yeah... Actually, now I'm wondering what like, Megatron's preferred scent would be or if Cybertronians even have like, fragrance preferences?

O: [deep voice] “Ah, yes, the scent of motor oil-”

C: A couple of them reference their ‘olfactory sensors’ so they must have some kind of scent.

O: Yeah, they- they clearly can smell but that’s like- yeah, what scents do they like?  I mean, like, humans seem to like flowers, or the smell of rain, what do Cybertronians like?

C: Crop rust!

S: I mean, honestly, would rust smell like the beach to them considering the Sea of Rust?

O: I- considering rust is usually seen as a bad thing, I’m gonna say it wouldn’t have the same connotations.

S: Mmm.

[Megatron shoots an Aerialbot, and the Aerialbot goes flying in a different direction than the momentum of the shot before exploding.]

O: Pfft, that was a weird direction to take that, but okay.

S: Yeah, I mean-

C: So, the Sea of Rust is actually like, a beach of rust?

[Megatron heads down the stairs to his left, before jumping off and landing on the bottom floor.  He is low on ammo, completely out of Fusion Cannon shots, and has 11 Null Ray shots left.]

S: Maybe not?  The problem is I'm not entirely sure if it's considered like a wasteland or…

O: A destination, as it were.

S: Yeah.

C: [chuckles] Like a destination in your mind?

O: Well, I mean like, a vacation destination kind of thing.

C: Oh, oh.

S: Yeah.

O: I-I yeah, I really don’t know-

[Soundwave: Autobots, incoming!

A door in front of Megatron explodes, revealing 2 of the large Autobots carrying machine guns from the first level.]

O: Oh fuck- NO.  NO.  YOU.

C: Wha-

O: YOU!

[Megatron takes cover behind a pillar and shoots at the Autobots.]

S: You need to reload.

C: Are those guys bad?

O: We died against them so many times in the first chapter!

C: Oh!  Right, right, right.

[Megatron transforms and drives up the stairs in tank mode.

Megatron: I shall lead the way!]

O: That's great, but we're gonna do it from higher ground, buddy.

[Megatron goes up the stairs before transforming back to robot mode.  He takes cover behind a pillar, shooting at the large Autobots down below, taking out one of them.]

S: I mean, maybe different metals have different scents?

O: Or minerals?

[Megatron runs out of ammo in his two guns.  Transforming he goes back down the stairs and takes aim at the last remaining Autobot in while in vehicle mode.  He shoots once, hitting an explosive barrel near the Autobot and killing him.]

S: Yeah, I don't know, maybe the Autobots would find more organic notes more interesting because they'd have- it would be exotic and they're more used to those.  Whereas Decepticons might be- might prefer um, more metallic scents.  I don’t know.

C: I would say Tungsten would be-

S: [laughs]

[Megatron: Soundwave, trace Zeta Prime’s broadcast signal.

Soundwave: Commencing scan… Complete.  Its origin is 12.7 cycles ahead.

Megatron runs over to the maintenance door Soundwave and Breakdown are standing by.]

O: Wow- wow, he wasn't even trying to hide himself if Soundwave could do it that quickly!

S: Yeah.

[Soundwave: Scans reveal poor structural integrity surrounding this maintenance access door.

Megatron: You heard him!  Blast the wall!

New Objective, “Proceed to the lower city,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.]

O: Smash it, you say? [laughs]

[Megatron smashes the door and runs through.]

S: Oh~

[Megatron walks over to an ammo chest and smashes it.]

O: Oh, thank fuck.

[Soundwave: Megatron -- the city subsystems provide a direct line to the broadcat’s origin.

The group enters a dark tunnel with a vaguely green tint.  Up ahead, on the right, there is another maintenance door.  This door is held in place by locks, which Megatron destroys before knocking the door down.]

C: Alright, alright, so, we're in greenlight mode now.

O: [quietly] There we go...

S: Yeah, and I don't much like it because… meh.

C: Megatron, meanwhile-

[The other side of the maintenance door reveals a large pillar with slowly blades spinning on multiple levels.  The room goes down quite a ways, with several sets of blades below the party and blue energon below that.]

O: Oh, look!  More things that want to kill us!

C: -demonstrates that he, uh, doesn’t properly know how to open doors.

[Megatron: Descend here.  And have a care -- one wrong step, and you’re scrap metal.

Megatron jumps off his current level, landing on the next set of blades below.]

O: Well, he was born in a mine, why would he use doors?

C: [laughs]

[Megatron jumps down another level, and waits as the blade slowly moves towards a maintenance door on the opposite wall.

Breakdown: Uh… not that I’m arguing or anything, but -- why don’t we just go back to the dropship and hitch a ride?

Megatron: This is the shortest distance to travel, Breakdown.]

O: [laughs]

S: Okay, who would design this like this?

C: [laughs]

S: Like, seriously, that’s a door!

[Megatron shoots the maintenance door and jumps through, landing in another dimly lit hallway.]

C & O: [laugh]

O: It- maybe it was a maintenance door or something?  I don’t know. [laughs]

S: Maybe…

[The party walks up a stairwell at the end of the hallway, which leads up to a closed door.]

C: Oh, the- the coffee room?

O: [laughs]

C: It’s down- it’s down the pillar of evil fan death.  Death fan.

O: [continues laughing] You can either take the stairs or you can brave the f- fans of death, but if you miss them you will die.  How much do you want your coffee?

[The door opens and party continues through and up another set of stairs before running into an Autobot using a console on the wall.  A fight ensues.

Autobot: Decepticon intruders!  They’re inside the city!]

S: It's too exciting, I’ll do without coffee.

C: [laughs]

[Megatron: Into the tunnel, Decepticons.  And try not to get crushed by the trains.

Megatron takes out the Autobot and the party walks out onto a platform inside of a much larger tunnel.]

S: Oh, trains?  Is this their mass transit system?

[Breakdown: You’re joking, right?

Megatron: Yes, Breakdown -- I am famous for my sparkling sense of humor.  Now GET MOVING, before I dismantle you myself!]

O: [laughs] “I’m known for my sparkling sense of humor.”

S: Oh, it’s mass transit system time…

C: [laughs]

S: ...with mines.

[The large tunnel is indeed revealed to be some kind of mass transit system.  In front of the party the tunnel descends deeper underground.  A train running on the ceiling passes by overhead.  Rolling spherical mines are scattered throughout the floor of the tunnel.  Megatron transforms and begins heading down the tunnel.  Soundwave and Breakdown manage to stay ahead of him.]

C: It's a pity Megatron is a tank, while everyone else is a travelling vehicle.

O: Right?  Like, they’re so much faster than me and I don't just think it's because they’re computer AI’s.

[The party continues down the tunnel, which is also, for not explainable reason, littered with ramps.

Breakdown: Whoa!  Watch out!

More trains pass overhead, the party enters a party of the tunnel with transparent walls.  Other trains are seen running in the distance, along with a lot of exposed piping.]

S: I'm honestly sort of amused that Soundwave is faster.

O: I mean… it- he is a vehicle in this one.

[There are also a few sets of pillars with laser sensors running between them.  Megatron jumps off a ramp and manages to hit one, causing some guns to pop out of the wall and shoot at him with missiles.]

S: I know, but considering that his most well known iterations aren’t vehicles, it's just- I always just find it really funny.

C: It’s like that scene in Beast Wars, “For the Predacon Alliance!”

O: [laughs]

C: Turns into a tape deck.

O: Oh, Ravage, I love you.

[The party continues onwards, until their tunnel meets up with another one.  Ahead of them a train moves across from right to left and two trains go past them on the ceiling.  Megatron turns on the new tracks, following Breakdown and Soundwave who are still ahead of him.]

O: Oh dear, I remember this.  I died.

C: [laughs]

[Megatron: Onward!  Through that door!

A smaller tunnel branches off the main one to the left.  Megatron transforms into robot mode and looks around, nearly getting hit by a train from behind before entering the dark tunnel.]

C: That’s some really good advice, don't get hit by a train.

O: Right?  I'm like, Megatron did not listen to his own advice the first time I played through this level, I don't think! [laughs]

S: And we're back to the green.

O: Yeahhhhh, Cybertron’s a dark, dark place, Specs.

S: Ehhhh…

C: [laughs]

[Megatron heads left at a fork in the tunnel, and walks over and picks up some ammo.

Megatron: A brilliant addition to my efforts!]

O: Megatron, I- do you say that every time you pick up ammo?  And like, I don't mean out loud.  I mean to yourself. [laughs]

S: He very well could.

[To the right a doorway can be seen on other side of the room through a hole in the wall.  Megatron heads back the way he came, heading down the right fork and smashing a weapon’s chest on his way.]

O: [quietly] I don’t know why I’m hitting this-

S: He likes to talk to himself.

O: He just likes to talk. [laughs]

C: [laughs]

[Megatron continues down the hallway, coming to door he’d seen through the wall.

Breakdown: It’s no use, Megatron!  The door’s locked!

Megatron: A simple solution, then.  Break the locks!

Megatron tries to shoot the door and hit it with his melee attack, but neither do anything.  He attempts to aim at the red targets, but nothing happens and he heads back up the hallway to the hole the door was visible through before.]

O: We’ve got to go around.

C: I was gonna say, I was like, “What?”

S: You have to shoot through something?

O: Yeah, but I- I think I have to go over here and shoot something.  Yeah.

C: Oh, of course you have to go to the other side of the door to open the locks on the door.

[Megatron shoots the locks through the hole, destroying them and the door.]

C: Why don't you just climb through there [the hole]?!

[Megatron: Blow open that door!]

O: [deep voice] “We're not savages!”

S: I mean…

O: [laughs]

[Megatron transforms and drives back over to the doorway, jumping down into the room below where Breakdown and Soundwave are waiting.]

S: We’ve got to be polite, got to knock first and then we open- then we go through.

O: Megatron’s idea of knocking is two Fusion Cannon blasts, through the door!  I mean, don’t you know anything? [laughs]

[Megatron: Move to that exit!  NOW!]

C: You do not want the third.

O & S: [laugh]

[Breakdown: Uh, Megatron...]

O: The third goes into your head.

[Soundwave: Autobot cloakers, present.

Megatron: Quickly!  Infuse the batteries with Dark Energon!

Invisible enemies begin firing on the party.]

S: Yeah…

O: Seems legit.

[Quest icons appear over three consoles in the room.  Megatron fires back at the Autobots firing at the party.]

S: Oh, I think- yeah, it looks like you need to um…

C: Shoot everything!

O: Uh, when don’t I?

C: [laughs]

[Megatron continues to shoot at enemies.]

S: I mean, did you activate the... thing [console]?

O: No, because I'm trying to kill the things that are shooting at me!

S: Good point.

[A cloaker uncloaks on top of a nearby platform.  Megatron fires off several shots, missing, but the cloaker continues to stand out in the open.]

C: That guys really content to just stand there.

S: Yeah.

[Megatron finally kills the cloaker and then runs over to one of the indicated consoles, planting a detpak on it.]

C: We believe in you, Owls.

S: Yeah.

O: Thank you, I’m not sure if I believe in me.

[A health chest is visible in the distance, across an area enemies are currently firing on.]

O: I want that health over there though! [laughs]

C: Classic shooter dilema.

[Megatron continues to fire, ducking in and out of cover.  Soundwave walks over and begins healing him.]

O: Oh, Soundwave, you're a beautiful bastard!

S: He is earning his keep today.

[Megatron: Hurry!  Destroy the batteries!]

O: Soundwave always earns his keep in my opinion.  Soundwave could be having an off day, and he’d still be more useful than half the Cons.

S: Oh, yeah.

[The party takes out several enemies clustered around one of the consoles, before Megatron runs over and plants a Detpak on it.]

S: But in this iteration he doesn't have, um, offensive features, or combat features.

O: I know you meant ‘off-fen-sive’ but my brain totally just heard he- he’s ‘o-ffen-sive’ somehow.  As in like, bad.

[The last of the cloakers are destroyed.

Megatron: Excellent work, Soundwave.  Now unlock the exit door.]

C: No, that’s clearly uh, the Soundwave from Animated.

S: [laughs]

O: He was fine!

C: [laughs]

O: He was fine!

C: He had the most catchy, annoying theme-

O: Like, no, I didn’t like him as much as other Soundwaves, but I liked him anyway.

[Megatron walks around the room, looking for any items and then heads over to the health chest and retrieves the health.  He then walks over to a console and activates it, opening a door in front of the group.

Megatron: MOVE, Decepticons!  Double-time!]

C: He was pretty funky fresh.

S: Yeah.

O: [laughs] Goddammit.

[Megatron transforms into vehicle mode and drives down a stairway, arriving at a platform in the same (or similar to) the large tunnel from before.  He grabs some nearby ammo.

Breakdown: Hey Soundwave, you wanna race?

Soundwave: Negative.]

C: Alright, so Megatron-

S: So is it time for trains- sorry.

C: Oh no, go ahead.

S: Is it time for trains again?

C: It might be.

[Megatron transforms into vehicle mode and follows Soundwave and Breakdown into the descending tunnel.  The features from the last tunnel go around are still present, there are spherical rolling mines, ramps, movement sensors, and trains passing over head.]

C: Oh, no just mines of death.

O: Ah, I mean those- those were there in the last go around too.

S: Yeah, more trains!

C: [laughs]

S: The Cybertronian um, transit system is…

[Large flashing red warnings appear on the right and left just before a train passes in front of Megatron.  He uses a ramp, jumping over the moving train.]

O: What does that mean?  That doesn’t-

C: Whose idea do you think it was to put all these ramps down here?

[Megatron: Don’t get hit by the train, you fool!]

O: [snorts] Megatron!  We are far more likely to get hit by a train than either of your subordinates because I’m the one in the driv- the one behind the steering wheel!

[Megatron hits a mine before taking another ramp to avoid the next train.]

O: Um, obviously they’re for maintenance bots, honey.

[The tunnel ahead ends abruptly with a crashed train in the center.  The party diverts from the tracks to a smaller ramp on the right.

Megatron: There -- that station.  From there we can infiltrate the lower levels of Iacon.]

O: Well, they're obviously for getting over those trains that are perpendicular to you.

C: [laughs]

[Breakdown: What -- that’s it?  I was kind of having fun.  In a high speed, suicidal kind of way.]

C: They were probably like, “Well, we could dig safety maintenance tunnels, you know, to go under the trains,” and they were like, “No, you fool!  Ramps!  Ramps are the way to go!”

O: RAMPS! [laughs]

[The party heads up some stairs, exiting to an open air area.  Bridges, buildings, and various pipes all loom overhead.  In front of them are two sets of train tracks.

Soundwave: Megatron --Omega Key detected.  We should proceed through the logistics station.]

S: They’re much sexier.

[Megatron: Excellent!  The Omega Key awaits!]

O: [laughs]

C: It'll be awesome!  We’ll get all the- all the Cybertronian chicks, all two of them!

O & S: [laugh]

[A train passes in front of the party on the tracks nearest to them.

Soundwave: Megatron -- sensors indicate approaching Autobot energy signatures.

New Objective, “Pass through the lower city,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.]

S: Get all the hot jets.

C: [laughs]

Megatron: Decepticons -- ready your weaponry for battle!]

O: Yeah, yeah, yeah, the- the jets are the ones they’re trying to uh, allure, my dear.

C: Oh, okay.

[A bunch of Autobots pop out of hiding and begin firing at the party, who fire back.  More trains sporadically pass by on the two tracks.]

S: I wonder how many of the trains might actually be other transformers who are like, so done with the firefight in their workplace.

O: [laughs]

C: That’s a good point!

[The first wave of Autobots are destroyed and another group, this time with energon shields fall jump down from above.]

O: I mean, to be fair, we only know of like- the only time we’ve every really seen train Transformers was uh, in uh-

C: Astrotrain?

[Megatron takes cover behind a box and begins sniping the Autobots.  More trains cross by in front of him.]

O: Well-

S: Well, yes, there's Astrotrain and then there's the three of them from Car Robots in the original RID.

[Note: Transformers: Robots in Disguise, 2001, was called Transformers: Car Robots in Japan.  We frequently use the Japanese name to get across what we’re saying quicker because in the US there’s not less than three goddamn things using the title ‘Robots in Disguise’.]

O: Yeah, I mostly meant like, working train ro- like, robots that worked as trains.

C: Oh.

S: Which is-

O: Is what I’m trying to get across there.

S: Which is the three from um, Car Robots.

O: Yeah.

S: Cuz they like, abandon- at least one of them abandons like, a group of passengers in a tunnel to go in fight ah, Decepticons or Predacons.

C: Oh wow.

S: You know, I kind of want to see what would happen if an Autobot who was shielded was just in there when a train comes through.

C: [laughs]

O: Right? [laughs]

C: Maybe we’ll get lucky, I keep waiting for it.

O: And that’s how I died, by being crushed!

[Megatron suddenly dies and the game briefly goes to the ‘Mission Failed’ screen before the game loads back at the stairway leading up to the outdoor station.]

O: Oh!  Okay…

C: Whoa, what happened?

O: I don't know, somebody hit me.

[New Objective, “Pass through the lower city,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.]

C: From our perspective uh, I’d say it looked like you were winning.

S: Yeah.

O: [quietly] To a certain degree of winning. [normal volume] All right, come out, come out wherever you are, so I can shoot you.

[Megatron walks forward just enough to get the Autobots to come out of hiding before taking cover behind another box.]

S: It’s train time.  Unfortunately, you- we can't get in the trains.  Oh.

[Megatron snipes enemies.

Megatron: All shall fall before Megatron!]

O: Uh-huh, uh-huh, that’s nice, buddy.

C: [laughs]

S: His ego requires it.

[Megatron: Only fools stand against Megatron!]

O: Look, I’m just saying, riding shotgun with this character just involves me being like, “Uh-huh, uh-huh, that’s nice.”

[The second wave of Autobots jump down after the first wave of Autobots are dispatched.]

C: Oh, you can’t see [your] health when you’re in the zoomed in mode. [When using the sniper rifle scope.]

S: Yeah.

C: That might have been what confused us.

S: Maybe.  Or maybe your character, maybe Megatron just ended up on the tracks?

O: I don’t think so, I was back behind the box.

[The last of the second wave are destroyed, when a third wave of Autobots run down stairs on the other side of the station.]

O: Goddammit, how many of there are you!?

S: Uh… a lot?

O: A lot, yeah!

[Megatron continues sniping.]

C: A lot of Autobots were really unhappy with their life and wanted a quick death.

O: And I’m providing it for them, got it. [laughs] Megatron’s providing a service.

[Megatron moves closer to the last Autobot killing him and clearing the room.  The Autobot cries out rather loudly when he’s shot.]

O: [imitating the Autobot] Blaaargh!  Blah, I say!

[Megatron walks around picking up ammo and other enemy drops before heading over the train tracks towards the other stairway.]

O: [sighs] Oh, jesus.  Alright.

C: I remember being a kid and playing games and like, things like running across the railroad tracks always freaked me out.

O: Were you afraid of the trains squishing you?

C: I don’t know why.

S: I mean… trains are dangerous.

[Megatron runs up the steps into a tunnel, and heads to his left.  Ahead of him the wall explodes and a sparking cylindrical object is sticking out of a newly created hole.

Breakdown: Take cover!

Megatron: Steady yourself, coward.  I marked this area for Dark Energon bombers.

Breakdown: Are you insane?!?  I mean… yes, brilliant, Megatron!

The party heads to the left, an open area that is currently the grounds of a large firefight is visible in the distance.]

O: [laughs] That- that inflection was- was amazing.  Thank you, thank you Knockout.

S: Breakdown?

O: Breakdown, yeah, sorry.  I blame Chezni, he was talking about Knockout earlier!

C: Yup, it’s my fault.

O: ~Always!

[Megatron stops and snipes some of the visible enemies ahead, before the area’s bombed with Dark Energon.]

O: I don’t know why I’m wasting my ammo when they're just going to get bombed with Dark Energon.  Meagtron, should- should I ask how you got this much Dark- I- I know we- I know supplied you with Dark Energon, but you had- you had enough to make Energon- Dark Energon bombers?  Really?!

[The party continues on, fallen Autobots litter the ground and the way forward is blocked by a pile of rubble.

Megatron: Perfect!  Soon Iacon will be no more than a thick layer of rubble!

Breakdown: The wreckage is in our way, Megatron.]

S: I don’t know, maybe it's-

[Soundwave: Megatron -- the debris scans as stable enough to support our weight.

Megatron jumps on the debris before jumping up into another tunnel.]

S: Maybe it turns into exponential growth at some point?  That would make it easier…

O: Nah, he just wants an easy supply of Space Crack.  Definitely that.

S: Yeah...

[Breakdown: Hey!  There’s Autobots unloading off the train!

Megatron: Leave no Autobot alive!

The party exits into another large room.  They are standing on a platform, below there are some stopped trains and several Autobots.  The party begins firing on them.

Megatron: Fall before Megatron!]

O: I don’t know why you felt the need to say that Megs, we never leave any Autobots alive.

[Breakdown: Okay, what needs doing?]

S: He just wants to you-

C: He won’t let us-

S: [laughs] Sorry.

C: Oh no, I just gonna say, you won't let us open the doors until we kill them all.

S: Yeah…

O: For some reason!  (Soundwave being incredibly petty.)

[Megatron attempts to shoot a distant Autobot, but the Autobot isn’t getting hit despite Megatron being on target.  The camera pulls out as he reloads, and it’s apparent the shots have clipped into a nearby wall instead.  He backs up and shoots the Autobot, finally destroying them.

O: I was like, “Why isn’t that working?

[Megatron: Blast those Aerialbots!

Aerialbots fly in from above.]

O: Oh, goody.

C: Yeah, the odd clipping on the box.

S: It’s the Aerialbots again.  I don't think they're a combiner in this one or maybe not, maybe they are, I don't know.

O: No, these are- that's just what they call any flying Autobots I’ve noticed.

S: Oh, that’s...

O: I know, not confusing at all, but…

S: Yeah, not a fan.

[The Aerialbots fly over the party dropping bombs as the party attempts to fire back.]

C: So wait, what did they call them in this one?

O: Well, they're just called Aerialbots because they can fly.

[The last Autobot is destroyed, and the party jumps down from their platform.

Soundwave: Megatron -- I have detected the Omega Key.  It lies beyond the train tunnel.

Megatron: Move out, Decepticons!

Megatron smashes some item chests, grabbing a nearby shield.]

S: It's just a generic term for flying Autobot instead of what it was in the cart- the G1 cartoon was- well, and in the comics- they were a combiner team who combined into uh… well.

O: Superion?

S: Yep.

C: Oh, and they were specifically called the Aerialbots?

O: Yeah.

S: Yes.

C: Gotcha.

S: Because they were planes.

O: And because so few of the- the Autobots really flew too, that was kind of distinct.

S: Yup.

[Megatron runs up some ramps and does some light platforming to reach Soundwave and Breakdown who are standing off to the left of some train tracks.  He then transforms and follows the tracks into a tunnel.  Ahead of him several red notices pop up in an alien text and he drives into a little area off the tracks to his left, returning to bot mode.  A train passes by on the tracks.

Megatron: Stay on the tracks -- if you want to get smashed to pieces!]

O: I feel like he’s having way to much fun with that…

S: I think he is too.

[Megatron transforms back into tank mode and drives up to another small area off the main tracks, this time on the right side of the tunnel.  He transforms back to bot mode.

Soundwave: Scans reveal poor structural integrity surrounding this maintenance access door.

Megatron smashes the maintenance door in the floor with his mace and falls to the floor below when it breaks.

New Objective, “Approach the Iacon Vaults,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.

(COM) Brawl: Starscream!  This is Brawl!  We’re pinned down outside Zeta Prime’s vaults!  We need air support!]

O: Hey, there’s Brawl!

[Megatron: Excellent!  Brawl is already near the Omega Key!

Megatron walks forward and activate a console that is directly in front of him that opens a door on his right.  The party heads out the door and up some stairs, when they near the top something smashes through the ceiling in the room ahead, followed by an explosion.]

O: Yeah, that looks healthy.

C: Now they’re going to have to patch the roof.

O: I mean, Megatron I think, just wants to you know, start from ground zero I-I don't think- I don’t think- I think he just wants to redecorate by rebuilding, to be honest.

C: Big skylight.

S: Yeah.

[The party runs reaches the top, taking a left up a smaller flight of stairs, and Megatron shots an Autobot ahead that has his back to them.  The party then runs over to a large window.  There is a firefight going on outside, and the party fires on the Autobots.

Megatron: Autobots fall so easily!]

S: He takes a decidedly ballistic approach to redecoration.

O: [laughs] Yes!

C: That's well phrased.

O: Megatron doesn’t know the meaning of redecorating, he’s just going to renovate.

S: Yup.

[The party follows the walkway to their left, taking out another Autobot.

Breakdown: Look!  They’ve got Brawl outnumbered down there!]

C: What on Earth…?

[In an in-game cinematic it cuts to the floor of the area outside the windows from where the party is.  Six Autobots all pile on top of an enemy, before revealing they were attacking Brawl as he throws them all off at once.]

C: “They're eating him!  Then they're gonna eat me!  OH MY GOD!”

A: [laugh]

O: I think that’s Brawl just doin’- doin’ his thing- doin’ his thing down there.

S: Yeah.

C: Right, right, got it.

[The continue to follow the walkway, leading more into the interior of whatever building/structure they are in and run into one of the large Autobots with shields.]

C: That guy's got a big shield because he's just saying, “Please shoot me in the back!”

O: Right?  Not, you know, “I'm gonna put some extra shielding on my back!,” it’s gotta all be on the front.

[The Autobot is primarily focused on Soundwave as Megatron is going back and forth attempting to shoot the Autobot in his weak point on his back.]

O: Will you explode already?

C: He's trying.

[Megatron gets a few more shoots into the Autobot who finally explodes.]

O: [laughs] Well, tell him to try faster!

S: [laughs] Try harder to explode.

[Continuing ahead the party encounters two Autobots with the glowy barriers that are taken out relatively quickly.]

O: [nasally voice] Tell them to explode faster, Chezni!

C: All right, but I don't think he’ll listen.

O: [laughs] Does anyone ever listen in this [game]?

[Megatron grabs some ammo, and heads towards the next room.  A wall explodes in front of the party and a glowy barrier Autobot on the other side begins throwing grenades at them.]

C: Umm... Soundwave- er, not Soundwave, Starscream.

S: [snickers]

O: I don’t think Starscream listens either.

C: He uh, did in that first episode with- when he had his tail between his legs.

[Another glowy Autobot joins the first and Megatron backs up swapping to his Null Ray and taking one of them out.

Megatron: All shall fall before Megatron!]

C: “What's that, Lord Megatron?”  “Yes, of course, Lord Megatron!”

O: [laughs]

C: “Let me go off and get you that Dark Energon right no- right away, Lord Megatron!”

S: He was very intent on that booty call.

[The other Autobot is shortly dispatched and the party continues ahead.  They come out to a room with a large hole in the wall ahead of them.  An Autobot is standing on the edge with his back to them, but is quickly dispatched.]

O: Yeah, he was- he was turned on, also who the fuck is banging out there!?

C: It’s Cream, er, our cat.

O: I- I thought it was coming from the wall!

C: No.

O: Either that or we’ve got multiple banging going on here, but Cream is very insistent to be out here. [laughs]

[The party takes up the position vacated by the Autobot and Megatron begins sniping all the visible Autobots.]

O: Cream is not out here, cuz otherwise you would be hearing her over the mic giving me headbutts.

S: [laughs]

[Breakdown: Snipers!  Across the street!]

O: This isn’t an exaggeration, she just does that.  And I love it- it's adorable just not when I'm on a headset, like when I'm at work!

[Megatron: None can resist us!

The snipers across the street are hastily dealt with and Megatron runs over to the edge of the platform he and Soundwave are still on.]

O: Is that it?  You guys were making a big deal about snipers, is that all the snipers there were?

C: “Oh no, there’s snipers!”

O: Oh no?

S: Well, I mean there’s still s- that dude.

[Megatron looks down and snipes the one lone Autobot visible below.]

C: [laughs]

[He shoots another Autobot.]

O: It’s like shooting fish in a barrel, literally! [laughs]

S: You're in a very good spot for that.

[Soundwave: Megatron -- the area is now clear.

Megatron: Let us speak with Brawl, then.  I want to hear how my war is going.]

O: [snorts] Pharsing? [laughs] Okay.

[Megatron jumps down and checks the nearby nooks and crannies for items, picking up a shield in the process.

(COM) Brawl: Waiting for your orders, Megatron...]

O: Hey Brawl, how’s the explosions?

[Megatron runs over to a Decepticon standing on a platform in the middle the area.]

O: Are you Brawl?  No you’re not.  Where is Brawl?

[Megatron turns to his left and heads towards where the quest marker is indicating.]

O: Probably where the blue arrow is indicating, huh? [laughs]

C: “I am generic cep- Decepticon 75.”

O: [coughs and then laughs] “I am honored you thought I was Brawl, however!”

[Megatron smashes an ammo chest and walks over to the stairs Brawl is standing on.

Brawl: Lord Megatron!

Megatron: Report, Brawl.

Brawl: The Autobots are dug in and our precious air commander won’t provide support!]

O: [snorts]

[Megatron: Enough excuses!  Where is Zeta Prime?]

O: [laughs] Color me surprised!  Shocked even!

[Brawl: He’s just beyond those doors, Lord Megatron!

Megatron: Witness the power of Dark Energon!

Megatron walks over to some large stairs on his left and uses Dark Energon when prompted.]

C: So, is it only through the power of Dark Energon that they've been able to just do all this and kind of… hack Cybertron?

O: I think?  Maybe?

[Nothing happens.

Megatron: Impossible!

A large hologram of Zeta Prime materializes in front of the door.

Zeta Prime: It will take more than a speck of Dark Energon to breach the armor of our Vaults.]

C: OHHHHHH!

O: [laughs]

[Zeta Prime: Surrender now, Megatron and I will consider sparing your life.]

C: OHHHHHH!

[Megatron: You dare threaten me!?!  ME?!?

Megatron shoots at hologram, ineffectively.]

C & O: [laugh]

[Zeta Prime: So be it, Megatron.  I leave you to your own… futility.]

S: You know, his helmet is surprisingly Galvatron shaped.

O: Yeah, the irony is kinda funny.

[Breakdown: Oh great -- here we go…]

O: Alright.

[Megatron: [yelling] Brawl, call in the Dark Energon bombers!]

C: Oh, Megatron’s mad.

O: PISSED.

[Brawl: But Megatron, there’s too much firepower -

Megatron:  DO AS I HAVE ORDERED, BRAWL!

Brawl: Yes, Megatron.  Bombers, target these coordinates!  Everyone else -- CLEAR THE STREET!]

O: “Yes, Lord Megatron.  Right away, Lord Megatron.  Please don't take off my head, Lord Megatron.”

[Megatron transforms and drives into an area where the Decepticons are sheltering from the bombers, he passes by several Decepticon grunts as he heads towards some stairs.

Sensible Decepticon: Look!  It’s Megatron!

Decepticon With A Death Wish: About time.  Why’d he show up so late?

Sensible Decepticon: Shut UP!  You trying to get us both killed?]

C: I assume the guy on the projector was Omega Supreme?

O: No, no-no-no-no.  That was-

S: Sentinel Prime?

O: -Sentinel Prime.

[Note: Despite his name literally being on the screen less then a minute ago, we’re both wrong, it’s Zeta Prime.]

C: I see.

[In-game cinematic: Two Decepticon bombers drop into frame flying over the area the party just vacated.

Brawl: Bombers inbound!]

O: Omega Supreme is HUGE.  Like, he is, I think, the final boss for the Decepticon campaign, and he’s HUGE.

C: Oh!  He’s the one that turns into the- the base.

O & S: Yeah.

C: Okay, I’m sorry.

[The bombers are quickly shoot by anti-aircraft guns and go down, crashing into buildings.  The camera returns to Megatron.  One of the downed ships is burning right in front of him.

Breakdown: Well, THAT was a complete disaster.]

Megatron: Silence!  Obviously our bombers are incompetent!]

O: [laughs]

S: Yeah, I think in the Autobot campaign it's Trypticon, that's the final boss, maybe?

O: Yeah, yeah, it’s Trypticon.

[Brawl: Lord Megatron -- if I may make a suggestions?  Disabling the anti-aircraft guns would open the way for our air support...

Megatron: An excellent though, Brawl.  Carry it out.

New Objective, “Disable the anti-aircraft guns,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.]

C: Wait.  They called for air support and the plane flew into the wall?

[Megatron heads to his left, stopping on the edge of a drop off.  The Autobots and Decepticons are in a fire fight.

Brawl: Decepticons!  Take those guns!]

O: Ehh, the- the anti-aircraft guns took it out.

C: Oh.

O: So they’re like, “Take out those guns and that’ll help!” and you’re like, “No shit!”

[Megatron begins sniping Autobots who are on another ridge across from the platform he’s standing on.

Megatron: We got another one!]

C: Wait… are the machines flying other non-transforming machine?

O: Yes.

S: Uh, probably.  It’s also-

C: Is that normal?

O: Yes.

S: Yeah… It's also entirely possible that they could be uh, flying Transformers that are actually transformed, or dead.

C: Yikes.

O: Well... I mean that’s kind of what they do with Trypticon later, it’s not that weird, unfortunately.

[Megatron moves closer to the Autobot occupied area.]

C: Yeah.

S: I mean, it’s what they did in More Than Meets the Eye after uh…

O: Oh, yeah!

S: Yeah, the- the Necrobot’s base.

O: They're like, “Oh shit, we have no ship to get off we're just gonna take this Decepticon, mass shift him and fly his dead corpse off planet.” [laughs]

C: [laughs]

S: Yeah.

O: Like, I'm not even paraphrasing or exaggerating-

S: That’s pretty much just…

O: Pretty much, yeah.

S: Pretty much what they did.

[Megatron pauses and looks behind him at the firefight before entering a doorway on his left and following a path upwards towards where the anti-aircraft gun are located.]

C: Megatron’s like, “Ehhh, you guys got that.”

[Megatron enters a room that has two large windows on the left side.  Two Decepticons grunts are firing back at Autobots inside.

Breakdown: Turrets!  They’re gonna chop us to pieces!

Megatron: No one turns back!  Destroy those guns by ANY means necessary!]

O: Or take them, maybe?

[Brawl: You heard Lord Megatron!  Decepticons -- lay down cover fire while we take that building!

Megatron takes cover behind the pillars next to the windows and door and snipes various Autobots, some snipers, and some stationed at turrets.]

C: Ultra Magnus.  That's who I was thinking uh, Omega Supreme was for some reason.

O: [laughs]

S: Oh...

O: Wow, that was wildly inaccurate!

S: Yeah.

[Megatron continues sniping Autobots, butsome turrets he already cleared out are being manned by Autobots again…]

C: Right?  I think it's cuz they're both- they're both- both of their names are like two words?

S: Yeah.  I can see that.

[Megatron attempts to back up but is blocked by a Decepticon that is ducking behind him.]

O: [deep voice] “Move, Decepticon!”

C: Right? [laughs] “No!  I’m safe here!”

O: [deep voice] “You’re not safe behind me if I decide to shoot you!”

[Megatron: This fate awaits all who oppose me!

Megatron continues to snipe.  The Autobots keep spawning in and taking control of the turrets.  The nearest turret turns towards Megatron and shoots at him, missing.]

O: Oh my god, why!?  Why do you keep spawning?  Just stop already!

C: Yeah, the real question is why they're like, “Hmm, well we were shooting down this hallway at the people coming at us maybe if I do it, I’ll fare better than the guy who died last time?

O: Right!?

C: That one at least tried to point the gun at you.

[Megatron shoots at an Autobot but instead of moving in the direction of the gunshot’s momentum he flies backwards out of Megatron’s scope at high speed and hits a large cylindrical object, then slides down and explodes.]

O: [laughs] I love physics!  Like, the physics in this is so weird!  He just went flying backwards. [laughs]

C: But yeah, they're like, “Hmm, someone from the side is shooting us.  Oh well, I’ll just run and grab this gun!”

[After sniping a few more Autobots Megatron runs out of the room and up stairs to his right.  An Autobot sitting in a turret on one of the stairway landings leaves his turret and tries to attack the party, but gets a Fusion Cannon to the face.]

O: I think I’m supposed to be going up there without uh, killing all of them.

[Autobot: We’ve got to protect the anti-air guns!

Brawl: Now!  Hit the Autobots while they’re distracted!

The party continues upwards and into a dimly lit corridor before ascending more stairs.  They pass by a glitching Zeta Prime hologram.]

O: Like, maybe- maybe I'm supposed to be moving, but I- I like my idea better.  They just keep coming because they’re idiots.

[Megatron reaches a console and activates it, opening a door to his right that leads back outside.  Seeing a health chest he runs over and smashes it, despite still having a shield left.]

O: I don’t know why I hit that, I don’t need that either.

[There is a console to Megatron’s right, as well as a nearby Autobot who has his back to him.  Megatron runs over to the console, but no UI displays as he runs around the console.]

C: These are not working computer.

[Megatron runs over to the oblivious Autobot and smashes him with his melee attack.]

C: [laughs]

[Megatron: There!  The gun controls!]

O: [laughs] Yes!  I know!  I was trying to hit them, Megs!

[Megatron returns to the console, having to wait for his dialogue to complete before finally being given the option to interact with the console and planting a detpak on it.]

C: You had to smash that guy over the head first.

O: Ey- ust Megatron really wanted to smash that guy over the head.

[The detpak explodes, and the console swaps over from Autobot red to Decepticon purple, complete with Decepticon insignia on it’s screen.  Dark Energon begins forming on the nearby anti-aircraft gun.  Megatron turns back to the console, which is now also being consumed by Dark Energon crystals.]

O: Okay, so now we've got Dark Energon infecting the aircraft guns… and everything else to be honest.

[Breakdown: Niiiice!  Takes one gun to blow up the other!

Soundwave: Megatron -- the controls are overloading.

Purple electricity begins coming off the console, and Dark Energon begins taking over a nearby wall.]

O: The Dark Energon’s too much!

[Megatron: Move, Decepticons!

Megatron jumps off the platform to the ground below, transforming in midair and driving little ways before returning to bot mode and looking back up at the anti-aircraft gun.  The console explodes.]

S: Oh, and this is very hectic.

[Breakdown: That almost punched our tickets!  I thought Dark Energon was on our side?]

O: [snorts]

[Megatron: Brawl -- call in the bombers.

Dark Energon still covers the anti-aircraft guns and surface near it but doesn’t appear to moving out any further.]

O: [laughs] Megatron’s like, “Moving on.”

C: Right-

[Megatron wanders around the nearby area while Brawl coms Starscream.

Brawl: Transmitting the coordinates…

Starscream (COM): Brawl, this is Starscream!  Your request is denied.  I won’t have you wasting more of my ships!]

O: Oh god...

S: Dark Energon does not give a shit.

O: Neither does Megatron in about 3 seconds!

S: Pretty much.

[Megatron: I see.  When did they become YOUR ships, Starscream?]

S: Mmmmmm!

[Starscream (COM): Oh -- Lord Megatron!  I didn’t realize YOU were there!]

O: [laughs] I mean, “Yes!”

[Starscream (COM): Air support request approved -- but it will be a few cycles before the bombers can reach you.  I’m afraid you’ll just have to be patient.

Brawl: We’ve got Autobot reinforcements headed our way!]

C: When did Starscream grow a spine!?

O: Right!?!

S: Apparently, when the booty call turned out to be unsatisfying.

[Megatron: I shall make you pay for this, Starscream.  Decepticons -- hold your positions until the bombers arrive!

Megatron takes control of a nearby turret and begins shooting at the Autobot reinforcements below.

New Objective, “Defend the anti-aircraft guns,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.]

O: Yeah, are we assuming that already happened and he was not satisfied with how that went?  I mean...

S: Either that or he's pissed off that Megatron did not notice him.

O: [laughs] He didn’t comment on how pretty and shiny he was the last time they met.

[Brawl: Snipers on the bridge, Megatron!

Megatron aims the turret upwards and targets the Autobots that appeared on the bridge.  After they are destroyed he resumes shooting at Autobots on the ground who have decided to court death and are aiming directly at him.]

O: Hey, Chezni, you still there?

C: Oh, yeah.

O: Okay.

C: Sorry, uh, I think I was talking earlier wasn't I?

S: Maybe?

O: Uh, maybe I’m not paying enough attention.

[All the Autobots are destroyed.

Breakdown: That’s it?!?  We beat ‘em?

Brawl: No, no, no… there’s NO way the Autobots would give up that easily.]

C: I might have been cutting out through Discord, I’m not sure.

[Megatron: Agreed, Brawl.  Everyone hold fast and stay alert.

Breakdown: On the roof over there!  More Autobots!]

O: Strangely quiet as those lasers are being fired over there.

[Megatron attempts to turn to the Autobots who have spawned in on his left, but is restricted by the turret he’s on which doesn’t turn far enough.  Megatron hops out of the turret and begins sniping the enemy Autobots.

Decepticon: Autobot ground vehicle approaching!]

Megatron: We got another one!]

C: I was just so mesmerized by watching the machine gun fire.

O: [laughs]

C: It was addicting to watch.

O: Cuz machine guns make you happy.

C: Yes!

[Brawl: They’re firing from the windows!

Megatron continues firing at Autobots, periodically more drop down from the roof onto the balcony area the rest are shooting from.]

C: It's actually quite satisfying every time to see uh, Owls zoom in and just shoot things.

O: Well, I’m glad your entertained!

[One of the large Autobots with a machine gun walks out and Megatron begins shooting it.  Unfortunately, it does not die in one hit so Megatron continues to shoot it.]

O: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

C: That one's less satisfying!  It's not dying.

O: Ah what-

C: Make it die!

O: [laughs] “Make it die!”

[The large Autobot is vanquished!  Megatron swaps to his Fusion Cannon and begins shooting the other nearby Autobots.]

O: This is why I like the things- I- I like the- the weapons that kill them in one hit, ya know?

C: Yeah.

[Breakdown: The Autobots just keep coming!]

C: Specs, what's your uh, favorite weapon of choice?

[Brawl: Jets attacking from above!

Megatron picks up the turret gun dropped by the large Autobot and turns to his right, targeting a group of Aerialbots.]

S: I... don't think I actually have a preference for any of the weapons, because I'm not good with sniper rifles… Um, I mostly just a spray-and-pray sort of…

O: So, machine guns?

S: Yeah.

C: Yeah, I'm hearing machine guns.

[Megatron continues his machine gun Aerialbot rampage.

Megatron: All shall fall before Megatron!]

C: Actually, I think that lines up as well uh, with uh, previous levels that you played.  I remember see you get uh...

[Breakdown: Blast those Autobot junk-heaps on the bridge!

The pilfered turret runs out of ammo and Megatron swaps back to his Fusion Cannon.]

S: Yeah, I think I mostly had machine guns.  Either that or- well, uh, playing with the mealy weapons- or melee.

C: [laughs] I like to stab!

O: [snorts]

S: Yes.

[Megatron runs over to another mounted turret and takes aim at more Aerialbots.]

O: [laughs] I’m a talking car!

S: [laughs] Well, when I remember to transform.

C: Yeah!  As funny as it sounds in a Transformers game.

O: [laughs] You kinda forget you can do it.

S: Yeah.

[Two large turret carrying Autobots appear on the distant bridge.  Megatron shoots them but they persist in living.]

O: Oh my god, will you die already!?

C: Megatron is-

S: I wonder if you can shoot the screen?

C: The screen?

S: Cuz there's a screen that's occasionally-

[Megatron turns to his left where a glitching screen is visible, he shoots it but nothing happens.]

O: Oh.

C: Oh! [laughs]

O: I was like, no, you can’t have it [the gun] face the camera, was the way I was interpreting that in my head.

S: [laughs]

C: Makes me want to-

[One of the two large Autobots finally goes down.]

O: FINALLY!  Jesus!

C: Make sure that the canon of uh, the- the plot of um, Megatron vs all Cybertronian ads continue.

O & S: [laugh]

O: I mean… I would be into that-

[Breakdown: We’re gonna get slaughtered!

Megatron: Stop your whining, Breakdown, or I’ll stop it for you.

Brawl: They’re coming from all directions!]

O: -would be funny to me.  The real reason um, the real reason Megatron fucking lost it is because he was tired of ads.

[Megatron rips the turret off and begins shooting at snipers that have spawned on the bridge.

Breakdown: Megatron, they’re everywhere!  What do we do??]

C: Right.

[Megatron: WE HOLD THEM OFF.  The bombers will clear the street when they arrive!  Rely on that!]

C: “My fellow Decepticons, do you realize that every day you are assaulted by 20,000 different advertisements?  Where’s the decency!?”

O: [laughs] “But they’re all from two ad agencies on the entire planet!”

[Megatron: [laughs manically] ]

S: Oh gosh, that's just making you wonder if someone's done an ad agency AU, where they're basically competing ad agencies instead of competing factions?

[Megatron continues targeting all the large number of Autobots that are now spawning in multiple locations, until runs out of ammo in the turret.  He drops the turret.]

O: Fuck that was-

C: Right, Megatron is just busting up the monopoly.

[Breakdown: That’s -- that’s the WHOLE AUTOBOT ARMY!  We’ll never--

Brawl: BOMBING RUN WILL COMMENCE IN FIVE… FOUR… THREE… TWO… ONE!

Megatron runs over to another turret but is taken down by Autobot fire.]

O: Crap!

[The Mission Failed screen appeared and Owls selects, “Restart from checkpoint.”]

O: OH MY GOD!  I have to do that again! [laughs] I apparently got right to the end but I died.

[The level reloads at the point where all the Aerialbots had started spawning in.

New Objective, “Defend the anti-aircraft guns,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.]

S: Oh, no!

C: Maybe it saved?

[Breakdown: The Autobots just keep coming!

Brawl: Jets attacking from above!]

O: Well, I’m hoping that I don’t have to do all of them again, maybe?

C: Yeah.

S: No, you’re probably going to have to do- kill all of them, again.

[Megatron takes a turret, and begins shooting Aerialbots.  This one is revealed to not be a machine gun, but something much more akin to his Fusion Cannon blasts.]

O: This is not a machine gun turret.  I did not know these existed!

C: That looks like a fusion gun- cannon turret, thing.

S: Maybe?  Yeah, that’s-

O: I mean, I’m okay with this, to be honest.  I prefer being- not having to shoot things a billion times.

[Megatron shoots one of the Aerialbots which causes and explosion that takes out two additional nearby Autobots.]

O: And that's very satisfying.

C: Satisfying to watch!  I hate using things like this.

O: Well, that’s why you give me all the bigger guns, dear.

C: That is true.

[Breakdown: Blast those Autobot junk-heaps on the bridge!

Two large turret wielding Autobots appear on the bridge, Megatron begins shooting at one of them, while periodically swapping back to take out groups of Aerialbots.]

O: I have better aim than you anyway.

C: Aim!?!  What's that?

O: I know.

C: Food?

O: [laughs] You’re like, machine gun, shot gun, what aim?  There is no aim, there is only shoot!

[Megatron targets one of the turret Autobots but keeps missing because the Autobot is moving.]

C: Although, you need to aim where they're going to be and not where they are.

O: I KNOOOOW.

C: [laughs]

[One turret Autobot goes down.  Megatron takes aim at the other.]

C: At least killing those guys is easier with this thing.

O: Oh, thank you god!

[The second turret Autobot is defeated.  Megatron begins taking damage as shoots hit him from below.]

S: Like, this is going a lot faster than the other one did.

O: Who is shooting at me?  You are shooting at me.

[Megatron destroys the one lone Autobot on the ground.]

S: They’re from the ground, yeah.

C: A tiny boy.

O: A tiny boy is shooting me.  A tiny boy must die.

C: Tiny, dead boy.

O: Tiny, dead boy.

[Breakdown: I’m the fastest thing on four wheels!]

C: [laughs] No one's arguing that point but is that really necessary to bring up right now?

S: Well, I feel like-

[An Autobot gets on the platform with the party and begins shooting.  Megatron can’t maneuver the turret to hit him and tries to exit, but instead rips it off.]

O: Argh!  I keep hitting the wrong button.

S: He's channeling Dragstrip.

[Breakdown: We’re gonna get slaughtered!

Megatron: Stop your whining, Breakdown, or I’ll stop it for you.]

C: Wait!  He goes from, “I’m the fastest thing on two [four] wheels!” to, “We’re gonna get slaughtered!” 

[Brawl: They’re coming from all directions!]

O: Oh!  I thought an Autobot said that.

[Breakdown: Megatron, they’re everywhere!  What do we do??]

C: Oh, did he?

S: Maybe?

O: Maybe I’m wrong.  [Yup, I am very wrong. ~O]

[Megatron continues to run around with the Nucleon Shock Cannon shooting as a large number of Autobots spawn in.

Megatron: WE HOLD THEM OFF.  The bombers will clear the street when they arrive!  Rely on that!]

S: Well, I don’t know- I don't think they have particularly of a wide range of voice actors?

O: Yeah… at least not- certainly not for the little guys.

S: Yeah.

C: Oh, did you rip that thing off?

O: I did.  I wasn't trying to.

C: The Nucleon Shock Cannon.

O: Which, apparently, I like much more than the other guns!

[Breakdown: That’s -- that’s the WHOLE AUTOBOT ARMY!  We’ll never--

Brawl: BOMBING RUN WILL COMMENCE IN FIVE… FOUR… THREE… TWO… ONE!

An in-game cinematic plays, as the Decepticon bombers finally hit their targets.  The party, plus Brawl are standing on a platform, Brawl turns to Megatron.]

S: Well, nucleon makes sense considering uh, what it actually does in the comic canon.

[Breakdown: Wooooo-hoooo!  BOOM!  Eat THAT, Autobots!

Brawl: The street looks clear, Megatron.]

O: Does it-

C: Wait, so it’s a real thing?

S: Yeah, nucleon is basically a heavy-duty powerup, but it prevents transforming in the Marvel Comics.

O: Huh.

[Brawl: That should’ve blown the Vault doors clear off!

Megatron: Good.  Brawl -- remain here and hold this position.  The rest of us will move forward and acquire the Omega Key!]

S: And it may, or may not uh… uh, also kind of fuck with them.

[Megatron jumps down from the platform the party has been on during the prior fight.  The street below is littered with debris, Dark Energon crystals, and Autobots with varying degrees of damage.  A nearby Autobot runs towards Megatron, but trips and Megatron stomps on him.

Autobot: Help… me… Must… fight… Must warn… Zeta Prime...]

S: Cuz, I think like, Grimlock ends up an Action Master because of it.  An Action Master as a transformer who doesn't transform.

O: Hmm.

C: Gotcha.

S: It's been a while since I've done anything with… since I’ve read any of those um...

[New Objective, “Enter the Iacon Vaults,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.

Megatron hits Autobots with his melee attack that are on the ground as he heads towards the Iacon Vaults’ entrance.]

C: Are you running around punching corpses!?

S: [laughs]

O: Uh, they were still alive.  They were still shooting at me, they had to die.

C: [laughs]

[Megatron runs over to some ammo but is unable to pick it up.  He reloads the Null Ray and then picks it up refilling 1 ammo.]

O: I’m taking the one thing of ammo from it, alright?  Don’t judge me.

S: Like, nucleon is apparently an actual thing rather than just nucleon in Transformers.

[An in-game cinematic plays as the party reaches the Iacon Vaults.  A huge Autobot, 2 to 3 times the height of Megatron bursts out of a wall and lands in front of the party.

Big Autobot: Engaging Decepticons at the Iacon Vaults.

The Autobot moves forward while a Decepticon grunt fires on him, crushing the grunt under his giant feet.

Decepticon: Fall back!  Fall back!

The big Autobot then transforms into a big tank.]

S: Oh a giant- !

O: Oh goody.

S: I wonder if that’s-

C: I wanna play as that guy!

[Breakdown: What the-?!?  That guy is huge!]

C: Yeah, I want to be that thing!

[Megatron: Split up and flank him!  Use the debris for cover!

Megatron fires some tentative shots at the tank but doesn’t appear to be doing any damage.  He uses the debris to maneuver around the tank looking for a weak point.

S: Okay- yeah, nucleon is an incredible power- incredibly powerful energy source capable of being used as fuel by a Transformer but though it can give great strength and power and has even revived the non-functional it has terrible side effects to quote uh, the TF Wiki.

C: Alright.

[Breakdown: The tank’s armor is too tough!  We gotta find a weak spot!

The tank has a weak point on it’s rear and Megatron unloads several Fusion Cannon rounds into him.]

S: And yeah, one really common side effect is loss of transformation.

[The Autobot transforms back into robot mode.  Megatron targets him, and seeing that the reticle turns red on the Autobot’s crotch begins shooting accordingly.]

O: Shoot the crotch!

S: [laughs]

C: Would you be stuck in whatever form you were in when you took it?

S: Um, possibly?  Mostly I think they were stuck it in robot mode.

[The party continues firing on the Autobot, who seems to only be targeting Soundwave.  Megatron hangs back, transforming into tank mode once his Fusion Cannon ammo runs out and continuing to fire.]

C: Gotcha, and yeah, Owls you are definitely shooting the crotch.

[Megatron: We’ve breached its armor!  Now DESTROY IT!]

S: [laughs]

O: The ret- the reticle turned red!

C: [laughs]

O: Don’t judge me!

C: For obvious reasons!

O: Obviously!  I'm sorry Soundwave, but I'm really glad you say aiming at you and not me. [laughs]

C: Soundwave’s over there just going, “OH MY GOD, WHAT’S GOING ON!?!” [laughs]

[The Autobot if finally taken down after 8 tank rounds are unloaded into the crotch area, he then explodes.

Soundwave: Megatron -- the tank has been rendered non-functional.]

C: I mean, “Didn’t even break a sweat, thanks boss.”

O: [laughs]

[Breakdown: You see that?  *I* did that.  ALL.  Me.]

C: Ohhhh my god.

O: Breakdown, Breakdown are- do you want to die?

[Megatron picks up some nearby ammo.

Megatron: A brilliant addition to my arsenal!

He then walks forward, towards where Breakdown and Soundwave are waiting next to the vault entrance.

Megatron: Onward, Decepticons.  Into the Vaults!]

S: Well-

O: “You know what?  You know what I'm having for dinner tonight?  Your ass.” [laughs]

C: [laughs]

S: Dead End is the one with the death wish.

O: Yeah…

[Megatron walks up to some debris blocking the vault entrance and plants a detpak on it.]

C: Wait, who's Dead End?

S: Another Stunticon, he sounds very British in the G1 cartoon.

[The detpak explodes and the party enters the Vaults.  Debris litters the floor, and just inside a hologram of Zeta Prime appears.

Zeta Prime: Megatron.  My, you are a persistent one!  But breaking into my Vaults?!?  You’ve overstepped yourself.]

O: Yeah, I don't really remember him I only know him because you like him.

S: He's a Porsche [Porsch]- or a Porsche [Por-shuh].

O: That’s funny. [laughs]  Why- like-

S: Breakdown’s a Lamborghini.  Yes?

O: Were the Stunticons the ones Starscream made?

[Megatron: I won’t waste words with you, Zeta Prime.  Give me the Omega Key, and I may spare what’s left of your city.

New Objective, “Find the Omega Key,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.]

S: No, that was um, the Combaticons.

O: Gotcha.

S: The Stunticons are the ones that uh, Megatron stole like, the key to Vector Sigma for.

O: Right, right.  I know there was something.  Like they were created somehow.

S: Yeah.

[Megatron shoots a large piece of debris that is still barely connected to ceiling.  It falls and creates a hole in the floor.  The party jumps through.]

C: You know, they should make Con-a-cons.  Cons that were made specifically for cons?

[A large Zeta Prime hologram appears to the right of the party.

Zeta Prime: The Omega Key will NEVER be yours Megatron.]

S: [quietly] God.

O: [laughs] Why are you like this, Chezni?

[Megatron: I look forward to debating that with you IN PERSON.]

O: [snorts]

[Decepticon: Lord Megatron!  Help!

Megatron heads down some stairs on the left.]

C: They'd be great at cons!

O: I think Starscre- or I think Megatron’s like the worst customer, like, [deep voice] “I will come into your store and you WILL process this return!”

A: [laugh]

O: “Or so help me, Primus!”

[The party enters a room where a Decepticon grunt is visible behind a large glass-like barrier in front of them.

Breakdown: Zeta’s got one of our guys trapped!

A reddish insignia appears on the ground underneath the grunts feet.

Breakdown: Look at the floor!  What’s Zeta up to?]

C: “You will give me a refund of $39.99!”

O: Right.

C: “Uh, sir, that's not how this works!”  “I don't think you understand you will give me a refund.”

O: [laughs] Right?  Seems- seems accurate

[A large pillar of metal slams down as the grunt throws himself forward avoiding it.  Another insignia appears under where he is currently standing.

Decepticon: Hey -- I’m still functional!  I’M STILL F--

The Decepticon waves to the party before being smashed by another pillar.

Megatron: Idiot.  Decepticons!  Onward!

Zeta Prime: You cannot hope to overcome my defenses, Megatron!

The party enters a hallway on their left.  It is lit with reddish lights on the walls, and a circular doorway is visible on the far end.  Megatron walks forward and the reddish insignia from before appears underneath his feet.  An insignia also appears further down the hallway, but Megatron transforms and drives to the clear area between the two.]

C: Also, did somebody get flattened?

O: Yup!

S: Yes.

[The large pillars smash down where the insignias were.

Megatron: Your pathetic machinery won’t stop me, Zeta Prime!]

C: Oh, geez!

O: Which is why I’m waiting until that one-

[Another insignia appears where Megatron is standing.  He quickly drives as ahead as the pillar in front of him slowly rises.

Breakdown: Watch out, Megatron!  You’re gonna get smushed!]

C & S: [laugh]

O: Bitch, I've done this before!

[Megatron reaches the door, and returns to robot mode.  A hologram of Zeta Prime appears in front of the door.  Megatron smashes some nearby chests and picks up ammo while Zeta talks.

Zeta Prime : Come no further, Megatron!  The sacred Vaults are no place for your tainted spark.]

C: Breakdown said sm- he didn't say smashed or flattened, he said-

C & O: ‘Smushed!’

O: [laughs]

S: Yes.

[Megatron: Nothing is sacred to me, Zeta Prime.  You should have realized that by now.  Decepticons!]

C: ‘Smooshed.’

O: [laughs] He- he baby.

C: [laughs]

S: Smoosh, smoosh, smoosh.

O: Smoosh, smoosh.  Breakdown, baby. [laughs]

[Zeta Prime’s hologram disappears and Megatron uses Dark Energon on the door.]

O: It's just funnier when I try to connect that this eventually became the Breakdown in Prime.

C: Oh, yeah!

[The doorway is destroyed, and Dark Energon crystals form in the general vicinity.   A room with a lone dais in the center is revealed.]

O: Because same continuity and all, and my brain hurts.

C: Is he the one who loses the eye?

O: Yup!

S: Yup.

O: Same character, supposedly.

[An in-game cinematic begins.  The party enters the room and Megatron walks up to the dais, reaching towards the large key-like object that is floating on it.  The dais suddenly sinks into the floor and the key flies off.

Megatron: Finally!  The Omega Key is within my - What?!?]

O: [yells] Ah! [laughs] Yoink!

[Zeta Prime rises from a large platform in the back of the room and catches the key.

Zeta Prime: Did you really think it would be that easy?]

C: “I’ll be taking that.”

[Megatron points at Zeta Prime.

Megatron: Come down HERE, Zeta Prime, and I will give you the answer!]

C & O: [laugh]

[Zeta Prime: I shall remain where I am -- this vantage point will provide an excellent view of your destruction.

A dome shaped barrier appears around Zeta.  He remains still with the key floating next to him as the room begins to change around the party.  A large number of pillars lift up revealing a much larger room.  The large room is circular, with Zeta Prime in the center.]

C: “You don’t understand, Megatron.  I'm this level's boss!  I wait in a room while you dispatch all of my minions-”

O: [laughs]

[A large dome shaped metal object above Zeta’s own little barrier dome generates a massive hologram of Zeta Prime from the chest up.  The hologram’s movements match the real Zeta’s below.

New Objective, “Defeat Zeta Prime,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.

Zeta Prime: My will controls this entire chamber, Megatron.  I need only close my hand to crush the life out of you!

Megatron transforms and begins driving around Zeta.]

C: He’s acting like he’s so tough!  But he’s standing in a bubble!

O: Okay, I remember this.  I remember this, oh no, I remember this.

[Breakdown: The floor is glowing!  It’s everywhere!  He’s gonna smash us!

The floor beneath Megatron begins glowing red, as he tries to get out of range but isn’t quick enough and gets smashed by a pillar.]

O: Uh...

C: Oh no, the floor is lava!

[The Mission Failed screen appears.]

C: Oh, geez!

O: I did not move fast enough.

[Owls selects, “Restart From Last Checkpoint,” and the game reloads.]

S: That’s concerning.

O: [laughs]  Noooo, no.

[The same cinematic as before plays.

Owls pauses, and unpauses a few times looking for skip option.

Megatron: Finally!  The Omega Key is within my - What?!?]

O: Can- can I skip this?

O: No?  Am I just gonna have to watch this a zillion times?  No.

C: You know what-

S: I think you just have to be-

[The cinematic is skipped and the battle begins.

New Objective, “Defeat Zeta Prime,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.

Zeta Prime: My will controls this entire chamber, Megatron.  I need only close my hand to crush the life out of you!

Megatron transforms into vehicle mode.]

C: -they spent a lot of time on that cinematic, you’re gonna watch it!

O: Zeta Prime spent a lot of time on that hologram to make him super buff.

C: Right?

[Breakdown: The floor is glowing!  It’s everywhere!  He’s gonna smash us!

Megatron successfully evades the pillar this time.  The pillar is reveals to be two pillars that effectively cover the entire distance from Zeta to the wall in a straight line.

The way the pillars in this fight work is that there are two rings of them, one inner ring immediately around Zeta’s little bubble and another outer ring going around.]

O: Yes, I got that much.

[Zeta continues to bring down more pillars, in two sets of two.  Imagine it as if you were drawing a line through the center of a circle, and that’s the pattern the pillars are falling in.]

C: So, wait, so he's not even smashing you with a hologram?  He's just smashing with random metal things.

O: Yeah, yeah, yeah, but he's still posing with the hologram, you know?

C: Yeah.

O: That part is important!

C: Right?  And I know this is probably a stupid question, but why doesn't he just make all of them come down to the same time!?

[Zeta Prime: Do you see now, Megatron?  This is my domain.]

O: Because he wants to feel powerful.

C: I think he can’t-

[Megatron transforms into robot mode.

Megatron: Your theatrics don’t frighten me, Zeta.]

O: I agree!  I agree, that I think they ARE theatrics!

C: Yeah!

[Zeta Prime: Here, I have the power to control… and create…

Several life sized Zeta Prime holograms appear and begin attacking the party who fight back.]

C: Now he's gonna make his tiny boys come after, you even though he's sit- he's sitting there safe in that bubble!

[Zeta Prime brings down three of the inner pillars briefly before they are lifted back up.  The remaining Zeta clones are dispatched.

Megatron: Endless duplicates of Zeta Prime - how nauseating!

Megatron picks up ammo that was dropped by the clones.]

O: I’m just saying, not all the time does Megatron have no reason to be mad at the Autobots, you know?

C: Yeah.

O: When their leaders are like this, he's got a point.

C: Also, wait, are those fake Autobots?

O: They’re his holograms.

S: Apparently he just does stuff with solid light holograms.

C: Right!?

[Megatron: Is that all, Zeta?  A pathetic army of energon clones?  Is that the best you can do?]

O: [snorts]

C: Oh, energon clones.

[Zeta Prime: HAHAHAHA!  You have NO idea!  Here, I have limitless power!]

C: So that’s what Megatron did in G1…

O: Huh?

[Soundwave: Megatron, we may be able to damage Zeta’s machinery during its recharge cycle.

The metal dome above Zeta opens up revealing a large reddish-orange core.  The party begins firing at it.]

C: With all those clones of everyone he has-

O: OH.  Well, I don’t they’re holograms, unfortunately.

[Breakdown: Blasting his shield won’t work!

The metal closes in around the core again.

Zeta Prime: A valiant attempt, Decepticons, but Autobot machinery is more resilient than you realize.]

C: No, no, I know, they don't have their shininess.

O: [laughs]

[Soundwave: Alert.  ALERT.  Zeta Prime is modifying the room.

The floor below Megatron begins glows he begins walking away from it but is smashed by a pillar.]

O: Oh come on!  I thought I’d gotten away...

[The Mission Failed screen displays.  Owls selects, “Restart From Last Checkpoint,” and the game reloads right after they’d damaged the core.

New Objective, “Defeat Zeta Prime,” displays briefly on the right side of the screen.

Zeta Prime: A valiant attempt, Decepticons, but Autobot machinery is more resilient than you realize.]

C: Yeah, I didn’t quite catch what hit you.

O: It was another smashy thing.

C: Oh.

O: Thankful it saved, so I don’t have to do all of that again.

[Breakdown: Ceiling’s coming down!  Get away from the mashers!

Zeta brings the outer ring of pillars down one at a time, Megatron moves into the interior to avoid them.]

C: So Specs, what is- what is Zeta Prime usually do?  I actually haven't really seen anything with Zeta Prime.

S: Uh, Zeta Prime is actually not a character I remember seeing very much about, he’s probably just one of the-

O: Well, he can bring them all down, Chezni.

C: Oh.

O: Oh shit.

[The floor under the inner ring begins glowing and the party tries to stay ahead of them to avoid getting smashed.  They eventually reach a gap where an exterior ring was either not brought down or has already been raised and exit into the gap.]

C: He just can’t bring them down when they’re close to you, oh.  No, I'm dumb I just now realized the red markings on the floor indicate he's going to bring them down.

O: [laughs]

C: Just now.  I am- you are probably very happy that we are not playing with you.

[Zeta Prime raises all the pillars and generates more clones of himself.

Breakdown: How can we win if he keeps making more clones?!?]

O: [laughs] You would have gotten crushed so many times.

C: Yes.

S: Okay, Zeta Prime is apparently from the original Transformers cartoon, from the third season, I think.  But I don't think he had a very uh, big part I think he's mostly from um, the ID- the 2005 IDW continuity.

[Zeta Prime brings down more pillars in the inner ring, but misses the party and they are raised again.

Soundwave: The Energon composition of these clones is remarkable.

Breakdown: You can be a SUCH a nerd, Soundwave!]

O: [snorts]

[Soundwave: Megatron -- Zeta Prime’s machine core is now vulnerable.

The machine core is visible again, and the party fires on it.]

C: Gotcha.

O: Is he a bastard in that one too?

[Soundwave: Zeta Prime’s shield has proven impenetrable.]

S: Mm, well, I don't think he’s, like, a bastard in the Marvel com- or not Marvel, ugh.

O: In G1.

[The core is hidden again and the screen shakes as something above the party explodes, small debris falls around them.

Megatron: Your machine is failing, Zeta Prime.  Where are your boasts now?]

S: Yeah, in the original G1 cartoon, but yeah IDW, he’s definitely an asshole.

[Zeta Prime: The battle is far from over, Decepticon!  Prepare for destruction!]

O: All the Primes in IDW were assholes, even Prime!  Er, or even Optimus.

S: Yeah.  Yeah.

C: Yikes.

[Zeta Prime: Stay off the glowing floors if you wish to live!]

Zeta Prime begins bringing down pillars 2 at a time, effectively moving to cover the entire room.  Megatron transforms into vehicle mode and manages to stay ahead of the glowing floors.

C: Also, rewind- did Breakdown say, “You are such a nerd Soundwave”?

O: Yes.

[Zeta Prime lifts all the pillars and generates a bunch more clones for the party to fight.  Explosions continue to rock the room.

Zeta Prime: I can easily create more energon clones!  You WILL be destroyed!]

C: He’s lucky it's not the Soundwave from Prime.

O: Well, I mean it is, technically.

C: OH GOSH, right.

S: Technically, yes.  Except he gets a very heavy-duty makeover before Prime.

O: Well- well, I think the- the sort of running implication is that he got very heavily damaged at some point before the start of Prime.

S: Well, it counts as a heavy-duty makeover.

[The party continues to fight clones while also dodging the various pillars that Zeta Prime keeps slamming into the floor.  White electricity is briefly visible on the floor while the explosions continue.

Soundwave: The Energon composition of these clones is remarkable.

Breakdown: You can be a SUCH a nerd, Soundwave!

C: Then he scanned a what, a stealth drone?

O: Yeah.

S: Yeah.

O: I still think if you’re gonna give him a vehicle mode, I think that’s a really good vehicle mode for Soundwave.

[Breakdown: Shoot the big glowy thing!  SHOOT IT!!

The machine core opens up again and the party fires.]

C: [laughs]

O: Thanks, Breakdown.

S: Ahhh…

O: Thanks, baby.  You’re tryin’, baby.

S:  That’s- that’s super helpful.

C: Hashtag, “shoot the glowy thing.”

[Zeta Prime: No!  Systems failing… this cannot be!

Zeta appears to make a last ditch effort to drop all the pillars but is foiled by a cinematic.]

O: Oh, yes it can!

C: He’s like, “No!  How could you kill me while I sat here in my bubble!?”

O & S: [laugh]

O: “Not so tough now, are ya?”

[Zeta Prime’s barrier has dissipated, he stands on his platform while metal from his machine rains down around him.  He falls, partially trapped under some debris.  Megatron walks over and picks him up with one hand so they’re mostly facing each other eye to eye.

Zeta Prime: Finish it!

Megatron pushes his fist into Zeta Prime’s chest, causing him to drop the Omega key.]

C: Woah!

O: You were saying?  I’ll take that key, and your spark, and I’m done.

[Zeta Prime: [screams]

Megatron: The Omega Key is mine!  The Core of Cybertron is mine!

Megatron catches the key and slams Zeta Prime back onto the ground.  The camera zooms in on the key in Megatron’s hand as a single light in the middle begins blinking red.]

C:  Eh- eh?

S: I think there’s going to be some boom.

[Zeta Prime is lying on the ground, twitching.

Zeta Prime: [laughs] Your spies were misinformed, Megatron.  That device only activates the key to the core.  But don’t worry, the Omega Key will come to you.]

C: You can still talk!?

[The screen cuts to a different cinematic that pans over the face of a huge Autobot as his optics come online.

Omega Supreme: Omega: Activated.  Power: Optimal.]

C: Oh, snap!

[More shots of Omega Supreme’s systems coming online as his Autobot badge is prominently displayed.

Omega Supreme: Mission: Destroy Megatron.

In the final shot, Omega Supreme is his vehicle mode, which is a large aircraft, and he takes to the air.]

S: Well, they've definitely got he has speech pattern right.

O: Yup, and he a big boi.

S: Yes, he is.

O: [laughs] Thanks for watching guys, hopefully, that's still fun even though there's not you know, three of us idiots running around.  There is only but one idiot running around.  Uh, and um, again, I’m sad I can’t play as Soundwave, but join us next time for chapter 4, Death of Hope.

S: Nice.

O: I’m Owls.

S: I’m Specs.

C: I’m Chezni.

O: Have a good day!

[Outro Music]

[benildenewsformmwrite-blog]

Interview with an intern

The following is a transcript of an interview of a CSB student who had his OJT abroad and his really bad but sometimes good experiences in the US. 

P is the interviewer, and A is the interviewee.

P: Okay then, let’s start. So can you tell me a bit about your professional background?

A: Well, I just finished my internship in the US. 1st 6 months was in a ski resort in Vermont, next 4 months was in Michigan.

P: Where did you go to school?

A: De La Salle – College of St. Benilde.

P: Do you have any prior work experience?

A: No I do not.

 P: So what where your expectations working abroad?

A: I mostly didn’t really bring a lot of expectation there so I wouldn’t be disappointed if it was bad, and I’d be pleasantly surprised if it was good. My only expectation there was that I’d earn more money there than in the Philippines.

P: How did reality differ from your expectations?

A: It was VERY different. In Vermont, it was mostly the same, you know, snowboarding and skiing after work, fun times, making friends, but that’s when the expectations stopped.

P: What do you mean “That’s when the expectations stopped”?

A:  I mean it stopped being similar to what was actually happening, because after I went to Vermont, I went to Michigan; and Michigan… I was expecting it to be this super nice place, it has a good reputation, and… just overall happy fun times like Vermont but even better except without the skiing and snowboarding. But that was quickly shattered when first of all, they broke the contract  several times when they weren’t paying us the right wages, like from 9 dollars an hour to 3 dollars an hour, and then they were cutting our hours so we were doing – especially the 1st 2 months when the other interns from the other countries haven’t arrived yet there were only 4 of us in the main dining room catering to 400 up to a thousand guests at a time. Imagine there’s only 4 of you assisting all the servers serving a thousand guests. We had to cover the lack of staff so, we would leave at 7 in the morning and we would go home at 12 midnight.

Now you’d expect, at 9 dollars an hour you’d be, you know, you’d be breaking the bank, you’d be making a lot of money, but then the pay check comes, and you only have 400 dollars which is a very gross underpay when it’s supposed to be 2,000, reduced to 400.

P: Okay, I’ll ask you about that more in a while, but first can you briefly describe how you got an internship in the Grand Hotel?

A: There’s a program in the DLS-CSB’s HRM course, it’s called “ITN”

P: Which stands for?

A: International Training Network. It’s actually a travel agency that’s affiliated to Benilde which handles all the J1 Visa applicants. The J1 Visa is a cultural exchange Visa. Basically, you have 2 choices when doing your final practicum in the course, it’s either do a local training, or you can go abroad and sign up with ITN; that’s how I got it.

P: So you chose the Grand Hotel?

A: No actually, it’s something ITN offered us called the “6-2-6 Program.” You choose a hotel first that you wanna sign up for. Normally, they show you if it’s 6 months or a whole year, if it’s a seasonal hotel for example, because Vermont, the one in Vermont was a ski resort so obviously, they’re not open in the summer because there’s no snow, cuz it’s not winter. So they’re only open for 6 months and for the people who chose the hotels open only for 6 months, they give you a choice whether you go to another hotel or if you wanna go home right after, and I chose the other hotel. The thing is, they just told us to just give them our resumé and they’ll just check once someone accepts us; we don’t really get to choose the 2nd hotel.

 P: So can you provide a summary of your experience with your superiors in Michigan?

A: Well in one word, it was trash. They treated you like you were a tool – I mean some of them were nice like, were actually pretty cool but like the Jamaican guys were huge a-holes basically

P: All of them?

A: Most of them. They were super rude. SUUUPER rude. Not nice at all. Like imagine someone having an even lower rank than you telling you stuff to do getting mad if you don’t follow them. Basically, they’re just not nice people. And since they’ve been there longer, they assume that they’re your seniors and that you have to do what they tell you.

Aside from not paying you properly and cutting your hours, you know, being treated like shit, it’s not really a nice experience.

 P: So can you describe your reaction to this treatment? Like what did you do?

A: Well at first, you know, I tried to cope with it, I tried to you know, find ways to get along with them even though they’re being rude and – but when I found out that they were cheating me of my money, I was like, nope. You can call me names all you want but the moment you steal money from me, I don’t like you and I don’t wanna get along with you. And that’s when I started to not be agreeable with them anymore. When they’d irritate me, I’d fight back or I’d answer back at them. Basically.

P: Did you ever try to tell the HR?

A: O yeah they’re useless, they’re completely useless. Basically they tell you – you talk to 1, when it’s about a problem with the hotel they basically refer you to another person. For example, you come to me, I’m HR, I’m gonna be like, alright not my job talk to this guy; and then you go talk to that guy and that guy’s gonna do the same thing and you just gonna run in circles basically. Because they don’t wanna solve the problem, ot because they don’t know it’s there but because they do. Because solving the problem would mean not getting an extra cut of the money. They’re basically crooks.

P: Who gives you your payslip?

A: The payslip comes online, basically it’s emailed to you. They way they pay you is every 2 weeks but it’s delayed a week so you actually get it on the 3rd week of every month. You get hours right? You clock in and out; and the time sheets go to your manager and that’s when they start cutting hours. Regardless of whether you worked a hundred hours this week or 40, you get the same pay if the manager says you’re gonna get the same pay.

P: Do you work overtime?

A: ALL the time, because – that’s the thing – another legal thing they’re doing: Forced Overtime. Do overtime, or you get fired. You’re basically doing AWOL if you don’t do overtime so you’re gonna get fired if you do it too many times so you have to do overtime.

P: Did you ever try asking ITN?

A: Not ITN, Intrax

P: What’s Intrax?

A: They sponsor people, basically. ITN just sends you out, Intrax is the support.

P: What did Intrax do?

A: They didn’t really believe me

P: Don’t you have your payslips?

A: Yeah but you can easily say that – because the evidence, the payslip, says that I DIDN’T work that many times. You get it? That’s the problem they EDIT the hours

 P: What about other interns?

A: It’s been happening for a while, it’s been happening for several years actually. You know the servers there actually have to lie to customs? Grand Hotel makes them lie that they’re getting paid 11 dollars per hour but they’re actually getting paid via ticket.

P: Ticket?

A: So the way they sell the dinner and lunch and breakfast is they sell you tickets. A lunch ticket, a dinner ticket; each ticket has it’s own value. I think breakfast and lunch is a dollar and dinner is like a dollar ninety or something? Each ticket is worth that much so if you didn’t get any guests, even if you worked the whole day, you won’t get paid anything.

P: So can you describe how the other interns reacted to that?

A: Well obviously everyone hated it. Some people were getting – if the boss likes you, you get paid, if the boss doesn’t like you, you’re not gonna get paid a lot. One girl there was getting paid a thousand dollars a month because the boss liked her. The moment he found out she had a boyfriend, that dropped to 500. She was doing the same hours. Does that make sense to you?

 P: How has this affected your view of working abroad?

A: Well, contrary to everything I just said, I think this actually helped me, you know? Since I already went through a lot of bad stuff there, I think the next time it happens, I’m gonna be able to deal with it better. So it’s a nice learning experience for me.

P: So you’d still work in the US?

A: Yeah, but I’d be more careful in which hotels I choose to work next time.

 P: What advice would you give to younger batches of SHRIM/CSB students planning to take internships abroad?

A: Well 1st of all, if you’re picky about stuff, about hours, about things like that, don’t work there; because working in hotels there and working in hotels here is very different. It’s fast-paced there. And I have worked in a hotel here, it’s WAY slower, way slower. And lower your expectations – not to say that the US is a bad place, but people with exceedingly high expectations often find themselves disappointed I guess. And be brave about those things. Like, if you’re not getting paid fairly – see, a lot of the people, the reason we weren’t able to – the reason they didn’t care enough about our case is that there weren’t enough of us complaining. They were like, “o you’re just not doing your job why isn’t it that case for everyone else then?” You know? So, be brave about those things, if you not getting paid, speak up, cuz if you don’t, nothing’s gonna happen. Don’t worry, the government will protect you if you do decide to speak up.

P: Okay thanks.

Extra questions asked after the interview:

P: Ano yung grounds for dismissal mo?

A: So, I called in sick a couple of times, I told him, he said, “okay.” After several times, HR calls me and asks me why I went AWOL. Turns out he wasn’t telling HR that I was leaving so I got written up and got fired.

[gulescamisade]

Minnesota:  Day 7

[At some point during the night, or day -- it'd be indistinguishable to jake -- a voice speaks to him over an intercom.] ????: hey jami 2.0 u think u can do that pumpkin trick again?

JAKE: -snoring in a bed made of pumpkin patch on the ground. As an unfamiliar voice echoes overhead, he snorts awake. Jolting upwards with leaves in his hair. Also accidentally summoning 3 more pumpkins as he had fallen asleep practicing and all.-

JAKE: Hoosit?? -blink blink. He's AWAKE.-

????: eelmao

????: conchgrats buoy u did it

????: cept i kno u aint even got a grip on whatebber the fuck u doin

????: but i dont need u to

JAKE: -sitting there mouthing the words like eel-aye-em-oh and squinting. He feels... inexplicably chilled to the bone.-

JAKE: (Doh... now i have a bad feeling about this.)

JAKE: I dont suppose... this is all to do with a ploy to get some unmentionable dirty work dished out and done with? But why speak to me now?? Are you to level with me in some sense of the word???

JAKE: Why drag it out like this??? If you could do anything. Why not make me a mindless drone like dear sweet jade and jane?????

)(IC: cuz i dont wanna fuck w u small fry

)(IC: the gills are smart

)(IC: they aint barely need no direction

)(IC: give em a goal and they on cuz they know what the fuck is up

)(IC: u tho? alwaves wadin thru ur lil guppy emoceans

)(IC: makin some dumb ass pumpkins grow

)(IC: the fuck even is that

)(IC: do u even know what yoar capable of sonfish

JAKE: -takes the deepest breath of his life, his heart thudding like an iron clad weight. He can't see her face, he only knows her voice is there. Green eyes wide and fearful as he slowly rises to stand.- Im...

JAKE: I know somehow. Some way.

JAKE: Maybe it wont happen today or tomorrow. But my capabilities say that you are going to pay one pretty penny for the horrible things youve done.

JAKE: Mark my words. Its not me who should be afraid when at the end of all of this... -His face is now screwing up, visualizing everyone this war has ruined. Their wishes, hopes, dreams. The energy seems to charge in his veins, making the air around him hot enough that the pumpkin vines at his feet begin to shrivel.- At the end of all of this....

JAKE: Youre just going to be a scary story people tell their kiddos at night!!!!! A LAUGHING STOCK. HAH. Worse than me and ive never had a dignified moment in my fucking life!!!! And not a SOUL is going to be sorry youre GONE.

JAKE: SO FUCK WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE IN STORE FOR ME YOU FISH FRIED CURISH VARLOT!!!! FUCK IT THIS WAY AND TO HIGH HELL WHEN ITS WHAT I HAVE IN STORE FOR YOU THATLL BE WHATS FUCKING WHAT.

JAKE: Ill do it for jade! And jane and grandma and--- EVERYONE. Everyone youve fucking ruined with your vile reign of TYRANNY!!!!!! -This FIELD around Jake cannot be contained in this box of a room. Hell. The metal walls are beginning to bend with just these few seconds of intensity. Somebody do somethin'.-

)(IC: -LOW WHISTLE into her mic. she doesn't sound perturbed by his threats, or even by the damage he's doing. there's always more rooms she can put him in... maybe even make his lil friend roxy make him a nice box to hide in. she's definitely got more focus then this one...-

)(IC: im all aboat that reel glowy shit u got goin there

)(IC: but i know i can werk it betta

)(IC: anywave im board and i got shit to do

)(IC: goodnight BITC)(

[SNOP. Unfortunately for Jake, repressing magical/emotional outbursts is easy when she has the concentrated abilities of a cerulean at her disposal. But fortunately for him, she can only really put him to sleep, being a human and all... Also fortunately for him, she has the attention span of a gold fish and intends to let him dangle a little bit longer before experimenting on him as she intends to... Or maybe she's just having fun with him. Who knows.]

JAKE: -A lot of fortunates and a lot of unfortunates. It's always the seed of belief that matters.-

JAKE: -Passes clean out in the center of his cell, totally ready to write this off as some kind of fever dream... if it's not for the melty edges of the walls around him. This was exciting as it was frustrating.-

---

[Today when Jake wakes up, he will find himself redressed in tiny red shorts, red suspenders, and a big red bow tie. ur whalecum jami 2.0 ]

JAKE: -stirs awake before promptly looking down at himself.- ................................... SON OF A BITCH.

ROXY: =She couldn't help but to notice that Jake had gone missing. Which is unsettling for many reasons so she's taking a leap and exploring more even without the invisibility cloak from the void. Roxy blips out of her room, landing in the hallway and silently makes her way down it. Time to snoop!=

[It's quiet in these holding chambers with Jake and the Cherubs gone, leaving on Roxy and James who is presumably still keeping silent. At the end of the hall there is a door, and she'll find it isn't locked.](edited)

ROXY: =WHERES CALLI YOU MONSTERS?? SHE'LL FIND YA CALLI. She opens the door slowly and peeps in... if the coast is clear here comes a stinky, sweaty escaped prisoner. Where's your information?=

[The door opens up to an open room, on either side there are windows show casing labratories of some kind. It isn't entirely clear what kind of work is being done in them from where Roxy is standing. At the end of the room there's another door, but shee can also see more doors inside the labs.]

ROXY: =Hm.... can she see computers in there? She decides to get close to one window and peer in. Nerds might be at work in there...=

[There's definitely computers and lots of mechanical equipment and various tech projects half completed on the tables. The lights are low right now so there doesn't seem to be anybody working at this time.]

ROXY: =SCORE. She doesn't want to waste all her gas there has to be a way to get in there..... maybe this door at the end of the room will get her where she's going. Quietly scampers=

[This door is also open, CONVENIENTLY. It leads to another hall, and to either side of where Roxy stands are, presumably, the doors to the labs.]

ROXY: =BITCHIN, HERE COMES HER. Lab number one she's gonna prob ya! KICKS DOWN THE DOOR..... quietly. With her hand=

[As she enters, the lights TURN ON!! And that's about the extend of what happens there. She'll see all the computers have aquarium screen savers but all the fish are glittery and/or have blingee'd accessories like gold chains and shutter shades.]

ROXY: 😒

ROXY: =This is a lab so she sprays disinfectant on the computer before goin to HACK=

[It just so happens that whoever used this computer last forgot to log out of their account... They have photoshop open and there are photos of Jake. He's in red booty shorts and suspenders and he's lookin' like D8< but whoever was doing this photoshop job is trying to make him look a little happier... Like he's cheering instead of like he's about to punch the photographer in the face.]

ROXY: =Oh well shit..... oh. Well.. she. Snrk. Sorry but also ok. Where was this taken? Does it say anything about that? WHERE'S JAKE YOU COMPUTER=

[Without much looking she will first find a folder full of unedited photos of Jake from his new cell. Dank and dreary, much worse then the cells they were in before. Only a bed and a medical tray table. Another folder with the edited photos reveals these are being used for magazine covers and spreads. It seems Jake is being used as Crocker Corps POSTER BOY. Look at this well fed and obedient (?) human.]

ROXY: =OH HOW DARE!? Are there any OTHER people here computer? Like Dirk or Mom or ANYONE ELSE? WHO ALL AM HERE?=

[The computer thinks Roxy expects too much from it. At least from this account on the server. It's only been used by a humble tech intern who edits pictures in photoshop. His name is Maxwell.]

ROXY: =What a fuckin nerd Maxwell is can she HACK to find out... or would that take too much time.... it probably would so she legs it to the other lab=

[The other lab has lots of cabinets and coolers containing samples of various things... Some of which she might recognize as GLOWING MUSHROOMS and ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER. The kind of research they do in here might be a little more obvious...]

ROXY: =Finally putting Sweet-n-low out of business she sees, good. But she's scrunching up her nose and looking for anything useful or recent? =

[Or perhaps they were behind the Sweet-n-Low game all along! In any case, if she dares to try confiscate some of the mushrooms or any of the extracts lying around, she might be able to try using it for its hypnotic properties. Otherwise, there's mostly just experiments with food and chemicals being done in this lab. Sadly no clues of friends.]

ROXY: =God dammit. Well shucks she blows this popsicle stand and goes on a hunt for Jakey boy or Calliope!=

[Back in the hall, on the other side there's yet another door but it's more heavily sealed then the others with some kind of keycard lock, but with little indication of what's on the other side. At the very end of the hall is an elevator, also requiring keycard access to use.]

ROXY: =this might be where its unavoidable. UNA-VOID-ABLE. She bets this heavily sealed door is something GOOD. She's going to take a quick peek in there if she can poof in!=

[There's a growling around these hallways... sounds like something or someone might be prowling around.]

[The room Roxy has poofed into seems to be some kind of observation room. There's a couple screens on one wall with a panel beneath -- one screen is showing the room Jake is being held in (where he's either sleeping among his pumpkin patch or being rowdy...) while the other screen is shut off.]

ROXY: =zoinks! Growls are bad news. She hurries and tries to see if she can turn on the other screen or find where exactly the room holding Jake is? GO GO GADGET STUBBY FINGERS=

[MAIN SCREEN TURN ON. She manages to get the other screen running, but it's only showing an empty room with a bed... With unsettling stains of red and green on the sheets.]

ROXY: ..... =Bruh tf?? She squints and that can only mean bad news. Does it say where these cameras ARE? She should make her way downtown and quickly!=

JADE: -zaps into the room- BARK!!!

ROXY: !!! =JUMPS= FUCKIN'--- oop.....

ROXY: ..................

ROXY: ..................

ROXY: ...........

ROXY: this isnt the bathroom wtf

JADE: -LUNGES AT HER!!!-(edited)

ROXY: !! =BLIPS, or tries to back for the door. tHESE ARE SOME STRESSFUL SECONDS IN THE VOID=

JADE: -gdi. She claws around the empty space, growling.- ill find you!!!

ROXY: =She pops on the other side of the door really and is booking it down the hall, back the way she came. NAH. NNNNNAAAAAHHHHH=

JADE: -there's the sound of BOOFing and scrambling feet behind her-

ROXY: =fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck, what to do, gotta think gotta think gotta think. Where can she hide? She doesn't KNOW this place. UUGHHHHHHHH! She's doing her BEST here just, SLAPS a pen holder off a desk she runs by FUCK THIS SHIT, YEET!=

JADE: -BORK BORK BORK BORK!! The pen holder jostles her, but not enough to stop her. RIP pen assortment...-

ROXY: =Can she.... throw a stick??? BLIP, pops a stick into existence. A SNAUSAGE STICK chucks it down the opposite hall= FETCh!

JADE: -DAMN IT. HER WEAKNESS.-

JADE: -stops and grrs... her programming is conflicted-

ROXY: =Oh shit..... CHUCKS ANOTHER ONE= go on girl! tasty tasty!!

JADE: grrr... JADE: -RUNS AFTER IT-

JADE: -but a few moments later, she zaps in front of Roxy with a snausage in her mouth, grabbing onto her and zapping again back into her cell-

ROXY: =Fuckin!! YES OK. SO..... she can't find Jake like this or Callie.... what to do.... what to do....UGHHHHGHGH. Just hides in a little corridor while trying to think. She doesn't even know if anyone else is here but now she's doubting it? AUGH. Okay, okay okay... think. Gotta think. Where can she hide? UUUGGGH--= ACK! =DOOF. Deposited on her face in the cell, gdi=